One of the officers that came to visit the Logan's and the new baby gave
Severus and the little girls a ride home. Just to be safe, the hospital
decided to keep Chris and Serena until later that night and Mike wanted to
stay. By the time they got back to the house, they had already eaten a late
lunch in the cafeteria. The girls wondered off to Amy's room and Severus
decided on a relaxing shower. After his shower he headed back to the living
room, where the girls were again watching TV munching on popcorn. "Want
some?" Amy asked, holding out the bag to Severus. He shook his head and sat
on the opposite end of the couch. The girls crawled over to him; Tirza
settled herself on Severus' lap and Amy cuddled beside him. "You're a hero
uncle Severus," Amy announced. "Hardly," he replied, blushing. The girls
giggled and Amy jumped up and gave Severus a big hug. "Yeah you are! You
saved mommy and Serena; you're MY hero," she told him, planting a kiss on
his face. The girls giggled when he rolled his eyes and Amy sat back down,
cuddling next to him. Severus kissed Tirza's head and wrapped one arm
around her and the other around Amy and watched cartoons with the girls.
It wasn't long before both girls feel asleep on either side of him, their heads resting on Severus' lap. Grabbing two afghans resting on the arm of the couch, he covered each of the girls up. He smiled at them and kissed Tirza's head before reaching for the remote; he was very thankful they had shown him how to use one.... He couldn't take any more of that idiotic Pinky and the Brain (aw, he don't know what he's missing!!). Severus began flipping through the channels, amazed at how many different ones they had; Tirza only had videos. He finally landed on COURT TV and decided it might be useful to watch and pick up on a few things.
Severus watched TV intently, finally figuring out how Tirza enjoys watching so many hours of it, for nearly two hours before he decided he should probably make an attempt at fixing supper. He gently eased the girls' heads off his lap, smiling at how sweet and quiet they were when they slept, feeling very grateful for some time without so much giggling. He made his way out to the kitchen and looked around through the cupboards, refrigerator and freezer. Severus could cook, though few people knew that, but only wish magic and he was really hoping he could find something else to heat up for the girls and could save part of it for when Chris and Mike came home, in case they were hungry. In one of the cupboards, he discovered several cans of different kinds of pasta from some idiotic looking muggle who called himself 'Chef Boyardee' (did I spell that right?). The figured the girls would be just fine with that and it would be incredibly easy for him to heat up with his wand; there was no way he was going to attempt working with that stove! As he pulled out the cans and a few bowls, the telephone rang. For a moment he wondered where the strange ringing noise was coming from before realizing what it was. By that time, the phone had awoken Tirza from the couch. "Logan residence, this is Tirza," she answered. "Hi Tirza, this is Jack McCoy," the man on the phone replied. "Oh," Tirza said disappointment in her voice. Jack chuckled. "You don't sound very happy to hear from me, but I can't really blame you. I have some good news for you though." "What's that," Tirza asked, perking up. "At the meeting this morning, he decided to take the plea. He'll be allocating.... do you know what allocution is?" "Nope," Tirza replied. "It means he is going to confess in court and plead guilty. He's going to do that on Friday morning at nine-thirty. Do you think you'd like to come?" Tirza sighed. "I guess so," she decided. "Okay, I'll see you then. Have a good night and tell Chris that Claire and I will be by sometime with a gift for the baby," Jack told her. Tirza promised to tell Chris and hung up.
"Daddy?" she called out. "In the kitchen," he replied. She went to the kitchen and attempted to get onto one of the tall stools at the counter but was having difficulties. Severus chuckled and lifted her up, setting her on the stool. "God I hate being short," she grumbled. He kissed her forehead. "I think you're perfect just the way you are." She giggled. "Jack called. He said you-know-who took the plea and he's gonna confess in court on Friday at nine-thirty." Severus set the cans down, deciding he'd figure out how to open them later and sat down on a stool beside her. "And how do you feel about that?" he asked softly. She sighed. "I'm glad... I want him to go away for a long time. Uncle Mike told me that people that hurt kids get beat up and sometimes killed in jail because other criminals don't like it when kids get hurt. I hope you-know-who gets beat up a lot. Is that bad?" Severus shook his head. "No; he will deserve anything he gets darling. In life, there are lines that you just don't cross, things that you just don't do, and hurting innocent children is one of them. He'll be paying for his mistakes for a long time." Tirza nodded. "Daddy, I'm really glad I can talk to you." She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him close. "Hey!" Amy called from the living room. "What happened to Pinkie and the Brain?" Tirza giggled and even Severus chuckled. "As if I was going to watch that while you were asleep," Severus told Amy as she entered the kitchen. She rolled her eyes. "You're really silly uncle Severus," she told him with a smile. Severus stood up and picked up the cans of pasta. "Can either of you tell me how to get these open?" The girls began laughing so hard that they doubled over, clutching their stomachs. "It's not so incredibly amusing," he said as they squealed with laughter. "Yeah it is," Amy told him.
Just after supper, Mike brought Chris and baby Serena home. The girls flocked around Chris, asking how she was and about the baby. "Can I hold the baby?" Tirza asked. "I'll be really careful." Chris nodded and patted the seat beside her; Tirza happily sat next to her. "Now you hold her like this," Chris said, placing Serena in Tirza's arms, positioning the young girl's arms correctly. "Remember to watch her head; you have to make sure to support it all the time." Tirza held Serena for a few moments, cooing and whispering to the half-awake baby girl. "My turn," Amy announced. She and Tirza switched spots and Chris helped Amy to hold Serena. Serena, wrapped snuggly in blankets, wearing a little cap on her soft, fuzzy head, didn't object to being held by the girls. After Chris took her back for a moment, she looked at Severus and smiled. "And would the hero like to hold her?" Severus blushed slightly. "I really don't have much experience with babies," he replied. Tirza, remembering when she was turned into a two-year- old, leaned over to Amy and whispered, "He's not kidding." Amy giggled. "Come on Severus, it doesn't take a rocket scientist, and to hear Tirza talk you are just as smart as one," Mike told him. Severus sighed and sat down on the couch and allowed Chris to position his arms properly and she handed him the baby. Serena looked up at him with large gray eyes and easily captured the heart of her grouchy holder. "You know, I think I could get used to having one of you around someday," he whispered to the baby. "Merlin, I think she's smiling," he said, startled. Everyone looked and indeed, baby Serena was giving him a small toothless smile. "You're very precious, do you know that? And you have a good family so appreciate them," he told her. Serena's response was a yawn before closing her eyes and falling asleep.
"Apparently the girls want to go shopping for a few gifts for Serena," Severus told Mike the next morning. "Sure, you can take the car and go whenever you're all ready." Tirza and Amy burst into a fit of giggles. "What's so funny?" Mike asked. "My daddy doesn't know how to drive," Tirza told him. "He apparates or uses floo powder or takes a broom." Mike chuckled. "You know, I don't think I'll ever get used to the fact that flying brooms and wands and spells are real. Anyways, I'll call you three a cab. And if you still want to take the girls to the play tonight, you're more then welcome too." Two girls began bouncing around Severus, her eyes pleading. "Please daddy?" "Please uncle Severus?" He reluctantly nodded; one girl was hard enough to deal with by himself and two might just be the death of him. After a trip to a baby boutique and F.A.O. Schwartz, the girls had their collective gifts for the baby. There was a pink frilly dress, pink booties, a pink blanket with Winnie the pooh on it, a pink Precious Moments sleeper and last, but not least, a small teddy bear. "Everybody has to have a teddy bear," Tirza had insisted and was fully backed by Amy.
That night, via another cab, Severus escorted the girls to the dinner theater. They were to eat a fancy dinner and then see The Lion King. "Do you have hamburgers?" Tirza asked. The waitress smiled. "I think I can work that out with the cook." "I want a hamburger too and do you have cherry coke?" Amy wondered. The waitress nodded and wrote down the girls wanted. Amy and Tirza ignored Severus' rolling eyes; here this was a fancy, three course meal, and all they wanted was hamburgers and coke. With a little help from Severus, the girls managed to put the linen napkins on their laps and eat with the right forks and didn't even spill anything on themselves: at least until dessert came. Dessert was a large chocolate truffle which Amy preceded to spill on her light purple dress. "Mommy's gonna kill me," she whispered to Tirza. Tirza nudged Snape and with a careful glance around to make sure no one was watching, he cast a spell on her dress, getting rid of the stain and repelling any other stains that might incur before they got back to the house. Amy smiled and he winked at her, then both girls quietly giggled behind their hands; it was very cool to have a grown-up wizard around! With a warning of putting a silencing charm on them if they got loud, Amy and Tirza were very well behaved little girls during the play. One the way home, however, all the stored up energy and noise sought release. "Wow that was cooler then the movie!" "The music was awesome!" The girls loudly discussed the play, laughing and imitating lines; they were cute, but very loud and gave Severus a headache that turned into a migraine by the time they reached the house.
After the girls were in bed, Snape sat in the living room with Chris, Mike and baby Serena asleep in her basinet. "So the allocutions tomorrow?" Mike asked. Severus nodded. "I'm going to give Tirza her potion as soon as I get up in the morning; I don't want to see her sick again." "She's lucky to have you around, able to make potions and things for her," Chris told him. "When she doesn't throw a tantrum about taking them that is," he replied with a chuckled. "And speaking of the allocution, I actually need to make a phone call. Can one of you show me how to use the phone?" He pulled a sheet of paper from inside his robe and dialed a number, hoping the person he was looking for was there.
Around ten o'clock, Severus announced that he felt like a walk. Mike warned him to be careful this late at night, but Severus had his wand and wasn't worried. Besides, he was on a mission and once completed would return. He knew exactly where he was going; the address had been investigated for him by Isabel, who had owled him with it just after she left to be with her family for the holidays. As soon as he received the address, he had gone straight to Dumbledore, whom he swore to secrecy, and asked him a vital question. Dumbledore, as always, had a few tricks up his sleeve and had the exact answer that Severus was looking for. He apparated a block from the address and cast a spell of invisibility over himself. Tirza didn't know what he was going to do and he thought that was for the best; he keeps telling her not to get revenge on Draco with all their pranks and here he is getting revenge himself. It wasn't so much for him as he was doing it for Tirza. He wasn't going to do anything inherently cruel, like use the Crucio curse, which had crossed his mind, but he did have a plan.
He approached the house and entered, peering around carefully in the dark. He found a set of stairs and followed them up to the second floor where there were three doors. Severus opened the first one to find a bathroom, the second door revealed the parents asleep in their bed. Behind the last door was his target, Brian M. Johnson. Severus opened the door and nearly vomited at what he saw; child pornography covered the walls and magazines about rape and naked children were spread all over the floor. His target was sleeping in bed, completely unaware that his victim's angry father was about to get vengeance for his child. Again, the thought of the Crucio curse crossed his mind, but that would mean Azkaban if he found out and he wouldn't risk that. He carefully removed the covers of the bed and used the charm that Dumbledore had given him, shrinking the attackers "plumbing" (is everyone catching my drift) to a basically none existent inch. Severus them pointed his wand at the attacker's head and cast a spell; every time from now on that Brian thought about anything sexual, he would have an intensely painful seizure that would appear to be epilepsy. If his sexual thought were regarding a child, the pain would double. Severus stared at Tirza's attacker for a moment, wanting more then anything right then to make him suffer a horrendous death, but what would that teach Tirza? The last thing he did before leaving the room was bewitch Brian's eyes to see only blank pages if he ever looked at pornography again. With his mission complete, he exited the house and apparated back to the Logans.
Tirza lay in her bed late that night, holding Molly close; tomorrow was the allocution. She was rather afraid to sleep, pretty sure that the dreams would come and she didn't want to scream and wake up Serena, who woke up often enough the way it was! Amy was soundly asleep in her own bed and Tirza felt rather lonely. She finally decided she wanted to go sleep with her daddy and carefully crept down the hallway into his room. She rubbed his shoulder gently, then crawled in and snuggled against his chest. Severus wrapped an arm around her protectively. "You're nervous about tomorrow aren't you?" he asked rather sleepily. She nodded. "But I feel better with you," she told him. "Do you need the Dreamless Sleep Potion?" he questioned. She shook her head no; Severus kissed her cheek and said goodnight before the both of them fell asleep.
Severus and Tirza arrived at the courthouse by cab at nine o'clock sharp. Jack and Claire greeted them warmly and they all waited together until time for the allocution. At nine-fifteen, Chris, Serena, and Mike showed up. Tirza smiled and ran to them. "You didn't have to come, I know you're tired," she told Chris. "Of course I had to come," Chris replied. "You aren't by daughter by flesh and blood, but you always have been and always will be my daughter in my heart. I wouldn't miss being here for you for anything." She hugged Tirza tight, and then took the baby back from Mike, who gave her a hug as well. Somewhere a little further down the hallway, a familiar voice asked a court office where the courtroom for Brian Johnson's allocution was. Tirza's ears picked up the voice and she shook her head, not believing what she was hearing. A moment later he discovered it was true as Isabel hurried over to Tirza, followed by Remus, Oliver and Dumbledore. Tirza yelled happily and Isabel wrapped her arms around her. "I can't believe you guys came!" she exclaimed, hardly believing they were here and in muggle clothes; even Dumbledore's hair wasn't so long, but she was sure that was a charm. "Did you think we would not want to see you get justice sunshine?" Dumbledore asked as Tirza threw her arms around his waist. She ran to Remus next, who gave her a big hug and whispered to her encouragingly. Last but not least, Oliver picked her up and hugged her close. "Minerva sends her love and congratulations and wishes she could be here, but somebody had to stay at the school," Dumbledore said as Oliver held her for a moment. "You gotta meet everybody!!" she exclaimed. She hurriedly introduced them to the Jack and Claire as well as Mike, Chris and baby Serena just before they headed into the courtroom.
Jack and Claire sat up front at the prosecution table while everyone else sat in the gallery. Snape sat on one side of Tirza, holding her hand, while Chris sat on the other, holding her other hand. "Mr. Johnson," Judge Taylor began. "Has your lawyer explained to you the consequences of this guilty plea? That is the same as a guilty verdict issued by the courts?" "Yes," Brian responded, sounding very unhappy. "In accordance with the plea agreement, please tell the court of your crime," Judge Taylor instructed. "We had a bunch of elementary school kids at our school for the play. I wasn't in the play and was bored, so I was wondering around and I saw her." "Miss Snape, the victim?" Judge Taylor asked. "Yes," Brain told him. "I saw her and she was beautiful and I..." Tirza zoned out for a moment. The words 'I saw her and she was beautiful' bounced around in her head over and over again. It suddenly connected for her: if she hadn't been pretty this never would have happened. If she was fat or ugly, she never would have been attacked. "Are the people satisfied?" Judge Taylor questioned. Jack stood up. "Yes your honor, we are." Judge Taylor nodded and Jack sat down. "Then in accordance with your plea agreement with the District Attorney, I sentence you to a term of no less then twenty years and no more then the term of your natural life in a facility to be determined by the Department of Corrections. Court is adjourned."
The group from Hogwarts and the Logans, as well as several observers in the gallery, burst into a round of applause. "Everyone is welcome to come back to our place for a little party," Chris told the Hogwarts group. Snape held Tirza in his arms, hugging her. She clung to him; she had hoped to feel some sort of peace or relief or vengeance today. Instead she once again shifted the blame to herself; because she was beautiful, she had been chosen.
The little party was small, but there was plenty of cake and ice cream and everyone admired baby Serena and had a good laugh over the story of her delivery by Severus. Tirza however was strangely quiet and sat on the couch eating her third piece of cake. "How do you feel?" Remus asked, sitting down beside her. She took a deep breath, thinking of how to answer that. "It's overwhelming, isn't it?" Remus added when she didn't say anything. "Yeah," she replied. He looked at her closely. "You don't look like you're doing too well. You want to talk about anything?" She shook her head. "Just tired," she lied. She felt a small knot form in her stomach from the lie. Remus patted her arm. "If you want to talk sometime about it, you always know where to find me," he told her. She nodded again and continued on her cake.
After the cake and ice cream was gone, she gave everyone a hug and kiss goodbye and they apparated back to Hogwarts; she'd be seeing them again tomorrow when she and Severus apparated back. Severus had watched Tirza throughout the court room proceedings as well as the party as was concerned at how quiet she was; she seemed very distracted. He wasn't sure what to attribute it too, but decided he'd talk with her tomorrow if she still seemed so distracted and quiet.
Late the next afternoon, Tirza and Amy cried as they said goodbye to each other; they wouldn't see each other again until summer, when Severus had invited the Logans to Snape Manor. She cried even harder when she hugged and kissed Mike and Chris goodbye, but managed a smile for baby Serena. She waved and blew them one last kiss before she and Severus apparated from the Logans house back to Hogwarts.
A/N: Uh-oh, looks like Tirza's got some more big stuff on her mind. Severus will set her straight, but what will happen before he does? Stay tuned everyone! Hope you all enjoyed the New York City trip!! By the way, Potter- Snape was drawn some cute pics of Tirza! I love em and if anyone is interested in seeing them, drop her an email!
Latine: glad you like it!
CapriceAnn Hedican-Kocur: Never watches JAG, so don't expect a crossover with that one at all. But no, AJ won't be going to Hogwarts, but she and Tirza will stay close and manage visits, both at NYC and England.
Potter-Snape: Love chatting with you as always!
Malfoy Angel: I think Snape made a good hero! LOL! Poor guy though!
LostSoul: Do you really shy away from really really pregnant women? That's funny! I've been around lots and never had to do anything, but maybe I'm lucky. Severus is kinda like Dr. McCoy on Star Trek; always had the right hypo at the right time. And you're right, Severus Snape does roll nicely off the tongue!
Fire'N'Ice: Shopping was Sev's version of hell.. especially those panties and shorts... I've actually been the one standing and laughing like Chris when my sister's three year old daughter screams and yells because mommy won't buy her a cookie while we shop or won't get her the dolly, etc. It's amusing when it's not your child screaming!
Raclswt: Yeah, the Logan's are great people. Tirza is lucky to have had them with as irresponsible as her mother was. Nope, no F.A.O. Schwartz in Minnesota that I know of and never been to New York. Never been to Disneyland either..... maybe Aaron and I should have up and go there sometime!
Obsessedwithbritishpeople: Nope, sorry, Sev and Isabel won't be together. They may date a little while longer, but they won't be permanent.
MissLKid: He's a whole different person now, thanks to Tirza. Just needed someone like her to bring out all the stuff he was hiding inside, LOL!
Kenomee: yes, very nice for Chris that Snape had a potion. I though the girls being like EW was really funny, because at that age, it would be very disgusting I'm sure! Sierra is cute. I'll keep that in mind sometime. Later on when Tirza and her hubby (no names, sorry!) have kids, I have all the names planned except one, which I am going to let everyone submit their favs for!
Oasis gir: Poor Sev with Tirza throwing that fit in the store... typical dad reaction to little girls and sexy clothes though! But she really is much too young... wouldn't it have been funny if she wanted a thong? I just thought of that, LOL!
CraJure: teddy bear's with big feet are very cool... I tell aaron he's my teddy bear with big feet, LOL!
Wolfie Jr: I watch Criminal Intent, but SVU is a little too much for me. But I love Criminal Intent! That Bobby Goren is a genius!
It wasn't long before both girls feel asleep on either side of him, their heads resting on Severus' lap. Grabbing two afghans resting on the arm of the couch, he covered each of the girls up. He smiled at them and kissed Tirza's head before reaching for the remote; he was very thankful they had shown him how to use one.... He couldn't take any more of that idiotic Pinky and the Brain (aw, he don't know what he's missing!!). Severus began flipping through the channels, amazed at how many different ones they had; Tirza only had videos. He finally landed on COURT TV and decided it might be useful to watch and pick up on a few things.
Severus watched TV intently, finally figuring out how Tirza enjoys watching so many hours of it, for nearly two hours before he decided he should probably make an attempt at fixing supper. He gently eased the girls' heads off his lap, smiling at how sweet and quiet they were when they slept, feeling very grateful for some time without so much giggling. He made his way out to the kitchen and looked around through the cupboards, refrigerator and freezer. Severus could cook, though few people knew that, but only wish magic and he was really hoping he could find something else to heat up for the girls and could save part of it for when Chris and Mike came home, in case they were hungry. In one of the cupboards, he discovered several cans of different kinds of pasta from some idiotic looking muggle who called himself 'Chef Boyardee' (did I spell that right?). The figured the girls would be just fine with that and it would be incredibly easy for him to heat up with his wand; there was no way he was going to attempt working with that stove! As he pulled out the cans and a few bowls, the telephone rang. For a moment he wondered where the strange ringing noise was coming from before realizing what it was. By that time, the phone had awoken Tirza from the couch. "Logan residence, this is Tirza," she answered. "Hi Tirza, this is Jack McCoy," the man on the phone replied. "Oh," Tirza said disappointment in her voice. Jack chuckled. "You don't sound very happy to hear from me, but I can't really blame you. I have some good news for you though." "What's that," Tirza asked, perking up. "At the meeting this morning, he decided to take the plea. He'll be allocating.... do you know what allocution is?" "Nope," Tirza replied. "It means he is going to confess in court and plead guilty. He's going to do that on Friday morning at nine-thirty. Do you think you'd like to come?" Tirza sighed. "I guess so," she decided. "Okay, I'll see you then. Have a good night and tell Chris that Claire and I will be by sometime with a gift for the baby," Jack told her. Tirza promised to tell Chris and hung up.
"Daddy?" she called out. "In the kitchen," he replied. She went to the kitchen and attempted to get onto one of the tall stools at the counter but was having difficulties. Severus chuckled and lifted her up, setting her on the stool. "God I hate being short," she grumbled. He kissed her forehead. "I think you're perfect just the way you are." She giggled. "Jack called. He said you-know-who took the plea and he's gonna confess in court on Friday at nine-thirty." Severus set the cans down, deciding he'd figure out how to open them later and sat down on a stool beside her. "And how do you feel about that?" he asked softly. She sighed. "I'm glad... I want him to go away for a long time. Uncle Mike told me that people that hurt kids get beat up and sometimes killed in jail because other criminals don't like it when kids get hurt. I hope you-know-who gets beat up a lot. Is that bad?" Severus shook his head. "No; he will deserve anything he gets darling. In life, there are lines that you just don't cross, things that you just don't do, and hurting innocent children is one of them. He'll be paying for his mistakes for a long time." Tirza nodded. "Daddy, I'm really glad I can talk to you." She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him close. "Hey!" Amy called from the living room. "What happened to Pinkie and the Brain?" Tirza giggled and even Severus chuckled. "As if I was going to watch that while you were asleep," Severus told Amy as she entered the kitchen. She rolled her eyes. "You're really silly uncle Severus," she told him with a smile. Severus stood up and picked up the cans of pasta. "Can either of you tell me how to get these open?" The girls began laughing so hard that they doubled over, clutching their stomachs. "It's not so incredibly amusing," he said as they squealed with laughter. "Yeah it is," Amy told him.
Just after supper, Mike brought Chris and baby Serena home. The girls flocked around Chris, asking how she was and about the baby. "Can I hold the baby?" Tirza asked. "I'll be really careful." Chris nodded and patted the seat beside her; Tirza happily sat next to her. "Now you hold her like this," Chris said, placing Serena in Tirza's arms, positioning the young girl's arms correctly. "Remember to watch her head; you have to make sure to support it all the time." Tirza held Serena for a few moments, cooing and whispering to the half-awake baby girl. "My turn," Amy announced. She and Tirza switched spots and Chris helped Amy to hold Serena. Serena, wrapped snuggly in blankets, wearing a little cap on her soft, fuzzy head, didn't object to being held by the girls. After Chris took her back for a moment, she looked at Severus and smiled. "And would the hero like to hold her?" Severus blushed slightly. "I really don't have much experience with babies," he replied. Tirza, remembering when she was turned into a two-year- old, leaned over to Amy and whispered, "He's not kidding." Amy giggled. "Come on Severus, it doesn't take a rocket scientist, and to hear Tirza talk you are just as smart as one," Mike told him. Severus sighed and sat down on the couch and allowed Chris to position his arms properly and she handed him the baby. Serena looked up at him with large gray eyes and easily captured the heart of her grouchy holder. "You know, I think I could get used to having one of you around someday," he whispered to the baby. "Merlin, I think she's smiling," he said, startled. Everyone looked and indeed, baby Serena was giving him a small toothless smile. "You're very precious, do you know that? And you have a good family so appreciate them," he told her. Serena's response was a yawn before closing her eyes and falling asleep.
"Apparently the girls want to go shopping for a few gifts for Serena," Severus told Mike the next morning. "Sure, you can take the car and go whenever you're all ready." Tirza and Amy burst into a fit of giggles. "What's so funny?" Mike asked. "My daddy doesn't know how to drive," Tirza told him. "He apparates or uses floo powder or takes a broom." Mike chuckled. "You know, I don't think I'll ever get used to the fact that flying brooms and wands and spells are real. Anyways, I'll call you three a cab. And if you still want to take the girls to the play tonight, you're more then welcome too." Two girls began bouncing around Severus, her eyes pleading. "Please daddy?" "Please uncle Severus?" He reluctantly nodded; one girl was hard enough to deal with by himself and two might just be the death of him. After a trip to a baby boutique and F.A.O. Schwartz, the girls had their collective gifts for the baby. There was a pink frilly dress, pink booties, a pink blanket with Winnie the pooh on it, a pink Precious Moments sleeper and last, but not least, a small teddy bear. "Everybody has to have a teddy bear," Tirza had insisted and was fully backed by Amy.
That night, via another cab, Severus escorted the girls to the dinner theater. They were to eat a fancy dinner and then see The Lion King. "Do you have hamburgers?" Tirza asked. The waitress smiled. "I think I can work that out with the cook." "I want a hamburger too and do you have cherry coke?" Amy wondered. The waitress nodded and wrote down the girls wanted. Amy and Tirza ignored Severus' rolling eyes; here this was a fancy, three course meal, and all they wanted was hamburgers and coke. With a little help from Severus, the girls managed to put the linen napkins on their laps and eat with the right forks and didn't even spill anything on themselves: at least until dessert came. Dessert was a large chocolate truffle which Amy preceded to spill on her light purple dress. "Mommy's gonna kill me," she whispered to Tirza. Tirza nudged Snape and with a careful glance around to make sure no one was watching, he cast a spell on her dress, getting rid of the stain and repelling any other stains that might incur before they got back to the house. Amy smiled and he winked at her, then both girls quietly giggled behind their hands; it was very cool to have a grown-up wizard around! With a warning of putting a silencing charm on them if they got loud, Amy and Tirza were very well behaved little girls during the play. One the way home, however, all the stored up energy and noise sought release. "Wow that was cooler then the movie!" "The music was awesome!" The girls loudly discussed the play, laughing and imitating lines; they were cute, but very loud and gave Severus a headache that turned into a migraine by the time they reached the house.
After the girls were in bed, Snape sat in the living room with Chris, Mike and baby Serena asleep in her basinet. "So the allocutions tomorrow?" Mike asked. Severus nodded. "I'm going to give Tirza her potion as soon as I get up in the morning; I don't want to see her sick again." "She's lucky to have you around, able to make potions and things for her," Chris told him. "When she doesn't throw a tantrum about taking them that is," he replied with a chuckled. "And speaking of the allocution, I actually need to make a phone call. Can one of you show me how to use the phone?" He pulled a sheet of paper from inside his robe and dialed a number, hoping the person he was looking for was there.
Around ten o'clock, Severus announced that he felt like a walk. Mike warned him to be careful this late at night, but Severus had his wand and wasn't worried. Besides, he was on a mission and once completed would return. He knew exactly where he was going; the address had been investigated for him by Isabel, who had owled him with it just after she left to be with her family for the holidays. As soon as he received the address, he had gone straight to Dumbledore, whom he swore to secrecy, and asked him a vital question. Dumbledore, as always, had a few tricks up his sleeve and had the exact answer that Severus was looking for. He apparated a block from the address and cast a spell of invisibility over himself. Tirza didn't know what he was going to do and he thought that was for the best; he keeps telling her not to get revenge on Draco with all their pranks and here he is getting revenge himself. It wasn't so much for him as he was doing it for Tirza. He wasn't going to do anything inherently cruel, like use the Crucio curse, which had crossed his mind, but he did have a plan.
He approached the house and entered, peering around carefully in the dark. He found a set of stairs and followed them up to the second floor where there were three doors. Severus opened the first one to find a bathroom, the second door revealed the parents asleep in their bed. Behind the last door was his target, Brian M. Johnson. Severus opened the door and nearly vomited at what he saw; child pornography covered the walls and magazines about rape and naked children were spread all over the floor. His target was sleeping in bed, completely unaware that his victim's angry father was about to get vengeance for his child. Again, the thought of the Crucio curse crossed his mind, but that would mean Azkaban if he found out and he wouldn't risk that. He carefully removed the covers of the bed and used the charm that Dumbledore had given him, shrinking the attackers "plumbing" (is everyone catching my drift) to a basically none existent inch. Severus them pointed his wand at the attacker's head and cast a spell; every time from now on that Brian thought about anything sexual, he would have an intensely painful seizure that would appear to be epilepsy. If his sexual thought were regarding a child, the pain would double. Severus stared at Tirza's attacker for a moment, wanting more then anything right then to make him suffer a horrendous death, but what would that teach Tirza? The last thing he did before leaving the room was bewitch Brian's eyes to see only blank pages if he ever looked at pornography again. With his mission complete, he exited the house and apparated back to the Logans.
Tirza lay in her bed late that night, holding Molly close; tomorrow was the allocution. She was rather afraid to sleep, pretty sure that the dreams would come and she didn't want to scream and wake up Serena, who woke up often enough the way it was! Amy was soundly asleep in her own bed and Tirza felt rather lonely. She finally decided she wanted to go sleep with her daddy and carefully crept down the hallway into his room. She rubbed his shoulder gently, then crawled in and snuggled against his chest. Severus wrapped an arm around her protectively. "You're nervous about tomorrow aren't you?" he asked rather sleepily. She nodded. "But I feel better with you," she told him. "Do you need the Dreamless Sleep Potion?" he questioned. She shook her head no; Severus kissed her cheek and said goodnight before the both of them fell asleep.
Severus and Tirza arrived at the courthouse by cab at nine o'clock sharp. Jack and Claire greeted them warmly and they all waited together until time for the allocution. At nine-fifteen, Chris, Serena, and Mike showed up. Tirza smiled and ran to them. "You didn't have to come, I know you're tired," she told Chris. "Of course I had to come," Chris replied. "You aren't by daughter by flesh and blood, but you always have been and always will be my daughter in my heart. I wouldn't miss being here for you for anything." She hugged Tirza tight, and then took the baby back from Mike, who gave her a hug as well. Somewhere a little further down the hallway, a familiar voice asked a court office where the courtroom for Brian Johnson's allocution was. Tirza's ears picked up the voice and she shook her head, not believing what she was hearing. A moment later he discovered it was true as Isabel hurried over to Tirza, followed by Remus, Oliver and Dumbledore. Tirza yelled happily and Isabel wrapped her arms around her. "I can't believe you guys came!" she exclaimed, hardly believing they were here and in muggle clothes; even Dumbledore's hair wasn't so long, but she was sure that was a charm. "Did you think we would not want to see you get justice sunshine?" Dumbledore asked as Tirza threw her arms around his waist. She ran to Remus next, who gave her a big hug and whispered to her encouragingly. Last but not least, Oliver picked her up and hugged her close. "Minerva sends her love and congratulations and wishes she could be here, but somebody had to stay at the school," Dumbledore said as Oliver held her for a moment. "You gotta meet everybody!!" she exclaimed. She hurriedly introduced them to the Jack and Claire as well as Mike, Chris and baby Serena just before they headed into the courtroom.
Jack and Claire sat up front at the prosecution table while everyone else sat in the gallery. Snape sat on one side of Tirza, holding her hand, while Chris sat on the other, holding her other hand. "Mr. Johnson," Judge Taylor began. "Has your lawyer explained to you the consequences of this guilty plea? That is the same as a guilty verdict issued by the courts?" "Yes," Brian responded, sounding very unhappy. "In accordance with the plea agreement, please tell the court of your crime," Judge Taylor instructed. "We had a bunch of elementary school kids at our school for the play. I wasn't in the play and was bored, so I was wondering around and I saw her." "Miss Snape, the victim?" Judge Taylor asked. "Yes," Brain told him. "I saw her and she was beautiful and I..." Tirza zoned out for a moment. The words 'I saw her and she was beautiful' bounced around in her head over and over again. It suddenly connected for her: if she hadn't been pretty this never would have happened. If she was fat or ugly, she never would have been attacked. "Are the people satisfied?" Judge Taylor questioned. Jack stood up. "Yes your honor, we are." Judge Taylor nodded and Jack sat down. "Then in accordance with your plea agreement with the District Attorney, I sentence you to a term of no less then twenty years and no more then the term of your natural life in a facility to be determined by the Department of Corrections. Court is adjourned."
The group from Hogwarts and the Logans, as well as several observers in the gallery, burst into a round of applause. "Everyone is welcome to come back to our place for a little party," Chris told the Hogwarts group. Snape held Tirza in his arms, hugging her. She clung to him; she had hoped to feel some sort of peace or relief or vengeance today. Instead she once again shifted the blame to herself; because she was beautiful, she had been chosen.
The little party was small, but there was plenty of cake and ice cream and everyone admired baby Serena and had a good laugh over the story of her delivery by Severus. Tirza however was strangely quiet and sat on the couch eating her third piece of cake. "How do you feel?" Remus asked, sitting down beside her. She took a deep breath, thinking of how to answer that. "It's overwhelming, isn't it?" Remus added when she didn't say anything. "Yeah," she replied. He looked at her closely. "You don't look like you're doing too well. You want to talk about anything?" She shook her head. "Just tired," she lied. She felt a small knot form in her stomach from the lie. Remus patted her arm. "If you want to talk sometime about it, you always know where to find me," he told her. She nodded again and continued on her cake.
After the cake and ice cream was gone, she gave everyone a hug and kiss goodbye and they apparated back to Hogwarts; she'd be seeing them again tomorrow when she and Severus apparated back. Severus had watched Tirza throughout the court room proceedings as well as the party as was concerned at how quiet she was; she seemed very distracted. He wasn't sure what to attribute it too, but decided he'd talk with her tomorrow if she still seemed so distracted and quiet.
Late the next afternoon, Tirza and Amy cried as they said goodbye to each other; they wouldn't see each other again until summer, when Severus had invited the Logans to Snape Manor. She cried even harder when she hugged and kissed Mike and Chris goodbye, but managed a smile for baby Serena. She waved and blew them one last kiss before she and Severus apparated from the Logans house back to Hogwarts.
A/N: Uh-oh, looks like Tirza's got some more big stuff on her mind. Severus will set her straight, but what will happen before he does? Stay tuned everyone! Hope you all enjoyed the New York City trip!! By the way, Potter- Snape was drawn some cute pics of Tirza! I love em and if anyone is interested in seeing them, drop her an email!
Latine: glad you like it!
CapriceAnn Hedican-Kocur: Never watches JAG, so don't expect a crossover with that one at all. But no, AJ won't be going to Hogwarts, but she and Tirza will stay close and manage visits, both at NYC and England.
Potter-Snape: Love chatting with you as always!
Malfoy Angel: I think Snape made a good hero! LOL! Poor guy though!
LostSoul: Do you really shy away from really really pregnant women? That's funny! I've been around lots and never had to do anything, but maybe I'm lucky. Severus is kinda like Dr. McCoy on Star Trek; always had the right hypo at the right time. And you're right, Severus Snape does roll nicely off the tongue!
Fire'N'Ice: Shopping was Sev's version of hell.. especially those panties and shorts... I've actually been the one standing and laughing like Chris when my sister's three year old daughter screams and yells because mommy won't buy her a cookie while we shop or won't get her the dolly, etc. It's amusing when it's not your child screaming!
Raclswt: Yeah, the Logan's are great people. Tirza is lucky to have had them with as irresponsible as her mother was. Nope, no F.A.O. Schwartz in Minnesota that I know of and never been to New York. Never been to Disneyland either..... maybe Aaron and I should have up and go there sometime!
Obsessedwithbritishpeople: Nope, sorry, Sev and Isabel won't be together. They may date a little while longer, but they won't be permanent.
MissLKid: He's a whole different person now, thanks to Tirza. Just needed someone like her to bring out all the stuff he was hiding inside, LOL!
Kenomee: yes, very nice for Chris that Snape had a potion. I though the girls being like EW was really funny, because at that age, it would be very disgusting I'm sure! Sierra is cute. I'll keep that in mind sometime. Later on when Tirza and her hubby (no names, sorry!) have kids, I have all the names planned except one, which I am going to let everyone submit their favs for!
Oasis gir: Poor Sev with Tirza throwing that fit in the store... typical dad reaction to little girls and sexy clothes though! But she really is much too young... wouldn't it have been funny if she wanted a thong? I just thought of that, LOL!
CraJure: teddy bear's with big feet are very cool... I tell aaron he's my teddy bear with big feet, LOL!
Wolfie Jr: I watch Criminal Intent, but SVU is a little too much for me. But I love Criminal Intent! That Bobby Goren is a genius!
