Life From the Start

Chapter 8: No! No! No!

Harry was bored.

Harry was very bored.

Every once in awhile, the old woman in the front of the room would move this stick around and then pointed it at the cup next to her. Harry clapped his hands—Draco had told him to be quiet, but Draco never said he couldn’t clap—-when the cup turned into a something that Harry had no clue on what it was. But it wasn’t a cup anymore, Harry knew that much. His Draco was busy pointing a stick at his cup as well. In his three year old wisdom, Harry wondered what was so important about pointing a skinny stick at a pretty cup.

The Slytherin was paying close attention to McGonagall’s demonstration; they were transfiguring a water goblet into something that was totally unrelated to it. For example—-a water goblet into a teddy bear. Draco had thought about doing just that; he could always give the teddy to Harry to cuddle with. Malfoy was pretty sure the toddler would like it. All his musings were disrupted, however, when Draco heard Harry clapping. He looked away from his goblet and down at Harry, who was still clapping and giggling at the same time.

“Harry, why are you clapping?”

Harry stopped at the moment Draco’s voice reached his ears. He turned to face his guardian and beamed. The brunet then pointed to the front of the class.

“She makes cuppy nots a cuppy,” Harry chirped; the rest of the class were too busy trying to transfigure their goblet to take notice of the burbling toddler.

Draco chuckled and tapped the tip of his wand on his chin, “You see, I’m trying to make my… cup not a cup as well.”

“Weally? Wat you gonna do?” Harry asked, his eyes wide with anticipation.

“Well… I was thinking of making it into a teddy bear for you.” Draco smiled when Harry started bouncing in his seat; a huge smile was plastered on his cherub face. The blond laid a hand on top of Harry’s lap to stop the bouncing child. “Think of it as a Christmas present.”

“Ooo… I gets Cwissy pwesent?”

It was the start of December; winter had arrived with full force. On this particular morning, Draco had dressed Harry in a dark green wool sweater and black pants; his small head was covered with a knitted beanie. Around Harry’s neck was a dark ruby red scarf; it seemed Dumbledore made sure there were both Slytherin and Gryffindor colored clothing for Harry. When they were in Potions, the dungeon was extremely cold. Draco didn’t even bother to take off the scarf then, but now, in McGonagall’s class, it was warm and almost stuffy. The toddler had complained once they stepped inside the room. So now, Harry was stripped of the scarf and the hat.

Draco caressed Harry’s warm cheeks before replying, “Of course you get presents; why wouldn’t you?”

Harry shrugged, “Is today Cwismas?” Draco chuckled and patted Harry’s cheek softly; the brunet scrunched up his face and giggled.

“No, we still have a few more weeks,” Draco told the toddler; he looked to the left side of the room where the grandfather clock was standing. He only had ten more minutes before class was over. “You want to watch me make the cup into a teddy bear?”

Harry nodded enthusiastically; Draco smiled lightly and glanced around to see where McGonagall was. When he saw the professor in the front of the class, bent over a student’s transfiguration result, Draco picked Harry up and set the child on his lap. He wrapped his arm around Harry’s tummy to prevent the toddler from sliding off his thighs.

“Are you watching?” Draco asked; Harry nodded and gripped the edge of the table to move closer.

“Yup! Come on Dway, make da cuppy to a teddy bwere!”

“Alright, alright!” Draco laughed at Harry’s impatience. He pulled the squirming toddler closer—Harry was already sliding off his lap—and pointed his wand at the glass goblet.

Harry tilted his head to the side when he heard Draco mutter something that wasn’t English. Harry didn’t really care about that and instead, watched as Draco tapped the stick on the cup two times, made a swirling motion, and with a flick the cup was gone in a puff of smoke. Harry flinched and turned his head into Draco’s robes. When he felt fingers tickling his tummy, Harry couldn’t stop his giggles and looked out again.

“Look love, do you like the teddy?”

Draco inspected his result at the same time Harry was squealing over and hugging his new toy. The blond thought he had overdone it but seeing Harry’s reaction, it was worth it. The soft, brown, fluffy teddy bear was almost as big as Harry. When Harry started planting kisses on the bear, Draco could tell that Harry wouldn’t be letting go of the teddy any time soon. Now, some of the Ravenclaws that were in class with Slytherins were murmuring about how cute Harry was; Draco heard most of the girls in the class giggling and going ‘Aww’. When Draco tuned out the noises and turned his attention back at Potter, Harry was squishing the daylights out of the soft bear.

“Do you like it?” Draco asked the happy toddler; Harry looked away from his bear for a second and nodded.

“I wuv da bwere! Dank you Dway!” Harry beamed and went back to snuggling.

For the rest of the day, students of Hogwarts caught glimpses of Draco Malfoy walking down hallways, holding a smiling Harry by the hand while the child was trying his hardest to embrace an enormous bear close to his body.

HPDMHPDM

“Dway… where will Eddy stay?” Harry pouted; Draco chuckled at the name Harry gave the bear.

It was just after Draco’s last class, Ancient Runes, and they had about three hours before dinner time. Earlier, Draco had decided since Harry was now three and no longer a baby, it was safe for him to go out in public. Students and teachers alike had already seen the de-aged Harry, so why not go out to the Great Hall and eat?

Anyways, back to the matter at hand.

Both Draco and Harry were now in the living room of their private quarters with Malfoy sitting on a couch and Harry standing in front of the teen, still hugging the giant teddy bear in front. The bear, appropriately named ‘Eddy’—-Draco had asked why and Harry told him Eddy sounded like teddy—was now a bit dirty on the fur. At one point, Harry had to drag the bear around because his arms were tired from holding it.

Draco looked at the pouting child and sighed; he took out his wand and waved it on top of the bear. The soft fur was rid of dirt and dust immediately. As he tucked his wand back into his robe, Harry shuffled closer to Draco and looked at him with watery eyes. Draco took Harry’s arm and gently pulled the toddler closer to him. Draco plucked the teddy bear from Harry and set it next to him on the couch and then he heaved Harry and settled the toddler onto his lap. Harry instinctively snuggled into Draco’s warm body once he was comfortable. Malfoy smiled warmly and laid his chin on top of Harry’s head; the green eyed toddler began playing with the buttons on Draco’s robe.

“You can put Eddy wherever you want, Harry,” Draco said, “Just don’t leave it in the bathtub… I’m sure Eddy doesn’t appreciate you wetting it.”

Harry giggled and nuzzled Draco’s robe, “Silly Dway… I no wanna put Eddy in da tub. Can I have ‘im wit me in da bed?” Harry peeled away from Draco’s school robe and looked up into Draco’s eyes. “I can thinks it’s you I’m hugging when I sleeps.”

Draco stiffened at Harry’s innocent confession. Sure, he knew that little kids loved to cuddle things when they sleep, but Draco was shocked to the core to hear Harry tell him that he wanted to hold him while sleeping. When he looked down to search those wide green eyes, Draco could only see love shining within. Who was he to deny Harry? After all, all Harry wanted was to feel safe and loved, and the person he wanted it from was Draco.

Malfoy’s lips curved softly upward and he kissed Harry right on his forehead.

“Of course you can put Eddy in the bed,” Draco chuckled, “And what happens when you pretend Eddy is me?”

“Welps…” Harry began; he started plucking at his black pants, “I sleeps betta and den I can kiss-kiss Eddy. Aftew kiss-kiss I says night to Eddy and then I sleeps betta.”

Draco laughed at Harry’s explanation; it didn’t really tell him why Harry would like to pretend Eddy was him but it gave him a vague idea.

“Would you do all that if you were hugging me instead?” Draco asked, his eyes were dancing with amusement.

“Yups! Dway kiss Hawwy night-night,” Harry smiled, “Den you an’ me sleeps betta!”

Adoration filled Draco and for the next hour, the blond listened to Harry babble about everything and anything his three-year-old mind came up with—-all the while holding the toddler as if Harry was his teddy bear. If anything, Draco found Harry’s babblings quite enjoyable, even if he didn’t understand half the things Harry said.

“… Dway, wat’s a Hufflepuffle?”

Draco laughed and explained exactly what a ‘Hufflepuffle’ was.

HPDMHPDM

“HARRY! You come out from the bathroom right now!” Draco yelled; he was twisting the doorknob and yelling at the same time.

“NO!”

“I don’t care that you don’t like the yellow sweater, Harry. If you don’t come out right now, you are going to the Great Hall naked!” Draco threatened. From inside the bathroom he heard Harry sobbing and stomping feet.

"No no no! I don't wanna!" Harry screamed, "I don't Dway! I don't!"

It was thirty minutes before the start of dinner and Draco had just finished giving Harry a bath. He thought everything would go smoothly until he held up the yellow sweater for the toddler. Once Harry’s eyes landed on the bright colored clothing, he shrieked out his protests and started running around the quarters. Draco groaned and had gone after the toddler, but since Harry was small he easily avoided Draco and hid under tables and ran around corners. The chase ended when Harry ran back into their bedroom, went inside the bathroom, and managed to lock the door.

‘Tantrums. I hate tantrums.’ Draco thought.

He sighed and took a deep breath to calm himself down.

“Harry open the door, you’re going to get sick.” Draco said softly; he heard a faint sniff coming from Harry.

“No… You gonna makes me wear da sweata.” Harry hiccupped, “I no likes da sweata!”

‘He is so going to catch a cold…’

“Harry, I promise I’m not going to make you wear the yellow sweater if you come out.” Draco almost begged. “Be a good boy and unlock the door.”

A rather loud sniff came from Harry and Draco winced. For sure the toddler was going to end up with a cold. All Draco managed to put on Harry—-before the chase-—was a pair of underwear. When he heard a soft click, Draco sighed and opened the door; Harry was huddling by the bathtub, shivering. The blond frowned at the toddler and kneeled down in front of him.

“Look at you, you’re shivering.” Draco chastised; Harry whimpered and went to Draco when the blond had his arms open wide. “All that running around without your clothes is going to make you sick; I asked you to stop but you didn’t listen.” Draco lifted the toddler and together, they went back outside.

Harry sniffed again and rubbed his nose with the back of his hand. “I sowwy Dway… buh I no wants to wear da sweata…”

“You could have told me you didn’t want to wear it. I would let you pick out whatever you wanted to wear instead.” Draco said; he set Harry on his bed, right next to the clothes he had picked out for Harry. “Now, you don’t want the yellow sweater right?”

“Uh huh…” Harry nodded and knuckled his red, puffy eyes. “Can I weally pick wat I wants?”

“Of course,” Draco smiled; Harry brightened up and clambered off the bed. He padded over to the bureau and started pulling out drawers.

When Harry finally found the one that held the sweaters, his green eyes scanned them carefully. There were greens, reds, blacks, orange, blues, and purple. Harry made a face when he saw the purple ones and took one of the orange sweaters. Draco was standing beside the toddler, watching Harry scrutinizing the sweaters. When the three year old boy took out the orange sweater, Draco snorted.

Orange wasn’t all that better than the yellow in his opinion.

“Have you decided?” Draco asked; Harry had unfolded the pullover and was looking at it with narrowed eyes.

After looking at the pullover right and left, Harry decided it was alright. The front of the sweater had a picture of a huge black bat; it was flapping its wings every few seconds. Harry nodded to himself and turned to the blond, holding the orange pullover out for Draco to take.

“I picks this one… buh wat’s da bwack ding?”

“Oh, that’s a bat. I guess this was a Halloween sweater,” Draco shrugged, “So you’re sure you want to wear this one?”

“Yups, I wants dat one.”

"You're sure?"

"Yessss Dway." Harry actually rolled his eyes.

Draco took the sweater from Harry’s small hand and kneeled in front of the child. He slipped the collar around Harry’s head and pulled it down; Harry closed his eyes as the wooly cloth passed over his face.

“Hold your arms up,” Draco told Harry; the toddler held up his arms and let Draco slip his arms through the sleeves.

When Draco successfully donned the sweater on Harry, he led the toddler back to his bed and took the pair of corduroy pants he picked out earlier for the brunet. Harry dutifully lifted one leg, slipped it into the pant leg, and then lifted the other leg. Draco let Harry button and zip up his own pants. He chuckled when Harry stuck out the tip of his tongue, his eyes cast downward, and those tiny fingers fumbling with the button.

“We should go now,” Draco said with a smile once Harry had buttoned his pants, “If not, we’ll be late for dinner.”

Harry gasped and took Draco’s hand, half dragging the taller teen out of the bedroom.

“I’m hungwy! Needs to eat! You too Dway!”

Draco rolled his eyes, a small smile gracing his face, and just let the toddler pull him out of their quarters.

HPDMHPDM

It took them ten minutes to get to the Great Hall since Harry was pulling Draco in all the wrong directions. The blond had let Harry drag him around but after minutes of senseless wandering, he picked Harry up and gave the child a piggy back ride to the Hall. Draco set Harry down once they were inside where all the students were already eating.

As he and Harry neared the Slytherin table, eyes were mostly on the toddler. Some of the Slytherins were sneering and some started whispering, while a few others just continued eating. Harry let out a small whimper and hid behind Draco’s legs, one hand gripping Draco’s tightly and the other was wrapped around Draco’s left knee.

Draco patted Harry’s head soothingly, causing the toddler to look up at him.

“It’s okay Harry, don’t pay them any attention. Come on, we’ll sit farther away from them.”

Harry nodded silently and Draco led the toddler to the end of the table. Malfoy picked up the small child and set Harry onto the bench and then he sat down next to Harry. When seeing that the top of Harry’s head barely made it over the table top, Draco chuckled and placed Harry on his lap instead.

The plate in front of Draco was instantly filled with food. Mashed potatoes, two pieces of grilled chicken breast with a side of steamed vegetables covered the plate. Draco was wondering if he was going to have to cut up the chicken for Harry when Harry’s plate was filled with the same foods, but the chicken breasts were diced into small squares. Harry was eyeing his plate and when Draco placed it in front of him, Harry reached out and stuffed two cubes into his mouth.

“Do you want pumpkin juice, Harry?” Draco asked; he was spearing carrots with his fork.

Harry nodded and took a piece of lettuce; his cheeks were puffed out and some gravy from the mashed potatoes was on his chin.

“Yesh Dway… I wants some.”

Draco held Harry tighter while taking the pitcher of juice and poured some into his goblet. He held the cup by Harry’s lips as Harry bent his head to take a drink. Harry gulped down three mouthfuls before turning his head away and continued shoving chicken into his mouth.

“You better slow down or you’re going to get a stomachache for eating too fast.” Draco warned; Harry swallowed and sighed.

“I not get tummyache,” Harry giggled and went back to eating.

Draco scoffed and ate his own dinner. He twisted his head and found Granger watching him. Smiling softly, she nodded at him; the redhead was sitting next to her, shoveling forkful of potatoes into his mouth. Weasley never saw Hermione interacting with Malfoy. Draco returned her greeting with a curt nod of his own and turned away.

As he was eating his dessert—chocolate cake—Harry let out a content sigh and patted his rounded tummy.

“I full Dway… too much foods.” Harry said dreamily.

“I would say so, look at your stomach.” Draco chided; he tickled Harry and the toddler let out a small squeal. “We are going to walk back, no piggy back ride for you.”

Harry groaned and just sat like a sack of potatoes on Draco’s lap for the rest of dinnertime.

HPDMHPDM

“I wuvs the cakey! It’s yummy…” Harry said.

Harry was lying in his cot with Draco looking down upon him. The blond had just finished dressing Harry for bed and tucked the toddler in. Harry snuggled deeper under the blanket and smiled up at Draco.

“Cans we eat dere more?” Harry asked, “I likes it.”

“Of course, but you have promise me that you’re not going to be a messy eater next time.” Draco reached down and flicked Harry’s nose. “You dropped a whole spoon of mashed potatoes on my pants earlier.”

Harry giggled and batted at Draco’s hand, “I sowwy Dway. I pwomise I no do it ness time.”

Draco chuckled softly, “Go to sleep Harry, it’s getting late.”

Harry let out a yawn and his eyes flitted and closed. “Night-night Dway…” Harry mumbled; he rolled to his side and buried his face into Eddy’s fur.

Draco smoothed Harry’s hair back and leaned down to kiss Harry on his chubby cheek.

“Goodnight Harry.”

HPDMHPDM

A/N: I wish I had a teddy as big as Eddy :( Anyways, thanks for reading! :D