✖He's Not Mine [An Utterly Ridiculous Dramione Baby Story . . . Sort-of]

TEN

YOU'RE MY FRIEND NOW, LIKE IT OR NOT

As it turns out, Hermione didn't wake Draco for breakfast. Draco found her fast asleep on a chair with her head resting against her arms on Tobias's crib.

"Granger," he whispered, lightly poking her arm. "Granger, wake up."

"Five more minutes," she mumbled.

Draco rolled his eyes. He could see she wasn't going to wake up. He got down so his head was level with Tobias's and gently prodded the baby's arm. "Hey, wake up. And while you're at it, scream at Granger."

While Tobias didn't scream at Hermione, he did wake up. The sounds he made woke her anyway.

"Good morning," she said, unsure if she was greeting the black haired baby or the blond wizard.

"Morning," Draco responded. "It's almost eight, you might want to get dressed."

Hermione nodded. "Thanks," she mumbled as she left the room.

Draco walked over to the crib. "Good morning. I wonder," he continued as he picked Tobias up, "do you know why most endearments are names of foods?"

He set Tobias down on the changing table and walked towards the wardrobe. He glanced back at the baby who was content with staring at his enchanted ceiling, which was now showing a sunrise.

"Do you even know what endearments are? No, I thought not. What'll it be today? Blue? Green? A different yellow? No, definitely green. I don't care if that's biased towards my own house. I'm dressing you, I choose."

He walked back to Tobias and smiled at him. "I'm right, aren't I?" he asked, slowly popping the buttons of the off-white grower Hermione had dressed him in the night before.

"Hey, didn't we agree that you'll only do this with Granger? Or someone else?"

Tobias smiled at him, as if he knew exactly what he had done.

"We had an understanding, Tobias. I'm very disappointed in you."

Tobias looked at the mock anger on Draco's face and laughed. The sound was so sweet and adorable, Draco couldn't help but smile. "All right, all right, I forgive you. But don't do this again and I'll buy you very nice gift when . . . when you're old enough to know what the word gift means."

Hermione watched from the doorway as Draco changed and dressed Tobias, speaking to him as if he were speaking to someone his age -- although all the smiles and laughs gave it away that he wasn't. Draco wasn't like that around people his age.

Hermione's eyes widened in slight fear when Draco held Tobias's hands and pulled him up. She breathed again when Tobias sat on his own, clapping his hands when he noticed that was what Draco almost did. Draco picked him up with one arm and grabbed the dirty diaper with the other. Tobias seemed to sit on Draco's left arm, with his small arm trying to go around Draco's neck. Draco dropped the diaper into the bin in the corner of the room and turned to leave. He stopped short when he saw Hermione. "Good morning, Granger. You look much less like a Dementor now."

"Oh, shut up."

■■■■■

It was clear that Tobias did not want to enter the Great Hall. Maybe the rowdy noise scared him, or maybe he simply did not want to see so many people. Whatever the case was, he only quieted down when Draco stopped moving.

"Here, give him to me," Hermione said, already reaching out for Tobias. "We have Potions first, so I have about forty five minutes to study. I'll take him to the library with me."