Note: I'm really, really sorry this chapter took so long! Ok, only Crescent and Moira are my characters. The rest are another's creation. Takes place right after the last chapter.

Confrontations

Part 9

Sirius and Crescent eyed each other, determination in both of their eyes.

"I cannot hurt him like that, father. Even if it means I must disobey you," Crescent said softly. She was torn between her own gentleness that made her not want to hurt anyone, and the respect she knew that her father deserved. "I'm not like that. I could never hurt anyone on purpose." The daughter of Sirius Black looked at him. There were no tears on her face or in her eyes, but there was a saddened expression there that caused Sirius to wince.

He knelt down so that he could look his daughter in the eyes. "I do not trust him, Crescent. Severus is ambitious."

Crescent remembered a story she had heard when she had gone on a visit to a Muggle school. "Like Julius Caesar, ruler of Rome? His best friend killed him because he was ambitious, or so he claimed. But Caesar was 'thrice presented with a kingly crow, which he did thrice refuse'. Was that ambition?"

Sirius was slightly confused. "Who is Julius Caesar?"

"One of the Muggle rulers of Rome, who was murdered by his best friend and conspirators. They told Caesar's friend, Brutus, that their ruler was ambitious, and so persuaded him to kill Caesar. But the Muggle was not truly ambitious. Are you certain beyond a doubt that Professor Snape is ambitious?" Crescent quietly asked him.

Sirius frowned thoughtfully. "No, I am not certain," he admitted. "But I am also not certain that he is to be trusted."

"Professor Dumbledore trusts him," his young daughter reminded him gently. "It's possible that there is a different side to Professor Snape, which you have not seen. He may act the way he does to protect himself from being hurt again."

"You are wise and gentle, my daughter," Sirius said, for he knew that she could be right. Nevertheless, he was going to speak with Severus and warn him not to hurt Crescent or be near her whenever it was not absolutely necessary.

Crescent knew in her heart that she had not convinced her father. She only hoped that he would eventually realize that she was right. There was much, much more to Professor Severus Snape than met the eyes, the young girl knew. She just didn't know how to explain how she knew this.

The sounds of someone walking up the stairs caught Sirius' and Crescent's attention.

"Go, father, before they catch you," she whispered.

Sirius said in a low voice, "I'll see you again later, my child." He put on his cloak once more and vanished. But he did not walk away, and stood there silently.

Severus Snape was in a bad mood. "What are you doing up here, Miss Lupin?" he demanded. "Most of the teachers are searching for you, fearing that he had taken you again."

"The stairs got…stuck," Crescent explained. "They wouldn't move again after I got up here. Should I have screamed?" The young girl cocked her head to one side, waiting for an answer, as she shifted position slightly. She did not notice when her wand fell out onto the ground, and neither did her teacher.

"No… But do not take to wandering through the hallways alone. You know it's not safe," Severus said, a frown on his face. He had been concerned for the small girl, and didn't understand it. True, Crescent was not her father, though she was a mirror image of him, except for her height.

"I'm sorry," she said. Part of her was surprised. Professor Snape had been worried about her, Crescent realized. She wondered what her father would say to that.

Sirius was frowning, however, as Snape seemed to berate his daughter for an event that was beyond her control. The Potions Master was going to get a big surprise later, Sirius thought grimly, as he picked up his daughter's wand.

"Follow me, and no lagging behind," Severus said sharply, before softening his voice. "Come along."

Crescent followed her teacher, saying nothing to him for a while, as he led her down to where she had been trying to go.

Severus muttered, "You missed your last class, Miss Lupin."

"It was not my fault that the stairs refused to move, but I will accept the consequences of not being in class." The dark-haired girl looked at her teacher solemnly, with her dark green eyes showing no emotion.

Severus was surprised that she did not complain. Surely Crescent knew that House points would be taken from Gryffindor because she had not been there. This child could probably affect You-Know-Who, Severus thought. She was too sweet and trusting for her own good.

Crescent questioned, "You were worried about me, weren't you?"

"I… What makes you so that?" Severus asked, slightly worried. How could she read him so well.

"You said that the other teachers were searching for me, but you have a Potions class right now," Crescent said knowledgably.

"How did you know that?" Severus asked, surprised. They finally reached a darkened hallway, and the Potions Master took out his wand when he saw the slight fear on the girl's face. "Lumos," he muttered. A light shone now.

Crescent smiled. "The other First-years have you then. They trade stories about their classes with me and Hermione."

The two continued down the hallway.

"Crescent!" Ron said. He, Harry, and Hermione had just turned the corner. The three were going to the library. But they froze when they saw that Crescent was with Professor Snape.

Harry frowned slightly. "We're going to the library. Want to come?" he asked the young girl, wondering why she was with Snape.

"It'll be fun," Hermione proclaimed. She looked tired, at least to Crescent.

Crescent looked at her teacher silently, who nodded.

"Go on, Miss Lupin. But have a care next time you get stuck somewhere," Severus said, wanting to get away from the child that managed to breach his defenses. The Potions Master walked away, and deactivated the light spell. He had never worried about someone else before, except for when he and Remus and been together. Yet a slip of a girl could make him want to protect her.

Crescent walked with her Third-year friends.

"Why were you with Snape?" Harry asked.

"The moving stairs got stuck, trapping me at the top. Professor Snape was able to get me down," she told him.

Hermione yawned, causing Ron to look at her in slight surprise.

He questioned, "Why are you so tired?"

"Oh, I'm not really that tired. I'm taking more lessons than you, remember?" Hermione told Ron. "So I have more homework to do." She then turned to Crescent. " Professor Snape wasn't being mean to you, was he?"

Crescent replied, "No… He just lectured me a bit on walking alone, with everyone in the school worried about…"

Ron sighed. "Everyone's worried about Sirius Black showing up again. He tried to kill me, after all."

A wince appeared on the young girl's face, but none of her friends saw it. The group continued walking slowly.

"And he did kidnap you," Harry said. "I'm surprised he let you go. He's a known murderer."

Hermione added, "The Dementors were authorized to kill him when they find him."

Crescent was terrified now. "Please… Please stop," she cried. "I don't want to hear anymore!" The young girl burst into tears for the first time in her life, before she bolted, running to the Gryffindor Tower.

The three froze in shock.

"Why did that upset her so much?" Ron questioned.

Hermione scowled at Harry and Ron. "She probably didn't like being reminded that Sirius Black kidnapped her and could have killed her. I'm going after her." She ran after Crescent.

Harry felt a wince of guilt, as he exchanged a look with Ron, who nodded, looking embarrassed. The two followed Hermione quickly.

Severus Snape saw Crescent run by, with tears running down her face. "Crescent?" he called. A few seconds later, Hermione Granger ran past him as well, with Potter and Weasely right behind her. The Potions Master would have gone after Crescent, if he had not seen them doing so. So he returned to his dungeons.

Crescent hadn't heard her teacher, as she raced into the Gryffindor Common Room and ran all the way to her room, before she threw herself on the bed. The young girl began to cry harder.

The other Gryffindors were stunned into silence, before they exchanged startled looks.

She didn't want her father to die, Crescent thought as she wept. And she wished Uncle Remus were here. She wished that she could tell Harry, Ron, and Hermione the truth; her father did not want to kill Harry, and neither had he ever killed anyone. But they would never believe her.

The three burst into the room, breathing hard. Their hearts were moved to pity at the sight of the tiny girl crying as if her heart would break.

Hermione reached Crescent first and hugged her. The small girl was like a little sister to her. "What's wrong?" Hermione gently asked.

"I-I don't want my f- anyone to d-die," Crescent sobbed. "I m-miss my uncle, too."

Harry said quietly, "We're sorry, Crescent." He frowned slightly, wondering where Professor Lupin was, since she missed him.

"We didn't mean to upset you," Ron told her.

"It'll be all right," Hermione soothed.

Crescent wiped her eyes with her tiny hands and sniffed. "Thanks," she whispered.

"Where's Professor Lupin?" Harry questioned carefully, not wanting to upset Crescent further. "He was supposed to be giving me some anti-Dementor lessons."

Crescent tensed anyway, but was startled when Hermione spoke instead.

"Let her be for awhile, can't you see that she's upset," the older girl said sharply. She then frowned. "Crescent, don't you usually carry your wand in your pocket?"

The girl nodded, relieved that Hermione had stopped Ron and Harry from questioning her about Uncle Remus.

"It's not there," Ron said.

Crescent paled. "Oh, no…" she whispered.

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The Dungeons

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Sirius Black had followed Severus Snape down to the Slytherin dungeons.

Severus went to his classroom, where he was beginning to mix another Wolfsbane Potion for Remus Lupin.

The door slammed shut and magically locked.

Severus narrowed his eyes, and took out his wand. "Lumos." Light filled the room, but he could see nothing. Until the Invisibility Cloak was removed from Sirius, as he drew it over his head.

"You! I might have known," Severus snapped.

"Accio wand!" Sirius snapped. Severus's wand flew to his hand, before the Potions Master could do anything.

Snape sneered, hiding his slight fear, "Going to kill me now, Sirius? And how did you manage to use a spell without a wand?"

Sirius smiled and held up the two wands he had.

"That's Crescent's wand! What are you doing with it? You hurt her, didn't you?" Severus demanded. "Your own daughter…"

His words stunned Sirius. "No. I found it." His face turned neutral. "I came here for one purpose only."

Severus met his gaze calmly, though he inwardly tensed. "What would that be? Because if you are looking for Remus, it is the full moon."

"It's quite simple, really," Sirius said, before his voice turned sharp and dispassionate. He had chosen these words very carefully, to make certain that Severus knew that he meant it.

"What is so simple?" Severus rolled his eyes.

"I want you… to stay away from my daughter."

To be continued