As always credit to my wonderful Beta Bess, who will sadly be leaving us

*Mass Awwwwwwww!*

But will be returning in December

*Mass YAAAAAAAAY!*

Bambino

Carolina Zabini

A baby. I had a baby. A tiny little being who depended on me for everything. I was thrilled. I was terrified. I was so desperately, desperately happy.

Every day was wonderful. A heap of hazy, sleep-deprived wonderful. Not one night passed that Blaise and I didn't have the exact same argument.

"Blaise I'll go."

"No Regina you need your sleep."

"For Merlin's sake so do you!"

"You need it more. You have a job."

"So do you, you dolt!"

"Yes, but no one at my work cares what I look like. I can walk into the office with massive bags under my eyes. You can't."

"Oh- just- but- you get back in this bed this instant my Blaise!"

"Go to sleep, Regina."

And unless he had had a particularly exhausting day, he would kiss my forehead and go to feed our screaming infant.

What a treasure he was.

Odd how quickly I stopped calling Little Blaise 'Blaise'. From his first week on this earth I referred to him solely as Bambino.

"Good morning Bambino."

"Is Bambino hungry?"

"Blaise! Bambino needs changing!"

Blaise, of course, found it hilarious.

"What was the point of naming him after me if you were just going to call him Bambino?"

"Well if I call him Blaise you'll look up every time I go to talk to him."

"Then what was the point of naming him after me?"

"It's a lovely name."

"Then call him it."

"No."

He wrapped his arms around me and kissed Bambino's downy head.

"I'll call him it when you're dead, ok?"

"Your Mother's mad Bambino. Just mad."

x-CZ-x

Cissy had cooed over him.

"He's lovely Carolina. Looks just like you."

"No he doesn't." I was beginning to get annoyed when people said that. "He looks like Blaise! Look at him."

"Of course he does." She gave me that look. The one full of indulgent mirth, as though she was about to burst into laughter, but was too polite to actually do it. But then she gave my Bambino a genuinely sweet smile.

"He is lovely Carolina. I'm jealous."

One hand went to her rounded stomach as my Bambino made mewling noises in her arms.

"Do you want to go back to Mummy? Is that what you want? Yes. Yes, go back to Mummy, baby. There you go."

She passed him over with a grace and gentleness I envied.

"You're going to be a wonderful mother Cissy."

Happiness spread over her features like warmth.

"Do you have any names yet?"

"...Some."

"Well... Share!"

"No," she breathed. "I couldn't possibly. You'll have to wait 'til he is she is born."

"Oh that's not fair! I told you what mine was going to be called."

"Yes, well, we're still looking at our options."

"Liar! You have a name picked."

"Be that as it may, I'm not telling you, so there."

She stuck her tongue out at me. I stuck mine right back out at her.

"Now, now Carolina! You're a Mummy now. You have to set a good example."

"Oh damn you're right."

"Language."

"Oh pft! It's only my Bambino. It's not as if I'm corrupting somebody else's."

"At the moment."

"Oh what's wrong? Afraid I'll lead Baby Malfoy into bad habits?"

"Maybe."

"I do apologise Cissy," I laughed. "I promise I'll keep my distance from your precious little darling."

She gave an odd little half smile.

"Well I wouldn't have you do that. In fact, I'd rather hoped you'd be seeing a lot of my precious little darling."

She looked up at me with a gently hopeful expression.

"In fact… I rather hoped you'd be Godmother."

My lips parted but no sound came out. I gaped at her in confusion.

"Oh, you don't have to, just..."

She wanted me as Godmother. She wanted to give me the honour. She wanted me to have a close relationship with her child. She trusted me!

"I'd love to."

My voice came out as a croak.

She smiled radiantly, as if she was the one gaining a brilliant gift, not me.

She smiled just as radiantly a few weeks later when she placed a pale haired, wriggling newborn in my arms.

Draco Malfoy examined me with curious eyes. His fist jerked wildly through the air until it finally found its destination and lodged itself in his mouth.

"Hello Draco. I'm your Godmother."

He stared intently at my face, sucking at his fingers.

Cissy stared at him adoringly as I gently rocked him. Beside her, Lucius looked as though he was about to burst with pride.

"He's lovely Cissy. He looks just like you."

She gave a tinkling little laughed and threaded her fingers through Lucius's.

"No. I think he looks like his Daddy."

I snorted.

"Well you're wrong Cissy. He'll be the spit of you when he grows up."

"No, I really think he looks like Lucius."

"Good Merlin! Why does everyone disagree with me about how babies look!"

Blaise appeared in the door holding our Bambino.

"Sorry I'm late. Gosh, he looks just like you Lucius!"

For goodness sake!

I kept insisting and insisting but no one would believe me. Everyone who took a look at Little Draco said the exact same thing.

"He'll be a dead ringer for his Daddy when he grows up."

Idiots!

"They're all silly aren't they Draco," I clucked. "You look like your Mummy don't you?"

On the floor, two month old Draco smiled at me wetly around his fist. Little Blaise gurgled beside him, pushing his head up to look at me.

"That's right Bambino. Tell him he looks like his Mummy."

Cissy laughed and rolled her eyes.

"She's mad, sweetie isn't she?"

Some drool dribbled down Draco's fist onto his chin and he kicked his legs at us.

"That's right sweetie. Carolina's barking."

I batted her round the head with a cushion.

"You only did that because you know I'm right."

"Oh shut up!"

I laughed as she mock pouted at me and fixed her already perfect hair.

She opened her mouth to give a reply. A reply I never heard. A reply I forgot about until much later.

Lucius, grey faced and distressed burst in through the floo.

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