And Baby Makes Three

Rainpuddle13

Rating: R
Genres: Romance, Humor
Relationships: Draco & Ginny
Book: Draco & Ginny, Books 1 - 5
Published: 15/12/2003
Last Updated: 14/03/2006
Status: in_progress

Draco and Ginny embark on their next great adventure - parenthood. A series of related one-shots.

Chapters

1. Arthor

2. Kind des Drachen

3. Daddy

4. Mummy

5. The Weasleys

6. Little Monster

7. Bath Time

8. A Rainy Day

9. Home Alone

10. The Little Yellow Duck

11. Slay the Dragon

12. Happy Christmas

13. Future Cookie: The Great Cabbage Brouhaha

14. Future Cookie: The Trouble with Frogs

15. The Tell Tale Duck

16. Rubber Duckie You're the One

1. Arthor

TITLE: And Baby Makes Three

AUTHOR: rainpuddle13

CONTACT: rainpuddle13@juno.com

DISCLAMIER: This story is inspired by the wonderful Harry Potter series written by JKR. I do not own any of the recognizable characters you will find within in this story. Those all belong to the lovely JKR and her various publishing companies. I will, however, take responsibility for the ones you do not recognize. I have no intentions of laying claim to or making money from any associations with the world of HP.

2. Kind des Drachen

And Baby Makes Three - Kind des Drachen

He had been told this would be the happiest day of his life.

Somehow Draco doubted that as he watched Ginny grit her teeth and groan in pain again. He felt guilty, really he did. It was all his fault, really. He did this to her. He was responsible for putting the one person he loved the most in this horrible position. Happy day indeed, obviously his mother-in-law had no clue what she was talking about.

He’d been watching this progress for hours now and he really didn’t think he could stand it much longer.

“It won’t be too much longer now,” said the pretty, dark haired mid-witch, Stephanie. She gave him a warm smile. “The first time is always the scariest.”

He was just thankful they were at home instead of St. Mungo’s. He spared no expense to make sure that Ginny had any and everything she could possibly need including her own personal mid-witch and the family medi-wizard in attendance. He just wanted her to be comfortable and happy.

Sometimes there were advantages to being a Malfoy.

Molly patted his shoulder. “Everything will be alright,” she offered reassuringly.

He just continued to hold his wife’s hand as it was all he could think to do at this point. He was determined to this see thing through; he got her into this mess so he figured he ought to be there for the outcome.

“Doing okay, beautiful,” he asked. “Anything I can do for you?”

Ginny gave him a weak smile. “I don’t feel so beautiful right now.” She snickered softly. “And other than getting the baby out of me right now, no.”

He brushed the loose tendrils of hair from her face before pressing a light kiss to her forehead. “You look amazing to me.”

Before she could reply, the worst contraction yet gripped her. He watched as she once again gritted her teeth and breathed through it. He could tell the pain dampening charms were starting to wear off, but it was too late to cast new ones. All he could do was watch helplessly while holding her hand and offering words of encouragement.

Stephanie started gathering the items she would need after checking Ginny once again. “I think it’s time to get ready. Here are some pillows, Draco. Why don’t we get her sitting up with you supporting her back just like we practiced.” She left the room to retrieve the medi-wizard.

He did as he was instructed, making sure that Ginny was as comfortable as the situation permitted. He couldn’t believe how calm she seemed. He was a nervous wreck, but he was trying his hardest to cover up that fact. He wanted to be strong for her because she needed it. He kissed her neck gently before whispering “I love you” in her ear.

The next few minutes following the arrival of the medi-wizard were a blur as Draco watched the proceedings with a mixture of fascination, horror and disgust. It was in those few moments that he finally realized why he was only child. Giving birth was a brutal, bloody act. He swore right then and there they were never having another child.

This was it.

“Almost there, Ginny,” the medi-wizard coaxed, the sound of his voice bringing Draco back from his thoughts. “Just once more and you’ll have yourself a baby.”

“C’mon beautiful, you can do this,” he offered as she struggled to find the strength for one last push.

He held his breath as Ginny gave one last grunt and the baby slipped out easily.

“It’s a boy,” Stephanie squealed in delight as the medi-wizard showed off the newborn to his parents and grandparents before laying him on Ginny’s stomach, wiping his face and mouth clean in the process. “Here’s your wand, Draco, you can sever the cord.”

He did as he was instructed; casting the severing spell quickly just before the baby started wailing.

“Oh, he’s so beautiful,” Ginny whispered, rubbing the baby’s head with a shaky hand. “I love him.”

“I knew it! I could just tell by how you carried him,” Molly said proudly as she watched the new parents stare in awe at their son.

They’d known the baby would be a boy since Ginny was six months along, but Draco also knew that she had secretly hoped that the medi-wizard was wrong. He had been proud that they were having a boy, it meant a new heir, a fresh start for the Malfoy family, and in the right direction this time. They made a pact not to tell anyone else the sex just so they could watch her family row over it. He understood the pot was up to nearly up to three hundred galleons.

Arthur watched the proceedings from the doorway, a proud grin lit up his face. “Good lungs too.”

Draco fought desperately against the tears that threatened to spill down his cheeks as he looked at the small baby laying there making sure everyone in the room knew that he was thoroughly unhappy. He hesitantly reached toward his son, not really sure if he should touch him or not. The moment the baby latched onto a finger of his outstretched hand he knew that he was hopelessly in love with his child. He understood then why there were so many Weasleys.

“Does he have a name yet,” Stephanie asked as she gathered him up in a blanket so she could clean him up properly.

Ginny nodded wearily as she leant back against her husband. “Yes, William Draco.”

They had been debating names for weeks on end now. The first name was decided upon quickly with no fuss, but the middle name was a bone of contention. Draco had started to protest just then because they had never discussed using his name, but thought better of it. There was no way he could deny her this or anything else for that matter.

Molly gave them a teary smile. “A fine name, indeed.”

“Liam,” Draco started, his voice cracking with emotion. He cleared his throat. “We thought we’d call him Liam.”

“Hello there little Liam,” the mid-witch cooed to the baby as she went about examining him. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Well, done princess,” Arthur said softly before he kissed the top of Ginny’s head. He’d finally come into the room to inspect his latest grandchild. “He’s beautiful.” He placed his hand on Draco’s shoulder. “Son, why don’t we go downstairs and see about some dinner and maybe a drink while the women finish up here. It’s been a long day and you haven’t eaten.”

He kissed his wife’s cheek. “I’m going to go with your father if that’s okay.”

Ginny smiled and nodded. “Go, see you in bit. I love you.”

“Okay,” he answered before kissing her forehead. “In a bit. Love you, too.”

He followed his father-in-law downstairs for a good stiff drink and a bit of dinner. He made a few floo calls and wrote a couple owls before Arthur allowed him to return to his family. He found Ginny looking tired, yet radiant ensconced in their bed wearing her favorite flannel nightgown and her hair in a single long plait. Liam was nestled in her arms, sleeping soundly.

“Hullo, beautiful.”

“Hullo, yourself,” she smiled.

Draco carefully settled on the bed so he could examine his son more closely. “He’s so little, so fragile looking.”

Ginny laughed softly. “Well, he is brand new.”

“I’m afraid I’m going to break him if I touch him.”

“You won’t, I promise.” She offered the tightly bundled baby to him. “Here, give it a try.”

He gingerly cradled Liam in the crook of his arm, taking the time to study his tiny little features. His little puckered mouth; his tiny, slightly up turned nose; the fan of his eyelashes against his cheeks. He didn’t think he had ever seen anything as beautiful as his sleeping son.

“See, no breaking,” Ginny said as she fiddled with the soft little blue blanket, making sure all the ends were tucked up. She stifled a might yawn.

He smiled at his wife, finally feeling that everything was right in the world. “Why don’t you get some rest, Gin? You’ve had a long day.”

“Are you sure?” She looked hopefully at him.

“Yeah, I think I can handle this.” He gave her a lingering kiss. “You get some rest. I’ll take care of the baby.”

She settled down in the bed, situating all the pillows just right before almost immediately dropping off in an exhausted slumber.

Draco waited until she’d gotten comfortable before extinguishing all the candles, leaving only the shadowy light from the fireplace. He settled in the rocking chair by the bed after running the cat out of it to spend the next few hours quietly bonding with Liam.

Molly was right – this was the happiest day of his life.

3. Daddy

And Baby Makes Three - Daddy

Draco watched Ginny sleeping soundly in the middle of their big bed. He knew she was exhausted so he sat there guarding her slumber. He’d put out all the candles, leaving only the fire crackling in the fireplace to cast dancing shadows in the darkened room.

He heard the doors softly click open, but he didn’t look up. He already knew who it was.

“Draco, sweetheart, you should be sleeping,” Molly said softly, smiling as she saw her only son-in-law sitting in the rocking chair by the bed. “It’s been a long day.”

“Not tired,” he replied quietly, glancing up at his mother-in-law. He was still getting used to her, he still thought she was loud and brash, but she meant well and she was growing on him.

Molly was dressed for bed so it was probably late, but he had no clue as to the time.

She planted a small kiss on top his pale head as she leaned down from behind him to place her hand atop her sleeping grandson’s head. Draco shifted the baby he held in his arms so she could take a look at him. She smiled at the fact he held the baby like it was the most fragile thing in the world, like he was scared he was going to break him.

“How long has little Liam been asleep?” Her broad smile was evident in her voice. She loved all of her grandchildren yes, but this one was special. The first child her of last baby and only daughter, William Draco Malfoy was very much a special child. Named for an uncle he’d never know, but without which neither of his parents would be here. She hastily brushed tears from her eyes, it was a happy day, a day celebrating a new baby in the family, there would be time for tears for her eldest child later.

“A few hours.”

“I dare say he’ll be wanting to be fed again here soon.”

“I wish we didn’t have to wake her,” Draco said, nodding toward the sleeping form of his wife. “She’s so exhausted.”

Molly chuckled at his concern and patted his shoulder lightly, he’d certainly come a long way since they’d first met. “Having babies is exhausting business, but us women manage. Besides we can’t have a hungry, crying baby on our hands now can we.”

He just nodded. Draco knew little about babies being an only child. Narcissa wasn’t about to ruin her figure just to supply him with siblings so he could learn about these things. He’d been around the few Weasley grandchildren, but he’d kept his distance unlike Ginny who got right into the fray. None of their friends had started families yet so he had precious little experience with babies.

Except this time it was different, this was his child, his son, in all his red, wrinkly, bald headed glory. Draco wasn’t sure what color the baby’s eyes were because he couldn’t seem to keep them open long enough to make any sort of determination. He really wasn’t sure what to do exactly, but what he’d done so far had seemed to work okay since his son hadn’t cried once. All he knew was that he couldn’t bear to put him down in the cradle. He’d already counted Liam’s fingers and toes three times just to make sure he was perfect.

“Draco, why don’t you give me the baby,” Molly held her arms out to him. “You can get ready for bed.”

He debated a few moments before Liam decided to start stirring. He tried lightly rubbing the baby’s head to calm him back into sleep, but it was to no avail as he started to make small mewling sounds. Draco reluctantly handed off his son to Molly before the whimpers turned into something that woke the entire house.

Molly gave Draco a motherly shove. “Go on now. Get ready for bed. You’ll be needing some sleep because you’ll have a house full tomorrow.”

He brushed a soft kiss on the top of his son’s head before heading towards the bath with one last glance back just to make sure he was alright.

A/N: Thank you everyone who reviewed! I was asked about the meaning of the title Kind des Drachen. It is German - meaning Child of the Dragon. Sorry for the confusion!

4. Mummy

And Baby Makes Three -Mummy

The early morning sunlight washed over Ginny as she stretched out on the chaise lounge that occupied the window filled alcove of the master bedroom. The house was still quiet, obviously Mum and Dad weren’t up yet and Draco was sprawled across the bed snoring softly. She couldn’t help but grin when she thought of just how appalled he’d be if he knew he snored sometimes, especially when he was overly tired.

She really hadn’t wanted to leave the warmth of her bed, but shortly before the sun came up Liam wanted an early morning snack. She’d moved to the lounge chair as not to disturb Draco, she knew he was tired. After a couple rough false starts, some wincing and a few quiet ouches she managed to nurse Liam who was now sated and sleeping nestled against her chest, right over her heart, as she rubbed slow circles on his back.

What she really wanted was to stretch out in bed again, but that was out of the question seeing as her husband was taking up most of the bed. Then there was also the little fact that she was still dead tired and every part of her body ached, she wasn’t so sure she’d make it back over to the bed. No, it was just better to stay where she was with her son until someone woke up, enjoying the quiet moment alone before everyone in the world showed up later in the afternoon.

She lightly kissed the peach fuzz that covered Liam’s head. “I love you so much,” she whispered softly to him. “I wish your Uncle Bill was here to see you.” Her eyes filled with tears. “You would have liked him very much. He loved to laugh, he was always smiling. He was brilliant. Head Boy at Hogwarts, played Quidditch too, even worked for Gringotts.” She brushed her lips atop the baby’s head again as her tears began to fall in earnest, she was quiet for a long time. “If it weren’t for him, Mummy and Daddy wouldn’t be here.”

“Gin,” Draco’s soft voice came from behind her, she hadn’t even noticed he was awake. “Don’t do this to yourself right now.”

He knelt beside the lounge, placing his hand over her’s on Liam’s back. He gave his wife a warm smile. He knew how hard this was for her and he only wished he could make it better. He leaned forward to gently kiss away her tears.

“I love you,” whispered Ginny. She thought he looked ridiculously cute with his ruffled hair and still sleepy eyes.

“I know.” His smile turned into a mischievous grin. “Since the kiddo there doesn’t seem to be much trouble, I’ll allow you to keep him for now.”

Ginny raised an eyebrow. “For now?”

“Well, if he gets to be a nuisance he’ll have to go of course.” He stopped her protest before she could voice it with a soft kiss. “Do you want some breakfast or do you want to go back to bed?”

“Bed, I think,” she wearily sighed. The thought of food wasn’t appealing quite yet.

Draco took Liam to place him in the cradle beside their bed. Ginny watch him as he hesitated before casting a warming charm and putting the baby down, fussing and making sure everything was just right. A year ago she would have had trouble picturing him holding a baby let alone fussing over one, but then again having one of your own does drastically change one’s perspective.

Ginny gingerly moved to stand up so she could make her way back to her warm bed that was so far away across the room. Her legs felt wobbly and her back hurt, she flopped ungracefully back down on the chair she just tried to get up out of.

Draco’s brows furrowed as he watched her fall back. “Are you alright, Ginny,” the concern was evident in his voice as he crossed the room to assist her up.

“Just tired and a good bit sore,” she conceded as he helped her to over to their bed.

He drew her thick navy velvet robe off her shoulders before tossing it carelessly on the chest at the foot of the bed. “Nothing but rest for you, beautiful. I’ll take care of everything.” He brushed a light kiss against her temple as he tucked her into bed.

“What time is it,” Ginny asked as she shifted in bed, tentatively stretching out her aching limbs.

Draco checked the cradle once more before walking around to his side of the bed. “It’s early yet.” He slipped lightly in behind his wife.

She settled back against him, enjoying the feel of his arms wrapped around her again. The last few weeks she hadn’t wanted to be touched at all. “You love him don’t you?” she asked quietly.

“Hopelessly I’m afraid,” was his muffled reply as he buried his face in her soft red hair.

She lay there a few minutes contemplating just how much their lives had changed in the past two days. Ginny was about to ask him something else, but realized that it was rather pointless since he was sound asleep behind her. Like father, like son she mused, as nothing much came between Draco and his beauty rest. It seemed like Liam had inherited that trait since she didn’t think he’d opened his eyes once as of yet.

5. The Weasleys

And Baby Makes Three - The Weasleys

“Absolutely not!”

“Why? It’s so cute!”

“Because I said no,” Ginny groaned in frustration. “I do not want my baby to be wearing that when my family meets him for the first time.”

Draco pouted, putting down the little gray outfit that had him so excited. “I suppose you want him to wear this thing here?” He held out a little green outfit he’d randomly snatched out of a drawer.

“No, I want the blue one hanging there on the end in the wardrobe,” she said, carefully wiping Liam’s mouth as she’d just finished burping him.

“This?” Draco queried with a raised eyebrow, holding out the requested blue garment. It was a soft blue flannel one piece that suspiciously looked like a dress.

“Yes, that one. Please put it on the changing table for me.”

“But it’s so, so girlish,” he complained. He most certainly didn’t want his son to wear anything that could possibly construe him as girl. Liam was the new Malfoy heir after all. “It is practically a dress! It has ribbons!”

“It is not a dress and it does not have ribbons, it has ties.”

“Well, it looks like ribbons to me,” he muttered under his breath while doing as his wife requested. He picked up the little gray garment he’d had his heart set on and began to fold it neatly so he could put it away for another day, but he suddenly held it out for her inspection one more time. “Are you sure?”

“Draco, for the last time, I don’t want Liam to meet the world wearing a Quidditch outfit of your favorite team!”

“But your brothers will love it!”

“No, they won’t,” she said as she watched his hopeful look turn into a frown. “They don’t like the Falmouth Falcons, they like the Chudley Cannons. I want to put him in the blue one.”

He carefully folded the little Falmouth Falcons Quidditch outfit before taking the baby from Ginny. “You’d like to wear the Quidditch uniform wouldn’t you,” he cooed to Liam who yawned in response. “See Gin, he wants to wear it!”

“Really, Draco,” she stated wearily. “I’m putting him in the blue one and that is final.”

“Ginny dear,” Molly called from the doorway. “Is Liam all fed and ready? Your brothers are dying to see him.” She entered the room surveying the scene before her. “Why isn’t the baby dressed?”

“I was about to dress him, Mum,” Ginny explained, making a move to get up from the rocking chair.

“You just rest, dear,” Molly said smiling broadly at her son-in-law. “I’ll dress him.”

“Alright Mum, Draco put out a blue outfit.” She leaned back in the chair closing her eyes to catch a quick catnap.

Molly eyed the little blue garment on the changing table and shook her head. With a quick glance over her shoulder to make sure her daughter wasn’t paying attention and a wink at Draco as she took the baby, she deftly dressed Liam in the forbidden gray garment.

It was in the moment that Draco finally felt like he belonged in Ginny’s family. “Thanks…Mum,” he whispered hesitantly as he watched Molly put the finishing touches on Liam’s appearance. She’d been after him for ages now to call her Mum, saying that he was just like another one of her children. He never truly believed that, but here she was proving it to him yet again. He’d always thought that he would be betraying his mother’s memory by calling Molly Mum, but oddly, it felt alright.

He admired his son who was now fully outfitted in a tiny Falmouth Falcons Quidditch uniform complete with robes and little black knit booties. He’d bought the outfit as soon as he found out he was going to have a son because it was simply too cute for words as far as he was concerned. Unfortunately, Ginny didn’t seem to feel the same way.

Molly gave her son-in-law a teary smile. “This has got to be the cutest little outfit I’ve ever seen – the boys are going to love it.” She handed Liam off to his father.

“Yeah, but Gin hates it,” he said softly as he lightly bounced the baby. He couldn’t help but grin. Liam was truly the most amazing thing he’d ever seen. Not only that, but he couldn’t believe he could possibly love another living soul as much as he loved his son.

“Yes,” Molly said, gently smoothing down her grandson’s peach fuzz. “Ginny’s tired. She’s not thinking straight. He really is a pretty baby isn’t he?”

Draco looked at his mother-in-law, grinning. “You think?”

“Oh yes, Ginny was a pretty baby, but I think Liam here is much prettier.”

“Really?”

“Yes, she had wispy red curls and dark eyes, but Liam here has the prettiest skin I’ve ever seen a baby have and those eyes. I dare say he’ll be quite popular among the girls when he’s older,” Molly added with a chuckle.

Draco didn’t think his smile could get any bigger than it was at that moment. Liam had finally decided to show off his gray eyes by actually staying awake for a little bit much to his parents’ delight. He was most definitely a Malfoy. And now his mother-in-law, who has dealt with lots of babies, was standing there telling him that his son was the prettiest baby she’d seen.

But there had been one question bothering him since Liam put in his first appearance the evening before. “Mum,” he said tentatively. “Why doesn’t he have any hair?” He’d seen the Weasley baby pictures and every one of them had red curls. He could remember his mother saying he had a head full of sunny blond hair just after he was born.

Molly inspected Liam’s peach fuzz a moment. “Some babies don’t have hair, just little fuzz like this here, but don’t worry dear, it’s perfectly normal.”

“But what color is it?” he asked, trying to keep the frustration from his voice. He was desperate to know if his son was going to have Malfoy or Weasley hair. Greg had bet him a twelve year old bottle of Scotch that the baby’s hair was going to be red. Of course, he hadn’t bothered to inform his wife of this, he knew if she found out she’d be beyond angry. Ginny had become a mother hen of sorts in the past few weeks as he’d just witnessed with the blue outfit fiasco, he really didn’t want to be on the receiving end of new Mummy anger. He figured that it would be far worse than typical Weasley anger to which Ginny had more than enough to spare.

“I don’t rightfully know,” Molly said, examining Liam’s little head again. “It’s hard to tell, but I’m sure he’ll have hair aplenty in no time. Now why don’t you stop worrying about silly things like hair color and take your son out to meet his uncles.” She started to shove Draco towards the door. “I’ll wake Ginny.”

If there was one thing he’d learned in the few years he’d been an honorary member of the Weasley clan, it was do as Molly said, no questions asked. If you could do that, then you usually escaped her wrath. Too bad it took until the last few months to actually put that knowledge into practice. He surely could have saved himself a lot of grief along the way if he’d just done that from the beginning, but that was water under the bridge as the saying goes.

Draco glanced back at his wife before heading into the lounge area adjacent to the master bedroom. He was immediately surrounded by a sea of redheads and their female counter parts all vying for the best vantage point to see the new addition to the family. He watched as each member of the family took turns admiring Liam and commenting on the cute outfit.

He felt something soft press lightly against his back before a pair of arms encircled his waist. He smiled as he pulls his wife into his arms, enveloping her in his embrace as he brushed a gentle kiss atop her head. “Feel up to all of this?” he whispered to her.

Ginny nodded against his chest, tightening her arms around him. “Yes, I’ll be okay.” She gave him another reassuring squeeze. “I’m not easily breakable you know.”

“I know, but still. I…”

She cut him off with a quick kiss. “Stop worrying, you’ll get wrinkles!”

“I’ll have you know that a Malfoy does not get wrinkles,” he countered, sounding thoroughly offended that she would even suggest he was capable of wrinkling.

“Uhm, Draco,” George said, sounding grave having overheard the conversation and couldn’t help himself. “Your son, a Malfoy at last check, has winkles.”

Draco raised an eyebrow as he regarded George coolly.

Ginny fought to control her giggles. “Draco, sweetheart, please.”

He gave her such a forlorn look that she couldn’t stop the giggles from erupting into an all out laugh.

“You dare laugh at me, woman, when your brother offends our son,” he tried to sound angry, but his grin gave him away.

“You are so silly sometimes.” She rewarded him with a lingering kiss.

“Gin bean,” Fred said hesitantly. “Ron has brought it to my attention that your son here is rooting for the wrong team.”

“What,” she asked, brows furrowing in her confusion as Draco stiffened in her arms. She turned to see exactly what her brother was talking about.

Ron angled his arms so that she might take a closer at what the baby nestled there was wearing.

“I mean, it’s cute and all,” Fred continued. “But the Falmouth Falcons? Really!”

“What happened to Cannon pride is what I want to know,” Ron chimed in. “I know you married Malfoy, I can accept that, but to turn your back on the Cannons! That isn’t right!”

“Well, who says that I like the Cannons anyway?” she reasoned with her brothers. “Just because you’re nutters over them doesn’t mean I have to be. Besides, I refuse to put my baby in orange.”

It was Ron’s turn to look offended. Fred and George both looked like they’d been kicked in the shins while Charlie gave his baby sister a very confused looked.

Draco hugged Ginny from behind, lightly nuzzling her neck. “Do you know how much I love you right now?”

“I know,” she grinned watching her brothers’ horrified expressions. “You owe me big time.”

6. Little Monster

And Baby Makes Three - Little Monster

“Draco,” Ginny said loudly as she nudged his back with her knee. “Wake up!”

He groaned as he turned over on his back. “What,” he asked, a little irritated at being woken up at some ungodly hour. “You’ve got to take Liam,” her voice trembled as she spoke. He immediately came awake at the mention of the baby. “Why? What’s wrong?” He sat up to look more closely at his wife silhouetted in the low firelight. “He won’t go to sleep,” she almost whispered. He could tell she was on the verge of tears. “And I’m so tired.” “Shh, it’s alright.” He pulled her down to sit in his lap so he could wrap his arms around her. He looked at his son and sure enough, he was wide awake. “Why don’t you just put him in his crib and come to bed?” Ginny stifled a frustrated sob. “I tried! He just cries when I put him down. His tummy is full and he’s got a clean nappy. I even tried the warm lavender bath like Mum suggested. Nothing! He won’t go to sleep.” He lightly rubbed her back. “It’s okay, beautiful, I’ll see what I can do.” He pressed a kiss against her temple. “You get some sleep.” She nodded as she stood up, waiting for him to don his robe and slippers before she handed Liam to him. He leant over to kiss her forehead. She gave him a grateful look as she dropped her robe to the floor and crawled into his recently vacated warm spot. “Okay, young man, let’s see about putting you to bed,” he said softly. Liam had begun sleeping through the night so they thought he could sleep in his own room now, besides Draco was more than ready for some alone time with Ginny. He entered the softly lit nursery that was directly across the hall from their rooms. “You know, I would have killed for a room like this when I was a little boy,” he told his son. “You’re going to love it in here.” The nursery was painted to resemble the Quidditch pitch at Hogwarts complete with stands for each house. Liam’s crib stood between the Slytherin and Gryffindor stands along the far wall and was outfitted with Quidditch themed bed clothes and a Golden Snitch mobile. The ceiling had been charmed to resemble the sky – during the day it was a brilliant blue with puffy white clouds while darkening at night to just twinkling stars. Draco walked over to the crib as he rocked and muttered nonsense to Liam in hopes he’d be ready for bed. “Daddy loves his little monster,” he whispered before kissing his son’s forehead. “Now it’s time to go to sleep like a good little boy.” As soon as he put Liam down, he went to squirming and fussing. Draco tried rubbing his tummy, but the fussing quickly turned into cries. He picked the baby up, soothing him until his cries subsided. “Liam,” he sighed heavily. “I love you, I do, but you’ve got to go to sleep.” He looked down at his son cradled in his arms, little gray eyes staring back at him. “Your Grandmum told your Mum that you needed to sleep in your own room ages ago, but did she listen? No! I mean really, what does your Grandmum know about babies, huh? She’s only had seven of them! I blame myself for this; I should have put my foot down, but I can’t seem to say no to your mother. I’m pretty sure that is how we ended up with you, me not being able to say no.” Draco paced back and forth across the room, rocking and bouncing Liam and rambling about anything that came to mind. “Let me tell you a few things about your Mum you really ought to know,” he continued on softly after a while. “She’s the most beautiful witch I’ve ever seen. She’s funny and brilliant and loving and caring. I love her more than anything, but she’s unfortunately cursed with the Weasley temper - I warn you now, son, it’s not a pretty thing. You do not, I repeat, do not want to be on the receiving end of it. You’d be wise to avoid it if all possible. Now, pay attention because this is important. If her cheeks turn red, stop whatever you are doing that is irritating her, you still have time to smooth things over, but once her ears have gone red, I suggest you hide until she calms down.” Liam started nuzzling his face against his father’s chest after a while, a sure sign he was starting to tire and was fighting it. Draco was getting tired himself, having settled in the rocking chair sometime ago, allowing the baby to snuggle against him as he rubbed his back lightly. They fell into a comfortable silence, the slow back and forth motion of the chair lulling them almost to the edge of sleep. A small, frustrated grunt woke Draco from his light doze as the baby fought a losing battle against the sleep trying to steal over him. He brushed a light kiss atop his son’s head and resumed drawing slow, lazy patterns on Liam’s back with his fingertips. “I love you so much,” he whispered, his lips barely brushing the peach fuzz that covered Liam’s head. “Even if you don’t listen to me when I tell you to grow some hair.” He chuckled quietly. “ I told your Mum right after you were born that if you got to be a nuisance you’d have to go, I was joking of course, because there is no way I could send you away. I want to make you a promise right now – I promise to be the best father I know how to be. I don’t have much experience so you’ll have to forgive me if I don’t always get it right.” He continued to rock back and forth savoring the quiet time with Liam who had finally succumb to slumber while holding a fist full of his robe. “Sweet dreams, little monster,” Draco mumbled before falling asleep himself, his cheek resting lightly against his son’s head.

7. Bath Time

And Baby Makes Three - Bath Time

“Is Mummy’s little piggy ready for his bath?” Ginny cooed to Liam, who’d just woken up from his afternoon nap. “Daddy will be home soon and we can’t have a stinky boy now can we?”

She made a funny face at him as she lifted him from his crib, stopping to rub noses. The baby smiled and squirmed happily at the attention.

“Eww,” Ginny said, wrinkling her nose. “You are a stinky boy. You’re as bad as your Daddy after he’s eaten Chinese! It’s almost enough to make Mummy consider a divorce.”

She held Liam at arm’s length as she made her way over to the changing table, trying not to take a deep breath.

“You know, when I signed on to this Mummy business, no one informed me of this part. You'd have thought that someone would have mentioned the soiled nappies, but no, it’s all cute outfits and baby talk - it’s a good thing I love you.”

She quickly stripped Liam down to his nappy, keeping the breathing down to a bare minimum. She considered a bubblehead charm for a moment, but didn’t want to frighten the baby. With a deep sigh, she divested him of the rank piece of cloth, whispering a quick scourify before tossing it in the dirty clothes bin. Liam grinned and wiggled as she wiped him clean so he wouldn’t pollute his bathwater.

“Oh, you silly boy,” she babbled. “You love being naked don’t you.” She blew a raspberry on his pudgy little tummy causing him to squeal in delight. “You’re just like your father. He loves being naked, too, not that Mummy minds all that much.” Her cheeks turned red as a wicked thought flitted through her mind. “You don’t care, do you?”

Ginny picked up her son, dancing and twirling her way to the bathroom to give him his bath. She felt a little silly, but there was no one there to see her and Liam loved it so she really didn’t care.

“Here we are,” she announced, dipping her fingers in baby tub full of water on the counter to test the temperature. “All nice and warm for the little baby.”

She lowered him into the bath, smiling as he started kicking and splashing the water getting her wet in the process as he fell into a fit of giggles. She continued to baby talk nonsense to him as she leisurely bathed him. Ginny loved moments like this with Liam, it made everything she and Draco had been through worthwhile. She sometimes found it hard to believe she was married with a baby, but she was hard pressed to think she was ever happy before now. The depth of her love for her husband and son knew no bounds.

“I don’t know why I even bother,” she sighed, reaching for the near full bottle of baby shampoo. “You don’t have any hair much to Daddy’s dismay.” She poured a small dab in her hand, warming it before she gently lathered his head. “See, he has this bet with Greg over your hair color – he doesn’t think I know about it, but Mummies tend to know everything.” She carefully rinsed the soap from his head, making sure nothing got into his eyes. “I find it amusing really; do try not to grow hair anytime soon okay? Can you do that for your Mummy?”

She grabbed a thick towel from the rack, charming it warm before she extricated him from the tub, wrapping him up tight. She made her way back into the nursery, stopping by the dresser to pull out a flannel, footed one piece romper in white with little green dragons all over it. Ginny carefully dried him off after laying him on the changing table followed by a gentle baby lotion massage before finally powdering and diapering him.

“Mummy loves you, yes she does, with all her heart,” she sing sang to him as he cooed along. She kissed each of his little feet before slipping them into the footies; moving up to rub her face on his tummy, making him giggle as she pulled the outfit up; finally kissing each hand before pulling them through the sleeves, then deftly snapping the outfit closed. She admired her handy work. “All dressed now, Uncle Charlie will be pleased to know you’re in the jammies he sent.”

Liam immediately started to root against Ginny’s chest as soon as she picked him up to settle down over in the rocking chair to wait for Draco to get home from work. “I knew you couldn’t wait until dinner,” she whispered to him as he greedily began to nurse. She relaxed, closing her eyes and resting her head back against the chair listening to him occasionally grunt and smack. “And everyone wonders why I call you a little piggy.”

She’d just finished burping him when they both heard a familiar voice in the hallway, giving instructions to the butler most likely. The baby started to fidget instantly, turning his head from side to side looking for his Daddy.

“There are my two favorite people,” Draco said entering the nursery, grinning at the sight of his wife and son.

Ginny met him half away across the room; she missed him when he was away at work all day. She stood up on her tip toes to press a soft kiss against his mouth. Liam took the opportunity to grab a handful of his father’s robes, gurgling happily at his accomplishment.

“Hey beautiful, did you miss me?” He bent low to capture Ginny’s lips again in a long, slow kiss that left them both wanting more.

“Terribly,” she answered huskily. “I’m glad you’re home.”

He gave her that half smile she couldn’t resist, but before she could kiss him again Liam let out a sharp wail to remind his parents he was still there.

“Someone else missed you, too,” she giggled, trying to hold on to the squirming baby.

Draco took his son before he could launch himself into the floor. “Were you a good little monster for Mummy today?”

Ginny watched as he lightly nuzzled the baby’s face and neck, making him gurgle and grin. Happiness radiated off her as a warm smile illuminated her features; this was a moment she wanted to remember forever, just for the sheer wonderfulness of it. “He was an angel.”

“Merlin, I love the smell of babies. They smell so good – all fresh and clean – like powder. Everything should smell like baby.”

She just chuckled. “If you say so.”

“Has he had dinner?”

She shook her head. “No, I just nursed him, but he probably wouldn’t say no to some applesauce and rice cereal in a bit.” She kissed Liam’s cheek and tickled his tummy. “We want that belly full; yes we do, so you’ll sleep all night.” She looked up at Draco with a sly smile and twinkling eyes.

A wicked grin lit up his face. “I’ll see about that applesauce and rice cereal right now.” He gave his wife a quick kiss full of promise. “I brought home Chinese for dinner.”

Ginny crinkled her nose as she trailed out the door after him. “Of course you did.”

8. A Rainy Day

And Baby Makes Three – A Rainy Day

“Master Draco,” the house-elf said quietly, shaking his shoulder lightly. “Wake up time, Master Draco…”

He groaned. It was still dark – way too early to get up. “What time is it?”

“Wake up time,” the house-elf squeaked. “Quarter to the hour, sir.”

He stretched, feeling his wife’s warm body shift to accommodate his movement; as usual she was draped across him. She mumbled a protest, but didn’t wake up. This was the routine they’d fallen into since a few months before Liam was born when she stopped working to get settled in the new house. He would rise every morning after disentangling himself from her, shower, shave and get ready. He’d have a cup of coffee and read the paper before she joined him for breakfast.

Draco dressed quietly, glancing occasionally at the sleeping Ginny wishing he didn’t have to leave. It was a dreadful morning - dark, windy, pouring rain, just the kind of day that would be perfect for staying in bed all day with the one you love. He sighed heavily. It wasn’t meant to be this day, he had meetings all morning. He gently brushed the wild tangle of red hair from her face so he could kiss her cheek before he pulled the cover up over her shoulder.

“You’ve two owls, sir,” Millie stated as soon as he pulled the door behind him. She was his mother’s old house-elf and he had fond memories of her from his childhood. She was starting to tack on the years so her only real assignment anymore was to help Ginny with the baby. “Millie put on table with your coffee, sir.”

“Thank you,” he said absently with a glance toward the nursery door.

“Sleeping still Liam is,” she informed him.

“Don’t wake Ginny this morning, she’s tired.”

Millie bobbed her head answering with a “yes, sir” before disappearing with a pop at the snap of her fingers.

He slipped quietly in the door to check on his sleeping son. Liam was sprawled on his back with a little stuffed golden snitch clutched in his fist. Draco felt his chest tighten at the sight. Just when he thought he couldn’t love this little boy any more, he found that he could and did.

“That’s Daddy’s little boy,” he whispered, reaching down to lightly run his fingers over the sleeping baby’s head. “You’re going to be a seeker for Slytherin, I know it. The best one, ever.” He grinned like a fool at the thought of him and Ginny making the trek to Hogwarts to watch their son play his first Quidditch match. “As much as Daddy wants to stay home, he has to go to work to pay for all those Quidditch lessons you’ll be having in a few years.”

A soft padding behind him caught his attention as he read the business section of the Daily Prophet while working on his third cup of coffee sitting at the kitchen table. They rarely used the huge dining room table, too impersonal Ginny claimed. He could tell by the soft rustle of material it was his wife.

“I overslept,” she said, kissing the top if his head on the way to her chair. Liam was sleeping soundly, his head resting on her shoulder and he was still clutching the snitch. She glanced out the window. “What a dreadful morning.”

“Yes, I told Millie not wake you this morning.” He could see the old house-elf hovering in the corner of the room beadily eyeing Ginny holding the baby.

“She didn’t. I woke up because I missed you,” she said softly.

Draco took her hand in his, bringing it to his lips. “I’ll miss you more today while I’m at the office.” He glanced up at the clock. “I’ve got to go, beautiful. Put Liam back to bed, I don’t think he’s ready to be up just yet.”

He tried to ignore her pout as he kissed her goodbye and her heavy sigh as he brushed a light kiss against the back of the baby’s head. His knees nearly buckled at the whispered plea: “Stay home with us…please.” It was all he could do not to give in right then and there.

“I’ll owl you later.” He straightened up and turned towards the door, determined not to look at her or else he would crumble. “Go back to bed this is a perfect day for that.” He exited the room before she could give him that big brown eyed sorrowful look that he could never resist.

Addison, the long time Malfoy family butler, was holding his case for him while he slipped on his black work robes. When he looked up his wife was standing before him with her head bowed looking lost in his big, thick dark gray dressing robe. He hadn’t noticed she had it on before now. Her hair was a messy tangle of red curls haphazardly pulled back with a clip. His fingers itched to feel the silky strands.

“What Ginny? I really need to go.” He could feel his resolve weakening.

She just looked up at him with big sad eyes and a slight pout on her lips. She reached her arms out for him. He knew it would be his undoing, taking her in his arms, but he did it anyway. She pressed closer to him as his hands ran down her backside, her arms wrapped around his shoulders.

Ginny pressed a soft kiss against his neck. “Stay home,” she mumbled, her lips lightly brushing his ear. “Please.” She placed feather light kisses along his jaw.

Unable to stand it any longer, he captured her lips in a kiss. Her mouth opened instinctively to him as he deepened the kiss. He could feel her body melting against him as her arms tightened around his neck. Any resolve he might have had disappeared the very moment she tenderly sucked at his bottom lip.

“Merlin, woman,” he panted as he pulled away. “What are you trying to do to me?”

“I just wanted to give you a proper kiss goodbye s’all.” She gave him the most innocent look in the world as she gingerly chewed her bottom lip.

“You win,” he sighed, completely defeated by a look and kiss from the redhead standing before him. “I’ll owl work, but if we can’t afford Quidditch lessons for Liam in the future you’ll know why.”

“Oh, I don’t think that’ll be a problem,” she giggled before kissing him soundly.

Draco smiled as he settled back in his big bed a little while later with his still snoozing son snuggled on his chest and his wife curled against his side. She had her head on his shoulder, her leg casually toss over his thigh, her fingers lightly rubbing Liam’s foot, occasionally brushing against his ribs. He could still hear the wind and rain pelting against the windows.

It was the perfect kind of day to stay in bed with the two people he loved the most in the world. He was glad he didn’t fight his wife on this.

Besides, it’s not like he would have been able to say no to her anyway.

9. Home Alone

And Baby Makes Three - Home Alone

How hard could it be, really?

That was what Draco told himself when Ginny left Liam in his care for a few hours while she went to lunch with Hermione and did some shopping. She’d feed the baby and put him down for his nap. He’d be out for hours she had told him. Hours. She’d be back before he woke up most likely.

He thought she had an awful lot of faith in him since not only did she leave him alone with the baby, she also gave almost the entire staff the afternoon off. Sure he’d taken care of Liam before, but never completely on his own meaning he was able to hand the baby off to someone else to take care of the more unsavory aspects of child rearing.

But, not today.

He was on his own, well, not really. As soon as Ginny Disapparated, he called Greg over to listen to the Falcons/Harpies Quidditch match on the WWN. There was no way he was going to be alone. Not that Greg knew anything about babies, but the presence of another adult was comforting.

Gregory Goyle had been Draco’s bodyguard of sorts since they were little boys, growing into good friends by their last year at Hogwarts. He threw in his lot with Draco, working secretly against Voldemort. He currently headed up security for D & G International Holdings Company, the legitimatized version of the Malfoy family business. He personally saw to the security of Draco and his family.

Naturally, as soon as Greg appeared he had to check the baby’s head for hair. It had become a ritual every time he saw Liam. He pronounced the baby still bald while lamenting: “I’m never going to see that bottle of Scotch at this rate. Are you sure there’s nothing wrong with him?”

They settled in for an afternoon of listening to Quidditch and man talk which meant that they were gossiping worse than women.

“Do you hear something,” Greg asked, distracted from an intense discussion of Pansy Parkinson’s love life or lack thereof. They were on their fourth round of butterbeers and second bag of crisps. “I think Liam is waking up.”

“No way,” Draco answered, glancing at the clock. Ginny had been gone nearly three hours now. “She said she’d be back before he woke up.” But there was no denying the rustling sound coming from the baby cot on the other side of the game room.

Greg laughed at him. “You know how women are when they get together.”

Draco went to take a peek at his son. Sure enough, he was restless, kicking his legs and fussing. He picked up the baby, holding him against his chest. “What’s the problem little monster?”

Liam rubbed his face against his father’s chest, grabbing a hold of his jumper while continuing to grunt in sleepy frustration.

“Good Merlin, you’re as grumpy as your Mum when she first wakes up,” Draco observed as he bounced the baby gently.

Greg took the opportunity to examine the back of Liam’s head closely. “Nope, not a single hair.”

“Like I don’t check every morning! I know he doesn’t have any hair.” He let out a frustrated sigh.

His friend just laughed at him.

“Do you want a bottle,” he asked hopefully before summoning a bottle from the kitchen. He cast a warming charm and offered it to the baby who promptly refused. “I know it’s not your Mum, but it’s all I got.” He tried again to get Liam to take the bottle, but the he kept pushing the teat out of his mouth every time his father managed to get it in.

“I don’t think he’s hungry,” Greg offered helpfully.

“What do you want Liam?” Draco’s frustration was quickly escalating to a low level panic as the whimpering was dissolving into howls. “Can you tell Daddy that? Please?”

“Uhm, he’s turning red. That isn’t good is it?”

“Where is your mother?”

“Should we floo Pansy, maybe?”

Draco gave his friend his patented dark scowl. “You have got to be kidding me! Pansy? She knows even less about babies than we do!”

“I suppose you’re right,” Greg said, cringing as Liam took the screaming up another octave. “How about Mrs. Weasley?”

“No,” Draco said adamantly. “Ginny’ll find out.”

“So what?”

“So what? I’d never be left alone with Liam again that’s what!”

Greg gave him a very dubious look. “I think my ears are starting to bleed.”

“Okay, he’s not sleepy, not hungry, he’s not sick…he must miss his Mummy.” Draco was desperately avoiding the obvious problem. He’d not changed the first nappy and if all went according to his plan, he’d never have to dirty his hands so to speak.

“Uhm, what about his nappy? I bet he’s soiled. You haven’t checked that yet.”

He just stared at Greg wondering when exactly he grew his current brain because he was being way too helpful for his own good. He was never this helpful while at Hogwarts. “Yes, right, nappy,” his voice faded, trying not to think of the unspeakable horrors were probably lurking in Liam’s nappy. “Upstairs, I suppose.” He Disapperated, unable to stand the crying anymore.

Draco was gathering the things he thought he needed for changing a nappy when Greg appeared with a loud pop.

“You need powder too,” he offered immediately.

“Since when did you become an expert on babies,” Draco queried, sounding eerily like he did at his nastiest.

Greg held up his hands in surrender. “Hey! Just making an observation.”

“Yeah, well, keep ’em to yourself.”

Draco set about undressing his son who had to have had on the most complicated outfit ever. He took up position at the foot of the table as he managed to strip the baby out of his little denim overalls and his light blue cotton one piece after a few minutes of frustrated fumbling with snaps, hooks and buttons. “Your mother should be burned at the stake for putting you in this…this thing.”

“Burning at the stake would be rather pointless or didn’t you pay attention in second year History class?”

“Do you mind?” Draco asked crossly. “And didn’t you fail that class?”

Greg took a step back from the changing table as Draco started to remove the nappy. “No, I didn’t fail. I cribbed off you remember?”

It wasn’t nearly as bad as he feared it would be – the nappy was soaking wet. Dripping wet would be more accurate. Liam started to calm down almost immediately, kicking his feet, the howls of rage subsiding.

“Feels better already doesn’t it,” Draco asked softly as he reached across the table for the cleaning cloths. “To be honest, I would have screamed my head off too.”

“Uh Draco,” Greg said hesitantly while motioning at the baby.

“What,” he started, his hand going to his chest. “What the hell?!” He felt a decidedly warm wetness spreading across the front of his beloved Falcons jumper.

“You might not have wanted to stand there,” Greg’s voice trailed off into a snicker.

A look of utter disgust mingled with abject horror settled on Draco’s features as the realization of the situation set in. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that something like this could happen. All his carefully laid plans to avoid the grosser aspects of having a baby had been for naught. He simply couldn’t believe it; he’d pushed his luck a bit too far.

His son, his precious, beautiful, bald baby boy had just used his favorite jumper as nappy.

Draco did the only thing he knew to do – he stuck his hand down to deflect the flow before Liam’s aim got any higher as he grabbed a clean nappy to soak up the mess.

Greg was doubled over gasping for breath. “Oh Merlin! The look on your face,” he said between pants.

“It’s not that funny!”

“Oh yes it is!”

“If you speak of this to anyone,” Draco threatened while attempting to diaper the baby as quickly as possible so there would be no repeat performance. “And I will be forced to kill you twelve painful ways.”

“Ah, be careful with the pins!”

“Do you honestly think I’d stab my son with a pin?” Draco yelped in pain as he stabbed his thumb, instinctively sticking it in his mouth. He promptly turned a very unnatural shade of green as he realized he just used the same hand to protect his now ruined jumper. He managed to get the nappy haphazardly on the now happily gurgling Liam. “Hold him while I go brush my teeth and change clothes.”

Greg took the powdered covered, naked except for a nappy baby. “I’ll find him some clothes.”

While Draco was gone, he rooted around in the dresser for something to put on Liam that wasn’t too complicated, spilling most of the contents on the floor in the process. He finally opted for a red t-shirt, a multicolored Weasely knitted hat and ducky socks because the baby was squirming too much to attempt anything else, not to mention the nappy was on precariously at best.

“I’m going to have to burn this,” Draco announced as he entered the nursery carefully holding the soiled garment in question out in front of him by the cuff.

Greg looked up from his task of tugging on the last sock. “You can wash it you know.”

“It doesn’t matter! I will forever know that it’s been violated and I cannot in good conscience wear it again.”

“Whatever.”

“There you are! I was wondering where everyone was,” Ginny’s voice trailed off as she took in the total devastation that used to be the nursery. “Just what is going on here?”

“You don’t really want to know,” Draco replied dryly.

Ginny took one look at Liam who was contentedly playing with his feet before leveling her husband and his friend with an angry glare, her ears having gone red. “What have you done to my baby?”

10. The Little Yellow Duck

And Baby Makes Three - The Little Yellow Duck

It stared back at him, mocking him from the safety of Liam’s clutches.

A damn stuffed yellow duck named Gustav. Who gives a baby boy a stuffed duck? Not just any baby boy, but the Malfoy heir! Liam should have dragons and snitches not a stupid, admittedly ridiculously soft and cuddly, yellow duck stuffed animal.

He could just kill Pansy for this. She did it just to naff him off.

And Ginny wasn’t helping matters either, giving it to Liam to hold whenever she picked him up. Granted it was usually to keep his hands occupied so he wouldn’t pull her hair, but still. It was a yellow duck! She even insisted on calling the thing by that daffy name when she and Liam played with it.

So Draco stood there over Liam’s crib contemplating ways to dispose of the duck.

It would just be so easy to snatch it away from the sleeping baby and toss it into the fireplace. There would be no evidence left - no one would be none-the-wiser. He could even blame the cat for the missing duck. Hecate had been known to covet Ginny’s floppy old teddy bear. She’d even made off with Mr. Cocoa a few times which had Draco on his knees looking under every piece of furniture until the bear was found. He’d tried to summon it once for the distraught Ginny, but got the cat instead. He still bore the scars.

The only problem with that plan was Liam’s death grip on the duck’s neck. He knew there was no way he could nick the offending stuffed animal without waking him. He glanced longingly at the little golden snitch lying forgotten at the foot of the crib. It wasn’t all that long ago that his chest nearly burst with pride at seeing his son grasping the snitch the same way he was holding that duck.

He stood there thinking of the nine different ways he wanted to skin Pansy alive. She said she just wanted to be a good auntie. She wanted to drive him around the bend was the truth of the matter. Good auntie his left foot. She, of all people, should have known the inappropriateness of a little yellow ducky. He didn’t care how cute the thing was supposed to be.

Draco figured he could still salvage this operation. He’d just have to bide his time until Liam and Ginny were wrapped up in something enough not to miss the duck. Yes, that was it. Bath time would be perfect. They’d both be in another room, the duck would be left unattended, and Hecate liked to sleep in the rocking chair, yes. All he had to do was dispose of the duck and run the cat out of the room. He smiled for the first time since the reprehensible duck had come into his house, a decidedly evil smile at that.

And as an added bonus that damnable black cat could very well be banished from the house for upsetting the baby.

“Do you know how much I love you Draco Malfoy?”

He nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of Ginny’s voice. He’d gotten so caught up in plotting that he hadn’t heard her come into the nursery. She stopped to rub the cat’s ears before coming to stand beside him. He mumbled an unintelligible reply.

“I can’t believe how much he adores Gustav. I think it was love at first sight,” she went on wistfully while gazing at the sleeping baby. “Isn’t that the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?”

He swallowed down the small niggling of guilt that threatened to overwhelm him. “Yeah, it’s cute, but I think the snitch is cuter.”

She slapped his arm playfully. “Of course you would! What were you thinking when I came in? You looked so lost in thought.”

Draco smiled down at his wife. “I was thinking about how happy I am.” Now that I know that duck is as good as dead he tacked on mentally.

Ginny threw her arms around his neck, pulling him down so she could kiss him. He responded by immediately deepening the kiss, sliding his hands down her hips, pulling her closer to him. He trailed little kisses along her jaw, stopping to linger on the little spot just below her ear that always made her moan. “How long will he stay asleep?”

“Draco,” she mumbled, half-heartedly pushing at his shoulders. “Stop.”

His hands found their way under her sweater. “Why?

“Because I need to give Liam a bath,” she managed to get out whenever his mouth left her’s. “My parents are coming for dinner.”

His brows furrowed as he pulled away. “Your parents?” He knew then he was in for a long evening.

“Yes, and we can’t have a stinky baby can we?” She nipped his ear. “But, if you’re a good boy I promise you’ll be rewarded handsomely tonight.” She gave him one last kiss.

“I’ll be looking very forward to that, Mrs. Malfoy.”

Ginny grinned. “How did I get so lucky?”

“Fate I suppose,” he answered. “Go on now. We can’t abide by an odorous baby.”

She woke a very grumpy Liam from his nap. He watched as she had to coax their son into letting go of Gustav, tossing it aside, forgotten for the time being.

Draco gave his wife an appreciative pat on the derriere as she made her way to the bathroom, admiring the view before she disappeared into the other room. There were no words to describe how much he loved the subtle little changes having a baby had had on her body.

“I’ll be in the study if you need me,” he called before stepping out in the hallway to wait until he heard splashes.

Draco slinked back into the nursery a few minutes later; checking to make sure Ginny was fully occupied with Liam in the tub. He could see the duck taunting him from just under the rumpled green blanket. He crossed the room in just a few strides, snatching Gustav up, roughly stuffing the duck into his back pocket before turning his attention to Hecate.

He knew the cat would be the weak link in Operation Duck Disposal. She had a history of not being very cooperative, especially where he was concerned. He felt her watching his every move when he first came in the room and now she was staring at him with her ears laid back from her perch in the rocking chair. She hissed at him when he reached out to shoo her.

“Go on you evil little pussy,” he barely whispered, waving his hand at her. “Get out of here.”

It was a test of wills there for a few moments, but Draco finally won the battle when he threatened Hecate with being squashed. He watched the cat scurry from the room before making a hasty exit himself.

He sucked in a deep breath of relief once he reached the safety of his study.

“Time to say good bye little ducky,” he stated gleefully, pulling out his wand. He transfigured Gustav into a particularly ugly paperweight. “I’d probably lose points for poor form if McGonagall saw you.” He placed an anti-summoning charm on the paperweight before dropping it in his case. Draco figured he’d be better off executing the duck in the fireplace at work. “Tomorrow, little duck, tomorrow.”

He was congratulating himself on being the ultimate Slytherin (take that Pansy) when Ginny found him.

“Gustav’s gone,” she sounded on the verge of tears. “He was there! Now he’s gone!”

Draco gave her what he hoped was a surprised look. “What? Did you check the blankets?”

She nodded. “He simply vanished.” She rubbed the seemingly unconcerned Liam’s back lightly.

Never one to let a golden opportunity slide, Draco seized his chance. “Did you see the cat?”

“Well, no.” Ginny looked flustered. “She didn’t pay Gustav that much attention, but she does like stuffed animals….”

Really, this was too easy he thought to himself. He got up from his desk to press a kiss to her temple on the way out the door. “I’ll check the usual spots.”

And he did check the usual spots; no yellow duck named Gustav was to be found.

They made it through dinner with her parents with a minimum of duck discussion. Much to Draco’s delight, Liam admirably carried on playing with a stuffed dragon his Uncle Charlie had given him. He was quite sure the baby didn’t even miss the duck no matter how much Ginny insisted he did, but he was wise enough not to correct her. Even the stupid cat cooperated with the ruse by staying out of sight all evening.

The real problem started when they were readying for bed. Draco was reading while waiting for Ginny to put Liam down, but his mind was really on the promise she’d made him earlier in the day. So it was to his great surprise when his wife entered their room with a flannel outfitted, very sleepy baby.

“I thought he could sleep in here with us tonight,” she announced, arranging her pillows to accommodate her and the baby. “He’s probably still upset over Gustav.”

He glanced at his son who was losing the battle to keep his eyes open. “I don’t think he’ll have a problem sleeping in his own bed.”

“But what if he wakes up crying looking for Gustav?”

He gave his wife a dubious look as she settled the baby down in the middle of their bed. He really didn’t think Liam would miss anything tonight or any night for that matter. He slept like a little log. “He’s going to sleep with us?”

“Yes.”

“In the middle there? Between us?”

“Of course. He might fall out otherwise.”

“But…”

“But nothing, he’s upset and needs the comfort of his parents.” She gave her husband a hard look to silence any further queries.

Draco sighed, resigned to his fate of spending the night on the far side of the bed while Liam took up the coveted position right next to Ginny. He never thought he’d ever be jealous of his own child, but he soon found that not only was it quite possible, he was. He spent a long, frustrating night tossing and turning, trying not to roll over on Liam.

The next morning he found himself glad to escape the house as Ginny was still a bit sour at the cat who had mistakenly thought she would lounge about in the kitchen. It was ugly. He was pretty sure that if his wife ever discovered Operation Duck Disposal he’d never see the inside of their bedroom again at the very least. He knew he was playing a dangerous game, but the duck had to go down.

Gustav spent most of the day as a very nondescript paperweight on Draco’s desk at the office silently awaiting his fate. Meetings had kept his executioner at bay until it was nearly time to go home, but he had not forgotten his appointment with the little yellow duck.

“Here’s the flowers you ordered, sir,” his secretary, Calla, announced as she slipped into his office. She carried a bouquet of a dozen icy pink roses.

He was slouched down in his leather chair, slowly twirling his wand between his fingers as he stared at the paperweight. “You can leave them on the desk here, thank you.”

She did as he requested. “If there isn’t anything else I’ll be taking my leave for the day.”

“Have a good evening and close the door behind you please.” It wasn’t unusual for him to stay past business hours, but he tried to keep it to a minimum. He promised Ginny after they got married that he would not allow work to consume him anymore, especially now with the baby.

He’d do this thing and get out of there. He’d go home to his wife and son, have a little dinner, play with the baby, read a little and if Merlin was kind to him tonight, he’d sleep alone with this wife.

“Finite incantatum” he muttered, watching the paperweight reconfigure into the soft, little yellow stuffed animal Ginny seemed to love so much. He tried hard not to think about that. “Say goodbye to this world you filthy little duck. Incendio.”

A brilliant fire roared to life in the large marble fireplace just to the right of his desk.

Just as he was about to toss the duck to its fiery death the office door opened slowly. “Draco? Are you still here?”

“Ginny!” He scrambled from his seat, dropping the duck in his haste to stop her from coming any further. “What are you doing here?”

She managed drag the pram through the door, jostling it and making all sorts of noise, but not disturbing Liam in the least; he was quite used to his mother’s lack of driving skills. “I thought we’d surprise you,” she said with a smile.

“And that you did.” He met her halfway across the room, gathering her into his arms in an attempt to block her view. His heart was hammering so hard in his chest he was positive she could hear it.

She gave him a soft kiss. “I thought it’d nice if we went out to dinner and maybe take a stroll around the park. It’s supposed to be beautiful this evening.”

“I can’t think of anything I’d rather do.” He kissed her breathless in hopes to keep her distracted. “Why don’t you wait out in the lobby, I’ll get my cloak and be right out.”

“Alrighty.”

As soon as she turned towards the door, he made a beeline back to his desk to hide the duck before it was too late. He didn’t notice that she’s stopped to admire the view.

“Draco,” she said in a low voice, full of disbelief.

He stopped dead in his tracks.

This was it.

The one thing he feared the most in Operation Duck Disposal.

The one thing that simply could not happen if he valued his life and his marriage.

Divorce was surely imminent now.

He was caught red handed or in his case – duck handed.

Draco slowly turned to face the wrath of his wife; his recently rediscovered inner Slytherin rising to the surface in defensive mode.

Then it happened.

Ginny was on him before he could brace himself.

He staggered backwards as she jumped into his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist while her arms hooked tightly around his neck. She showered his face and neck in frantic little kisses. He grabbed her hips, trying to hold her still before she sent them both toppling to the floor.

“I can’t believe it,” she said giddily, out of breath. “I can’t believe it!”

“What? Believe what,” he asked in confusion.

“That you found another Gustav!” She gave him another full body hug. “I thought you hated him and was glad to see him gone. But you knew how upset Liam was and you took the time out of your busy day to find another one for him!”

Draco’s mouth hung open in utter disbelief when he glanced at his desk. Sure enough, standing right beside the bouquet of roses was Gustav, the little yellow duck, looking no worse for his close call with the fireplace, mocking him yet again with those beady little black eyes of his.

“And you got me flowers! You’re the best husband and father, ever.” She slowly untangled her body from his until she was standing still pressed against him. “I know someone who’s so going to be rewarded tonight.” Her hand slipped between their bodies to give him a gentle squeeze as she nibbled her way up his neck. “I love you so much,” she whispered in his ear. “And you like the duck, just admit it!”

The Slytherin in him told him to cut his losses, live to kill the duck another day. “I love you too, beautiful. And it was the least I could do for you and Liam.” He remained silent on the duck issue feeling it was far safer that way.

Later that evening Draco stood over his son’s crib watching him sleep, Gustav firmly in hand. The dragons and golden snitches lay forgotten again at the far end, Ginny had seen to that. Just as she saw to banishing Hecate from nursery, no more temptation for her. She had also threatened to never let Gustav out of her sight ever again.

He just knew that if that duck had had a voice it would be laughing at him.

The idea of being bested by a little stuffed animal did not sit well with him. It was then that he promised himself that the day would come when another opportunity for disposing of the duck would present itself. He would think on it later, tonight he was going to enjoy what his wife had promised him earlier.

He could bide his time, he was a patient man.

This was war after all.

11. Slay the Dragon

And Baby Makes Three - Slay the Dragon

Draco didn’t want to go; it was as simple as that.

A Halloween party masquerading as a charity gala was being held at Hogwarts. He couldn’t understand why he couldn’t have just written a big cheque and spent the evening at home. But no, Ginny insisted it would be fun, besides she wanted to see some of their old school chums.

Deep down he had to admit that he simply didn’t want to have to answer all the inevitable questions about Ginny. It wasn’t that he didn’t love his wife, he truly did. It was just that they married very quietly - only her family and their closest friends knew – and he wasn’t up to sharing. Not just yet anyway. After their awful break-up was splashed all over the Daily Prophet late the previous year, Draco wanted to spend his married life in relative peace. He was selfish about Ginny and Liam like that.

So here he was, checking their cloaks at the door. They had arrived fashionably late naturally. He watched as she smoothed down the long, ivory silk gown she wore. It had trumpet sleeves, showed just a touch of cleavage and clung in all the right places, showing off her new softly rounded figure. She wore a crown of fall flowers with ribbons in her loose, softly curling red hair. He thought she made the most beautiful princess in all of wizardom and he’d gladly lay down his life for her affections.

Ginny adjusted his black dragon hide jerkin and checked his sword and shield (borrowed from Charlie, of course). “I must say, you’re the most handsome dragon slayer I’ve ever seen,” she said coyly, head bowed.

“Oh, am I now,” he replied gamely before attempting to tip her head back so he could kiss her enticingly pink lips.

“Yes,” she said softly, avoiding his efforts. “But in order to win my heart you have to slay a dragon.” She gave him a sly look as her hand lingered dangerously on his hip.

“Slay a dragon, eh,” he pondered slowly, shifting the green and silver dragon outfitted Liam to his hip to discourage any further endeavor on her part to tempt him. “I think I can manage that.”

“Good,” she grinned then, relieving him of the baby. “Then I look forward to rewarding you for your efforts.”

As soon as they entered the Great Hall, they were accosted by female Gryffindors just as he had feared would happen. He was immediately excised from the herd as they moved away in one fluid group leaving him on his own by the bar. He could tell the interrogation of Ginny had begun just from the snatches of conversation he could hear. Draco? Don’t be so surprised. Married? Yes, January. Baby? Liam, June.

Draco got himself a beer and did what he does best, brood in the shadows. For the first time since the final battle he was keenly aware of the lack of Slytherins - most of them dead or rotting in Azkaban these days. He wasn’t quite up to dealing with Potter or his wife’s brothers quite yet so he hung back surveying the room, looking for any of his wife’s ex-boyfriends who might cause trouble.

“I know what you did, Draco,” Pansy said casually as she stopped at his side. She was dressed as a Valkyrie.

“What are you talking about, Pans,” Draco replied, his eyes trained on his wife and son across the room. Liam was looking terribly adorable in his little dragon outfit except for Gustav in his clutches. Ruined the whole costume really in his opinion – how was Liam supposed to be a fearsome dragon if he was carrying around a duck?

“Gustav,” she said ominously. “Don’t think I haven’t figured out what happened when he went missing.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

She chuckled then. “Ginny flooed the night the duck went missing asking where I obtained him. Then again the next afternoon to tell me you had found another one.”

“So, I found another duck to replace the one the cat made off with is that such a horrible crime?”

“Yes,” she purred. “Considering I bought the duck whilst in Germany. Do you really think I’m that stupid, Draco, I charmed the duck so it’d never get lost.”

“You are an evil witch you know that?” He glared down at her.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” she said sweetly. “It’s so much fun to watch you get so worked up over a stupid little duck.”

“I hate you, you know.”

“I know, I hate you too. Come on Draco, you can tell me – why do you hate the duck so much?”

He watched through narrowed eyes as Hermione, Lavender, Padma and Parvarti surrounded Ginny and Liam, taking turns holding and fawning over him. Each one of them taking the time to touch the duck, he just knew they were commenting on how cute the stupid thing was.

Pansy gasped. “Oh sweet Morgana! You’re jealous of Gustav!”

He cut her a dirty look. “I am not jealous of a stupid duck.”

“Yes, you are! Ginny loves him, I love him, and the rest of the girls adore him. He’s a ladies’ duck! And you can’t stand it!” Her laughter was attracting the attention of the people nearby. “The great Draco Malfoy usurped by a stuffed duck!”

Greg and his date saved him from anymore humiliation at Pansy’s hands by showing up at a most opportune moment.

“Draco,” his old friend said happily, slapping him on the back. “I’d like you to meet…”

“Stephanie,” Draco interrupted him, reaching for her hand. “We’ve met.”

“Is there a woman here you don’t already know?”

Pansy snorted. “I doubt that.”

Stephanie kissed Draco’s cheek. “How’s Liam? I haven’t seen him in weeks now.”

“He’s good, over there with Ginny somewhere in a sea of Gryffindors. What are you doing here with the big oaf?”

She grinned. “Ginny set us up a couple weeks ago.”

“And here I thought Gin liked you,” Draco said with a smirk.

Pansy smacked him hard. “Draco, really, play nicely now. I’m Pansy Parkinson. I unfortunately went to school with these two wankers.” She took her new found friend by the arm. “Let’s go see about my godson.”

Draco and Greg watched the girls head across the Great Hall toward Liam’s fan club before falling victim to typical male conversation – women and Quidditch.

His eyes had rarely left Ginny and Liam all evening; he stayed on the fringe of the crowd allowing Ginny to bask in the glory she was never allowed back when they were in school. She looked so happy, showing off their son and answering the million questions about them he was sure were being asked. She was finally the belle of the ball and he wouldn’t have had it any other way. She would occasionally seek out his gaze from across the room, sending him that special smile she reserved solely for him; the one that make him thankful that he was alive.

It didn’t take long for Draco to hone in on undesirable male attention directed toward his wife. A young dark-haired wizard dressed as a knight was giving Ginny’s backside a bit too much attention for his liking. He asked Greg who the offender might be, not really keen on what he heard; he started across the Great Hall with a warning from his friend not to do anything stupid.

“I suggest,” Draco said dangerously as he walked up behind Ginny’s fourth year Ravenclaw boyfriend. “You take your eyes off my wife’s arse, Corner.”

Michael Corner just smiled up at the imposing figure that was Draco Malfoy. “Have no idea what you’re talking about mate.”

“I could see clearly from across the room your eyes trained on my wife’s arse is what. You had your chance, you were stupid. And now she’s mine. Eyes off.”

“Wife,” Michael said, his voice sinking in his confusion. “Who’s your wife?”

“Ginny Weasley,” Draco stated in a possessive tone. “Malfoy. Now kindly remove your eyes or I will remove them for you.”

“Oh, I thought you guys broke-up last year. Gin moved away didn’t she? She just disappeared.”

Draco sneered at him. “That would be a no. She married me. We live a quiet life.”

“Oh,” was all Michael Corner could manage.

“Does Gin know that you’re going around terrorizing people,” Charlie joked as he put a friendly hand on Draco’s shoulder, effectively putting an end to something that was starting to turn ugly.

“Who’s terrorizing people,” Ginny asked as she wandered up. “Draco can you take Liam, he’s getting heavy.”

He took his son into his arms, arranging him in such a way that everyone could see the little green dragon outfit with silvery wings. “Hey little monster - charmed the knickers off any of the ladies yet?”

Liam gave his father a big toothless grin in response.

“Michael Corner,” Ginny exclaimed, hugging him tight and pressing a kiss to his cheek. “I haven’t seen you since graduation. How’ve you been?”

Draco watched the scene before him through narrowed eyes.

“Down, boy, down,” Charlie said under his breath while keeping a firm grip on Draco’s shoulder so he couldn’t launch himself on the younger man.

“You know my husband, Draco, don’t you,” Ginny asked proudly, taking Michael by the hand. “And this is our son, Liam. Of course you know my brother Charlie and this lovely lady is his fiancée, Isolde.” She motioned toward a tall, black haired witch with deep blue eyes.

He nodded. “Yes, we were getting reacquainted.” He paled a bit when Draco shot him a dark look.

“I didn’t know you knew each other at school.” Ginny gave her husband a quizzical look.

“We didn’t,” Draco stated as his arm snaked around her waist possessively. “I knew of him.”

She had to let go of the other man’s hand in self-defense as Draco pulled her closer against him.

“Oh! Look Cho,” Michael said, realizing he was free to escape. “It was nice seeing you all again. Gin, congratulations. I’ve got to, uh, speak with her, yes that’s it.”

Draco glared at the retreating figure of his wife’s ex-suitor as he beat a hasty path across the room.

Ginny giggled at his antics before divesting him of Liam to deposit in her brother’s safe keeping for the time being. “Come with me,” she said, pulling on his hand.

“Where are you dragging me off to, witch,” he half-heartedly protested.

She didn’t respond, just pulled him along behind her until she found the spot she was seeking. She stopped, pushing him against the stone wall of the dimly lit corridor before tenderly kissing him.

“You’re so adorable when you’re jealous,” she teased after she finished kissing him.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. And for the record I’m not adorable.”

She grinned, slowly shaking her head. “You didn’t like Michael being near me, did you?”

He scowled darkly. “No, but what I really didn’t like was him admiring your arse.” His hands skimmed down to cup her derriere appreciatively through the silk of her gown.

“So, you like my arse do you,” she asked as her arms slipped up around his neck.

“Yes, among other things, besides it’s mine.” He bent low, capturing her lips in a leisurely kiss. “Mine, all mine.”

“Well, you know, I didn’t fancy all those witches admiring you either.”

“There were witches admiring me? I hadn’t noticed.”

Ginny smacked his shoulder then. “You mean to tell me that you, Draco Malfoy, were completely oblivious to the attentions of so many witches?”

Draco dropped a light kiss on her nose. “Yes, I’m only interested in the attention of a certain red haired witch.”

“Oh,” was all she could manage before she found herself being thoroughly kissed, leaving her breathless.

He admired his handy work after a few moments – her swollen lips and pink tinged cheeks. “If I recall, I kissed you silly in this corridor back in seventh year.”

“More like you almost had your wicked way with me,” she smiled slyly. “I don’t think Mrs. Norris would interrupt this time if you wanted to reenact that evening.”

“No,” he said, giving her his best lopsided grin. “A drafty corridor is no place to ravish a princess.”

“And just where is the best place then to ravish a princess?”

“In a warm room,” he started slowly as he took her hand to pull her along behind him as he made his way back to the Great Hall, “with a crackling fire and lots of candles, on a big, soft feather bed. Our son sleeping soundly in his room across the hall.”

“Mmm,” she purred. “Sounds more like a seduction than a ravishing.”

They made their way back to the Great Hall, making hasty goodbyes to family and friends, and retrieving Liam from Charlie and Isolde before portkeying home.

Draco volunteered to put Liam down for the night, giving him his nightly bottle, to which the baby wasn’t all that interested in. He left the tuckered out baby in his dragon outfit for the duration, Gustav tucked safely under one arm.

The sight of Ginny, flowers still in her hair, stretched across their pillow strewn bed in nothing but a pale gold silk nightgown greeted him when he entered their room. His mouth suddenly went dry.

“So,” she said seductively. “My handsome dragon slayer, did you slay me a dragon?”

Draco nodded silently, unable to tear his eyes away from her.

“Well, then come here,” she said, reaching her hand out to him. “I think I owe someone a great reward.”

12. Happy Christmas

And Baby Makes Three - Happy Christmas

He couldn't believe it was still dark when he woke up. It seemed like he had been in bed forever, although he and Ginny had stayed up late rushing around trying to finish up any last minute preparations for her family tomorrow.

Draco couldn't believe just how excited he was for Christmas. He hadn't been this excited since he was a very little boy. Molly had told him that it would be different when he had a little one of his own and how right she was. He thought of his son sleeping soundly in his crib in the nursery across the hall. It was all he could do not to go in there and wake him.

Only Ginny would kill him if he woke Liam so early. He just couldn't believe that she was still asleep as he figured she'd be the one all excited over their first Christmas together as a real family. Yet there she was in the same position she was in when they had fallen into an exhausted sleep after a couple hours of private celebration.

He tried to fall back to sleep after cuddling up behind his wife, only the sleep would not come. Hecate jumped up on the bed some time after he finally started to doze to walk around looking for a warm place to curl up. She immediately took the spot he vacated when he turned over searching vainly for a position that would allow him to catch a couple more hours of shut eye.

When the grandfather clock in the hallway chimed the five o'clock hour, Draco couldn't fight it any longer. He got up, drawing on his warm dark gray flannel robe, to head downstairs to do something, anything really, to keep from waking Ginny. He went across the hall to check on Liam, but couldn't resist picking up his sleeping son.

He walked around the house admiring Ginny's handy work whispering quietly to the sleeping baby in his arms about how perfect everything was. She'd really outdone herself with decorations. It was their first Christmas in Agecroft Hall, the ancestral Black estate he inherited when his mother passed away, and she wanted to make it special. They were slowly, but surely making the house their home as they became more and more settled there.

The tree in the Game Room definitely had to be his favorite. It was a tall tree hung with multicolored faerie lights and decorated with ornaments from all the different Quidditch teams, but what he loved best were the action figures she'd charmed to fly in and around the tree chasing snitches and passing quaffles back and forth. It was a tree the likes of which he could have only dreamed of as a little boy.

"You're up awful early," Ginny said softly as she wrapped her arms around her husband from behind.

"I couldn't sleep." He reached for her with a free arm, drawing her around him so he could kiss her. He loved this - his perfect little family. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever think he'd ever be this happy.

She stood on her tiptoes to give him a proper kiss mindful of Liam. "Are you that excited?"

Draco nodded enthusiastically. "I haven't looked forward to Christmas since I was little, but now it's different."

"How so?"

"For starters I have you and Liam. Your Mum was right when she said that having a child changes how you see Christmas. I want him to only know happy ones."

"I think we can arrange that." She gently rubbed the baby's cheek.

"I even look forward to your family showing up later."

Ginny pulled back from her husband, giving him an incredulous look. "Even Ron?"

"Not even Ron can dampen my Christmas spirit."

"You're so adorable!"

"Am not," he replied huffily.

"I have an idea," she grinned cheekily.

"Oh?"

"We've got a little while before Liam will be wanting breakfast and my family isn't due for hours yet. I think I could help you relax enough to take a nap so you won't be so exhausted later."

"And just how do you plan to do that?"

"I have my ways."

"You do, do you?"

"Yes," she purred. "I do."

Draco watched as Ginny put their still sleeping son back down in his bed. He grumbled like he might wake, but she managed to soothe him into a peaceful slumber by rubbing his back.

"Now, let's see what of your’s I can rub to put you to sleep," she grinned mischievously as she pulled him by the hand into their bedroom.

13. Future Cookie: The Great Cabbage Brouhaha

Disclaimer: Everything here belongs to JKR and her various publishing companies except Liam and Gareth, who are mine, all mine.

A/N: This is a cookie from the And Baby Makes Three and Fifteen Years universe.

This takes place when Liam is four years old.

The Great Cabbage Brouhaha

“You’re going to sit there until you eat every last bit of that cabbage, do you hear me?” Ginny said sternly to her four year old son who was steadfastly refusing to clean his plate.

“But I don’t like it!” Liam whined at the top of his lungs.

“Well, then I guess you’re going to have to just sit there.” She knew it’d be a test of wills, he was just as stubborn, if not more so, than his father. Unfortunately, she couldn’t use the same tactics to break Liam as she employed to break her husband. It always came down this – him whining while she made him sit there. “If you just eat it, you can leave the table.”

“No,” he stated resolutely, pushing his plate away before crossing his arms. “Why do I have to eat icky stuff when he don’t have to?”

She bounced the year old baby perched on her hip a little bit, Gareth gurgled happily. “Because he’s a baby and you’re a big boy.”

“I don’t wanna be a big boy!”

“Fine, then I’ll put you back in nappies and you can sleep in a baby cot again.”

“Nooooooo,” Liam wailed, tears streaming down his face. “I want to be a big boy like Da!”

“Well, then,” Ginny said with a grin, using the ultimate trump card in her arsenal. “Da likes to eat his cabbage.”

He shook his head slowly. “Uh uh, Da doesn’t eat it! He charms it away when you’re not looking!”

“He does what?” Ginny asked flabbergasted. Draco always told her how good her cabbage and potatoes were. Oh, he was most definitely going to hear about this when he got home.

“Charms it away, he told me not to tell.”

“Well, you still have to eat your cabbage, now get on with it,” she said firmly, shoving the plate back in front of him. “I don’t have all day.”

Liam eyed his plate dubiously, shoving the offending food with his fork. “It’s cold.”

Ginny groan in frustration before warming the plate of cabbage with a flick of her wand. “If you’d just eat it, then it wouldn’t get cold.”

“But I don’t like it!”

“Just eat it!”

“No.”

“Fine,” Ginny seethed, her patience quickly running out. “You will sit there until you rot.”

The small, tow headed little boy stuck his tongue out at his Mum in defiance.

“William Draco Malfoy!”

He sobered immediately.

“I’m going to go put Gareth down. When I return, I expect to see a clean plate - do you hear me, young man?”

Liam nodded his head and sniffled. “Yes, Mum,” he whispered.

“And we’ll be having a talk with your father when he gets home.”

Ginny slowly made her way upstairs to put the baby down for the afternoon, the anger coursing through her was slow to fade. Liam could be so cheeky sometimes – it was enough to drive her nutters. And Draco only encouraged the behavior, thinking it was cute. It was a one woman battle in a household full of cheeky men, well; at least she still had Gareth. He hadn’t been corrupted, yet anyway.

She sat back in the rocker, her eyes closed, enjoying the peace that came with slowly rocking the baby to sleep. There was no annoying mini Draco in the nursery to defy her at every turn.

A small voice shattered her peace a little while later. “Mummy?”

“Did you eat your cabbage?” She didn't opened her eyes.

“No.”

“Then I suggest you do that.”

“No.”

“What did I just say?” Ginny could feel her blood pressure rising.

“I don’t like it.”

“And I don’t care! You will eat your cabbage.”

“No,” he said with all the gravity in the world. “I’m gonna runaway.”

“Fine,” she muttered as she put Gareth down in his cot. “Don’t wake him while you pack.”

Liam nodded. “Okay.”

She left the door partially open so she could hear her children from downstairs. The house-elves had beaten her to clearing the table, sparing Liam from seeing his unfinished lunch plate at dinnertime. She’d have to speak with them about that.

A soft pop ceased her frustrated attempts at picking up toys. The ringleader of the cheekiness was home.

His arms slipped around her waist, pulling her back against him. “Mmm, I’m home.”

“And?” she grumbled, stiffening slightly before pulling away from him.

“Okay, who did what?” Draco asked. “It wasn’t me I hope.”

Ginny just glared at him, her ears turning slightly red.

He blanched a little. “What did I do?”

“Got me pregnant, that’s what!”

“Again?” He fought hard to keep the smirk off his face.

“No, the first time!”

“What did Liam do then?” he asked, relief evident in his voice.

“He wouldn’t eat his cabbage,” Ginny stated as if he should have already known.

“Oh? You had cabbage for lunch? I’m sorry I missed that!”

“I bet you are, Mr. Charm-it-away-when-I’m-not-looking,” she seethed.

Draco swallowed hard. “You weren’t supposed to know about that.”

“I know more than you think.”

“I see that. So where is Liam now?”

She huffed. “Your son is upstairs packing - he’s running away because I wouldn’t let him leave the table until he ate his cabbage.”

The slamming of drawers could be heard during the ensuing silence following Ginny’s declaration.

“I’ll go talk to him,” Draco said softly, turning to head toward the stairs.

She stopped him. “No, he needs to learn the hard way.”

A closet door slammed followed quickly by the sounds of a crying baby.

“I told him not to wake to Gareth,” Ginny bristled as she sprinted for the stairs.

Draco caught up to her just as she lifting the baby from the cot. Ginny soothed her son, while taking in the devastation of the nursery. Clothes and toys where strewn about everywhere. The room was straight when’d she’d put Gareth down.

Liam came in dragging a couple of stuffed suitcases behind him.

“So,” Ginny asked smugly, “where are you going?”

Liam smiled innocently at his mum, his gray eyes twinkling mischievously. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m not old enough to Apperate yet. I packed your suitcases.”

14. Future Cookie: The Trouble with Frogs

Warning: This story takes place four years into the And Baby Makes Three universe.

The Trouble with Frogs

Draco had no idea that one person could be so tired.

He’d been traipsing all over muggle London with Ginny. She was looking for something -- he still wasn’t sure what exactly -- but it necessitated his presence, mostly to carry the chequebook and mind the little monsters.

After a harrowing three hours in Harrod’s at Knightsbridge and a major dent in his vault, Ginny had announced it was time to head home, right after they’d had some dinner. Liam was near the point of collapse; Draco knew this well because he’d been carrying the boy around for the past two hours. He might look deceptively small, but he was quite heavy. Gareth had been conked out amongst the packages in his pram for hours, clutching Seymour the frog.

Ginny had stared longingly at the fancy restaurants in Harrod’s, but wisely chose a Chinese buffet that was on their way back to Diagon Alley. It was crowded, noisy and full of other families with children.

Draco watched as his oldest child laid waste to a second egg roll. “Liam, son, do you know what is in that egg roll?” He couldn’t wait to see the look on the boy’s face when he informed him that the main ingredient in egg rolls was cabbage.

“I wouldn’t say another word, Draco Malfoy,” Ginny said, not even attempting to veil the threat in her voice, “not if you want to sleep in my bed again.” She turned her attention back to Gareth, making sure he at least got some rice and noodles in his mouth instead of his hair.

When he was sure that his Mum was no longer paying attention, Liam leaned over to his Da, whispering, “What’s in an egg roll?”

Draco leaned in conspiratorially with his son, flaxen head to flaxen head. “I heard that egg rolls are full of chopped up flobberworm guts and that green stuff is grindylow skin.”

The little boy blinked, and then smiled. “Oh good, I thought you were going to tell me it was something gross like cabbage.”

~*~

Ginny put her two exhausted children in the bathtub while Draco fetched pyjamas. She had Gareth out and was in the process of dying him off when he returned with the requested items. The poor little boy could barely keep his eyes open as she quickly dressed him in his favorite blue footed pyjamas. Draco observed from the doorway the well rehearsed scene that played out before him.

“Can you stand right there, baby?” she asked Gareth. “Mummy will put you in bed in just a minute.”

He nodded slowly before sleepily rubbing his eyes.

She turned her attention to Liam, making sure that he was dried off and dressed for bed properly and then had brushed his teeth. While he waited, Gareth toddled over to his father, falling asleep leaning against his legs.

Liam giggled at the sight of his baby brother. “He’s a silly baby.”

Ginny picked up the snoozing little boy. “Oh, Mummy’s baby is so knackered.” Gareth quickly adjusted to being held, nuzzling her neck in his sleep. “Liam, Da is going to put you to bed.”

Draco picked up his eldest child. “Give your Mum a kiss.”

Liam leaned toward his Mum from the safety of his Da’s arms to give her a sloppy kiss.

“I love you, sweetheart,” she said softly.

“I love you, Mummy.” He reached over, patting Gareth’s soft red curls lightly. Draco took a step closer so he could easily reach his little brother. “I love you, Gareth,” he whispered before giving the baby a kiss on the cheek.

Tears glistened in Ginny’s eyes. “He loves you, too.”

Liam gave her a huge smile. “I know!” he said as Draco followed suit, giving his youngest son a quick kiss atop his head.

“Good night, sweetheart, I’ll see you in morning,” she said softly.

“G’night, Mummy,” he gushed before giving her one more sloppy kiss.

Ginny took her sleeping baby to the nursery to put him down for the night. Gareth was completely knackered so maybe, just maybe, he’d sleep through the night. Unlike his big brother, Gareth was a light sleeper and rarely slept through the night. That really put a damper on the extracurricular activities she used to enjoy immensely. It would have been the perfect night to spend some quality time with Draco if she wasn’t so exhausted herself.

She pressed a gentle kiss to the baby’s forehead before laying him in the cot, pulling a soft yellow blanket up over him. “I love you, pumpkin,” she whispered.

Little blue eyes fluttered opened. “Sey, Sey?” he asked.

The frog! How in the world could she have forgotten Seymour the frog?

He couldn’t sleep without the stuffed animal his Aunt Pansy had given him the day he was born. He loved that little frog just as much as Liam loved his duck, Gustav. It would be the end of Gareth’s little world if something ever happened to Seymour.

“Oh baby, I’m sorry, he must still be in the pram! I’ll be right back,” she assured him before making a quick dash downstairs.

There was one major problem – no Seymour, at least not in the pram.

She checked their jackets in the foyer closet. No soft green stuffed animal there.

The frog wasn’t mixed up in all the packages because she’d put all of that way when they got home.

Liam! Maybe he would know. He had been known to hide Seymour from his little brother from time to time.

Ginny was out of breath by the time she made it up the stairs to her eldest child’s bedroom. Normally, the sight of Draco reading to their son who was curled in his lap would make her heart swell, but not so that night.

“Seymour is missing,” she stated without preamble.

Draco’s eyes immediately settled on the cat lounging on the foot of the bed. “He’s not in the pram?”

“No, I checked.”

“With the packages?”

“No, put all of that way.”

“Cloaks?”

“No,” she shook her head, desperation creeping into her voice, “I looked.”

“Hecate?”

“No, she’s been outside all evening. I just let her in.”

Draco looked down at the last resort. “Liam, have you seen Seymour?”

“No,” he said, shaking his little blond head, “not since he fell out of the pram.”

“He fell out of the pram?” Ginny asked incredulously.

Liam nodded his head. “Uh huh.”

“Where?” Draco picked his son up, turning him so they would be eye to eye. “Do you remember where?”

He nodded his head again. “Muggle London.”

“Where in Muggle London,” the elder Malfoy asked slowly, trying not to let his anger get the best of him. “Do you remember where?”

Liam sniffled. “I don’t remember.”

“Why didn’t you tell me Seymour fell out of the pram?”

“You told me not to open my mouth.”

It was true - Draco had warned Liam not to open his mouth again after he had proudly informed a salesclerk that his Da was the world’s greatest wizard. The little boy was only doing what he was told to do (for once).

“From now on, you are to tell me when something like this happens, do you understand?” Draco asked a little sternly.

The little blond head bobbed up and down, tears glistening on his cheeks. “I’m sorry.”

He drew his son into his arms, rubbing his back soothingly. “It’s all right, you were only doing what you were told.”

“I’ll go see about Gareth,” Ginny sighed, “he’s not going to be very happy.”

“I’ll tuck the monster in and be right there,” Draco said.

Gareth was standing in his cot holding on to the railing, looking expectantly, when Ginny entered the nursery. “Sey Sey?” he asked hopefully.

She gathered him in her arms, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “No baby, I’m sorry, I couldn’t find him.”

“Sey Sey,” he whimpered before letting loose a long wail.

“I’m so sorry, baby, so sorry.” She rocked him, trying to sooth his anguish.

Draco winced as he entered the nursery. “Are we going to have wait for him to cry himself out?” He pulled his wand from his pocket, ready to cast a silencing charm at Ginny’s command.

His wife shook her head, giving him a very dirty look in the process. “No, you’re going to go find Seymour.”

“Gin, it’s late, I have no idea where the thing is and I’m tired.”

Gareth wrapped his chubby arms around his Mum’s neck, burying his face against her shoulder as his howling turned into sobbing hiccups.

“Draco, please, I have no idea how long he’ll cry.”

“Mummy,” Liam said loudly as he wandered in the nursery toward his father, a little bit of yellow peeking out from under one arm. He attached himself to his Da’s legs. “I can’t sleep.”

“I know, sweetheart. Gareth is upset because Seymour is missing,” Ginny explained.

He looked at Gustav, kissed him, and then held him out toward his mum. “Gareth can sleep with him tonight.”

She sank to her knees so the boys were near the same level. Liam attempted to give his most prized possession to his little brother. Gareth hiccupped noisily as he eyed the proffered Gustav, before tentatively taking the stuffed animal.

“Wasn’t that nice of Liam to give you Gustav,” Ginny asked the baby in her arms.

Gareth turned the little duck over in his hands, glancing at his brother then back at the duck.

Draco squatted next to Liam. “That was a very nice thing to do, son, I’m very proud of you.”

The red haired baby threw the duck down with a resounding, “NO! Sey Sey!” He buried his face against his Mum’s chest as the wailing began again in earnest.

“Mummy, make him stop please,” her oldest one pleaded, plucking Gustav from the floor into the safety of his arms.

“Draco, please, you have to go find Seymour,” Ginny begged.

~*~

Draco stalked downstairs, his ears still ringing from Gareth’s piercing wails. He muttered and cursed under his breath about stupid stuffed animals as Addison handed him his black leather jacket. All he wanted was to stretch out on the sofa in front of the fireplace for a little while, maybe even invite Ginny to join him for a little alone time.

But, oh no! He was being sent to Muggle London on a wild frog chase.

He swore right then and there that if he ever found Seymour that stupid little stuffed animal was never leaving the house again. He didn’t care how much Gareth cried.

“I made a list of the shops where Mrs. Malfoy made purchases,” the butler said helpfully, handing him the list.

He took one look at the lengthy bit of parchment and groaned. “Did we go to that many shops today?”

“Afraid so, sir, and those are just the ones where the Missus made a purchase.”

Draco uttered a few things that made the seasoned butler blush before Apparating. He ended up in an alleyway not far from where his wife’s shopping expedition began that morning.

No one had found a little green stuffed frog in any of the shops on the list that he’d tried so far, but he did find a pale peach colored silk nightgown that he thought would look stunning on Ginny. The clerk who rang up his purchase informed him that she hadn’t found a stuffed animal, but she remembered his adorable children.

He was getting nowhere. That wasn’t entirely true; he could have gotten several dates if he had wanted them as many of the clerks flirted with him without the wife and two children in tow. All he wanted was to find the stupid frog and go home.

“Where in the bloody hell is that damn frog,” he cursed under his breath before entering yet another shop, this one selling children’s books. He didn’t even remember being there, but it was on the list. “Excuse me,” he said to the clerk’s back as she leant over the counter busy with paperwork, “I was wondering if you happened to have found a stuffed frog with large feet this afternoon?”

The older woman turned to face Draco, eyeing him carefully over the top of her tortoise shell half rimmed glasses. “No,” she said with a chuckle as she recognized him, “but if you’re such a great wizard as your little boy says, you could just conjure a new one couldn’t you? Quite the imagination that little one has got.”

Harrod’s! That had to be where Gareth and Seymour had parted company. Draco remembered now. He took Liam outside immediately, warning him not to open his mouth again, and then they went straight to Harrod’s. He pulled his pocket watch out to check the time … the store closed in twenty minutes. If he hurried, he’d just make it. “Yes, yes, quite the imagination. Thank you, but I think I know where the frog is.”

He took off on a dead run, weaving in and out of the teeming throng of pedestrians on the sidewalks, making it to the main entrance off Brompton Road with ten minutes to spare.

“Sir! Sir!” the impeccably dressed security guard yelled as he caught Draco’s arm, stopping him just inside the entrance. “I’m sorry, but we’re closing.”

“But, I’ve got to find --,” he started.

“Sir, I do not care, the store is closing in seven minutes,” the guard cut him off stiffly.

“No, you don’t understand,” Draco stated in his most commanding voice. “My little boy is at home crying because he lost his favourite stuffed animal in this store this afternoon. I will not leave here until I retrieve it.”

“Sir, I understand that, but we are closing.”

“Fine, I want to see your superior.”

“We are about to close for the evening, sir,” the guard said firmly, standing his ground.

“I spend more money in this store than you earn in a year,” Draco informed him haughtily, his voice never rising above conversational tone, but the implied threat was plainly obvious. “I do not think your superiors would be pleased to learn that you have barred one of their best customers from the store just because it’s about to close.”

The other man looked a little overwhelmed at the threat of complaint.

“I suggest you run along and get your superior, now.” Draco could feel the anger slowly seeping through his veins at the continued impertinence of the guard. Obvious, the little git didn’t know who he was dealing with.

As soon as the other man turned his back to radio for his superior, Draco had his wand out whispering a soft “accio Seymour.” He knew he was going to be fined by the Ministry for the infraction, in Muggle London no less, but at this point he didn’t care. He was so close to his goal.

Within a matter of seconds, the little stuffed frog zoomed into his awaiting hand and was quickly tucked safely away in his pocket.

The guard turned back around. “My superior will be here momentarily.”

Draco just sneered at him.

An imposing older woman wearing a black suit appeared from around the corner. “Is there something I can help you with?” She stopped short of Draco, taking in his appearance. A warm smile broke out on her face. “Mr. Malfoy! Alfred, you may make your other rounds, I will see to this personally.”

The guard nodded, eyeing Draco cautiously before leaving to finish closing procedures.

“Draco, my good man, how the hell have you been?” Frances Macomber, an old childhood chum of his mother’s, witch extraordinaire and head of customer relations for Harrod’s exclaimed as she slapped him on the back.

They spent a few minutes catching up. Draco told her about his family, breaking out his pictures of his sons to show off. She knew who Ginny was without having to be told, assuring him that he made the right decision and his Mum would have been proud of him. He explained what happened, much to her amusement. She promised to plead his case at the Ministry for a lesser fine, she knew someone that would help. They parted with hugs and promises to get together soon.

Draco was definitely in a much better mood than he was when he left the house.

~*~

The first thing he noticed when he appeared in the foyer was the utter silence of the house. No howling Gareth, no scurrying of house elves, no Liam yelling at the top of his lungs, no nothing. He didn’t think he’d ever find the house this quiet after having two children.

“Did you have some success, sir?” Addison asked from behind him, breaking the silence and causing Draco to flinch.

“Good Merlin, man, you nearly gave me a heart attack!” he panted.

The butler’s lips twitched as if he wanted to smile. “Sorry, sir. Did you have success?”

“Yes, that damn frog was the last place I looked.” He slipped off his jacket, pulling Seymour from the pocket before handing it over to be hung up. “Where are Ginny and the boys?”

Addison nodded. “Very good, sir. The misses and the little masters are in your chambers.”

Draco bound up the stairs; he couldn’t wait to be the hero of the day, saving Seymour as he had. They could put their children in their own beds then Ginny could try on the present he purchased for her. Yes, it was all coming together better than he could have ever planned.

The sight that greeted him upon entering his chambers was not one he was prepared for. Although he really wasn’t sure what he was expected – total devastation, maybe? He didn’t know.

Ginny was asleep on her side of the huge bed with Gareth in her arms. His little hands were fisted in her flannel nightgown and his face was nestled against her chest. He had dark circles under his eyes from crying earlier, but seemed to be resting peacefully. Liam was sprawled on his side of the bed, taking up as much space as his little body possibly could while Gustav rested on his pillow. Hecate was curled up amongst the rumbled blankets next to him.

Draco gave up any idea he might have entertained of spending some quality time with his wife, seeing that his youngest child had a death grip on her. After Seymour was carefully tucked under Gareth’s arm, he kissed his wife’s temple and rubbed the little boy’s soft red curls. “I love you, Gin and baby monster.”

He quietly dressed for bed in just a pair of dark gray flannel pyjama bottoms before attempting to move Liam back to his own bed.

“No,” the little boy protested sleepily as he squirmed away from his father.

“C’mon, you want to sleep in your own bed, don’t you?” he whispered, picking his son up despite his protests.

Liam wrapped his arms around his father’s neck. “No, I want to sleep with you tonight.” He nuzzled his face again Draco’s cheek. “Please.”

“Oh, all right,” he sighed, giving up. There was no way he could resist such a sweet request from one half of his pride and joy. Merlin, he was getting soft in his old age.

They crawled in bed together, his son admonishing him to be quiet or else he’d wake Gareth or worse yet, Mum.

Liam gave him a big sloppy kiss. “I love you, Da!” he whispered earnestly.

“I love you, too, little monster.” Draco settled him down in his arms in front of him as he lay on his side, brushing a little kiss against his baby fine blond hair. The little boy was sound asleep before the last words fell from his lips.

He drifted off to sleep, wondering how he’d ever gotten so lucky to have such a wonderful family, even though the stuffed animals that came with them were a pain in his arse.

15. The Tell Tale Duck

And Baby Makes Three - The Tell-Tale Duck

Draco stood over his son's baby cot watching him sleep fitfully. Liam had spent the previous night feverish and quite fussy. Ginny had stayed up with him through the night doing what she could to make him comfortable. She'd sent him to catch a few hours about two in the morning only to be awoken an hour later by a loud crying jag. The baby finally gave into sleep after a cool lavender bath in the wee hours of the morning. He had volunteered to watch over him while she tried to get a little sleep.

Then he saw him. The bane of his existence - a little stuffed yellow duck - staring back at him from the safety of Liam's chubby little hand. Gustav. How he hated those beady little black eyes staring, always staring at him.

He'd done everything in his power to replace the duck with another stuffed animal, but Liam was having none of it. Who knew a fourteen-month-old baby could be so adamant about having his way? Draco had to smile about that though; Liam was a Malfoy through and through after all.

But it was gone if he could just figure out a way to distract his son long enough. He'd deal with Ginny somehow…

Liam's little eyes fluttered open just before he let loose a long low wail. Draco scooped his son up, shushing him gently and rubbing his back. “Shh, little Monster, your Mummy is trying to get some rest. You've had us both up all night.”

He felt the baby's forehead for any signs of lingering fever only to find that he was cooler than he'd been in the previous thirty-six hours. Hopefully whatever was bothering him was finally starting to break.

Liam settled down a bit after a bath and nappy change, a dose of medicine and a bottle of apple juice. He was still a bit clingy and easily irritable when they retired to the study.

They were playing on the floor in front of the fireplace when Ginny found them a couple hours later. Her son was in the process of showering his Da's face with kisses.

“I think someone is feeling better,” she said to announce her presence.

Liam's eyes lit up at the sound of his Mum's voice. He quickly abandoned his father, stopping to pop his bottle in his mouth and gather up Gustav before toddling over to her.

“His fever has been down for the last couple of hours.” Draco leaned over to kiss his wife's cheek when she joined him on the rug. “Did you get any rest?”

“A wee bit,” she said as she carefully smoothed down the few blond hairs on her baby's head. He bounced in her lap, holding Gustav out towards his father and looking expectantly at him.

“All right, all right,” Draco sighed, sounding rather put out. He tapped his wand on Gustav's head, causing the stuffed animal to perk up, flap his wings and waddle about, quacking all the while. His son squealed in delight, clapping his hands to make the little yellow duck dance.

“I think you've created a monster,” Ginny giggled, gathering her son up in her arms and smothering him in kisses.

The afternoon was spent watching Liam play happily with Gustav and munch on chocolate rice cakes while showing no ill affects from whatever malady he'd suffered with for the past two days. It was almost like he'd never been sick.

After a light supper taken in the study, the Malfoy family curled up together on the sofa, wrapped in a warm green plaid throw blanket, as Liam started to wind down for the evening. Ginny was nestled back against Draco, his chin resting atop her head and his arms wound around her waist. Liam was snuggled against her chest, fighting sleep as she soothingly rubbed his back.

Draco returned to the study to catch up some work he'd been neglecting the past few days after putting his son down for the night and sending his exhausted wife off to bed. He was beyond tired himself, but sleep would not come for a while yet. It was better to let Ginny get some rest without him disturbing her with his tossing and turning.

The tall grandfather clock on the other side of the room chimed half past eleven. He dropped the elegant black raven feather quill to scrub his hands over his face. He sat there pondering whether or not he could sleep if went up to bed when the slow creaking of an opening door caught his attention.

The study door was ajar.

He knew he'd shut it to keep the cat out when he'd returned after seeing Ginny to bed.

She didn't slip in the room to lure him to bed. Liam was too young to have figured out how escape his cot, besides he would have announced his presence. Hecate was no-where to be seen. No one seemed to be in the dark hallway. Maybe the latch didn't catch…

He was finding it a bit difficult tamping down that little finger of fear that was stabbing at his chest. All the candles in the room blazed bright with a wave of his hand. “Good gods Malfoy, get a hold of yourself,” he whispered, getting up to push the door closed again.

Draco peered down the hallway leading to the atrium. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until he put his hand on the door to push it closed.

It was then that a loud “quack” reverberated in the darkness causing his heart to skip a few beats.

He looked down, panting to catch his breath, only to find Gustav staring at him with those beady little black eyes of his, head cocked to the side as if he was pondering something.

Squelching his first instinct to grind the offending little bastard - err duck - beneath the heel of his Italian leather boots, Draco snatched the offending stuffed animal off the floor by the neck. If Liam knew his beloved stuffed animal was not in bed with him, he'd have a duck fit, literally.

The only plausible explanation he could come up with was that Liam must have dropped him when they'd taken him up to bed and just not noticed. He couldn't recall seeing the duck in the bed, but then again he really wasn't paying that much attention since he was busy admiring his wife's assets.

He wasn't even going to think about the quack when he knew damn well the animation spell should have worn off long ago. He was just tired. Yes, that was it. He was very, very tired.

The duck was carefully tucked under Liam's arm before Draco checked to make sure his fever had not returned. The baby was sleeping soundly, lying on his stomach with his stuffed Golden Snitch clutched in his hand. He pulled a lightweight gray and green blanket up over him just to make sure he didn't get cold before he whispered good night and kissed his fingers before brushing them lightly over his son's blond fuzz.

Draco kicked his boots off before he made himself comfortable on the overstuffed deep red sofa in the sitting room adjacent to the master suite. He poured himself a brandy before kicking his feet up on the ottoman and staring into the low fire burning in the fireplace.

The past couple of days had been very stressful for him. Liam had always been the picture of health so when he was struck by a mysterious fever two days ago, it was cause for much concern. His mother-in-law had been summoned immediately, only to smile at their panicked state. She brewed an old family potion for reducing fevers and gave them explicit instructions on how to care for a sick child before she returned home a few hours later. Ginny refused to rest until she knew her child was feeling better. She'd stayed up with him, giving him what comfort she could while he suffered through the worst of it. Draco stayed up with her because he was beyond worried himself, although he'd rather die than have to admit that to anyone.

He awoke with a start, not even realizing he'd even been asleep. Something wasn't right. The room was almost dark, the eerie orange glow of the fire casting the only light. He yawned, stretching his arms back over his head and arched his back. That was when a shadow caught his eye.

There on the arm rest of the overstuffed sofa stood a little yellow duck, watching him through narrowed eyes. He quacked.

Draco scrambled off the sofa, trying to get as far away from Gustav as possible; nearly tripping over the ottoman and sending himself head first into the glass fireplace screen in the process. The duck quacked again.

“All right, Fred? George? Show yourselves! This isn't funny any more!” he demanded of the empty room. He knew it couldn't have been his prankster brothers-in-law anyway. He would have known if the wards on the house had been broken. “So help me Potter, if this is your idea of a prank I will kill you nine different ways!”

Gustav's black bead eyes followed him wherever he moved in the room.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his frayed nerves. He was coming unhinged. He was being stalked by a duck.

It was a trick. That was what this had to be. There was no way that duck could move freely about the house. Gustav had to have help. And who would want to make him think he was going completely around the bend?

Pansy!

She was the only one evil enough to do something this diabolical. She had the means, the motive and she was just that cruel. She had inside help, too. There was no way that she could have gotten through the wards on the house without it.

Ginny!

His beautiful wife. She set him up. Pansy told her about his nearly offing the duck a few months back and they cooked up this little scheme as payback! Yes, that was it. They'd been thick as thieves the past few months. He should have known that they were up to something.

He snatched the quacking duck up and returned him to Liam's bed, performing a sticking charm to keep him where he belonged. That would fix those two witches. Play tricks on him like that. Well, they weren't going to get the best of him. He was on to them now.

Draco quietly slipped into the master bedroom, careful not to disturb his sleeping wife. She was draped over several pillows on her side of the bed. He quickly dressed for bed and crawled between the covers, sliding up behind her and gathering her in his arms. He pressed soft open-mouthed kisses along her bare shoulder and neck until she began to stir.

“Gin,” he whispered in her ear.

She snuggled back against him, melding her body to his contours and purring at his continued attention.

“Ginny,” he repeated, shaking her gently.

“Sleep,” she mumbled.

“It's Liam.”

“Did his fever return,” she asked, coming awake immediately and moving to get out of bed.

Draco held her tight. “No, he's fine. I just wanted you to wake up.”

“Then why did you want me awake.” She didn't bother to hide her irritation.

“I know what you're trying to do and it won't work.”

She struggled to break his grip on her. “I don't know what you're talking about.”

“Yes you do. You and Pansy are conspiring to drive me around the bend by making me think that Gustav is stalking me.”

“What on earth are you talking about?”

“That stupid duck in doorway of the study quacking at me and again in the sitting room.”

“Gustav is in bed with Liam where he belongs. Go have a look.”

“Of course, he is now,” he said haughtily. “I put him back.”

“Draco, Gustav has been in bed all night. I gave him to Liam when I put him down for the night.”

“That's what you want me to believe.”

“What are you going on about?”

“Pansy told you and now you want me to incriminate myself.”

“Pans told me what?”

“If you think I'm stupid enough to tell you now that I know you're trying to coerce a confession out me then you have another thing coming.”

Ginny struggled to break his grip on her. “I don't even want to know what you're going on about.”

“I'm on to you now so it doesn't matter,” he said smugly.

“If you don't mind, I'm going back to sleep,” she huffed, managing to loosen his grip enough to wiggle back over to her side. She made a great show of getting comfortable and using as much of the covers as she possibly could. She shrugged him off when he tried to wrap himself around her.

Draco rolled over on his back to stare into the dark canopy that covered their massive bed, contemplating the events of the evening. Ginny was rather miffed. Her anger was definitely genuine that much he did know because she was not that good of an actress. The Sorting Hat had put her in Gryffindor for a reason.

So Ginny was definitely out of the evil scheme however, Pansy was still a prime suspect. But how? That was the question that was gnawing at his brain. How? How did she get in the house without detection? He and Greg had worked together creating the most elaborate set of wards known to wizardom to protect his family. Surely Greg wouldn't have given Pansy the means to break the wards because that would mean he would have to reset even more strict ones.

All he could think about where those shiny black eyes staring at him. It was like the duck was watching him, thinking and waiting. Waiting for something he wasn't quite sure what, but something.

And the quacking. He didn't even want to think about the quacking. It was a stuffed animal for Merlin's sake - it wasn't supposed to be quacking! Sure he animated it for Liam's amusement hours ago, but that spell should have worn off long before now. It wasn't natural…

Oh how he hated that duck the moment Pansy brought it into the house. He hated the gleam in his son's eyes when he first laid eyes on that duck. How his little hands reached out for the fuzzy yellow stuffed animal. How he cuddled it. How he couldn't sleep without it.

Damn Pansy for making his life a living ducky hell.

Draco yawned and stretched, before turning over on his side in an attempt to find Ginny under the pile of covers. She was doing a fair imitation of a mummy.

That was when he felt it.

Something scurried across his legs.

His eyes snapped open, quickly adjusting to the weak moonlight filtering in the window filled alcove that illuminated the room. He didn't even realize that he had drifted off.

By the time his heart had stopped pounding in his chest, he had convinced himself that what he had felt was the cat. Hecate had made no secret of her penchant for wanting to sleep in the middle of their bed despite them being in it. He moved his legs in an effort to dislodge her, but he only ended up kicking Ginny.

He sat up on one elbow to take a look around, a small, dark shape sitting atop the mound he knew to be his wife caught his eye. Then it quacked.

It all happened so fast.

He lunged for the duck, colliding with Ginny's sleeping form in his zeal for tangible proof and dumped her unceremoniously on the cold floor with a hard thump.

“Draco,” she seethed, slowly untangling herself from the top sheet. “You had better have a good explanation for this.” She rubbed her hip ruefully as she stood up.

“Gustav. Here. Quacked at me!”

“How many times do I have to tell you that Gustav is in bed with Liam?”

“He's here!” he insisted, wildly going through the pile of bedclothes and nearly toppling his wife when he pulled on the duvet. “I saw him! He was standing on top of you!”

“Draco,” Ginny screeched. “What has gotten into you?”

“Duck! Out to get me!”

She sighed in frustration, yanking on her dressing gown as she made her way to the nursery. “Gustav is in bed with Liam, I assure you.”

He trailed behind her. “He's not in there. He's out to get me. Him and the cat!”

Ginny marched into Liam's room, softly illuminating the room with a quick wave of her hand. She gently lifted the sleeping baby from his cot, making sure he was wrapped up in his favorite blanket. Gustav, the little yellow duck, was dangling by a wing from his hand. Hecate stretched and meowed before jumping out of the cot. “See, duck.”

Draco was at a loss for words. He could have sworn he returned that dastardly duck to his son's bed, twice. He would have sworn on his mother's grave that Gustav was in his bed, sitting on top of his wife not five minutes ago. Yet, here he was safe in the death grip of his son. He had no explanation whatsoever. “I uh-”

“That is what I thought.”

“I swear Gustav is stalking me in the study and again in the sitting room. He was standing on you and quacking!”

“You do know that Gustav is a stuffed animal and is unable to `stalk' you?”

“Ginny, you have to believe me. It's payback. He wants me to think I've gone nutters.”

“Well, I think you are nutters,” she hissed just as something in the cot caught her eye. “What in bloody hell is the candelabrum from my sitting room doing in Liam's bed? And the doorstop from your study? He could have hurt himself!”

His mouth fell open in disbelief as what was happening became more than crystal clear. The doorstop from his study? The candelabrum from her sitting room? “Don't you see, Gin? He set me up! It's retribution!”

“Retribution? For what?”

“When I tried to kill him!”

“Tried to kill him?” she asked in utter disbelief.

“Yes, yes, when Pans first gave my baby boy that duck,” Draco explained rationally. “I stole him, blamed the cat and tried to burn him in the fireplace at work. Only you showed up just as I was about toss him in. I knew then there were no bounds to the evilness of that duck!”

Ginny just stared at him for the longest time, opening her mouth several times like she was about to say something only to close it again before she finally said, “Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but you're jealous of a stuffed animal?”

“No, you've got it all wrong. I'm not jealous of him. He's jealous of me!”

“So Gustav is jealous of you…”

“Yes! He wants you and Liam all to himself!” Draco nodded, so proud that she was finally starting to see things his way. Gustav's days certainly were numbered now! “That's why the duck has to go!”

“Okay,” she said, treading very carefully. “I realize that you've been awake for the past two days and you've been very worried about Liam.” He started to interrupt her, but she quickly silenced him with a tongue cluck. “This is what we're going to do - I'm going to take him and go back to bed. You are going to find someplace else to get some uninterrupted rest. Then in the morning we're going to sit down and discuss this like the rational adults that we are. Is this acceptable to you?”

“But-”

“No buts! I'm going to bed. Good night and sleep well.” She started for the door.

“Gin, don't I get a good night kiss?” he asked pitifully.

“Under the circumstances? No.”

He wanted to stay close to his wife and child just in case the duck tried something unspeakably devious during the night. She might not ever believe him because she had been easily snookered by an adorable little face and soft fuzzy yellow material, but that just meant he'd have to remain extra vigilant. He hadn't seen anything this evil since before the Dark Lord had fallen. And the scariest part was it lived in his house and slept in his son's bed. Damn Pansy.

Draco tossed and turned on the overstuffed sofa in Ginny's sitting room before finally succumbing to exhaustion an hour later.

With first rays of morning light, he slipped into his bedroom to find Liam sprawled on his stomach on his side of the bed, a fist stuffed in his mouth. Ginny was lying on her side, her short ivory silk nightgown had ridden up enough he could see a peek of her lacy knickers. Her hand was resting on the baby's back and Hecate was sleeping curled in the crook of her knees. The bedclothes were a tangled mess, half off the bed and waves of heat radiated up from the mild warming charm she'd cast.

He couldn't believe that he was missing out on being with them.

His wife was right - he was totally out of his mind the night before. Things were much clearer after getting some sleep. He had allowed his hatred for the duck to take over his reason. He'd been waging a battle against a stuffed animal. A stuffed animal? Stuffed animals were not capable of what he'd imagined Gustav doing - they didn't just mysteriously appear places and quack. Whatever happened to the Slytherin in him?

He had gone completely nutters.

All of this was just in his head brought on by sleep deprivation and worry over Liam. They would talk in the morning, get things straightened out. He would learn to deal with the fact that his precious baby boy - his heir - was fond of a duck. Sure he would have preferred his son to have attached himself to a dragon or a Golden Snitch, but he seemed to really love that duck so how could he begrudge his baby that?

He allowed his dark green dressing robe to slide into the floor once he reached his side of the bed. He caught a flash of fuzzy yellow material out of the corner of his eye just as he scooted Liam over so he could slip into bed.

Gustav was standing on his pillow like he was king of the hill, his head cocked to one side as if he were regarding him thoughtfully. Draco reached to grab the duck to give him to Liam.

“Quack!”

-->

16. Rubber Duckie You're the One

Title: And Baby Makes Three - Rubber Duckie, You're the One

Author: rainpuddle13

Email: rainpuddle13 [at] gmail.com

Rating: R, well, for a lot of things…

Pairing: Draco/Ginny

Length: 5,032

Summary: Toddler Liam makes an unfortunate discovery for his parents, at least.

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. The title is shamelessly stolen from the Sesame Street song, “Rubber Duckie.”

Notes: Thanks to nokomis305 for the beta as always. If you don't like the ficlet, blame cupid12203, dragonsangel68 and nokomis305 - it is entirely their fault for encouraging me.

And Baby Makes Three - Rubber Duckie, You're the One

“Draco, any time today!”

He admired his reflection in the full length mirror while ignoring his wife's shrill voice coming from downstairs, piles of discarded trousers and jumpers littered the floor around his feet. He couldn't decide between his comfortable faded jeans and a royal blue jumper or the gray trousers and deep emerald green jumper. It was imperative he look his best since there was a distinct possibility that his son would be so impossibly adorable that his grandparents couldn't resist taking as many pictures as possible, and he might be in a few or thirty of those pictures. He hadn't even thought about his hair.

“You're worse than any witch I know! I'm sure your hair looks fine!”

Draco felt that his wife should have known by now that he wasn't about to leave the house, even if it was just to go the Burrow for Sunday dinner, without everything on his person being in perfect order. They'd been together for just over five years now; it wasn't like this was something new he'd just sprung on her.

“I bet you don't even have Liam dressed yet!”

Of course Liam was dressed, that was the first thing he did before getting caught up in his own grooming routine. His son was dressed in the new outfit that Ginny had picked out (with his wholehearted approval) on a family outing the day before - soft navy blue and khaki plaid flannel trousers with a little navy jersey pullover with Snitches, Bludgers and Quaffles embroidered on the chest. The baby was dressed and sitting in the middle of the huge bed that dominated the master suite, playing with Gustav.

“Don't make me have to come up there!”

“I'm coming,” he shouted back to her, finally deciding that he'd just have to go with the jeans and the jumper he had on before she got her nose any more out of shape. He gave his appearance one more glance before seeing to his son…

…who was no where to be seen.

“Liam?” he called softly, “where are you, monster?”

Gustav was lying, abandoned, on the bed with a rumpled trail where it looked like a little boy had made an escape on the far side. The beady little black eyes of the soft yellow stuffed toy seemed to follow him wherever he moved. It always gave him the creeps how the duck seemed to turn up in the most inconvenient places, namely his wife's side of the bed, at the oddest times, defying all explanations as to how he got there. Draco had long ago given up trying to convince Ginny that Gustav was out for his blood. She thought him mad, but one day, when it was too late, she'd see.

A giggle of sheer delight distracted his obsessing about his arch enemy and over to Ginny's side of the bed.

“What are you doing, son?” Draco asked as he rounded the bed to collect his wayward child. “We have to go before your Mummy... What in the blood hell have you gotten into?”

Liam smiled up at him, clapping his hands together, sending globs of purple sparkly stuff everywhere. The entire contents of Ginny's bedside table seemed to have been rifled through by the little boy.

Draco squatted and picked up a near empty phial, reading the elaborate label aloud. “Slickity Slick: A Warming… No,” he groaned just as his son rubbed the thick, goopy substance over his face and head.

He avoided the little boy's outstretched hands as he retrieved his wand. Seven <i>Scourgifys</i> (two just on his hair alone) later and Liam was far from happy but at least presentable. He'd never realized just how messy the stuff was before now, but then again, he never had to try to remove it from anything.

“All right, your mother is going to kill me for taking forever,” he told his son, haphazardly shoving the contents back into the drawer from whence it came, stopping to examine Bedknobs and Broomsticks: A Witch's Guide to Inanimate Love and The Wicked Wand and the Wanton Witch, the latter without pictures so it was of very little interest to him.

Liam made a lunge for the last bit of stuff he was putting away. “Duck!”

Sure enough, there was a yellow rubber duck mixed in with the phials, books and other odds and ends. “Gustav is on the bed.”

“Duck!”

“You don't want this ugly thing do you?” Draco shoved the offending thing into the drawer. The toddler let loose a loud wail before dropping to the floor, tears flowing freely and his little face turning blood red. “All right, all right,” he said, handing over the duck.

~*~

“It's about damn time,” Ginny grumbled when Draco and Liam finally made it downstairs. “We were due ten minutes ago.”

“Liam was being difficult,” he replied, inspecting his son one more time for any incriminating evidence. “When did you get a rubber duck?”

“I don't have a rubber duck.”

“Yes, you do. It's was in your drawer.”

“Well, if I did, I've forgotten about it,” she said, determinedly not looking him as she fussed with the colorful wrap that complimented her dress.

“It's…” Draco trailed off as he finally took in his wife's appearance. Ginny was wearing the chocolate brown dress she'd purchased the day before. It was long and formfitting, hugging every one of her delectable curves in a way that made his knees weak and his mouth water. Now he knew why she hadn't let him see it on her whilst they were at the store: he would have tried to ravish her on the spot.

“What's the matter, Draco?” she purred, a slow, sultry smile spread across her lips. “Cat got your tongue?”

It was difficult to think straight when she talked to him like that. The only coherent thought he could manage was focused on the fact that she could not possibly be wearing any knickers. “Uhm,” was all that he could manage.

She stepped close to him, her breasts brushing ever so lightly against his arm as she leaned up to give him a soft kiss before taking the baby. He watched her backside intently as she fussed over Liam, making sure his outfit was on properly and wrapping him in a warm blanket.

“I think you're trying to kill me,” he said, finally finding his voice.

“What makes you say that?”

“That dress.”

“Oh, you like my new dress?”

“The only way I'd like it more is if it was on the floor.”

Ginny's eyes twinkled. “I might be able to arrange that a little later.”

“And the fact you're not wearing knickers.” His knees buckled slightly at just the thought.

“Who says I'm not?”

“There is no way with that dress.”

“Think itty bitty, black and lace.”

“Black lace,” Draco mumbled in an awed voice as his mind zeroed in on the exact pair of barely-there knickers she was talking about.

“Your favorites, if I'm not mistaken.”

“I'm dead.”

She pulled the hood on Liam's cloak up over his head before giving her husband a very devious smirk. “I certainly hope not, Draco. You're no good to me dead.”

She Disapparated with a very faint pop before he could respond.

~*~

Ginny reappeared on the front steps of her childhood home within seconds, immediately checking to make sure her son was still in one piece. No matter how many times she'd Side-Along Apparated with Liam in her arms there was always that small niggling fear that she would splinch him.

She took a quick glance around to make sure none of her family was about and Draco hadn't followed her immediately. After her performance back at home, she was sure he would have to take a bit of time to collect himself before putting in his appearance.

“Hey, baby,” she cooed, giving Liam the kisses he demanded before digging about in the changing bag for Gustav.

He proudly showed up his new prized possession, a yellow rubber duck. “Duck.”

“Yes, it's a duck,” she sighed, reaching for the toy. “Can Mummy have the duck, darling?”

Liam shook his head and hugged the toy closely. “No!”

“Please?”

“No!”

Her husband was going to be one dead wizard when they got back home! What was he thinking, allowing their son to rummage through her things without supervision? This would have never happened if he hadn't insisted on being a hands-on (well, as hands-on as Draco Malfoy dared to be) father. She could just scream.

“Mummy will let you have a lolly if you give her the duck?” Ginny knew it was wrong to bribe her baby, but desperate times called for desperate measures and Liam had just discovered the joys of sweets (thanks to her darling husband).

He appeared to consider the proposition for all of half a second before giving the duck a sloppy kiss.

“How about Puffy?” She dangled a colorful stuffed dragon in front of him. “Don't you want to play with him? See how soft and squishy he is? He's much nicer than that duck.”

Liam didn't seem at all interested in any of the toys that she could find in the bag. “Gustav is going to be so jealous when he finds out you're cheating him on, baby.”

And just where was that damned stuffed duck anyway? Probably on my bed, she thought. That was where Gustav was almost always found anytime he was thought to be lost, which led Draco to joke that the duck was in love with her and trying to off him.

“Ginny, dear,” her mother called from the doorway, “what are you doing out there in the cold? Come on in this house. Where's Draco? Let me see my darling grandson.”

She had no choice now but to hand over the baby who promptly showed his prized possession to his grandmother. “Oh, don't go showing that to your grandfather, my little sweet pea, you might not get it back.”

“Draco will be along in a few minutes,” Ginny said, gathering up her things and hoping her mother hadn't heard her groan. “Something came up at the last minute that he had to take care of before he left the house.”

“Ah, good, I fixed his favorite.”

“He'll appreciate that.”

Molly stopped just inside the doorway. “Ginny, what is this sparkly purple stuff in Liam's hair?”

~*~

After a few awkward moments after Draco's arrival, the visit settled into the usual comfortable routine that all afternoons spent at the Burrow managed to take on. The men retired to the garden with the older boys for a pick up game of Quidditch while the women puttered about the house, caring for the younger children and seeing to preparation of the evening meal.

Liam had spent a good deal of time showing off his yellow rubber duck to anyone would pay him heed. Ginny waited with bated breath as her father thoroughly examined the toy while explaining everything he knew on the subject to his wide-eyed grandson. She was relieved when Draco's entrance provided a much needed distraction for everyone.

“I didn't appreciate the way you left me earlier,” Draco hissed as he pressed Ginny up against the shelves in the little out of the way cupboard with a low ceiling. He'd been lying in wait for her ever since returning to the house after the match. Her trip to the back storage room for more chairs for the children's table presented the most perfect opportunity.

She pressed her long body against his, teasingly. “So what are you going to do about it?”

His hands slid over the gentle rounding of her derriere, pulling her forcibly close to him as he ground against her so she could feel his growing desire.

“Draco, not now. I'm going to be missed. Dinner…”

“Isn't for another hour at least. We've plenty of time.”

“Draco,” she pleaded softly. She should have suspected what he'd wanted.

His lips blazed a trail of fire up her neck, stopping to whisper in her ear, “I love it when you say my name like that.”

Ginny shuddered against him. “Oh, Draco.”

“That's more like it, witch.”

“We can't.”

He nipped lightly at her earlobe. “Shhh, we can.”

“Most of my family is in the next room.”

“Then you'll have to make it a point to be quiet.” He punctuated the last word by nipping the tender place on her shoulder.

Ginny bit her lip to keep from moaning too loudly as a searing heat settled in the pit of her belly, her knickers becoming instantly wet. She'd never been very successful in denying him anything, especially when he was being so determined.

“I don't think I can,” she whimpered.

He was busily working the hem of her dress up her thighs. “Yes, you can.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“Punishment.” He plundered her mouth then, demanding her complete and utter surrender to him.

“Punishment?” she asked breathlessly.

A chuckle rumbled low in his chest. “For leaving me in dire straits earlier.”

“I'm very sorry about that.”

“Sorry doesn't cut it,” he growled, wedging his knee between her thighs. “Swear you won't do it again.”

She could only stare up at him with lust glazed eyes and nod.

“Say it,” he prompted.

“I swear,” she said obediently, her hands reaching for his belt. She really did hate that she'd left him in such a distasteful state earlier. “Let me make it up to you,” she purred, throwing caution to the wind.

He closed his eyes as he nuzzled his face between her breasts, allowing her to shove him back against the shelves on the far wall. She kissed him once, gently, before sliding down his front to her knees before him, her hands frantically working to undo his trousers. He quivered in anticipation as an immense relief flooded over him as she freed his straining erection from its confines. Ginny gave him a wicked grin, her pink tongue darting out to moisten her lips as her hand wrapped firmly around the base of his hardness. Draco had to grab ahold of a shelf to keep from collapsing on the floor as his knees gave away.

“Ginny!” Ron bellowed from somewhere alarmingly close to the cupboard door. “Malfoy! There seems to be something wrong with Liam's duck! It's… It's… It seems to be… I don't know!”

“Oh my god,” Ginny whispered hurriedly, standing up so quickly that she hit her head on a low shelf. The mismatched china clattered and threatened to come tumbling down in a loud crash.

“Gin,” Draco whimpered, “please!”

She tried to put herself to rights again, giving up after several failed attempts to do something with her messy hair all the while ignoring her desperate, pleading husband. “I have to! Liam!”

He'd just pulled up his zipper as his wife flung open the small door and they almost tumbled over the last person he wanted to see in the tiny hidden alcove nestled between kitchen and the narrow sitting room. During the best of times, he always needed a few minutes to prepare himself to deal with Ginny's youngest brother, but now, in this state, he couldn't responsible for his actions.

“Where have you two been?” Ron used his best Auror interrogating voice to ask the question.

Pansy snickered as she joined the group from the kitchen, looping her arms around her mate. “Now, Ronnikins, you know they've been off for a bit of how's your father.”

“I did not need to know that!”

Charlie patted his baby brother on the back on the way through to the sitting room to join his wife, Isolde, on the settee by the window. “That'll teach you to ask questions you really don't want to know the answers to.”

“That's right, Ronnikins,” Draco drawled, getting his dander up, “mind your own fucking business.”

Ron glared menacingly at him, his shoulders hunching up. “That is my sister!”

“Draco, mind your language please,” Isolde implored, “there are children in here and we can hear every word you say!”

He had to stop and swallow the remark he'd intended to lay on his wanker-in-law. “And she's my wife now and I can do what I want with her!”

“Just whip them out now and get it over with,” Ginny hissed as she pushed past her husband and brother into the sitting room. She was having a difficult time maintaining what was left of her shredded dignity as it was without having to deal with their childish posturing. “Where's my baby?”

“He's in the sitting room,” Pansy said, pushing a spluttering Ron out of way so the other witch had a clear path.

Ginny stopped dead in her tracks. There was her son, lying on his back, in the middle of the floor in her parent's sitting room, the little yellow rubber duck perched precariously on his chest. The sound of his delighted giggles warbled strangely with the strong vibrations from the undulating toy.

“Oh, Liam,” she uttered, cursing her baby's father under her breath as she tried to assess the situation.

“That's my boy!” Draco said; the pride unmistakable in his voice as he joined his wife, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her flush against him so she wouldn't forget about their unfinished business. He'd given up on straightening his clothes to gaze adoringly at his precious tiny son along with everyone else in the room. “Liam's first sign of magic! This has to be some sort of record! Fifteen months!”

“Uh, actually,” Percy said, clearing his throat to get everyone's attention. No one had noticed him lurking about the front entryway in all the commotion. He and Penelope had just arrived with their small son. “Christopher's first sign came at thirteen months and the earliest documented case was-”

“Shut up, Percy,” Fred said from far the corner of the room where he and his brother occupied a pair of chairs.

“No one cares,” George finished with a flourish.

“Naturally, he'll be good at everything,” Draco rattled on excitedly, paying his brother-in-laws no heed, “but he'll be exceptional at Potions like me. I'm sure that he'll inherit his mum's ability to throw a wicked hex when the occasion arises.”

Ginny couldn't stand it anymore as she watched the twins, with heads bowed, occasionally laughing and pointing. She didn't even want to begin to fathom what was going through those two's mind. All she knew was she had to put a stop to it immediately. “Draco!”

“And he'll be smashing at Quidditch just like his father! And Prefect, and then Head Boy!”

“Draco!”

He refused to look at his wife. She was not going to ruin his moment of glory as a proud father, damn it. This was his one chance to show up his wife's brothers who were always going on and on and on and on about their redheaded brats.

“Draco,” Ginny said more firmly, freeing herself from his embrace and putting her hand on his arm to force him to look at her. She had to stop him before he said another word.

“What?” He glowered at her for breaking his train of thought. She gave him the look that was supposed to silently communicate whatever was so important she had to interrupt him, but he'd given up ages ago trying to figure it out.

“Just stop, please.”

“Why?”

“Because it's not nice to show up others.”

He snorted. “And when has that ever stopped your brothers?”

“But you're a Malfoy.”

“And my son has done something rather amazing.” He was in severe danger of beaming if he kept this up much longer.

“But he hasn't,” she said quietly.

“What do you mean?”

“Liam hasn't done anything special.”

“He has!” He gestured towards his son, who looked to be enjoying himself entirely too much with the duck. “He made the toy move on his own.”

“Draco, that's no ordinary duck.”

“It's a magical duck, used to encourage children's magic?” His blond eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Ginny shook her head slowly, pulling him to her so his ear was near her lips. It was then, and only then, that she dared give voice to the evil-that-shall-not-be-named that had seduced her unwitting son into a quivering, giggling, delighted mess in the middle of her parent's sitting room floor.

“No,” Draco gasped, clearly not wanting to believe what he just heard from his wife's lips.

“I'm afraid so.” She stared directly at Hermione who was sitting in the overstuffed floral chair nearest the fireplace, and was looking decidedly like a cornered rabbit.

Liam chose this very moment to pull on his father's trouser leg to get his attention, holding up the now still duck once he had it. “Duck,” he said, pleading with his luminous blue-gray eyes for his father to make it do its thing again.

“No more duck for you,” Draco snarled, snatching the offending toy from his hand.

“Draco, don't be so mean,” Ginny chastised as she picked up her very shocked toddler, snuggling him and patting his back soothingly. She could feel his little body stiffing as he worked himself up into what was shaping up to be a temper tantrum of legendary proportions. If Liam was not happy, then no one else was going to be allowed to be happy.

“I don't care!”

“He doesn't know any better.”

Draco attempted to tear the smiling head off the duck, but instead of pulling it off, he managed to turn on the powerful little motor hidden within the body, causing the whole thing to agitate in his hands. “What the-”

Liam's head snapped around at the sound of the gentle hum, a huge silly grin showed off a half mouth full of baby teeth. He reached out with both hands. “Mine!”

It was all Ginny could do not to drop him as he struggled to get his hands back on the little yellow duck. “Just give it to him.”

“No!”

“I wonder if Gustav knows little Liam there is cheating on him with a Muggle?” George pondered aloud.

Fred shrugged. “I'd hate to be the one to break it to him, mate! Evil one that duck, or at least Malfoy says he is!”

“Draco,” she warned again, this time more forcefully.

He handed over the vibrating duck, but not without a fair amount of grousing under his breath. He really detested being shown up by his wife, especially in front her brothers. Liam slithered down to the floor once he'd obtained his prize, his eyes going wide when hugged it tight, getting an unexpected surprise and squealing his delight. Draco never imagined a small child could make that sort of noise, let alone it being his own child.

“H-h-how could you?” he spluttered, finding himself unable to articulate anything more coherent. In lieu of words, he pinned Hermione with a death glare to end all death glares.

"It was meant to be a joke," she cried in defense.

“Oooh! Didn't see that coming,” the twins commentated in tandem.

Draco glared at her. "Well, it's not so funny now is it?"

"No, not so much."

"My child is disturbingly attached to a sex toy thanks to you! And a Muggle one at that!”

"Gone south already, dear?" Molly asked; concern evident in her voice as she bustled in from the kitchen. Angelina and Katie followed close on her heels. "Having to resort to Muggle gadgets? Sometimes it takes a while to set things to rights after having a baby.”

“Mother,” she moaned, casting about for the nearest unoccupied piece of furniture, but find none, she opted for burying her face in her hands as she turned an impossible shade of red.

“There's no shame in it, sweetheart. We all need a bit of spice from time to time,” her mother continued on, completely unflustered, as two of her four sister-in-laws sniggered behind her. “You just have to keep curious babies out of your cupboards.”

Arthur looked up from the Evening Prophet he'd been hiding behind while sitting on the sofa in the middle of all the action. He'd always found it best to allow Molly to deal with the family when they got like this, but this time his curiosity got the best of him. “That's quite an odd use for a rubber duck, isn't it? I thought they were Muggle children bath toys…”

“Please, just stop.” Ginny didn't know how she would ever be able to show her face at the Burrow again.

Fred snickered. "Sunday dinner at Mum's is the best!"

"Couldn't pay for this kind of entertainment," George agreed wholeheartedly, sliding up on the edge of his seat to get a better vantage point.

"You find this amusing, do you?" Draco asked, his voice dripping with venom as he turned to face his most worrisome brothers-in-law.

"No, no, not at all," the twins said in unison, knowing innately from years of trial and error when it was time to back down.

"That is what I thought." He scowled at the snickering Pansy who didn't even have the common decency to hide her mirth as she strode into the center of the room. “What's the matter with you?”

She smiled broadly. “Not a thing.”

“This is all your fault! He wouldn't even like ducks if it wasn't for you!”

Pansy picked up her godson, accepted his enthusiastic kisses and admiring his new favorite toy. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

Ron managed to shake off the catatonic stupor he'd been in since discovering his sister and brother-in-law in the cupboard, joining most of the family in the sitting room and finally catching up to the conversation. “Mother, how do you know about vibrating rubber ducks?”

“What did I tell you about asking questions you really don't want to know the answers to,” Charlie uttered, totally mortified by his baby brother's lack of tack. He definitely wanted to remove himself from the vicinity of any answer their mother could formula because no matter what it was, it was going to be way more information than he ever cared to know. “Ron, why don't we go put away the Quidditch kit before supper!”

“I didn't know about the duck,” she shouted after her two retreating sons, “but I do find the idea of it interesting!”

Ginny was nudged forward by a very traitorous Pansy and her not-so-subtle husband. She glanced around the room, trying to capture the attention of one of her remaining relatives, but everyone was looking decidedly elsewhere. “Mum, how long before the roast and pudding is ready? I'm rather hungry.”

“Oh, yes, the roast. I nearly forgot in all the excitement. I suppose you and Draco have worked up quite an appetite this afternoon,” Molly said with a wink, patting her daughter on the arm on her way back to the kitchen. “What with all the grandbaby making going on in my cupboard.”

~*~

Ginny was really surprised that the rest of the afternoon at the Burrow had been rather uneventful, but she attributed that to everyone (other than her mother that is) was afraid to open their mouths. She never knew that the weather and Quidditch statistics could make such interesting (and long and boring) dinner conversation.

But that was all over with now, she was home.

She'd had a long, hot soak in a tub full of rose scented bubbles and a glass of wine to calm her nerves. Comfortably ensconced in her bed, Ginny enjoyed a second glass of wine while reading her trashy romance novel and waiting for her husband to return from putting the baby down for the night. He'd insisted on doing the nightly task, probably because Liam was exhausted and would go down without much of fight. Lazy, she thought mutinously.

“Good evening, Mrs. Malfoy,” Draco said, slipping into their bedroom and looking like a cat who'd caught the canary. He'd changed into his favorite forest green silk pyjama trousers while she had been in the bath.

“Evening,” she said warily. “Liam didn't give you much trouble did he?”

“Nope. Out like a snuffed candle.”

“That's good.”

“Yes, yes, it is.” It wasn't until he sat down on the edge of the bed that she noticed he was hiding something behind his back.

She took another sip of wine, regarding her husband, trying to figure out what he was up to. “He's a good baby.”

“Only when he's asleep,” Draco said cheekily.

“What are you playing at?” she asked, unable to stand it any longer.

He grinned nefariously then, showing her the little yellow rubber duck that had enthralled her son for the better part of the day. “Lookie what I have.”

“How on earth?”

“I had to pry it out of his hand after he fell asleep.”

“Oh, don't you think he'll miss it?”

“Nah. So, do you want to want to give it a go?”

“Draco!” she cried, thoroughly scandalized by his suggestion, but intrigued nonetheless.

“C'mon, Gin Gin.”

“I didn't think you'd lower yourself to use something so Muggle.”

“Normally, I wouldn't, but we have it and might as well put it to good use,” he said.

“You've put some thought into this I see,” she responded in semi-disbelief.

“Been thinking about it since I found out what it was.”

“Oh.”

“So, what do you say?”

“That Gustav would be awfully jealous.”

“The hell with that duck!”

“Awwah, Draco, are you jealous of a little old stuffed animal?”

“Damn right I am! I swear that duck is out to get me so he can have his dirty way with you!”

She shook her head, not believing they were having this conversation again. It never ceased to amaze her just how vehemently his hatred was for Liam's favorite toy. “It's just a bit of material and stuffing for Merlin's sake.”

“That's what he wants you to think!”

“All right then, let's make Gustav one very jealous duck then.” She downed the rest of her wine and put her book away.

Neither of them saw the little yellow duck named Gustav that she'd knocked off the nightstand in her haste.

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