"Mr. Malfoy, it has been brought to my attention that you attacked my daughter today," Severus said. "Would you care to say anything rational in your defense?" "It was only a joke!" Draco spat out. "Mr. Malfoy your idea of a joke and my idea of a joke vary greatly," Severus replied. "Locking any person in a closet is uncalled for and was stupid on your part because the person could have died." "Died? From being in a closet? That's the stupidest thing I ever heard!" Draco shouted. "Mr. Malfoy I can assure you that it could happen," Severus snapped. "There is little air in the closet you chose to put my daughter in and if Mr. Wood had not found her, she could have suffocated."
It dawned on Draco that Snape was right and he didn't say anything. "I believe Professor McGonagall has already taken points from the house so I shall mete your punishment," Severus said. "Do you have anything else to add before I do so?" Draco wisely shook his head no. "You will spend the next month in two places," Severus began. "For 2 hours you will be here in the hospital wing doing whatever Madam Pompfrey has for you to do." Draco cringed. "When you finish that you will come to my dungeons where you will be scrubbing cauldrons for at least another hour," Severus said. "You will also be banned from playing in the next quidditch match."
"That's not fair!" Draco shouted. "You can't do that!" "I can and I just did," Severus snapped back. "If you do not comply with these there will be more severe punishments meted understood?" Draco storms out of the office, flipping Tirza off on his way out. Snape walked out into the ward and went to Tirza's bed. She was fast asleep, looking very angelic. "Would you like for me to have the house elves bring something up for you to eat?" Poppy offered coming over after tending to a first year that had fallen out of a tree. Severus nodded. "That would be great. I'd hate to move her and wake her." "If you need anything else, just holler," Poppy said as she headed toward her office to file some paperwork.
Tirza began rustling in the bed not too long after that. "Shh, it's alright, I'm here," Severus said holding her hand and brushing the stray locks out of her eyes. Her eyes fluttered open and focused on him. "Hi," she said sleepily. "How do you feel?" Severus asked worriedly. "Tired and hungry," she said with a yawn. "Well the house elves should be here shortly with some supper and then we can go back to our rooms for the night" Severus said helping her sit up.
Once they had finished their supper and had gotten back to their room Severus asked "Did Malfoy say anything about why he did this?" Tirza shook her head. "nope, just shoved me in the closet. I tried to hit him a couple times, but it didn't help." "Mr. Malfoy will be thinking twice before doing that again," Severus told her. "Why, what did you do?" Tirza wondered. "He's in detention for the next month and can't play in the next quidditch match," Severus said. "Oliver did a good job of beating him." "Oliver beat him up?" Tirza asked. "He got in some really good swings but don't worry, all Professor McGonagall did was take 10 pts from Gryffindor," Severus said.
The next day, Tirza was back in class, though rather unfortunately. She and Lockhart were destined to NEVER get along. Now she had to go and tell Snape what had happened in class. Tirza quietly entered Snape's office and sat in the chair in front of his desk, biting her lip. "Mind telling me why Lockhart was so happy that you got a detention today?" Severus asked when she had sat down. Tirza blushed "I don't know," she said softly. "What happened in his classroom then?" Severus questioned, knowing only Lockhart's side of the story. "I was trying really hard to do this spell, but it wouldn't work and it blew up and got guts on his shirt. He told me I was stupid, the stupidest student in all his classes and asked why I even bother to come to class if I can't even do anything right. I………told him to shut up," she said. She squirmed in her chair, figuring she was in loads of trouble.
"This story is exactly what Ms. Weasley told me after the mess Lockhart rambled at me," Severus said hiding a smirk. "Lockhart is an idiot to think I would believe anything he would say." "Ginny talked to you?" Tirza asked, surprised. "I actually sought her out because I didn't believe what Lockhart had told me," Severus replied. "She told me exactly what you said and also added that in the last few class meetings he had been very rude to you," Severus supplied. Tirza smiled, but it quickly faded. "Am I in trouble? I know u said never ever to be rude to my teachers, but I couldn't help it."
"Yes, I did say that, but there are certain circumstances where if it is warranted then I will not do anything about it and this is one of those times," Severus replied. Tirza beamed and crawled onto his lap, hugging him tight. "You're the best daddy ever!" "Why thank you but I have to make you go tonight," Severus said quietly. Tirza frowned. "Why?" "I have no control over the detentions given to you by other teachers," Severus said. "Since I am not your head of house I am unable to waive any of those. McGonagall as head of Gryffindor is the only one allowed to do that." "I don't wanna go!" Tirza said stubbornly.
"You have to go unless you want Lockhart to make fun of you tomorrow and keep tormenting you," Severus said. "He will no matter what," she retorted "he's always bugging me. I don't want to go and have him picking on me!" "I will drag you there if I have to young lady because you will go or you will have detention with Filch for the next month" Severus said coldly, "daddy, come on!" Tirza protested. "you are going" Severus said picking her forcibly and carrying her out the door,
"Daddy, please," she begged quietly as they neared Lockhart's office. "I'm sorry baby but you have to go," Severus said as he stopped about 2 doors away from Lockhart's office. "I promise I will be here when you are done and if he keeps you past the 2 hours I will stop it alright?" "Okay," she agreed, though not sounding very happy about it. She went to Lockhart's office door and knocked. "Enter," Lockhart's voice drifted from behind the door. "Remember I will be here in 2 hours to get you no matter what," Severus said as he gave her one last quick kiss and sent her into the room with Lockhart.
Tirza opened the door and stood just inside. "I'm here professor," she said "Come in Ms. Snape and have a seat," Lockhart said, indicating the chair to the right of his desk. She shut the door and walked over to the chair, sitting down, wearing her jeans and fuzzy pink sweatshirt, feeling very uncomfortable. "I have left the cage that the fairies were in uncleaned today and you will spend the next two hours cleaning it thoroughly and if you get done with that I have more cages in the storeroom that can be cleaned," Lockhart said with a smirk. "Do you have something I can wear while I clean? I don't want to ruin my shirt," she asked politely. "Here," Lockhart snapped as he threw a paint splattered funny smelling top at her.
Tirza rather cringed and put it on, rolling up her sleeves, then took out her wand. "No dear this is wandless cleaning," Lockhart said smirking ever more broadly. Tirza put her wand away, her eyes flashing. "Then what do I use?" "Those scrub brushes and that bucket of water which will automatically refill when it gets empty," Lockhart told her. Tirza went and collected them and began scrubbing the cage. "I'll be over here grading papers," Lockhart said and turned to his desk. Tirza, trying her best to be patient and after cleaning up after jinn jinn, this really wasn't so bad; she started to hum to herself, hoping it would pass the time faster.
"Please stop that incessant humming," Lockhart snapped after listening to it for 10 minutes. "Why?" Tirza asked, peeking over at him from where she was cleaning. "I like for it to be quiet when I'm grading papers," Lockhart lied; he liked to listen to opera when he was grading. Tirza muttered something under her breath and continued working. When he wasn't looking, she stuck her tongue out at him.
"When will you ever get done?" Lockhart demanded not 30 minutes later as Tirza was finishing cleaning the last of the bottom of the cage and was polishing the outside. "I just finished," she announced, sounding happy. "Let me see" Lockhart sneered as he looked closely at her work. "I see a spot you missed." "No way," she said in disbelief. "I cleaned that thing up good, like I do for my bunny."
"Well your bunny and my pixies are two different things so you can start again," Lockhart snapped. Tirza scowled. "I did it right, I know I did," she said evenly, trying to control her temper, but not able to keep the nasty look from her face. "I see cleaning up Pixie droppings isn't helping you one bit so you can also write lines for me when you finish your cleaning," Lockhart snapped. "I'm done cleaning," she said darkly. "You are not done cleaning until I say you are done," Lockhart replied back.
"But I did it right, it's clean," she insisted. "If you hadn't missed that spot there," Lockhart said pointing to a minute spot on the very top of the cage. "You wouldn't have to be doing it over." "They're clean and I can't clean them again," Tirza said, scratching her hands slightly. "And just why can't you?" Lockhart asked incredulously. "Because I'm allergic to that soap," she stated, still scratching. "I've never heard such a load of bull," Lockhart replied. "My soap is hypo allergenic and dermatologist tested to NOT break out anyone." "Thing why do my hands look like this?" she asked, holding them out. They were red and looked like she had poison ivy type rash.
"Maybe because you were scratching them," Lockhart offered, not seeing that it was his soap not her scratching making it worse. "Professor, I mean it, I can't use this stuff. I have special soap that I have to use and I can't use yours anymore," she said. "I will take this up with your father when he comes to pick you up but in the meantime I will insist that you write the lines as it seems you are unable to clean," Lockhart said.
She nodded and quickly rinsed her hands with clean water and sat down and pulled a muggle fuzzy pink notebook that sported PRINCESS on the front and a pink pen out of her pink bag. "What do I have to write?" she asked, sounding exasperated. "I will not give Professor Lockhart lip 200 times please," Lockhart said looking disgusted by the phrase on her notebook. "200?" she said in amazement. She scowled but began scribbling out the lines. "Keep writing," Lockhart stated as Tirza looked at her watch every 5 minutes. "Keep writing," she mimicked softly to herself, getting VERY annoyed as he kept bugging her.
"I heard that and you can add 100 more lines to your 200 already," Lockhart shot back. Tirza kept her mouth shut, focusing on the fact that her dad had sworn to come at 2 hours. She shook her hand several times, as it was starting to get cramped. "Keep going," Lockhart demanded, but was stopped from saying more by a knock at the door. "Enter," he snapped. "I've come to collect Tirza," Severus said kindly. "She hasn't finished her lines yet," Lockhart snapped.
"It has been 2 hours Lockhart," Severus replied coolly. "You gave her only a 2 hour detention and the rules state that when the 2 hours are up the student is free to go." Lockhart scowled. "Fine, I hope u learned something young lady," he said. Tirza beamed and packed up her things and hurried over to Severus. "What happened to your hands?" Severus said as he took the hand she offered him as they began to leave the classroom. "He had me scrubbing the pixie cages and I broke out from his soap. He didn't believe me that I had an allergy," she said, sounding frustrated. "They still itchy and sting a little."
"We'll put some medicine on it when we get back to the quarters," Severus told her then looked at Lockhart. "My daughter has a severe skin allergy and I would ask that you refrain from having her use soap again understood?" Lockhart scowled at Tirza, then gave Severus one of his sweet I'm-so-famous looks and said, "Of course Severus." "Goodnight Professor," Severus said coldly. They left the office and Tirza sighed in relief. "I was thinking you'd never come," she told him. "I told you I'd be here in 2 hours," Severus said as he stopped and gave her a hug. "I would never let that man have you alone for longer than that." Tirza hugged him back. "Thanks dad; he's creepy." "Your welcome," Severus said as the walked off down the hall.