{Chapter 9}
The Tutoring
By the weekend, Trixi was feeling awful about the way her and her father were suddenly treating each other. They usually saw eye to eye on just about everything, and rarely did they ever fight. To think, a simple ruddy hat had caused this mess. Why couldn't it have just sorted her into Slytherin and been done with it?
Of course, it wasn't just that... Keeping her mother and Harry from Trixi was Daddy's fault, not hers. Or the hat's.
And why wouldn't he allow Harry and her to talk to each other? He'd certainly taken no time to try understand her situation.
"I want to show you something." Thomas interrupted her annoying thoughts. He had spent all of the previous day trying to cheer her up, with little success. He brought out a black and white ball the size of a bludger from his bag. "It's my football." He beamed brightly.
"I have heard of the muggle sport football." Trixi said thoughtfully as he handed her the football to hold.
"It's similar to Quidditch from what I hear." Thomas said.
"Only without magic, and brooms, and people trying to kill you..." She added, slightly laughing. Muggles wouldn't be able to handle Quidditch; it was much too dangerous.
"Want to play with me?" He asked eagerly.
"It's raining outside." She told him.
Thomas shrugged. "That's never stopped me before. Let's go get our rain gear and play!" He took the ball from her and passed it from hand to hand as they started making their way up to the Gryffindor tower.
"Watch this." In a swift movement he had kicked the ball, sending it to sail up a flight of stairs. It hit a wall and came flying back. Thomas bunted it with his head, and it disappeared up the stairs. This time, the ball didn't come back.
"Wow! Impressive!" Trixi said, truly amazed by his quick reflexes.
"I was on a team when I was little once." He stated proudly. "I was the best player then. Only now I realize it must have been because I was wizard. I did things no else could; the ball would usually do exactly what I wanted." He frowned in thought. "I guess it was sort of cheating, but I didn't know it at the time."
On her way back from her dorm, wearing her attire for wet weather, her fellow first years (the boys at least) appeared to be having a three vs three Exploding Snap match in the Common Room. Four piles of discards were centered in front of them; there had to be a minimum of six decks involved. Trixi never seen such an interesting game of Exploding Snap before. She had to give her young house-mates credit - when they did something, they made sure it was grand.
The six active boys of Gryffindor had quickly made a reputation for themselves when one of the second year Slytherins had hexed Scott (the smallest Gryffindor boy), right outside the boy's bathroom the other day. They'd taken no time to retaliate, swiftly attacking the lone boy. By the time they were finished, the Slytherin had been tripped and tied up like a hog ready for roasting.
Trixi had to give the Sytherin boy credit though. She couldn't think of anyone else from that House who would be brave (or dumb) enough to attack a pack of Gryffindor boys.
Professor Flitwick had saved the victim from his captivity. "I can only guess at who did this." He had said disapprovingly with his squeaky voice.
The Slytherin had refused to tell him who his attackers were. He was embarrassed that a group of younger boys had bested him.
Trixi had been thankful the professor hadn't drilled her for answers. Professor Flitwick was a lot less demanding than Professor McGonagall - the Head of Gryffindor hardly ever let students off without removing House points if they did something wrong. Especially for fighting. She also didn't let witnesses off easy.
After that, no one had been thick enough to mess with the pack of Gryffindor boys - so far.
Cards went flying with a loud BOOM as the quicker four boys lunged forward, tapping two piles they were trying to capture with their wands.
Raining water it was outside, and inside...
Game cards.
Trixi brushed one off her shoulder. She continued to watch the match while she waited for Thomas to come down from his dorm.
Twenty minutes later, Trixi and Thomas were out in the rain as he was showing her how to "dribble", a term used for kicking the ball between your feet as you ran across the field. They used the Quidditch pitch, because the poles of the hoops made a good substitute for field goals.
Trixi soon discovered she had terrible feet coordination. When she went to dribble the ball, she somehow ended up tripping over it. If it weren't for her expensive weather proof robes, she would have muddied herself and skinned her elbows.
Thomas helped her up to her feet. "You're quicker with your hands."
"Yes, you have to have fast reflexes for a successful career in brewing. Thankfully, I don't have to brew with my feet!" she said giggling and held up a muddy shoe.
Thomas then bounced the ball from his knee to his head, and kicked it hard. It flew high up in the sky, landing a good fifty yards away. He smiled excitedly. "A perfect time to use one of my favorite spells!" He reached up his sleeve and pulled out his wand. Pointing to his ball, he levitated it and the ball came hovering toward him Someone came running up to slap it out of the air, causing a disturbance in the casting.
The Slytherin trouble making boy, Dorian Kuden, hurried after Thomas' football and snatched it from where it lay on the wet ground.
"Now what would Professor Snape say if he found out his precious Gryffindor daughter was sapping up with a mudblood?"
"Please give us back the ball." Trixi requested with a sigh.
"Oh, no, I can't do that! Why it's a very nice ball, you see." He sneered.
"It's a muggle sport ball, you wouldn't want to be seen with it, would you?" Trixi asked.
"No mudblood has that sort of power, this is a wizard's ball." He turned the ball over in his hands. "Why I bet it's a new one imported from Brazil or somewhere."
"It's true." Thomas said, stepping up to the red head. "It's a muggle ball. Me Dad gave it to me as a birthday gift."
Kuden's face flushed with sudden disgust. He dropped the ball like it was some sort of animal fecal matter. With his wand, he quickly scourgified his hands. "Filthy mudblood!" He spat to Thomas. "How dare you speak to me! And you," he pointed to Trixi. "The only reason anyone is nice to you is because they are scared of your father, but not me! I wont be forced to be nice to blood traitors. Snape or no Snape!" With that, he cast a stinging hex at her.
Trixi yelped when it hit. It felt like a bee had stung her!
"That's for being friendly to a mudblood. There's more where that came from!" He then turned his back on them and stalked away.
"Do you want me to hex him back?" Thomas asked, pointing his wand at Kuden.
"No. Hexing is bad." She frowned at the naughty boy while rubbing her stinging wrist. "He'll get in trouble if he continues to do that." She took out her own wand and cast a spell that removed hex stings.
Trixi's dorm mates were doing girlish things when she went back up to her room to change into normal clothing.
A makeover party.
Trixi wasn't into that; she didn't understand why girls covered up their beauty with stuff that made them look artificial. None of The Three Nasties needed it. Each one was pretty, and Trixi had even noticed a couple of boys look at them from time to time.
The room smelled of chemicals. It came from the nail polish. The girls sat on Cassi's bed, chattering away on which colours brought out their cheeks, eyes, etc.
They looked like clowns now. Trixi thought.
Each of the Three Nasties had a thick layer of eyeshadow. They had so much blusher on, anyone would think that they'd thrown the container at each other instead of brushing it on. Kelsa looked to be having difficulties blinking because of the amount of mascara she wore.
"Oi, Trixi, we would offer you some, but there isn't anything that would take care of that ugly face of yours," Sara said as Trixi opened the trunk where she stored most of her belongings.
"We could take care of your uni-brow though; it's hideous." Cassi chimed. "But it would be a waste of our time - wouldn't help your appearance in the slightest."
By now, Trixi was used to them insulting the way she looked. Trixi had no girlish qualities to her, she knew that. On the outside, Trixi may as well been a boy. She'd gotten enough weird looks through this first week of Hogwarts. She'd even heard whispers of theories why she was so ugly, and if Professor Snape caught them spreading such lies, Trixi was sure they would be in detention for the rest of their Hogwarts days.
Draco had even made a statement to his mother about it once when Trixi was younger; "Mother, I thought you said Mr. Snape had a daughter?" He'd said it with such repulsion, Trixi could have sworn Mr. Malfoy'd gone back in time- Draco being near a spitting image of him and all. Mr. Malfoy wouldn't tease her though, and she had been thankful when Mrs. Malfoy had scolded the boy for his rude behaviour.
"Now, Draco, you will be nice to Trixi. Not everyone is as privileged as you are, son."
"Yes, Mother." Draco had muttered, but his seven year old eyes had still stared at Trixi with disbelief that she was, in fact, a girl and not a boy.
"Thanks for your offer, but I wouldn't want you touching me anyway. I couldn't help worrying that my ugliness might be contagious." Trixi found her favourite shirt (green with a picture of a smoking cauldron), then she pulled out a pair of jeans to wear.
"Yes, well, you're probably right." Sara agreed. "We're too pretty to touch you!"
Trixi tilted her head, looking them over. "I wouldn't advise going down to the common room looking like that, though." With that suggestion, she left to go down to the girls bathroom to change.
She avoided the dorm room for the rest of the afternoon, knowing The Three Nasties would spend a while at it and Trixi was beginning to realize that the chemical smells gave her headaches easily. Instead, she sat in the corner of the common room to work on her Transfiguration. It was fairly quiet now that the boys had gotten bored of the Exploding Snap game.
Thomas joined her soon after, and neither of them were able to make a successful cast.
"Oh, well." Thomas shrugged. "We'll get it eventually." They then played a few rounds of Wizard's Chess; her and Thomas winning equally often.
"Chess is the game Dad and I play at home. I've been playing since I was three." Thomas giggled as he captured her reluctant Queen. It spat an insult at both him and Trixi.
"I played every night with Daddy before he became a Professor." Trixi said. "Daddy always won, of course. He would never just let me win." She then set Thomas up in a checkmate with her Knight, who complimented on her move and gave her a slight bow of honour.
Thomas chuckled. "That doesn't surprise me really."
"I'd better get down for my tutoring lesson," she told him after looking at her watch.
"Want me to go with you?" He asked brightly.
"I don't know if Professor Lupin will allow it." They started a long walk down to the ground floor.
"I am sure he would let me practice too. The more you practice the better you get. Obviously, I could use some practice with my shield."
Trixi shrugged. "We'll see what he says, I suppose."
"We would make the perfect dueling pair. You casting the tripping spell, and me the shield."
Trixi suddenly ceased her walking. "Thomas, why are you nice to me?" She really wanted to ask this question; it had been bothering her during the days of her moping.
Thomas stopped a few steps from her and picked at his hands nervously. He lifted a shoulder up in a shrug and set it back down. "Don't let those nasty people stir you up, Trixi." He told her quietly. "You're nice, and smart. If no one else can see that, you don't need them!"
Trixi smiled. That made her feel a lot better. She started walking again.
"Why are you nice to me, Trixi?" He asked. "I'm a muggleborn, and you're a pureblood. Not many purebloods are known for being nice to muggleborns."
"Thomas, what gave you the idea that I am a pureblood?"
"Well, our house members..." he began. "They say Slytherins are very prejudiced against muggleborns, and that the members of that house are almost all purebloods or near to it. What with your dad being the Head there, I just thought..." he stopped talking when he saw the dirty look she was giving him.
Trixi sighed. "Don't tell anyone what I am about to say, okay? I am not sure many know this, and I think Daddy would want it kept that way."
"I won't."
"My mother was a muggleborn, like yourself."
"Really?!"
Trixi nodded. "And Daddy loved my mother more than anyone. Probably even more than me." It was something she had learned from years of living with her father.
He shook his head in disbelief. "I really doubt that, Trixi."
"You don't know my father." Trixi told him. "But that's his business, and he wouldn't want anyone to know about it. Please don't go blabbing it around."
"My lips are sealed." Thomas promised.
They walked in silence the rest of the way to the DADA classroom and stopped just outside the door when they heard voices.
"I thought you didn't have time to spare in assisting your daughter with her tutoring?"
"I was able to squeeze her into my busy schedule." was Professor Snape's reply.
"She's due here in ten minutes." Professor Lupin said.
"She'll be here any minute now, she is never late for a class." Professor Snape informed. "Of course, you wouldn't know that. I hear you are always late for your lessons." He said this dryly.
"Ah, those Slytherins make charming informants, don't they?" Professor Lupin chuckled.
"Maybe I'll skip this one." Thomas whispered when he realized Professor Snape intended to stay.
Trixi didn't blame him. Daddy was awfully grumpy lately.
She knocked on the door that was slightly ajar. It swung open with a magical force.
"Good to see you, Miss Snape, Mr Vandel." Professor Lupin said with his usual smile. He stood in the centre of the room while Professor Snape sat in a chair at the side.
"Mr. Vandel..." Professor Snape addressed him, not quite hiding his surprise.
"I was just leaving, sir." Thomas said from the doorway.
"Nonsense, you can stay if you would like." Professor Lupin said warmly. "Miss Snape can have more of an even partner this way."
Professor Snape scoffed. "Yes, I am sure Mr. Vandel is a perfect match for my daughter."
"I have something to do." Thomas pressed.
"Toris Saptium." Professor Lupin cast the spell that made everything in the room cushiony. "Thomas, I would like for you to stay and practice your shield."
Thomas gave Trixi a helpless look.
"I thought you were a big, brave Gryffindor, Vandel. You're not going to chicken out, are you?" Professor Snape taunted.
Thomas puffed out his chest in defense. "No, sir!"
"Then begin now."
"My class, Professor Snape, remember?" Professor Lupin reminded him in his gentle voice.
"My daughter, Professor Lupin, remember?" Professor Snape mocked coldly.
Thomas and Trixi exchanged looks as the two men eyed each other with cold stares.
"Alright, Trixi, you attack me, and I will block." Thomas said. He put some distance between them.
"Don't hold back, Trixangela." Professor Snape reminded her.
She silently glared at him. He knew that she preferred to be called by her nickname.
Thomas nodded, letting her know he was ready. "Versterken!" He shouted when she attacked him with her jinx.
His shield did look better than the first time he had cast that spell. Unfortunately, with Trixi's full powered tripping jinx, his shield did absolutely nothing to block it. Her spell went right through it and Thomas was knocked to his feet.
"Blimey, Trixi!" Thomas gasped. "When did you get so good?"
"No longer a weak little girl, is she, Lupin?"
"Would you mind trying that on me, Miss Snape?" Professor Lupin ignored Professor Snape's boasting.
"Are you going to block it?" Trixi was wary, thinking about the night when her father hadn't.
"No, I want to experience your spell's strength."
"There's a chance of whiplash." Professor Snape's eyes were glittering smugly.
Trixi eyed her DADA teacher. He didn't look strong enough to handle her spell. She was afraid of snapping a frail bone.
"Full power." Professor Lupin instructed as he got into position.
"I uh-"
"I can handle it." He assured her.
Trixi tilted her head, eyeing him cautiously. He really has no idea...
"Trixangela, stop stalling." Her father ordered impatiently.
She pointed her wand and cast the spell with no trouble. Professor Lupin's feet flew out from under him and he fell on his back. His eyes went wide in surprise but his lips formed into a smile.
"That's quite an impact you got there, Miss Snape." He commented before getting back on his feet.
Trixi could see her professor shaking now, and she wasn't sure the reason. She looked at Thomas, afraid that her spell would do that much damage to him too, but her young friend appeared fine.
"Again." Professor Lupin instructed, standing back into position.
"I don't want to any more." She stated flatly.
"Trixangela..." she heard her father's warning.
"He's sick, Daddy!" She shrieked, angry that Professor Snape didn't seem to care or notice.
"I'm fine."
"No, you're not! And I am not going to do that again!" She narrowed her eyes at Professor Lupin. "Not until you feel better."
"I can handle it." A smile was frozen to Professor Lupin's face. "I'm not as weak as you think."
Snape scoffed in disagreement.
Trixi pursed her lips. Her father could be so childish sometimes! It wasn't nice to make fun of the kind Professor Lupin - who obviously was ill with something!
"Were you trying to see if her spell could go through an advanced shield?" Professor Snape asked Professor Lupin.
"Yes."
"Then perhaps Trixi is right, you should sit this one out." His voice was even.
"I need to see what her limits are." Professor Lupin insisted.
"I'll do it then."
The professors stared at each other for a good amount of time before Professor Lupin sighed in defeat. "Fine." He grumbled and exchanged places with Professor Snape.
"Alright then, Trixangela. Your new opponent is strong! No excuses now, my dear." Her father's eyes glowed happily.
She glared at him with a clenched jaw. Was it bad that she wanted to trip him? Was it bad to cast a spell in anger? No, she refused to cast a spell while she saw red in her vision. She took a deep breath, and silently started counting.
"Now." He ordered.
"Just a minute!"
"You're wasting time and energy, child."
How does he do that? How can he be so calm, yet, sound so threatening?
"Severus." Professor Lupin chastised.
"Shut it!" Professor Snape snarled, his eyes narrowed down to his daughter. "Trixangela, I wont tell you again."
She met up with his eyes then, her upper lip twitched. She was angry. She was mad. He had purposely egged her on. And she knew exactly why for.
Alright then, Daddy, you asked for it!
Trixi pointed her wand, gathered up all her magic and cast the tripping jinx. Something pulled on her insides, as if sucking every ounce of power from her. Her wand jerked with a warm heat and a green light shot out of it.
"Protego!"
She saw her streak hit his shield. It bounced off and began ricocheting off the walls. She and Thomas dropped to the ground in an effort to keep out of it's way. Severus watched it with his dark, piercing eyes, which flickered, following the green streak. Remus sat in his place with his mouth hanging open, shocked by how many times it had been flung around the room.
Professor Snape tried guiding his shield to block the on coming strike, but he wasn't fast enough. His feet flew out from under him, and he landed right on his face.
"Happy now, Professor?" Trixi sneered to her father. If she hadn't been so upset, she might had burst into giggles.
"It could have been better." He muttered, as he got back on his feet. "But you waited too long. Not really a Gryffindor trait, mind you." His lips curled in what could be a smile.
"Get over it, Daddy! I am a Gryffindor! I'm sorry that I am such a disappointment to you!" She turned her back on him, crossing her arms. "Is this lesson done, Professor Lupin?" She asked hotly.
"Yes, you did fine." His weak voice said.
"Thank you, sir." She mumbled before dashing out of the classroom.
Thomas hurried after her. "Your Dad is a bit frightening." He said quietly.
"He can be a real git too!" She shouted, then winced. He surely must have heard that...
"Why did he push you so hard?"
Trixi laughed, though, she didn't know why, the idea didn't amuse her in the slightest. "He wanted to see how powerful I am when I am angry."
"Why?"
"Magic is much more powerful when your emotions are on fire." She gritted her teeth. "He was pleased with my outcome."
"He didn't look pleased." Thomas disagreed.
"Oh, he was." She assured him. "If I had cast something more powerful, we could have been in big trouble back there. That spell doesn't usually bounce off walls like that. You may get two or three times out of it, but not usually the amount I did."
"So you are powerful..."
"From practice." She told him sternly. "I wasn't born this way, you know. And anyway, it doesn't mean I want to use it."
"Why not? It's brilliant!" He smiled in admiration.
"It's dangerous, and I don't want to do it."
"You could be an Auror one day with your skills." He said thoughtfully.
"I don't want to be an Auror."
"What do you want to be then?"
"Somebody who helps people, not hurts them."
"Aurors help people." he argued. "They protect good people."
"I just don't want to attack people, and Aurors attack people." Trixi said quietly.
"Because they have to." Insisted her friend.
"And that's why it's a bad career choice for me. I don't want to have to attack people."
"Do you want to be a healer then?"
Trixi wrinkled her nose in thought. When she had almost killed her father's house-elf, Riffer, she had helped ease Riffer's pain with a pain-reducing spell as her father had tended to his wounds. It had been a scary moment in her life, and she'd hated the feeling that if she hadn't got the spell perfect her friend would had been in a lot of pain.
"I don't think I can do that." She answered. "It...requires a high grade in Transfigurations." Trixi quickly came up with a truthful reason to explain her reluctance in the career.
"I am thinking of becoming an Auror." He grinned. "I have been reading a little about it. Maybe you'll change your mind and we can work together some day."
"Or maybe I'll just waste my talent and grow a field of corn." She grumbled.
That'll sure please Daddy.