"HERMIE!!!"
"UNCLE TEO!!!!" Hermie ran and jumped into Theo Knotts's waiting arms
"Theo, don't squeeze the kid to death" a heavily pregnant Pansy stated as she rolled her eyes, making her way over to greet Draco with a hug "Hi"
"Hi" Draco smiled before looking at her stomach "So a little Knott, huh? Or is it a little Zambini?"
Pansy slapped Draco "Just because we all live together, doesn't mean we all sleep together, Draco... you and I both know that this child belongs to my husband and I"
Draco tried to hold back his laugh "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Where is the bloke anyway?"
"Percy's at work, Ferret. He works for wizarding immigrations now"
"I still can't believe you actually married a Weasley" Draco teased the now blushing female "Does that mean I can start calling you Weaslette now?"
"Shutup" she mumbled
"AUNTIE PANSY!!!" Hermie called and came running into Pansy's open arms
"Hello, little love. Oh boy, you've gotten so big! How old are you now?" Pansy asked with a smile
"FOUR!!!" Hermie shouted gleefully
"Four years old? Wow... you're getting so old, aren't you?" Pansy teased before she started tickling the little. Hermie squealed and giggled and finally broke free and went running
"UNCLE BAZE! UNCLE BAZE! SAVE ME!!!" Hermie shouted as said man came through the door
"Save you?" Blaze asked with a raised eyebrow
"AUNTIE PANSY GOT THE TICKLE MONSTER!!!"
Blaze put on a fake terrified expression, quickly grabbed up Hermie like a sack of potatoes over his shoulder, and ran back into the house as the child squealed in delight
"Hey Draco... good to see ya" Theo stated as he came over to greet his childhood friend
"Hey Theo... thanks" Draco greeted back as the two clasped hands
Pansy rolled her eyes "Malfoy here was just asking which of you two was my baby's father... you or Blaze"
Theo paled and looked at Draco in disgust "That's not even funny mate"
"It is to me" Draco smirked. Theo glared at the other man with a pout
Trying to hold her own giggle back, Pansy shook her head "Common you two, let's finish this discussion inside"
---
"Right, so... little's gone ahead and is playing with Chat in the mudroom" Blaze stated as he entered the sitting room, before grabbing a butterbeer from the fridge
"Chat?" Draco asked with a raised eyebrow
"Theo and Blazes kneazle" Pansy smirked
"Very creative" Draco drawled
"What? Theo liked it" Blaze stated as he sat down beside said wizard and handed him a butterbeer
"Thanks love" Theo stated as he placed a quick peck on Blaze's cheek
"So Blaze, get this..." Pansy stated with a mischievous smirk "Draco here asked me if my kid's father was either you or Theo"
Blaze glared at his so-called best friend "dude... we're gay. Pans and Perc are just living with us 'til the new little gets here since Perc is so worried about leaving her alone"
"Did you really have to tell both of them Pans?" Draco groaned out
"Hey... you're the one that said it, not me"
"It was just a TEASE, Pans"
"Whatever" Pansy smirked
"DADDY! DADDY! LOOKIE!!!" Hermie came out holding the kneazle... decorated in pink, purple, yellow, and light green bows and hair ties
"O-Oh, um" Draco was shocked "th-that's um... very nice Herms. Where did... where did you get all of those bows?"
"in da baby's room!" Hermie answered, before dropping the cat-like creature (who ran away the moment his feet touched the floor), and rushing to Pansy's big swollen belly, complete awe in the little's eyes
"So you're having a girl?" Draco asked
"Please... Phillipe Weasley is Not a girl, nor will he be dressed as one" Pansy stated as she kept her eyes on the little hands exploring over her belly "Besides, I don't even wear bows myself. In other words, they're not mine..." she side-eyed to the other two men in the room, which didn't go unnoticed by Draco
"Blaze... Theo- oh Merlin, PLEASE Don't tell me if this has to do with some sort of bedroom fetish... the last thing I want to think about is one of you dressed like a schoolgirl and getting disciplined by your teacher"
The two men blushed "THAT'S NOT IT AT ALL!!!" Theo stated loudly
"I think I just puked in my mouth a little" Blaze added
Pansy rolled her eyes... again "Just tell him already. He's gonna find out sooner or later anyway"
Draco looked confused as the two men looked at each other, and, seeming to agree, Blaze summoned a folder into his hand, before handing it to Draco. Curious, he flipped it open to find-
"Her name is Cosette." Theo began with pride "She's seventeen months old, and... was actually abandoned. Apparently, her mother was pretty young when she had her, and her father... well... we don't know... anyway, Blaze and I had decided we wanted to adopt, so we got in contact with a wizarding adoption agency... who knew that even existed here?... anyway, we hadn't been looking long, before we came across Cosette's case, and..."
"We fell head over heels in love with her" Blaze continued with awe "We actually got to meet her here about a month ago..."
"She is the sweetest and most happy little thing you will ever meet" Theo cooed
"The papers are all signed. All we're waiting for is the final inspection, and then... she'll be our little girl"
Draco looked at the cute little girl in the picture... curly black hair... bright blue eyes... and a smile that could light up a room "is she a witch?"
"Her mother is, so the chances are high that she will be too" Theo shrugged with a ear to ear grin
"Then is she a halfblood?" Draco asked
Blaze's smile fell "Why does that matter?"
"It doesn't just..." Draco paused, trying to find the right words "I can't understand why anyone would actually give up a child like this so easily"
Blaze sighed
"As far as we know, she's a pureblood" Theo answered cautiously "The mother may not have admitted who the father is, but she DID admit that she met him at her school"
"Then was the mother a younger sister?"
"No... she was the only child in her family"
"Then why would she give up her own heir?" Draco asked, feeling completely heartbroken for the little girl
The two men looked at each other before Theo answered "Draco... Cosette has Autism... her mother was too young to be a mother, and her parents refused to acknowledge Cosette at all, let alone help the new mother... Annette had no choice but to give her daughter up"
"We actually spoke with her." Blaze added "When she had first given Cosette up, she requested to be notified when her daughter would be adopted... she told us that she told the father, but... he rejected her and told her to abort it because a child would ruin everything he'd built up for himself, especially with how young Annette is herself... selfish bastard... all we know is that he's older than her... she refused to tell us who he was..."
"In fact, she's confirmed that she doesn't even talk to him anymore, since after she became pregnant, her parents pulled her out and homeschooled her"
"So she's actually a kid herself?" Draco asked in shock
"... she's definitely too young to be a mother, that's for sure" Theo answered lowly
"but she gave us her blessing" Blaze stated "and asked that we take care of Cosette and treasure her like she never could"
"Are You Having A Baby Too?" Hermie asked Theo with sparkling eyes
"That's right" Theo stated as he picked up the toddler and placed Hermie between him and Blaze "Blaze and I are going to adopt a little girl" Theo pulled out a picture from his wallet that they had taken when they met Cosette for that first time "This is Cosette. She's gonna be our new little girl"
"She's so pwetty" Hermie awed
"That she is, Herms" Blaze stated while looking at the toddler's wonder-filled expression
"I'M HOME!!!"
"In Here Perc!" Pansy shouted as the tall redhead came into the sitting room
"Hello love" Percy greeted before kissing his seated wife "and hello to you love jr" Pansy giggled as Percy bent down and kissed her belly
"PERCY! PERCY! TEO AND BAZE ARE HAVING A BABY!!!" Hermie shouted
"Oh my, and who do we have here?" Percy teased "Hello little Hermie"
"HI UNCLE PERCY!"
"Draco"
"Weasley"
"HERMIE!!!" the child giggled
Draco shook his head with a smile "Herms does that with Potter too... always has to have the last word in"
"Well, I mean... you ARE the father" Percy shrugged
"Funny" Draco drawled
"So how long are you staying?" Pansy asked as Percy sat down on the arm of his wife's chair
"A few days... a week at most. I wanted to show Herms around France... maybe go sightseeing, make some good memories, and let Hermie spend some much-needed time with you guys... it has been a while"
"I know" Pansy smiled sadly "it seems like just yesterday Hermie was just this little bundle in a blanket, but now... four years old"
"Believe me I know"
The three adults sighed as they watched Blaze and Theo tell Hermie all about their new little girl
"So Percy... Draco decided to ask me if my kid's father was either Blaze or Theo"
Percy burst into hysterical laughter at the absurdity of the question...
She was never going to let him live that one down... was she?
---
The next morning there was a knock at the door.
"Hello? Can I help you?" Draco asked half asleep, seeing as he was the only one up at the moment
"Ah, yes. Hello. My name is Aundre Bufford. I am thee case worker for thee Cosette case... are either Mr. Knott or Mr. Zambini home?"
Instantly fully awake Draco invites the man in, leads him to the adjunct sitting room, and rushes to wake his friends. Bypassing any knocking, Draco flings their door open- just to shield his eyes "AHHH! MY EYES!!!"
"What the bloody hell, Malfoy?" Theo asks as he sits up in bed to turn on the bedside lamp and look at the alarm clock "it's like... seven in the morning"
"Draco, go away" Blaze mutters out half asleep as he snuggles back into his partner's side, trying to pull him back down to bed "Let us sleep"
"Believe me, I would, but there's a man downstairs claiming to be a case worker... the name Bufford mean anything to you?"
Instantly both men shot up in bed, fully awake "GET OUT!!!" they shouted in unison. Draco left the room just in time for the two men to jump up and scramble for their clothes "AND WAKE THE WEASLEYS!!!"
---
"Mr. Bufford! So happy to see you" Blaze greeted the man with a strong handshake
"Mr. Zambini, Mr. Knott, good to see you again" Mr. Bufford stated
"Mr. Bufford, it's a pleasure" Theo greeted "and these are our houseguests... These are the Weasleys, Pansy and Percy" the three greeted each other with handshakes "And these are the Malfoys, Draco and Hermie"
"Hello sir, a pleasure to actually meet you... sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier" Draco apologized as he shook the man's hand while still trying to hold his sleeping child with the other
"It's quite alright Mr. Malfoy. This WAS supposed to be a surprise inspection, after all. Now then... shall we begin thee tour?"
---
Theo and Blaze had been walking the case worker around the house for over an hour now, and Draco, Pansy, and Percy were all still waiting in the sitting room to hear news
"And finally, we're back to the beginning" Theo said nervously
"Yes, I see that" Mr. Bufford replied as the three men reentered the sitting room, the three previous occupants (plus a sleeping child) stood up
"So... when will you submit the report?" Theo asked as he tried not to wring his hands
Mr. Bufford looked up at him "My boy, thee report was being submitted as we went, so as it goes, thee report is complete"
"What does that mean?" Blaze asked as he came up behind Theo and laid a hand on his partner's shoulder, Theo quickly grasped said hand
"It means, dear sirs, that you should be hearing news back soon about whether or not, little Cosette gets to live with you"
Theo's breath caught
"Now then" Mr. Bufford started as he began packing up his notebook and quill into his briefcase "I shall see myself out. Good day gents. My lady" he greeted with a head tilt of respect, before making his way to the front door.
"So how did it go?" Pansy asked as she drew closer to the couple
"Well... he followed us around, asked lots of questions, including about our families and why we moved here, then he looked at every single item in every single room, took extra time in Cosette's room, the baby room, the bathrooms, and the kitchen... he even brought out a measuring tape and measured each room and how far away they were from our room... and the entire time, he didn't stop writing" Theo answered
"Bloodynervewrecking" Blaze mumbled
*knock knock knock*
The adults all turned to look at each other before going to the door to answer
"Hello, Mr. Zambini? Mr. Knott?" the woman smiled
"Yes?" the two men replied
"I believe there's someone who wants to see you" she smiled brightly. Suddenly they heard a car door close. They all looked up and saw- another woman carrying a suitcase in one hand and a beautiful child in the other
Theo squeezed Blaze's hand as Blaze tried to fight back the tears before the two took off running to meet the woman carrying Cosette. Draco watched as Theo took the little girl into his arms, Blaze gathering them both into his own before they both burst into happy tears. The woman carrying the suitcase though, continued to the front door. After delivering the girl's things and bidding well wishes and farewells, the two women left. Eager to meet the new little one, Pansy, Percy, and Draco (still carrying sleeping Hermie) ran out to meet their friends.
The little girl smiled so big and had the cutest little giggle. The adults were all cooing over the new little when Hermie began to stir, reached out a little hand, and gently patted the little girl's head "pwetty" Hermie smiled, still half asleep
---
Seeing that it was now around nine in the morning, and that now both littles were awake, the adults decided it was time for a celebratory breakfast, consisting of waffles, toast with jam, bacon, scrambled eggs, fruit salad, fresh squeezed grape juice, and fresh milk.
"EEEE!!!" Cosette giggled as she slapped her tray playfully
"Is it good Cosette?" Hermie asked, taking another bite of the cut-up waffles
"EEEEE!!!" Cosette squealed in response as Theo fed her another bite of scrambled eggs
"It's a good thing Mrs. Weasley seemed over prepared" Pansy stated as she playfully let Percy feed the baby "Otherwise, we'd have had to transfigure one of our chairs into a highchair for Cosette... where would Blaze sit then?"
"Very funny" Blaze rolled his eyes as he came into the dining room holding a tray of cinnamon rolls "if that were the case, Theo would just have to sit on my lap"
"Or you could just geminio another chair and have it grow with her" Draco shrugged as he handed Hermie a cinnamon roll on a fork
"I don't know... I like Blaze's idea better" Theo smirked
"EEEE!!!"
"Seems Cosette likes it too" Blaze added as he leaned down to give his partner a kiss then turned and kissed Cosette's cheek, causing the girl to giggle, before taking the seat on the other side of their new daughter, each daddy taking turns feeding her
"So what do you blokes want to do today?" Percy asked "I have the day off, so I'm free to help with the littles and Pans" Pansy slapped his shoulder
"I was actually going to suggest a trip to Paris today" Draco answered "but since today's Cosette's first day here-"
"Oh, we can go" Theo interrupted "I'm sure Cosette would like to see the sites too"
"Plus, we can take this time to get her some new clothes and toys" Blaze said "now that she's here, we have her size and she can choose which toys she actually likes"
"Toy store?" Hermie's eyes lit up
"Toy store" Blaze responded
"YAY!!!!!" Hermie cheered, causing all the adults to laugh and Cosette to squeal at the little's response
---
"So remind me again... why are you going to Canada?" Theo asked as he carried a sleeping Cosette in his arms "as far as I know, you don't have any family above the states, do you? Friends maybe?"
"No... this one is solely for me and Hermie..." Draco replied as he watched Herms sitting on Percy's shoulder as they walked under the Eiffel Tower "Herms has been really big into all things Canada lately... moose, maple syrup, hockey, maple leaves... I figured it'd be a surprise stop and we could see everything in person. Heck, we may even stop by Niagara Falls if we have time. As it stands though... we'll go to the local petting zoo, maybe visit an animal farm or two, see what Canada has to offer both Muggles and Wizards"
"That explains the Canadian goose plush Herms picked" Theo stated as both men looked up to see Hermie showing the new toy the tower "I'm surprised Herms didn't look at the book section... there were countless animals around the world picture books... Blaze went ahead and preordered the entire set"
"Hermie hates books" Draco shook his head
Theo's jaw dropped "But You And Hermione Are The Parents!" Theo stated... just a little too loud, as Cosette began to whimper in her sleep. Quickly, Theo began shushing and apologizing to his sleeping little angel until she settled back into her daddy Theo's chest, falling back asleep
"I know... I don't understand why, but... Hermie hates books. Can't stand them. Rips them up at every opportunity... especially when we run out of toilet paper"
Theo's eyes widened in terror "got it... I'll apply an automatic geminio to the toilet paper when we get home"
"Good idea"
The two men walked for a while, watching as their friends interacted with the overly excited Hermie... that's what happens when you give a toddler lots of sugar for breakfast
"So how are you?" Theo asked seriously
Draco sighed... he's already gotten used to everyone asking the same question "I miss her... terribly"
Theo nodded "I can't imagine how I'd react if I ever lost Blaze... you're really strong, you know?"
"I don't have a choice" Draco smiled sadly "I have to be there for my child. Hermione may be gone, but... in all honesty, I still can't accept that she's dead. It's like... I feel it... somehow... I feel it in my bones that she... she CAN'T be dead. But with Hermie here... I have no choice but to stop looking myself. But that doesn't mean I've stopped looking period, it's just... four years, Theo... for four years I've been reaching out to every contact I have over this entire continent... it's gotten to the point where I've asked them to not send anything unless the news is positive. My heart just can't take all of the disappointment. Although I do receive a notice or two that they're still out there looking for her."
"So you haven't given up?"
"They never found a body" Draco stated seriously "I just... I just can't accept it until they produce some sort of physical proof that-"
Theo placed a hand on his shoulder "I know man, I know"
---
"Give me a big hug Hermie" Pansy stated as she gave the little the biggest hug she can... over her eight months pregnant belly, that is
"We're gonna miss you man" Blaze stated as he gave his childhood best friend a bro hug, Cosette squealing happily, being caught in the middle
"I'll miss you guys too... next time though, you guys are coming to visit us... got it?"
"Yeah, yeah" Blaze rolled his eyes playfully
"You make sure to let us know when you make it there safe. And then when you make it home" Pansy stated as she Gave Draco a side hug
"Pans, we have, like, four more stops after this"
"Details" she brushed off with an eye roll
"Fine then. I promise to let you know when we get back home... as long as you promise to let me know when little Phillipe gets here"
"It's a promise" Pansy smiled
"Good to see you again, Malfoy" Percy offered a hand
"You too Weasley" Draco grasped onto the offered hand, before turning serious "take care of my sister and her son... got it?"
"With my life" Percy responded just as serious
"UNCLE PERCY!!!" Hermie shouted, just before Percy bent down to pick up the little and twirled around in a circle
"We'll see you later mate" Theo added as he came and stood beside his little family
"Thanks Theo. Congratulations again, by the way"
The two men smiled as they looked down to their little girl who was waving goodbye with beautiful giggles escaping her tiny self
"Goodbye Cosette" Draco greeted softly, before leaning in and placing a soft kiss on her little chubby cheek... that girl deserves all the love she can get "Common Hermie... the plane's here"
"BYE-BYE!!!" Hermie shouted with giant waves over Draco's shoulder "I LOVE YOU!!!"