"You're letting her do what?" Portrait-Lily looked at Severus like he'd just promised to feed their daughter to a pack of werewolves.

"Just trust me, Lily," Severus said tiredly, unbuttoning the cuffs of his shirt.

"You had better go tell her that you were having some kind of aneurism and she can't do this," Lily ordered, her authority dampened by the fact that she was merely oil on canvas.

"Lily," Severus said, unbuttoning the rest of his shirt and taking it off to reveal the t-shirt underneath, "It will be fine."

"She's going to get caught!"

Severus nodded. "She will absolutely be caught. But not right away. In the meantime, she will organize her friends into an army of well-trained students. When the Death Eaters start picking off children of their enemies, defense cold be useful."

"And when she gets caught, she'll be expelled!"

"For organizing an army against Dumbledore?" Severus raised an eyebrow. "I hardly think so."

"A what?" Lily's brow furrowed. "She's not—

"If she gets caught, she is," Severus sat on the bed. "What better way to show her allegiance to the Ministry than to run an underground group against Albus Dumbledore?"

Lily pressed her lips together. "Severus Snape, I hate this part of you."

"That part of me is going to keep her alive," Severus said quietly.

"If I were alive—

"If you were alive, we would be having this same argument," Severus said firmly. "And it would end the same way. Sometimes you have to play for the other side in order to win. My goal in this is to have Elizabeth come through this alive, and I will cheat, lie, or steal to make it happen. I have no moral compass when it comes to her. You have to understand that."

Lily glared. "Don't use my daughter as a pawn."

"I won't even justify that nonsense with a response," Severus glared back. "Since you're being irrational, I won't tell you about how your daughter is now sensing the Dark Lord's emotional state."

"What?" Lily snapped. "Why didn't you tell me? How long has this been going on?"

"I just found out today," Severus said, a bit defensively now. "She didn't tell me until today."

"Severus! You have to make her talk to you!"

Easy for you to say, Severus thought. You aren't raising a teenager.

*S*S*

"Dobby knows the perfect place!" The house elf gave a little skip across Elizabeth's bedroom floor. "Dobby heard tell of it from the other house-elves when he came to Hogwarts! It is known by us as the Come and Go room, or else as the Room of Requirement!"

"Why?" Elizabeth fidgeted with the bracelet that Severus had fastened around her wrist himself, promising severe retribution if it came off. All in all, she was glad he hadn't shouted like she thought he might. She'd heard him arguing with Lily's portrait after she'd gone into her own room, no words, but she could tell by the tone of his voice.

"Because it is a room that a person can only enter when they have real need of it. Sometimes it is there, and sometimes it is not, but when it appears, it is always equipped for the seeker's needs. Dobby knows Mr. Filch has found extra cleaning materials there when he has run short." Dobby looked serious. "It is a most amazing room."

"How many people know about it?" Elizabeth leaned forward.

"Very few. Most people stumbles across it when they needs it, but often they never find it again."

"It sounds brilliant," Elizabeth said, the possibilities running through her head. "It sounds perfect, Dobby. When can you show me where it is?"

"Anytime!" Dobby looked delighted. "We could go now, if you like!"

Elizabeth weighed the options. Part of the reason Severus hadn't gone completely spare about the scar-incident was that she had perfected her "I'm sorry Dad" routine. Contrite face. Lots of apologizing. Big green eyes. Slinking off to her room in shame. If she went now to tell him that she was going to go wander the castle, it might destroy the illusion.

"Not tonight," she said reluctantly. "It'll need proper planning. Can you just tell me exactly where this Room of Requirement is and how to get in there?"

*S*S*

"Hey," Angelina dropped into a seat across from Elizabeth a lunch the next day. "No Quidditch today, unfortunately. It's like marbles are coming down out there."

"Good," Elizabeth said quietly, "because we've found somewhere to have our first Defense meeting. Tonight, eight o'clock, seventh floor opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy being clubbed by those trolls. Can you tell Katie and Alicia?"

"Are you sure about this?" Fred asked, leaning over to steal her grapes. "I like Dobby, but he's not always completely balanced."

"I asked him to explain it three times, and his story stayed the same," Elizabeth defended. "I know how to pick out the real from the crazy with him."

"Okay," Fred shrugged. "You know I'll do pretty much anything you ask me to." He leaned over and kissed her.

Up at the head table, Severus was doing his best to ignore the public display going on at the Gryffindor table.

"Severus?" The Muggle Studies teacher quipped from her chair. "I have one of those shocking dog collars in my office. Just bought it in London to show the children what Muggles have to resort to in order to keep their pets in line. Would you like to borrow it for a certain young man?"

Minerva and Albus laughed, along with many of the other teachers, but Severus just glared at the speaking woman. "We're alright, thank you."

He waited until the end of the meal before walking out into the crowd of children and collaring his daughter. "Come," he ordered, as if she had a choice with his hand at the back of her neck. Marching her to a nearby empty classroom, he released her and stood with his arms folded. "Teenage boys want one thing," he said, looking at her through narrowed eyes.

Elizabeth sighed, forgetting for a moment to whom she was talking, and flopped into a chair. "Not this teenage boy, unfortunately."

"Pardon me?"

Elizabeth snapped back to reality. "Never mind."

"Elizabeth Evans, I don't want to see that nonsense in public again, do you understand me? In fact, you're too young for it in private either."

"Dad, I'm fifteen—

"And I am thirty-four," Severus snapped, a little irrationally. "So I win that bit of the argument."

"You're crazy," Elizabeth shook her head. "We aren't doing anything."

"Mind your tongue," Severus glared. "It's only a matter of time. Look at his family. Clearly he has prolific genes."

"Dad!" Elizabeth paused for a moment, then her eyes opened wide. "That's why you were so freaked out when Fred and I came down last night! You thought I was pregnant!"

"Lower your voice," Severus demanded.

"Dad…" Elizabeth got up and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Don't worry."

Severus was stiff for a moment, before relaxing with a sigh and putting his arms around her. "I thought we discussed you giving such ridiculous advice."

"We are as careful as you'd want us to be, I promise."

Severus snorted. "I want you to be an arm's length away from each other at all times. Are you doing that?"

Elizabeth laughed and stretched up to kiss him on the cheek. "You're really cute, you know that? I'm going to be late for class. Don't worry. Fred is way too afraid of you to make you a grandfather."

Severus looked down at her, cursing the fact that he had no power against the green eyes. "I am not cute and I don't want to hear 'grandfather', 'baby', 'birth', 'mummy', or any variation thereof for at least ten years, understand?"

Elizabeth grinned and headed for the door. "I love you, Dad."

"Get to class, my little monster," Severus snapped affectionately, waving her away.

*S*S*

"It's bizarre," Fred frowned around the room. "We once hid from Filch in here, remember, George? But it was just a broom cupboard then…"

"I think we ought to have a name," Hermione said brightly. "It would promote a feeling of team spirit and unity, don't you think?"

"Can we be the Anti-Umbridge League?" offered Angelina.

"Or the Ministry of Magic Officials Are Morons Group?" Fred suggested.

"A little long," Elizabeth laughed.

"The Defense Association?" asked Cho. "The D.A. for short? Kind of a code?"

"Yeah, the D.A. is good," Ginny put in. "Only let's make it stand for Dumbledore's Army because that's the Ministry's worst fear, isn't it?"

"All in favor?" Hermione asked, counting raised hands. "That's a majority— motion passed!"

"Right," Elizabeth said, standing, "shall we get practicing then? I was thinking, the first thing we should do is Expelliarmus, you know, the Disarming Charm. I know it's pretty basic, but I've found it useful—

"Oh please," said Zacharias Smith, rolling his eyes. "I don't think Expelliarmus is exactly going to help us against You-Know-Who, do you?"

"I've used it against him," Elizabeth said quietly. "It saved my life last June."

Smith opened his mouth stupidly. The rest of the room was very quiet.

"But if you think it's beneath you, you can leave," Elizabeth gave the boy her stolen Snape eyebrow raise.

No one moved.

"Okay," Elizabeth nodded. "I suppose we should all divide into pairs and practice."

It felt very odd to be issuing instructions, but not nearly as odd as seeing them followed. She wondered, somewhere in the back of her mind as everyone got to heir feet and divided up, if her father felt like this every day.

Neville, predictably, was left partnerless.

"You can practice with me," Elizabeth said, pulling her wand. "Right. On the count of three, then. One, two, three—

The room as suddenly full of shorts of "Expelliarmus!". Wands flew in all directions, missed spells hit books on shelves and sent them flying into the air. Elizabeth was too quick for Neville, whose wand went spinning out of his hand, hit the ceiling in a shower of sparks, and landed with a clatter on top of a bookshelf, from which Elizabeth retrieved it with a Summoning Charm.

Looking around, she suddenly had another moment of understanding of Severus' profession. There was quite a bit of shoddy spellwork going on. Dunderheads, she thought, smiling to herself.

"Expelliarmus!" said Neville, and Elizabeth, caught unawares, felt her wand fly out her hand.

"I DID IT!" said Neville gleefully.

"Good!" Elizabeth praised, resisting the urge to say that Voldemort rarely turned his back on an opponent. Without thinking, she reached her hand toward her wand, summoning it into her hand.

She looked up in time to see Fred raise his eyebrows. A quick sweep of the room showed that no one else noticed.

Elizabeth looked away from her boyfriend's searching look and cleared her throat. "Listen, Neville, practice with Fred and George a minute while I check on everyone."

Severus frowned on her use of wandless magic. She didn't use it often, trying to heed Severus' insistence that she didn't have a mature-enough magical core to utilize it.

"You get the talent from me," he told her once, when she'd summoned her books from the other room. "And it is, indeed, a gift. Not everyone can do it. But it's not something you should be playing with until you're of age."

But sometimes, like when she lost her wand, the instinct was strong.

Elizabeth moved off into the middle of the room. Something very odd was happening to Zacharias Smith; every time he opened his mouth to disarm Anthony Goldstein, his own wand would fly out of his hand, yet Anthony did not seem to be making a sound. Elizabeth looked around to see George practicing with Neville while Fred stood several feet from Smith, pointing his wand at the Smith's back.

"Fred!" Elizabeth hissed, socking him in the arm.

"Couldn't resist," Fred grinned.

"We've overrun everyone," she called, rolling her eyes at Fred. "We'd better leave it here. Same time, same place next week?"

She pulled out the Marauder's Map, having swiped it from her father's desk, leaving a note explaining how much of an emergency it was, and checked it carefully for signs of teachers on the seventh floor. Then she let them leave in threes and fours until Hermione and Ron left, squabbling as usually, leaving Elizabeth and Fred alone.

"That was brilliant, Napoleon," Fred slung an arm around her shoulders and kissed her.

"I have to go back to the dungeons to put this back where I got it," she held up the map. "But I'll be back to the Tower in a minute."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

Elizabeth laughed. "Not this time. Dad thinks you're going to knock me up at the breakfast table."

"Excuse me?" Fred looked pale.

"Apparently your teenage-boy brain can think of nothing but having sex with me."

"I can never go to Potions again…" Fred grimaced. "I only took it this year to impress your dad anyway… I think I'm going to be sick."

"Fred," Elizabeth laughed again, kissing him hard. "He's crazy."

"Crazy and deadly!" Fred groaned.

"Go back to the Tower, and I'll meet you there," Elizabeth pushed him toward the door.

"While you're down there, tell your dad I died, and so I won't make it to class tomorrow."

"Dramatic," Elizabeth laughed, following him out into the hall.

*S*S*

"Dad," Elizabeth said, closing the door of his office several days later. "Stop it."

"You'll have to be more specific," Severus looked at her over his reading glasses.

Elizabeth crossed her arms. "If you're so worried that Slytherin is going to lose, then maybe you should just forfeit. Stop stealing pitch time and tell your players to stop hexing my team."

"They've been hexing you?" Severus looked at her.

"Well, not me—

"Good." Severus nodded. "Then I have no idea what we're talking about."

"Arrgh!" Elizabeth gave a frustrated growl. "Stop!"

"Stop what?" Severus removed his glasses and tapped them absently on the desk.

"Dad!"

Severus laughed. "You look like your mother when you're upset. Although you also look like a drowned cat right now. Why are you all wet?"

"You know bloody-well—

"Language," Severus warned, hiding a smile.

Elizabeth made a strangled noise in her throat. "Malfoy hexed the pitch to rain on us."

Severus felt a moment of pride for his house. "Go change. We'll have tea, and you can continue explaining just how upset you are that Gryffindors aren't as dedicated to their Quidditch team as the Slytherins."

"Dad!" Elizabeth's scowl deepened.

Severus laughed again and stood up, putting an arm around her shoulders. She shrugged him off and stomped through the portrait and into their quarters. Severus followed, highly amused by her irritation.

"And tell the snakes to leave Ron alone!" Elizabeth snapped once they were inside.

"Hatchling," Severus shook his head. "I love you. I do. But I am absolutely not going to mediate Quidditch battles for you."

*S*S*

It turned out that the Quidditch battle had not yet begun. In fact, it had nothing to do with the Quidditch match. Or the fact that Elizabeth was thrown from her broom by a Bludger. Or the fact that Gryffindor won the game. It was Malfoy.

"Perhaps you can remember what your Mudblood mother's house stank like, Evans, and Weasley's pigsty reminds you of it—

Elizabeth and Fred had been holding George back, but at that last insult, they released him and, as if they'd planned an attack, started running. Elizabeth forgot the fact that all the teachers were watching. All she wanted to do was cause Malfoy as much pain as possible.

"Elizabeth! Elizabeth! George! Fred! No!" Angelina screamed after them, but the three players were already on the Slytherin, George swearing.

Elizabeth, never having been in a real fight before was terribly ineffective. She was in the middle of swinging her fists at random when a voice yelled "IMPEDIMENTA!" and she was knocked backward onto the ground.

"What do you think you're doing?" Madam Hooch approached, wand in one hand and whistle in the other.

Malfoy was on the ground, moaning, his nose bloody. George was sporting a swollen lip, and Fred had a growing black eye.

Elizabeth, frustrated beyond caring, flicked her hand and caused Malfoy's right eye to bruise and swell. She started to get up, only to feel a yank on the back of her robes pulling her to her feet. "What the hell are you doing?" Severus hissed, moving his hand to her upper arm. "You two," he pointed at Fred and George with his other hand, "back to the castle and straight to your Head of House's office. Now!" He looked at Madam Hooch. "Do me a favor and have him checked out and then send him to my office," he gestured to Malfoy, the proceeded to march Elizabeth back up to the castle, his hand none-to gentle on her arm.

"I have never seen such a disgraceful exhibition," he scolded fiercely as they walked. "Three people starting a brawl on one person. On the pitch, no less. And don't think I didn't see that last bit of magic, young lady, which we will surely discuss. Explain yourself!"

"Malfoy provoked us," Elizabeth protested, skipping a little to keep up with his longer stride.

"Provoked you?" Severus stormed through the main door and stopped, yanking her around to look at him. "He'd just lost, of course he wanted to provoke you! But what on earth he could have said that justified—

"He insulted mum," Elizabeth tried to pull out of his grasp. "And Fred's parents."

"But instead of leaving it to Madam Hooch to sort out, you decided to give an exhibition of Muggle dueling, hmm?" Severus growled, not letting her out of his grip. "Do you have any idea how—

"Hem, hem."

Elizabeth spun around. Dolores Umbridge was standing in the doorway wrapped in her cloak, smiling in the horribly ominous was that Elizabeth had come to associate with imminent misery.

"May I help, Profession Snape?"

"In raising my child?" Severus snapped, "I don't think so." He turned his attention back to Elizabeth. "I don't care what provocation Draco offered you. I do not care if he insulted every family member we have. Your behavior was disgusting!" He started back toward the dungeons. "You are grounded for two weeks! And that's independent of what your grandmother gives you as your Head of House. And it you ever—

"Hem, hem."

Severus stopped in his tracks and turned slowly to see the obnoxious woman following them. "Yes?"

"I think she deserved rather more than being grounded," said Umbridge, smiling broadly.

"Luckily, I did not procreate with you," Severus said coldly. "So you have no comment in the matter."

"Well, actually, Severus," simpered Umbridge, "I think you'll find that what I have the right to comment in anything round here…" she rummaged in her hand bag, pulling out a piece of parchment and clearing her throat. "Educational Decree Number Twenty-five…"

Severus growled, but Umbridge was unconcerned. "The High Inquisitor will henceforth have supreme authority over all punishments, sanctions, and removal of privileges as may have been ordered by other staff members."

"Fortunately, I am not a staff member in this instance," Severus turned and pulled Elizabeth along toward the dungeons again.

"Well then," Umbridge called after them, "it will just add the banning of Elizabeth Evans from playing Quidditch ever again to the punishment given by her Head of House."

"Banning?" Elizabeth tried to turn back, but Severus yanked her around.

"You had best focus on how much trouble you are in with me, young lady. You're lucky I don't burn your broom."

"But Dad—

"Silence," Severus snapped, pushing open the door to their quarters. "Go clean yourself up and get back out here," he ordered. "Ten minutes. Not a moment more."

Elizabeth almost sprinted into her room when he released her, ready to be away from him.

Severus crossed his arms. He maintained that posture, glaring at her door, breathing to calm his own temper, until she reemerged, dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt. He strode over to the sofa and sat down. "Come here," he ordered, pointing at the floor in front of him.

Elizabeth had a sick feeling in her stomach. His voice was calmer now, but often that was when he became the most dangerous.

"Elizabeth Rose. Now." He snapped his fingers again.

Dragging her feet, she obeyed, until she was standing directly in front of his knees. Taking her arm, more gently this time, Severus turned her around and pulled her t-shirt up in the back. "You're going to need a good dose of bruise balm," he said, gingerly touching her lower back where the Bludger hit her. "Does it hurt?"

"What? My back? Not really," Elizabeth said, confused at what she saw as a turn of events.

"What did you think I was doing?" Severus lowered her shirt and turned her to face him again.

"Nothing," Elizabeth shook her head.

Severus rolled his eyes. "I should beat you within an inch of your life," he threatened. "However, I think I can be much more effective with endless hours of ingredient preparation."

"How come Malfoy's not in trouble?" Elizabeth pouted, kicking a little at the sofa.

"Stop that," Severus said firmly, pulling her down to sit with him. "I will handle Draco. You will start acting like my daughter, not some teenage street urchin."

"He's a jerk."

"Enough," Severus frowned. "We are talking about you. I don't want to see you fighting, with wands or fists, unless a Death Eater is upon you, understand?"

Elizabeth grimaced, but nodded. "I guess."

"Elizabeth," Severus said warningly.

"Yes, sir," Elizabeth caved, glaring at the floor.

"Good." Severus nodded. "Because if you ever do something so outrageous again, you won't see the outside world for quite a while." His piercing gaze pinned her to the sofa. "Letting your temper control you is not a quality I will nurture. Perhaps instead of spending time with your friends during the next Hogsmeade visit, you should stay here and think about how you can control your temper."

"Dad! No!"

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Then I had better see that you are considering that point during your sentence over the next two weeks."

"Yes, sir," Elizabeth leaned back against the back of the sofa dejectedly.

"And as far as the wandless magic is concerned," Severus waited until she met his eyes. "How many times do we have to discuss this?"

"Sorry," Elizabeth muttered.

"You're sorry you got caught," Severus said grimly. "You had access to your wand. You didn't use wandless magic out of convenience, as you usually do, even though you know how I feel about that. You used it because you knew you'd get caught if you drew your wand. That, my girl, adds a level of deceit to your actions that I will not tolerate."

"Yes, sir," Elizabeth grimaced.

"For that little display of not only disobedience but of dishonestly, you'll be spending the next month after dinner working to strengthen your magical and physical abilities." He scowled at her uptake in mood. "Don't misunderstand me, young lady, you'll wish I'd beaten you when I'm through with you. In fact, I'll turn you over to Black. I'll speak with him tomorrow."

"Sirius?" Elizabeth couldn't imagine that a punishment from Sirius would be worse than Severus.

"Daily sessions with a fully-train Auror?" Severus smirked. "You'll be lucky if you can walk for the next month." He stood. "Lie down on your stomach."

Elizabeth gave him a wary look, and Severus rolled his eyes. "Elizabeth Snape, if you are going to continuously invent my intention to blister your backside, perhaps I should start doing so."

Elizabeth quickly lay down. Severus pushed her t-shirt out of the way and smoothed cold balm on her bruise. "We'll give you another dose before bed," he said, replacing her shirt. "I want you to lie here quietly until I return. Hits to the spine are nothing to play with." He straightened. "I'm going to deal with Mr. Malfoy. Not an inch until I come back, understand?"

"You should smack him," Elizabeth grumbled, crossing her arms. "It's his fault."

"You, my girl, are responsible for your actions," Severus said firmly. "What I do with Draco is none of your business." He frowned down at her. "I asked you if you understood."

"Yes, sir," Elizabeth said sullenly into the sofa cushions.

Nodding once, Severus went through to his office, closing the portrait firmly behind him.

*S*S*

Draco was standing in the office, holding his arm as if it were greatly injured.

Without commenting to the child, Severus tossed a handful of powder into the floo, knelt, and placed his head in the flames. "Malfoy Manor."

"Severus!" Draco was instantly shaken out of his arrogant stance, but when Snape didn't react, just stood nervously to the side. He couldn't hear the other side of the conversation, but the side he could hear didn't sound good.

"Shame upon the House…"

"Brawling like a common Muggle…"

"Bringing attention from the Ministry…"

"Disappointed…"

He finally stood and looked at Draco. "Your father wishes to speak to you, Mr. Malfoy. Step through."

"Severus—

"Draco Lucius Malfoy," Severus grasped the teen's chin in his hand, forcing the boy to look at him. "You and I both know how furious I am with you at this moment, and it isn't because you allowed Gryffindors to beat the snot out of you. I would suggest that you obey me immediately before I decide that it would be best to finish the job myself."

Draco gulped. He was most likely looking forward to similar treatment from his father, especially after Severus' assertion that he brought shame to the name of Slytherin. But staying behind and submitting to whatever Severus had in mind wouldn't save him now that the older wizard had fire-called Lucius.

Severus released him, and crossed his arms, glaring as the young wizard stepped through the floo.

Lucius' head appeared in the fireplace. "I'll be keeping him for the night, Severus. He'll be a credit to the House when I'm through with him, I promise."

"I'm sure he will be," Severus nodded, fighting down the sick feeling in his stomach. He'd done exactly what he'd promised he'd never do. But all Severus had spent years trying to get through to Draco, and nothing was working. Again and again it caused Elizabeth pain. While he was furious with his daughter, it didn't change the fact that the girl had her father's temper when baited— and Severus was sure she had, indeed, been baited.