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Aries Helios Malfoy was as blond as his father and had eyes like silvered oaks. He was a giddy, happy baby who hardly cried and had taken to laughing at any words he found silly.
Draco mentioned it only once. Ginny had been bouncing Aries in her arms to try and calm a rare crying spell. This had been going on for five hours without end. They were all tired and after Ginny floo-called her mum, they were worried Aries might be entering the colic stage that some infants did.
Her smile was watery and thin but not falling as she cooed and hummed, comforting Aries in her arms since he cried harder when Draco tried holding him. She looked on the verge of tears herself but kept smiling for their son.
Draco, hoping to make Ginny's smile a bit more genuine, said, for the first time in their four-year relationship, "I like your dimples, Red." Draco spoke just loud enough to be heard over the crying, which promptly stopped a moment later.
They both froze, holding bated breath. "What did you just say?" Ginny mouthed, her eyebrows scrunched up.
"I like your dimples?" he repeated, and Aries giggled. He was squirming in Ginny's arms when Draco caught sight of his face, his big, pale brown eyes blinking away fat globes of tears, and his mouth spread into a smile.
"D-did you hear that, baby? Daddy likes my dimples." Ginny's smile wavers, but Aries laughs again. Draco cautiously steps closer into that bubble of space that previously set their son off worse. Ginny rubs her cheek against her shoulder, smearing the tears more than wiping them away.
To their immense surprise, Aries is happy to go into his father's arms now. He holds his son, turning their babe away so Ginny can cry as she needs. Draco babbles on for a moment, saying this new magic word as much as he can and listening to Aries' loud giggle fits.
When Draco looks over at his wife, she's smiling big and wide through cried-out eyes.
"And I like your Mummy's dimples most of all."
Three months later, Aries is still prone to breaking into giggle fits anytime the word is said.
They've been slow to wean him. It had been a small point of contention between them. Draco was never breastfed, while Ginny had been up until she was a year old. So, at seven and a half months old, they start introducing him to real, solid but soft food.
He was taking very well to it, eagerly swallowing spoonful after spoonful of pureed carrots and mashed peas. He was particularly drawn towards fruits.
Ginny rubbed her face gently against his, making him smile big and gummy, only a couple of his tiny teeth having come through. "I like your dimples, baby." She kissed his rosy cheek, and Aries laughed until he seemed to remember there was a mashed banana on the line; then, he was babbling nonsense sounds, trying to grab the bowl.
"He's got an appetite like you do," he teased. Ginny scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"If I weren't so preoccupied, I'd swat your you-know-what." She says sweetly, spooning the banana into Aries' waiting mouth.
Draco knows he's lucky to have them.
Now that Aries was ten months old and trying to form words—earlier than most babies, much to Draco's immense delight—they were both expecting his first word would be 'dimples.' They're so convinced they hardly bother pressing him towards 'mummy' or 'daddy'.
Draco's parents are still overwhelmed by the whole ordeal of Christmas at the burrow, but they're invited nonetheless, so Christmas Eve is spent at Malfoy Manor while the day of is spent at the Burrow. Having a mutual grandchild was now bringing both sides of their families together twice a year.
Christmas Eve, Draco is sitting beside his mother. She's entirely enraptured by her grandson, cooing her love for him softly and already promising to spoil him. Father comes back from his office, holding a parchment envelope in his hands. He stoops to kiss Narcissa's head as he passes and casually comments, "I believe he likes you more than me, Cissa."
Aries' running babble changes. He repeats the same sound a few times until, at the last moment, Draco realises what he's saying. "Cis-ah!" He giggles and squeezes Narcissa's fingers that were tracing along the pattern of his warm, fleece onesie.
Ginny laughs, and Draco baulks. Narcissa looks between them, her blue eyes wide with shock. "Was that?" She trails off when Aries draws her attention by grabbing at the shiny silver buttons of her sleeve.
"His first word? Yeah," Ginny answers when her airy laughter dies. "We were sure it was gonna be dimples."
Narcissa blinks, her gaze drawn momentarily from her grandson. "Dimples?" She asks.
Ginny, grinning, leaves him to explain when Lucius pulls her out of the room to talk and drink.
Draco loves her. He loves them both.