Too Young

That first day with Livvie went well. There was so much new stuff and so many new people to distract her with. It wasn’t until bedtime the second night that things started going wrong. Harry had put his daughter to bed many times over the summers, but he always had the backup of Sarah or her parents out in the living room.

Now Livvie was hurting, and she was scared and missed her Mama. As verbal as she was for her age, she wasn’t able to express this. Thus here they were now fighting to get her into the tub.

“Livvie, you don’t want people to think your dirty do you? You have to take the bath.” Harry told his daughter.

“No!” She answered him back. He didn’t understand, she never behaved this way. “Mama gives me my bath.”

“Honey Mama can’t do that now; you have to let Daddy give you your bath.”

“NO!” She screamed and crawled under her bed. That’s how Remus Lupin found them. Olivia was under the bed and Harry was begging her to come out.

“Harry? Is everything alright?” Lupin asked. He was trying very hard not to laugh. He imagined this would have been funny if it was under ordinary circumstances.

Harry sat back in a huff. “It’s fine. Livvie refuses to take her bath unless Mama gives it to her.” He complained. He knew she missed her mother, but he had lost his mother too and he got over it. He didn’t even have anyone sympathetic around him when it happened. He knew she would be sad but they had to work together.

“Harry, she’s two. She doesn’t understand what has happened. You just have to do the best you can.” Remus looked back and forth between Harry and the bed.

“I’ve got an idea. I’ll be right back. Keep trying to get her out.”

Harry got frustrated not knowing how to convince her to come out from under the bed. He didn’t even care about the bath anymore. Really she couldn’t be too dirty right? I mean she was only here in the flat with me. We did take that walk after lunch but she didn’t get dirty.

He tried to rationalize all the reasons he didn’t really need to give his daughter a bath tonight. It just wasn’t worth the effort.

“How about if I get in the tub with you?” He asked her. He had never bathed with his daughter before but he was tired, and he just wanted to get her bathed and tucked in to bed so that he could collapse himself.

Harry heard a sniffle from under the bed and a scraping noise. He hoped that meant she was coming out. It was a few minutes before he could see her eyes glowing at the edge of the bed. It was all he could do to keep himself from reaching under and yanking her out. It’s what his Uncle would have done. Heck, his Uncle would have moved the bed and made him sleep on the floor.

“Won’t that be fun Princess? We can have bubbles and take a bath together?” He hoped this was working because he was very close to letting her sleep in the dust under her bed.

“No answer huh? Okay, I’m going to go get into the tub. If someone wants to join me, they are welcome.” He stood up and turned his back on the bed where he knew two green eyes were watching him.

“Daaaadddyyy” She whined.

“Yes Princess?” Harry answered her.

“O.K.” She said simply and rolled out from under the bed. There was dust in her hair and smudges on her nose. Harry bent down and swept her up in his arms and carried her into the bathroom. He let her pick out the bubbles (pink) and the scent (lilac). He was going to smell like a flower tomorrow and he would only ever do that for her.

Once the tub was filled Harry stripped them both and climbed into the tub. It was deeper than the one they had at Sarah’s house. They both fit comfortably with plenty of room. There was more splashing then cleaning and Harry was just rinsing her long blonde hair when he heard Remus call from the other room.

“In here Remus, I finally got her out.” To say that Remus was amused when he walked in to see Harry Potter sitting in a tub full of pink, lilac scented bubbles with a blonde two year old rubbing her soapy hands through his raven locks would be like saying the Hindenburg had a minor accident.

To make the situation worse, Remus, talented as he was conjured a wizard camera and snapped a photo. “I’ll just put that aside for now, when Olivia comes to me complaining about how you treat her boyfriends when she is sixteen I’ll have to break that out for blackmail.”

“Ha ha, very funny. Could I have a copy of that? Sarah always kept an album for Livvie and I would like to keep that up.” Harry said, with a bittersweet smile on his face.

***

Taking care of Livvie became more difficult as time went on. The child seemed to be realizing that Mama wasn’t going to come back. It was hard on a child of her age and she began to cling to her father.

Everything in Livvie’s life became ‘Daddy this’ and ‘Daddy that’. Harry found it hard to get a moment of peace. ‘Is this what it was like for Sarah?’ He thought. ‘I can’t imagine when I have to start back at lessons.’

Hermione had been bringing his homework by and he tried to do what he could after he put his little girl down for the night, or during nap time. He was falling further and further behind and he didn’t know what he was going to do. It was okay in some classes, like Care of Magical Creatures and Divination, however others, like Potions, Charms and Transfiguration it wasn’t.

Harry was in the library, Livvie sleeping on his hip while he searched the stacks for the book he needed for his potions essay on the Amplification Potion. He had most of what he needed; however there was a particular book on Potions ingredients that he needed to read about the qualities of Arrowroot Bark.

Harry was still skimming the titles of the books and was in the midst of deciding that the book was already checked out, when he felt a tap on his right shoulder.

“She looks cozy.” Draco said, pointing at the sleeping toddler.

“It’s her nap time. It’s the only time I have to work on my essays. The only problem now is I can’t find the book I need.” Harry whispered. He was hoping not to wake the sleeping girl.

“What book are you looking for?” Draco asked his new friend. He knew that Snape was giving Harry extra work because he wasn’t attending the classes. Snape could be a right git sometimes.

“South American Trees and Plants”. Harry answered. He was still skimming over the books and didn’t see himself backing into Draco. It wasn’t until he felt a warm chest pressed against his back that he realized what he had done. “Oh, sorry Coco.” He muttered.

Draco certainly did not mind being this close to the boy. He had thought Harry was gorgeous for years. “S’okay.” He managed to get out without squeaking. He was, however, trying to think very hard about McGonagall in a bikini.

Harry stood there for a moment longer, taking in the warmth and support he was getting from his friend. Then he stepped forward and turned around. “It’s not here. I’m going to have to ask Pince who checked it out.”

“No need Harry. I’ve got a copy of it. I’ll drop it by after supper tonight if that’s okay with you?” Harry sighed with relief. He really needed this book to do justice to the paper. He knew he was losing points in Snape’s class for every potion he didn’t make, so his essay had to be done well.

“That’s great Coco, I really appreciate it. The password is ‘Princess Potter’.” That said, he nodded to Draco, gave him a shy smile and walked out of the library. The whole way back to his room Olivia slept and she never stirred when he tucked her into bed to take her proper nap. She was starting to fall into a routine. Unfortunately, that routine included never letting her father out of her sight. As soon as she woke up she would cry for him. She was so afraid he was going to go be with Mama and leave her here all alone.

The last few mornings Harry had woken to find her cuddled up next to him in his bed. He wasn’t sure how she had climbed up onto the bed; it was something that she couldn’t do when she was awake.

Harry sat down to start his transfiguration homework. Professor McGonagall had included a teapot for him to attempt his transfigurations. She had stated she would give him full credit when he returned to class if he could do the spells properly. She had also told him that she would be available at times to help him if he needed it. Fortunately, Transfiguration was something that came easily to Harry. He guessed that was another way he was like his father.

Harry had been doing diapers and bottles and baths for two years now. It wasn’t difficult to do. What it was, to be precise, was tiring and draining. He felt like he was losing his ability to speak to people over the age of three. He almost asked Hermione to keep an eye on Livvie while he went ‘potty’ the other day. He also asked Ron if he could pass the ‘sketty’ instead of spaghetti the other day.

If Draco dropped this book by after supper as he had promised then he would be able to complete the week’s assignments. He wanted to have the whole weekend to rest and relax. That was what he wanted. If there was one thing that he had learned having her with him, it was to work while things were quiet; because it wasn’t going to stay that way for long. Tomorrow he was given permission to go to Hogsmeade with Livvie and he was so looking forward to it.

It was getting close to supper time and he was listening to hear his baby girl wake up from her nap. As much as his life had changed since she came into it, he wouldn’t change it for the world. Having a family was the most important thing in his life and he intended to make sure she always knew she was wanted and loved.

***

Supper had been tiring. Livvie wore more food on her dress than she had gotten into her mouth. She didn’t want to eat her veggies, but she did want chocolate cake for desert. It was an uphill battle all the way; made all the harder because of the amount of choices that were on the table. He might have to start taking meals in his rooms if this was going to happen on a regular basis.

Squash. Why did he ever think that was a good idea? It looked just like mashed potatoes so he thought it would be great. Well, it turns out that squash does not look good in blonde hair. He was going to have to get her into the tub. He stripped her down and started running the water. Pink bubbles as per usual.

After he got the squash out of their hair and their bodies scrubbed they played for a while. They were splashing and playing with the bubbles when Harry heard someone laugh in the doorway.

There was Draco holding the book he had promised, laughing at the sight of the two in the tub. Things only got worse when Olivia saw her Coco and said, “We’re taking a baff, you wanna take one too?”

Draco felt himself flush and he tried not to stutter as he told her that he had already had his bath. Then Harry said that they would be out in a minute. Draco went to wait in the living room. He was still hot and bothered. Harry might have started with a bubble bath, but after all the splashing he and his little girl were doing it was easy to see that whoever Harry ended up with would be very lucky indeed.

Harry quickly grabbed towels for both himself and Olivia. He wrapped her in one and set her on the floor before wrapping his own around his waist. While he was busy tying a knot in the towel Olivia scrambled out of the bathroom straight into Coco’s lap.

Harry stood at the bathroom door watching to see if he needed to rescue Draco. To his surprise Draco handled it like a seasoned professional.

“Aren’t you cold Livvie? Let’s go in your room and get some warm pajamas on you. Then we can comb your hair.” He scooped her up and headed toward her bedroom eager to get her into some clothes, so that they could play. He didn’t see Harry follow them to the door where he stood still wrapped in the towel watching them.

He picked out a wonderful sunshine yellow nightgown with blue cornflowers on it. He grabbed the brush from the dish on the dresser and sat down on the bed to start on her beautiful hair.

That’s when he saw Harry, towel and all. He tried to suppress any reaction to his gorgeous form but it wasn’t working. Harry Potter in all his glory was a sight to behold. He was stunned speechless until Livvie turned around in his lap and poked him. Without saying a word, he started brushing her hair. Harry turned and went to get dressed not mentioning the look he had seen on Draco’s face.

¬¬***

As Harry spelled out the candles in his bedroom he thought about the night he had just spent with Draco. It had been great to be able to spend some time with someone his own age. It had been a while since he had been in a room that didn’t contain a two year old and he had forgotten what it was like.

He still saw Ron and Hermione at meals mostly; however, it was rare that they stopped by. Hermione had her studying, and Ron had his Quidditch. They stopped by the flat a few times but Livvie was always wide awake then.

Draco had brushed out Livvie’s hair and then tucked her in, reading her a bedtime story. Harry had sat at the desk in the common room going over the text Draco had bought him and listening to the story as well. When the blond had finished Harry peeked around the corner and saw Coco carefully move his daughter under the covers and kiss her forehead. It was strange how she had forgotten that her father was there once Draco showed up. Of course she was getting her dose of Malfoy from him and that was important in her life. She was half Malfoy after all.

After he finished tucking sleeping beauty in Draco had made his way out into the living room and helped Harry with his project. It would be interesting to see what kind of grade he got on it considering the fact that it was up to his own standards. It was work he would have been proud to turn in and he was sure that the Gryffindor would get no higher than an A on it. Perhaps he could get an E if Snape was in a good mood, but chances were better that he would get his usual P for Poor.

After the paper was finished Harry had felt like he wanted to celebrate. It was nine o’clock on a Friday night and he was in the mood for a butterbeer. He offered one to Draco and asked if the blond wanted to stay and play cards for a while.

They drank a few butterbeers and played Exploding Snap for a few hours until both were yawning. It had been a long day for the raven-haired youth and he would have to be up early with his Princess. Draco too was feeling pretty tired. It had been a long time since his room mates had let him sleep through the night. They enjoyed making the traitor pay.

“Harry, do you mind if I sleep on your sofa?” Draco asked. It was a long walk to Slytherin and he would only wake up to some prank, so he would rather just sleep where he knew the worst outcome would be waking up to a screaming toddler.

“Sure, go ahead. My sofa is your sofa.” Harry told him. He got a pillow and some blankets and left Malfoy to sleep in the living room while he went to sleep in his bed. As usual all doors were open so that he could hear if his daughter had a nightmare.


*AN Thank you again to my beta Keikokin