𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑻𝑬𝑪𝑻𝑶𝑹 || 𝗦𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘂𝘀 𝗦𝗻𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗮𝗯𝘆 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟒.

Draco led the way down the hallway, moving along quickly on hands and knees, and looking back every so often to make sure Harry was still behind him. Each time Draco looked back Harry would smile and lift one hand to wave hello at him, like it was some sort of new game.

Draco smiled as he found the door to his parents' bedroom partially open. He crawled inside and squealed with excitement. He had never gotten to go in there without Mama and Papa before. Harry oohed as he glimpsed the massive bed, covered with light green blankets, embroidered with silver thread, and mounds and mounds of pillows. All he needed now was Napey to lift him up and put him on that big, soft play area.

Soon enough though, Harry was distracted as Draco patted the ground beside him. "Pot, here," Draco said, giggling.

Harry crawled over and sat beside Draco. Draco was sitting next to a tall, dark-wood dresser. It took a bit of time to figure out, but eventually Draco was able to grasp the brass handle and pulled the bottom drawer open. He smiled as the sight of his papa's undies and socks greeted him. He grabbed an armful and put them in his lap. Then he took a pair of boxer length shorts and put them on Harry's head like a crown, the legs sticking up in the air. Harry giggled and clapped excitedly. He grabbed some garments from the drawer and threw them into the center of the room. He looked to Draco for judgement, Napey said no throwing, but Draco found this new game greatly amusing. Before long the bottom drawer was empty, and the Malfoy's immaculately decorated room was covered in Mr. Malfoy's underthings. Once all the clothes in reach were deposited around the room, Draco decided it was time for a new adventure.
"Pot!" he said, to get the other boy's attention. Then he headed for the door to go off on another adventure. Harry followed excitedly, boxer shorts still on his head.

------------------------ ~♥~ ------------------------

By dinner Snape was feeling very accomplished. After long hours of arguing and the remaining two werewolves being shocked, believing they could withstand the spells better than Sharra had. Sharra had laughed almost maniacally when they had screamed as much as she had after coming in contact with the bewitched journal.

Finally Amycus had suggested no one touch it until Snape had further analyzed it. With Snape's knowledge of the inner circle of Voldemort's Death Eaters, potions, dark objects, and enchantments he was the most qualified to deal with such an object. He planned on taking the journal up to his room after dinner that night. The other Death Eaters were just going to sit around and argue more, and the sooner Snape figured out what secrets the journal held, the sooner he would be able to get back to what he now considered his "normal life", which meant the life in which Harry was included.

Alecto had cooked for them that night, and sadly the food appeared less than appetizing. The odor which had wafted from the kitchen wasn't promising either. Some of the Death Eaters groaned and muttered complaints, but Snape ate the grey, unidentifiable soup without expression or comment. He had refined tastes, but had grown up eating what was given him and had learned that griping about it was the worst possible solution. Once his plate was clean, he stood.

"If you'll excuse me," he said. "I have work to do." With a flick of his wand the journal was levitating above the table. The book fought the enchantment, and wiggled slightly in the air, but Snape kept it afloat, and thus transported it out of the room, up the stairs, and into the small bedchamber where he'd spent the previous night. Setting the book down, he cleared his mind of any other worries or distractions and began to work.

------------------------ ~♥~ ------------------------

Narcissa awoke with a start. She guiltily shook her head as though she'd never been asleep. She looked around the room, and didn't spot the boys. She stood up quickly and turned around, searching every corner. They had gone out. Narcissa felt her pulse quicken. She'd never lost Draco before. How had she lost her own child? In her own home? She left the room quickly and walked through the corridor. She had no idea which room the little boys might be in. The House Elves always left the doors open in the late afternoon, to allow the rooms to air before the evening came. They could be almost anywhere.

"Draco!" she called, as she moved through the corridor. "Sweetheart?" she peered into the first room, but it didn't look like the little boys had been there.

"Harry?" she said, peeking into the next room. "Draco?"

This room had definitely seen the babies. This was the room where Narcissa had embroidered prior to having Draco. There were threads all over the room, crisscrossing back and forth and tangled up in one another. But the little boys were nowhere to be seen.

After checking a couple more rooms with no luck Narcissa began to feel too frantic. Then she heard the door downstairs open. Only barely managing not to trip, hair flying loose from the french twist it had been pulled into, Narcissa rushed down the stairs.

Lucius, hanging up his coat, looked at her with his eyes full of amusement. "Why hello dear," he said cooly. "You haven't greeted me home this enthusiastically since Draco was born."

"I lost him!" Narcissa said, holding onto Lucius' arms. "I lost the boys! I fell asleep and now they are somewhere loose in the house!"

Lucius' light eyes lost their humor and he nodded. "Well I'm sure they're upstairs somewhere." he said logically. They looked together in the first two rooms in the long hallway upstairs, and then into their own room.

At the sight of Lucius' underthings everywhere, draped over chairs, the bed, and all over the floor, Narcissa began to giggle, despite her worries. Lucius found the situation a bit less funny. "Well." he said, not sure what else to say. "That's fun."

A call from down the hallways made him turn around. "Papa!"

Lucius smiled ruefully at his small son, who was peeking out from one of the rooms further down the corridor. "You've made a mess of my room, son," Lucius said seriously, walking toward the little boy.

Draco giggled and crawled back into the room from which he had emerged. Breathing a sigh of relief, Narcissa followed her husband down the hall.

Upon entering the room, they say Draco giggling, sucking on the fingers of own of his hands, and with his other hand he pointed at Harry, who was fast asleep, with his head on his arm.

"Ahem," Lucius said, retrieving the shorts from Harry's head. Narcissa was just happy they had found the boys. She picked up Harry, and Lucius picked up Draco, and they made their way downstairs for dinner.