The Babysitter

The Surprise

When Harry pulled up to 519 Florence Road, he definitely was not expecting to see Draco Malfoy talking to his new boss. He exited the car with pizza breath and an unnecessarily large suitcase.
"Oh, hello, you must be Harry!" Rosemary smiled.
   He could see Malfoy stiffen at the name. He turned around, his polite smile fading as he saw Harry's face. Harry merely glanced at him before shaking Rosemary's hand.
"As you know, I asked for two sitters." Harry had not known this. "This is Draco," she introduced.
"Oh, yes, we're very familiar with each other," Harry forced out a laugh.
   The surprised look on Malfoy's face had not yet changed.
"That's very good, then!" They laughed some more. Harry was becoming tired already. "Well, come in! Let me show you around before I go."
   Harry was having trouble concentrating on what Rosemary was saying because Malfoy had not changed his facial expression and it was kind of creeping him out. All he processed was that the house was very beige and that one of them would have to sleep on the sofa. The babies, Chloe and Penelope, were currently asleep in their room.
"Right, well, if you haven't got any questions, it's about time I go. Thank you both so much for this!" Rosemary had no clue what she'd done to these boys.
They waved goodbye to her and watched in silence as she pulled away. Malfoy had finally changed his facial expression as he turned to look at Harry.
"Get out."
"I'm sorry?" Harry crossed his arms, mimicking Malfoy. He'd liked the other expression better.
"I applied for this job to get away from stupid magic and stupid people. You're not supposed to be here. Get. Out."
"No."
"No? Really, you're saying no to me?"
"Yes, I am. Believe it or not I also applied, for the same reasons. As much as I hate you, I want to do my job. So I'm going to take care of these babies the best I can."
Malfoy's face turned pink, probably from anger. He uncrossed his arms and walked away, placing his wand on the chair in the babies' room.
"Whatever, Potter," he muttered. Hearing Malfoy say his name gave him goosebumps.
He had to admit it was almost relieving to have something from the magic world with him after so many weeks alone with the Dursleys. Even if that something was his supposed enemy. Harry didn't mind.
"What's a vackum?" Malfoy asked from the other room.
   Harry walked into the kitchen where Malfoy was holding a piece of paper. He took the paper and read:
"Hi! If you want to score some bonus cash, here's a list of chores I am too lazy to do:"
"That says vacuum!" Harry laughed. He looked up at Malfoy's blushing face.
"I-I don't know what that Muggle bullshit is." He crossed his arms.
"It's to clean the floor. Here, come on, she said it's in the closet."
   Malfoy watched Harry, his face still pink, as he bent over to get the power cord from the floor.
"It's going to be loud," Harry warned as he plugged the cord into an outlet.
   Malfoy rolled his eyes but Harry still saw him jump when the vacuum went on. Malfoy pulled the cord out of the wall.
"Aren't we going to wake the babies up?" He asked.
Aunt Petunia once said Harry used to fall asleep while Vernon was yelling at him. (Although, as Harry remembered it, he had fainted from not eating the whole week.) (He was six years old.)
"They'll be fine," he said to Draco.
   Malfoy was in a trance watching the vacuum. His face had gone back to its normal paper-white. He stood in his freshly pressed white dress shirt and his freshly pressed black dress pants. Harry thought he looked like the fanciest, most ridiculous babysitter in all of England. The loud hum of the vacuum concealed his giggles.
   Harry shut off the vacuum, the silence pulling Malfoy out of his thoughts.
"Just so you know, I'm taking all the chore money," Harry smirked. Malfoy was outraged.
"That's not fair, I don't know how to work Muggle machines."
"You want me to teach you how to wash dishes?" Harry laughed a little. That was next on the list.
"Wait. Where's my wand?" Malfoy looked around.
"I dunno," Harry responded, pulling his own wand out, "Accio wand."
They waited.
"Oh, Merlin, oh shit..." Malfoy started pulling at his annoyingly perfect hair.
"Accio wand." Harry repeated. "Malfoy, it's probably fine."
But Malfoy wasn't listening anymore. He was ripping the cushions off the sofa and searching through the coat he'd thrown over a chair. Harry started looking too. Not because he wanted to help his old enemy, but because it was the right thing to do.
"Fuck!" Malfoy pushed the rocking chair so it fell onto its side. "You," he surged towards Harry. "What did you do with my wand, Potter?"
"Nothing, I swear!" He was actually trying to help.
Malfoy, of course, did not believe him, and grabbed him by his collar. He pushed Harry against the wall and practically growled.
"Give it back, Potter." He felt Malfoy's shaky breath on his face.
Then Harry's wand shook in his hand. He pushed Malfoy away as the baby flew around the corner and into his arms. She was gnawing on the end of Malfoy's wand. The tip was missing a small piece.
"Oh, hello!" Harry grinned at the baby.
Malfoy tried to grab his wand, but that baby girl was very stubborn.
"You must be Penelope," Harry laughed. "Your mummy said some things about you."
"Yeah, that you're a twat."
"Malfoy!"
"What?" He glared, finally pulling his wand away from Penny. "What do you want me to do, let her eat my entire fucking wand?" Harry glanced at the baby.
"Stop swearing," he muttered.
"Sorry, it's just... I-I need my wand." Malfoy was less hostile then.
Harry nodded. He understood that. If he loses sight of his wand he freaks out too. Of course he understood.
   There was a sudden thud from the other room before Chloe, the other baby, started crying. Did she fall? It took Malfoy a moment to move.
"They're bloody twins? Oh- shit! Potter!"
   Harry entered the babies' room holding Penelope- who, upon seeing her sister cry, began crying herself.
"Malfoy, what happened?" Harry shouted in order to be heard over the screaming babies.
   Chloe had indeed fallen off her bed. And her head was bleeding.