Author's Note: Written for my best friend's birthday. I feel the need to say, it is not an actual zoo. Enjoy!
Draco Malfoy entered a room and stilled at the seething mass of moving bodies moving within it. "It's a zoo in here," he murmured.
Harry Potter glanced at him briefly with a grin. "A little chaos is good for children," he stated. "You caught us during playtime," he added, grin still wide.
"How do you keep track of them all?"
"Years of Quidditch matches," he replied with a shrug. "One moment," he requested before letting out a one-note whistle. There was a slight pause in movement, before the children continued their activities. "Five-minute warning," he explained. "It lets them know they need to start wrapping up any games they're playing."
"I see," he murmured. His eyes flicked over the numerous joyous faces. "They seem to be enjoying themselves."
"I try to make sure they have fun, as well as give them an education."
"What do you teach?"
"I go through the basics: reading, writing, maths," he stated. "And since they're all from magical families, I educate them in muggle culture too – mostly through reading them muggle stories, and answering any questions they have afterwards," he added. "One moment," he requested again before letting out a two-note whistle. "One-minute warning," he stated. "So they can bring their games to an end and pack away any toys," he continued.
Draco watched, torn between amusement and astonishment as every child came to a halt in the next few seconds, several tidying away possessions. "They're often done before the end of the minute," he informed the blonde. Harry smiled at the children warmly as they lined up dutifully, looking to him expectantly. "Well done everyone," he praised. "This is Draco Malfoy," he informed. "He's visiting us today, and since he's here, I think he should read you a story, don't you?" he asked, receiving enthusiastic agreement.
"Very well," Draco agreed.
"Take a seat everyone," Harry urged, guiding the blonde to a chair while the children dutifully settled cross-legged facing it. "A show of hands, who wants to hear The Twits?" No hands. "George's marvellous medicine?" he suggested. Again nothing. With a smile, he suggested, "Fantastic Mr Fox?" All their hands shot into the air. "Fantastic Mr Fox it is," he stated as he plucked it from the shelf and handed it to Draco.
HPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDM
Harry stood in front of the door, facing the children. "Your loved ones are all here," he stated, "now remember, make sure to keep a firm hold of them while making use of magical transportation."
"Yes Mr Potter," they all chorused dutifully.
"Go on," he urged, opening the door and stepping out of the way, watching to ensure each child went to their appointed loved one. Once he was satisfied, he turned back to Draco who loitered at the back of the classroom. "So, what do you think?"
"I couldn't see how you'd make it work, but you do," he stated. "You're able to keep them on task without being harsh. If anything, they're eager to please you and determined to be good for you." Harry grinned. "How did this start?" he asked curiously.
"I looked after my godson Teddy when Andromeda needed to run errands. Several other parents caught wind of it and asked if I'd look after their kids, and it just snowballed from there."
"How would you like to expand?" he drawled.
"In what way?" he asked curiously.
"You teach them basic skills that will help them in school, and give them an idea of the muggle world, so that they will be better able to interact with muggleborns," he stated. "But you don't teach them about the wizarding world, do you?"
"No, I leave that to their guardians," he answered easily.
"If I were to join you, then we could ensure that each child also has an equal education in the wizarding world and it's culture. If you were interested, of course?"
Harry hummed. "Well, you've sampled a typical day at Potter's Pre-School, do you think you could deal with it on a permanent basis?"
"I think I would enjoy it, even if it might take me a bit of time to be able to follow the chaos of playtime as easily as you," he answered honestly.
"Then I better warn you, it's not for profit."
"Understood. Do you even charge them anything?"
He shook his head. "I've got more than enough money to fund it until I'm in my hundreds, couldn't see the point," he added with a shrug. "And I enjoy having something productive to do with my time. Still okay with that?" The blonde nodded. "Then I'll show you the lesson plan I've got, and we'll have a look on how we can incorporate your lesson matter into it," Harry spoke with a smile.
"Sounds good," the blonde replied with an equally warm smile as he followed the former-lion to his office. This wasn't what he'd had in mind when he'd come today, but he was happy with how everything had turned out. And if he got more out of this arrangement, then all the better.