Title: Two Days
Author: Vinagrette ()
Furniture: crib.
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Draco rushed to the doorway of the kitchen, sliding a few feet along the linoleum before he caught Harry's attention. "Harry!" he panted, clutching his chest in the most melodramatic of fashions. "It's doing that...that *thing* again."
The sight of Draco, genuinely disturbed and upset was amusing to Harry, who tried not to laugh as he set down the jar of milk he had been holding.
"Doing what *thing* exactly?" Harry asked, but before Draco responded, he had begun to make his way out of the kitchen and toward the spare room in the back of the flat, trailed closely by Draco, who was obviously reluctant to return to the room.
"I don't want to go in," Draco stated plainly, crossing his arms over his chest as he came to a stop at the doorway. "It doesn't want me there."
Harry rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh, "How can you say that? It's just a *baby*, Draco. I'm sure she likes you just as much as any one else," he explained, before adding,"...who runs screaming from her room every time she makes a sound."
With that comment, Harry turned away from Draco and walked into the brightly lit room, heading straight for the white crib that was against the far wall.
"How are you?" Harry cooed in a singsong voice as he leaned against the crib. Draco listened, disgusted, from the hallway. He was just about to risk it and walk in when he heard the baby squeal, with what Harry would call "delight." (Draco, on the other hand, knew every sound that came out of it was nothing but scathing evil.)
Draco could hear Harry laughing from out in the hallway, he grimaced and moved toward the doorway, peaking his head into the make shift nursery. The baby was standing in it's crib, holding onto the railing and laughing as she looked up at Harry. Draco narrowed his eyes...what was it doing, exactly? Trying to escape, maybe? Playing mind games?
Harry had his hands over his face when Draco got up the courage to walk into the room. Once he had stepped up beside the other boy, Harry threw his hands in the air and screamed, "Peek-a-boo!"
Just managing to grab onto Harry's wrist before he got a smack in the face, Draco looked at the baby who had just fallen down and was wrapping herself in a small yellow blanket, and laughing while she was doing it.
"Sweet, isn't it?" Harry crooned, reaching with his free hand into the crib to hand the baby what appeared to be a plush hippogriff.
"Something like that..." Draco responded, bringing Harry's arm down to his side, although not letting go of his hand. "It's writhing again," he stated quite blankly, his hand immediately tightening over Harry's.
With a wince, Harry drew his arm out of Draco's vice-grip. "That's what babies *do*, Draco. She's entertaining herself."
Draco crossed his arms and pouted, staring down at the wiggling form in the crib. "I want to be entertained."
Harry reached into the crib and proceeded to cover and uncover the baby's eyes. It started making that "laughing" noise again. "It's just two more days, Draco, okay? We were the only people with space for the crib."
"Wouldn't have had room if we had turned this space into a drinking lounge like I had suggested," Draco muttered, just loud enough for Harry to hear.
"You can get drunk in the kitchen," was the reply.
With a sigh, Draco leaned forward against the railing of the crib, fighting the urge to scream as he watched the baby suckle on Harry's index finger. The noises it was making were nearly unbearable. He decided it wouldn't have been so bad if Harry weren't smiling down at the thing. "If I sat in the crib, would you let me do that?" Draco ventured.
Harry couldn't help but laugh, although he didn't look up from the baby. "You wouldn't fit," he said, and just as Draco opened his mouth to protest, he spoke again, "And I don't want you to try."
Draco's mouth shut audibly and he resisted the urge to bang his fists against the side of the crib. He would leave that for the little sprog. She was still holding onto Harry's finger, this time moving his hand about in front of her eyes, while her feet had kicked the blanket off of her.
Tentatively reaching into the crib, Draco picked up the small blanket and waved it around in front of the baby's face. Naturally, she started to cry. "Of course!" Draco shouted, dropping the blanket on the girl's head before stepping back away from the crib. "Of course," he repeated.
"Why don't you go get her the milk I was preparing?" Harry asked, fighting annoyance, as he lifted the girl from the crib, held her to his chest, and patted her softly on the back, whispering "shhh."
Without another word, Draco turned and left the room, grateful to be away from that horrible child. He could hear her cries dying down as he made his way to the kitchen, and by the time he had retrieved the bottle (with little pink hearts all over it -- how cute) and made his way back into the room, the baby was perfectly sound. She was standing again, holding onto the bars of the crib to keep herself up while she looked at Harry. Her mouth was gaping open and Draco spotted some drool on the corner of her mouth. Oh, she was "smiling."
He handed the bottle to Harry, who in turn, tucked it under his arm and grabbed the child on both sides, sitting her down on top of her blanket (which, Draco noticed, Harry had spread out and tucked in after it had been removed from her face). He then held out the bottle, which she readily grabbed and brought to her mouth with another strange noise.
Thankfully, the bottle seemed to shut her up.
"I like her better when she's eating," Draco said, looking over at Harry who had finally drawn his attention away from the thing in the crib.
"I know, Draco, I know. It's very brave of you to spend time with her."
"I thought so too."
After a few minutes in silence-- with Harry as close to the crib as possible without being in it, keeping a watchful eye on the baby, and Draco, leaning against the far wall, keeping a watchful eye on Harry-- the thing made a squealing noise and dropped the bottle from her mouth.
"She's ready for sleep now," Harry announced, once again taking the girl from the crib and holding her to his chest. She made, what sounded to Draco like a "wibble" and rested her head on Harry's shoulder, apparently falling asleep.
At sight of that, Draco pushed himself off the wall and walked toward Harry, keeping his voice at a low whisper. "I don't mind her when she's sleeping, either."
Harry smiled lightly and slowly pulled the baby away from himself, holding her out toward Draco, who had a horrified expression on his face. He vehemently shook his head but realized Harry wasn't backing down as he continued to stand there, holding out the sleeping baby toward him.
Wincing, Draco sighed and took the child, holding her awkwardly, trying to mimic the way Harry had done it. He bobbed up and down a bit, absentmindedly patting the thing on it's back. Harry watched on, with obvious satisfaction, as Draco settled into it. Wasn't so bad, really, he decided. Kind of cute, in a way...her little hand resting on his shoulder.
It was just when he decided that the baby business mightn't be so bad after all, that he heard a hitch in the breathing that had been constant in his ear. He gave a worried glance to Harry, who cocked his head to the side and asked, "What?" just seconds before the baby gave a howl and vomited all over Draco's shoulder.
Harry didn't know which was louder, the baby's screaming, or Draco's cursing as he shoved the child back into Harry's arms.
It was going to be a long, *long* two days.