Snape looked up as Tirza, followed by Isabel, entered the sitting room.
Tirza immediately went to him and crawled on his lap. "I was just about to
come get you," he told her. "How did everything go?" Tirza didn't say
anything, so Severus shifted his glance to Isabel. "I think it was nice for
Tirza to let out some of her emotions like that." Tirza nodded, confirming
the statement. "I would like to speak with you about what Tirza has told me
and she said it would be okay." "Of course; would you prefer to speak now
or later?" he asked. "Whenever is convenient for you." "Perhaps after
breakfast tomorrow, in my office?" he suggested. Isabel nodded. "That would
be fine. Good night Tirza; I hope you are feeling a little better and I'm
always ready to talk with you." "Night Isabel." "That's Miss Whittaker to
you, little miss," Severus told her gently. "Actually, I gave her
permission to use my first name except for when we are in class," Isabel
told him. "That is fine then. Thank you for speaking with her," he replied.
Isabel nodded, and then exited. Severus gently rubbed Tirza's back. "Are
you feeling better?" She sighed. "Kinda." He kissed her head. "Anything I
can help with?" She thought for a moment. "Daddy?" she whispered. "I love
you more than anything daddy, even Molly." Snape smiled at her. "And I love
you more than anything," he said, hugging her closer. She yawned, causing
Snape to chuckle. "I think someone here is tired," he told her. "Really?
Who?" Tirza asked, looking around the room. "Aren't you a funny one?" he
replied. "I was talking about you." Tirza giggled and shook her head. "Who
me? I'm not tired." "Well that's too bad, because it's bedtime." Tirza
groaned. "That sucks... uh, can I say sucks?" Snape rolled his eyes.
"Alright, that one I will allow, but try not to use it every other word."
She smiled. "Okay, I'll use it every four words!" Snape gave her a fake
stern look. "Are you mocking me young lady?" Tirza nodded, still smiling.
"Well that is a very serious offense, Miss Snape. That will cost you twenty
points from your house." Tirza giggled. "I don't have a house, silly!" "Ah,
good point," Snape mused. "I guess I'll have to resort to torture." He
suddenly started tickling her tummy and Tirza squealed with laughter. "No,
not the torture! It's horrible!" she told him between giggles. She wriggled
herself off his lap and tried to crawl under the couch. Snape laughed and
grabbed her ankles, gently pulling her back out. "There's no escape," he
told her, starting to tickle her again. She laughed hysterically, causing
Snape to laugh and continue to tickle her until they were both out of
breath.
"Now," Snape said after catching his breath. "You have two choices Miss Snape: go to bed, or more torture." Tirza giggled and tried to crawl away again, but was easily caught. "Ah, so you choose more torture?" he teased, holding her upside down, shaking her just a bit. Tirza giggled. "You look funny from down here!" she told him. "Do I now?" Snape asked. "My techniques are not working; it is time for the worst torture of all..." Tirza laughed and Snape could hardly keep a smile from his face. "Wait, I surrender!" she told him between giggles. He shook his head. "Too late Miss Snape; nothing can save you now!" He turned her right side up and sat on the couch and began tickling her most ticklish spot: her feet. Tirza squealed as he tickled her tiny feet as she pretended to beg for mercy. "You merciless Klingon!" she wailed. Snape suddenly stopped and gave her a questioning look that only made her laugh harder. "And what, might I ask, is a Klingon?" he questioned when she had caught her breath. "It's an alien on Star Trek, nothing bad, unless you tell Scotty that the Enterprise should be hauled away as garbage. You can insult Kirk any day, but NEVER insult the Enterprise in front of Scotty," she informed him. "And who is this Scotty person?" Tirza smiled. "My most very favorite Star Trek character; Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott, chief engineer, miracle worker and third in command. Really cool accent, he comes from Aberdeen; do you know where that is?" Snape nodded. "Isn't it is Scotland?" "Yep! And then after Scotty is a tie of Chekov and Spock." Snape smiled. "Well, you can tell me about them another day. Now we have had fun and it's time for you to be asleep, my little one." Tirza scowled. "I'm not that little!" Snape chuckled. "You are much littler than I am." "Oh, good point," she replied. Snape smiled as he walked into Tirza's room and dropped her onto the bed as she giggled. "Come and get me when you are ready," he told her.
The next morning, Tirza asked Hermione to come play and watch movies. Snape was glad that he had to talk with Isabel in his office; all the giggling from Tirza's room was giving him headache. He had just started working on his lesson plans when he heard a knock on the door. "Enter," he called. He looked up to see Isabel enter his office and seat herself in front of the desk. "Good morning," she greeted him. "Morning," Snape replied. Isabel took a deep breath. "I'm going to be very honest about what Tirza told me and about how I feel these things have affected her; I am afraid that it will not at all be flattering towards your ex-wife." "She was not my ex- wife; we were engaged, but she left me before Tirza was born. I understand what you mean and if things are as bad as I believe they are, I will no longer have anything good to say about Tirza's mother," Snape informed her. Isabel nodded. "Tirza's mother has done a lot of damage to Tirza emotionally. Tirza has very little self esteem and nothing good to say about herself. She is terribly guilty about something, though she has not told me what yet, and that guilt is causing her great distress. That guilt is entirely Ariel, I believe that is her name, it is entirely her fault. The few things that Tirza told me last night made my Irish temper flare at the... abusive way that Ariel treated her, and I know that there is much I have not been told. Ariel never physically abused her, but there was a great deal of mental and emotional abuse." She paused, waiting for Snape's reaction. "In what ways," he asked, dreading the answer. "Some of Ariel's actions can be blamed on her cancer, but that in no way excuses them, but there was damage done before the cancer as well. She often told Tirza that she was being stupid, not differentiating that she meant Tirza's choice had lacked good judgment and not that Tirza was stupid, which is exactly was Tirza assumed. Ariel also told Tirza that she had more important things to worry about then little things like Tirza being picked on at school, belittling the problems that were big concerns for Tirza and appropriate issues for her age. She mentioned a few times that she hated it that Tirza looked so much like you. Every time Tirza would ask questions about you, Ariel told her that she had left you because you were an evil man and that Tirza shouldn't ask about you because it made Ariel sad. To a very sensitive child like Tirza, she wanted very much to know you and love you, but hated making her mother sad by asking questions."
Snape took a deep breath; this was almost more then he even wanted to know, yet there was much that Tirza had not revealed. "The most disturbing of the things Tirza told me was that after her mother was diagnosed with cancer and it began to spread, making her rather miserable, that Ariel stopped all the motherly things that she had done. Tirza considered Ariel to be her best friend and blamed herself when her mother pulled away, no long wanting to hug her very often or tuck her in or help her with her homework. Ariel became very selfish, telling Tirza she was too demanding and that Tirza was the selfish one and wasn't thinking about the way her mother was hurting. Just after Tirza was victimized by that spawn of Satan, she had her first nightmare in which she relived the horror. She screamed and Ariel never came. She went to Ariel's room, wanting to sleep with Ariel and was turned away. She asked to be held, but Ariel told her to stop being selfish and naïve, which she told Tirza meant being a stupid baby, and to leave her be so she could take her pills and sleep. Ariel ignored what had happened to Tirza and the extra love and protection she would need because of it. And the errands she had Tirza running and cooking and such. That woman neglected Tirza and was only interested in her own problems. Tirza was fun when she was a friend to hang with, but when she was Ariel's daughter; she only got in the way." Isabel finished, nearly in tears. "You feel that there is much more than you have been told?" Snape asked quietly. Isabel nodded. "I shudder to think what else Ariel could have done... no wonder Tirza has such a need for affection and being held; I do not find her an inconvenience," he mused.
"I want you to know that I will do everything in my power to find out what the core of Tirza's troubles is and help her, even if I have to stay on after the school year ends. I care very much for her and she needs help, she shouldn't have to suffer through this on her own," Isabel stated. "I appreciate that very much; I feel very lost when it comes to all this and how I should help her," Snape replied. Isabel nodded. "That is completely understandable. Tirza loves you so much; she worships you and you are just what she needs. Keep doing whatever it is you are doing and I truly believe that the both of us will be able to help her overcome all her pain. I will keep you appraised of everything that she and I discuss and if there is ever anything I think you should do or not do that could help, I will let you know." Snape thanked her and she quietly left, leaving an angry, frustrated, self-blaming Snape behind. He went back to his chambers and knocked on Tirza's door. Hermione and Tirza poked their heads out of the door at him. "Tirza, I have something important I need to do and cannot watch you two. The Gryffindors are out practicing quidditch and I want you to go and tell Mr. Wood that I gave you permission to watch and ask him that he bring you to McGonagall after the practice, alright?" Tirza nodded and she and Hermione ducked back in the room to quickly clean. Snape left his chambers and headed for McGonagall's office. "Severus, what a surprise to see you here," she greeted him. He stood in the doorway, not entering the office. "I need a small favor Minerva. I have something important to do and there is no one to watch Tirza after the quidditch practice. If I have not come and told you that I am back, would you watch her for me for a while?" "Of course; not a problem at all," she replied. "Thank you," Snape said, turning on his heel to go and see the only person that he had ever been comfortable talking about personal things with, the man who had been like a father to him, a father his own had not been... Dumbledore.
"Severus, there is no good reason for you to blame yourself. If that was truly the person that Ariel was, I don't think your marrying her would have made her any different, nor would you're finding her and Tirza change things," Dumbledore stated. "I can't help but feel responsible for what happened Albus; what if there was a chance that I could have prevented all this?" Severus asked. "If you start blaming yourself and trying to relive the past, you won't be able to help Tirza and that would be an even bigger mistake than those that Ariel made. You have the chance to help her, Severus; she needs you." Snape rubbed his forehead with his hand. "Albus how can I be the right person to help her? I'm an ex-death eater and I hate children!" Dumbledore chuckled. "You do seem to dislike the children of this school. But I have seen you with Tirza; you are like an entirely different person. You try your best to be patient, you give her the affection and attention that she needs, and you act like her father, not a friend. Have you seen how she's changed? She was given five week grounding and only once in two weeks has she broken her grounding, but that is normal for her age. She tries very hard for you, even to give up swearing because you ask her too. Her expectations are just to be loved and taken care and you have gone beyond those things, as any good parent does. If you are not the right person to help her, then no one can." Severus nodded. "I want so much to help her, to fix everything and never make her feel sad again... but I am afraid to let her down." He sighed. "And I hate Ariel for what she has done... if she wasn't already dead, I think I'd kill her myself." "I certainly can understand how you feel... she made some very egregious errors in her care of Tirza, but Tirza is lucky to have you; you have a good head on your shoulders and her wellbeing in mind. It would take a lot of mistakes on your part to fail; mistakes I don't see you being capable of making where your daughter is concerned," Dumbledore assured him. Snape nodded. "I hope you're right Albus." Dumbledore's kind eyes twinkled as Snape stood to go. "Oh Severus; not that I am trying to add anything else to your plate, I wanted to give you fair warning that Remus Lupin has agreed to teach DADA for the rest of the year and will be arriving on Tuesday." Snape rolled his eyes. "Oh goody," he mumbled sarcastically before leaving. He could hear Dumbledore chuckling behind him.
"Tirza, hurry along or we'll be late for breakfast," Snape yelled from the sitting room. "I'm almost ready!" Tirza yelled back. Suddenly she shrieked from inside her room and Snape threw open her door to see her covering her face with her hands. "What happened?" he asked. She moved her hands and looked up at him. "Look at my face!" she wailed. He looked at her face, feeling confused. "I do not see anything on your face." She growled and pointed to a small red dot on her forehead. "I...have... a pimple!" Snape looked closer and could barely see the dot. "That is all that the shouting is about?" Tirza's eyes went wide. "Oh my god! Don't you understand? First you get pimples and than you get boobs, and I don't want those because all the guys want to look at them, and then you start bleeding! This is horrible!" Snape was starting to feel panicked... how was HE supposed to talk about these things? "Tirza, I...." "What if I bleed to death or my face gets covered in pimples and its one big dot? And what if my boobs are too big or too small and the other girls make fun of me? My life is over!" Tirza wailed. She looked at him expectantly, waiting for an answer. "Daddy, uh hello?!" "I am really not the one that you should talk to about this," Snape told her. "But this is an emergency! Where do you buy all the stuff for the bleeding around this place? I need concealer! I need a bra!" Snape took a deep breath, wishing this was all some sort of nightmare. "I understand that this is an emergency, but...I... really don't know how to answer your questions." Tirza's mouth dropped open. "You mean you don't know the answer?" Snape nodded. "Oh my god, I never thought that'd happen!" Tirza stated her voice full of amazement. "I do know someone who could help however," he replied.
Snape entered Isabel's classroom, where she always ate breakfast, leaving Tirza in the hallway. "I need... help. Urgently," Snape told her. Isabel looked concerned. "What's going on? Is something wrong with Tirza?" Snape suddenly blushed deep red. "Tirza has discovered a pimple and has been asking me all sorts of... female type questions." His stumbled along, embarrassed to be speaking of such things. Isabel suddenly started laughing; Snape stared at her in shock. The look on his face only caused her to laugh harder. When she finally stopped, her face was red from laughing, making Snape think that she looked very nice with so much color in her face. "I apologize; I know for you that this is very difficult and I sincerely apologize if I have offended you. You just sounded so distressed and were blushing a shade of red that I didn't even know existed," Isabel said, trying to suppress anymore laughter. "I understand what you need though, and I will be happy to talk with Tirza about what is going to start happening. If you would have some breakfast sent up for her that would be great. And again, I apologize." Snape nodded. "No apologizes necessary and I do not mean to rather force this upon you but, I am just so um, uncomfortable speaking with Tirza about such things." Isabel smiled, her face lighting up. "Not a problem.... Every little girl needs a woman to go to for these kinds of things because 99.99999% of fathers react the way that you are, so you are not alone." "Thank you," he mumbled before ushering Tirza into the room and heading to the kitchens to tell the house elves where to send Tirza's breakfast.
Tirza slammed open the door of Snape's office, then cringed. "Tirza, how many times must I ask you not to do that?" Snape asked without looking up from his papers. "Sorry; Isabel and me, I mean I, having something to ask you," Tirza told him. "Well come on in," he replied, looking up as they came and sat down in front of his desk. "Now what is it you wished to ask?" Isabel smiled. "Well Tirza has a pimple and feels rather self-conscious about it. Since she isn't allowed to do spells yet, I was wondering if you would allow me to take her to Hogsmeade and get some special witches concealer. She has told me that she was grounded, but I thought perhaps you will allow it." Tirza nodded. "Yeah; Isabel says it's not an emergency and I'm too young for all that stuff, but sometimes you can get a pimple or two," she added. Snape rubbed his chin in thought. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt." Both girls beamed. "Would I also be permitted to treat her to some supper or an ice cream?" Isabel wondered. Tirza looked at him with pleading eyes. "Alright, you may go Tirza, but I would like her back her by no later than eight-thirty," Snape relented. Tirza wrapped her arms around him and gave him a kiss. "Thanks daddy, you're the bestest!" She turned to Isabel. "Can we invite daddy to come?" Isabel nodded. "I think it would be very nice to invite him to join us; getting the concealer wouldn't take long. Would you like to come with?" "I appreciate the invitation, but..." Snape started. "I think we would both like it if you could come," Isabel replied, feeling rather shy. Snape nodded. "Alright, I'll come. What time is convenient?" Isabel had a hard time hiding the pleased look at his acceptance, which didn't go unnoticed by Tirza. "I think us girls could be ready in fifteen minutes. Shall I meet you both back here?" Isabel asked. "No, we'll come get you," Tirza interjected. Isabel nodded and left the office. Exactly fifteen minutes later, Snape knocked on the door of Isabel's quarters. While he and Tirza were in their every day clothes, Isabel had changed from usual robes to a pair of jeans and a lacy, baby blue shirt and matching sweater. She opened the door and smiled at Severus and Tirza. "Just let me grab my coat. Will we be walking?" Snape nodded, suddenly feeling rather nervous. Isabel put on her coat and walked outside with them.
Severus was sitting alone with Isabel at a table in the Three Broomsticks, still feeling rather nervous. Tirza had begged to go visit with Rosmerta, who welcomed the company as business was slow. "That is a very interesting point, Severus. I never thought of it in that light before," Isabel commented. They had given each other permission to use their first names earlier in the evening. "I enjoy talking with you; it's always an improvement to carry on an intelligent conversation," he replied. Isabel mentally kicked herself for not being able to keep a slight blush from her face. "Thank you," she said softly. Tirza came back to the table. "So daddy, have you asked her out yet?" she asked. Both Snape and Isabel blushed and Snape glared at Tirza. "Well I don't want to wait all night for you to ask her; we gotta get ice cream sometime," she told him. Isabel secretly hoped that he would ask her out, but wasn't sure if he felt that same. "Tirza, you are absolutely incorrigible," Snape gently scolded, still blushing. The little girl shrugged. "Come on, it's not that hard daddy," she encouraged. "You're not going to stop pestering me are you?" Snape asked rather coolly. She nodded, causing him to sigh. "Well, I personally wouldn't mind having a drink or dinner with you sometime," Isabel softly stated. Snape felt surprised; he had grown to like her in the time since her arrival but didn't know if she would ever consider that kind of an invitation from him. Tirza gently elbowed him. "Uh, you're supposed to say yes." Snape glared at her, then turned to Isabel, his face still somewhat red. "I would not be opposed to that," he said slowly. "Friday night looks good," Tirza piped up. "And how would you know?" Snape said, turning to her again. "Because I already asked Grandpa if I could hang with him and he said it was cool." Snape's eyebrow rose; so this had been planned all along! The same idea struck Isabel and she quickly licked her index finger and rubbed it over Tirza's pimple. "Hey," Tirza objected as her pimple began to smear. Isabel laughed. "It's marker; it uh, looks like we've been set up." "Indeed," Snape replied, still looking at Tirza. "Hey dude, don't look at me! I'm trying to help." Both adults rolled there eyes. "I would understand completely if you decided not to have dinner with me Severus; it seems we were lead into a trap with good intentions," Isabel told him. "No, I do believe I would enjoy it. Would Friday night be convenient for you?" Snape asked. He was surprised at how easily it was to actually ask her and at the smile that brightened her face. "That would be lovely," Isabel replied. "Great! He'll pick you up at 6; now let's go get ice cream!"
"Alright young lady, spill it," Snape ordered when he and Tirza returned to their chambers. She giggled at the look on his face and crawled onto his lap. "Daddy, you know that you know that you wanted to ask her out. You just didn't know that she knew that she knew she wanted to be asked out. And you didn't know that I know that you know that you know and that I know that she knows that she knows. I had to help you!" Snape groaned, utterly confused by her explanation. "You're not mad, are you?" she asked quietly. He shook his head and kissed her forehead. "No, I'm not. However, in the future, if I want to ask someone out, I will take care of it myself." She smiled and kissed his face. "It's a deal!" "And what am I going to do with you, miss date-maker?" he asked, pretending to be stern. She giggled. "I uh, forgot something, uh somewhere, yeah, and I gotta go get it," she said, pretending to be scared as she crawled off his lap. "Oh no you don't, young lady!" Snape could hardly keep a straight face as he grabbed her and put her face down over his lap, holding her feet with one hand and tickling them with the other. "Hey!" she yelled between giggles. "I can't get away with you holding me like this!" Snape chuckled. "That is precisely the point!" Tirza squealed with laughter as he continued to tickle her tiny feet.
Tirza giggled quietly; today was part one of her revenge for the spell put on Molly. Today's target: Malfoy. It had been very tricky to get everything ready. While Snape had been in his office getting today's Potion lessons ready, Tirza had snuck into the classroom. Her goal was to get a potion that would turn dark hair and eyebrows blonde; but on a blonde, the result would be pink. She had found that out when Neville spilt his all over a Hufflepuff girl, who had to spend the next twenty-four hours with pink hair until the potion wore off. It was a brilliant plan, but not without its dangers. She wasn't allowed, under any circumstances, to play with ANY potions unless under her father's supervision. But desperate times called for desperate measures and she'd have to be sure and not get caught... she didn't even want to think about what her dad would do if he found out. She had hid the potion in her room until after school, when she could put it into effect. The potion could be drunk or could just be put on the hair, as in the case of the Hufflepuff girl. The only problem had been how to get Draco to drink it or to spill it on him. Spilling it on him would be much too obvious and would surely get her caught! So with much deliberation, Tirza finally decided on a plan. She knew that after supper, Draco always made a trip to the kitchens for a pitcher of pumpkin juice to bring back to the common room; being the selfish boy that he was, he never shared any of it with anyone, which would make it the perfect way to slip him the Potion. Tirza giggled at her own brilliance and could hardly wait for supper!
Tirza carried the pitcher from the kitchen and stopped just out of the elves view. She pulled the vial from her pocket and dumped it all in. She put the vial into her pocket to get rid of later and started walking slowly down the hallway; just up ahead was Malfoy. He shot her a sneer and walked over. "What have you got?" he asked accusingly. "Juice, ya dork. What else do you put in a pitcher 'cept stuff to drink???" Tirza replied. Malfoy's face burned red from the insult; he reached out and took the pitcher from her, pushing her away. Tirza scowled at him and put her fists up. "You looking for a fight?" Malfoy asked. The odds were that he would lose, but he couldn't look like he was scared of a girl. Tirza scowled at him for another moment, than dropped her fists. "No; you're not worth the trouble I'd get into for fighting." Before Malfoy could reply, she stomped down the hallway. She had been given to permission to hang out with Hermione in the library for a half hour and didn't want to waste anymore time.
Tirza spent twenty minutes chatting with Hermione, than decided she had better get back before she was late. She forgot the one thing that was more important than not being late: getting rid of the potion vile that was still in her pocket. "YOU!" someone screamed from behind her in the hallway. Tirza turned to see Draco with bright pink hair charging towards her. "You scream like a girl!" she said, laughing. "I know you did this! I don't know how, but I know you used a potion! I'm going to get you into trouble for this!" he threatened. Tirza faked a yawn. "Promises, promises," she replied. Draco's face went red with rage and Tirza burst out laughing at how funny he looked with pink hair and a red face. "I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!" Draco shouted. Tirza stopped laughing; he looked dead serious. Without a word, she turned and took of running down the hallway, with Draco in close pursuit. She ran down the hallway as fast as she could, hoping to reach Dumbledore's office and give the password before he could catch her. She looked behind her as she ran, almost out of breath, and saw that Draco was just rounding the corner. Before she turned her head back the right way, she ran right into someone. 'Please don't let it be dad,' she prayed. "Are you alright?" a soft voice asked. Strong arms picked her up and set her on her feet. Tirza looked up at the man, who was tall, with dark hair and kinda yellow eyes. "Oop, my bad," she said. She looked behind her and saw Draco coming. "Hide me!" she shrieked at the man. He pulled out his wand and said something that made Tirza no longer visible. He saw the blonde haired boy run over to him. "Have you seen a bratty little girl with dark hair run this way?" Draco asked. "No, I haven't," the man replied. "She probably went to her chambers by some secret way," Draco said angrily. "No matter, I'll just go find HIM," he said loudly, thinking that Tirza was nearby and wanting her to hear. He took off walking down the hallway and as soon as he was out of sight, the man flicked his wand and Tirza became visible again. "Whoa, cool!" she told him.
"What was that all about?" the man asked. Tirza sighed. "Loooong story. Um, who are you?" The man smiled. "My name is Remus, Remus Lupin. You look very familiar to me to for some reason," he mused. Tirza giggled. "You're a marauder! Moody I think! Sweet!" "You know about the marauders?" Remus asked. Tirza nodded. "Grandpa tolded me the funniest story about the marauders." "What's your grandfather's name?" he questioned. "Dumbledore, you know him," she replied. "You're Professor Dumbledore's granddaughter?" She nodded. "What's your name?" "Tirza Snape." A look of shock came over Remus' face. "Snape? As in Severus Snape?" The little girl nodded. "Ah, I knew you reminded me of someone that I should know!" Remus announced. "So Snapey's got a little girl, huh? Who'd of thought? What's your favorite color?" "Pink," Tirza told him happily. "Beautiful, just beautiful," Remus mused with a laugh. "What's beautiful?" Tirza asked. "Well, you know that I knew your father. I never imagined him with kids because he is always so mad all the time; I've heard about how he teaches his classes and how much he hates the kids here. So to find out that HE has a child, let alone a little girl, and one that loves pink, it is very amusing." Tirza giggled, and then both of them turned as loud footsteps could be heard coming their way. There was the pink Draco, with a smug look on his face, walking beside an angry looking Snape. Tirza's eyes went wide. "Oh shit, I'm gonna die," she whispered. "Tirza Jade Snape!" Severus bellowed. "You are in so much trouble young lady!" Remus smiled inwardly at the sight of Snape after all these years, he hadn't changed a bit; he felt very sorry for Tirza.
A/N: Uh-oh! Such a good plan! But what evidence does Snape have for him to believe Draco? And what is Snape going to do? Tirza is sure in for it now! Will she ever learn? What an interesting way for her to meet Remus though! I will be counting on Potter-Snape and LostSoul for help with getting Remus' character right, as long as both are willing to help! And thanks to all you gave the description of what they thought Remus was like. It was very much appreciated! As always, stay tuned. Kenomee: Glad to hear from you again! Boy, you sure have been buys! My goodness! That cliffhanger was nasty, wasn't it! I did that because I hadn't made up my mind for sure as to what I wanted to happen to next, but I think it turned out really good. It was nice for Tirza to talk with Isabel and get closer with her. You made a good point about Tirza being jealous of a Snape/Isabel romance; that just wouldn't be her way, you were very right! Tirza is very confused right now, but things will work out, over time. Chris Logan will be a big help to Snape, supplying more background info as well as someone Snape can communicate with that also has a child Tirza's age. It would look rather bad if he went to the parent of a student and asked for advice, and that would not at all be his way.
MissLKid: Glad you liked it! Cliffhangers can be nasty little things!
Elfmoon87: I am so glad that you continue to like this story! I try to make it as realistic as possible and hopefully I'm doing a decent job of it.
Luinthoron: I am like you; I can understand Ariel and how and why she made the choices she did, but that doesn't excuse them. In the end, she is still wrong, no matter what the reasons behind her choices.
Alrick: Glad to hear from you! I hope your convention things have gone well. You are very right about Tirza and Snape's relationship; for her, that was a very big thing to let Snape change her clothes. Little signs like that will be popping up to show the change in their relationship and the trust as well as faith that Tirza has grown to have in Sev. Excellent idea about the time disappearing ink! I'll have to save that for another 'battle' with those Slytherins! Lucius would certainly be VERY furious if he had to waste his time bringing Draco back to the school for a test! I'd even feel bad for Draco; his dad seems like one scary and crazy dude, both in the books and movies. And you were right that Snape should not apologize for the spanking hurting; I meant it that he was apologizing that he had to do it, because neither of them like it. Would that be a correct apology on Sev's part? Eventually, all of Tirza's mixed feelings about her mother will be sorted through and put into the right places and she'll realize that her mother wrong, but her mother still loved her though she made bad decisions.
Potter-Snape: I would love you forever (LOL!) if you would still be willing to help me write Lupin. Until I see the third movie next year, I probably won't get a real good feel on his character. Snape's character as much more obvious in the books and the movies confirmed that.
Enchantress: I there! I don't think I've had a review from you before, so if you are new to the story, welcome! I hope you are enjoying it! You're description of Remus was lovely and will come in handy. Perhaps you might like to participate in helping me write him? Such as give suggestions of a situation involving him and Tirza and what you think his actions/reactions would be. I'd really love it if you would like to, but no pressure of course. Hope you enjoy this chapter!
GrintsGirl: Thanks for the praise! I love it when my readers are happy. Much more will be found out about Ariel before Tirza will finally sort through her feelings about her mom and accept that what her mom did was wrong.
CraJure: I'm sorry that you're broke! I know that feeling very well! Remus could probably give Tirza some very good tips on things to do against the Slytherins!
LostSoul: It certainly does feel that God hates you some days, doesn't it? Are you a big Lucius fan? He's just a bit too evil for my personal taste, but would be a fun part to play for an actor, a real challenge. Whatever his name was (my memory escapes me) that played him did an excellent job conveying all that evilness that is Lucius and what has made Draco into what he is. I'm trying to get better about THEN and THAN; I'm working on it, be patient, LOL! And no, AJ's family knows nothing about Ariel being a witch or about the wizarding world. It will be quite a challenge for Snape to keep Tirza from spilling the beans to her little friend! I too, am glad that Tirza didn't kill herself... I too was very teary-eyed as I wrote that part where Snape caught her in the hallway. And about Remus being homosexual... that thought never even crossed my mind! Not that I personally have problems with people that are, but until something in the books points very obviously to it, I will continue to think of him as straight, as that is how I perceive him. Not that I'm promising to hook him up with a girl or anything, but he won't be homosexual. You're Lupin description was excellent and I would love to have your help writing his parts in the story if you are willing!
Raclswt: Thanks for hope that I am better; I am, but it's off to work again tomorrow... maybe I should get sick again, LOL! About updates, I wish I could update every day, and sometimes I can, but not often do I have that chance. My goal is to upload a chapter every other day. Such as I am posting this one late Sunday, so I would post another late this Tuesday. I would be happy to email you when I upload if you want to drop me your email address. Mine is: medjaigurl@aol.com. I know it sounds funny, but it was dedicated to Aretha Bay from the Mummy movies, before I started reading Harry Potter (that was when the first movie came out) and fell in love with Snape, in the books and embodied by the talented Alan Rickman. Let me know about the emails, it would be no trouble at all to do that for you.
HarrietPotter: Glad I can keep you happy and laughing and enjoying Tirza!
AlexGray: So far I am undecided what Tirza will do to Marcus Flint, all I know is that despite whatever Snape may do to her, even if he did spank her I think she'd still have to get her revenge, even if it earned her another spanking. She's very very stubborn and determined... hmm, wonder where she got that from, LOL! Snape certainly was a spaz all relaxed like that. He will definitely never give Tirza a full vile, more like a fourth or an eighth. And please excuse all typos, I try my best, but they are determined to get the better of me, LOL!
Here's wishing you all a good Monday! Me, I hate Mondays; the weekend is never really long enough. Hugs, Kerry
"Now," Snape said after catching his breath. "You have two choices Miss Snape: go to bed, or more torture." Tirza giggled and tried to crawl away again, but was easily caught. "Ah, so you choose more torture?" he teased, holding her upside down, shaking her just a bit. Tirza giggled. "You look funny from down here!" she told him. "Do I now?" Snape asked. "My techniques are not working; it is time for the worst torture of all..." Tirza laughed and Snape could hardly keep a smile from his face. "Wait, I surrender!" she told him between giggles. He shook his head. "Too late Miss Snape; nothing can save you now!" He turned her right side up and sat on the couch and began tickling her most ticklish spot: her feet. Tirza squealed as he tickled her tiny feet as she pretended to beg for mercy. "You merciless Klingon!" she wailed. Snape suddenly stopped and gave her a questioning look that only made her laugh harder. "And what, might I ask, is a Klingon?" he questioned when she had caught her breath. "It's an alien on Star Trek, nothing bad, unless you tell Scotty that the Enterprise should be hauled away as garbage. You can insult Kirk any day, but NEVER insult the Enterprise in front of Scotty," she informed him. "And who is this Scotty person?" Tirza smiled. "My most very favorite Star Trek character; Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott, chief engineer, miracle worker and third in command. Really cool accent, he comes from Aberdeen; do you know where that is?" Snape nodded. "Isn't it is Scotland?" "Yep! And then after Scotty is a tie of Chekov and Spock." Snape smiled. "Well, you can tell me about them another day. Now we have had fun and it's time for you to be asleep, my little one." Tirza scowled. "I'm not that little!" Snape chuckled. "You are much littler than I am." "Oh, good point," she replied. Snape smiled as he walked into Tirza's room and dropped her onto the bed as she giggled. "Come and get me when you are ready," he told her.
The next morning, Tirza asked Hermione to come play and watch movies. Snape was glad that he had to talk with Isabel in his office; all the giggling from Tirza's room was giving him headache. He had just started working on his lesson plans when he heard a knock on the door. "Enter," he called. He looked up to see Isabel enter his office and seat herself in front of the desk. "Good morning," she greeted him. "Morning," Snape replied. Isabel took a deep breath. "I'm going to be very honest about what Tirza told me and about how I feel these things have affected her; I am afraid that it will not at all be flattering towards your ex-wife." "She was not my ex- wife; we were engaged, but she left me before Tirza was born. I understand what you mean and if things are as bad as I believe they are, I will no longer have anything good to say about Tirza's mother," Snape informed her. Isabel nodded. "Tirza's mother has done a lot of damage to Tirza emotionally. Tirza has very little self esteem and nothing good to say about herself. She is terribly guilty about something, though she has not told me what yet, and that guilt is causing her great distress. That guilt is entirely Ariel, I believe that is her name, it is entirely her fault. The few things that Tirza told me last night made my Irish temper flare at the... abusive way that Ariel treated her, and I know that there is much I have not been told. Ariel never physically abused her, but there was a great deal of mental and emotional abuse." She paused, waiting for Snape's reaction. "In what ways," he asked, dreading the answer. "Some of Ariel's actions can be blamed on her cancer, but that in no way excuses them, but there was damage done before the cancer as well. She often told Tirza that she was being stupid, not differentiating that she meant Tirza's choice had lacked good judgment and not that Tirza was stupid, which is exactly was Tirza assumed. Ariel also told Tirza that she had more important things to worry about then little things like Tirza being picked on at school, belittling the problems that were big concerns for Tirza and appropriate issues for her age. She mentioned a few times that she hated it that Tirza looked so much like you. Every time Tirza would ask questions about you, Ariel told her that she had left you because you were an evil man and that Tirza shouldn't ask about you because it made Ariel sad. To a very sensitive child like Tirza, she wanted very much to know you and love you, but hated making her mother sad by asking questions."
Snape took a deep breath; this was almost more then he even wanted to know, yet there was much that Tirza had not revealed. "The most disturbing of the things Tirza told me was that after her mother was diagnosed with cancer and it began to spread, making her rather miserable, that Ariel stopped all the motherly things that she had done. Tirza considered Ariel to be her best friend and blamed herself when her mother pulled away, no long wanting to hug her very often or tuck her in or help her with her homework. Ariel became very selfish, telling Tirza she was too demanding and that Tirza was the selfish one and wasn't thinking about the way her mother was hurting. Just after Tirza was victimized by that spawn of Satan, she had her first nightmare in which she relived the horror. She screamed and Ariel never came. She went to Ariel's room, wanting to sleep with Ariel and was turned away. She asked to be held, but Ariel told her to stop being selfish and naïve, which she told Tirza meant being a stupid baby, and to leave her be so she could take her pills and sleep. Ariel ignored what had happened to Tirza and the extra love and protection she would need because of it. And the errands she had Tirza running and cooking and such. That woman neglected Tirza and was only interested in her own problems. Tirza was fun when she was a friend to hang with, but when she was Ariel's daughter; she only got in the way." Isabel finished, nearly in tears. "You feel that there is much more than you have been told?" Snape asked quietly. Isabel nodded. "I shudder to think what else Ariel could have done... no wonder Tirza has such a need for affection and being held; I do not find her an inconvenience," he mused.
"I want you to know that I will do everything in my power to find out what the core of Tirza's troubles is and help her, even if I have to stay on after the school year ends. I care very much for her and she needs help, she shouldn't have to suffer through this on her own," Isabel stated. "I appreciate that very much; I feel very lost when it comes to all this and how I should help her," Snape replied. Isabel nodded. "That is completely understandable. Tirza loves you so much; she worships you and you are just what she needs. Keep doing whatever it is you are doing and I truly believe that the both of us will be able to help her overcome all her pain. I will keep you appraised of everything that she and I discuss and if there is ever anything I think you should do or not do that could help, I will let you know." Snape thanked her and she quietly left, leaving an angry, frustrated, self-blaming Snape behind. He went back to his chambers and knocked on Tirza's door. Hermione and Tirza poked their heads out of the door at him. "Tirza, I have something important I need to do and cannot watch you two. The Gryffindors are out practicing quidditch and I want you to go and tell Mr. Wood that I gave you permission to watch and ask him that he bring you to McGonagall after the practice, alright?" Tirza nodded and she and Hermione ducked back in the room to quickly clean. Snape left his chambers and headed for McGonagall's office. "Severus, what a surprise to see you here," she greeted him. He stood in the doorway, not entering the office. "I need a small favor Minerva. I have something important to do and there is no one to watch Tirza after the quidditch practice. If I have not come and told you that I am back, would you watch her for me for a while?" "Of course; not a problem at all," she replied. "Thank you," Snape said, turning on his heel to go and see the only person that he had ever been comfortable talking about personal things with, the man who had been like a father to him, a father his own had not been... Dumbledore.
"Severus, there is no good reason for you to blame yourself. If that was truly the person that Ariel was, I don't think your marrying her would have made her any different, nor would you're finding her and Tirza change things," Dumbledore stated. "I can't help but feel responsible for what happened Albus; what if there was a chance that I could have prevented all this?" Severus asked. "If you start blaming yourself and trying to relive the past, you won't be able to help Tirza and that would be an even bigger mistake than those that Ariel made. You have the chance to help her, Severus; she needs you." Snape rubbed his forehead with his hand. "Albus how can I be the right person to help her? I'm an ex-death eater and I hate children!" Dumbledore chuckled. "You do seem to dislike the children of this school. But I have seen you with Tirza; you are like an entirely different person. You try your best to be patient, you give her the affection and attention that she needs, and you act like her father, not a friend. Have you seen how she's changed? She was given five week grounding and only once in two weeks has she broken her grounding, but that is normal for her age. She tries very hard for you, even to give up swearing because you ask her too. Her expectations are just to be loved and taken care and you have gone beyond those things, as any good parent does. If you are not the right person to help her, then no one can." Severus nodded. "I want so much to help her, to fix everything and never make her feel sad again... but I am afraid to let her down." He sighed. "And I hate Ariel for what she has done... if she wasn't already dead, I think I'd kill her myself." "I certainly can understand how you feel... she made some very egregious errors in her care of Tirza, but Tirza is lucky to have you; you have a good head on your shoulders and her wellbeing in mind. It would take a lot of mistakes on your part to fail; mistakes I don't see you being capable of making where your daughter is concerned," Dumbledore assured him. Snape nodded. "I hope you're right Albus." Dumbledore's kind eyes twinkled as Snape stood to go. "Oh Severus; not that I am trying to add anything else to your plate, I wanted to give you fair warning that Remus Lupin has agreed to teach DADA for the rest of the year and will be arriving on Tuesday." Snape rolled his eyes. "Oh goody," he mumbled sarcastically before leaving. He could hear Dumbledore chuckling behind him.
"Tirza, hurry along or we'll be late for breakfast," Snape yelled from the sitting room. "I'm almost ready!" Tirza yelled back. Suddenly she shrieked from inside her room and Snape threw open her door to see her covering her face with her hands. "What happened?" he asked. She moved her hands and looked up at him. "Look at my face!" she wailed. He looked at her face, feeling confused. "I do not see anything on your face." She growled and pointed to a small red dot on her forehead. "I...have... a pimple!" Snape looked closer and could barely see the dot. "That is all that the shouting is about?" Tirza's eyes went wide. "Oh my god! Don't you understand? First you get pimples and than you get boobs, and I don't want those because all the guys want to look at them, and then you start bleeding! This is horrible!" Snape was starting to feel panicked... how was HE supposed to talk about these things? "Tirza, I...." "What if I bleed to death or my face gets covered in pimples and its one big dot? And what if my boobs are too big or too small and the other girls make fun of me? My life is over!" Tirza wailed. She looked at him expectantly, waiting for an answer. "Daddy, uh hello?!" "I am really not the one that you should talk to about this," Snape told her. "But this is an emergency! Where do you buy all the stuff for the bleeding around this place? I need concealer! I need a bra!" Snape took a deep breath, wishing this was all some sort of nightmare. "I understand that this is an emergency, but...I... really don't know how to answer your questions." Tirza's mouth dropped open. "You mean you don't know the answer?" Snape nodded. "Oh my god, I never thought that'd happen!" Tirza stated her voice full of amazement. "I do know someone who could help however," he replied.
Snape entered Isabel's classroom, where she always ate breakfast, leaving Tirza in the hallway. "I need... help. Urgently," Snape told her. Isabel looked concerned. "What's going on? Is something wrong with Tirza?" Snape suddenly blushed deep red. "Tirza has discovered a pimple and has been asking me all sorts of... female type questions." His stumbled along, embarrassed to be speaking of such things. Isabel suddenly started laughing; Snape stared at her in shock. The look on his face only caused her to laugh harder. When she finally stopped, her face was red from laughing, making Snape think that she looked very nice with so much color in her face. "I apologize; I know for you that this is very difficult and I sincerely apologize if I have offended you. You just sounded so distressed and were blushing a shade of red that I didn't even know existed," Isabel said, trying to suppress anymore laughter. "I understand what you need though, and I will be happy to talk with Tirza about what is going to start happening. If you would have some breakfast sent up for her that would be great. And again, I apologize." Snape nodded. "No apologizes necessary and I do not mean to rather force this upon you but, I am just so um, uncomfortable speaking with Tirza about such things." Isabel smiled, her face lighting up. "Not a problem.... Every little girl needs a woman to go to for these kinds of things because 99.99999% of fathers react the way that you are, so you are not alone." "Thank you," he mumbled before ushering Tirza into the room and heading to the kitchens to tell the house elves where to send Tirza's breakfast.
Tirza slammed open the door of Snape's office, then cringed. "Tirza, how many times must I ask you not to do that?" Snape asked without looking up from his papers. "Sorry; Isabel and me, I mean I, having something to ask you," Tirza told him. "Well come on in," he replied, looking up as they came and sat down in front of his desk. "Now what is it you wished to ask?" Isabel smiled. "Well Tirza has a pimple and feels rather self-conscious about it. Since she isn't allowed to do spells yet, I was wondering if you would allow me to take her to Hogsmeade and get some special witches concealer. She has told me that she was grounded, but I thought perhaps you will allow it." Tirza nodded. "Yeah; Isabel says it's not an emergency and I'm too young for all that stuff, but sometimes you can get a pimple or two," she added. Snape rubbed his chin in thought. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt." Both girls beamed. "Would I also be permitted to treat her to some supper or an ice cream?" Isabel wondered. Tirza looked at him with pleading eyes. "Alright, you may go Tirza, but I would like her back her by no later than eight-thirty," Snape relented. Tirza wrapped her arms around him and gave him a kiss. "Thanks daddy, you're the bestest!" She turned to Isabel. "Can we invite daddy to come?" Isabel nodded. "I think it would be very nice to invite him to join us; getting the concealer wouldn't take long. Would you like to come with?" "I appreciate the invitation, but..." Snape started. "I think we would both like it if you could come," Isabel replied, feeling rather shy. Snape nodded. "Alright, I'll come. What time is convenient?" Isabel had a hard time hiding the pleased look at his acceptance, which didn't go unnoticed by Tirza. "I think us girls could be ready in fifteen minutes. Shall I meet you both back here?" Isabel asked. "No, we'll come get you," Tirza interjected. Isabel nodded and left the office. Exactly fifteen minutes later, Snape knocked on the door of Isabel's quarters. While he and Tirza were in their every day clothes, Isabel had changed from usual robes to a pair of jeans and a lacy, baby blue shirt and matching sweater. She opened the door and smiled at Severus and Tirza. "Just let me grab my coat. Will we be walking?" Snape nodded, suddenly feeling rather nervous. Isabel put on her coat and walked outside with them.
Severus was sitting alone with Isabel at a table in the Three Broomsticks, still feeling rather nervous. Tirza had begged to go visit with Rosmerta, who welcomed the company as business was slow. "That is a very interesting point, Severus. I never thought of it in that light before," Isabel commented. They had given each other permission to use their first names earlier in the evening. "I enjoy talking with you; it's always an improvement to carry on an intelligent conversation," he replied. Isabel mentally kicked herself for not being able to keep a slight blush from her face. "Thank you," she said softly. Tirza came back to the table. "So daddy, have you asked her out yet?" she asked. Both Snape and Isabel blushed and Snape glared at Tirza. "Well I don't want to wait all night for you to ask her; we gotta get ice cream sometime," she told him. Isabel secretly hoped that he would ask her out, but wasn't sure if he felt that same. "Tirza, you are absolutely incorrigible," Snape gently scolded, still blushing. The little girl shrugged. "Come on, it's not that hard daddy," she encouraged. "You're not going to stop pestering me are you?" Snape asked rather coolly. She nodded, causing him to sigh. "Well, I personally wouldn't mind having a drink or dinner with you sometime," Isabel softly stated. Snape felt surprised; he had grown to like her in the time since her arrival but didn't know if she would ever consider that kind of an invitation from him. Tirza gently elbowed him. "Uh, you're supposed to say yes." Snape glared at her, then turned to Isabel, his face still somewhat red. "I would not be opposed to that," he said slowly. "Friday night looks good," Tirza piped up. "And how would you know?" Snape said, turning to her again. "Because I already asked Grandpa if I could hang with him and he said it was cool." Snape's eyebrow rose; so this had been planned all along! The same idea struck Isabel and she quickly licked her index finger and rubbed it over Tirza's pimple. "Hey," Tirza objected as her pimple began to smear. Isabel laughed. "It's marker; it uh, looks like we've been set up." "Indeed," Snape replied, still looking at Tirza. "Hey dude, don't look at me! I'm trying to help." Both adults rolled there eyes. "I would understand completely if you decided not to have dinner with me Severus; it seems we were lead into a trap with good intentions," Isabel told him. "No, I do believe I would enjoy it. Would Friday night be convenient for you?" Snape asked. He was surprised at how easily it was to actually ask her and at the smile that brightened her face. "That would be lovely," Isabel replied. "Great! He'll pick you up at 6; now let's go get ice cream!"
"Alright young lady, spill it," Snape ordered when he and Tirza returned to their chambers. She giggled at the look on his face and crawled onto his lap. "Daddy, you know that you know that you wanted to ask her out. You just didn't know that she knew that she knew she wanted to be asked out. And you didn't know that I know that you know that you know and that I know that she knows that she knows. I had to help you!" Snape groaned, utterly confused by her explanation. "You're not mad, are you?" she asked quietly. He shook his head and kissed her forehead. "No, I'm not. However, in the future, if I want to ask someone out, I will take care of it myself." She smiled and kissed his face. "It's a deal!" "And what am I going to do with you, miss date-maker?" he asked, pretending to be stern. She giggled. "I uh, forgot something, uh somewhere, yeah, and I gotta go get it," she said, pretending to be scared as she crawled off his lap. "Oh no you don't, young lady!" Snape could hardly keep a straight face as he grabbed her and put her face down over his lap, holding her feet with one hand and tickling them with the other. "Hey!" she yelled between giggles. "I can't get away with you holding me like this!" Snape chuckled. "That is precisely the point!" Tirza squealed with laughter as he continued to tickle her tiny feet.
Tirza giggled quietly; today was part one of her revenge for the spell put on Molly. Today's target: Malfoy. It had been very tricky to get everything ready. While Snape had been in his office getting today's Potion lessons ready, Tirza had snuck into the classroom. Her goal was to get a potion that would turn dark hair and eyebrows blonde; but on a blonde, the result would be pink. She had found that out when Neville spilt his all over a Hufflepuff girl, who had to spend the next twenty-four hours with pink hair until the potion wore off. It was a brilliant plan, but not without its dangers. She wasn't allowed, under any circumstances, to play with ANY potions unless under her father's supervision. But desperate times called for desperate measures and she'd have to be sure and not get caught... she didn't even want to think about what her dad would do if he found out. She had hid the potion in her room until after school, when she could put it into effect. The potion could be drunk or could just be put on the hair, as in the case of the Hufflepuff girl. The only problem had been how to get Draco to drink it or to spill it on him. Spilling it on him would be much too obvious and would surely get her caught! So with much deliberation, Tirza finally decided on a plan. She knew that after supper, Draco always made a trip to the kitchens for a pitcher of pumpkin juice to bring back to the common room; being the selfish boy that he was, he never shared any of it with anyone, which would make it the perfect way to slip him the Potion. Tirza giggled at her own brilliance and could hardly wait for supper!
Tirza carried the pitcher from the kitchen and stopped just out of the elves view. She pulled the vial from her pocket and dumped it all in. She put the vial into her pocket to get rid of later and started walking slowly down the hallway; just up ahead was Malfoy. He shot her a sneer and walked over. "What have you got?" he asked accusingly. "Juice, ya dork. What else do you put in a pitcher 'cept stuff to drink???" Tirza replied. Malfoy's face burned red from the insult; he reached out and took the pitcher from her, pushing her away. Tirza scowled at him and put her fists up. "You looking for a fight?" Malfoy asked. The odds were that he would lose, but he couldn't look like he was scared of a girl. Tirza scowled at him for another moment, than dropped her fists. "No; you're not worth the trouble I'd get into for fighting." Before Malfoy could reply, she stomped down the hallway. She had been given to permission to hang out with Hermione in the library for a half hour and didn't want to waste anymore time.
Tirza spent twenty minutes chatting with Hermione, than decided she had better get back before she was late. She forgot the one thing that was more important than not being late: getting rid of the potion vile that was still in her pocket. "YOU!" someone screamed from behind her in the hallway. Tirza turned to see Draco with bright pink hair charging towards her. "You scream like a girl!" she said, laughing. "I know you did this! I don't know how, but I know you used a potion! I'm going to get you into trouble for this!" he threatened. Tirza faked a yawn. "Promises, promises," she replied. Draco's face went red with rage and Tirza burst out laughing at how funny he looked with pink hair and a red face. "I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!" Draco shouted. Tirza stopped laughing; he looked dead serious. Without a word, she turned and took of running down the hallway, with Draco in close pursuit. She ran down the hallway as fast as she could, hoping to reach Dumbledore's office and give the password before he could catch her. She looked behind her as she ran, almost out of breath, and saw that Draco was just rounding the corner. Before she turned her head back the right way, she ran right into someone. 'Please don't let it be dad,' she prayed. "Are you alright?" a soft voice asked. Strong arms picked her up and set her on her feet. Tirza looked up at the man, who was tall, with dark hair and kinda yellow eyes. "Oop, my bad," she said. She looked behind her and saw Draco coming. "Hide me!" she shrieked at the man. He pulled out his wand and said something that made Tirza no longer visible. He saw the blonde haired boy run over to him. "Have you seen a bratty little girl with dark hair run this way?" Draco asked. "No, I haven't," the man replied. "She probably went to her chambers by some secret way," Draco said angrily. "No matter, I'll just go find HIM," he said loudly, thinking that Tirza was nearby and wanting her to hear. He took off walking down the hallway and as soon as he was out of sight, the man flicked his wand and Tirza became visible again. "Whoa, cool!" she told him.
"What was that all about?" the man asked. Tirza sighed. "Loooong story. Um, who are you?" The man smiled. "My name is Remus, Remus Lupin. You look very familiar to me to for some reason," he mused. Tirza giggled. "You're a marauder! Moody I think! Sweet!" "You know about the marauders?" Remus asked. Tirza nodded. "Grandpa tolded me the funniest story about the marauders." "What's your grandfather's name?" he questioned. "Dumbledore, you know him," she replied. "You're Professor Dumbledore's granddaughter?" She nodded. "What's your name?" "Tirza Snape." A look of shock came over Remus' face. "Snape? As in Severus Snape?" The little girl nodded. "Ah, I knew you reminded me of someone that I should know!" Remus announced. "So Snapey's got a little girl, huh? Who'd of thought? What's your favorite color?" "Pink," Tirza told him happily. "Beautiful, just beautiful," Remus mused with a laugh. "What's beautiful?" Tirza asked. "Well, you know that I knew your father. I never imagined him with kids because he is always so mad all the time; I've heard about how he teaches his classes and how much he hates the kids here. So to find out that HE has a child, let alone a little girl, and one that loves pink, it is very amusing." Tirza giggled, and then both of them turned as loud footsteps could be heard coming their way. There was the pink Draco, with a smug look on his face, walking beside an angry looking Snape. Tirza's eyes went wide. "Oh shit, I'm gonna die," she whispered. "Tirza Jade Snape!" Severus bellowed. "You are in so much trouble young lady!" Remus smiled inwardly at the sight of Snape after all these years, he hadn't changed a bit; he felt very sorry for Tirza.
A/N: Uh-oh! Such a good plan! But what evidence does Snape have for him to believe Draco? And what is Snape going to do? Tirza is sure in for it now! Will she ever learn? What an interesting way for her to meet Remus though! I will be counting on Potter-Snape and LostSoul for help with getting Remus' character right, as long as both are willing to help! And thanks to all you gave the description of what they thought Remus was like. It was very much appreciated! As always, stay tuned. Kenomee: Glad to hear from you again! Boy, you sure have been buys! My goodness! That cliffhanger was nasty, wasn't it! I did that because I hadn't made up my mind for sure as to what I wanted to happen to next, but I think it turned out really good. It was nice for Tirza to talk with Isabel and get closer with her. You made a good point about Tirza being jealous of a Snape/Isabel romance; that just wouldn't be her way, you were very right! Tirza is very confused right now, but things will work out, over time. Chris Logan will be a big help to Snape, supplying more background info as well as someone Snape can communicate with that also has a child Tirza's age. It would look rather bad if he went to the parent of a student and asked for advice, and that would not at all be his way.
MissLKid: Glad you liked it! Cliffhangers can be nasty little things!
Elfmoon87: I am so glad that you continue to like this story! I try to make it as realistic as possible and hopefully I'm doing a decent job of it.
Luinthoron: I am like you; I can understand Ariel and how and why she made the choices she did, but that doesn't excuse them. In the end, she is still wrong, no matter what the reasons behind her choices.
Alrick: Glad to hear from you! I hope your convention things have gone well. You are very right about Tirza and Snape's relationship; for her, that was a very big thing to let Snape change her clothes. Little signs like that will be popping up to show the change in their relationship and the trust as well as faith that Tirza has grown to have in Sev. Excellent idea about the time disappearing ink! I'll have to save that for another 'battle' with those Slytherins! Lucius would certainly be VERY furious if he had to waste his time bringing Draco back to the school for a test! I'd even feel bad for Draco; his dad seems like one scary and crazy dude, both in the books and movies. And you were right that Snape should not apologize for the spanking hurting; I meant it that he was apologizing that he had to do it, because neither of them like it. Would that be a correct apology on Sev's part? Eventually, all of Tirza's mixed feelings about her mother will be sorted through and put into the right places and she'll realize that her mother wrong, but her mother still loved her though she made bad decisions.
Potter-Snape: I would love you forever (LOL!) if you would still be willing to help me write Lupin. Until I see the third movie next year, I probably won't get a real good feel on his character. Snape's character as much more obvious in the books and the movies confirmed that.
Enchantress: I there! I don't think I've had a review from you before, so if you are new to the story, welcome! I hope you are enjoying it! You're description of Remus was lovely and will come in handy. Perhaps you might like to participate in helping me write him? Such as give suggestions of a situation involving him and Tirza and what you think his actions/reactions would be. I'd really love it if you would like to, but no pressure of course. Hope you enjoy this chapter!
GrintsGirl: Thanks for the praise! I love it when my readers are happy. Much more will be found out about Ariel before Tirza will finally sort through her feelings about her mom and accept that what her mom did was wrong.
CraJure: I'm sorry that you're broke! I know that feeling very well! Remus could probably give Tirza some very good tips on things to do against the Slytherins!
LostSoul: It certainly does feel that God hates you some days, doesn't it? Are you a big Lucius fan? He's just a bit too evil for my personal taste, but would be a fun part to play for an actor, a real challenge. Whatever his name was (my memory escapes me) that played him did an excellent job conveying all that evilness that is Lucius and what has made Draco into what he is. I'm trying to get better about THEN and THAN; I'm working on it, be patient, LOL! And no, AJ's family knows nothing about Ariel being a witch or about the wizarding world. It will be quite a challenge for Snape to keep Tirza from spilling the beans to her little friend! I too, am glad that Tirza didn't kill herself... I too was very teary-eyed as I wrote that part where Snape caught her in the hallway. And about Remus being homosexual... that thought never even crossed my mind! Not that I personally have problems with people that are, but until something in the books points very obviously to it, I will continue to think of him as straight, as that is how I perceive him. Not that I'm promising to hook him up with a girl or anything, but he won't be homosexual. You're Lupin description was excellent and I would love to have your help writing his parts in the story if you are willing!
Raclswt: Thanks for hope that I am better; I am, but it's off to work again tomorrow... maybe I should get sick again, LOL! About updates, I wish I could update every day, and sometimes I can, but not often do I have that chance. My goal is to upload a chapter every other day. Such as I am posting this one late Sunday, so I would post another late this Tuesday. I would be happy to email you when I upload if you want to drop me your email address. Mine is: medjaigurl@aol.com. I know it sounds funny, but it was dedicated to Aretha Bay from the Mummy movies, before I started reading Harry Potter (that was when the first movie came out) and fell in love with Snape, in the books and embodied by the talented Alan Rickman. Let me know about the emails, it would be no trouble at all to do that for you.
HarrietPotter: Glad I can keep you happy and laughing and enjoying Tirza!
AlexGray: So far I am undecided what Tirza will do to Marcus Flint, all I know is that despite whatever Snape may do to her, even if he did spank her I think she'd still have to get her revenge, even if it earned her another spanking. She's very very stubborn and determined... hmm, wonder where she got that from, LOL! Snape certainly was a spaz all relaxed like that. He will definitely never give Tirza a full vile, more like a fourth or an eighth. And please excuse all typos, I try my best, but they are determined to get the better of me, LOL!
Here's wishing you all a good Monday! Me, I hate Mondays; the weekend is never really long enough. Hugs, Kerry
