Draco only spent a few hours at work, it was too distracting having Baby roaming all over the floor of his office, and every time he moved his chair or his feet, she barked, and he could hear Miss Heywood slam a drawer or clear her throat loudly in agitation. It was obviously distracting to others as well, so Draco decided to leave work early.
He apparated home and Mrs. Linton greeted him, ready for their 'houseguest,' as she put it.
"She's a dog, Mrs. Linton, not a person. We are not treating her like a houseguest." Draco scoffed at the very idea.
"Well, Mr. Malfoy, I just thought, since your Miss Weasley is so found of her, we should care for her with the same treatment she receives at home."
Baby was scratching in her bag on Draco's shoulder, barking to get out, and Draco would be glad to be rid of her for a couple of hours. He turned his back on Mrs. Linton while he held the carrier level with his face, looking Baby in the eyes. "Now see here, Baby…We are stuck with each other for a few days and I suggest we make the best of it. I will keep out of your way, and you keep out of mine, alright?"
Baby didn't growl, or bark, she turned her head to the left, then the right, as if trying to understand his words.
Draco put the bag down, then a thought occurred to him, and he held Baby up again. "One more thing…I have a lot of priceless family heirlooms, so don't take a piss on anyth-" Draco turned to Mrs. Linton, who was blushing, and apologized. "Please excuse my language. I meant, if you need to use the facilities, don't mistake the ancient rugs, for your…What does Gin call them? Oh yes, Wee-Wee pads. Got that Baby?" he didn't really expect a response, and he didn't get one. He unzipped the side, and Baby immediately ran over to Mrs. Linton, tail wagging, and flopped onto her back for a belly-rub.
Draco was disgusted, but handed Mrs. Linton the bag as he made his way to the library for a drink. True it was a little early, but dog-sitting was a very nerve wracking business. Draco had had several owls while he was at work, and not surprisingly, one was from Ginny. She had arrived safely in Milan, she was thinking of him, and was 'just wondering' how things were going with Baby.
Draco thought she had very little faith in him, but decided not to include that in his response. He penned a letter back to her, as he saw Baby run past his door, and heard the unmistakable sound of a Wee-Wee pad being opened and placed on his floor.
He shook his head, and imagined all the generations of proud, noble, Malfoy's spinning in there graves.
He turned back to his letter, and thought about writing; Dearest, Darling Ginny, How can you ever think that I don't care for you? You can never doubt how very much I love you, yes LOVE you, I know that I do, although I don't know how to tell you…But I realized I did when I heard the crinkly sound of a Wee-Wee pad being placed on my antique rug…
Draco took another sip of the burning liquid, and finished his real letter to Ginny.
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Draco had dinner alone in the library, as was customary. He did some work, answered the owls he had received, and decided to head up to bed. He could hear Mrs. Linton playing with Baby in the sitting room, and when Draco went to check on them, he saw they were playing tug-of-war with…
"Is that my sock?"
Mrs. Linton turned very red, and let go of the sock, which Baby immediately grabbed in her teeth, and shook back and forth furiously. "Well, yes, Mr. Malfoy. It is your sock. But it is in need of repair, and the poor thing didn't have a thing to play with."
Draco shook his head. "Don't worry about it Mrs. Linton. It's an old sock. I'll stop by Ginny's flat and pick up some of her toys tomorrow." Draco wasn't used to giving out praise, they had had house elves when he was growing up, but Mrs. Linton was a kind widow who took very good care of him, and he was just beginning to realize how valuable she was.
"Why don't you go home now? I can certainly clean up the kitchen, and I can take care of the dog over the weekend, I would like you to have the weekend off, with pay."
Mrs. Linton shook her head, and stood up, "Thank you Mr. Malfoy, but I will be getting back to work now." Baby left the sock and followed Mrs. Linton into the kitchen.
Draco decided not to press her today, but he definitely was going change toward her. Draco headed up to bed, and began to undress. He stripped down to a pair of boxers, and stretched as he lay down on his huge bed. He hadn't had a particularly hard day, but he was feeling very tired. Maybe humiliation really wore you out, he thought.
He was just starting to drift off, when he heard Mrs. Linton knock softly, "Mr. Malfoy?"
Draco shook himself awake and grabbed his robe off the chair in the corner. What the hell was wrong? She never came to his door. Draco immediately imagined every possible scenario as he made his way to the door.
Mrs. Linton had Baby in her arms when Draco opened the door. "Yes? What is it? What's happened?"
"I'm going home Mr. Malfoy, but I couldn't leave this little one alone downstairs."
"And?" Draco wasn't sure what she was saying.
"And, I knew that you wouldn't want her crying downstairs all night, or damaging the furniture."
Draco seemed to perk up at the last, and reached out to take Baby, but she barked and tried to bite him.
"Bloody dog."
Mrs. Linton gave Baby a kiss on the top of her head, and bid Draco goodnight. Draco closed the door, wishing that Mrs. Linton lived on the property. Oh well, he'd just put a pillow on the floor for Baby to sleep on, problem solved. Draco did just that, then threw the robe off, and climbed back into bed.
Draco assumed Baby was fine, and was trying to get back to sleep when he heard a sad, whimpering sound. He lay still, listening for a moment, and then it stopped. The moonlight coming from his window gave some light, and Draco looked over the side of the bed, where he had placed the pillow for Baby, but she wasn't there. He grabbed his wand and illuminated the room, again looking for Baby. He didn't see her, and was about to give up and go to sleep when he heard a scratching sound.
Draco was horrified as he looked over the opposite side of the bed, and saw Baby run her sharp little nails in a panic over his silk sheets. "Are you mad? These sheets are pure Empress Silk! They are worth more than your life! Now, lie down on that pillow, and go to sleep."
Baby cocked her head to the side, Her big, brown eyes smart with tears, trying to understand what Draco was saying, and Draco felt his heart melt, but only just a little. "Now, don't give me those sad eyes…It won't work. I don't like you any more than you like me. Now go to sleep." Draco lay back down, but Baby kept crying, and continued to run her sharp nails over his sheets.
"Alright, alright!" Draco picked Baby up and put her on the bed, where she immediately sauntered over to his pillow, where she turned in a circle several times before settling on a soft spot and laying down.
"Baby! No, absolutely not! You can lie at the foot of the bed if you like, but not my pillow. Draco pointed to the end of the bed, but Baby just let out a big snort.
Draco tried to poke Baby to move her, but she snapped at him, and he drew his hand away before she bit him. "I could transform you into a, a,…well something horrible, you know!" Draco looked in disgust at the dog hair all over his sheets.
Draco ran a hand through his hair, deciding what to do, before giving up. Baby was sleeping peacefully, and he supposed the bed was big enough to share. He 'Accioed' some of the decorative pillows from the chest at the end of his bed, and reluctantly fell asleep.
It didn't last long. One problem, was that Baby snored. Draco woke up at the unfamiliar sound and looked around for the source. He spotted Baby, who was on her back, half on the pillow, half off. He shook the pillow, and she slid off, waking up and walking around a bit before finding a comfy spot. Draco almost laughed. Almost.
The second problem was after a while, Baby lay too close to him, and Draco felt hot as it was, and now he had this heat generating fur ball pressed to his back. Draco scooted over, and she followed. "You remind me of a horrid ex-girlfriend, appropriately named Ivy, as a matter of fact."
He finally fell asleep again, to be awoken a few hours later by Baby, stretching, and using his stomach and chest to scrape her nails against. Draco rolled away, but she jumped on top of him, then off, and started whimpering.
Draco felt like he had a hangover. That was one of the worst night's sleep he had ever had! He was so tired…He gave a huge yawn as he set Baby down on the carpet, and stretched. He stared straight ahead for several minutes, trying to wake up, ignoring Baby's whimpering until the scent of urine reached him. He was wide awake as he saw Baby kick her hind legs on the carpet behind the spot she just marked.
"Bad dog! Bad dog!" Draco stepped over the spot, grabbing his wand and cursing at her as he cleaned the mess. He opened the door, letting her downstairs, where he could hear Mrs. Linton coo out a "Good Morning, Baby!"
Disgusted, Draco slammed the door and began to dress. He had already planned on taking her by Ginny's to grab some playthings, and stop her by the dog park. It was all for Ginny, he reminded himself. All for Ginny.
****************************
"Drake!"
Draco continued his leisurely pace, as Baby sniffed every flower, and patches of grass here and there. He heard "Drake!" again and finally turned around.
Draco realized the woman was talking to him. It was the leggy blond from the dog bakery. He forgot he had told every woman who asked his name was Drake. She came jogging over to him, her bulldog by her side.
"Hello, again," she said cheerfully, appraising him slowly, in his slacks and button up shirt. Draco swallowed hard, uncomfortable under her scrutiny. He felt like she was about to eat him alive. "You don't walk her very often, do you?"
"Why would you ask that?"
"Well, you're clothes, for one. Those shoes, more for the boardroom, then the park," she winked and said, "I wondered if you were going to ring…"
"Well, I've been busy…uh…" He couldn't remember her name, he guessed now he shouldn't have flirted so shamelessly with all those women, and there was Baby who was barking loudly from between his legs. He shortened the adjustable lead, just in case Baby tried to attack.
"Candy," she said, only slightly put off, as she bent down in her too-tight tee-shirt to say hello to Baby.
Baby crouched low, and growled, but the bulldog got aggressive and Candy stood up, pulling her lead back.
"Isn't she just the most precious thing you've ever seen?"
Draco nodded, and tried not to notice how she arched her back as she pushed her sunglasses onto her head. Her tee-shirt said, 'Wish these were brains' and Draco imagined she had paid a Muggle doctor a great deal for them.
Baby continued to bark, and Draco told Candy that he was sure that it was her dog, that Baby wasn't used to other pets, and that he really should get going now.
Candy called out "Ring me!" as she jogged away, and Draco watched her for a moment, fascinated that of course when you had a girlfriend, women threw themselves at you…Or was it Baby? Was she attracted to him because of the dog? A man taking care of a tiny dog was somehow appealing to the fairer sex, he had no idea why. Candy and her amazing, fake breasts were out of sight now, so Draco turned his attention back to Baby. She wasn't there. The lead wasn't in his hand, and Baby wasn't anywhere around him. Draco tried not to panic as he called out to her, running left for a bit, then right, but he didn't see her.
Draco couldn't believe he'd lost her! Ginny was going to kill him! He'd tried "Accio Baby!" but she'd never appeared.