The Babysitter (Dramione Fanfiction)

The Other Babysitter

Draco did not like it, but he had no choice. "I think Theo can take care of Rose," he declared once Hermione and Rose walked out of his bedroom. He had mulled over this decision for the whole night, mentally made some pros and cons, and concluded that the pros outweighed the cons.

As the child busied herself with her toast, the injured auror frowned at him. "As in Theo Nott?" she asked incredulously.

He quickly went to her aid and helped her sit down on the chair beside Rose. For breakfast, he asked Tippy to fix Hermione two pieces of pancakes with maple syrup and orange juice. Years of living with her in Grimmauld Place and other Order hideouts made him knowledgeable of insignificant things. From the way Hermione looked at him, he knew she was surprised he remembered.

Well, how could he not?

"Yes, Theo Nott," he said, sitting on the chair opposite the small family.

She made a face. "He was... quiet," she replied.

The blond snorted. "Trust me, Granger, he's anything but quiet," he said. They weren't really friends during their Hogwarts years; they were mere acquaintances because of their fathers' affiliations. Turned out Theodore Nott did not want the life of a Death Eater like his father did. If it weren't for Nott, he wouldn't have defected at all. He never really voiced it out loud, but he would always be eternally grateful Theo was the braver one and extended a hand.

"He's a... a bully," she lamely added.

Draco looked at her in amusement. "Yes, well, so am I," he replied, gesturing at himself.

"I trust you, Malfoy," she retorted. "Not Nott. Besides, what if he's a... bad influence to my daughter?"

The blond rolled his eyes. "He's my friend," he reasoned. "He defected, too, and had actually accompanied your precious Potter in some of his missions. He's capable and he can take care of Rose." His last sentence was uttered hesitantly, and Hermione caught it.

"Don't you have other people you can leave her to?" she asked, clearly still not buying Theo's capabilities as a competent babysitter.

"Potter's away with the Lestrange case. Tippy is back in the Manor taking care of some stuff," he recounted. "If you haven't noticed right now, Granger, I am not exactly a very sociable person. I only have Nott as my acquaintance."

"Well, what about your other house elves?" she asked with a glare. "I bet there are tons in Malfoy Manor."

He scowled at her sarcasm. "Trust me, Granger, you don't want any of the Malfoy house elves taking care of your daughter," he interjected. Memories of strange playtime with the creatures during his youth resurfaced in his mind and he involuntarily shivered. "I only trust Tippy to take care of Rose, but as I've said, he is gone and that only leaves Theo. Besides, they get along splendidly, don't you, Rose?"

Upon the mention of her name, Rose looked up at Draco with a wide smile on her face. "Yep," she exclaimed, licking on her maple-drenched fingers. Draco smirked; he highly doubted Rose had even understood a word of what they were talking about.

Hermione was still not convinced, but she finally sighed in defeat. "Fine," she grumbled, her right hand gravitating to her injured abdomen. Grimacing, both in pain and disapproval, she continued, "As if I have any other choice."

"Yes, you don't. Unless you want me to bring her over to St. Mungo's." Upon seeing the look on Hermione's face, the blond sighed. Draco then looked at his magical watch. "He'll be here in an hour," he said. "It is best you hurry up with your breakfast so I can bring you to St. Mungo's already."