Written for a prompt on spanking_world. Severus is a little too cheeky with Molly Weasley.
Severus Snape was not an easy man to get along with at the best of times. Today however, was not the best of times. He'd spent the entire evening monitoring a detention with those fool hardy Gryffindors. The whinging alone would drive anyone less tolerant than him round the bend for sure. So it was that entered the Order meeting with an even darker scowl than usual firmly in place and with less patience.
He entered the Black house with a sweep of his robes and Molly Weasley looked up from where she was directing several bowls onto the table with her wand. "Hello, Severus. Would you like a cup of tea?"
Obviously the insincere niceties were just too much for him. "In all of the years of our acquaintance have you ever known me to accept anything you have had to offer?" Based on the first shocked and then severely irritated expression on her face, she would not be offering him anything else that night. Or so he thought.
Throughout the entire meeting, Molly offered several glares and twice tsked at his response to another order member. Severus was just about at the end of his patience when Molly followed him out of the dining room after the meeting. "Could I have a word, Severus?"
Snape paused and turned to see a rather firm expression on the woman's face. He was sure she would talk his ear off, but at least he would be rid of her for the time being if he just went now. He nodded once and she led the two of them up the stairs to what appeared to be one of the children's bedrooms.
"What is it?" He barked perhaps forgetting that he was talking to a fellow adult, a seasoned member of the Order of the Phoenix, and a mother of seven children, but the look that she shot him in return made him very aware of all of the those facts and he felt a knot forming in the pit of his stomach. He had rarely ever been on the receiving end of any of those looks, but when he was, he was cautious.
Severus cleared his throat. "What did you need, Mrs. Weasley." Her face softened slightly at his change in tone, but her voice remained firm when she replied.
"I understand that you are in a difficult position, Severus. You must maintain appearances on all fronts, but we are on the same side here and you aren't helping a thing by throwing scathing remarks around like free sweets."
"What are you blathering on about?" That seemed to be some kind of line for Molly. She drew her eyebrows together and glared at the man for a moment and Severus, again, felt that knot, but this time it grew and twisted in a rather uncomfortable way. He must have given something away because Molly nodded her head once and retrieved her wand. "What exactly do you plan on doing with that?"
"Locking the door." With a quick wave the door was, in fact, locked. "I must say I didn't expect it to ever have to come to this, but you're attitude this evening was childish at best. You've done nothing but mope complain. You've uttered not a single helpful word all night and that is unacceptable."
Severus couldn't help the fear that rose in him at her tone. It was not one he had heard often; only by Minerva really and not in a very long time. Still, his occlumency training had taught him to control his external reactions if not his internal ones. "However you may disagree with my reactions to the nonsense that is blubbered by these imbeciles, you have spoken your piece and I will do as I see fit."
"Is that so?"
"Yes." Molly nodded her head, a dreadfully resolute look on her face before she reached up and snagged Severus' ear. She pulled and he had no choice but to follow.
"Release me you insufferable woman."
"Absolutely not!" She said as she led them to the bed on the far wall. "You have been childish since your arrival and I will not stand for it." At that, she released his ear but not before pushing him forward so that his torso lay on the bed. "I do not allow my children to speak to me the way you have tonight, Severus, and I will not accept that kind of behaviour from you either."
She had already removed her wand for the second time and she cast a silencing spell on the door. "With my children, they know better than to get up, but I doubt that would be the case with you. So, you will stay on the bed for the duration of your punishment or it will be extended is that clear."
Severus isn't sure why he didn't simply stand and leave but he remained where he was and simply nodded his head. He was rewarded when Molly placed a warm hand on his back and murmured a quiet 'good boy' at him. It did not make him feel warm or safe. Really.
However the good feelings that he may or may not have been experiencing quickly vanished as he heard a sharp smack followed quickly by a stinging in his rear end. Was she smacking him? No, that couldn't be right, could it?
If the next slap that was placed just under the first was anything to go by she was. Her hand came down rhythmically covering every inch of his hindquarters from the tops of his buttock to the middle of his thighs down one side and then the other.
There was a slow heat building but it was really nothing compared to the tortures that he'd faced at the hands of the dark lord and he didn't know why the woman thought this would do any good. Still, she continued to smack until he was decidedly uncomfortable. There was a pause and he heard her mumbling something.
Then, he felt cool air on his burning skin and heard her murmur a few more words and there was a piece of hard wood placed against his burning skin. "Severus, I realize the position you're in is difficult, but that is absolutely no excuse to behave the way you have tonight." She punctuated her statement with a sharp smack of the paddle.
Severus winced but made no other indication that he'd even felt it. Molly continued. "You are a valued member of the Order but when you treat the other members as you did tonight, you make it hard to interact with you." Three sharp whacks and good god that was starting to smart. "Believe it or not we care about you and your opinion matters to us. When we can't talk to you like adults, no one is comfortable. We worry about you. If you've had a rough day, say something to us." With that she takes off laying down smack after smack and the fire is burning bright. He feels himself trying not to move, not to react but this is ridiculous. He is a grown man. A spy for Dumbledore. He should be able to take much more pain than this.
But he keeps hearing those words playing over and over again in his head. 'we care about you.' No one had ever said something like that to him so blatantly since Lily… No he would not think about her now. But it was too late. The rhythmic smacks were too distracting he couldn't not think of how disappointed she'd be at him. The way he'd treated Mrs. Weasley especially.
It was all just too much. The thoughts of Lily, the inferno in his backside. He needed it to end.
"I…I apologize." He grit out. Molly stopped her assault momentarily.
"For what?"
"For…I apologize for reacting the way I have tonight, and… and I am sorry for the way I have treated you."
Molly beamed down at the man. If she'd known a good walloping would turn the man around she would have done it ages ago. She let three more sharp smacks land on his upper thighs before she replaced his clothing and allowed him to stand.
He was not crying but she could see the pain and relief in his eyes. "I'm glad you understand, Severus." He nodded once and she patted his cheek. If she didn't know any better, she'd even say he leaned into the touch ever so slightly.