A/N: Hello there! I'm really sorry for the entire wait. I should have done it sooner, but I'm not making excuses here. Really sorry, and thank you for your patience. Hope you like it!
Chapter XXVIII
The week flew by, and in between crying kids, avoiding Potter and his maddening bad timing and managing to not get into a fight with the Weasel, I found myself reading in the living room while keeping an eye at my small version that was currently playing on the floor with a toy broomstick. Potter and Weasley were out after they got called by one of the others Aurors, which found a witness that supposedly had seen someone very similar to my father passing by in Knockturn Alley.
Fleur and Bill got back home two days ago, and I was very happy to get some peace after discovering, to my utterly horror, that their kid wouldn't stop crying until I took her in my arms, and proceeded to spend the next thirty minutes walking in the house and whispering passages of books I remembered in French. And I cursed myself for trying to help that one time at night, when I woke up from screaming, and couldn't get back to sleep, even after I put silencing charms in the room.
So I decided that some tea should solve my problems, and proceeded to get in the kitchen, where I found a very irritated Fleur muttering curses in both English and French, about what she would do to Bill when they got back. I tried do ignore the screaming and block all the curses, but it was getting impossible. That's when I decided that I should take my tea to the bedroom, and tried to quietly escape, seeing as Fleur was so immersed on cursing Bill's bollocks off, that she didn't even noticed when I walked in.
But when I was almost in the middle of the room, I accidently hit my foot on the chair, and that brought the attention of both mother and daughter. The kid instantly quieted, and I looked to her mother, then to her, and again to the blonde woman sitting there. Her perfect hair was in disarray, her eyes were red and tired, and the skin under them was swollen and dark, she looked a wreck. I didn't know what to do, and was slightly afraid that if I moved the kid would start screaming bloody murder again.
That is, until said kid proceeded to extend her tiny chubby arms to me, and when I looked to Fleur again she had that almost maddening glint in her eyes. Bloody hell, she was walking to me before I even realized when she hat stood up. And in a fluid motion grabbed the cup of tea in my hand, and put it on the table, before gracefully giving me her kid. Then she smiled almost lazily, and spoke in French:
-Draco, it seems that my daughter had taken a liking to you. Can you hold her for a moment, just until I make Bill come down? Thank you.
I didn't even have time to respond before she was skipping out off the room. The bloody witch! Can't even take care properly of her own offspring. That's when I started to curse her for letting me deal with the trouble, and I didn't even realize that I was speaking in French until I heard what could only possible be described as a type of giggle. When I looked down I realized that Victoire was smiling with one of her fists in her mouth, and when I dropped my head to look at her, she almost got a hold of my hair, but I got quite good at dodging after the incident with Teddy.
-Don't you even think about that kid. We need to establish some boundaries now that everyone thinks I'm some kind of stupid house elf, and will take care of their children whenever they feel like it. Do not touch my hair.
She blinked a few times, before lunging to get a grab again, and I smirked at her when I managed to dodge it again.
-Il va falloir être un peu plus rapide! You're too slow kid.
I shifted her to my other arm and grabbed my mug from the table, before heading to the living room, and sitting on the couch. She seemed to like when I talked in French, and that's when I got the idea to recite some passages from my books. I must have gotten lost in thought for some time, because when I looked down again she was already sleeping. I looked around, trying to find someone to give her to, but the father that was supposed to have come some time ago wasn't anywhere to be seeing, and when I tried to move to get up, and drop the kid in her parents' bedroom, she started moving, and I was afraid that she would wake up, and start screaming again.
I ended sleeping on the couch, still holding her on my chest. When I woke up Potter was smirking down at me, holding Ted, and Hermione was talking about how cute the scene was, and I was mortified when Weasley came down the stairs and promptly started laughing while Molly tried to make him stop, before he woke the baby. Needless to say that I got pestered for three days, and it only got worse when George heard of it. The prick send me a baby bottle!
So seeing as I was supposedly so good with children, Potter promptly stated that I should take his kid, and look after him "and I'm warning you Malfoy, don't you even think of getting rid of him, Hermione will be supervising you, just so you don't get any ideas". And when I asked why I needed to babysit the brat, the git smirked and raised an eyebrow mockingly at me. "He's your dear cousin, isn't he? And you should be thanking me, honestly, it makes for good practice", he disappareted before I could hex his head off.
It's not that I have a problem with the kid, he's mostly quiet and if you give him something to play with he won't bother you. I just hate to be treated like a nanny, it's disgraceful and humiliating, and the fact that Potter and the Weasel take great pleasure in making me suffer doesn't make it any better.
-Stoop sulking Draco, Teddy is absolutely wonderfull.
I almost drooped my book when she spoke. Hermione was leaning on the couch behind me, and smiling at the little kid currently playing with some quidditch figurines on the floor.
-I'm not sulking.
She grinned and walked to the front of the couch, before sitting next to me. I put my book on the floor, and grabbed her by the waist, managing to pull her on my lap. She squealed and then giggled, before putting her arms around my neck, and kissing the corner of my mouth. When I turned to kiss her properly, she smiled and pulled back with a joking smile.
-Yes, you were. And stop it, you are supposed to be looking after Teddy, not snogging me in front of him. Imagine what Harry would do if Ted said his uncle Dray was making icky things with his aunt Mione?
-I don't give a shit what Potter will do. The prick left me to take care of his kid, like I'm some kind of bloody house elf!
-Draco!
She slapped my chest and looked reprovingly back at me.
-They are magical living beings, and should be respected as any wizard or witch. Just because you're used to be served to your every wish by them, doesn't mean that you can do as you please with them. They have feelings too, and you can't go and treat them like something disposable. They have being slaved for a long time, and it's utterly ridiculous that there are still people that keep it that way.
I sighed deeply and dropped my head on the back of the couch. I knew the moment the words have dropped from my mouth that she would do her speech of elfish wellbeing.
-I know Hermione, don't get your knickers in a twist. And you should know that since we started dating, I managed to get some clothes to the house elfs of the Manor, but they refused to leave before accepting, that's when I told them that they wouldn't go anywhere, that place is huge, and it won't clean itself. So now they have clothes, and take turns in days off. Are you satisfied?
She gave me one of her special smiles, and proceeded to pamper my face with kisses.
-Very much so.
-Icky! Stop it, that gross. I tell nana auntie Mione doing icky things. Make her stop uncle Dray!
Hermione started chucking and stepped out off my lap, before kneeling next to the pouting child.
-I hate it when he calls me that.
She looked back at me from over her shoulder, and smirked.
-Don't worry Ted, your uncle Dray likes it.
-Stop it, will you? I'm not even his uncle! For Merlin's sake, I'm the kid's cousin. I'm too young to be called an uncle.
Teddy stood up and walked to me, before extending his tiny arms, and indicating that he wished to be picked up. I looked at Hermione, and she was smiling encouragingly at me. I sighed and grabbed the small boy, and put him on my lap. He was looking at me with a comical serious face.
-Nana tells me you is family. She says you her sis son. Nana says she miss your mommy, will you meet nana uncle Dray? She says she wants to see you.
I was at a loss of words. I looked into his currently gray eyes, we discovered he could manage to change the color of his eyes just the other day, when he kept looking at me, and all of a sudden Ginny exclaimed that he had changed. He now looked precisely like me, when I was that age. My mother would be delighted to see him, after she recovered from the fright of seeing my younger self again. I could even get a laugh out of it, telling her I had a son in Hogwarts. She would faint for sure. But getting back to the eager boy waiting for a response, I really didn't know what to say.
It's not like I despise my aunt, I just don't know much about her. Mother never brings her up, and I just know she exists because I read on the tapestry in the Manor the place where she was burned out of the family. Her name can still be read, but aside from that, I would have ever thought that my mother just had Bellatrix as a sister. When I discovered that Andromeda married a muggle-born, it all made sense.
-Hum…look Teddy…I'm not-I don't-I really-
-What Draco means to say is that he will think about it.
I gave her a thankful look. She smiled back and stood to go to the kitchen when Molly called asking for help. I glanced at the boy on my lap, and smiled at him. He looked down at his hands, which were clasped on his lap. I hate to make kids sad, it's absolutely wrong, kids should be bubbly and happy, and make their parents life harder. But this little one doesn't even have parents, and it's all because of the war.
-Hey kid, look here.
He glanced up at me shyly, and the fact that his eyes were so familiar and so sad made all my doubts vanish. It wouldn't hurt, it's not like Andromeda could possibly be worse than Bellatrix, and I managed to live under the same roof with her for a long time.
-Next time you see your nana tell her I would like to have some tea. I can go to her place, if it would make her feel better.
His face did a complete turn, and he smiled brightly. The next thing I knew, he was hugging me tightly.
-Thank you, thank you, thank you!
-Okay, that's fine. But I would appreciate it if you didn't throttle me.
-Sorry uncle Dray.
-It's Draco.
-Dwaco?
-Draco.
-Drake?
-Draco.
-Da-Dra-Dwa…your name is funny uncle.
I sighed and rubbed my forehead. Bloody stupid tradition, couldn't mother think of anything better?
-It's not. It's a unique name. I was named after a constellation.
-Conste…consti… I don't know what it is.
-Stars. A constellation is a group of stars that form something. The one I'm named after is a dragon.
His face lit up and he was about to ask me something when Potter and Weasley walked into the room. He screamed and tumbled off my lap, but I managed to grab him before his head hit the floor. He didn't seem the least bit affected, and stood up faster than I thought a two year old could even manage, before reaching Potters legs and grabbing his trousers.
-Dad, uncle Dray is a dragon!
Potter looked back at me amusedly, before picking the exited kid up. Weasley was snickering and shaking his head. I just dropped my head in my hands and groaned.