Severus Snape needed his home lab. He kept the Dark work at Spinner's End, away from Dumbledore. He could go home for the weekend; Elizabeth would be safe as long as she stayed in the Tower; and figure out what he was going to do.

Severus leaned with one hand against the floo, closing his eyes. Everything was coming down around him. The school, Merlin only knew what was going on; Elizabeth was hearing voices; house elves Bludgering his daughter; Elizabeth… speaking to snakes and causing havoc in class.

"Lily," he said aloud. "The parenting manual didn't cover this." He missed her so much it felt like he would never be happy again, the confusion of recent events bringing the pain of her absence back full force. He wanted desperately to talk with her. Not her portrait, not that little piece of her soul trapped in a frame in his room, but with her. And touch her and smell her… but more than anything, talk to her. As if being in her presence and hearing her voice would give him some wisdom he didn't have.

*S*S*

Elizabeth woke the next morning to a snow covered castle and a cancelled Herbology lesson. Grateful that she would not have to face Justin, or anyone for that matter, she rolled over, planning on going back to sleep when a green envelope appeared on her bedside table. She recognized her father's handwriting, and pulled the parchment out of the envelope with apprehension.

I'm going to Spinner's End for the weekend. Stay in the Tower as much as possible.

No signature. Not that she wondered who had sent the letter.

Why was he going home? Elizabeth stared at the note as if it would tell her more if she dissected it with her eyes. It was strange that he was leaving her, during a time when he was so crazy about her safety.

Unless he thought she was causing the danger. Was she causing the danger? Maybe she was the Heir, and just her presence opened the Chamber. Had she hurt Colin? And Mrs. Norris?

There was a thump near the window. Elizabeth looked up to find Fred, having just jumped through the window.

"What—

"Shh," Fred looked at her sleeping dorm mates, and motioned for her to move over. Once he was on the bed, he pulled the curtains and cast a silencing spell.

"Fred! You can't be in here! How did you get in here?"

"Window," Fred said, as if that was an explanation. "I just…" He looked at her. "Are you okay?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "I'm really glad class is cancelled."

"Yeah, me too." Fred moved to sit against the headboard. "Listen, I didn't want you to think that when I said your… thing… was bad that I meant I thought you were bad or evil or whatever. I don't. I was just surprised, and I didn't know what to do."

"Yeah," Elizabeth said quietly. "But I could be… bad and evil. We don't know."

"I know," Fred said firmly. "You are a Gryffindor. The hat doesn't assign evil people to Gryffindor."

Elizabeth bit her lip. "It wanted me to be in Slytherin," she said quietly.

"So? That's not where you ended up," Fred shook his head. "If you had evil in you, it wouldn't have put you here."

"Maybe," Elizabeth looked at her hands.

"Not maybe," Fred put his arm around her. "What's that?" he gestured to the note.

"My dad's going home for the weekend." Elizabeth said quietly. "Probably to get away from me."

"Probably not," Fred said lightly. "However, the fact that he is not in the castle makes me feel a little better about being in your bedroom."

"In my bedroom? You're in my bed," Elizabeth shook her head. "You must have a death wish of some kind."

"You should talk to him."

"Who? My dad?"

"Of course your dad. He's not trying to get away from you. Ask him."

"He's at home," Elizabeth shrugged.

"So go."

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. "Oh yeah, let me jump in the floo right now. Oh wait, it doesn't work."

"Oh come on. You're more creative than that," Fred grinned. "Gotta go before your roommates wake up and I'm stuck here forever." He winked and disappeared out of the curtains and out the window.

Elizabeth lay back. Yes, she was more creative than that. The question is, did she really want to talk to Severus?

*S*S*

Half an hour later, she stood outside Minerva's office, suitcase in hand, trying to channel her Slytherin side. Taking a deep breath, she knocked and opened the portrait. "Grandma? I'm ready!"

Minerva looked up from the book she had open on the desk. "Ready for what?"

Elizabeth let her face fall. "Dad forgot, didn't he?' She bit her lip. "He promised he'd remember to tell you!"

"Remember to tell me what, kitten?" Minerva stood and moved around the desk, her wine colored robes open in the front.

"Dad said I could go with him this weekend, to study in quiet, but I had Herbology this morning, so I was going to wait, but it was canceled." Elizabeth frowned. "He said I should just come here when I was done and he'd let you know to let me use your floo. But he forgot. He forgets all the time now."

"Elizabeth, I'm sure—

Elizabeth let her eyes tear. "I just don't want to be here, everyone's looking at me, and I just wanted to go home…"

"Alright, honey, it's okay," Minerva ushered her to the floo. "It's alright, we'll send you home. Do you want me to go with you?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "It's okay. Can I tell him you're really mad?" She smiled a little.

"You do that," Minerva said, hugging her granddaughter. "I'll give him a piece of my mind next time I see him."

That could be problematic, Elizabeth thought. But there wasn't time to try to patch that up, she had to get to Spinner's End before Minerva realized that the story was ridiculous.

"Snape's House, Spinner's End!" She called clearly and felt herself being sucked with her bag through the floo.

*S*S*

"Dad?" Elizabeth dropped her bag in the living room and went deeper into the house. The light was on in the lab, and so she went down the stairs.

Severus was standing over a cauldron, stirring something with one hand, while holding his wand with the other and muttering something Elizabeth didn't understand. "Dad?"

"Elizabeth! Get out!" Severus snapped.

"Dad, I just—

"Now!"

Elizabeth turned and ran back up the stairs.

Severus looked down at his ruined potion and cursed under his breath. Vanishing the cauldron contents he followed his daughter up the stairs where he found her, hand in the floo powder.

"Where are you going, young lady?"

"Back to school," Elizabeth shrugged. "I'm sorry I came."

Severus sighed. "Come here, Elizabeth."

"I'm going, I promise, I won't—

"Elizabeth Rose, that was not a request." Severus beckoned with one long finger.

Elizabeth put the powder box down and crossed the living room, almost tripping on her overnight bag, which she'd left in the middle of the floor.

Severus looked down at her. "You know better than to come down to the lab without asking, Elizabeth."

"Yes, sir."

"However, when I said to leave, I meant the lab, not the house."

"Yes, sir."

"I thought I told you to stay in the Tower," Severus raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah…" Elizabeth looked at her shoes. "I just… I mean…"

"Spit it out, Elizabeth."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come. I just… I didn't mean to talk to the snake. I didn't know I could, I mean I thought I was just talking…"

"Elizabeth," Severus pulled her against him. "It's alright."

Elizabeth burrowed into his shirt. "You're mad at me."

"Hmm?" Severus questioned noncommittally.

"You've been mean to everyone, and you yell for no reason, and last night… you think I'm evil."

"Merlin help me," Severus sighed. "I'm not angry about the snake, Elizabeth. I'm frightened out of my wits, but I'm not angry. I can't figure out how to protect you from this, and then I hear you speaking Parseltongue… my worst nightmare is that HE has some connection to you. Any connection that could make it easier…" Severus rubbed his hand over his face. "I'm terrified, Elizabeth."

"But even before that," Elizabeth said softly. "You're mad."

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Anger is a useless emotion, Elizabeth."

The guilt that had eaten away at her stomach since that day in Potions threatened to devour her alive. "You know!" She channeled her guilt into irritation.

"Know what?" Severus asked evenly.

"You know I did it! Why aren't you yelling at me?" Elizabeth glared up at him.

"Did what?"

"Argg!" Elizabeth pulled away from him and threw herself on the sofa. "You know I threw the firework! You've known ever since it happened!"

"Hmm." Severus crossed his arms. "What would you have me do with that information?"

Elizabeth, her anger fading fast, stared at the carpet. "I dunno."

"Really?" Severus tapped his finger against his elbow. "I believe that I made the consequences for that act clear in class that day."

Tears of frustration and guilt clouded her vision. There was a roaring in her ears that blocked everything out for a moment. When her hearing returned, her father's voice was back.

"Do you wish to be expelled, Elizabeth?"

"No, sir."

Severus nodded once. "I didn't think that was the case. If expulsion wasn't your goal, what was it?"

Elizabeth bit her lip. "I can't tell you."

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice, Elizabeth Rose." Severus frowned. "You brought up the discussion, I have to believe because you were hoping to alleviate the guilt I hope you feel in connection to your behavior." He paced the room slowly, deliberately. "While you sit there and determine what your explanation will be, I will tell you that I was and am not angry." He paused in his pacing to look at her. "I am disappointed in your behavior, confused as to why you would do something like that, and, I must admit, hurt that you chose to act that way in my classroom when you know how dangerous it was and that it would disrupt my work."

Elizabeth's tears were fully flowing now.

"I tell you this, Elizabeth, because there is no explanation that will erase the disappointment and distrust; therefore, you might as well tell me the truth."

Elizabeth couldn't get air to her lungs, her breath coming in hitches and gasps. Severus crossed the room in two strides and sat on the coffee table in front of her. "Breathe, Elizabeth." He pushed her up from how she'd been leaning forward. "Listen to me, young lady." He waited until she was a little calmer. "While nothing you can say right now is going to make me pleased with you, remember that you are my daughter no matter what, and so your explanation will not in any way impact the fact that I love you more than anyone or anything in the world." It was more of an outpouring than he usually allowed himself, but his nerves were frayed from lack of sleep and constant adrenaline, and he'd lost his ability to control every emotional impulse.

"It was a distraction," Elizabeth whispered. "We needed something from the storeroom."

"So you endangered the lives of everyone in that room so that you could steal from me?"

Elizabeth winced at the truth of those words. "I didn't want to."

"But you did," Severus said quietly. "What did you need that you couldn't just ask for?"

Elizabeth wished that she were back in bed. "Bicorn horn and bloomslang skin."

Severus was quiet for a moment. "What are you and your idiotic friends brewing?"

She wished she were back in bed a few weeks before. "Polyjuice Potion."

Severus' face was white, his jaw line hard. "Go to your room."

"Dad, I'm sorry—

The look he gave her would have reduced Voldemort to dust. "Now!"

She jumped up and ran up the stairs where she closed the door softly and sat on her bed. She didn't feel better. Confession was supposed to make you feel better.

Severus dropped his head into his hands briefly before standing, murmuring a minding charm on the stairs, and stepping into the floo.

*S*S*

"Granger and Weasley," Severus said tightly when he arrived in Minerva's office.

"Severus?" McGonagall looked up from her book. "How could you not—

"Your students are brewing Polyjuice Potion," Severus said sharply.

"What?" Minerva stood. "What are you talking about?"

"Granger, Weasley, and my soon-to-be-grounded-for-the-rest-of-her-life daughter have been brewing Polyjuice Potion."

"Why?"

"What does it matter?" Severus snapped. "The question is where? And how many people have they poisoned in the process?"

*S*S*

A quick interrogation left Ron white and shaking; Hermione beside herself with the threat of expulsion ringing in her ears.

Severus removed the cauldron from Myrtle's bathroom with the care of a HazMat team.

"Granger says that they were going to break into the Slytherin common room," Minerva said quietly as he inspected the potion in his lab.

"I'm not sure which is more terrifying," Severus said. "That they were planning to drink a potion made by a second year without supervision, or that they were able to brew it without our knowledge."

"I will write to their parents tonight," Minerva said. "I trust you'll handle Elizabeth?"

Severus nodded, "I will indeed. I trust you will devise something heinous for the other two?"

"I will indeed," Minerva echoed. "Go home, Severus. Take care of your daughter." She laid her hand on his shoulder. "Remember she came to you, Sev."

"She lied, stole, and Merlin only knows what else, Mother."

"She's nearly 13," Minerva said gently. "She's confused and afraid, and she did something incredibly stupid. But it's your job to teach her, Severus." She kissed his cheek and disappeared up the stairs, leaving him looking at the cauldron. Frowning, he lit a fire under a nearby stand and set the cauldron on it. Just out of curiosity, he thought before heading up the stairs to floo home.

*S*S*

"May I come in?" Severus opened the door of Elizabeth's bedroom.

She was sitting on the bed in exactly the same spot she'd assumed nearly two hours before. She looked at him and nodded, not sure.

Severus came in, leaving the door open, and stood in the middle of the room. "Elizabeth, do you know what the side effects of Polyjuice Potion are?"

"No, sir."

"Do you know the variety of ways the brewing can go wrong, or how many different poisons can be made from the same ingredients if brewed differently?"

"No, sir."

Severus sat on her desk chair. "I assume that this endeavor was Chamber related?"

"Yes, sir."

"You were going to the Slytherin common room to spy on Draco?"

"Yes, sir." The truth spilled from her mouth, fatigue and guilt eroding her filter.

"How did you get here today?"

"Grandma's floo."

"And where was your grandmother?"

"She was there."

"What did you tell her?"

"That you knew I was coming and that you must have forgotten to tell her."

"And she believed that?" Severus shook his head. "I forget nothing."

"Dad…" Elizabeth looked at him beseechingly. "I'm so sorry. I'll never do anything I shouldn't ever again. I promise. You can ground me forever and take away my broom and keep me locked in the dungeons. I swear I'll do everything you tell me—

"I can assure you that I will be doing a combination of those things," Severus said quietly. "I can't even find the words to express just how stupid this plan was. Dangerous. Felonious. Not to mention that I expressly forbid you to become involved with this nonsense."

"I'm sorry," Elizabeth whispered. "But it's…"

"What, Elizabeth?"

"It's hurting people, Dad."

Severus closed his eyes briefly. "I know." He looked steadily at her. "Can you understand how worried that fact makes me?"

"Yes, sir."

Severus took a deep breath. "The amount of times you had to lie to pull this off is astounding, Elizabeth Rose. You lied, you stole, you caused a potions disaster, and then you lied to cover up the stealing."

"I know."

"How can I ever believe anything you say?"

"You can't," Elizabeth bit her lip.

Severus sighed. "You cannot lie to me. You cannot hide things from me. If you want to shave your head, fine. If you want to eat 30 chocolate frogs on the train, fine. But you do not lie about the things that matter. And you know what those are, don't you?"

"Yes, sir."

Severus cleared his throat. "You will apologize to your grandmother for lying to her and accept whatever punishment she hands down as your Head of House."

"Yes, sir."

"Consider yourself on probation," Severus said sternly. "You will spend every moment you are not in class or at meals in our quarters or my office. You will do nothing but study unless you are given permission to do otherwise. There will be no Quidditch." Severus looked at the contrite child on the bed. "You will spend every evening after dinner in detention with me until 9, when you will go to bed. Your allowance is mine until you've paid for the ingredients that you stole, and you will write an essay of no less than six feet about Polyjuice Potion, its brewing, effects, and dangers. Do you have any questions?"

"No, sir."

"I'm sure I don't have to tell you that any toe out of line will not be tolerated."

"No, sir. I mean, yes, sir."

Severus gave a tiny smile, then sobered again. "Elizabeth, did you have even a moment of hesitation before you threw that firecracker?"

"Yes, sir." Elizabeth nodded. "I told Hermione no at first."

"What changed your mind?"

"Ever since the Bludger, you've been mean. In class, in the halls." Elizabeth said timidly.

"I'm always mean in class."

"Not to me," Elizabeth said softly.

Severus was silent for a moment. "Elizabeth, you talk to Fred Weasley frequently, correct?"

"Yes…" After the dueling partner- debacle, she wasn't sure if she should admit to talking to Fred.

"Then you know that any amount of 'nice' or 'soft' or 'friendly' was unheard of until about 18 months ago."

"Fred doesn't talk bad about you. George says you were a git."

Severus snorted. "I had many years of 'git' training, and some habits are difficult to break. I lost myself in dealing with this Chamber nonsense, and I'm sorry."

"Fred thinks you don't like him."

"I don't like him." Severus said seriously. "He has teenage-boy eyes for my daughter."

"Dad…"

"It doesn't matter. By the time you are old enough to date, he'll have graduated. In fact, I'm planning on asking him tomorrow if he'd like to graduate early."

"Dad!"

Severus smirked. "In addition, since you are grounded for the rest of your life, your dating chances will be slim."

"I really am sorry, Dad. It was stupid."

"Yes it was." Severus agreed. He sighed and held out a hand. "Come here, Elizabeth."

She crossed the room cautiously, a little surprised when she was pulled into a bone-crushing hug. "You have to stop taking years off my life, hatchling. I don't know how much more death defying acts I can take."

"It won't happen again. I promise," she mumbled into his robes.

"I certainly hope so," Severus said, wishing desperately that he could believe that it was true.

*S*S*

"Did my dad tell you?" Elizabeth asked Remus when he arrived the next day. Severus had gone to London, leaving Remus with strict instructions for the prisoner.

"Tell me what?" Remus sat on the sofa, knowing very well what she was talking about. Molly Weasley was quite the informant.

Elizabeth flopped down next to him. "I'm a Parseltongue."

"Parselmouth," Remus corrected.

"What?"

"Parseltongue is the language, the people that speak it are Parselmouths."

"Okay," Elizabeth shrugged. "I can talk to snakes."

"Hmm."

"Hmm?" Elizabeth looked at him. "That's your reaction?"

"Is there more?"

"No."

"You aren't organizing the snakes to take over the world?"

"No."

"You aren't using Parseltongue to charm snakes into killing Muggleborns?"

Elizabeth gave him a scandalized look, and Remus smirked.

"You aren't thinking about transferring to Slytherin, are you? I can forgive a lot of things, sweetheart—

"Remus!"

Remus sighed. "Elizabeth, being a Parselmouth is a rare gift with a bad connotation. But there is nothing inherently evil about it."

"Hermione and Ron say it's bad."

"You should most definitely take the word of two second years over that of your exceedingly bright godfather."

Elizabeth shrugged. "Dad's scared. I don't think I've ever seen him scared."

"I have." Remus put his arm around her shoulders. "When you were born, he alternated between being happier than I've ever seen him, and terrified."

"Why?"

"Because he thought you might be a Gryffindor," Remus joked.

"Really," Elizabeth elbowed him in the side.

"Your dad likes order. He likes to know what is going to happen. It's why he's a brilliant Potions Master. But you, Miss Troublemaker, are exceedingly unpredictable, and he knew that it would be that way."

Elizabeth smirked, but fell quiet.

"What?" Remus raised an eyebrow.

"I'm grounded."

"Double plus grounded, I would say, as you should be," Remus agreed.

"But Christmas is coming up, and I need to get something for Dad."

"Looks like you'll be making him something."

"Or I could give you money and you could go get something for me." Elizabeth looked pleadingly at him.

"I thought part of your incarceration was no pocket money."

Elizabeth shrugged. "He stopped my allowance. But I have money."

"Been robbing banks, have you?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "I've hardly spent any of the money he's given me."

"So," Remus said slowly, "You're telling me that you have 10 Sickles a week for the last year and a half stored up somewhere?"

"In my sock drawer."

"You have…" Remus calculated in his head. "More than 40 Galleons in your sock drawer?"

"In Sickles, but yeah." Elizabeth shrugged.

Remus chuckled. "So your father withholding allowance… that is basically nothing to you."

She shrugged again. "He buys me everything I need, and half the stuff I want."

"Alright, so you need me to Christmas shop for you. Do you have ideas?"

"Bicorn horn and bloomslang skin."

"What you stole from his stores?"

"Yeah." Elizabeth looked down at her feet. "And the other day, Dad saw an advertisement in the paper for a Potions journal that alphabetizes potions you write in it and then lets you search by ingredient. He says it's a ridiculous item that 'encourages laziness and lack of focus'," she imitated Severus. "Which means he really, really wants one."

Remus laughed. "Alright. But that lot is going to just about clean you out."

"That's okay," Elizabeth said affably.

*S*S*

The days leading to Christmas were uneventful. There wasn't much time for events, with all the cauldron scrubbing, homework, and sitting Elizabeth was doing.

They were in Severus' office, Snape at his desk, Elizabeth on one of the chairs facing him, working on the other edge. She was a foot into her Polyjuice essay, when there was a knock on the door.

"Enter." Severus ordered and the portrait swung open to reveal Hermione.

"You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Yes, Miss Granger. Come in." Severus looked at Elizabeth. "Go study in your room."

"Yes, sir." Elizabeth had been doing her best not to question orders for a while. No need to irritate him further.

When the door closed, Severus turned his attention to the other child. "Sit down, Miss Granger."

Hermione obeyed, sitting in the chair Elizabeth had just vacated.

Severus reached into his desk and drew out a vial filled with what looked like mud. "Do you know what this is, Miss Granger?"

Hermione bit her lip. "Yes, sir."

"Well?" Severus tapped his fingers impatiently against the desk.

"It's Polyjuice Potion, sir."

"And how do you know that, Miss Granger?"

"It has a distinctive color and viscosity, sir."

"And what gives it that color?"

"The bloomslang skin," she whispered. "Sir."

"And the thickness?"

"The bicorn horn, sir."

Severus was quiet for a moment. "Miss Granger, never in my years of teaching have a seen a student with the flagrant disregard for rules and morality you exhibited in creating this potion."

"Yes, sir." Hermione dropped her eyes to her hands in her lap, then jerked them back up. "That's my potion? But sir, I thought, I mean… Professor McGonagall said you destroyed it."

"Miss Granger, have I ever destroyed your work in class?"

"No, sir."

"No. Because I do not destroy good work." He held the vial up. "This, Miss Granger, while the result of an ill-conceived plan, is good work."

"Thank you, sir."

"Don't thank me yet, Miss Granger. I've asked Professor McGonagall to give supervision of your detention to me." He noted that the girl's face didn't change with that news. "You will report here, promptly at 7 o'clock, on Monday and Wednesday evenings for the rest of the school year. You will serve the rest of your time with Filch as you were previously assigned."

"Yes, sir." Hermione said quietly. "Can I ask… what am I going to be doing?"

"You are going to be here Monday at 7 o'clock," Severus said simply. "You're dismissed."

"Yes, sir." Hermione stood. "Thank you, sir."

Severus watched her go before tucking the vial back into his desk.