"No, don't give her the paper, she'll eat it," Tirza warned as Remus pushed a scrap of paper towards Jinn Jinn. "It's alright if she eats it, there's nothing important on it." Tirza giggled. "Jinn Jinn loves paper and daddy yells every time she goes anywhere near his stuff." "I'll bet he does," Remus replied. "So are you doing okay after everything that happened yesterday and this morning?" Tirza's giggling came to an immediate halt. "Yeah, I guess so. I don't want the bad thing to happen again and I thought it was so I owe you something really special okay?" "You don't have to owe me anything," Remus told her softly. "What bad thing are you talking about though?" He watched as Tirza's eyes filled with tears. "I don't wanna talk about it." Remus nodded. "Did you already have supper?" "Yeah and Jinn Jinn did too, I gave her lettuce," she told him, picking up the rabbit. "Youz my cute wittle baby," she cooed to the rabbit, kissing its head. "You want to hold her? She wouldn't bite, but watch out cuz she might eat your clothes." Remus carefully took the little rabbit and held it on his lap. Jinn Jinn sniffed his hand, and then licked it a few times before stretching out on his lap. "She's a very nice rabbit." "Thank you Mr. Lupin. Um, do I have to call you Mr. Lupin?" Tirza asked. "I don't see why you'd have too," Remus replied. "Can I call you uncle Remus?" She asked. Remus nodded. She smiled brightly. "Cool! Hey, can I ask you a question?" "Sure." "Why do your eyes look like they do?" she asked curiously. "Because I was bitten by a werewolf when I was young and am now one," Remus replied honestly. Tirza's eyes went wide. "Awesome! For real?" "For real." She giggled. "Cool; I know a werewolf! Awesome! Does my daddy know?" "Yes; that's one of the reasons that he doesn't particularly want you around me," he stated. "So since you're good at pranks and stuff, if I ever wanted to play a prank on Draco, would you help me?" Remus chuckled. "I don't think your father would appreciate that." Tirza rolled her eyes. "No, he's not fun like that. But it's a war..."

Isabel and Snape sat in a restaurant in muggle London, over a bottle of wine and delicious Italian cooking. "I told you you'd like it Severus," Isabel said with a wink. "Alright, I'll admit that I was skeptical and that this is certainly not my favorite city to be in, but this is excellent food, as well as excellent company." She blushed prettily. "You are quite the charmer, aren't you?" Snape chuckled. "I do believe that you are the first to ever tell me that." "Well then everyone else is blind to your qualities," she replied quietly. Snape felt shy and cleared his throat. "You must be exaggerating," he stated. Isabel shook her head no. "I mean it." Just then the bill came. "Oh, maybe we should get something for Tirza so she doesn't feel left out?" Isabel suggested. Severus nodded and looked over the dessert menu, choosing an Oreo brownie dessert that only a true chocolate lover would enjoy. Once the bill was paid and they were out of sight of any muggles, Snape put a spell on the dessert to keep it fresh, and then shrunk it and its box to be kept in Isabel's purse. "We better get going or we'll miss the movie," Isabel pointed out. Snape nodded and once again extended his arm, which she took and they continued down the street.

Tirza giggled hysterically and rolled right off the chair and onto the floor. "Are you okay?" Remus asked as he helped her up off the floor. "Maybe that chocolate bar wasn't such a good idea," he mused. Tirza giggled again. "No, silly, it's not the chocolate! Daddy says I'm very... what is that word... energetic! And bouncy too." "That is extremely apparent." "Hey!" Tirza said; she pretended to look insulted and stuck her tongue out at him. "None of that... or I might make your tongue stay that way," Remus told her with a wink. Her dark eyes went wide. "Can you really do that?" He nodded. "Cool! Can you teach me?" Remus chuckled. "Maybe some other time." "Aw tribbles," she replied disgustedly. "What?" he asked. She giggled at the confused look on his face. "Well daddy doesn't like it when I swear so I use different words instead." "But what exactly is a tribble?" "Too hard to explain right now; sometime I will show you, okay?" "Alright. I have a question for you; why did Madame Pompfrey ask you if you had been flying brooms in the hallways again?" Remus inquired. Tirza blushed and ducked her head, causing him to chuckle. She scowled and he burst out laughing. "Hey, don't laugh at me!" "I wasn't laughing at you, you just looked so much like your dad when you gave me that look," Remus assured her. "Oh. "So were you really flying brooms in the hallways?" "Yes, but like you should talk!" she retorted. "I was really really bored cuz my oven caught on fire and the closet was open and daddy wouldn't let me fly by myself outside, but he never said inside." Remus shook his head. "So how did Poppy find out about it?" Tirza sighed. "Cuz I fell off and hurted my arm it was broken real bad and she had to fix it, but it was a good thing that my arm was broke." Again, a confused look came over Remus' face. "Why was it good that your arm was broken?" Tirza blushed. "Cuz then daddy felt bad about my arm and didn't spank me," she replied quietly. "I gotted grounded instead for a billion years." "A billion, huh?" She nodded. "Yeah, five weeks is like a billion! And I haven't even been allowed to touch a broom yet... you wanna let me fly? Please? Pretty please?" "No, that would not be a good idea." She sighed. "Please? I'll love you forever and ever?" He smiled and patted her head. "I think your dad would kill us both." "Well he wouldn't kill me silly! Cuz I'm cute!" Remus chuckled and quickly changed the subject before she became too cute to resist.

"Ya know, sometimes this place is so big that it really sucks. I get lost still sometimes and I really don't know any good places to hide, like the other night when Draco was chasing me," Tirza commented while coloring. "Well, my friends and I knew every single passage way in this school. I'd show them to you if you only use them to hide if someone is chasing you or for someplace quiet to think," Remus replied. Tirza smiled. "Really?" He nodded. "Sweet!" she shouted. "Let's go!" She took his hand and tried pulling him out of his chair, but fell backwards. "Wow, you're really heavy." Remus chuckled and led the way from his office. They spent nearly an hour and half going through secret passages that led to unused classrooms, the kitchens, even one that led to Hogsmeade. "You shouldn't use the one that goes to Hogsmeade though; I think you're too little to be wandering around by yourself," Remus cautioned. Tirza wrinkled her face into a frown. "I'm not too little." "What aren't you only six?" he teased. Tirza made a disgusted noise that reminded him of Snape. "I'm TEN, thank you very much!" "Oh, well excuse me. But still, don't use that one, alright?" She nodded reluctantly. "I want another story," she whined as they headed back to his office. Remus chuckled. "You really enjoy stories about your father's school days, don't you?" "Yeah, cuz then I can tease him about it later," Tirza told him. "Okay, let me think..." Remus told her.

At nine-thirty, Remus looked up from his book and glanced towards Tirza. She was sitting on the sofa with her headphones on, listening to her Backstreet Boys CD. "Tirza?" he called. "Are you tired at all?" When he received no answer, he went over to where she sat and chuckled softly. Tirza was fast asleep, with her music still blaring in her ears. Shaking his head, he took the CD player and headphones from her and put them on the coffee table. He gently moved her so that she was laying down instead of sitting up and covered her with a blanket; she never even moved. He turned off several lights and sat more in the back of his office with a single light, not wanting to disturb her sleep. He had actually had quite a nice time baby-sitting her. She was certainly energetic, but she was good and very sweet; if she hadn't looked so much like Snape, Remus would never have believed that they were related. Other than her looks and certain expressions in her face, they were completely opposite. It was no wonder though that Severus had become so soft around her; it was impossible to not like her and fall under her spell of cuteness. He cast one last glance at the sleeping little girl before turning his attentions back to his book.

"I hope you liked the movie. I really had no idea what kind you would like and Tirza wasn't sure either," Isabel said as they walked out of the movie theater. As a last minute thought, she had chosen Sweet Home Alabama for them to see, and though he hadn't complained, she worried that Severus hadn't enjoyed the movie. "I'll admit that it was not one I'd see on my own, but I cannot say that I didn't enjoying seeing it with you," he replied. Isabel smiled shyly. "So how was your first trip to the movies?" He chuckled. "Most enjoyable; I enjoyed the company more then the movie." She looped her arm through his again as they walked down the street. "Should we stop for a drink or something before heading back?" she asked. Severus looked at his watch; it was already nearly ten-thirty. "I think not this time; I promised Tirza that she could stay up until I returned and I don't want her up too late. Besides, I have a rather worried feeling, which sounds absolutely ridiculous..." "Not to me," Isabel interrupted. Severus gave her a small smile. "I really think I should get back to her though; I apologize for cutting the evening short." Isabel shook her head. "There's no need to apologize; I completely understand. Tirza is your little girl and the top thing on your mind, which is right where she should be. If you feel that we should head back, I am perfectly fine with that." "I appreciate that," he told her quietly. They walked away from all the muggles, to a private and rather dark spot, then apparated back to the gates of Hogwarts.

Tirza rolled over on the couch, trying to shake the icky dreams away. The dreams continued, and her skin burned where she could remember being touched. She subconsciously tried to rub the burning sensation away, but the nightmare grew more powerful, as it always did, becoming worse and worse every minute. Tirza screamed in her sleep and started kicking and hitting at the air. Remus nearly fell out of his chair at her scream and looked over to see her thrashing about. He wasn't sure what was going on and decided to wake her up. She screamed again as he was walking towards the couch and struggled harder against some imaginary force. "Tirza, Tirza," he called, gently rubbing her shoulder. "Wake up." Without opening her eyes, she started hitting in the direction of where the new touch came from. "Stop it! You're hurting me!" she shouted. Remus stepped back as she continued to shout; there was no way he had hurt her when he rubbed her shoulder. What in the world was going on? "DADDY!" she screeched. She yelled for Severus again and then her eyes popped open and she looked around her wildly. She didn't see what she was looking for and burst into tears; she pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her head against them, crying and shaking. "Daddy," she wailed. Remus slowly came towards her again and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Tirza, are you alright? What's wrong?" he asked softly. She hit his hand away and cried harder. "Daddy?" she called again through her tears. "Daddy, its bad, where are you?!?!?" Remus felt utterly confused, but he had to do something; she was just sitting there, crying and shaking, looking so little and scared. He sat beside her and gently rubbed her back; he tried to talk to her, but it was like she was in some kind of trance. She started to gag and he picked her up and brought her to the bathroom, thinking she might throw up. She didn't even try to hit his touch as she continued to gag. He barely got her there in time before she started to throw up, her face growing as pale as a sheet. He didn't know if she wanted him there, but he couldn't leave her alone if she was sick, so he sat down beside her. She didn't really even notice he was there; she was too busy being sick. When her stomach calmed, she allowed him to wash her face as she continued to cry. "Tirza, what is wrong? What can I do?" Remus asked as he helped her stand. "Hold me," she said through her sobs. He picked her up and she leaned her head against his shoulder, soaking his shirt with her tears.

Isabel and Severus apparated to right outside the Hogwarts gate. Severus gave the password and the gate let them onto the school grounds; they started walking towards the school, but turned around when they heard a popping sound. There behind them, stood Dumbledore. Snape's face grew dark. "Albus are you or are you not supposed to be watching my child?" he asked through clenched teeth. "I apologize Severus, but I was urgently needed at the Ministry. She is in good hands, I assure you," Dumbledore replied calmly. "Whose hands?" "Remus is watching her." Snape stood there for a moment, looking like he might explode. "You know how I feel about that man!" he shouted when he regained his voice. "Severus, you know how much I care about Tirza. I would never leave her with Remus if I didn't trust him completely," Dumbledore countered. Snape turned and stalked towards the school, with both Isabel and Dumbledore following close behind. Snape stormed through the hallways towards Lupin's office and suddenly stopped. He could hear crying... "Merlin, its Tirza!" he shouted. He ran the rest of the way and threw open the door of Lupin's office. Remus was sitting on the sofa, holding a sobbing Tirza in his lap. Severus stalked over to the couch and took Tirza from Lupin. "Daddy," she whispered, cuddling against his chest as he held her in his arms. "WHAT DID YOU DO?" Snape shouted. "Now wait a minute," Remus began calmly. "I didn't do anything. She..." "If you've scared her or hurt her, you won't live long enough to regret it!" Snape yelled back. Tirza whimpered at his shouts and he kissed her head. "Shh, it's alright, I'm here," he told her softly. "The dreams daddy," she whispered. "And you weren't here and I was scared." What had actually happened dawned on Snape and he reluctantly looked at Remus. "I... apologize... for over reacting," he stumbled over the words. "I misunderstood the situation." Remus nodded. "I don't know what happened; one minute she was sleeping and the next she was screaming. She got sick and she wanted me to hold her." "Again, I apologize," Snape said as he turned to leave the office. He carried the still crying Tirza down to the dungeons. "A might overprotective," Remus commented. Both Isabel and Dumbledore nodded. "But not without good reason to be," Isabel told him.

With Tirza still in his arms, Snape poured a tiny amount of her potion into a glass. "Drink it quickly." She did and handed the glass back to him. "Daddy, I was scared and you weren't there," she said as she cuddled against him again. Snape felt incredibly guilty; he had been out having a wonderful time and his baby had been scared and he hadn't been there for her. "I'm sorry baby," he whispered as he sat down and started to gently rock her. "Does that help you feel better?" She nodded. "I'm glad your back daddy. I missed you and I was really scared. But uncle Remus was really nice and didn't yell at me even though I threw up on the rug in his bathroom." Snape groaned inwardly at the thought of Lupin being Uncle Remus, but there was no stopping Tirza once she decided to become attached to someone and give them a nickname; Auntie Min (McGonagall) and Grandpa could attest to that. He kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry I wasn't there." Tirza wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his face. "Its okay daddy, you didn't mean too. And Uncle Remus took good care of me. We had fun until I fell asleep and the bad dreams came." He marveled at how sweet she was to him, feeling like he didn't deserve it, especially after not being there for her nightmare. "You are a sweetheart, do you know that?" he whispered. Tirza giggled. "You tell me that lots. Do I have to go to bed?" Severus smiled at her. "No, not just yet." "So did you have fun with Isabel?" Severus nodded. "Yes, I did. We had a nice dinner and went to a movie. I think she still has the dessert I brought back for you." "Dessert? Ooh, can I have it now?" Snape rolled his eyes. "No, it is eleven o'clock; you do not need sweets this late at night." Tirza sighed. "Sometimes, you're no fun, ya know that?" "I'm just the big nasty evil daddy, right?" Tirza giggled. "No, not nasty and evil, silly! You're the greatest and I love you so much more then mommy!" Snape was caught a bit off guard at the statement that she loved him more then she loved her mother, but decided to talk about that at a later time. It really didn't surprise him though, considering the things he had been told. "I love you too baby."

"That is impossible!" Snape shouted the next morning, slamming his fist down on Dumbledore's desk. "He had to be involved!" "I understand your suspicions Severus, as they were the same as mine, but Mr. Malfoy had nothing to do with Mr. Flint's crimes." Snape started pacing the office, trying to get his temper under control. He and Dumbledore had decided to use a truth potion on Draco, who would do anything to not have another letter sent to his father, to see if he had been involved in the crimes Marcus had committed. Snape had brewed the potion himself and Dumbledore had administered it and asked the questions. "You made the potion Severus, so there was no mistakes; Marcus was lying, Draco was no involvement what so ever, other then telling Marcus that he thought Tirza had dyed his hair." "Unbelievable. The one thing we are absolutely sure he was involved with and he's not," Snape fumed. "I am most certainly going to have a talk with him and Tirza; all these pranks between each other need to stop, and I'll see to it that they do." Dumbledore nodded. "I also received some letters from the Ministry. It seems Mr. Flint wants a trial, seems to think he can prove his innocence." Snape growled. "I'm afraid Tirza will have to testify; they have not yet set a date for the trial, but will let us know. This second letter came for you by the same owl," Dumbledore held an envelope out to Severus. He took it and looked at it; it also had the seal of the Wizard Justice on it. He opened the letter and scanned its contents. "Dear Mr. S. Snape. We have received your request to legally change your daughter's last name to Snape and will require both you and the child, Tirza J. Shelby, to come before the court. There it will be accepted or rejected, though we do not foresee any problems with the name change, as long as the child is still willing. You will see you on Monday, December 6, at 10AM sharp. Sincerely, Mr. V. Advokit, Wizard Justice" "What is it Severus?" Snape looked up from the letter. "It's about Tirza changing from Shelby to Snape; they want us to be in court on December 6th." Dumbledore nodded. "I haven't talked to Tirza about this since I first mentioned it; I wonder if she still wants to?" Snape mused, turning and leaving the office, setting of in search of his daughter.

Snape found Tirza in their quarters, visiting with Isabel and eating her dessert. She waved to him, her face filled with whip cream and chocolate sauce. "Aren't you a lovely sight?" he sneered. Isabel frowned at him slightly, but Tirza giggled. "Come here," she waved him over. When he stood in front of her, she pulled on his robe, pulling him down closer to her face and gave him a big whip cream and chocolate kiss. "There, now you're pretty too!" Isabel's face relaxed as she realized that Tirza knew her father was just kidding. "Good morning," Severus said as he faced Isabel. She smiled. "Good morning." "I hope you do not mind, but I wish to speak with Tirza privately. Perhaps you ladies could visit later?" Snape asked. "Of course. Enjoy your dessert honey," Isabel said as she left the room. Snape sat down on the couch beside Tirza, who was licking the bowl, getting every last bit of goodness. "That looks incredibly disgusting," he commented. She giggled. "Wuz up?" He took a deep breath before beginning. "Well, there are two things. The first is that Flint wants a trial, which means you'll have to testify in court." Tirza scrunched up her face into a frown. "That sucks. What else?" "The second is that we are due at court on December 6th if you still want to change your last name to Snape. Do you still wish to do that?" She nodded. "I don't want to be Shelby no more, ever. I want to be your little girl, cuz I love you bestest." Snape felt flattered, but at the same time a little hesitant. "I don't like mommy no more, cuz she made me sad. I hate her!" Tirza shouted. Snape reached out a rubbed her cheek. "You shouldn't hate your mother. She made some bad choices, but she still loved you. You know that, right?" he asked. "But daddy, can't I like you better?" she asked, feeling confused. "I'm not saying that you can't love me and like me, but it's in a different way then how you loved your mother. I know that you don't hate her, you just feel sad, right?" She nodded, looking miserable. Severus pulled her onto his lap and kissed her head. "Your mother loved you, very much," he told her. It felt like he was telling a lie, but he knew it hurt Tirza to think that she hated her mother, even though she said she did. "She was very sick baby, and it made her do things that she didn't want to do sometimes. She never meant to hurt you." Tirza looked up at him, her eyes glittering with unshed tears. "Are you sure? It was cuz she was sick and not cuz she hated me?" He nodded. "I'm absolutely positive. I know that you think you love me more, but it's just a different kind of love then what you had for your mother. Do you understand?" "I guess so," she replied, sighing deeply. "Can I still be Snape? Cuz I'm your little girl and I wanna have your name too." "Of course," he assured her.

A/N: Marcus' trial will be coming soon, as well as the name changing. More stuff about Draco and Tirza (and Snape talking with them), Tirza hating her mother, which Isabel will help with and Severus will make a big decision about having a relationship with Isabel. Stay tuned! And happy Easter all! Sorry this wasn't up last night, but my sister got sick and so everyone was going to come to MY house! I've been cleaning and cooking like crazy, its insanity!!

Mg08: Hope this was up before you went off the deep end, LOL! Glad you like it!

AlexGray: So does Lupin seem to fit in this chapter as well? Did Marcus really take his 7th year twice? I forgot about that!

Mary: I am very pleased that you are happy with the story! Glad you made an exception and read it, hope it'll keep you entertained!

Venus: There will be a short trial for the idiotic Marcus. More about Snape and Isabel in the next chapter.

Alrick: Sev will definitely have to lighten up, for Tirza will be determined to hang out with him from now on! If she knows what's good for her, she won't have him take her flying, as her three weeks restriction from flying isn't up for another three days (if I remember correctly, it might only be two). Awesome idea of Snape threatening to spank the next prankster in front of the innocent party, so to speak. Wonder how long peace between the two will last... not too long knowing them! Marcus will be charged with attempted murder at the trial. And what a surprise that Malfoy wasn't involved! Marcus was just being spiteful and trying to do his "friend" a favor at the same time. And Remus was very good about Tirza feeling guilty-she really doesn't need any more then she's got!

Luinthoron: Hope you like it!

LostSoul: So far I have no plans of Tirza being around Lupin when he does his werewolf thing. I think Snape would monitor their interaction too closely for that to happen. He'll work on trusting Lupin, but it will take awhile. I've never been caned either and I certainly wouldn't want to be! I think it would be horrible... which is why it is such a good thing to have happen to Marcus, someone that is evil. Will definitely have to add some accidental magic in the next couple of chapters! Especially against Draco, the archenemy, LOL! And yes I do have bunnies. Two boys; Teddy is four years old and is a Holland Lop. Mikey is one years old and is a mini Lop. Then two girls (in separate rooms from the boys, LOL!) that are both Holland Lops and are actually sisters and they are three years old, named Kelli and Katie. They are a lot of fun! Dwarf bunnies are so cute, they are so tiny! My favs are the lops though, I love their ears.

Harriet Potter: Glad I'm keeping you happy, LOL!

Jene: That is too bad your sister is getting sick of hearing about it, but my honey gets the same way sometimes, LOL! They just don't know what their missing, lol! And about Draco, ya gotta have an enemy or two!

CraJure: I don't know if this really qualifies for AU, but I kinda follow my own timeline, but keep things are far as character and stuff that they do (minus Voldie stuff) with the movies/books.

Rox-Angel-Malfoy: Remus was pretty cool for saving Tirza, wasn't he? He's a good guy to have around! I will try and email you about some of the stories that I am keeping up with, right now I am just going to upload and take some Motrin......... the relatives are finally gone!

Jetsog-Ger: Oh don't worry, there will be more pranks between him and Tirza, even though Snape will threaten to spank the next prankster in front of the one the prank was played on... I have a feeling they'll both be getting some "extra attention" from Sevvie about their pranks, Draco in particular!

Potter-Snape: Well, I included your idea, but didn't go into detail..... That will come up later where she uses some of the passages. Thanks for the suggestion!

AngelsCreation: You'll have to wait and see about Sev and Isabel until the next chapter. It may surprise you, but then it may be exactly what you expected.

Kenomee: But Marcus was happy to get away from Snape. I sure wouldn't have wanted to be in his shoes! The truce between Sev and Remus will come slowly, on Sev's part anyways. You are right about Tirza and not remembering about being punished! It will be interesting to see which one gets caught more, Draco or Tirza. I don't think either one will appreciate the "extra attention" Snape will give them if they don't stop their pranks. But of course they couldn't stop all together, that wouldn't be any fun! And I'm glad you didn't eat Poco!

Racwlst: This is Harry and Co's first year, Oliver's fourth. I know it doesn't follow the books to have Sirius come, but he's gonna come anyways, during Christmas break!

Padfoot1979: I'm not sympathetic like Tirza is either. Marcus got everything he deserved and will at the trial too.

MissLKid: Well, Malfoy can't be punished for what Marcus did, because Draco wasn't involved in it. He'll have some run ins with Tirza and Snape coming up which will not make him happy, LOL!

Ladysnape575: I kinda run on my own timeline, so yes it is Harry and Co's first year. And Draco looked familiar, as in resembled his father, just like Tirza looked familiar to him too. Sirius will be coming, during Christmas break!