♥ "Naptime Should Never Last This Long" for kaygina ♥

[fienabler]

Title: Naptime Should Never Last This Long
Author: xalexandriam
Rating: PG-13
Possible Spoilers/Warnings: If anything, slight cursing. Not a whole lot, though.
Author's Note: I was so ridiculously excited when I first received this prompt. I have never written a D/G fic with their children at this age before, and it was definitely a new experience for me. Thanks to the wonderful Eugenia for her quick beta skills; Rio for helping me with the kids’ names, the scores, and some one-liners; and to Lisa for helping me sort out the many ideas I had for this story.
Summary: It was the fight of the century. A battle of epic proportions. And afterwards, it was vowed to never happen again. Never again would they battle for their kids’ affections.


Naptime Should Never Last This Long,
Or, Who’s Watching the Kids Again?,
Or, Draco, Ginny, and Reasons Why They Should Never Compete For Their Kids’ Affections

Day 0
Draco: 0
Ginny: 0

The Malfoy matriarch awoke in the middle of the night to see her three year-old son’s white-blond locks glowing in the dim candlelight that still lit her and Draco’s bedroom. She was used to seeing him by her bedside at this hour of night, usually asking her if he could stay in the bed with her and Draco due to something scaring him out of his bed. She, as always, said yes (she couldn’t resist her little boy), and little Edmund crawled over her to nestle himself between her and Draco. Draco would sometimes awake at this point and, upon seeing Edmund’s head next to his, would roll over so his son would be the first thing he saw upon waking.

But this night was different.

Tonight Ginny was nudged awake by all three of her children, starting with Edmund, followed by Adela, and, last but not least, was her eldest, Orion. When Orion arrived some five minutes after his sister, quarters were becoming tight, and, for once, Draco had yet to roll over to see what all of the commotion was about.

Orion wedged (shoved, was more like it) himself in between Edmund and Adela, forcing an already asleep Adela to knock her father off of the bed, limbs flailing as he finally woke up.

Draco slowly rose from the floor, looming over the bed as he saw Adela visibly gulp in the tiniest bit of fear. Taking a deep breath, he flung the covers off of his side of the bed, climbing back in to the best of his abilities, considering the fact that there were three more bodies in his bed than he was used to.

He rolled over to console his seven year-old daughter, only to find his eleven year-old son staring back at with what had to be the same look he was sporting at that moment in time. Orion was so much like him. Draco lifted his head up to see Adela now snuggling next to her mother, Ginny casting him a withering glare.

Orion looked back to see his mother’s glare, sighed, and rolled back over as he muttered what suspiciously sounded like, “Dad’s gonna hear it in the morning.”

Draco cringed, knowing just how right his son was, and closed his eyes, dreading the morning.

* * * * * * * *

Breakfast

Draco walked into the kitchen, stretching his arms over his head before leaning down to kiss Adela’s cheek. She didn’t shy away and let out a sigh of relief. At least his little girl didn’t hold grudges.

He looked over to Ginny with a smile, the expression fading quickly upon seeing his wife’s venomous look. Apparently, his wife was of the grudge holding faction.

She slapped his scrambled eggs onto his plate, not caring that they splattered onto his chest and pants, and slammed a glass down next to his cutlery before she sat opposite him at the other head of the table.

“Ooh, Mum’s mad at Da again,” Adela sang out with a grin full of pancakes, bouncing in her chair.

“Adela, sweetie, please chew all of your food before speaking,” Ginny lightly reprimanded.

“Yes, Mum.”

Draco began shovelling his food into his mouth, disregarding things like taste, or propriety, lest Ginny blow up at him in front of the children. Not that she hadn’t done it before, but she was dangerous when ticked off.

He looked down at his plate to find that he had consumed a decent portion of his meal and quickly rose from his seat, hoping to make a run for it. Ginny cut him to the chase, though. Shit.

“Draco, darling, do you think we can talk in the tea room?” she asked him with that serene quiet that always promised pain, and not the good kind.

“Of- Of course,” he replied, stuttering, for once. “Orion, stay here with your brother and sister, and make sure that they finish their breakfast.”

Orion agreed with a grimace as Draco followed his wife into the tea room adjoining the kitchen.

And, as though they timed for it, Blaise and Luna Apparated into the kitchen, the former grabbing a pancake, folding it, and stuffing it in his mouth.

“How are my favourite children?” Blaise said in between bites.

“Mum’s going to yell at Da in the other room,” Edmond supplied after taking a gulp of his orange juice.

“Edmond!” Orion hissed, flinging a bit of scrambled eggs in his brother’s direction.

“Ooh! Really?” Luna asked, excitedly. “How long has it been since they’ve had one, Zabini?” she ran over to the door that led to the tea room, pressing her ear against the door.

Blaise waltzed over so he was leaning on the door frame next to Luna. “I don’t know, Lovegood. I don’t keep tabs on how many fights they’ve had. What is Ginny yelling at Draco about this time?”

“Shh! I’m trying to listen,” Luna admonished, placing a finger over her lips.

“Can we listen?” Orion asked, perking up in his seat.

“No!” Blaise and Luna hissed simultaneously.

* * * * * * * *

The Tea Room, 5 minutes before

Ginny sighed as Draco closed the door behind them, rubbing her temples in an attempt to lessen her ire. “Draco, I really didn’t agree with the way you handled things last night.”

“I know; I caught the look you cast me. Hell, even Orion noticed it. I understand that we have the occasional disagreement, but do you think you can be less obvious about it in front of the kids?”

“M-me? Me be less obvious?” Ginny sputtered. “You were the one who glared at your seven year-old daughter last night!”

“And she forgave me. I see no reason for you to yell at me,” Draco replied coolly, sitting down at one of the tables.

Ginny huffed, clenching and unclenching her hands at her sides. “But that’s not the point, Draco.”

“Ginny. Calm down. I wasn’t even that upset. I was grouchy, sure, but then again you would be too if you got pushed off of your own bed. If you thought that it looked like I was upset with Adela, then I’ll apologize to her, but, for the record, I wasn’t mad at her. If anything, I was a little jealous of you.”

Ginny let out a bark of laughter, raising her eyebrow. “And how is that?”

“Well, I mean, it seems that every time there’s a problem, or the kids need help with something, they’re always going to you. I feel like what’s the point of being their father if they never want me to do anything for them or with them?”

Ginny frowned at this new development. “But what about Orion?”

“Orion may be my carbon copy, but it’s always been ‘Mum this’ and ‘Mum that’. Never ‘Da can you help me with this?’ I’m starting to think that you’re the better parent. I feel like I need to prove myself.” Draco looked at Ginny to see her biting her lower lip to keep from laughing. “What? You find this funny, don’t you?”

“In a rather strange way, yes; yes, I do,” she replied, grinning.

“I’m glad to see that I’m so amusing to you,” Draco stated with a scowl.

“I’m sorry if the kids come to me for things more often than they do you. Maybe you’re just not trying hard enough.”

Draco glared at her. “You’re making fun of me, aren’t you?”

“Maybe,” Ginny responded with a cheeky grin. “I can’t help it; it’s too easy.”

Draco rose from his position at the table, striding over to the door that led to the hallway.

“Oh, Draco! I didn’t mean it! You know what? How about I give you the chance to let you be the better parent?”

Draco turned around, eyebrow raised in suspicion. “What do you mean? Like a competition?”

Ginny shrugged her shoulders. “Sure, why not? I’ll get amusement out of it, and the kids will be able to get you to do things for them - what you were complaining about in the first place. We can keep score over the next month. Whoever gets the most points wins. What do you say?”

“Would we have any rules? Who would keep score?” Draco asked, eyebrow still raised.

Ginny waved him off with her hand. “We can iron out all of the details later. The question is whether or not you’re ready to get your arse kicked by your wife?”

“Really now? Well, since you put it that way, I accept your challenge, Ginevra dear. Prepare to lose.”

Ginny moved to the door from which they came, and opened it, never noticing how quickly Luna and Blaise moved away from the door, nor how their children began stuffing food in their mouths in an attempt to keep from saying anything too inquisitive.

Draco stepped into the kitchen, turning his head to see Blaise, with Luna hiding behind him. “When did you two get here?”

“Not too long ago,” Blaise replied smoothly. He glanced over at Ginny, scrunching his eyebrows together in confusion upon seeing her sunny disposition. Where was the anger? The scorn? “Gin seems to be in a particularly good mood. Are you two up to something?”

“I’m just in a good mood, Blaise, because I’m about to beat Draco.”
Draco snorted. “She wishes. I do believe that I’m going to win our little competition, Ginny dear,” he replied, casting Ginny a beatific grin.

“A competition?” Luna asked, stepping into the conversation. “What kind of competition, pray tell?”

“Draco and I are just having a little friendly competition to see who the better parent is,” Ginny answered with ease, taking her seat at the other end of the table.

“You’re going to lose, mate. Just putting that out there for you,” Blaise told Draco, clapping him on the back.

“Thank you for your overwhelming vote of confidence, Blaise,” Draco deadpanned.

“Sounds like fun,” Luna said with an impish grin. “What are the rules, if there are any?”

“Well, we haven’t really ironed out the details yet. But we are open to any and all suggestions regarding the rules,” Draco answered.

“Quidditch training!” Adela and Edmund shouted out simultaneously, causing Ginny to grin.

“Maybe. But only for Adela. Edmund, you are much too young to start learning how to ride a broom.”

Adela did a little cheer of victory as Edmund slumped down in his seat, propping his chin onto his fist.

“How about we figure out how the score is to be kept, and who’s going to keep tally of said score?” Blaise suggested.

Luna shot her hand up and began fidgeting in her chair, briefly reminding Ginny of Hermione when she got really excited over an answer. “Can I keep score? I can also provide this competition with a lively running commentary, as you already know,” she finished with pride.

“I think there needs to be two people. To, you know, represent Ginny and I, thus making the score tallying unbiased,” Draco stated.

“I’m guessing that means that I’m going to be that representative?” Blaise asked, turning his head toward Draco.

“I really can’t think of anyone else for the job.”

“Ok, so now that we have our score-keepers settled, what are we going to do for rules?”

“What about who ever loses that day has to sleep on the couch?” Orion announced, smirking.

Draco and Ginny whipped their heads to look at their son, Ginny wide-eyed, Draco grinning.

“He is definitely your son,” Ginny said, looking between her husband and eldest son.

“I like that rule,” Luna stated with a serene smile. “All in favour of using that rule, raise your hand.”

All three children raised their hands, in addition to Blaise, Luna, and Ginny. They all looked to Draco, who refused to raise his hand.

“What? I enjoy sleeping in my nice, comfortable bed. I’m not going to relinquish that. And why are the kids voting anyway?”

“We are having a competition to see who the better parent is, so it’s only fair that they are involved in the process. And when I do beat you every single day, seeing you fall asleep on the couch will make my victory that much sweeter,” Ginny replied with an angelic grin.

“You are much too vindictive for a Gryffindor,” Blaise observed.

“Why do you think I married a Malfoy, then?” the red-headed woman answered flippantly.

“She does have a point, you know,” Luna commented, twirling a piece of her hair around her index finger.

“My choice in a husband aside, is there anything else we wish to add to the rules? What about what my prize will be when I win,” Ginny continued.

“What do you mean when? I think the better term would be if because we all know that my parenting skills are infinitely superior to your own,” Draco replied, laying a hand on his chest.

“No chance,” Blaise coughed under his breath. He smiled beatifically when Draco glared at him. “What?” he asked, the picture of innocence, a look Draco and Ginny were all too familiar with thanks to their children. “I didn’t say anything.” Draco raised his eyebrow. “Okay, fine. Way to make me feel like I’m one of your kids. So maybe I think that your wife is a better parent than you. She did grow up with six older brothers.”

“See!” Draco exclaimed, pointing to Blaise, but addressing Ginny. “Right there is proof that I am fully capable of winning this competition.”

Ginny snorted. “Yeah, except for the fact that Blaise is your best friend, not your child. Nice try, though, darling.” She patted his cheek for added effect.

Draco looked over to see the occupants of the table (his three children, plus Luna and Blaise) trying to hide their laughter, and failing miserably.

* * * * * * * *

Day 1
Draco: -14
Ginny: 10

“How the bloody fuck was I supposed to know that Blaise and Luna were allowed to give out negative points?” Draco asked Ginny, incensed that he was doing so bad and it was only the end of the first day.

“You had stormed off in a huff before we settled how the score was to be kept, claiming that you’d ‘had enough of this abuse’. Usually I’m the one that storms off, but you were surprisingly easy to rile up yesterday. It was a nice change of pace,” Ginny stated with a smile, exchanging her daywear for a set of cotton pyjamas.

“I’m starting to regret agreeing to participate in this asinine competition,” Draco grumbled.

“What was that, darling?” Ginny asked, settling into bed.

“Nothing. Nothing at all.”

Ginny rolled over onto her side so she was facing a petulant Draco. “Do you want me to explain the points system and where you went wrong?”

Draco huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “No.” Ginny did what he had done to Blaise earlier and raised an eyebrow. “Alright, fine. I guess it would be nice to be informed as to how our game is to be played,” he replied, motioning Ginny to continue with a wave of his hand.

“First of all, there are no ‘negative points’. The reason why you are in the negatives is because they kept on subtracting points from you. The amount of points you receive is determined by the act of parenting. The children are the ones who determine whether you succeeded or failed. If they’re satisfied, you gain points. If it takes the other parent to appease them, then what ever points were up for grabs get subtracted from your total score. Do you understand?”

“You lost me at ‘subtracting points’,” Draco replied, yawning.

Ginny huffed, sitting up in bed. “Here’s an example: just now you tried to put the kids to bed. I have no clue how you did it, but you somehow managed to screw that up. Due to that, any points that would have been awarded to you for completing something so simple have now gone to me. And I am ever so happy for that,” she finished with a grin.

“What I don’t understand is what I did wrong.”

“You fail to grasp the concept that each of our children has a certain bedtime routine that gets them settled in to the idea of going to sleep at a specific hour.”

“And that routine consists of...?”

“Well, for starters, Orion just likes to be tucked in with a kiss on the forehead. And nothing else. You seemed to be under the impression that he is five, and proceeded to sit at his bedside to read him a bedtime story. He is eleven, although he likes to think that he’s sixteen. Either way, you embarrassed him and as consequence, lost points. Adela likes to be thoroughly tucked in, as in blankets tucked under her as though she were an Egyptian mummy. Same goes for Edmund, although he also enjoys a bedtime story --”

“Which I did! I demand a recount of those points. Or at least some form of compensation for the attempt.”

“You read him Goblins, Ghouls, and Boggarts, for Merlin’s sake! That’s hardly a bedtime story appropriate for someone his age. If you paid any attention to what I do when I get him settled for bed, then you would know that I read from The Tales of Beadle the Bard. If you paid attention, that is.”

“Well, all-knowing Mistress of Sleep Preparation, I shall be sure to keep those key aspects in mind when putting my kids to bed,” Draco replied with a smirk, turning back to the other side, bringing a chunk of bedding with him.

“Prat,” Ginny returned, slapping him on the shoulder.

“Good night, darling,” Draco said with a smile.

“Oh, and what exactly do you think you’re doing?”

“I was planning on going to sleep next to my beautiful and lovely wife. Is there any problem with that?”

“How quickly you forget the rules.”

“What...? Oh, Gin. You can’t be serious.” Draco rolled back over, grimacing at his wife’s victorious look. “Damn it. You are serious.”

“Run along to the couch now, darling. I’m expecting a fabulous night’s rest in our huge bed, and you’re not part of that equation.”

“Stupid wench. Having to listen to Orion. Sodding Blaise and Luna,” Draco mumbled, slowly rising out of bed, reaching back to grab onto his pillow.

“The house elves have already prepared a lovely couch for you somewhere in lounge,” Ginny announced from her cotton and silk cocoon, lazily waving her husband off, only able to fall asleep once she heard the lock snap shut.

Day 14
Draco: 49
Ginny: 95

Breakfast

“We find ourselves in the Malfoy family kitchen on the morning of this competition’s halfway point,” Blaise announced, opening the door to the kitchen with a flourish, Luna entering shortly after him.

“And what a lovely morning it is,” Luna added with a smile, clapping her hands together. “Nothing like a bit of competition to start off the day, don’t you think?”

“You know, your level of annoyance has grown exponentially ever since the two of you started dating,” Draco grumbled, motioning between Blaise and Luna with his fork.

“Why, thank you, Draco!” Luna beamed, leaning up to give Blaise a kiss on the cheek as he pulled his new girlfriend in close.

Draco groaned at the scene in front of him. “Of course the two of you would take it as a compliment.”

Ginny nudged her husband with her elbow. “Oh, shush. I think it’s kind of cute. And didn’t we always talk about the idea of the two of them dating? They’re our best friends. We should be happy for them.”

“And I am - just not this early in the morning,” he replied, rubbing his lower back.

“We just thought we’d pop in and give you all a bit of a recap as to the past two weeks’ events.”

At this, Luna cleared her throat, before shuffling through her oversized kelly green bag for her score chart and wand. Pulling both items out, she enlarged the chart, placing it on the easel one of the house elves provided for her. Upon seeing the elaborate chart, the kids stopped eating their breakfast, pushing their plates away to focus on their mum’s best friend.

“As you can see by this chart that Blaise and I have so graciously drawn up, Ginny is in the lead by forty-six points. We are at the half-way point, so it still could be anyone’s game.” Luna paused when Ginny and Orion snorted at her last statement, knowing full well that she said it for Draco’s benefit.

“Poking fun at my pithy score aside, please do continue, Lovegood,” Draco huffed, glaring at Ginny.

“Anyways, we broke down the score by each event, ranging from naptime to bath time - two of our biggest events.” She pointed her wand on the score for day 10. “Around Wednesday, though, we had a bit of a shake-up due an unforeseen trip to the zoo by Draco when Ginny and I were visiting with her family. Thank goodness Blaise had decided to accompany Draco on his well-planned excursion, otherwise, he would have never gotten any points for it.”

“I still say that was cheating!” Ginny piped up, taking a sip of her tea.

“You’re just upset that you had to sleep on the couch that night,” Draco shot back with a faint smirk of victory. “Besides, you’ve only slept there once!”

“So? Me sleeping on the couch was not part of my master plan. Apparently, though, I’ve had to retool my plans thanks to your Slytherin scheming. Just wait until naptime today, darling. Just you wait.”

* * * * * * * *
Naptime
2 p.m. The children’s suite.

“Due to Ginny’s lead, we figured that it would only be fair if you put Edmund and Adela down for their nap,” Luna stated, nudging Draco forward into the room.

“What about Orion?”

Said child snorted from behind. “I haven’t been forced to take a nap in ages, Da. Besides, Mum’s taking me shopping for my first broom,” Orion finished with pride, a trace of his father’s smirk pulling his lips.

“Wh-what?” Draco sputtered, spinning around to face his wife. “He already has a broom! Not that I don’t mind him getting another one, but Gin, I’ve been looking forward to that since he was old enough to fly.”

“Yes, well, I have to keep my lead somehow, don’t I?” she asked coyly, leaning against the door frame. “Plus, it’s a hand-me-down. He doesn’t have one of his own.”

“Oh…you,” Draco seethed, wagging a finger at Ginny. “Why did I even marry you? And, furthermore, procreate with you?”

“Because you love me, that’s why,” Ginny replied, walking over to give Draco a peck on the lips.

“Come now, Orion. Say bye to everyone.” She watched as her oldest son gave brief, if pained, hugs to all of the room’s occupants, before coming back to his mother’s side. “Ready, Luna?”

“As always. Have fun, boys,” the blonde woman said, proceeding to give her significant other a quick peck.

“Ta, darling.” Ginny flashed Draco a saccharine smile, wagging her fingers in a wave as she led Orion and Luna out of the room.

Blaise clapped Draco’s back, sighing as he did so. “It still amazes me as to how she didn’t end up in Slytherin.”

“I can’t believe she would do something like that. I mean, I know it’s a competition and all, but she knows how important it is to me,” Draco said, visibly upset.

“Well, there’s really nothing you can do about it. Although, I have the feeling that Orion won’t let her. He’s a perceptive boy, and very much like you were at that age; he wouldn’t trade something like that for the world.”

“You think so?”

“I know so.”

“Thanks, mate,” Draco sighed, clapping Blaise’s back in return. “I needed that.”

“Yes, well, as long as we don’t continue this in front of the women, I’m more than happy to provide emotional support. I hate to think of what would happen to our masculinity if they discovered this.”

Draco shuddered slightly. “Agreed.”

Just then, he felt a tug on his trousers, before turning around to see Adela, with Edmund slightly behind her, a stuffed dragon in his still cherubic hand.

“Are Edmund and I going to nap soon, Da? I don’t want to see you get in trouble with Mum again,” his daughter asked, an exact copy of her mother.

“Oh, of course! How silly of me to forget!” he replied, causing the pair of children to giggle. He bent down to pick up Edmund, smiling when he felt his son nestle into his chest in preparation of his forthcoming nap. He turned and beckoned Adela with his free arm, allowing her to hold onto his elbow as though he were escorting her to a ball, bending down enough for her to get a good grip. “Aren’t you coming, Blaise? I do have points to attain, after all.”

“Do I have to? I trust you enough to not screw this up after the first sleep debacle,” Blaise yelled back as Draco entered the bedroom of the suite.

He was very quickly approached by Adela, her hands twisted behind her back, a small smile (or was - was that a smirk?) curling her lips. “I would really appreciate it, Uncle Blaise, if you could help my dad tuck Edmund and I in for our nap.”

Blaise huffed, annoyed at how easily manipulated he was by the girl’s precociousness. “I guess I can help.”

The young girl in front of him squealed, grabbed one of his hands and proceeded to drag him to stand next to her father, a look of smug satisfaction belying her wide grin.

Draco’s look of smug satisfaction was, on the other hand, readily apparent and it took all of Blaise’s will power to not punch the look off of his friend’s face, no matter how many times he saw it.

“Children will be the death of me someday,” he muttered at Draco’s side.

“Yes, but today is not that day,” Draco replied with a grin. “Is there anything else that you want me to do before I turn off the light?” he asked, addressing his children once they were settled.

“Can you leave the door open, Da?” Edmund asked, his toy dragon still grasped in his hand.

“Is that okay with you, Adela?”

“Yeah, Da. That’s fine,” she replied with a fervent nod, turning onto her stomach, completely ruining the tucking-in job Draco had performed just moments earlier.

“I’ll be in my office if you need anything,” Draco said, flicking off the lights as he exited the room, being sure to leave the door wide open behind him.

“Nicely done,” Blaise stated as he and Draco walked out of the suite, turning in the direction of Draco’s office. “I’ll give you the full thirty points on that one. Which now brings your score to seventy-nine. Not too shabby, Draco. Not too shabby at all.”

“You know, although I hate the fact that Gin is winning right now, I’m almost... happy, I guess you could say, that we even started this competition in the first place. It’s helping me get to know my kids better, which is probably more than I could say about my own relationship with my father.”

“I understand what you mean. I love my mother and all, but sometimes I just wished she didn’t get bored with her husbands as often as she did. It would have been nice to have had a proper father figure in my life, rather than just learning through men I barely knew and had no interest in my life. You’ve done right by your kids.”

Draco sighed, a smile pulling at the right corner of his mouth. “Yeah, I guess I have.”

* * * * * * * *
5:30 p.m. Draco’s office.
Draco: 79
Ginny: 74

“And the score is tied! Falcons, 80. Puddlemere, 80. Wood is holding his ground over by the goal posts, hoping that Potter spots the Snitch, ending the game. But the Falcons’ Seeker, Bird, is keeping his eagle eye on Potter in an effort to take home a win before the Boy Who Lived.”

“Can you believe that the score is tied? That should not be happening!” Draco shouted to Blaise over the roar of the wireless.

“It’s that damn Oliver Wood. He’s too good at what he does. Someone needs to hit him with a Bludger and knock him out of the game!”

“I’ll drink to that,” Draco announced, downing his tumbler of Firewhisky in one swift gulp.

“Remember, mate, you can’t be drunk when Ginny gets back,” Blaise warned, attempting to swipe Draco’s empty glass off of the table.

“Oh, I know that, but I just want to soothe the pain in case I actually have to pay up.”

“I really don’t understand why you made that bet with Ron. You’re betting against Potter, for Merlin’s sake! No one bets against him and his bloody sixth sense when it comes to finding the Snitch.”

“Well I did, and I’ll be damned if the speccy git does get the Snitch.”

“Both Seekers have spotted the Snitch! Potter races ahead of Bird, but Bird catches up! They’re neck and neck now. The Snitch does a straight dive down in the middle of the pitch. The two Seekers follow it, urging their respective brooms faster. It’s Bird. It’s Potter. This is it! Both players are reaching out now. Who’s it going to be? And, and it looks like…Yes! Potter has taken the Snitch, ending the game with Puddlemere coming out victorious!”

“Fuck.”

“What did I tell you?” Blaise sang out.

“Do I really have to pay up?” Draco whinged, slumping against the couch.

“Yes; yes you do,” Blaise replied, a grin spread across his face.

“Damn. Dinner on Sunday is going to be hell.”

“For you, maybe. I’m rather excited to see you pay up.”

“I still don’t understand why Molly began to invite you to family dinners. You, or Luna for that matter, aren’t even family by marriage.”

“It’s because I provide entertainment. That, and I keep you in check when Ginny’s not around.”

“Oh, right. I forgot about that.”

“You tend to forget matters of importance,” Blaise said with a smirk.

“I only forgot mine and Ginny’s anniversary once! Why must you hold that over my head?”

“I’m not holding it over your head. I just like to remind you every once in a while.”

“Bloody bastard, that’s what you are.”

“Draco! I’m home. Where are you?” the two men heard Ginny yell out.

Draco leaned over to turn down the volume of the wireless.

“I’m in my office with Blaise!” he shouted back.

Five minutes later Ginny walked in, a vicious look written on her face as she stopped right in front of Draco, pointing an accusing finger at him.

“You,” she breathed, nostrils flaring slightly.

“Me?” Draco asked, furrowing a brow.

“What did you say to Orion?”

“I didn’t say anything to him. What are you even talking about? Where is Orion?”

“I’m right here, Da,” Orion piped up, walking into the office. “Is there something you want to ask me?”

“Yeah. What happened on your shopping trip with your mum?” Draco asked, beckoning Orion with a hand.

“Oh, nothing really. I just refused to pick out a broom for Mum to buy me. I told her that I wanted to go shopping for my first broom with you,” Orion replied with a smile.

“Told you,” Blaise sang, jabbing Draco in the ribs.

The blond man coughed, hoping that his ridiculous grin subsided. “Well, thank you, son. I really appreciate that.”

“Mum’s also upset because Auntie Luna took points away,” Orion continued, smirking.

Draco and Blaise laughed, causing Ginny’s look to become even more venomous.

“Dare I ask how many points Luna took away?” Blaise directed at Ginny.

“Twenty-five,” she ground out, shooting the blonde woman behind her a death glare.

“She caused a scene in Quality Quidditch Supplies. Very un-classy, especially considering that Orion did nothing wrong,” Luna calmly supplied, her hands folded in front of her.

“Hey, Draco, that means that you’re beating Ginny by five points,” Blaise added.

“What?” Ginny screeched, becoming even more irate. “That’s impossible! How could he have gotten the full points for naptime? I haven’t heard a peep from Edmund or Adela.”

Draco blanched slightly. “That - that’s because I was just about to wake them up when you got home. In fact, I was talking to Blaise about it.”

“Blaise?” Ginny asked, raising a speculative eyebrow.

“It’s true. Draco was discussing the points regarding naptime with me when you Apparated home with Orion and Luna.”

“Oh,” Ginny replied, trying her best not to blow up again lest she lose even more points.

Luna, sensing that bad things might happen, stepped in, “Well then. How about we go wake up the kids? All of this bickering about the score is only prolonging their naptime and, you know, naptime should never last this long.”

Day 30
Draco: 68
Ginny: 42

“It’s a sad day in the Malfoy household,” Luna announced solemnly.

“Why is it a sad day, Auntie Luna?” Adela asked, munching on a rasher of bacon.

“Why, today is the last day of our competition,” the blonde woman replied, absently patting the young girl’s head.

“And who’s winning?” Draco asked with a smirk, looking at his wife.

“You are, dar-ling,” Ginny answered, stabbing her scrambled eggs with a bit more force than was necessary.

“And who’s been sleeping on the couch for the past week now?” Draco asked, his smirk morphing into a wide, victorious grin.

“I have, Draco,” Ginny responded through gritted teeth, glaring at her husband.

“Oh, how I love the famous Weasley temper,” the blond man stated wistfully, sighing as he stared off into space.

“What I don’t understand is why Ginny’s been exploding so much lately. She’s normally not like this,” Blaise said, walking over to sit next to Luna.

“It’s because of the competition,” Draco answered. “Gin’s really competitive. I mean, considering the size of her family and the fact that she was the youngest, not to mention the only girl, she kind of had to be competitive if she wanted to be noticed. She really hasn’t had to have been competitive since she stopped playing Quidditch when she was pregnant with Orion. I guess this game has rekindled the competitive spirit in her,” he finished with a shrug.

“Really?” Ginny asked, placing her cup of tea back on the table. “I never noticed. I thought I was always competitive. I didn’t think it waxed and waned like the lunar cycle.”

“Well, I’m sure it doesn’t cycle as frequently as the lunar cycle, but it certainly has remained dormant since Orion was born,” Draco replied.

Ginny didn’t respond, instead she continued to eat her breakfast, mulling over what Draco said in the relative silence of the kitchen nook.

“So. What’s on the schedule today? It is the last day, after all, and Ginny’s trailing behind,” the dark-skinned man asked somewhere from Ginny’s left.

“Must you remind me, Blaise?” the red-haired woman asked, glaring.

“Anyways, I know that Ginny and Draco are each doing separate activities, so I think the kids should go upstairs to get ready for the day,” Luna piped up, ever the peace-keeper.

“Of course,” Ginny replied, taking a deep breath. “Draco, you remember how to get to Dean’s, right?” she asked as her children ran upstairs.

“Yes, yes. Orion would kill me if I forgot how to get to Thomas’s. He’s been looking forward to this for ages.”

“I know. He’s been talking about it for the past week. Going on and on about how he and James are going to play Quidditch, and prank Cecily, and go swimming in the lake. Merlin, he’s had a bag packed for two days,” Ginny said, laughing.

“Kind of reminds you of our childhood, doesn’t it?” Blaise asked, jabbing Draco.

“Not really, no. I never was aquiver with anticipation to see you because you were always there.”

“Oh, that’s right,” Blaise answered with a wistful smile. “I might as well have called Malfoy Manor my home.”

“I can’t blame you, though. A lot of it was your mum’s fault. Although, that is to say that I didn’t enjoy your company, because I did, but I was never excited to see you like Orion is about seeing James, simply because you stayed with my family so often.”

“Yeah. Narcissa still wants me to refer to her as ‘Mum’, I’ll have you know.”

“You refuse, right?” Draco asked, eyebrow raised.

“Of course I refuse. I mean, I already have a mum. Plus, Narcissa’s hot. I know she’s like a mum to me, but come on; for an older woman she’s pretty hot. It would just feel awkward to me if I referred to her as ‘Mum’,” Blaise added, shuddering.

“Oh, Merlin. I did not need to hear that,” Draco said, covering his ears, much to the amusement of a giggling Ginny and Luna.

“It’s not like I fantasized about her! I just know a beautiful woman when I see one, and your mum-”

“Okay. I think we’ve discussed my mum long enough,” Draco whinged.

“No, Blaise. Please. Do continue,” Ginny prompted with a hand, still laughing.

“You, woman, are incorrigible,” Draco stated, glaring at Ginny.

* * * * * * * *
The Thomas household, Greengrass Manor, Kent
Draco: 68
Ginny: 42

“Draco, Orion, we weren’t expecting you so soon,” a slightly bewildered Dean Thomas uttered as he opened the door to allow the two Malfoys entrance.

“Thomas,” Draco replied with a nod. “I hope you don’t mind, but Orion could barely contain himself at breakfast this morning. He was staring at the clock for the longest time.”

“Is that Orion?” a voice screeched behind Dean, causing Draco to smirk.

“Hello, Mrs. Thomas. How are you today?” Orion dead-panned.

Astoria Thomas nee Greengrass leaned down slightly to give Orion a bone-crushing hug. “Oh, sweetling, how many times do I have to tell you that it’s perfectly okay to call me ‘Auntie Astoria’,” she said, waving her hand.

“As much as I would love to,” Orion began, continuing the monotonous tone, “my mum and dad, not to mention my grandmum, would kill me if I didn’t address you properly.”

“Oh, yes. Of course,” Astoria replied with an over-exaggerated wink.

“One would think that any and all propriety you had growing up has just been thrown out the window, Astoria,” Draco uttered.

Astoria stood up to her full height, flicking her brown hair behind her shoulders. “One would think, Draco darling, but considering that your son is my son’s best friend, propriety doesn’t seem to matter all that much. I mean, doesn’t Narcissa still insist that Blaise call her ‘Mum’.”

Draco turned a faint shade of green, that morning’s conversation causing a tiny bout of nausea before he replied. “Don’t remind me. I had very disturbing conversation with Blaise about that topic this morning.”

“Oh? Do tell,” the brunette requested, smiling.

“Maybe some other time,” Draco answered as Dean and Astoria’s daughter, Cecily, approached the small group.

“Hi, Orion,” Cecily said, waggling her fingers in a manner that fleetingly reminded Draco of Pansy.
Orion heaved a heavy sigh, getting nudged by his father in retribution. “Hello, Cecily,” he stated in a manner similar to how he addressed the girl’s mother.

“Are you excited to go to Hogwarts this coming year with my brother?” the ten year old copy of her mother continued.

“Yes.”

“Will you be just as excited when it’s my first year?”

“Sure.”

At this the girl beamed, scampering off as her brother ran downstairs.

“Orion!”

“James!”

Draco smiled as he watched a boy of about Orion’s height and build, only he had short, black curly hair and was about a shade lighter than Dean bound down the stairs, skidding to a halt right next to his parents.

“How are you, mate?” James asked, a huge grin plastered onto his face.

“Good, good. How was your trip to Australia?”

“Wicked cool,” James replied with a nod. “We did this thing called snorkeling, and we saw all of these fish, and spotted this huge fish that Dad called a shark! But then he got really nervous and told us to get out of the water. I dunno why, though. It looked awesome,” the boy finished with a shrug. “C’mon! I have pictures in my room!” He beckoned Orion with his hand, running towards the stairs, turning briefly to make sure that Orion was behind him.

“Does it bother you that your son is best friends with a boy named James?” Dean asked Draco once the boys were out of ear shot.

“Not really. I mean, I know that Potter’s father was named James, but I never knew the poor guy, so it doesn’t bother me as much. Now if Orion was best mates with a kid named Harry, then yes; I would be concerned. And just out of curiosity, why did you pick the name ‘James’, Thomas?”

“Astoria and I like the name. It didn’t really cross our minds the significance of it until Harry pointed it out to us when he first saw James after he was born. I mean, we knew, but we weren’t thinking about it when James was born. And how many times do I have to tell you, Draco, it’s okay for you to call me ‘Dean’.”

“Oh, I know. But you did date my wife and all, so it’s still in that awkward stage for me.”

“But that was years ago!” Dean replied incredulously.

“Besides, Draco, you and I dated before we started dating our respective spouses and Dean calls you by your first name,” Astoria added.

“Yeah, but your husband also has that whole Gryffindor thing going against him. I don’t know; maybe by Orion and James’s fifth year I’ll feel comfortable enough to call him ‘Dean’.”

“You’re hopeless,” Astoria huffed, rolling her eyes.

* * * * * * * *
The Malfoy household, Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire
Draco: 78
Ginny: 42

“Mummy, what are we going to do today while Orion and Da are gone?” Adela asked, resting her chin on the sink as Ginny pulled her daughter’s hair back into a high ponytail.

Ginny cast a glance at Edmund, making sure that he brushed his teeth thoroughly enough. Satisfied at the toothy grin he proudly displayed, she turned back to her daughter’s reflection. “I thought we could finally paint the playroom. And that you could help me. It looks kind of boring, doesn’t it?” she asked, tickling Adela a bit. Ginny smiled at Edmund’s giggle.

“Mum! Stop!” Adela wheezed between fits of laughter, turning to attack her mother’s waist with her small hands.

Soon enough, Edmund joined, helping his sister tickle their mum until Ginny was on the floor, begging for mercy.

“Okay. Okay! You win!” she shouted, her smile growing as her children rested their heads on her chest.

“At this rate, we’re not going to get anything done by the time your father gets back home with your brother.” She laid there for a bit, listening to the small puffs of breath her children emitted from their mouths, catching their breaths from their brief tickle war. Wrapping an arm around each of them, squeezing them in for a hug, she let go, beginning to stand up. “Alright, let’s go. The playroom’s all set for us to paint! Time to get up!”

The two kids scrambled up, running into the playroom down the hall, waiting for Ginny to catch up.

“What are we gonna paint, Mum?” Edmund asked, walking over to the assortment of brushes and paint buckets.

“We’re going to paint the image that’s traced on the wall,” Ginny replied, stepping aside so Edmund and Adela could see the thin black lines all over the wall. “But that’s just the background.”

“What’s the background of?” Adela asked, stepping closer to the wall.

“It’s of a forest. I need your help with the background, and once that’s done, your forest needs creatures. I want you two, and eventually Orion, to paint into your forest whatever creature you want. Whether it’s a fairy, unicorn, centaur, kneazle - whatever you three want, that’s what you can paint. I think there’s a lake, too, so maybe you can paint a mermaid, or a - or a…”

“A giant squid!” Edmund finished, eyes alight with the sheer thought of it.

Ginny laughed, remembering the story she told Edmund about Hogwarts having a giant squid in its lake. “Yes, Edmund; even a giant squid.”

With that, Ginny walked over to the supplies and picked up a large brush, dipped it in a bucket filled with paint the colour of dark cocoa and headed for the wall, making large strokes on the wall, filling in a tree trunk. She motioned for Edmund and Adela to do the same, watching as the attempted to mimic Ginny’s motions, commenting on their progress every once in a while to ensure that things didn’t get too out of control.

About two hours in, they took a break, Ginny showing her kids the other colours she had picked out for their project.

She got up and did a tour of the room, stopping every so often to make a mental note of which areas needed a bit more paint before she tackled some of the details of the forest fauna. She was over by the lake - a wide, shapeless blob currently sapphire in colour - when she heard it.

“Mu-um! Edmund got paint on me!” Adela whinged, glaring at her younger brother.

Ginny spun around, looking at a relatively guileless Edmund.

“I didn’t do it!” he swore, hastily placing his hands behind his back.

Ginny’s eyes flicked over to Adela, taking in the Edmund-sized, olive green handprint on her daughter’s cheek before she addressed her son.

“Edmund? Show me your hands.”

He looked as though he was twisting his hands behind his back, wringing them nervously. Ginny raised an eyebrow and his hands shot straight out, covered in the green paint.

“Now, Edmund, what did you do that for?” Ginny asked, crouching down so that she was face-to-face with the small blond boy.

“Be-because it looked like fun,” he mumbled, fidgeting before his mum.

Ginny took Edmund’s still-wet hands in hers, looking them over. “If you want to have fun with the paint, then you need to do this,” she said, taking her son’s hands and running them down the sides of her cheeks, leaving green track marks on the sides of her face.

Edmund’s face lit up, giggling at his mum’s grin, before he ran over to the other paint buckets, dipping his hands in two different colours and running over to his sister, giving her a big hug, then riling her red locks, satisfied to see the paint stick.

Adela stood in shock, ever so much like Narcissa at times, appalled at the idea of getting paint all over her clothing. Ginny grabbed her daughter’s hands, sticking them into two different buckets, then dragged them all over her own clothing and hair, noticing the small smirk developing on Adela’s lips.

“Better?” Ginny asked Adela.

Adela nodded, going back to the buckets to pick out two more colours, tentatively dipping them in, then shooting her fingers out, splattering paint on both her mother and brother.

Edmund retaliated and, soon enough, both kids came together to tag-team their mum, leaving the older woman no choice but to fight back.

* * * * * * * *
Three Hours Later

“Hey, Ginny, I’m all set to go to Dean’s with you. Are you rea--”

Luna stopped at the threshold to the playroom, taking in the scene before her.

The room’s three occupants each had a piece of cardboard in hand, myriad colours in bright shocks on the brown surface, a paintbrush in the other, making strokes of varying sizes onto the walls, each painting a different thing. What shocked Luna, though, were the splatters of paint blotched all over the occupants’ clothing - they were Jackson Pollock paintings brought to life, only in more muted colours.

“Draco! Blaise!” the blonde woman shouted, calling Ginny’s attention.

The two men ran to where Luna was parked, hoping that there was nothing wrong.

“Luna. What’s wrong?” Blaise huffed, trying to catch his breath.

“Luna? Is anything the matter?” Ginny asked, walking over to the doorway.

The three at the doorway turned to Ginny, giving her the once over before they started laughing.

“What’s so funny?” the red-head asked, cocking her head to the side.

“Have you seen what you looked like recently?” Draco asked, trying to cover up his chuckle with a hand.

Ginny placed a hand on her hip, jutting it out at a defiant angle. “I know perfectly well what I look like, thank you very much. And, in case it escaped your notice, Adela and Edmund are just as filthy as I am.”

The two men looked over Ginny, taking note of the two children covered in paint, calmly painting their favourite mythical creature onto the wall.

“Just remember, Draco, you’re in charge of clean up,” Ginny added with a smile, patting Draco’s chest, laughing when her hand left a mark on her husband’s grey shirt.

“How do you expect me to clean this up?” he asked incredulously.

“You’re a smart man. You can figure it out. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to clean myself up so I can pick up Orion.”

And with another chest pat, Ginny smearing her hand for good measure, she walked out, a little too much spring in her step for Draco’s liking.

Blaise let out a low whistle, watching as Luna trailed behind Ginny. “Gin really should have been in Slytherin.”

“Stuff it, Blaise.”

Draco turned to look back inside the playroom, cringing at the thought of going inside.

“I like to play dirty and all, but really; this is just ridiculous,” he said, placing a tentative foot inside the room.

“Edmund. Adela.”

“Yes, Da?” the two children asked simultaneously.

“Are you two done painting?”

“No, not yet. Edmund still has to finish his centaur, and I still need to do the hair on my unicorn.”

“Oh, okay,” Draco replied, stepping back out. “Just have Fizzy let me know when you are done. And whatever you do, do not step outside of this room. Is that understood?”

Both kids nodded fervently, turning back to their respective walls.

* * * * * * * *
One Hour Later
Draco: 78
Ginny: 62

“Master Malfoy, young Miss Adela and young Master Edmund are done in the playroom,” Fizzy announced, popping into Draco’s office, causing Blaise to jump.

“Scared, Blaise?” Draco asked with a raised eyebrow, smirking.

“Of Fizzy? No. Never,” the other man replied, waving Draco off with a hand.

“Fizzy, please do try to not scare poor Blaise the next time you enter the room,” Draco commanded of the small elf, much to Blaise’s scowl.

“Of course, Master Malfoy,” she replied, giving both Draco and Blaise an overly-dramatic bow.
Fizzy popped back out of the room and Draco rose to fetch his kids.

Upon reaching the playroom, Draco was satisfied to see that his kids were sitting in the middle of the room, a tarp covering their painted bottoms. Adela was twirling a piece of paint splattered hair around one of her fingers, while Edmund was scratching some paint off of his bare feet.

“Ready?” Draco asked, leaning against the doorframe.

The kids bolted up, scrambling towards their father. “The bathroom, Da?” Adela asked, rushing past her brother and father.

“Try not to get paint in the halls on the way there!” Draco shouted back, smiling as he heard their footsteps pound down the hallway.

“What, exactly, were you planning on doing to clean up?” Blaise asked, motioning to the playroom and the children running ahead of them.

“This,” Draco stated, waving his wand, doing a wordless Scourgify to clean up the brushes and any stray paint marks. “And then I’m using the largest bathroom in the house to clean up the kids.”

“Nice. Very nice. I can appreciate your methods,” Blaise replied with a nod.

Draco smirked, continuing to walk down the hallway until he reached the bathroom, already hearing giggles from within.

Upon entering, he saw his kids already in the tub, similar in size to the Prefects’ one back at Hogwarts, bubbles all around in various scents floating along the surface of the water or wafting through the air, their clothing still on.

Draco grabbed two chairs from the corner of the room, pulling one up close to the tub to supervise the clean-up of his children. “Make sure you scrub the paint off your faces and arms. And don’t forget to wash your hair,” he directed, eyeing Edmund and Adela. “Oh, and try to get some of the paint off of your clothes if you can.” He leaned back in his seat, putting his hands behind his neck, eyes slanted downward to watch them.

“Aren’t you going to help us?” Adela asked, grabbing a bottle of shampoo off the low shelf near the tub.

“What?” Draco asked, walking over to the edge.

“Yeah. Mum always helps us wash our hair. Especially Edmund. Isn’t that right, Edmund?”

The blond boy next to her nodded, smiling as he did so. “Always,” he repeated with a toothy grin.

“Well, what do you want me to do?” Draco asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

“We need your help, Da.”

“I’m not getting in, so what do you want me to do?”

“I dunno. But we need your help.”

“Er, alright. I guess come up to the edge and I’ll wash your hair that way.”

Edmund paddled over first with the help of his sister, Adela holding up her brother while Draco dropped a dollop of shampoo onto Edmund’s head.

She opened her mouth to say something when, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Blaise creeping up behind Draco, placing a finger over his mouth to silence her. Her mouth closed with an audible pop, causing Draco to look up momentarily.

“Is there something you -”

Splash!

The next thing Draco knew, he was fully submerged underwater, pushed in by Blaise, who was laughing in the chair Draco once occupied when the blond man surfaced.

“What was that for?” Draco shouted, sopping wet, his hair hanging in loose tendrils around his face, curling at the nape of his neck.

“Adela said that her and Edmund needed your help. You were useless just sitting there.”

“I should drag you in here with me.”

“But you won’t, so just help your kids get the paint out of their hair and off their arms and legs. I promise that I’ll call Fizzy in here as soon as you’re done so you can get out of your clothes, you princess you.”

With that, Draco lunged toward the seated man, Blaise lifting his legs out of Draco’s grasp.

“Uh-uh. Do you want the points?” Blaise asked, throwing a rubber ducky he spotted on the floor at Draco’s head.

Draco glared in response.

“That’s what I thought.”

* * * * * * * *
Thirty Minutes Later

Ginny Apparated back home with Orion and Luna to see Fizzy rushing to the bathroom, her small arms piled high with towels. The trio followed the house elf to her destination, stopping at the threshold, unsure of what to make of the scene before them.

Blaise still sat by the side of the tub, talking to Draco every so often as the other man floated around the tub, hands underneath his head, still fully clothed. The children, on the other hand, were busy with scrubbing the various layers of paint off of their arms and/or legs.

“Do I even want to know?” Ginny asked, stepping into the bathroom, laying her coat on Blaise’s discarded chair.

“Draco was being petulant and unhelpful, so I pushed him in,” Blaise replied, looking up at the new occupants.

Luna snorted behind Ginny, covering her mouth with a slender hand.

“Is the playroom clean?” the red-headed woman continued, walking closer to the edge.

“Oh, yes. All nice and clean. The kids, however, are getting there. What paint did you use? It’s incredibly stubborn,” Draco answered, opening an eye to see his wife. “How was hanging out with James, Orion?”

Orion walked over to stand next to his mum, fidgeting and bouncing on his heels. “It was brilliant,” he replied, a grin plastered onto his face. “Hogwarts is going to be so wicked!”

“Fantastic,” Draco replied with a grin of his own, growing larger as he saw Orion’s siblings sneak over to the edge, grabbing their brother by the ankles and dragging him in.

The four adults began laughing as Orion surfaced, watching the oldest go after the younger ones, splashing each other as they made circles around their father.

“Gin, luv, I feel as though you’re being left out of these wonderful festivities,” Draco announced, holding his arms up as the kids kept running around him.

Ginny waved him off with a hand. “No, really. It’s okay. I already took a shower today. But it does look like you’re having a wonderful time.”

“I am. And I would like you to join me and the kids,” Draco replied, holding out a hand for her.

“Maybe some other time,” she said, slowly moving away from the tub and back toward the entrance.

She was immediately grabbed by Luna and Blaise, the pair hoisting her up, her legs flailing beneath her, as they dropped her into the tub with an unceremonious splash.

Ginny surfaced moments later, wiping her hair and some makeup out of and off of her face, splashing the still-dry pair, who then fled to the other side of the room.

“The things I put up with,” she sighed, giving her husband a reluctant smile.

“Aw, come on. It’s not that bad once you get used to it,” Draco said, manoeuvring to give his wife a hug.

“I’m just surprised that you’re in here.”

“You can thank Blaise for that one.”

“No problem, mate,” Blaise replied, turning to give his girlfriend a quick kiss.

Luna broke away with a gasp, opening up her bag to retrieve the score chart. “I just realized! We need to total the final scores!”

“Oh, that’s right!” Ginny said, nearly slipping in the soapy, multi-coloured water. “I think we all know who the winner is...”

No one said anything as Luna and Blaise added up the points accumulated over the course of the competition, waiting for them to announce the winner.

“It seems that the winner is Draco,” Luna stated, turning back towards the Malfoy family.

“In your fa-Wait. What?” Ginny asked, incredulous.

“I won?” Draco asked in disbelief.

“Yeah. Blaise and I tallied up the final scores and it was 98 for Draco and 62 for Ginny.”

“You gave him the full points for clean-up?” Ginny screeched. “But look at how he cleaned up the kids!”

“So? They’re happy, aren’t they?” Blaise responded with a shrug.

“Well, yeah, sure, but -”

“But that’s the point,” Luna answered. “Although this was a competition between you and Draco to see who the better parent was, the entire points system was based on the children’s happiness. As long as they were happy, you always got the full amount. They look like they’re having a blast right now. And Draco was the cause of it, so he therefore gets the full amount of points. Regardless of the fact that Blaise pushed him in.”

Ginny shut her mouth, turning towards Draco. “Congratulations,” she mumbled.

“Ex-excuse me? What was that?” Draco baited, holding a hand up to his ear.

“I said congratulations, you enormous prat,” Ginny huffed, holding out a hand for her husband to shake.

Draco took her hand enveloping her in a hug, smiling as her head rested on his chest. “You know you’re secretly happy for me.”

“Yes, well, after the sting of defeat by my once clueless husband wears off, I’m sure I’ll be more joyous.”

“Ouch, Gin. You wound me. I really wasn’t that clueless,” Draco replied, letting go of Ginny.

She smiled at him, holding him at arms’ length. “I’m happy for you. Really, I am. I’m also very proud of you for doing all of this.”

“I’m rather happy for doing this, too. I was able to spend more time with my family, and I beat you. As far as I can tell, this was a win-win situation for me,” Draco said with a smile.

“Oh, shut up,” Ginny replied, laughing as she leaned in to give Draco a kiss.

“Ew, Mum. Da. You could not suck face in front of us?” Orion whinged, cringing as he and his siblings began to turn away.

“Oh, sorry, darlings,” Ginny replied, breaking away from Draco.

“You’re lucky the competition’s over, otherwise both of you would have lost points for that,” Blaise announced, walking back over with Luna towards the tub.

Ginny and Draco both rolled their eyes, the latter splashing the other man.

“Are you all going to come out now?” Luna asked, stowing the score board back into her bag.

“The kids still have some paint on them, so probably not. Why don’t you join us?” Ginny opted.

“No, no. I think we’re good. We’ll just be going now,” Blaise responded, steering Luna away.

“Oh, but it looks like so much fun!” the blonde woman chirped.

“Maybe some other time.”

Before he and Luna stepped out of the room, they were assaulted by the entire Malfoy clan, wrapped up in hugs, dragged over to the tub where they were pushed in, being joined by the others soon after.

“You’re going to get it,” Blaise seethed, glaring at Draco and Ginny.

“You were the one who started it,” Draco reasonably pointed out.

“Details, Malfoy. Details.”

“That’s no way to speak to a champion, Zabini.”

Ginny and Luna exchanged glances before splashing the pair, shutting them up as they spluttered.

“Men.”

The End

ORIGINAL REQUEST:
Briefly describe what you'd like to receive in your fic
I actually wouldn't mind writing something like this, but to go with the theme of competition, I'd like a fic about Draco and/or Ginny secretly (or not so secretly) trying to score points with their child(ren)/pet(s) to be the "better" parent/owner.
The tone/mood of the fic: Humourous. =)
An element/line of dialogue/object you would like in your fic: Someone in the fic to keep score. Rubber duckies.
Preferred rating of the the fic you want: Any.
Canon or AU? Either.
Deal Breakers (anything you don't want?): Um...umm...can't think of any for this fic.