Chapter 10: A really bad day
Two days had passed since the boggart incident.
{Kat's POV}
Kat woke up with a groan as she was still tired from the events of that night, forcing herself out of bed she got up and went to get ready for the day.
After Kat got ready, she put together her school bag and headed out of her dorm to the common room. She made sure everyone was fine in the common room and then headed out to the Great Hall.
Kat sat with her friends in the great hall tiredly, making herself a cup of coffee to try and keep herself somewhat awake throughout the day of classes.
{Alex and Sev's POV}
Severus dressed, staring at the closet with hatred. Even though the boggart was no longer there, he still hated that horrible feeling. He shook his head and went to the common room to wait for Alex.
Alex woke up having a headache and feeling tired, he watched his roommates get dressed, but he just went back to lay down. Although the sleeping potions helped him fall asleep easily, he still had small feelings of fear and insecurity, which didn't wake him up at night but still kept him from feeling like he was sleeping well over the weekend.
Severus sighed when Alex didn't come to the common room. He walks into Alex's dorm and sees him asleep in his bed.-"Alex, wake up, it's late, breakfast is going to start."-
Alex gets up slowly. -"Okay, I'm coming"- He got off the bed and dressed, then looked at Severus with tired eyes. -"I'm ready"-
Severus rolls his eyes.
They both leave the dorm and the common room, and head towards the Great Hall.
Alex and Severus walked into the Great Hall.
Severus sat with his friends, ignoring Alex who yawned and rubbed his eyes behind him.
Alex sat alone, instead of eating he played with his food while blinking rapidly so as not to fall asleep.
Kat sighed when she saw Alex half asleep and got up to go over to Severus -"Give me one of those potions you were trying to give me a couple of days ago to keep me awake."- She said as she stood behind him, she knew he would have some on him.
Severus turns his head to look at Kat and pulls out a vial of his robe. -"What do you want it for? I thought you didn't want to drink any potions?"- He raises an eyebrow and puts the potion on the table.
Kat sighed as he questioned her -"Just give it to me, please, I'm not doing anything stupid with it."- She said as she held out her hand for him to place the potion in.
Severus rolled his eyes -"Fine, but be careful these kinds of potions are very delicate."- He says and puts the potion on Kat's palm before turn and talk to his friends again.
-"Yeah, I know, thank you."- Kat said as she closed her hand around the potion and walked over to Alex -"Give me your drink."- She said to him as she opened the potion.
Alex tilted his head as he handed her his drink.
After receiving the drink, Kat poured just half the potion in as she didn't want him up for long, just enough to keep him up to get through classes.
-"What potion is it and why are you giving it to me?"- Alex said and yawned and rubbed his eyes.
Kat sighed as he questioned her like their brother -"What is up with the two of you not trusting me today?"- She said as she handed him the drink -"Just drink it, I got it from Sev, it will help you."-
Alex took the drink in his hands when Kat held it in front of him and looked at her. -"It's not that I don't trust you, I just wanted to know, I'm sorry."- He placed the drink between his lips and drank it all. He felt too tired to fight Kat and not drink it, plus she gave it to him in his drink, so it shouldn't taste bad. He placed it on the table, feeling less tired.
-"Good, that should help."- Kat said with a smile as she went back to sit at the table with her friends, putting the rest of the potion into her pocket.
Alex felt more awake and began to eat slowly.
Aries Hunter, the girl who hit him two days ago, looks at Alex with contempt and with a smirk. Thinking that she could do today to bully him and that he beg for her forgiveness -"Nobody disagrees with me, Snape and you'll regret doing it"- She whispered to herself.
Kat finished her breakfast and then her and her friends all got up and left the Great Hall to head to their classes.
Severus got up -"Let's go"- He said as he walked past Alex.
Alex gets up and walks behind Severus.
Severus sighed as he took Alex to class.
Aries smirked and walked behind them, far enough away for them to see her.
The first class was over, but Alex was not at the classroom door where he was supposed to be, waiting for Severus, instead he was picking up his books that Aries had thrown into the lake.
–"It will be better if you do not say anything to your sister, or it will be worse for you, also I will make you get into more trouble than you already are"- Aries laughed out loud and left.
Alex wiped away tears as he put his wet books in his backpack, and he was come back at the classroom door before Severus arrived.
Severus arrived a few minutes later, with several of his friends. -"Come on, let's go, or I'll be late for class."-
Alex nodded and followed them to his next class. He couldn't tell anyone about this, he was too scared.
Severus was talking to his friends without paying attention to Alex, he thought it was weird that he was quiet, but decided not to give it much importance.
Kat walked to her next class with her friends and the Quidditch team, everyone was excited for the first game of the season tomorrow. Thankfully it wasn't against Gryffindor, or the whole school would be exploding with rivalry.
{Alex's POV}
It was almost lunchtime and Alex was in the infirmary being treated by Madam Pomfrey. He sniffed as she bandaged his hands.
-"The headmaster says he wants to see you once we're done here and that he sent a note to your siblings that you would have lunch with him today and spend the rest of the day in his office."-
Alex nodded quietly. He had several burn marks on his hands and his tear-stained face.
{Kat and Sev's POV}
As Kat sat down at her spot in the Great Hall an owl flew in and dropped the note off to her about her brother, she sighed as she read it knowing that something must have happened
Severus walked into the Great Hall between scared and worried; he walked fast and stood behind Kat. -"Hey, hi, Kat, a hypothetical question, haven't you seen that shortie by chance?!"- At that moment an owl gave a note to Severus, but he just put it in his pocket and kept looking at Kat, trying not to go into crisis, he sighs of relief when he looked up and his father was not there.
Kat turned around in her seat and handed him the letter she had gotten -"You're fine, just read that."- She said with a soft laugh at how freaked out he was. -"See it's not so easy to keep track of the kid."- She said with a smirk, knowing that this had been tougher than he expected it to be
Severus frowns and glares at her before reading the note -"Uh?"- He takes the note out of his pocket and reads it. -"Well, it seems that I have the afternoon free until I have to go for him for his detention, but what would he have done to make him miss lunch and the rest of his classes."- He returns the note to her."- And also this happened when he was in class, it is not my fault, I have not failed yet"-
Kat shrugged -"Probably got hurt or something, that's usually what happens when dad pulls him out of class for the rest of the day."- She really didn't know what could have happened -"Yeah, yeah, you've been close a few times though."- She said laughing as she took the note back
Severus glares at her. -" Well, I guess he must have hurt himself, his last class before lunch was potions, but a small cut is enough to get him out of class?"- He shrugs. -"Well, it doesn't matter, I have the afternoon off."- He smiles -"Bye"-
-"It had to be more severe than a small cut."- Kat said with a nod as she turned back to her friends -"Bye"- She knew he would be happy to have the day off.
Severus sat down and talked to his friends.
{Alex and Snape's POV}
Alex looked at his bandaged hands as he walked toward his father's office. He walked in without knocking on the door -"Dad, I'm here"- He says quietly as he walks to the desk.
Snape looks up to see his youngest child and frowns at the sight of his hands. -"You will eat your lunch first, and then you will explain to me how that happened to you, understood?"-
Alex nods and a plate of food appears on the table in front of the couch.
-"Sit down and eat."- Snape said firmly.
Alex sighs and walks to the couch until he sits down. He eats in silence.
When Alex finished eating, his father beckoned him with his finger to come closer.
Alex got up from the couch, walked over and stood next to his chair.
Snape turned his chair to look at his son. -"Explain to me what happened today in Potions class, Alexander"-
Alex fiddled with his thumbs before he began to tell his father what had happened. Alex moved his eyes in all directions, avoiding looking at his father while playing with his thumbs.
Snape observed his son's body language and realized that something was wrong, but decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, he would question him better later, maybe the kid was still in shock because of what had happened, but if he was lying to him...
When Alex finishes speaking, Snape took a deep breath as he looked at his son with a frown. He tried to remain calm after listening to his explanation. -"Let me see if I understand, you got distracted while cutting the ingredients and cutting yourself and instead of healing yourself or telling the professor about your cut, you continued making the potion and dropped your blood into the cauldron, which made it explode and burned your hands."-
Alex nodded slowly, He decided not to tell him that it was Aries' fault that he had cut himself, and she did not let him go to heal. -"Mhm"-. He felt guilty for not telling the whole truth, but he was very afraid of Aries.
-"You and I have already discussed this many times, Alexander"- Snape sighed. -"Maybe I should take you out of practical potions classes and have you just attended theory classes."-
Alex shakes his head. -"No, no, it was an accident, I didn't do it on purpose, I'll be more careful"- He held his father's robe as his eyes watered.
Snape summons a handkerchief and hands it to Alex –"You don't have to cry, your face is already a mess"- He sighed heavily, it was the third time this month that his son was seriously injured in that class and the professor had informed him that every class usually ended with a small cut or a small burn, which Alex usually healed by himself or the professor had to heal him. -"Go do your homework while Severus comes to take you to your detention, we'll talk about this later"- He needed time to process everything Alex had told him before making any decisions. And if he found out that Alex was lying to him, he would have to punish him, and he didn't want to punish him before his detention.
Alex pouted as he wiped his face with his handkerchief. He rubbed his eyes, feeling tired again, as he walked back to the couch. He sat down before pulling his books and scrolls out of his backpack and began to do his homework.
{Kat's POV}
Kat made it through the rest of her classes easily then it was time for her pre-match day practice, she went into her dorm to change into her base uniform then headed out to the Slytherin tent to get the rest of her uniform and gear.
Kat got through practice, but by the time she was in the common room she could barely stand, her body was so tired from practice, and she was soaked due to the rain outside. She threw her body onto one of the couches in the common room and just closed her eyes for a second to rest.
As she laid on the couch, people would come into the common room and say hi or wish her good luck tomorrow. A few of her friends came in and sat on the other couches to talk to her, she kept her eyes closed as she talked to them with a yawn.
{Alex and Sev's POV}
Severus went to pick Alex up from his father's office to take him to detention, he frowned at the sight of Alex's bandaged hands, but before he could ask his father told him what had happened, and furthermore their father had told him that he should bring Alex back here, to his office, after dinner as they had something to discuss. Severus nodded and left the office, with Alex behind him.
They walked down the hallway in the direction of the room where the detention would be.
Alex sighed as Severus stopped in front of a door; he stood silently staring at the floor.
- "I'll come for you later"- Severus said and walked away, walking towards his common room.
Alex took a deep breath, he walked into the room and there was his friends, they were all standing in the middle of the room.
Aries turned her head and smirked. –"Nice bandages, Snape"-
Alex lowered his head and stood next to them before the professor said what they were going to do.
{Kat and Sev's POV}
Severus walked into the common room and saw Kat on the couch; he rolled his eyes -'Well, at least she's resting'- He thought. He went to his dorm, preferring not to tell her what happened with Alex, yet.
Eventually, Kat said goodbye to her friends and got up off the couch, heading into her dorm to shower and then bring her uniforms to be washed for the next day. She groaned with every step because of how sore and exhausted her body was.
After finishing his homework, Severus thought he should talk to Kat about what happened with Alex. He walked into Kat's dorm as knocked on the door. -"Hey, Kat"-
-"Hold on, I'll be right out!"- Kat shouted from the bathroom as she changed quickly and then walked out after her shower. -"What's up?"- She said as she heard Severus's voice and saw him standing in her dorm.
Severus raised an eyebrow and looked her up and down. -"Are you sure that you do not want anything for your body. I can give you something that is not a potion, and it will help you with the pain and relax your body, after all you have a match tomorrow"-
-"Yeah. I'm sure; it will be fine in the morning."- Kat said with a yawn as she laid down on her bed just to get off of her feet and relax. -"Did you ever find out what's wrong with Alex?"- She asked as she looked over at Sev.
-"It seems that stubbornness is in our blood"- Severus muttered and then raised an eyebrow. -"Is there something wrong with Alex? I saw him well today, he seemed very normal to me"- He shrugged. He hadn't understood that she was asking him about what had happened to Alex in class, he thought she was questioning him about whether he had watched Alex well, but still he hadn't really paid much attention to Alex today, he just took him to class while Alex walked behind him.
-"You have the same blood as me."- Kat said with a smirk as she heard his mutter. -"So you have no clue why he was pulled out of class?"- She asked with a raised eyebrow, he must really not pay attention to the kid
Severus thinks for a moment, remembering that's why he came here in the first place.-"Oh, yeah, dad told me that he dropped his blood into his cauldron; the cauldron exploded and burned his hands. When I went to pick him up, he had his hands bandaged"- He raised an eyebrow. -"And I accept it, I am stubborn too, so I will bother you all the time wondering if you want something for your body even though I know you will say no."-
Kat shrugged -"Interesting."- She said as she let her head hit her pillow -"That's going to get very annoying."- She said not wanting him to ask her if she wanted something all the time.
Severus shrugged and saw the time -"Well, I'll go pick Alex up and if you want me to stop being so annoying, take better care of your body"- He turns and walks towards the door. -"Rest well"-
-"You're going to have to wait until the end of the Quidditch season for that."- Kat said with a chuckled as she glanced up at him leaving -"I'll try."- She said before he left the room
{Alex's POV}
For their detention, Alex and his friends, they put them to clean the room where they were.
Alex was cleaning the windows when Aries threw a bucket with dust and dirt on him.
-"I'm sorry, it was an accident, it's just, you are so short that I did not see you"- Aries said with fake innocence. She had pretended to trip and made sure the professor's back was turned, so he couldn't scold her.
Alex bit his lip and continued cleaning.
The professor sighed when he heard the commotion.-"Be careful when you walk and watch who is around you, I don't want any more accidents"- He walked over to Alex and tried to brush the dirt out of his hair.
-"Thank you, sir,"- Alex said softly, trying not to cry.
-"Yes, sir, I'll be careful, it won't happen again"- Aries smiles innocently before getting back to cleaning.
The professor nodded and went back to walking around the room, keeping an eye on the rest of the kids.
When Alex had finished cleaning his part of the room, he tries to brush the dirt and dust off his clothes.
-"Mm, maybe I can help with that"- Aries threw another bucket on him, but this time of dirty water. She smiled proudly and then ran to the professor. -"Sir, sir, Snape tripped, and dirty water fell on him"-
The professor was putting the cleaning materials in the closet when he heard Aries calling him; he closed the closet and looked at Alex, sighed and motioned for him to come closer.
Alex stomped his foot a little. -'No fair'- He thought and walked towards the professor, pouting.
When the detention ended, Alex was in a very bad mood, he felt tired, this day had been horrible for him and the professor had scolded him. He stood in front of the door waiting for Severus, the other kids were gone.
Severus arrived and saw his brother covered in dust, dirt and was wet. -"What happened to you?"- The professor told Severus everything, and he ran his hand over his face and looked at Alex. -"How can you be so clumsy?"-
Alex glares at him. -"I'm not clumsy!"- He stamped his foot on the floor.
Severus rolls his eyes. -"Yeah, yeah, come on, let's go back to your dorm, you take a shower and change, after dinner I still have to take you to dad's office"- He starts walking.
Alex crosses his arms and walks behind Severus, frowning.
Kat got up eventually and went into the common room to find a book from the bookshelves to help her with her potions homework. She watched as Alex and Severus returned into the common room -"Oh Merlin, what happened to you?"- She asked as she saw Alex.
Alex bit his lip while playing with his sleeve -"Dirt, dust and water fell on me"- He said in a low voice and rubbed his eye.
Severus rolled his eyes. -"The professor said that while they were cleaning he collided with one of his friends and a bucket with dirt and dust fell on him and at the end he tripped over a bucket of water, and it fell on him"- He sighed -"Seriously, how can you be so clumsy?"-
Alex glared at him. -"I'm not clumsy!"- He was beginning to feel really annoyed that Severus was calling him that.
-"Wait, hold on; go back, how did you trip on a bucket of water on the ground, and it ended up over your head? Something's not adding up here."- Kat said, looking at Alex suspiciously -"I'll admit you're clumsy, but that just doesn't happen."-
Severus blinked rapidly. -"You're right, so how did you get all wet?"- He looks at Alex and then at Kat. –"Although according to the professor that's what one of the kids said, saw Alex fall on the bucket."-
Alex looked up at Severus and then Kat, his bad mood faded immediately, he started to worry, if they started to question the facts, he knew Kat would find out everything, she always does.
-"The kid that told the professor what happened was a girl? Do you know which girl it was?"- Kat asked as she started to become even more suspicious and start to have an idea of what actually happened.
Alex bites his lip more and lowers his head. -"It was just an accident; it is not a big deal."- He said, trying not to give it too much importance.
-"Alex, don't talk unless you're going to tell the truth"- Kat said as she glanced over at him and then back at Severus. -"This is why I'm in charge of him because I pick up on the little things and ask the right questions."-
Severus frown -"I would tell you that you are wrong, but I know that I will lose the discussion"- He sighs while thinking for a while. -"Yes, it was one of the girls, Aries, and I think she is from this house."-
Alex plays with his thumbs. He feels increasingly nervous.
Severus looks down at Alex. -"She was not the same girl who hit you a couple of days ago?"-
Alex jumps slightly at the question. -'Oh, no, she will know'- He thought.
-"It's the same girl."- Kat said with a sigh, she knew the name, and it was obvious by the way Alex was acting. -"Alex go take a shower then come to my dorm, I'll be taking you to dad's office because I need to talk to him."- She said as she shooed the little boy off to his room -"I won't say anything to father to make you don't look bad, I'll tell him that I found out through someone else."- She said as she turned to look at Severus as Alex walked to his dorm.
Severus saw Kat and sighed. - "Well, it lasted three days, I think it's a new record for me"- He scratches his head. -"How can you realize all this? I just thought he was having a bad day"-
-"He won't take away the responsibility just because you didn't see through something; you have to know the kid every more pretty well to be able to pick things like that out."- Kat said with a sigh as she put the book in her hands back on the bookshelf -"Well, first of all, you have to know how clumsy he really is, according to what the professor told you he had already knocked into a bucket of dust and dirt. That's something Alex would do but then knocking into a bucket of gross water after that, and he also already cut and burned himself in potions, it just seems like a lot in one day for him. I'll admit he's really clumsy, but the kid tends to try and be more careful after the first mistake. Second, you just have to know how he acts; the look on his face when you say what supposedly happened just tells me what part are lies and what's not. He may be great at manipulating people, but the kid cannot lie for the life of him."-
Severus looked at his sister in amazement, but didn't show it. -"You can tell you've been doing this job for a long time."- He said neutrally and then sighed. -"I am better at noticing when people are hurt or when they are up to something, but when it comes to the change of personality, facial gestures and/or attitudes of someone for me, it is very difficult to notice it."- He thinks for a moment about everything that happened. -"Although, I found it weird that he was very quiet today and more that he will not jump or bounce when I took him to potions, but I did not give importance and I did not give much importance to the expressions he made when dad told me how he supposedly burned his hands."- He sighs.
-"That's why it was still my job and not yours; dad knows that I pick up on things like this."- This was where the Slytherin side of Kat showed, she was cunning, and she wasn't scared to take things into her own hands to figure out things. -"You just have to figure out your own way to read through the kid, you'll be in charge of him once I leave."- She said with a shrug -"Next time I start to question him watch his face, I'll try to point out what you need to look out for."-
Severus runs his hand over his face, refusing to swallow his pride. -"But he will continue to be my job for the next three weeks and I also had thought that maybe when you left he would have more common sense and stop being so clumsy, that he would be better able to solve his problems without these things happening"- He sighs. -"Fine, I'll really have to keep an eye on the kid, he isn't very good at hiding things, it can't be too difficult and thank you that would be a great help"- He swallowed a bit of his pride.
-"My presence has nothing to do with how he acts, he only runs to me when there's a major problem."- Kat nodded -"If you need help with him please just suck up your pride and ask me, I know how hard it is, and I'll help figure out what's wrong."- She said as she looked at the clock on the wall -"Alex should be done, so I have to go to my dorm, I'll let you know what dad says."-
Severus nods -"Okay, I can try that and thanks"- He says before turning around to go to his dorm.
Alex sighed and pouted as he walked to his dorm room, he walked into his dorm, closing the door behind him, he stood leaning against the door before sniffing. He was scared, he would know if he had to talk to his father he would tell him everything and Aries would find out later, and after what happened today, he was scared that everything would get worse.
Alex went into the bathroom, he undressed and took off his bandages before stepping into the shower, he wiped away his tears as he sobbed softly. He put his hands to his butt, hoping that the incident of his hands wouldn't be mentioned in the talk he would have with his father when Kat took him to his office. He lied to his father, his father what he hated most was being lied to and just after he had been punished no less than three days ago, for lying to his sister. If he found out, he would be back face down in his father's lap, that was for sure.
When Alex finished showering, he dried his body and wrapped a towel around himself, left the bathroom and walked to his bed, looked in his drawers for more comfortable clothes and got dressed. He took some bandages that Madam Pomfrey had given him and walked out of his dorm to Kat's dorm. He went into Kat's dorm and sat on the bed, then bandaged his hands while lightly kicking his legs. His hands were practically healed, but she had told him that he should keep his hands bandaged until tomorrow.
Kat walked into her dorm and was met with Alex sitting there waiting for her -"Ready to go?"- She asked as she watched him bandage up his arms.
Alex finished bandaging his hands and got out of bed -"I'm ready."-He put his hands behind his back and looked at the floor.
-"Come on, don't look sad."- Kat said as she patted his head while walking out of her dorm and to their father's office.
Alex walked behind her while biting his lip. -"But she said that if I told you something, everything would be worse, I don't want things to get worse that it already was today"- He mutters.
-"Who said what?"- Kat asked as she heard him mutter, she stopped walking and turned to face him. -"I'm not playing around anymore, what really happened?"-
Alex bit his lip even more as he looked up to see Kat. -"Aries, but I can't tell you, she will be too mad."- He said with a shaky voice. He stared at his sister, realizing that he preferred Aries be mad at him than Kat being mad at him. -"She just said that she accidentally threw dirt and dust on me and then said I tripped over the dirty water, but she did it on purpose."-
-"So she did this to you?"- Kat asked as she bent down to be at his eye level, she couldn't stand that brat of a girl and if she could do something about her, she would -"What about your hand, what actually happened there?"- She asked hoping he would tell her the truth.
Alex nodded -"Yes, she did"- He was silent for a moment; he knew he should confess, but he knew he would get into a lot of trouble, again. He swallowed and looked at his hands. -" Since I always cut or burn myself when I make potions in class, she or another of my friends always helps me, but today I had to do it alone, I was very careful and managed to make half the potion without cutting myself."- He smiled with pride, and then stopped smiling. -"She hit me with her elbow and I cut myself with the knife, I was going to get up to heal my hand as I always do, but she said that if I got up she was going to put my hand on the fire. I got scared and continued making the potion, then I dropped my blood into the cauldron, the cauldron exploded and burned my hands while protecting my face."-
Kat sighed as he told her what really happened -"You better hope dad not mad that you lied to him about what happened."- She said as she stood up straight again and continued walking to their father's office. Although she wasn't too sure that wasn't going to happen.
Alex walked behind Kat as he cried and shook his head. -"Wahh, No, no, don't tell him I lied to him, he already punished me three days ago for lying to you, he will do it again, wahh"-
-"First, stop crying in the corridors, wait until we get into his office."- Kat said with a sigh as she reached over and picked him up -"Second, you can't just let this girl bully you like this, if this happens you have to tell someone."-
Alex laid his head on Kat's shoulder as he sobbed.-"I'm sorry, but she is very scary, I did not want this to get worse, the last time I faced her and defended myself I ended up hit and with a black eye"- He said softly.- "I didn't want it to happen again if I said something"-
-"It's ok I understand."- Kat said rubbing his back gently while she walked to her father's office -"But you can't just go around letting this girl bully you, if dad won't do anything then I will."-
Alex nods. -"Okay, I'll tell you everything she's done."- He takes a deep breath -"She threw my books into the lake this morning and two days ago she threatened me that I would regret it for contradicting her and that it would end up worse than with a black eye"- He said in a low voice before they reached his father's office.
-"You have to tell this all to father, I can't do much without him knowing"- Kat said as she knocked on her father's office door, she continued to rub his back to try and calm him down as much as possible.
Alex bit his lip and nodded. -"Okay, but he's going to get mad at me"-He sniffs
Snape looked up when he heard the door.-"Come in"-
-"I'm sorry I don't know what to tell you, you have to tell him."- Kat whispered to him as she walked into their father's office with Alex still in her arms.
Snape raised an eyebrow as Kat walked into his office with Alex in her arms. -"What happened now? I told Severus to bring Alexander here after dinner, did something happen in Alexander's detention?"- He finished with a sigh. He had already planned to scold Alex for what happened in class, but now he had a slight feeling that this would end beyond a simple scolding.
-"I'm brought him because I was able to see through Alex and figure out what really happened today. But yes, something did happen during his detention."- Kat said with a sigh as she leaned over to a chair to see if Alex wanted to get out of her arms.
Alex shook his head while holding his sister by the shirt, if he was going to make his father mad at him, he wanted to feel as comfortable and safe as possible.
Snape frowned. -"What really happened today? Alexander already told me what happened today"- He leans back, crossing his arms. -"Or did Alexander lie to me about what happened today?"- He suspected that Alex had lied to him, but he really wanted to believe that he had not.
Alex jumped slightly and put his face against Kat's neck, he wanted to feel her magic, and he could feel his father getting a little mad already.
Kat nodded as he held onto her and then sat down herself while keeping in on her lap. -"He didn't have a choice not to lie."- She said as she looked up at her father.
Snape took a deep breath. -"I'll judge that"- He looks at Alex. -"Alexander, look at me, and explain, right now"- He said sternly.
Alex turns his head to see his father, without letting go of Kat's shirt. -" I didn't cut myself because I was distracted, Aries elbowed me and that's why I cut myself, then don't heal my hand because she threatened to burn my hand if I got up and the rest was as I told you."- He said with a shaky voice.
Snape closed his eyes, trying not to scold Alex for lying to him; he had to first know the whole story before doing anything. He is also concerned when he said she threatened him. -"Aries?"- He looks at Kat. -"is that problematic girl you always tell me about?"-
-"Yes, that's the one I always want to strangle."- Kat said with a nod as she rubbed Alex's back. -"Please tell father what the professor says happened at detention and then tell him what really happened."- She whispered to Alex softly.
Alex nodded slightly before taking a deep breath. - "When Sev came to pick me up from detention, the professor told him that she had accidentally bumped into me, causing dirt and dust to fall on me. Then, when the detention was ending, he said that I had tripped over a bucket of dirty water, causing the water to fall over me."- He bites his lip. -"But Aries lied to the professor, she purposely threw the bucket of dirt and dust at me while I was cleaning a window and then while I was trying to clean myself she threw the bucket of water at me."-
Snape breathed in and exalted deeply as he listened to Alex. -"So, from what I understand that girl is bullying you Alexander."-
Alex nodded slightly. –"Yes, daddy"- He said sadly.
-" And since when does this happen?! And what else has she done?!"- Snape raised his voice a little, really mad by the situation. He couldn't believe that his child, his youngest child, was suffering from bulling.
Alex grabbed Kat's shirt tighter. His father was mad, really mad, he could feel it, he could see it, his father's magic, normally calm and quiet, was very agitated.
-"It's ok."- Kat whispered to Alex as he tightened his grip on her -"I don't know how long or what else has been done, he hasn't told Severus or me about anything else, today if the first day I was able to catch on to anything."- She told her father, so Alex could have a second to calm down. Although she knew the answer to those questions or at least had a notion of the answers, Alex was the one who should answer them, not her.
-"Alexander, answer the questions"-. Snape said sternly.
Alex swallowed. -"Tw...Two days ago, when I was in the dorm, she tried to force me out of there and I told her that I was not going to leave there, and she hit me and made fun of me and left, and later that day threatened me with that I was going to regret it for contradicting her."- He trembled slightly. -"In addition to everything I've told you, she threw my books into the lake this morning."-
Snape took a deep breath. -"And why didn't you tell your siblings or me or some professor?"- He said, trying to control the tone of his voice.
-"Because she is very scary, and she said that if she told Kat things would get worse and that I would end up worse than with a black eye. And that she would get me in more trouble"- Alex's eyes filled with tears.
-"A black eye?! Two days and you didn't say anything until they discovered you! Alexander ...!"- Snape pinched the bridge of his nose trying to calm himself down.
-"I'm sorry, I was very scared"- Alex said with teary eyes, putting on his best sorry face and with the saddest tone he could.
-"We didn't catch him when any of this was happening, I just picked up on things that didn't make sense when Severus was explaining to me what the professor told him happened."- Kat said with a sigh as she rubbed Alex's back -" The girl been threatening him to keep herself out of trouble, she knew if one of us found out she'd be in a lot of trouble."-
Snape closed his eyes. He had to swallow some of his anger when he saw his son's face and heard his tone; he had to be calm to handle this delicate situation. -"Although I understand why you did it, Alexander, I can't accept that you lied to me"- He sighed as he opened his eyes. -"Alexander this is very serious, you can't let someone do something like that to you"-
Alex sniffs. -"But ..."-
-"Don't interrupt me. As much as you would not have wanted to get into trouble, by hiding it you got yourself into other kinds of troubles, if you had told the truth from the beginning we would have been able to solve this sooner, and you would not be in trouble. And I totally understand your fear that things would get worse if you said something, but not saying anything is not going to stop things from getting worse, but the opposite will happen, you know what I mean? She will keep bullying you more and more, until someone puts a stop to it."-
Alex nodded. -"Yes, Dad"- His father's magic returned to its usual form, and it felt warm, and very safe at this moment, which made him feel a little better, his father would always protect him.
Snape looks at Kat. -"And that's what we are going to do because this is something that needs to be fixed immediately, I'm not going to have a bully hanging around there"- For Snape this was personal, not only because it was his child, but what he hated most in this world was a bully.
-"What would you like me to do?"- Kat asked as she stopped rubbing Alex's back and turning him around on her lap to look at their father.
Alex rested on Kat's chest, he felt so calm and relaxed from this moment as if all the stress and fear was leaving his body, both his sister's and his father's magic made him feel so safe and secure.
Snape thought for a moment. -"First, I want this girl away from Alexander, if she gets close to him, you send her here. Now you will talk to her about everything that happened today and the two previous days, whether she confesses or not that doesn't matter, but you will make it clear to her that she cannot go near Alexander again"- He leans over the chair. -"She should have the rest of her detention alone, with Mr. Filch. And I want her, for everything she did today, to do a 5-foot essay on why what she did to Alexander is very wrong. And she should give it to you tomorrow at lunchtime. And if when you were talking to her, you feel that you should give her more punishment, you can do it"-He looks very serious at Kat. -"And tell her that if she bullies another student again, if she gets close to Alexander again or does not give to you the essay, she will be suspended"-
-"Yes father."- Kat said with a nod as she got up from the chair and placed Alex back down on it -"Would you like me to return here after or no?"- She asked as she got ready to leave his office and go find the girl.
Snape nodded. -"Yes, I want you to come back here and tell me everything that happened while you talked to her, understood?"- He looks at Alex. -"And you could also come pick up Alexander, he and I still have something to discuss"- He said sternly.
Alex swallows heavily. He squirmed in his chair knowing what was coming next but hoped his father would let it go this time.
Kat looked at her brother with pity, knowing what would happen when she left. -"I'll be back soon; I'm not sure how long this will take."- She said with a nod as she left his office and went to the common room to look for the girl.
