Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. I am in the middle of a couple of graduate level courses and had to spend time working on some much more boring writing activities. In the next few chapters, you are going to see the relationship between Katherine and Severus develop a little more fully. As Katherine gets a little more comfortable with her status, there is going to be some attitude and rebellion taking place, causing our good potions professor to start taking a harder stance in laying down his law, not the least of which is when he finally gets around to actually stating the "rules" to Katherine, who, as a typical 14 year old who has been on her own and answerable to no one for at least a year, is not going to take some of those rules very well.

Upcoming chapter hints: Harry will be present in a few chapters; mainly in his position as an auror, however, there is going to be at least one flashback to when the "new" relationship between Harry and Severus started. Severus will also have another flashback to his days at the academy with Master Troyan.

Recap from Chapter 10: Katherine and Severus have returned to Hogwarts. After a talk with Severus and Dumbledore over dinner, Katherine has learned she will be tested over the weekend to determine her year level and will start classes on Monday morning. As such, Madam Hooch has been recruited to take Katherine to Diagon Alley on Friday to get her school uniforms as there won't be time over the weekend. Katherine is due to be sorted that evening, before dinner, in the Great Hall.

CONTENT WARNING: Moderate language and Spanking

Chapter 11: An Early Morning

Disclaimer: While I am borrowing many of the characters created by J.K. Rowling, all rights to those characters remain solely with her. I am neither receiving nor soliciting any monetary recompense for this story.

5:30 am

Katherine got out of bed and got dressed in a pair of loose fitting shorts and a t-shirt, intending on taking a morning run to try and get rid of the restlessness she was feeling. Putting her hair up in a loose ponytail, she made her way to the door of Severus' quarters. To her surprise, the door opened easily and she stepped into the corridor, closing the door softly behind her. Once she got outside the door, however, she realized she had no idea how to get out of the castle, seeing as his majesty had not felt it necessary to show her around. Biting her lip for a second, trying to guess which way to go to get out of the castle, she suddenly remembered something.

"Carly," Katherine called softly.

Almost immediately, the house elf appeared.

"How can Carly help Miss Katherine," she asked.

"Can you show me the way to get outside? I'm afraid someone forgot to show me around last night," Katherine said.

"Oh of course Miss Katherine, just this way," said Carly, already walking down a long corridor.

Katherine followed Carly, grumbling under her breath. She was grumbling a lot more when they finally reached the front door. Carly had taken so many twists and turns, Katherine doubted she would be able to find her way back.

"Uhm, Carly?" Katherine asked gently. "I have a feeling I am going to need your help to find my way back. Can you hang out here and wait for me, I won't be long."

Carly looked up at Katherine in confusion. "Carly can't hang Miss Katherine; Carly doesn't like heights," the small elf told her with a touch of fear in her voice.

Katherine rolled her eyes. "I didn' t mean hang literally Carly, I meant, can you stay here and wait for me?"

Carly smiled. "Miss Katherine only needs to call for Carly and Carly will come."

"Thanks Carly. I'll be back in a little while."

On that note, Katherine lookeda t the large door before her. Taking a step closer, she opened the door and stepped out, for the first time, onto the grounds of Hogwarts. Looking around for a minute as she stretched out, she decided to take a run down near the huge lake she could see. She could keep the castle in sight, lessening the chance of her getting lost until his royalness decided to take her on a tour. Taking a deep breath, she started off in a light jog, glad to finally get out in the open air again.

5:45 am

Severus' inner alarm clock woke him right on time. His nose picking up the scent of fresh coffee, he silently thanked whichever being had sent him Carly; the elf was almost indispensable. Getting out of bed, he put on his robe and slippers and on his way out to the sitting room, glanced at Katherine's closed door. Debating for a moment whether or not to wake her, he decided to let her sleep in a little. He'd make sure she was up before he left to check that his classroom was ready for his morning classes. Finally making his way into the sitting room and over to the tray holding the coffee, he poured himself a large cup and took a quick sip. 'Bliss,' he thought. Sitting down at the small table, he took the Daily Prophet that Carly always had for him in the morning, and after taking another drink of his coffee, he set the cup down and settled in to see what news the Prophet thought was important.

7:00 am

Severus was dressed and headed towards Katherine's room. He needed to talk to her for a minute before he went to the classroom, and then up to the Great Hall for breakfast. He would have preferred to have breakfast in his quarters, but, Dumbledore insisted that the staff eat breakfast and dinner in the Great Hall with the students. Knocking on the door, he waited for a response and when he didn't hear anything, he snorted. 'Typical teenager; would sleep the morning away.' Opening the door, he was surprised to see that the bed was empty, and unmade. Seeing that the bathroom door was open and not seeing any sign of Katherine, he tried anyway. "Katherine," he called, nothing.

Taking quick stock of the room again, he noticed that all her bags were still stacked in the closet area. He went over to the wardrobe and opening the doors, found all her clothes still in place. 'OK,' he thought, 'she hasn't taken off, or at least she didn't take anything with her.'

Part in worry and part in irritation, he wasn't angry yet, Severus strode back out to the sitting room. He knew he hadn't shown her around last night, just an oversight on his part and not an intentional act, and this thought alone had him worrying a bit more. If she had gone out just to look around, the chances of her getting lost amidst the many corridors and rooms in the castle was very high and not all the rooms were safe for unwary students.

Just as he was about to call Carly and ask her for her help to find Katherine, the door to his quarters, the one that opened directly from the corridor, opened, and Katherine walked in. She didn't see him right away as she was talking to someone still out in the corridor.

"Thanks for bringing me back Carly," he heard her say.

His worry, turning to relief and then to anger, had him moving towards Katherine.

"Just where, pray tell, have you been young lady," he said, his voice stern. Katherine jumped about a foot as she whirled around to face him, her heart hammering at the scare he had given her. 'Where did he come from?' she thought.

"What the hell do you think you're doing sneaking up on me like that?" she demanded. "Good thing I didn't have my wand in my hand or you'd be toast," she huffed.

"Language young lady and watch your tone," he said sternly. "Imagine my surprise that when I go to wake you, I find not you but just an unmade bed. Since I know I didn't show you around the castle last night, an oversight on my part, I would have hoped you would have had enough sense than to leave my quarters. Now, where were you and I suggest you do not make me repeat myself again."

Katherine kicked herself mentally, knowing full well she should have left a note somewhere; even Master Marconi had made that request. She had just been so eager to get out of the castle she hadn't thought about it. Still, he made it sound like major crime. "What am I,' she thought, 'a fucking prisoner?'

She was surprised again when Severus grabbed her wrist and made his way over the ottoman sitting to the right of the fireplace and she suddenly realized she had voiced her thoughts out loud. Sitting down, he yanked her down across his lap, wrapping his left arm around her waist and landing a hard, resounding 'thwack' on her thinly covered backside. The running shorts she was wearing offered little protection, as she soon discovered. Too shocked to respond, Katherine remained still. Severus took the opportunity to land another half-dozen hard, biting cracks before Katherine finally gave voice to her opposition.

"OW you lowlife bastard, let me GO!" she yelled, throwing her hand back to try and protect her vulnerable backside from the hard, stinging blows.

Clenching his teeth even harder at her language, he captured her flailing wrist in one hand, tipped her further forward over his knee to get at her sit spots and proceeded to roast that area as he snarled.

"Keep up the language young lady and we will be here all day." 'SMACK.' "I've warned you before about your language," 'SMACK' "and disrespectful tones," 'SMACK. "I would suggest," 'SMACK,' "that for the sake of your ability to sit," 'SMACK,' "that you modify your language," 'SMACK' "and remember what few manners," 'SMACK' "you may possess!" 'SMACK'. At the end of his speech, he administered another dozen hard, fast smacks to the whole of her bottom and then stopped.

By the time he stopped, Katherine had quit struggling and was crying, hard sobs that completely shook her. She had stubbornly refused to voice any protests after her first outburst, but had been unable to hide her reaction to the hard smacks Severus had given her. Releasing her captured hand, Severus let her lie over his knees for a minute as he gently rubbed her back. Katherine started to calm a bit, but was still crying softly when Severus helped her up and stood her in front of him. Standing up, he put his hands around her upper arms, turned her around and sat her down firmly on the ottoman he had just vacated. Not quite willing to offer comfort, he ignored her slight hiss of pain as her sore bottom made contact. Moving his hands from her arms to her shoulders, his voice still firm but slightly more gentle, he asked again, "where were you?"

"I..I like to r-run in the morning," she stuttered slightly, still trying to get her breathing under control. "I h-haven't been able t-to lately due to being sick and everything e-else, I just needed to get out. When I woke up and you were still asleep, I didn't think it would be a problem. I-I had Carly take me to the door and I took a few laps around the lake and then just sat for a bit. When I came back, I called Carly again and she brought me back," she finished quietly. "I guess I probably should have left a note or had Carly let you know where I went as soon as you woke, if I wasn't back yet," she admitted, glancing up at him. "I'm sorry," she offered.

Severus nodded in understanding. "I wouldn't have had a problem with you leaving this morning if there had been some indication of where you had gone. The castle has many rooms and corridors that aren't completely safe and if you had been wandering, it could have been dangerous," he explained. "What I took exception to was your instant attitude and poor language when I confronted you. Had you maintained a respectful tone and not used such colorful language while you explained, you would not have ended up with such a sore bottom this morning," he finished, handing her a clean handkerchief. He watched as she mopped her face.

Not knowing quite what to do, Katherine twisted the fabric of the handkerchief in her hands as she continued to look down. Severus sighed and putting a long finger gently under her chin, forced her to look at him. A lone tear was making its way down Katherine's cheek.

"I realize things are going to take a little time," he said gently, using his thumb to wipe away the tear. "You and I are trying to determine how this relationship is going to play out and that is a normal process. I don't dwell on wrongdoing. You do something wrong, you get punished and it is over. Do you understand?"

"Yes Sir," she answered softly.

Severus patted her shoulders before releasing her and stepping back. "Madam Hooch will be down around 10 to take you to Diagon Alley to get your uniforms and basic supplies. Katherine watched as he walked over to his desk. He picked up the pile of parchment that were the ungraded essays and walked back over to her.

"One of your duties as my apprentice will be to help me with classes. Even though you can't teach as yet, I'd like you to take over some of the grading duties. When you get back from Diagon Alley, take a look at these and see what you think. Do not mark on the essays as yet. Just write the student's name down, any comments and a suggested grade. Tonight, you and I will go over your suggestions and if I find them sound, you can take over some of the grading. If you can't read something, just set it aside and don't worry about getting through all of them. You will find that many of the students have not as yet mastered the use of a quill," he said with a grimace. "I would prefer to show you the castle myself but if you feel the need, please call Carly to accompany you; she knows what areas of the castle to avoid. As well, at some point, I would like you to write down your formulation for the Polyjuice, Pellets did you call them?," he asked.

"Yes Sir," she answered.

"Once I validate the formula, we can send it to the patents office and get it properly registered in your name."

"You would do that for me Sir?" Katherine asked in surprise.

"You are my apprentice, apprentice," he smiled. "It's a part of my job as your mentor to make sure you get due credit for any of your work."

"Now, do you have any questions? Carly will bring breakfast for you."

"No Sir," she answered.

"Very well. I will be in classes until 3 so I will see you then."

"Have a good day Sir," Katherine answered shyly.

"And you as well apprentice," he answered, as he walked through the door connecting his quarters to his office.

Katherine stood up and rubbed her bottom, trying to ease the still lingering sting. Sighing, she went to her room, intent on taking a shower before breakfast.