"Will you come float my boats?" The boy asked, giving Severus a toothy grin.
Severus laughed. "Of course Draco"
Severus and Draco had floated Draco's boats. Severus then had the idea to charm the boats with a voice command charm so they could race them together in the bathtub. It was nice seeing Draco happy for a change, Severus thought.
The two of them were cheering for their boat to get to the other side of the tub before the other one by shouting as loud as they could. Just as Severus thought nothing could go wrong...
"Draco!"
Draco's head jerked up, his expression instantly changed from pure happiness to scared and frightened, like it was whenever Lucius was around.
"Draco! I hope you're not in the bathroom, I need to take a shower!" Lucius could be heard thudding up the stairs. Draco squeaked in fear, and hurriedly began to gather up the boats from the water. Severus quickly drained the water and ushered Draco out of the bathroom and into his chambers before Lucius saw them.
Draco was panting heavily. "That was close!" He sighed, sliding down the wall he was leaning against until he landed on the floor with a loud thud. Severus nodded, releasing the breath he didn't even know he was holding. He would have to be more careful, though it had been fun to play with Draco.
A few days later Severus went to visit the Zabini's. It was raining and the skies were grey. He rapped on the door twice. The door creaked open in protest as a young woman, far too young to be a parent, cautiously opened the door an inch, just enough to see through. Her shoulder length blonde hair stood out like the sun in the gloomy rain. Severus sighed. He knew the Zabini's were protective and they had had a bad past with the Malfoy's, but they didn't need to be that cautious.
"Yes?" The young lady snapped, tapping her foot impatiently.
"Hello, Mrs Zabini, I am Severus Snape, I'm working with the Malfoy's with their son..." Severus started. The woman's eyes flashed dangerously at the word Malfoy. She glared at Severus and slammed the door as hard as she could. Severus bit his lip; he knew she would do that so he had wedged his foot in place of a doorstopper. The woman ignored me, turning her back to Severus as if she was going to leave.
"Will you just hear me out?" Severus snapped through ground teeth. He was starting to get just a little bit irritated. The woman just tilted her nose and tried to shut the door again.
"I heard that your family knew of a remedy for sleeping conditions.
The woman stopped trying to dislodge Severus' foot, and turned to look at him.
"We only give our concoctions to people who desperately need it" She hissed at him. Severus stared at the woman, pleading her with his eyes.
"This is desperate" He said softly, staring into her bright blue eyes.
"Draco only sleeps about three or four hours a day, please, I really could use you help."
Mrs Zabini sighed and motioned for Severus to follow her inside.
"Draco should be five, correct?" Mrs Zabini asked. Severus nodded in agreement.
He watched as Mrs Zabini poured a clear, colourless liquid into a bottle with a blue tint in it that she had retrieved from a nearby cupboard.
"It's more effective for the young." She explained when Severus raised his eyebrows at her in question. He nodded. It was probably some wormroot mixture.
"Give him three drops of this every evening, best to put it in some sort of liquid." Mrs Zabini explained. "The potion itself works best on unsuspecting targets, so if I were you, I wouldn't tell him about it." She advised him. Severus smiled as he handed him the bottle.
"Thank you" He said sincerely. "I promise to pay you back one day" He said with a slight smile. The corners of Mrs Zabini's mouth twitched upwards ever so slightly. Severus stood up, and they shook hands.
"I'll hold you to that" She said as Severus walked through the door.
Severus made a short detour to the shops to buy some pumpkin juice, which was Draco's favourite drink. Lucius didn't approve of Draco drinking anything but water during the nights, as he kept complaining about how his teeth would rot quicker. But Severus doubted Draco would drink it if it was just plain water.
When Severus got back to Malfoy Manor, it was nearly Draco's bed time. While Draco was in the bathroom getting ready for the upcoming night, Severus brought up a small glass of pumpkin juice. He uncorked the small bottle, and added three drops of the potion into the juice. Severus had just pocketed the small bottle when Draco entered the room. He smiled when he saw Severus.
"Hello Draco, I brought you some pumpkin juice in case you get thirsty in the night." Severus smiled warmly, and Draco returned it. To Severus' utmost surprise, the little boy came up to him and hugged him around his waist.
"I have something else for you as well" Severus smiled. He reached into his pocket and retrieved a small cuddly tiger. It was very similar to Leo and it was Draco's second favourite toy. Draco's mouth made a small "o" as he cuddled the tiger.
"Thank you! I bet I'll sleep really well now" He giggled. Severus ruffled the boy's hair as he said goodnight.
A/N: This turned out rather bad, I'm so sorry :/