Severus knew Teddy was there in the room, but he also knew that he didn't want to rat the youngster out. He knew that Grandma Molly would come looking for him soon enough, but he didn't want to be the one that called the demon teacher's attention to the young lad. Better he was discovered with a responsible adult in the room. However, it did made him smirk to think the young child could get something over on the severe Governess even as it also presented somewhat of a dilemma for Severus. If the Governess did attempt to discipline him while was hiding in the room, then Teddy would see it – and Severus did not want that eventuality at all. So as long as the child was hiding in the room, he would just have to be good enough to avoid that dreaded cane spell.

And that cane spell had been employed to good measure already well enough. Draco Malfoy had been right – Miss Stradling had not taken kindly to being mocked, especially in front of others. On the first day of class after the wedding Severus had risen as usual when she entered the room first thing in the morning, only to find himself pushed over his desk and magically stuck to the surface. He didn't bother to protest, knowing she had had long enough to formulate exactly what she was going to do to him and knowing that he had little power to stop it. And, sure enough, without a word from his Governess he soon felt the stinging blows of the cane spell – six blows in rapid succession. Severus had to concentrate very hard on the pattern of the wood grain of the desk so as not to cry out from the pain she inflicted, but even he was unable to stop his traitorous eyes from watering. She had never given him more than two in a row like this before, and the pain was severe. He found himself straining against the sticking spell that held him down, but the spell held him tight to the desk. He wrapped his arms around his face so she wouldn't see his tears.

"You will never mock me again," she seethed in a quiet, threatening voice. "You received six today, and you will receive more if it ever happens again. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Miss Stradling," he replied, deciding not to challenge her with her address but to give her what she wanted. Anything to be unstuck from this desk – it felt so vulnerable to be stuck there just waiting for whatever she decided to do next.

"Then sit in your seat and open your lesson book," she ordered him triumphantly, lifting the sticking spell. "I will take none of your nonsense today."

Severus sat himself down gently while gritting his teeth in pain. Always before the pain from the spell faded quickly, but this time the pain from the six stripes lingered, causing him to shift uncomfortably in his seat. He bent his head to his book and pretended to read, but really he mulled over what Draco Malfoy had said to him. Did he really want to believe what Harry and Ginny told him? Was there anything to do now – they were gone, he was stuck. Could he use their affection to his advantage rather than doubting it and suffering under a cruel Governess? Could he believe that they wouldn't send him away?

And so the week went, Severus acting uncharacteristically subdued and Miss Stradling feeling triumphant that she had finally won. As the pain from his Monday caning faded, Severus began to contemplate a plan on how to rid himself of Miss Stradling in a way that wouldn't implicate himself at all – and maybe even do what Draco said and use the situation for his own advantage. Knowing that he had a time limit – that Draco was going to spill the beans in a fortnight anyway – changed the game and made him think more strategically. If there was going to be an out at some point, then best to have an out that didn't make him look bad or present the risk of a boarding school.

But now as he watched Teddy secret himself behind a small cupboard in the corner of the room, he found himself just in a blind worry. His beginning plans didn't involve Teddy at all, and in fact having Teddy in the room might bring things to a premature conclusion where he had little control. He didn't want Hermione or Ron to be the one that found him out – and he certainly didn't want his new father and his maybe sort of new mother to come home early from their honeymoon to deal with the situation either. But if Teddy saw something that made him tell them – well, then that could happen.

"Are you having trouble paying attention?" Miss Stradling barked at him from the front of the room.

"No, Miss Stradling," he answered, almost too passively.

"Are you calling me a liar?" she asked, her voice dangerously low.

"No, Miss Stradling," he answered softly, hoping to placate her foul mood. "Please, Miss Stradling, I was just trying to work out this problem in my head. Could you help me?"

"It's a very simple one," she chided him, coming up beside and looking at his paper. "We were working on borrowing for subtraction last week. Didn't you understand it then?"

"Yes, Miss," he answered. "But could you explain how to do it with larger numbers like this?"

Severus knew how to do it, but he was hoping that he could distract her long enough that Teddy could get out of the room. When Miss Stradling was bent over his desk, he silently motioned for Teddy to leave the room. Teddy smirked at him and shook his head in answer.

"Do you understand now?" she asked him impatiently.

"Yes, Miss Stradling," he answered. "Thank you. But does that also affect how you borrow in the other column?"

"Of course it does, idiot boy," she answered him. "Here, let me show you."

Severus signaled Teddy again, this time with a stern face, hoping that the boy would comply. But the boy just had an impish grin on his face, and shook his head in refusal.

"See how simple it is?" she asked him, showing him the completed problem. "Now, you do the next few and I'll check your work."

Suddenly, from the other side of the room, a clear giggle was heard. Severus groaned, and Miss Stradling's eyes snapped quickly to where Teddy was and then back to her pupil's face.

"Liar," she hissed. "So that's what this subterfuge was about. Shall we show the boy how liars are treated in my classroom?"

Miss Stradling pulled her wand from her sleeve, and to Severus' horror she pointed it at the giggling preschooler who was still semi-hidden behind a cupboard. Severus saw her arm raising, and knew she was going to give the boy a taste of the cane spell – and what would he do? There was no mark, just pain – pain that could be explained away by a child getting in the way of a million things in a classroom. There was a logical and brutal part of Severus' mind that recognized that at least it would keep Teddy out of their classroom and therefore safer in the long run, but that part wasn't in control of his mind at that moment. The part that was in control of his mind took control of his body and launched it out of his seat and straight at Miss Stradling as she was looking at Teddy and completely not expecting an attack.

Severus attacked with everything he had, but Miss Stradling was surprisingly good at hand-to-hand combat even when her opponent had the element of surprise. In the end, Severus may have been more successful if Miss Stradling hadn't already had her wand pulled. Though, he was able to knock down a fully grown witch and even make a good go and grabbing said wand, so his effort was valiant until a Petrificus Totalus froze him mid fight. He could hear Teddy run from the room yelling for Grandma Molly.

"Do you remember when I said there were worse things I could inflict on you?" Miss Stradling asked Severus, kneeling down to where he could see her, almost purring in her speech. "How does a beating from Ron Weasley sound? I seem to remember he was one of your favorite people. He should be quite stern when I tell him how you attacked poor defenseless me. He seems like quite the gruff, protective type; it should be easy to get him to deal with you quite harshly. I wonder if I should insist on watching?"

With that, Miss Stradling pulled a long silver chain from under her blouse that had a small round pendant on it. She pressed her thumb on it, and suddenly her voice changed to distraught.

"Please, help me now," she cried. "He's, well, he's gone quite mad – he attacked me!"

"I'll come right away," Severus heard Ron's voice reply gruffly, and knew that this was an emergency button. And, of course, with his father gone Ron would be the one to have it.

In the space a few breaths, Ron came in the door, his face stern but his wand not drawn. He took in the scene quickly, but found himself with his arms full of panicking Governess.

"Thank goodness you're here!" she told him. "He, he just became so angry! I've never been attacked like that!"

"You're fine now," Ron told her, trying to disentangle himself as if from sticky flypaper. "What happened?"

"Teddy, the young child must have snuck into the classroom and was hiding," she explained, wringing her hands and acting every inch the terrified young witch. "When I heard him giggle, I pulled my wand to use a revealing spell to find him, and Severus attacked me. I don't know what happened!"

"Is Teddy alright?" Ron asked, shaking himself and deciding to put first things first.

"I think he left and went down to Mrs. Weasley," Miss Stradling nodded.

"Are you hurt?" Ron asked her, giving her a quick look-over.

"Just shaken," she replied. "He threw me to the ground and was trying to get my wand! Fortunately, I was able to use a Petrificus spell pretty quickly before he was able to hurt me very much."

"It's near the end of the day anyway," Ron told her. "Why don't you go home and have a cup of tea and rest. Start fresh tomorrow."

"I can't come tomorrow without some guarantee that he won't do that again," she told Ron, sounding helpless and scared. "Please, Mr. Weasley, I need to feel safe in my own classroom if I'm going to be teaching him."

"You have your wand," Ron told her. "You protected yourself well. He's just a little chap really – he doesn't even have a wand!"

"He needs to know that you don't approve of what he's done as well," she told him. "He's Severus Snape after all, one of the most powerful wizards of our generation! Aren't you acting like his father while Harry is gone?"

"I am," Ron answered, suddenly uncomfortable.

"Then that means in all ways," she nodded. "If he's not punished – and by that I mean properly, in a corporeal manner, then I won't feel safe enough to come back. I need some security that he realized that his family disapproves of this behavior and will not allow it to continue if I'm to teach him."

"But this is really Harry's place . . ."

"Then by all means call him up on his honeymoon," she told Ron in a very reasonable voice. "If you're not able to handle it, then call him. A real friend would take care of his son in all ways and not disturb him, but I understand if it's too much for you. But someone needs to be man enough to address his behavior before I set foot back in the classroom."

"I'll deal with it," Ron told her with an air of surrender. "You go home now; I'll deal with the young rascal."

"Do you promise?" she asked in a voice that was nearly seductive but also somehow vulnerable. "Do you promise to make sure that he knows he cannot attack me? I need to feel safe."

"I promise," Ron told her.

"I know this is me being just a silly woman," she said, looking away coquettishly. "But could you make a wizard's oath? It would make me sleep better tonight knowing for sure that you were dealing with that child properly."

"I don't really think that should be necessary . . ." Ron started.

"Please," she asked him. "I probably won't sleep a wink otherwise."

"Alright," Ron agreed reluctantly, removing his wand. But if what she said was true Severus deserved a smack, and it was better him than having to drag Harry back from his honeymoon anyway. "I vow on my magic to punish Severus today for attacking his Governess."

"With a cane?" she asked him innocently.

"With a ruler," Ron decided, putting his wand away. "That's what Harry uses on the mite, I'll follow suit. Don't worry, Miss Stradling, he will regret his actions."

"Thank you for taking this matter seriously," she told him. "I believe I will go and lay cold compresses on my eyes and allow myself to recover from the stress."

With that, she left the room with an air of injured waif and Severus would have rolled his eyes at her performance if his body had been able to move. But the spell that Miss Stradling had cast still held him frozen in place, helpless and waiting for Ron to decide what to do with him.

He saw Ron sigh, sit down on one of the chairs, and say in a firm voice, "Finite Incantatem."