Tirza and Draco collapsed in the snow, breathing heavy from exertion and laughter.

"I haven't ice skated in forever," Draco commented.

Tirza nodded. "Me too!" She slowly caught her breath and then looked over at Draco. "Did you… wanna talk about earlier?"

The blonde boy scowled and shook his head vigorously.

"You could if you wanted too. I'm a pretty good listener."

"I dunno. Maybe some other time or something," Draco mumbled.

She nodded and gave him a small smile back. "Eventually uncle Remus is going to miss his ice skates, so we better not stay out here a really long time."

"Wait, did he know we were borrowing them?" Draco asked, giving her a suspiciously look.

"Well," Tirza said with a grin. "Not exactly. I'll explain it to him later, he won't mind."

Draco snorted and rolled his eyes. "Great job there, Snape."

Tirza promptly stuck her tongue out at him and scooped up some snow with her gloved hands.

"No! Don't you…"

"Too late!" She squealed with laughter as the snow ball hit him right in the face and began dripping down his chin and onto his coat.

At least until a snowball smacked her head, causing her unfastened hat to fall right off into the snow.

Draco smirked. "Take that!"

Tirza picked up her hat from the snow and attempted to brush it off as another snowball smacked her side. "Oh, you are looking for war, aren't ya?" she asked in a challenging tone.

"Malfoys are always looking to cause trouble," Draco asserted. "It's our specialty."

Tirza snorted. "Yeah, that's true!"

"You aren't much better, Snape!"

"Oh really?" Her eyebrow quirked.

"Yes, really," Draco asserted. Seconds later, a snowball smacked him in the face. "Hey!"

Tirza giggled. "Hay is for horses."

He rolled his eyes. "Ooh, funny Snape, funny!"

"I rather thought so…"

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Eventually Tirza and Draco started to ice skate; not before they exhausted their arms with snowball throwing however! They stayed outside so long that their noses and cheeks were cherry red and they were beginning to shiver.

It was right about that time that Remus came looking for Tirza. Instead, he found Severus. "What do you mean where is Tirza?" he demanded. "She is supposed to be with you!"

"Why would she be with me? I'm coming to get her now," Remus pointed out.

"She already took her skates and shouted that she was going skating. Since you were the one who was planning to take her ice skating, I naturally thought you were going with her," Severus explained.

"Well, I wasn't ready to skate until just now, and my ice skates are actually missing from where I put them last…"

Growling with frustration, both men began getting on their heavy winter robes to go outside and look for Tirza.

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Tirza stared at Draco, her eyes wide. "You have never ever made snow angels?"

"Of course not, that's for girls!" Draco asserted.

"That's not true."

"Does your father make snow angels?"

Tirza shook her head. "Uncle Remus does though. And grandpa does."

Now it was Draco's turn to look utterly shocked. "Serious?"

Her dark curls bounced as she nodded.

"Bloody hell…" He wasn't sure whether to be amazed or scared of such information.

"Just try it! Then we'll go inside and hunt up some hot cocoa and cookies," Tirza pleaded.

Draco gave a long suffering sigh, hiding his curiosity at this snow angel making that had been aroused by the thought of the headmaster making them. "I suppose…"

That was precisely where the two were found fifteen minutes later by Severus and Remus: lying on their backs in the snow making angels.

Severus cleared his throat loudly and Tirza lifted her head, looking up. "Hey dad!" The dark frown on his face was an obvious sign that he was not happy.

"Whatever it is, I totally didn't do it," she asserted, getting up from the snow carefully.

"What do you mean 'whatever it is I didn't do it'? What exactly do you think is the reason that I am out here, young lady?" he questioned his daughter sternly.

"Um… well…" Tirza thought very quickly about whether she had done anything so far today that might have upset him. It finally dawned on her.

"Oh! Well, I did say I was going ice skating daddy," she told him, attempting to look extremely cute and innocent.

"Yes, you did, letting me assume that you were with Lupin, when you weren't. What have you been up to this time?"

"Making snow angels sir!" Draco finally piped up, making Tirza giggled.

"What… Tirza Jade, haven't I made it perfectly clear on numerous occasions that you are to stay away from Draco Malfoy at all times?!" Snape shouted.

Tirza nodded. "Well, yeah, but…"

Severus' eyebrow rose, making her forthcoming excuse stop in its tracks. "Explain. Now. I assume that this has to do with Lupin's ice skates being mysteriously gone?"

Again she nodded. "Yeah. See, he and I made up."

The two adult men looked at each other for a moment before looking at both children incredulously.

"Could you repeat that?" Remus asked.

"We made up; called a truce. We're both bored and the only ones our age that are here for the break. This way we could entertain each other without getting into trouble!"

"So you thought," Severus glowered.

Tirza pouted at him.

"Oh for merlin's sake don't give me that look," he waved his hands at her.

"So I borrowed uncle Remus' ice skates to lend to Draco. Grandpa charmed them for us so they'd fit him!" she replied.

Remus began laughing. "Why am I not at all surprised?"

Severus shook his head. "Somehow none of this really surprises me at all. You!" He shook a finger at Tirza. "Know better then to take things without asking and you very well know that I am to be aware of your whereabouts at all times. Do not leave me to assume you doing something when you aren't, understand?"

Tirza nodded very seriously, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing.

"Is something amusing you?"

"You look really funny when you growl and shake your finger at me!" She started to giggle, her giggles joined by Draco's snickers.

Rolling his eyes, Severus looked at Remus. "Look at what I put up with?"

"Well, she is yours," Remus smirked, completely unconcerned at his skates being taken.

"How astute of you Lupin; what an asset you are to Hogwarts," Snape bantered. "You two," he indicated the kids. "Inside now; you both look like you are freezing cold."

"Can we have some hot chocolate?" Tirza asked.

"And cookies? She said there would be cookies," Draco added.

Shaking their heads, Remus and Severus led them back inside the castle.

----------------------------------------------------

"What made you decide to 'make peace' with Malfoy?" Severus asked Tirza later that night. The only response he received was a shrug of her shoulders. "Tirza, are you listening?"

"Yes." This time she replied with a dramatic sigh.

"Want to answer my question then?"

"We were bored. That's about it. Nobody else is really around here over break and we figured we could amuse each other."

Severus looked at her sharply. "Are you sure there isn't more to the story then that?"

Tirza shook her head. "That's it, really dad." There was more then that, but she had promised Draco that she wouldn't tell anyone about what she had seen. She intended to keep that promise as best she could.

"You two aren't doing this as some sort of elaborate scheme are you?"

This time she started laughing. "Daddy, you are really suspicious, you know that?"

Severus nodded. "I do. It serves me well to be suspicious."

"Oh dad," Tirza sighed softly. "What am I going to do with you, you suspicious old man?"

He looked at her sternly. "I will have you know that I am not that old my dear, thank you very much! And I suggest you love me." A wink took away the seriousness of the look on his face.

Giggling, she leaned over and gave Severus a one-armed hug. "I do dad, very, very much! Even if you are old and…"

Tirza squealed and laughed as he began to tickle her mercilessly. Serves her right for calling me old, Severus thought.

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A/N: Please review! Thank you to all those that do! More will be coming (not pinning myself down to a time frame, LOL)