The Slytherin Prince [Draco Malfoy]

Prologue III

"So you're saying I can make my own baby food..?" Severus asked softly, arching one of his eyebrow in confusion.
"Yes! Just squash whatever nutritious fruits and vegetables together then you're good to go!" Madam Rosmerta exclaimed. "You know I remembered my little Brian loved the ones with apples and bananas." She laughed and continued wiping down the tables. Right now there wasn't a lot of people in the Three Broomsticks.

"Would you mind keeping it down?" Snape asked, clutching his teeth tightly together, both in embarrassment and helplessness. Without her help, he couldn't raise a child by his own, not to mention a little girl! To think an ex-Death Eater like him would have to go around asking such things.

"Oh Severus why are you asking so many questions about a baby that's really funny coming out from you," she chuckled without caring about the state of blackness on Snape's face. He cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Research." He placed a few galleons on the table, more than what was needed for the coffee he ordered.

"Let's keep this within ourselves." He said with a hard look before leaving the inn, his black cloak flowing behind him. "Oh thanks for the tip!" Madam Rosmerta shouted before the door closes and pocketed that few extra sickles.

Severus in his quick pace reached his home in no time. Spinner's End. Before he could push the door wide open like he always does, he was reminded of a little sleepy kid in his house. So he opened the door swiftly, trying to keep it down.

"Master Severus, welcome home." Severus almost forgot the house elf he employed a few days ago. He couldn't take care of the girl every single time, considering he was a professor now.

"Baxter. Is she awake?" Severus passed him his outer coat which he took quickly.
"No master. Baxter has been watching her like master had told me to." He replied obediently, tugging onto the piece of rag on him you can hardly call clothing.
"Go make dinner." Baxter bowed politely and went to the kitchen. After finishing the meal, Severus went to check on her, and she was thankfully still asleep in her crib.
"Baxter, go get the supplies she needs." Severus said vaguely. "What would master want sir? Creature will get everything!"

Severus thought painfully long about what Madam Rosmerta had told him. "Perhaps some new clothes of her size, diapers, new baby toys. And get some groceries too, some fruits and vegetables." Severus threw him a bag of galleons.
"Yes master." With a snap of his finger, Baxter disapparated, obeying his master's wishes.

Not too long after, Baxter reappeared with so many things hanging on his small body he zig-zagged towards the kitchen, with the apples falling out in the process. Severus shut his book with a loud thud and knocked the back of his head. "You fool!"

Baxter immediately dropped his stuff.
"Sorry master! Baxter deserves to be punished," He noticed the cupboard and ran towards it and started banging his head on it over and over again, muttering "Bad Baxter!"

Severus rolled his eyes and seethed, "Enough."  Soon, cries could be heard from outside and Severus turned to glare at him. "Now look what you've done..!" He strides out to her crib and her cries just gets louder by second.

"Shh! SHH!!" He shushed loudly and she cried louder. "Baxter come here and coax her!" Severus then went back to the kitchen and brought out his mortar and pestle to squash the apples and bananas like what he was told. He may have no experience as a caretaker but he definitely had no problems with cutting and crushing ingredients like the great potions master he is. Within 3 minutes a bowl of creamy baby food was done.

Outside, Baxter was still trying hard to distract the tiny life inside the crib by making funny faces and weird noises. But she didn't even looked at him for a second. Severus shook his head and ordered him away sternly before holding her up and placing her on her baby chair and started feeding her spoon by spoon. Soon she was eating attentively, eyes wide observing his motions and opening her mouth before the spoon came. Severus's expression did not change one bit in front of this 'cute as a button', but one couldn't miss the way his eyes glimmered with a tad bit of gentleness for this little creature.