Elisabeth heard her fathers voice first as she walked in the door.
"Really," he paused, "Severus. You say you will not single my child out yet what is the first thing you do? Call her up front."
Snape brushed his comment aside. "You may not be a student here anymore Potter but I still demand respect!"
Elisabeth watched her father. "That's good, you know, I demand respect as well. In fact I demand thet you call me Harry or you call me Mr Potter. Potter is simply unacceptable."
Hermione caught sight of them and gestured to one of the tables. They sat.
"Harry, Severus, this is not a battle of wills. We were called in to discuss our children and at the moment the only person here who is a teacher is you, Severus. Harry, Hermione and I are parents. As such, we expect to be treated with the same respect any parent would receive."
Harry nodded curtly at Snape. "So why are we here?"
"If you will wait a moment, MISTER Potter, I will discuss the first situation with Miss Granger and Mr Longbottom."
Elisabeth stifled a giggle. Snape was trying so hard to sound mature and intelligent he ended up sounding like a child playing school.
"Daniel, William, will you come over here?"
Dan and Will went over to where Snape and their parents were standing. They talked in hushed voices and Elisabeth couldn't here what they were saying.
Her dad came over and sat next to her. "Haven't been away a week and already you're getting in trouble."
"If I had known he was prejudiced against you I would have sat a bit lower."
"It was a family thing, the hatred of Snape has been passed on from generation to generation. It's like a legacy that started with my father before me."
"You could have warned me."
"My dad never warned me! My dad was also never called into the school."
"That could have been because he was DEAD and they were worried they would, like, lose his arm or something along the way."
"No, it was because I was a good kid."
"Uh-huh.I won't even mention what I'm thinking right now."
"Oh hush, I was a good kid."
"Alright, alright."
It appeared Daniel and Will were done, as they, Hermione and Neville exited Will winked at her and Daniel gave her the thumbs up.
"Mr Potter." Snape said, his nose wrinkling as though the "Mr" was a bad smell.
Harry and Elisabeth got up. Elisabeth's stomach had butterflies like it was a botanical garden, she didn't know how her dad stayed so calm.
"Professor Snape!" Harry said with false good cheer. "Long time no see! So why have you brought me here?"
"It was your daughters idea actually."
Harry looked at Elisabeth with an arched eyebrow.
"Yes, you see I had singled her out to explain to her that I would not treat her differently than any other-"
"Wait, you singled her out to explain to her that she would not be singled out?"
"Erm- yes." Elisabeth looked at Snape, he didn't seem the kind to say things like, erm and uh.
A smile twitched at the corner of Harry's mouth. "Perhaps, Professor, you were in the wrong this time? No?"
"I was not in the wrong!"
"Then what did my child do to require you to separate her?"
"Perhaps you should ask her that." The minute the words were out of his mouth snape regretted them, but he couldn't retract them.
"Elisabeth? What did you do?"
"I was born the grandchild of James Potter."
The vein in Snape's temple buldged, but he did not say anything.
"Is that it Professor? Is that what it was? Prejudice?" Harry dropped his voice. "I swear, if you are singling my daughter out because of your stupid childhood rivalry with my father I will see to it that you lose your job and your good name." Hed ropped his voice so low it was almost a whisper. "It won't be as easy for you to hold your grudge now as it was when I was in school."
Snape still didn't say anything.
"We've been on the same side for fourteen years Severus, My father has been dead for twenty-eight." His voice regained force. "Put. It. Behind you!"
Snape's nostrils flared but he said nothing. Harry looked at him, hard, one more time. Elisabeth was surprised at how much a twenty-nine year old in yellow and black striped robes could intimidate a man such as Snape.
"That was blackmail Potter."
"It's only blackmail if I have something to blackmail you about." He grinned wickedly. "And of course I don't, do I?"
Snape glanced at Elisabeth and chose to say nothing.
"Come on Elisabeth, I have to get back home and I'm sure you have some homework."
They left the dungeons. "I have absolutely no desire to repeat that experience."
"Neither do I, but I don't think you'll have to worry about it. I have him sufficiently scared."
"You know dad, in the Muggle world people go to prison for blackmail."
"I didn't blackmail him."
"You did! You threatned him!"
"Yes, I threatned him, but it wasn't a death threat or anything."
"Alright then dad, I have to go."
"'Kay baby, I'll be in Prague and Salem for the next week or so, Penny knows where to find me."
"What are you doing over there?"
"Quidditch. We'll slaughter the Yankees of course, but the Czech's have a really strong team put together so we'll probably lose to them."
"You shouldn't be so hopeful, it'll hurt more when you fail."
Harry grinned and kissed Elisabeth good night. "If all goes well I shouldn't see you till Christmas."
"Yep, bye daddy."
"Bye hon'."
Elisabeth walked up to the Ravenclaw common room and dropped down next to Vivyann and Will.
"You were taking so long we thought Snape might have eaten your brain."
"Well he did cut my skul open but when he saw how small my brain was he decided it wasn't worth it."
"So what did your dad say to him?"
"He made a couple threats about ruining Snape if he singled me out again and he said some stuff about putting some rivalry with my grandfather behind him."
"Oh right, the famous Marauders vs. Snape battle. It's been going on for half a century. It won't end until Snape dies."
"Sooner rather than later." Elisabeth said coldly.
"Now, now. You've only had to deal with him for one day."
"And it was a day of hell Derrick. Or have you never had detention with Snape?"
"Oh, I have had detention with Snape when he was still Potions Master and Lupin was DADA. Never, in the history of zoloft, has there been someone so moody and depressed. Not even Viv when it's that time of-"
He was cut off by a sharp wak on the back of the head by Vivyann.
"Are you Muggle born?" Elisabeth asked.
Yeah," Derrick said, massaging the back of his head and glaring at Vivyann. "How'd you guess?"
"It's the zoloft thing. Gave it away."
"Yeah, my mum's from one of those old wizarding family's but my dad is a Muggle. He was a reporter in Salem when my mum met him, he was convinced he could catch witches on film."
"Your dad is a Yankee?"
"We prefer the term American if you don't mind." They all turned to look at a haughty girl with a massive backside and a very large nose.
"Oh shut up Kristin, your as British as the rest of us." Vivyann said.
The girl harumphed and walked away.
"That's Kristin Peters, she thinks that her parents honeymoon in California makes her an American."
"Sixteen years on this earth hasn't made her human two months in the bay area won't make her American." Derrick muttered.
"Sixteen? She looks like she's ten."
"Look at her nose." Vivyann said. "I think it's supposed to make up for her lack of friends."
"So her butt is supposed to make up for her lack of personality?"
"It's more like the cause of it." Derrick said under his breath.
"You're catching on." Vivyann said.
"Yeah, you're becoming as mean and cold as the rest of us. Hey Will, you still thinking of asking for a re-sorting?"
"Nah. I'm settled here, besides I don't want to repack my stuff."
Elisabeth looked up as Penny swooped in with a letter. She took it and patted the owl on the head. "I thought mail was supposed to come only in the mornings."
Derrick shrugged. "It depends on if your owl likes you or not. Mine brings the mail once a month."
Elisabeth opened the parchment. It was from Anna.
Lis,
What was all that about? In trouble on your first day? I thought I was bad. We have flying together tomorrow but I can't wait to find out what happened.
Anni
Elisabeth scrawled a reply note and sent Penny on her way. "That was Anna wasn't it? What a nosy brat." Will shook his head.
Elisabeth just shrugged, it was the first time in her life she had a friend who cared enough to write to her. She remembered a time when she was ten, the summer before last when her father took her all over Europe and Asia. She left the day after school ended and returned the day before it started. There wasn't a single message for her on the answering machine.
"Anybody want to play Exploding Snap?"
"I thought your dad wouldn't let you play?" Elisabeth asked.
"Only when he's around, his eyebrows have a tendency to ignite when he's within three meters of an Exploding Snap game."
She laughed, "Deal me in."
"Really," he paused, "Severus. You say you will not single my child out yet what is the first thing you do? Call her up front."
Snape brushed his comment aside. "You may not be a student here anymore Potter but I still demand respect!"
Elisabeth watched her father. "That's good, you know, I demand respect as well. In fact I demand thet you call me Harry or you call me Mr Potter. Potter is simply unacceptable."
Hermione caught sight of them and gestured to one of the tables. They sat.
"Harry, Severus, this is not a battle of wills. We were called in to discuss our children and at the moment the only person here who is a teacher is you, Severus. Harry, Hermione and I are parents. As such, we expect to be treated with the same respect any parent would receive."
Harry nodded curtly at Snape. "So why are we here?"
"If you will wait a moment, MISTER Potter, I will discuss the first situation with Miss Granger and Mr Longbottom."
Elisabeth stifled a giggle. Snape was trying so hard to sound mature and intelligent he ended up sounding like a child playing school.
"Daniel, William, will you come over here?"
Dan and Will went over to where Snape and their parents were standing. They talked in hushed voices and Elisabeth couldn't here what they were saying.
Her dad came over and sat next to her. "Haven't been away a week and already you're getting in trouble."
"If I had known he was prejudiced against you I would have sat a bit lower."
"It was a family thing, the hatred of Snape has been passed on from generation to generation. It's like a legacy that started with my father before me."
"You could have warned me."
"My dad never warned me! My dad was also never called into the school."
"That could have been because he was DEAD and they were worried they would, like, lose his arm or something along the way."
"No, it was because I was a good kid."
"Uh-huh.I won't even mention what I'm thinking right now."
"Oh hush, I was a good kid."
"Alright, alright."
It appeared Daniel and Will were done, as they, Hermione and Neville exited Will winked at her and Daniel gave her the thumbs up.
"Mr Potter." Snape said, his nose wrinkling as though the "Mr" was a bad smell.
Harry and Elisabeth got up. Elisabeth's stomach had butterflies like it was a botanical garden, she didn't know how her dad stayed so calm.
"Professor Snape!" Harry said with false good cheer. "Long time no see! So why have you brought me here?"
"It was your daughters idea actually."
Harry looked at Elisabeth with an arched eyebrow.
"Yes, you see I had singled her out to explain to her that I would not treat her differently than any other-"
"Wait, you singled her out to explain to her that she would not be singled out?"
"Erm- yes." Elisabeth looked at Snape, he didn't seem the kind to say things like, erm and uh.
A smile twitched at the corner of Harry's mouth. "Perhaps, Professor, you were in the wrong this time? No?"
"I was not in the wrong!"
"Then what did my child do to require you to separate her?"
"Perhaps you should ask her that." The minute the words were out of his mouth snape regretted them, but he couldn't retract them.
"Elisabeth? What did you do?"
"I was born the grandchild of James Potter."
The vein in Snape's temple buldged, but he did not say anything.
"Is that it Professor? Is that what it was? Prejudice?" Harry dropped his voice. "I swear, if you are singling my daughter out because of your stupid childhood rivalry with my father I will see to it that you lose your job and your good name." Hed ropped his voice so low it was almost a whisper. "It won't be as easy for you to hold your grudge now as it was when I was in school."
Snape still didn't say anything.
"We've been on the same side for fourteen years Severus, My father has been dead for twenty-eight." His voice regained force. "Put. It. Behind you!"
Snape's nostrils flared but he said nothing. Harry looked at him, hard, one more time. Elisabeth was surprised at how much a twenty-nine year old in yellow and black striped robes could intimidate a man such as Snape.
"That was blackmail Potter."
"It's only blackmail if I have something to blackmail you about." He grinned wickedly. "And of course I don't, do I?"
Snape glanced at Elisabeth and chose to say nothing.
"Come on Elisabeth, I have to get back home and I'm sure you have some homework."
They left the dungeons. "I have absolutely no desire to repeat that experience."
"Neither do I, but I don't think you'll have to worry about it. I have him sufficiently scared."
"You know dad, in the Muggle world people go to prison for blackmail."
"I didn't blackmail him."
"You did! You threatned him!"
"Yes, I threatned him, but it wasn't a death threat or anything."
"Alright then dad, I have to go."
"'Kay baby, I'll be in Prague and Salem for the next week or so, Penny knows where to find me."
"What are you doing over there?"
"Quidditch. We'll slaughter the Yankees of course, but the Czech's have a really strong team put together so we'll probably lose to them."
"You shouldn't be so hopeful, it'll hurt more when you fail."
Harry grinned and kissed Elisabeth good night. "If all goes well I shouldn't see you till Christmas."
"Yep, bye daddy."
"Bye hon'."
Elisabeth walked up to the Ravenclaw common room and dropped down next to Vivyann and Will.
"You were taking so long we thought Snape might have eaten your brain."
"Well he did cut my skul open but when he saw how small my brain was he decided it wasn't worth it."
"So what did your dad say to him?"
"He made a couple threats about ruining Snape if he singled me out again and he said some stuff about putting some rivalry with my grandfather behind him."
"Oh right, the famous Marauders vs. Snape battle. It's been going on for half a century. It won't end until Snape dies."
"Sooner rather than later." Elisabeth said coldly.
"Now, now. You've only had to deal with him for one day."
"And it was a day of hell Derrick. Or have you never had detention with Snape?"
"Oh, I have had detention with Snape when he was still Potions Master and Lupin was DADA. Never, in the history of zoloft, has there been someone so moody and depressed. Not even Viv when it's that time of-"
He was cut off by a sharp wak on the back of the head by Vivyann.
"Are you Muggle born?" Elisabeth asked.
Yeah," Derrick said, massaging the back of his head and glaring at Vivyann. "How'd you guess?"
"It's the zoloft thing. Gave it away."
"Yeah, my mum's from one of those old wizarding family's but my dad is a Muggle. He was a reporter in Salem when my mum met him, he was convinced he could catch witches on film."
"Your dad is a Yankee?"
"We prefer the term American if you don't mind." They all turned to look at a haughty girl with a massive backside and a very large nose.
"Oh shut up Kristin, your as British as the rest of us." Vivyann said.
The girl harumphed and walked away.
"That's Kristin Peters, she thinks that her parents honeymoon in California makes her an American."
"Sixteen years on this earth hasn't made her human two months in the bay area won't make her American." Derrick muttered.
"Sixteen? She looks like she's ten."
"Look at her nose." Vivyann said. "I think it's supposed to make up for her lack of friends."
"So her butt is supposed to make up for her lack of personality?"
"It's more like the cause of it." Derrick said under his breath.
"You're catching on." Vivyann said.
"Yeah, you're becoming as mean and cold as the rest of us. Hey Will, you still thinking of asking for a re-sorting?"
"Nah. I'm settled here, besides I don't want to repack my stuff."
Elisabeth looked up as Penny swooped in with a letter. She took it and patted the owl on the head. "I thought mail was supposed to come only in the mornings."
Derrick shrugged. "It depends on if your owl likes you or not. Mine brings the mail once a month."
Elisabeth opened the parchment. It was from Anna.
Lis,
What was all that about? In trouble on your first day? I thought I was bad. We have flying together tomorrow but I can't wait to find out what happened.
Anni
Elisabeth scrawled a reply note and sent Penny on her way. "That was Anna wasn't it? What a nosy brat." Will shook his head.
Elisabeth just shrugged, it was the first time in her life she had a friend who cared enough to write to her. She remembered a time when she was ten, the summer before last when her father took her all over Europe and Asia. She left the day after school ended and returned the day before it started. There wasn't a single message for her on the answering machine.
"Anybody want to play Exploding Snap?"
"I thought your dad wouldn't let you play?" Elisabeth asked.
"Only when he's around, his eyebrows have a tendency to ignite when he's within three meters of an Exploding Snap game."
She laughed, "Deal me in."