Chapter Three: Sleepless Night Part Two

Draco secretly believed the dark mark sucked the ability to sleep out of you. Since he joined the Dark Lord's ranks, sleep eluded him.

At first, he didn't mind. It was summer anyway when it started. And he enjoyed the long nights alone to enjoy the silence of his house. He found them tranquil. Besides, nobody cared when he slept the mornings away. His mother had too much on her mind anyway. He supposed he'd be a wreck too if the love of his life was wallowing away in a blackhole while she lived with the worry that he'll die before she'll ever see him again. In her defense, she did try to keep a brave face for him while he was home. But that wasn't to say she didn't try to talk to him about what was going on. Though, she couldn't offer him assurances. To her credit, she was never a mother who sugarcoated things for him. She told him things he already knew. Like how they had to be extra careful now. How things were going to be bad, for a while, before they'll ever start to look good.

If they were ever going to be in the Dark Lord's good graces again, he would have to prove himself able to make up for his father's shortcomings. He would have to be a good spy. He would have to prove himself craftier, smarter than his father. He had to be the perfect, clever, stoic servant. Like his godfather.

He hadn't slept more than two hours continuously since he got back to Hogwarts. Every time he managed to fall asleep the Dark Lord's voice would slither into his dreams, reminding him with flashes of his father's misery, what would happen to his entire family should he fail.

But how could he plot when his eyes couldn't bare the garish sunlight coming through his classroom's windows? How was his supposed to think of a plan to fulfill his order when his head felt like it was filled with mud? He couldn't bare it. He needed sleep. He needed rest, desperately. And that's why he found himself, half-dead, in front of Snape's office door his limbs so heavy from exhaustion he could barely bring himself to knock.

"Uncle Sev." He called his woozy head pressed against the coolness of the wooden door. No sound signaled life. He knocked again, harder. "Uncle Sev! Open up before I pass out."

He was relieved to heard movement on the other side of the door. He was so sleep-deprived he barely stirred when he heard a distinctly feminine voice ask, "Who's that?"

"Shit," Snape hissed as he threw his pants back on.

"Who's that?" Ariel asked as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and picked his cloak from the ground.

"One of my students." Snape replied. When he buckled his belt, he took his wand out and performed a silencing spell over the room to spare himself from his godson's nosy tendencies.

"Your students call you Uncle Sev?" She asked with amusement.

"Just the pain in the ass ones," he said, buttoning his shirt back on. He then glanced over to watch Ariel wrap herself with his cloak. Sentimentality swam over him as he confessed, "Last night was…phenomenal."

Ariel giggled. "I agree."

They shared a devious smile as they continued to hurriedly dress themselves.

"So, what are your big plans for your first day on land?" Snape inquired.

"First, I'm going to get some clothes. Know anywhere good?"

"Diagon Alley has plenty of places."

"Perfect. After that, I don't know. I guess look up some old friends." She gave him a sly look when she added, "Possibly go on a date with this young, golden throated professor I just met. If he ever gets around to telling me his schedule."

Snape let out a breathy, slightly embarrassed but deeply flattered laugh. He felt his infatuation for her double in that instant. "Tomorrow? After six? We can get dinner at the Bearded Unicorn."

Ariel beamed. "Sounds perfect."

They stepped towards another to kiss but another heavy-handed knock interrupted them.

"Little shit," Snape muttered.

Ariel chuckled, then pecked his nose. "Got any floo powder?" She took the crown from her messenger bag and pushed it towards his stomach. "I'll pay you back I promise."

Snape pushed the crown back towards her gently. "You don't have to pay me. Last night was plenty."

"Of course, I still owe you. God, didn't anybody ever teach you to never work for free?"

"Why don't you sell it? We'll split whatever you get." Snape said with a smile. "That way you have money to start your new life and I don't go to Azkaban for possession of and attempting to sell stolen merfolk artifact."

"Oh, good point." Ariel said as she stuffed the crown back into her bag.

Together, they walked over to the fireplace. Snape performed Wingardium Leviosa to remove the boiling cauldron from the fire. Ariel extinguished the flame with a glass of water found on his desk. She stepped into the fireplace and gave Snape one last adoring smile. "It was nice to meet you, Professor Severus."

"It was exceedingly nice to meet you, Miss. Ariel."

She tossed the floo powder at the ground, crying out, "Diagon Alley." With a loud blast of green flame, she was gone and Snape stood there, staring at the spot she last stood wistfully, before he remembered Draco.

"What?" Snape said when he opened the door to find Draco's slumped against the brick hallway wall. "Oh, Lord. Draco you look…"

"Like elf shit? I'm aware." Draco said, lifting his head to reveal a haggard, shallow face and a pair of empurpled, puffy eyes. He rubbed his temples and asked, "Who were you talking to?"

"No one."

Draco gave him a mischievous grin. "She didn't sound like no one."

Snape glowered at him. "What was so urgent, Mr. Malfoy?"

"There's no way I can go to class today. I haven't slept in weeks. I'm so run down I'm convinced if I stay awake another hour, I'm going to literally drop dead. I need a sleeping draught." Snape would have told him no had the boy not added, with the most desperate little voice, "Please."

Snape let out a heavy exhale which Draco knew was a sign of relent. He smiled at Snape as he retreated back into his office. "So, what's her name?" He said teasingly. He couldn't help himself. Teasing Uncle Sev was one of his favorite pastimes, besides goading Potter and writing hilarious diss tracks about his enemies.

"Nope."

"Fine. Don't tell me. I'll just ask her when I meet her."

"Sod off."

A second later, Snape was in the doorway with a small glass vial in his hand. Draco reached for it but he withdrew his hand, telling him firmly, "Don't make this into a habit."

"I won't," Draco promised, snatching the vial from his hand, uncorking it and tossing its contents down his throat. It hit his stomach with a burning sensation before he felt the wavy warmth, warning him to find a bed soon before he would pass out mid-step. In a bratty slur, he told Snape, "Thank you Uncle Sevy."

"Sod off," Snape said unenthusiastically as he stepped aside allowing Draco to enter his bedroom.

"I love you," Draco said in a childish little voice as he crawled underneath Snape's blankets.

"I love you too, you little shit," Snape said softly as he closed the door.