The Babysitter (Dramione Fanfiction)

The Silence

"Stop thinking," Draco said with a roll of his eyes. "She's a child and she doesn't want to go. Of course she'll throw a tantrum. You're not doing anything wrong, Granger."

Unwittingly, she gave him a small smile. Lately, Draco had brought great comfort upon her and even her daughter. If people had told her ages before she would find herself in this situation with the blond, she would have marked them mental.

"I must warn you, though," Hermione said as Draco stood up from his chair. "Rose is inconsolable."

He waved her off flippantly, prompting her to raise an eyebrow. She then wordlessly watched as he padded into their bedroom.

Somehow, Hermione couldn't shake off the feeling Draco would be able to successfully drag Rose out of the room.

__________

He spotted a small grieving mound at the center of the vast bed, and Draco sighed.

"Rose," he said. "Stop this. You have to eat lunch."

The mound wriggled a bit, and he distinctively heard a sniff, but Rose was still out of sight.

"I'm not hungry," a tiny voice claimed, followed by a soft rumbling that very much disputed her words.

"Yes you are, you menace," Draco drawled, strolling closer and sitting at the foot of the bed. "Tippy made your favorite dessert, chocolate cake, and you won't be able to eat it if you don't take your lunch."

Silence followed his words, and then, "I don't like chocolate cake."

There was clear hesitation in the tone of her voice, and Draco smirked. Rose was bloody easy to manipulate; Hermione was too much of a Gryffindor to even know how to bribe a child. "Sure you do," he said. "Tippy placed extra frosting on the top because he knows you liked it that way."

He heard another small sniff and patiently waited until her mop of red, bushy hair finally popped out from her blanket. "Did he... did he put frosting flowers, too?" she softly asked.

"Of course," he smoothly said. "They are red in color since it's your favorite."

Draco watched as Rose turned contemplative, conflicting emotions flashing through her face. He noted how red her eyes and nose were, with tear tracks still staining her cheeks. She was clearly devastated she and Hermione would be leaving his home today, and it made his heart feel strange things.

"Okay," she finally said, slowly entangling herself out from her bedsheets. "But I still don't want to go."

"I don't think that's how it works," he said, lifting an eyebrow. "Your mother perfectly told you that you have to go home with her. Your Aunt Figgy can already take care of you and your mother can finally go back and work with your Uncle Harry."

Fresh tears welled up from her eyes again, but thankfully, she didn't throw another huge tantrum. "I don't want to go, Draco," she said, her bottom lip quivering. "I-I like it here. Can't we just stay here, Mama and me?"

Draco sighed and reached out for the six-year-old. Rose immediately buried her face against his abdomen and softly cried, while he rubbed her back to try to console her. "Let me tell you something I have learned ever since I was young," he said. "You can't always get what you want, Rose."

He could already feel her tears soaking through his shirt.

"Your mother is worried so I think it's best if you get out of this room now and eat your lunch," he urged. "Tippy's chocolate cake will go to waste and you know how emotional he could get."