I woke up rather early the next morning so I could actually have a little bit of time to myself. Mainly to shave, I was looking quite scruffy. I made my way to the bathroom, wearing my dressing gown and hoping that the children would not wake up for at least a half hour. As I pulled out my razor I began to look forward to having a cup of coffee and reading the paper. My bubble was burst however, when Harry bounded into the bathroom, hair everywhere and eyes bright. I found I didn’t mind, much.

"Morning Uncle Sev!" he cried, throwing his arms around my legs and looking up at me. "Whatcha doing?"

"Shaving," I told him dryly.

"Really? Can I shave too?" he asked, excited.

"You’re a bit young Harry," I said. His face fell.

"Oh."

"Hang on," I said, glancing at the small bucket of bath toys in the corner, recallng something I had seen the other day. I picked up a little box, a toy shaving kit Minerva must have bought. "It looks like you can."

"Yay!" Harry said, grinning as I pulled the toy razor out of the box along with some foam soap.

I ran a little water into the sink and helped Harry spread the play shaving foam on his face. When Harry was all set up I began myself, spreading some foam on my face as well.

"Hi Harry hi Uncle Sev what are you doing isn’t it a nice morning is that a razor you’re holding Uncle Sev I hope it isn’t real are you sure your parents know you have something sharp what if you cut yourself then what-’

"Good morning Hermione," I sighed, leaning back from the mirror. "Harry and I are shaving, why don’t you start getting dressed."

"Forget that I want to shave can I shave too please Uncle Sev-"

"Hermione, girls don’t grow moustaches," I pointed out.

"My Aunt Marge does," Harry piped up. I fought back laughter.

"Shaving looks fun!" Hermione said.

Oh what the hell. Why not.

"I suppose you can shave then, if Harry’s Aunt has to…" I said, struggling to remain sober.

After setting Hermione up and making a copy of Harry’s toy razor for her with a spot of magic, we could finally begin. I must admit, it was quite cute to watch Harry mimic my every move. And then there was Hermione’s technique: all over the place but clearly having a grand time.

"Morning Severus," Minerva said, poking her head around the door frame. "Hermione left her storybook at Albus’s yesterday so I thought I’d drop it by. I hope it’s not too early."

"Minerva!" I said, slightly scandalized. "I’m shaving!’

"Yeah, we’re shaving!" Harry cried back. For once Hermione said nothing, seeing as she was too busy "shaving" the tip of her nose.

Minerva laughed and muttered something along the lines of  “I knew that kit was a good choice.”

"Hang on, how’d you get in?" I inquired as she turned to leave.

"Oh, the portrait in your office," she told me casually.

I would have to have a chat with old Salazar … Stupid painting.

***

The morning passed fairly uneventfully, other than Hermione bragging to the Hufflepuffs during lunch that I taught her to shave “He’s real good at it he’s smart maybe he can teach you-”.

Of course, I knew the peace couldn’t last, for when Harry and Hermione were having their afternoon nap somebody tumbled clumsily out of my fire.

"Severus?" the boy asked uncertainly, picking himself off my hearth.

"Draco, what are you doing here?" I inquired, looking at the blonde haired boy, who was currently brushing the soot out of his hair.

"Er, can I stay with you for the day? Mother and Father are well, fighting. Again," he whispered, fiddling with the button on his cloak.

Normally I would say yes right away, but under the circumstances I wasn’t sure I could trust him not to tell what happened.

This was not an uncommon occurrence, for Narcissa and Lucius to fight and Draco to spend the day with me. Such conflicts happened frequently in pure-blood families, seeing as most marriages, like Lucius and Narcissa’s were arranged. Poor Draco/ Tthat was no way to spend Christmas eve.

"Yes," I said, throwing caution to the winds. "You aren’t the only company I have though."

"Who else is here?" Draco asked anxiously, looking about the room. "Your cousin?"

"No ... can you keep a secret?" I said, knowing he could if he agreed. Draco, whatever others said, was quite good at keeping quiet if he wanted to be. I was the only one who knew that Narcissa and Lucius fought frequently.

"Yeah, I guess so," he said cautiously, clearly wondering what I was going to reveal.

"Follow me. But you must promise to tell anyone, not even a friend," I told him with the tone of voice I only used when something was extremely important.

"I promise," Draco replied, eyes widening with the seriousness of my voice.

I led him over to Harry and Hermione’s room, quietly opened the door and stepped aside for him to see.

"You have kids?!" he hissed at me, shocked.

"Don’t be ridiculous; they aren’t mine! Can’t you recognize them?" I growled slightly.

"Well the black haired one does looks sort of like you but I don’t think I’ve seen the one with the bushy hair bef- Wait, Granger? How?"

"All thanks to your idiotic potion mishap. Now you know why you have detention every Friday night after the holidays," I said, shutting the door and leading him back into the living room.

"Oh … oops."

"You’ve got that right."

"Hang on, if that one is Granger, than the black haired one is … Potter!" Draco said, "I am not spending my Christmas Eve with Potter."

Draco made for the fireplace, but I grabbed his sleeve.

"He’s different, you have no idea …" I told him, begging him to understand me. "Stay, get to know him."

"No," Draco whispered, pulling at his sleeve.

"For me. Please."

The boy looked at me, shocked. I never pleaded. He was silent for a moment, but I could see he understood how important this was to me.

"Okay. For you then," he relented, shaking his arm loose from my grasp.

"Thank you Draco," I told him. "You’ll see soon."

***

"Come on Harry, Draco isn’t going to hurt you," I told Harry, who had been cowering under my cloak and eyeing the Slytherin boy fearfully since he woke up from his nap. Though Hermione did not have a problem with Draco in the least, Harry was not so trusting.

"Why don’t you come and color with me?" said Draco, doing his best to get along with Harry. "I don’t think I can color this big picture all on my own."

"Yes Harry you should help him I like to read better and I’m busy you should help Draco he needs you-" Hermione babbled over a picture book.

Harry burrowed further into my cloak. I sighed. Well, it seemed it was time for a new strategy; dignity be damned. I made my way to Draco and sat down next to him, causing Harry to detach himself from my robe with a squeak and hide behind the sofa.

Draco looked at me, confused as I picked up a crayon and began to color. I gestured for him to do so as well.

"My, what fun this is," I said enthusiastically, watching the little boy out of the corner of my eye. Harry perked up a bit, and poked his head out from behind the sofa to see what we were doing.

"Yes, this is really fun," Draco agreed, going along with my strategy, but still a little shocked by my methods judging by the glances he was giving me. 

Harry inched out further, watching me select a new crayon. He twitched slightly, almost as if he wanted to join in.

"Look, there’s a picture of a dragon on the next page, isn’t that a bit like a dinosaur?" I asked Draco loudly, glancing over at Harry momentarily.

Harry fidgeted, clearly thinking hard. After a moment he slid cautiously over to where we were, eyeing the picture of the dragon with barely contained excitement.

"C-can I c-color too?" he whispered, looking at Draco with apprehension written upon his little face.

"Yes, that would be really great," Draco told him, smiling and handing Harry a red crayon. This earned Draco a shy smile.

***

"I’m gonna get you!" I heard Draco shout. The sound of feet across the floor could be heard. Alarmed, I poked my head out of my lab, hearing terrified screams.

"What on earth is going on here?" I said, ready to hand out lectures. I’d been in my lab barely three minutes and things had already gone to utter Hell. In the chaos of the situation they didn’t appear to hear me.

"No, don’t eat me!" Harry giggled. "Uncle Sev, don’t let the dragon get me!"

Wait, what?!

"ROAAARRR!" spouted Draco, stomping across the room to Hermione, who squealed and ran into a corner.

"Aah! Mynee look out!" Harry pointed.

"I’ve got you now ,Hermione!" said Draco.

There I stood, dumbstruck in the doorway of my lab. Nobody would believe what I was seeing: Draco Malfoy playing a childish game for the amusement of Potter and Granger. Hell has surely frozen over.

"Help Harry or Uncle Sev he’s gonna eat me I don’t wanna be eated!" Hermione shouted from the corner as Draco closed in, sitting down and scrunching herself up real small.

"ROOAARR!" crowed Draco, having trapped Hermone.

"Eek!" squealed Hermione

"Do you know what a dragon does before it eats its victims?" Draco questioned, a sparkle in his eye.

"What oh what I hope it’s not bad!"

"He tickles them!"

"Ahh!" Hermione squealed with delight as Draco tickled her feet.

"I’ll save you Mynee!" Harry cried, running over to the pair and standing between them, arms spread and face set in a determined expression.

Ever the hero.

"Well, I guess I’ll have to tickle you too!" the Slytherin told Harry, who burst into giggles as belly was tickled.

"Ehhmm," I cleared my throat. Draco looked up at me suddenly, realising that I was in fact present.

"Er, hi Severus," he said sheepishly, looking rather embarrassed that he had gotten caught doing something as childish as playing. He stopped tickling the children, and sat cross legged, waiting for me to say something.

"It’s good to see you three getting along," I commented. Smiling slightly as Harry plopped down in Draco’s lap, much to his surprise.

"Draco is lots of fun its hard not to like him can he stay forever I love Draco-’

"Hermione, Draco is just visiting, but if he wants he can come tobogganing with us today," I said, waiting for the children to catch onto what I had said.

"Tobganing?" Harry said from Draco’s lap, eyes wide. "We’re going Tobabganing? What’s that?"

"You’ve never been tobogganing It’s lots of fun you sit on a toboggan and slide down snowy hills I like it lots sometimes if it snows enough mummy takes me tobogganing-’

"Yes Harry." I said. "There is a lot of snow out and I thought you and Hermione would like to play in it, seeing as it is Christmas eve." I said.

Draco perked up, looking hopeful.

"I can come?" he asked me.

"Yes, you can. If you need I can lend you a scarf and mittens."

"Hooray!" Harry whooped.

"Yay yay yay Draco’s coming tobogganing I love Draco he’s great-’

"Thanks Severus," Draco said, glowing with excitement.

***

"Why do you get the newer one?" Draco complained to me as we trudged over to one of the smaller slopes of the Hogwarts grounds.

"Because I asked Hagrid first; it’s not my fault his only other toboggan is a little worn," I told Draco slightly exasperatedly.

He had been moaning about how rickety his toboggan was since I had sent him to Hagrids to borrow another, seeing as we hadn’t enough room on one. They were rather small after all, and I had borrowed it the other day, not knowing Draco might drop by.

"Well if it breaks, I bloody well hope my neck doesn’t go with it," Draco moaned.

"Language Draco!" I scolded.

"You’re not supposed to say that that’s a bad word what are you thinking your daddy will be mad he will-’

"My Uncle says bad words all the time, ‘specially when he’s talkin' about me," Harry told me plainly, one had in mine and the other swinging about.

"Yeah, same with my father," Draco said to Harry in a slightly surprised tone.

"My family is a bunch of meanies," Harry said, looking over to Draco this time. "Is yours too?"

"I guess," Draco said gloomily.

A brief silence fell upon us, in which we could hear nothing but the crunching of snow beneath our feet. It was Harry who broke the silence, with words that still shock me when I recall them.

"Hey, why don’t we be a pretend family! Mynee, Uncle Sev and you and me!" Harry said sweetly, slipping his other hand into Draco’s.

"You know, I think I might just like that," said Draco slowly, looking down at Harry as if he was seeing a whole new person before him.

***

"Just because I came along does not mean I will strap myself to that ridiculous thing and slide down a treacherous slope." I stated from the top of the hill Draco had suggested, which looked much steeper than it had at the foot.

"Come on Severus, don’t be so boring. A little bit of fun won’t hurt you," Draco panted, dragging both the toboggans up the hill for Harry and Hermione. He had been attempting to get me to have a go for at least twenty minutes. "Try it."

"No," I said.

"Come on."

"No," I said loudly.

"Coward," Draco said.

"I am not a coward," I growled, making Harry look at me warily.

"Then prove it," Draco told me.

"Fine then," I said, taking one of the ropes he was holding. I pulled the toboggan toward the edge of the slope and glared at him.

"Well, go on," nudged Draco, looking quite amused as he flashed a triumphant grin toward me. He knew I wouldn’t back out now.

What worried me the most was that mischevious sparkle in his eyes I had seen before. He was up to something.

I gritted my teeth and sat down on the contraption, looking down over the edge of the hill and clenching the rope tightly. My stomach clenched painfully. And no, I was not afraid. Not of a stupid little hill!

"You can do it Uncle Sev!" Harry encouraged as I began to hesitate.

"Yeah it’s so much fun you’ll love it-’

"Need a push?" Draco mocked lightly.

"Certainly not," I hissed, striking my hands against the ground and setting myself into motion, sliding down the hill and rapidly gaining momentum. It was then I realized that I had picked the old toboggan, and just why Draco had had that sparkle in his eye.

Okay, now I was afraid.

There was a huge ledge directly in my path, with a very sharp drop. I gave a rather loud shout as I was catapulted high up into the air with the toboggan. For a moment I hung there, observing the snow rushing below me as I seemingly floated on air. And then I began to fall, speeding toward the ground at a frightening pace. There was a loud crunch as the toboggan hit the ground, the runner had broken off completely, causing the the toboggan to swerve sideways and send me into a barrel roll down the hill. It was quite some time before I came to rest in a pile of rubble, face in a snow bank.

"Eoow!" I yelped as I attempted to extricate myself from the pieces of splintered wood. Meanwhile Draco howled with laughter at the top of the hill, falling about the snow like and idiot.

"You have no idea how many splinters I have," I told Draco, wincing as I reached to top of the hill and picking bits of wood out of my robes.

"Oww … hurts… so … funny!" gasped the blonde as he attempted to stand.

"Sure, laugh away while I’m in pain," I grumped, massaging my wrist, which was throbbing something fierce.

"Are you ok Uncle Sev?" Harry whispered, tugging at me cloak.

"Mostly," I said trying to keep the pain out of my voice as I pulled off my mitten to examine my right wrist, which was beginning to bruise nicely.

"Eww you should get that looked at it’s all funny colors Uncle Sev," Hermione informed me.

"Actually, I think that’s a good idea Hermione," I said, hissing with pain as I felt the bones.

***

"You convinced him to go off Suicide Ridge?" Poppy rounded on Draco as she fussed over my swollen and painful wrist. "What on earth were you thinking!"

"Suicide Ridge?" I asked, ignoring the steady throb that had now snaked up my arm.

"Yeah, that’s what the students call the spot you went down," Draco shrugged before turning to Madam Pomfrey to defend himself. "And he could have gone down the safe side I took Harry and Hermione on. He chose to go down there!"

"You know as well as I that you cannot see that ledge until you’re right on top of it. The number of students that have broken bones there …" Poppy scolded. Draco rubbed the back of his neck, looking guilty. I sensed I would get an apology later.

"Is Uncle Sev gonna be ok?" Harry whispered to Madam Pomfrey.

"He’ll be fine dear," Poppy told him, shooing him into a chair next to Hermione.

I winced slightly as Poppy waved her wand, setting my bone with a crack. The pain was gone in moments however, as a warm light emanated from my arm.

"All done," chimed Poppy. "How does it feel?"

"Perfectly fine," I said, swivelling my wrist about.

"Yay that’s good can we go have dinner now I’m hungry I wonder what we’re eating I hope it’s broccoli soup that’s my favourite-" Hermione bubbled, leaping of her chair and tugging at my sleeve.

I got up, gesturing for the boys to follow. Harry leapt up obediently, grabbing onto Draco’s hand.

***

After dinner in my quarters, Draco pulled a snitch he used for practice from his pocket and let it loose so Harry could go after it. I watched with amusement from over top a book.

"Reach Harry!" said the Slytherin as Harry scrambled to get it. Within moments it was in his grasp.

"I got it I got it!" he squealed, jumping up and down.

"Great job Harry. I bet you’ll be really good when you get older. They’ll probably let you on the Quidditch team," Draco laughed.

"You really think so?"

"You bet," Draco told him, shooting a grin in my direction, eyes laughing. I shook my head at his antics, finding it hard not to chuckle along with him.

It was so strange how different the Draco I knew was from the Draco the students knew. My Draco loved a good laugh, but not in the mean sense the students saw. What they did not know was that Draco put on a show to cover up the scars and fears he didn’t mind me seeing.

    His parents cared for him, but were often very harsh and at odds with each other. A lot of the time Draco went unnoticed by them, forgotten even. The main problem I thought was that Narcissa and Lucius had a rather cold parenting style. They acted in a way that often seemed as if they didn’t care. But they did, just not in the way Draco needed. What Draco really needed was a father who listened to what he had to say. For if Lucius listened, he would understand that his son was not the happy boy he assumed him to be.

    The world saw a high status boy who was part of a wealthy family and had everything he could want; but I saw just another boy, who was a little lost and afraid. Out of curiosity I had considered bringing him to the Mirror of Erised, just to find out what he saw. I don’t think it would have been fame, which others thought he desired more than anything. I think it would have been love.