Chapter Text
Draco was four when he waddled out into the garden, at the rear of his Aunt Bellatrix, that he called Auntie, or Bella when he wanted to get under her skin, which often worked immediately.
The ground was damp, and the heels of Bellatrix's boots make revolting sounds as they squelched into the watery mud. It was the typical English day, it had rained all morning and during most of the afternoon, and it had only recently ceased, courtesy of heavy grey clouds to replace them. Bellatrix, who was babysitting her nephew on this particular day always had a way of amazing little Draco.
Her hair was nothing like Draco's mummy's, despite them being sisters.
It was long, thick, black and curly and looked truly splendid. Auntie Bella usually only wore her hair down in a magnificent halo of curls, her whole persona radiated a mix of pride, confidence and an undeniable penchant for sarcastic comments.
Draco had always known his aunt was beautiful, but he often forgot the sheer extent of her striking features until he saw her again, which, thankfully, was quite often.
"Auuuuntie ?" Draco started in his characteristic baby voice which he was, despite himself, stuck with at just four years of age. The upside was that it often made his mum waver whenever she was telling him off.
"Whaaaat, little Drakey ?" She answered with exaggerated exasperation. Whenever someone else used that particular nickname, he hated it, saying it was dreadful, and would sulk, but, its creator was apprently entitled to a pass becauss Draco had never minded his aunt calling him as such.
"Can we play a gaaaame ?" Drakey extended his syllable in perfect mirroring of the first time, and of his aunt.
"Another one ?!" Bellatrix halted, huffed with exaggeration, and put her hands on her hips. But the hyperbolic annoyance's credibility was quickly brought down by the ghost of an amused smirk on her full pink lips.
"Oh yes ! Auntie, Auntie ! Let's play Hide 'N Seek, pleeeease !" Baby Draco had started hopping up and down in excitement and anticipation, splashing small amounts of brown water all around, some landing on his aunt's long black coat that came to her ankles, but were still saved from the muddy ground's contagious colours thanks to the extraordinary height of her heels.
"Ugh. Fine, but I am warning you little munchkin, you're the one counting this time, I've counted at least thirty-six thousand times !" Auntie Bella cried, extending her pointed finger, tipped with a slick black nail to boop him on the nose.
"Fine, fine !" The toddler ran happily to the nearest tree, nearly tripping over a twig as he did, which momentarily made Bellatrix's breath catch before she rolled her eyes and watched Drakey bury his face in his hands, press himself against the tree and start counting loudly, occasionally forgetting numbers or messing their order up.
Bellatrix smiled and quickly ran into the nearby bramble, making an unnatural amount of noise, just to hint her nephew at her hiding spot.
Once the little boy had counted enough to reach what he at least thought was one hundred, he shrieked in glee and started running clumsily about, in typical toddler fashion.
The amazingly childish demonstration of blinding joy quickly faded and replaced itself with the toddler's version of logic, as he remembered the sounds he had heard earlier on. He set off towards the bushes.
He forced his way through the branches, not scared in the slightest, as he knew Auntie Bella wasn't far away.
After barely a few minutes spent looking around, a twig broke under someone else's foot right by Draco's side. He yelped in delight and whipped around, but, before he could even register the situation, a strong arm scooped him up and threw him up high in the air.
Bellatrix caught her nephew she had thrown moments ago with practised ease. She let out her signature cackle, which resonated through the grounds of Malfoy Manor. The tiny wizard shrieked in ecstatic wonder as he buried his glowing flushed face in his aunt's neck, his white-blond hair disheveled but his eyes bright and burning with sparkling delight.
"Gotcha, Drakey !" Bellatrix planted kisses all over her nephew's head, which made him giggle as he suckled on one of her long strands of hair, which she only let him do rarely.
"Auntiiiie, I was supposed to find you !" He whined playfully.
"Well, too bad, baby, you looked so clueless I thought you would never find me !" She smiled and he softened even more.
Even at such a young age, Draco was an extremely observant and perceptive.The shocking beauty of his aunt's real smile, showing all her pearly whites and sharp canines was a rare sight, and one to be cherished indeed. It was uniquely and unequivocally reserved for family. To anyone else, she always wore a crafted smirk, almost artistic in its intention.
"C'mon, we better get home before your mummy gets her knickers in a twist !" The saying had always been hilarious to little Drakey, and this time was no exception as he let himself ungracefully carried back to the house, the sound of his giggles following the pair back through the wet grass.
Back at the house, Narcissa had indeed rushed out in a quicker fashion than necessary. Bellatrix, whose wild hair was flowing behind her, set down her baby nephew who instantly ran to his mother and wrapped himself around her leg.
"Bella ! It's 7:34 ! He should have eaten half an hour ago !" Narcissa scolded her elder sister, who smiled in an enigmatic way and jokingly put her hands up in the air.
"I don't know how the boy'll survive, Cissy. Thirty whole minutes past his usual supper time ?! By Merlin, how shall his helicopter mother ever forgive me ?!" Bellatrix rolled her eyes playfully and stepped inside, Cissy smiled despite herself while tiny Drakey peeled himself from her leg and waddled away to the dining room. Both women slipped their arms around each other's, as of sealing an old promise and walked along behind him, familial joy still tinting the scene of the same light orange as outside.