And Baby Makes Three - The Little Monster
“Draco,” Ginny said loudly as she nudged his back with her knee. “Wake up!”
He groaned as he turned over on his back. “What,” he asked, a little irritated at being woken up at some ungodly hour.
“You’ve got to take Liam,” her voice trembled as she spoke.
He immediately came awake at the mention of the baby. “Why? What’s wrong?” He sat up to look more closely at his wife silhouetted in the low firelight.
“He won’t go to sleep,” she almost whispered. He could tell she was on the verge of tears. “And I’m so tired.”
“Shh, it’s alright.” He pulled her down to sit in his lap so he could wrap his arms around her. He looked at his son and sure enough, he was wide awake. “Why don’t you just put him in his crib and come to bed?”
Ginny stifled a frustrated sob. “I tried! He just cries when I put him down. His tummy is full and he’s got a clean nappy. I even tried the warm lavender bath like Mum suggested. Nothing! He won’t go to sleep.”
He lightly rubbed her back. “It’s okay, beautiful, I’ll see what I can do.” He pressed a kiss against her temple. “You get some sleep.”
She nodded as she stood up, waiting for him to don his robe and slippers before she handed Liam to him. He leant over to kiss her forehead. She gave him a grateful look as she dropped her robe to the floor and crawled into his recently vacated warm spot.
“Okay, young man, let’s see about putting you to bed,” he said softly. Liam had begun sleeping through the night so they thought he could sleep in his own room now, besides Draco was more than ready for some alone time with Ginny.
He entered the softly lit nursery that was directly across the hall from their rooms. “You know, I would have killed for a room like this when I was a little boy,” he told his son. “You’re going to love it in here.”
The nursery was painted to resemble the Quidditch pitch at Hogwarts complete with stands for each house. Liam’s crib stood between the Slytherin and Gryffindor stands along the far wall and was outfitted with Quidditch themed bed clothes and a Golden Snitch mobile. The ceiling had been charmed to resemble the sky – during the day it was a brilliant blue with puffy white clouds while darkening at night to just twinkling stars.
Draco walked over to the crib as he rocked and muttered nonsense to Liam in hopes he’d be ready for bed.
“Daddy loves his little monster,” he whispered before kissing his son’s forehead. “Now it’s time to go to sleep like a good little boy.”
As soon as he put Liam down, he went to squirming and fussing. Draco tried rubbing his tummy, but the fussing quickly turned into cries. He picked the baby up, soothing him until his cries subsided.
“Liam,” he sighed heavily. “I love you, I do, but you’ve got to go to sleep.”
He looked down at his son cradled in his arms, little gray eyes staring back at him.
“Your Grandmum told your Mum that you needed to sleep in your own room ages ago, but did she listen? No! I mean really, what does your Grandmum know about babies, huh? She’s only had seven of them! I blame myself for this; I should have put my foot down, but I can’t seem to say no to your mother. I’m pretty sure that is how we ended up with you, me not being able to say no.”
Draco paced back and forth across the room, rocking and bouncing Liam and rambling about anything that came to mind.
“Let me tell you a few things about your Mum you really ought to know,” he continued on softly after a while. “She’s the most beautiful witch I’ve ever seen. She’s funny and brilliant and loving and caring. I love her more than anything, but she’s unfortunately cursed with the Weasley temper - I warn you now, son, it’s not a pretty thing. You do not, I repeat, do not want to be on the receiving end of it. You’d be wise to avoid it if all possible. Now, pay attention because this is important. If her cheeks turn red, stop whatever you are doing that is irritating her, you still have time to smooth things over, but once her ears have gone red, I suggest you hide until she calms down.”
Liam started nuzzling his face against his father’s chest after a while, a sure sign he was starting to tire and was fighting it. Draco was getting tired himself, having settled in the rocking chair sometime ago, allowing the baby to snuggle against him as he rubbed his back lightly. They fell into a comfortable silence, the slow back and forth motion of the chair lulling them almost to the edge of sleep.
A small, frustrated grunt woke Draco from his light doze as the baby fought a losing battle against the sleep trying to steal over him. He brushed a light kiss atop his son’s head and resumed drawing slow, lazy patterns on Liam’s back with his fingertips.
“I love you so much,” he whispered, his lips barely brushing the peach fuzz that covered Liam’s head. “Even if you don’t listen to me when I tell you to grow some hair.” He chuckled quietly. “ I told your Mum right after you were born that if you got to be a nuisance you’d have to go, I was joking of course, because there is no way I could send you away. I want to make you a promise right now – I promise to be the best father I know how to be. I don’t have much experience so you’ll have to forgive me if I don’t always get it right.”
He continued to rock back and forth savoring the quiet time with Liam who had finally succumb to slumber while holding a fist full of his robe. “Sweet dreams, little monster,” Draco mumbled before falling asleep himself, his cheek resting lightly against his son’s head.
“Draco,” Ginny said loudly as she nudged his back with her knee. “Wake up!”
He groaned as he turned over on his back. “What,” he asked, a little irritated at being woken up at some ungodly hour.
“You’ve got to take Liam,” her voice trembled as she spoke.
He immediately came awake at the mention of the baby. “Why? What’s wrong?” He sat up to look more closely at his wife silhouetted in the low firelight.
“He won’t go to sleep,” she almost whispered. He could tell she was on the verge of tears. “And I’m so tired.”
“Shh, it’s alright.” He pulled her down to sit in his lap so he could wrap his arms around her. He looked at his son and sure enough, he was wide awake. “Why don’t you just put him in his crib and come to bed?”
Ginny stifled a frustrated sob. “I tried! He just cries when I put him down. His tummy is full and he’s got a clean nappy. I even tried the warm lavender bath like Mum suggested. Nothing! He won’t go to sleep.”
He lightly rubbed her back. “It’s okay, beautiful, I’ll see what I can do.” He pressed a kiss against her temple. “You get some sleep.”
She nodded as she stood up, waiting for him to don his robe and slippers before she handed Liam to him. He leant over to kiss her forehead. She gave him a grateful look as she dropped her robe to the floor and crawled into his recently vacated warm spot.
“Okay, young man, let’s see about putting you to bed,” he said softly. Liam had begun sleeping through the night so they thought he could sleep in his own room now, besides Draco was more than ready for some alone time with Ginny.
He entered the softly lit nursery that was directly across the hall from their rooms. “You know, I would have killed for a room like this when I was a little boy,” he told his son. “You’re going to love it in here.”
The nursery was painted to resemble the Quidditch pitch at Hogwarts complete with stands for each house. Liam’s crib stood between the Slytherin and Gryffindor stands along the far wall and was outfitted with Quidditch themed bed clothes and a Golden Snitch mobile. The ceiling had been charmed to resemble the sky – during the day it was a brilliant blue with puffy white clouds while darkening at night to just twinkling stars.
Draco walked over to the crib as he rocked and muttered nonsense to Liam in hopes he’d be ready for bed.
“Daddy loves his little monster,” he whispered before kissing his son’s forehead. “Now it’s time to go to sleep like a good little boy.”
As soon as he put Liam down, he went to squirming and fussing. Draco tried rubbing his tummy, but the fussing quickly turned into cries. He picked the baby up, soothing him until his cries subsided.
“Liam,” he sighed heavily. “I love you, I do, but you’ve got to go to sleep.”
He looked down at his son cradled in his arms, little gray eyes staring back at him.
“Your Grandmum told your Mum that you needed to sleep in your own room ages ago, but did she listen? No! I mean really, what does your Grandmum know about babies, huh? She’s only had seven of them! I blame myself for this; I should have put my foot down, but I can’t seem to say no to your mother. I’m pretty sure that is how we ended up with you, me not being able to say no.”
Draco paced back and forth across the room, rocking and bouncing Liam and rambling about anything that came to mind.
“Let me tell you a few things about your Mum you really ought to know,” he continued on softly after a while. “She’s the most beautiful witch I’ve ever seen. She’s funny and brilliant and loving and caring. I love her more than anything, but she’s unfortunately cursed with the Weasley temper - I warn you now, son, it’s not a pretty thing. You do not, I repeat, do not want to be on the receiving end of it. You’d be wise to avoid it if all possible. Now, pay attention because this is important. If her cheeks turn red, stop whatever you are doing that is irritating her, you still have time to smooth things over, but once her ears have gone red, I suggest you hide until she calms down.”
Liam started nuzzling his face against his father’s chest after a while, a sure sign he was starting to tire and was fighting it. Draco was getting tired himself, having settled in the rocking chair sometime ago, allowing the baby to snuggle against him as he rubbed his back lightly. They fell into a comfortable silence, the slow back and forth motion of the chair lulling them almost to the edge of sleep.
A small, frustrated grunt woke Draco from his light doze as the baby fought a losing battle against the sleep trying to steal over him. He brushed a light kiss atop his son’s head and resumed drawing slow, lazy patterns on Liam’s back with his fingertips.
“I love you so much,” he whispered, his lips barely brushing the peach fuzz that covered Liam’s head. “Even if you don’t listen to me when I tell you to grow some hair.” He chuckled quietly. “ I told your Mum right after you were born that if you got to be a nuisance you’d have to go, I was joking of course, because there is no way I could send you away. I want to make you a promise right now – I promise to be the best father I know how to be. I don’t have much experience so you’ll have to forgive me if I don’t always get it right.”
He continued to rock back and forth savoring the quiet time with Liam who had finally succumb to slumber while holding a fist full of his robe. “Sweet dreams, little monster,” Draco mumbled before falling asleep himself, his cheek resting lightly against his son’s head.
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