Chapter Seven: Making Friends
Words: 1823
Author Notes: Chapter seven! I feel bad because it took me a long time to upload a new chapter. So, Enjooyyy! xoxo I already edited it. So the boys were three years old. Please let me know if there is any mistakes.
Hermione found them sprawled on the rugs the next day, still sleeping and clutching their favourite stuffed animals. She decided to let them sleep for a few more hours, letting them skip their breakfast while she did her homework despite how unnatural it felt for her. If they were older, she might even set many ringing charm around them to wake them up. It was almost eleven when Pansy came in, her elegant dark green robe sweeping gracefully around her.
"Didn't have a heart to wake them up Granger?"
"Would you?"
"Obviously" The Slytherin sniffed.
Pansy knelt beside the sleeping children and charmed Hermione's quills to tickle their noses. Draco was the first to react, but in the end he only flopped onto his stomach and continued sleeping. Harry simply wrinkled his nose. Pansy waited patiently for a few more seconds before rolling her eyes and pulling the boys' beloved plushies from them.
"Hawwy, my dwagon." Draco whined sleeply, groping the space around him with closed eyes.
"Dwayyco, where teddy?! I dun have dwagon!"
Harry sneezed and his eyes fluttered open.
The poor kid didn't even have the time to fully wake up or even adjusting to the general brightness of the room before Pansy began mercilessly tickling him. Harry squealed and Draco jolted out of his slumber. Hermione immediately began to tickle him too. Kids' laughter filled the room. The boys squirmed around, trying to use each other as a shield and screeching their surrender until the older girls decided that they had suffered enough tickle torture.
"Okay boys, let's get you change and find something to eat. You can't skip lunch. I have little surprises for you though! And no I'm not going tell you."
"Awwh okay."
"But Dwayco and Hawwy want choose..." Harry started
"..shirt …" Draco continued.
"..to wear today." Harry finished
"Since when do you two finish each other's sentences?" Hermione asked, exchanging a bemused glance with Pansy.
"Since now!" They chirped cheekily.
After they changed into more comfortable clothes, the group went to the Great Hall for lunch. Draco sat on Pansy's lap and Harry on Hermione's. The girls stuffed them with all kinds of food, making sure the boys were fed properly. While boys ate, the girls discussed their plans for the day. Their backpacks were waiting in the tub room – stuffed with copious toys that Hermione deemed safe and had charmed water-proof.
The boys had identical grey cargo shorts that fitted them perfectly and light blue t-shirts with 'aeroplane' printed across the front; the nine letter word inducing an hour long explanation on muggle transportation for any pureblood stupid enough to ask.
"Okay, time for the surprises!"
"Yay!" the boys shrieked, almost bouncing off their seats.
They skipped back to the common room, each firmly grasping one of Hermione's hands. Finally, they stopped in front of two lavish doors.
"Ready boys?"
Two squealing, bouncing toddlers gave Hermione her answer and she pushed the doors to reveal the tub room. Immediately, Harry and Draco stopped bouncing and simply stared in awe. They explored every inch of the room together, oohing and ahhing at everything from the massive pool like tub to the small changing room. Luckily there was no ghost haunting the room like the previous prefect's bathroom.
"You're going to have to change into your swimming trunks… Can you two do that by yourselves? And I'll need you to promise you won't enter the tub without me or Pansy!" Hermione said, handing them their swimming trunks.
"Okay Hermininy, prowwmise." The boys chirped.
They skipped off to the changing room, chattering excitedly as they entered the nearest stall. Pansy and Hermione soon followed their course, changing to own swim suits.
Ron stood in front of the door, slightly unsure if he made the right decision. What if they couldn't forgive him? But if he didn't do it, he might lose Harry and even Hermione! He couldn't let it happen; they had been his best friends since first year! Then there was the matter of Malfoy. How did they expect him to tolerate to that blond after so many years of animosity? He sighed and continued to stare at the door.
After a few minutes of this internal conflict, he took a deep breath, collected all his Gryffindor courage, and pushed the door open. Draco and Harry were kneeling near the resting chair, looking at something that looked familiar though he could not, for the life of him, remember what. He scanned the room but failed to find the people who were responsible for the two toddlers. Hesitantly, he closed the distance between him and the boys.
"What's this Dwayyco?"
"Hmm animal?"
"Yeah, but why it… yellow"
"Hmmm... It feewls rubbawy."
Harry squeezed the unidentified object and responded with a resounding squeak. Harry gasped and almost dropped the odd yellow item before continuing to inspect it. As Ron got closer and the rubbery animal came into sight, Ron remembered what it was.
"It is a rubber duck." Ron supplied softly.
The unexpected voice startled them. The two three-year-old whirled around to see a slightly nervous looking Ron standing behind them. Their eyes narrowed. Harry, who was always overly protective of his friends, got up and stood in front of Draco, effectively blocking Malfoy. The oh-so-yellow-rubbery-thingy was forgotten all together.
"What you want?" Harry demanded.
"Well hello to you to!" Ron mumbled sarcastically under his breath. "I… I just wanted to apologize to you about the other day."
Harry stuck his tongue out.
"Look, I said I'm sorry okay? I know it'll be hard to trust me again, but would you please just give me a chance to make up it up to you?
"You pushed Dwayco!" Harry accused angrily, not ready to forgive anyone who hurt his friend.
"Hawwy," Draco said from behind Harry, tugging on the darker haired boy's arm,
"Its okay."
Harry turned around to face Draco, "Awe you sure?"
Ron could practically hear Harry's face softening just as his voice did, filling with concern when he was talking to Draco. In hopes of turning the conversation in his favour, Ron pulled out two chocolate treats from his bag.
"Fancy some chocolate frogs?"
Hearing the word 'chocolate', the boys' attention was quickly reverted back to Ron.
Giggling, Draco asked "Is it sawfe?"
"It's okay Dwayco. I eat mine firwst." Harry answered bravely.
Ron blinked, confused by the whole situation. Was Harry really willing to risk his life for a Malfoy? Never mind, it was a great opportunity to gain their trust. He ripped open a box and stuffed the cocoa delicacy into his mouth before it escaped, chewing it loudly and moaning delightedly.
"Give us ten!" Draco stated imperiously, tilting his head up in his old I-am-so-much-better-than-you stance. Harry nodded enthusiastically, chocolate frogs were his favourite!
Ron groaned. He took out ten chocolate frogs, muttering "sneaky little Slytherins". He just lost all his weekly chocolate supply!
Hermione stepped out of the changing room. She was a little bit worried when she heard Ron's voice. She only grew more worried with every step, and hoped to Merlin the boys and Ron weren't in the middle of some sort of argument or any form of a fight. Fortunately, the sight that greeted her when she came out of the changing room was not one of tense, angry words, but her three boys sitting in a circle, munching chocolate frogs. Ron was explaining something to them around his mouthful of chocolate. Hermione stood in the doorway, watching them. It wasn't until Pansy cleared her throat behind her that the bushy haired girl snapped out of her reverie.
"So Granger, do you make it a habit to loiter in doorways?"
"Just look at them, they're getting along so well!" Hermione whispered, smiling fondly at her favorite three boys.
"Come on, we don't have time for this small emotional reunion."
Hermione rolled her eyes but quickly followed Pansy. As they neared the group, Hermione caught a glimpse of a rubber duck at of the gathering.
"Looks like you discovered the function of a rubber duck."
Ron looked up and smiled. "Yeah, my father couldn't stop rambling about it once he discovered the weird little rubber thing!"
"What is the function of that… thing?" Pansy asked, slightly uncomfortable with having civil conversation with a Weasel, especially about a foreign, possibly evil, little unknown yellow object that he knew more about.
"Fun" Hermione said simply. "Now boys, do you want to learn how to swim or will floating do?"
The group decided it was time to enter the pool and slowly descended into blue water.
Hermione held Harry tightly despite the floating charm she had cast on him earlier, she didn't want to risk the charm not working. Draco, who was under the same charm, didn't like the idea of being even a meter away from Harry and wriggled fiercely in Pansy's arms. Pansy's patience was wearing thin and it took a lot of effort not to yell at the little blond. Ron was keeping his distance, watching from the other side of the tub. Finally, Pansy's resolve snapped.
"Stop that Draco! Keep still or I won't teach you how to swim."
"I want Hawwy!" He whined pitifully.
Pansy rolled her eyes and sighed exasperatedly, an action she had been performing more and more often as of late. "Fineeeeee"
The Slytherin waded over to Hermione and Harry, not stopping until they were side by side.
"Happy now?" she spit scathingly
Draco just smiled innocently up at her.
Swimming class was a flop. Instead of listening to their elders well meaning and explicit instructions, the boys preferred ordering Pansy and Hermione, who they decided made fine modes of transportation, to catch each other before running away in an odd version of the game tag. They even splashed water towards Ron, who chased them around. Well, chased Hermione and Pansy around since they were holding them.
Hermione conjured a small boat for the three year olds, letting them to sit in it while the older kids had swimming race. The boys tried to sabotage the game by throwing their toys at the eighth years rather than cheering for them and in the end, the tub was full with their floating toys.
~tbc
A/N: Any comments or suggestions are welcome! Please please please review... :) Have a good day!