Severus firmly closed the portrait behind him and tried to push away the feeling that he'd just condemned someone to death.

"That was fast," Elizabeth looked up from the cushions. "Did you just burn him into cinders?"

"Didn't I tell you that it was none of your business?" Severus frowned, motioning for her to sit up and sitting down beside her.

"Yeah, but you don't look like you just yelled at someone." Elizabeth leaned her head on his shoulder.

"That's because I didn't," Severus sighed, putting his arm around her. "I sent him home for the weekend."

"Dad!" Elizabeth sat up and stared at him.

"Elizabeth—

"You can't do that! You know—

"For goodness sake, Elizabeth," Severus rubbed his temple. "Twenty minutes ago you were telling me to beat the boy myself."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "But you wouldn't," she said, as if that explained everything. She settled back against him. "Are you still mad at me?"

Severus tapped his hand absently against the side of her leg. "I'm not amused," he said sternly. "However, I must say that since this is the most age-appropriate trouble you've ever been in, I am enjoying being able to be upset with you without also having to be proud that you saved the world."

"I was defending—

"No," Severus shook his head. "No excuses. The very fact that you didn't want Draco beaten to death tells me that you reacted in the heat of the moment before." He kissed the top of her head. "If it makes you feel better, while Lucius' child-rearing techniques are different than mine, much of his identity rests on the fact that he has an heir to pass on his legacy. He'll survive."

Elizabeth was quiet for a while. "Can Umbridge really ban me from Quidditch?"

"She can do anything she wishes, it seems," Severus shook his head. "I'd have banned you from the next game anyway, if it makes you feel better."

"Loads," Elizabeth rolled her eyes. As if the universe was listening, a pink envelope appeared on the table. Severus groaned and picked it up.

Elizabeth Evans,

In accordance with recent decree, you have been permanently banned from playing Quidditch at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please surrender your broom within the next 24 hours. The High Inquisitor will be holding it for safekeeping.

Professor Dolores Umbridge

"Dad!" Elizabeth looked at him wide-eyed. "She can't have my broom!"

Severus summoned a quill and parchment. "Bring me your broom," he ordered.

"Dad!"

"Elizabeth," Severus looked at her pointedly. "Now."

Looking as if she might cry, Elizabeth went over to the door where she had leaned her most precious possession. Picking it up, she looked at her father. "I'd rather burn it than give it to her."

"Dramatic," Severus shook his head. "Typical Gryffindor comments. Give it to me." He held out his hand, and Elizabeth handed it to him. Drawing his wand, the Potions Master tapped the handle and it vanished.

Professor Umbridge,

He wrote elegantly on the parchment.

Due to my daughter's appalling behavior, I incinerated her broom. As you can see, that fact will make it impossible to hand it over to you. However, I can pledge to avoid the purchase of a replacement broom for the extent of her Quidditch ban.

Severus Snape

"You incinerated it?" Elizabeth looked at him in horror. "You said I was being dramatic!"

"And you are," Severus tapped the note, sending it on its way. "I sent your precious Firebolt home, you foolish brat. You underestimate me."

"She's going to find out," Elizabeth grimaced.

"Again, you underestimate me," Severus shook his head. "Don't you have studying to do?"

"Not really. Everything is finished for Monday because you made me do it last night, remember?"

"And you don't have any other projects you are working on?" Severus looked at her meaningfully.

"Yeah," Elizabeth bit her lip, wishing that she could talk to him about Dumbledore's Army. It wasn't that she didn't think she was teaching what was necessary… it was just that she'd feel better about the whole thing if she had his approval. Or at least could talk to him about Zacharias.

Severus cleared his throat when she showed no movement. "Elizabeth?" When he received no response, he pressed his lips together, as if he were making a decision, and then shifted to look at his daughter. "Go pack some things."

Elizabeth looked at him. "For what?"

"We're going home for the weekend."

"Home?' Elizabeth's brow furrowed. "Like… Sirius' house?"

"No," Severus shook his head firmly. "Like our home. I think getting some distance from this place and… all of the rest… will do us both some good."

"Really?" Elizabeth hadn't realized how badly she wanted to be anywhere but Hogwarts until that moment.

"I have, on occasion, been serious," Severus said dryly. "Go. Ten minutes."

*S*S*

"I thought you said the house wasn't safe," Elizabeth said, tossing her bag on the floor as she stepped through the floo.

"Have I ever brought you to an unsafe environment?" Severus asked incredulously.

"Well, no."

"I have significantly improved the wards in anticipation that you would like to spend Christmas here," Severus said before frowning at her luggage. "Put away your things neatly, please. This isn't a dormitory."

"Really?" Elizabeth looked around in mock-confusion.

"Watch it, brat. This isn't a holiday. You're grounded."

"Yeah," Elizabeth smirked, carrying her bag up the stairs. It didn't matter much that she was confined to the house when they were at Spinner's End. If lounging on the couch in the sunlight was the penalty for bloodying Malfoy's lip, then it seemed like a win-win situation. And she was sure she could sweet-talk Sirius into going easy on her during her penitence for "hitting" the boy in the eye.

"Hurry up, we'll have lunch," Severus called after her.

"We have food?" Elizabeth called back, tossing her bag on the bed.

Severus followed her up the stairs, unwilling to shout back and forth. "So now I take you to unsafe places, and forget to feed you?" He raised an eyebrow as he leaned against her doorframe.

"We haven't been here in months," Elizabeth set her wand on the nightstand and pulled her clothes out of the bag.

"Ah," Severus nodded. "If only there were some way for me to wave an enchanted stick of some kind and summon foodstuffs."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Okay, whatever."

"Your communication skills are improving," Severus snorted. "Come down to eat, please. And bring the book we are not discussing."

*S*S*

"I want to teach them the Patronus charm," Elizabeth said later, sitting cross-legged on the sofa with the Defense book in her lap.

"A useful spell," Severus nodded. "Especially if Azkaban were to fall. The Dementors would like nothing more than to join the Dark Lord." He tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair. "It's an advanced charm, and one that requires near one-on-one instruction. You may want to consider teaching Miss Granger and some of the other talented students first so they could help instruct the others. You remember how time consuming learning that charm was."

Elizabeth scribbled furiously on a piece of parchment.

"I hope you're not writing things that can be easily traced," Severus warned.

"Of course not," Elizabeth rolled her eyes. She held up the parchment. "I'm just taking notes for Binns' class, see?"

Severus squinted slightly to read the parchment.

- Benjamin Ellis (1422) organized platoon leaders to instruct wizards in the art of high level skills to defeat the goblins.

Snape rubbed his temple and tried not to look proud. "Maybe you should have been a Slytherin."

Elizabeth grinned. "Did I tell you how we're letting everyone know meeting times?"

"I'm not sure I want to know," Severus leaned back in his chair.

"Here," Elizabeth tossed him a Galleon.

Severus inspected it. "Are you providing me with pocket money now?"

"Grandma does think you ought to buy new clothes," Elizabeth said cheekily.

Severus glared, but looked at the coin again.

"Do you want me to tell you?"

"No," Severus shook his head. "I enjoy a good puzzle. I assume this is Miss Granger's doing?"

"You want to adopt her into Slytherin, don't you?" Elizabeth smirked.

"Perhaps," Severus eyed the coin carefully for a while.

"Want a hint?" Elizabeth bounced on the edge of the sofa. "Or we could play twenty questions."

Severus smiled a little. "Alright, hatchling. First question. Do I have to use my wand?"

"Nope," Elizabeth shook her head, flopping back on the sofa with glee. "Hermione's going to be psyched."

Severus turned the coin over in his hand, inspecting each surface. Then, something caught his eye. "Second question. Do you communicate the date and time with numbers?"

"Yes," Elizabeth looked less enthusiastic.

Severus held out the coin, pointing at the serial number. "These numbers, perhaps?"

"You figured it out," Elizabeth looked dejected.

"Only because I knew it was your mode of communication. It's quite brilliant, really." He looked at the galleon again. "A protean charm?"

Elizabeth nodded. "It's safer than notes or something like that."

"Safe is, of course, a relative term," Severus warned. "Tell Miss Granger that you'll need to change your communication method after several weeks. You don't want anyone to notice that everyone happens to have a Galleon in their pocket." He looked at her carefully. "So the first meeting went well?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "We practiced disarming, which I thought was the best place to start."

Severus nodded. "Perfection in basic spells is valuable in a fight."

"I wish Zacharias thought so," Elizabeth muttered.

"Zacharias Smith?" Severus raised an eyebrow. "Dunderheaded Hufflepuff? Always sticking his foot in his mouth?"

Elizabeth smiled. "Yeah."

"Now you see how it is to work with half your classmates," Severus chuckled, handing the Galleon back. "Smith is a rare breed. A Hufflepuff with no qualms about offending people. It's an interesting phenomenon."

"I thought that too," Elizabeth pocketed the coin. "Aren't Hufflepuffs supposed to be kind and loyal?"

"They are also the 'catch-all' house sometimes," Severus answered. "Mr. Smith was likely too stupid to be a Ravenclaw and too much of a coward to be a Lion. He certainly lacks the subtlety it takes to be in Slytherin."

"He's a prat."

Severus snorted. "I suppose that's an adequate description, although you know how I feel about name calling."

"You call people 'dunderheads'."

Severus rolled his eyes. "I call Gryffindors dunderheads," he said, as if that cleared up the point.

*S*S*

Elizabeth found herself standing in the middle of her bedroom floor, feet in fluffy pink slippers. She heard something in the living room and padded down the stairs and through the kitchen.

In the living room, Severus was sitting in his armchair, dressed in his teaching robes. Three other men, dressed in black as well, sat on the sofa and other chair. Their faces were strangely blurry, as if she were looking at them through water.

"Hatchling," Severus said quietly, opening his arms. "Did you have a nightmare?"

Elizabeth shrugged vaguely. She couldn't remember where she was before she was standing in the middle of her bedroom.

"Come here, baby," Severus called, beckoning.

'Baby?' Elizabeth thought distantly. Severus didn't call her 'baby'. Maybe once. Awkwardly. Until they both realized that 'monster' sounded more affectionate and less awkward from his lips. Even so, she shuffled toward him, letting him pull her into his lap.

She tried to look at the men again, but it seemed suddenly like too much work. She closed her eyes and laid her head on Severus' shoulder. She felt his arms tighten around her. Then tighter. Then tighter.

She opened her eyes. The faces of the men were flashing now. Fred. Ron. George. Zacharias.

Severus' arms were painfully tight, and when she looked at him, his face turned, first to a Death Eater mask, then to Lucius Malfoy, and then to Voldemort himself, as she had last seen him.

She struggled, but he held on tight. "Careful, Betsy," the Fred-faced man said.

She screamed. And screamed. And—

"Elizabeth!" Severus shook her, trying to pull her out of the dream. "Elizabeth!"

Elizabeth opened her eyes and looked at him, renewing her struggles.

"Elizabeth!" Severus let go, watching in confusion as she scuttled across the bed to the opposite corner. "Elizabeth," he said gently. "What's the matter?"

Elizabeth hunched over the pillow she was clutching, terror rushing over her as she stared at Severus' face. It looked like his. It wasn't flashing.

"Elizabeth," Severus tried again, summoning a calming draught with a wave of his hand. "Come here, hatchling. It's alright."

The endearment seemed to break a spell, and Elizabeth released the pillow, her face clearing.

"Here," Severus handed her the draught as she clambered back across the sheets. She drank it in one gulp and handed the vial back to him.

"Are you alright now?" Severus asked, vanishing the vial with another wave.

Elizabeth swallowed hard. "Yeah… I think so."

Standing, Severus collected the pillows, returned them to their place at the head of the bed and shook out the blankets. "Tell me."

Elizabeth shrugged and laid back down, letting him pull the sheet over her, but shoving the blanket away.

"Elizabeth," Severus sat back on the edge of the mattress, "you were terrified of me when you opened your eyes. Tell me."

Elizabeth shrugged again, but relayed the dream.

Severus listened quietly, frowning. What is he playing at? Severus thought, using his long fingers to untangle the hair that had matted together during her tossing and turning. "Did it feel like the last one?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "Usually I see things… as if I'm him. Or as if I'm floating above him. Usually boring scenes. But I was a part of this one. You… he…spoke to me."

Severus' frown deepened. "We need to get this under control. Now. I want him out of your head."

"Me too," Elizabeth laughed humorlessly.

"I'm serious, Elizabeth Rose. That… thing… is not allowed in my child's mind." His voice rose.

Elizabeth sat up. "Are you seriously yelling at me?"

Severus closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Of course not," he said quietly. "Of course not." He patted the pillow twice. "It's late. Do you want another Draught of Peace?"

"No," Elizabeth answered automatically, sinking back into a horizontal position. "It won't happen again tonight. It never happens twice in one night."

"Alright," Severus nodded, brushing the hair off her forehead, making no move to leave.

"I'm okay," Elizabeth assured him, closing her eyes.

"I know you are," Severus said softly, still not moving. "You're always alright."

Elizabeth closed her eyes for a moment, then opened one, looking up at him. "Are you going to sit there all night?"

"Perhaps," Severus raised an eyebrow. "Is that a problem?"

"Do you think Remus is okay?"

Severus snorted. "Your godfather has transformed twelve times a year since he was a small child," he said. "He's fine. Locked in our basement, yes. But fine. You'll see him in the morning."

"Mmm, k," Elizabeth's eyes slid shut again, and Severus continued to sit. Watching her sleep.

*S*S*

As the sun rose, Remus Lupin raised his head from the floor and winced as every muscle in his body complained. The bare concrete of the basement was unwelcoming, not that he was human again. He desperately wanted to go upstairs to his bed, but he knew from experience that movement right now was a bad idea. He looked around for the mat he'd laid in a corner in anticipation of this moment.

Shredded.

Again. Damn it all.

Recently, he'd been experimenting with protection charms to preserve the mat. But none had managed to stand up to his werewolf form. He always sheathed his wand on the back of the basement door at the top of the stairs to avoid destroying it, but it was times like this that he really wished he had it within reach.

He heard the door open, and his breath caught. He was sure he'd locked it. After Elizabeth had broken in, years ago, Severus had charmed the locks so only he or Remus could open the door. A bit of a gamble, but with an unpredictable teenager in the house, it was necessary. When Severus wasn't there, he just laid on the floor until he was strong enough to climb up the stairs to his wand.

"Go on," he heard a voice from above. "Take his wand down to him. And tell him to stop whining and be a man." Severus' voice rose on the last sentence.

"Sure," Remus said, as loudly as he could manage, "make fun of me after I lose the teeth."

Elizabeth appeared at the bottom of the stairs, his wand in hand. "It's a nice place you've got here."

"You and your father," Remus grumbled. "You're just a laugh a minute."

Elizabeth sat on the floor beside him and helped him sit up. "Dad, are you coming?"

"Didn't I say that I was?" Severus asked dryly, stepping into the basement, his own wand in his hand. "Let's go, wolf-man." He waved his wand and Remus floated off the ground.

Remus looked at Elizabeth. "Do not commit this to memory, Elizabeth Rose," he groaned. "It's not my finest moment."

Elizabeth shrugged and followed them up the stairs. "I see nothing."

"So," Remus said after he settled into the bed. "What are you doing here?"

Elizabeth made a face. "I live here," she said sitting on the end of the bed, cross-legged.

"What did you do?" Remus pressed, not believing the innocent-eyed look for a minute.

Elizabeth shrugged. "Nothing. Punched Malfoy in the nose. At least I think it was me."

"You what?" Remus scowled. "What were you thinking? And what do you mean, 'I think it was me'?"

"Well, it was kind of hard to tell, with Fred and George whaling on him too—

"Elizabeth Rose Evans," Remus pulled himself into a sitting position. "Are you telling me that three Gryffindors attacked one Slytherin? Were you attempting to disgrace our House?" He glared almost as menacingly as Severus. "Of all the dishonorable things to do! Ganging up on someone?"

"It certainly isn't the first time a group of Gryffindors have broken that moral code," Severus said dryly, coming in the door carrying two vials of potion. "And she didn't tell you that she magically socked him in the eye. Here," he handed the potions to Elizabeth. "Let's see what kind of mediwitch skills you have."

"Dad," Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "I'm going to be a professional Quidditch player."

"Absolutely not," Severus shook his head. "I've explained that you have several safe, secure choices for your profession, and hanging off a broom in death-defying stunts isn't one of them." He gestured to the vials. "Give him the white one. The green is for later."

"Severus, your daughter has no sense of Gryffindor honor."

"I know," Severus smirked. "It's because I spent hours whispering 'Salazar Slytherin' into her ear when she was a baby."

"He was insulting mum," Elizabeth informed Remus, handing him the white vial before crossing her arms.

"We've discussed that insulting family members is not an excuse," Severus said calmly. "I guarantee that your mother cares not at all what Draco Malfoy thinks of her."

"I'm ashamed of you," Remus scolded. "You were certainly raised better than to attack other people."

Elizabeth sighed and fell backward onto the bedspread, hoping she'd at least be able to lie down during the long lecture that was to come.

*S*S*

Albus Dumbledore drummed his fingers on his desk, watching the looking glass on his desk with interest. Having linked it to one hanging in Umbridge's office, he had spent hours observing the goings-on. Not technically legal surveillance, of course. But the time for legality was behind them. Now was the time for espionage.

He'd been watching since the moment the woman had come to school, of course. And not everything the woman was doing was awful. To the students, certainly she was a monster. But every time she did something wholly abusive to her power, it only served to ally the students more firmly behind him. Even the Slytherins were starting to fall out of her graces.

Malfoy, of course, was one that still needed work. He might be completely unwinnable. He might have to be eliminated, though that might break Severus' heart.

A way to get rid of the boy without upsetting Severus Snape. The boy would have to do something Severus could not forgive. Something that would cause him to be Kissed before anyone could come to his defense.

Albus watched Umbridge locking two brooms in her office cabinet and twirled the ring on his finger. Malfoy… that boy would require more thought.

*S*S*

"Run," Sirius ordered, standing in the middle of the Room of Requirement, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Sirius," Elizabeth looked at him with puppy-dog eyes. "Dad will never know—

"You seem to think I don't whole-heartedly support this," Sirius said, gesturing for her to start running. "You will tire easily if you insist on doing magic without your wand. If you are so interested in being an Auror, we might as well start now."

"What is running supposed to do?" Elizabeth grumbled, starting to jog around the room.

"It strengthens your heart," Sirius answered. "And it also enforces the fact that I am in charge here. Obey me, or you'll spend most of your time running laps. Now pick up the pace. Five minutes, and then we'll stretch."

Sirius watched his goddaughter run, already having the desire to hit her with a silencing charm. He suddenly understood why Moody had spent much of Auror training smacking his young trainee across the back of his head.

Really, she was in better shape than he thought. After stretching and another round of running, he stood with her in the middle of the room. "Having a wand makes you forget that you have limbs," Sirius lectured, channeling his inner-Moody. "Constant vigilance includes knowing where your body exists in space. There are plenty of people who end up with severed legs because they were only concerned with their wand arm." He slipped his wand into the sleeve of his robe and gestured to the holster she wore around her forearm. "Put it away. You won't need it tonight."

He widened his stance, "Your mission, in this exercise, is to avoid getting hit."

"By what?" Elizabeth asked, only to be startled when Sirius reached out and smacked her lightly on the shoulder. "Hey!"

"Keep up your guard," Sirius smirked. "And keep your magic in check. If I get hit with anything supernatural, you'll run for the rest of the workout. Clear?"

"Yes, sir," Elizabeth nodded, and was rewarded with another smack, this time to her forearm, a little harder than the last.

"Voldemort isn't going to announce himself," Sirius said, this time aiming a blow to her stomach, which she blocked. "Good," Black praised, squaring off again. "He's not going to wait until you're through asking for all the rules." He swiped at her head, and she ducked.

"You have to be ready all the time, wand or no. Knowing how to handle yourself could save your life. Especially because you seem to be so against actually hurting someone in a battle. Unless it's the school bully," Sirius hooked his foot around her heels and tripped her, sending her back onto her butt. "Which makes you the school bully, I suppose."

"He was—

Sirius shook his head, cutting off her protests. "You went into a fight, for no actual reason other than to hurt that boy," he said. "Worse, you could have gotten hurt, since you obviously have no fighting skills." He snapped his fingers and pointed to the floor in front of him. "Get up, we'll go again."

It went on for hours, until Sirius finally declared them finished for the night. "We'll start again tomorrow," he said, ushering her through the door the Room had created to attach to Severus' office. "Right after dinner."

"Sure," Elizabeth said, dragging herself into their quarters and sitting on the sofa.

"How did it go?" Severus asked, coming up from the lab.

"I suppose there is hope," Sirius grinned, ruffling Elizabeth's hair. "Not bad tonight, beautiful."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, not at all sure how to read Sirius' change in demeanor. "You kicked my arse."

"Language," Severus scolded, barely suppressing a smile.

"Everyone has a rough first day," Sirius soothed, sitting beside her and putting an arm around her shoulders. "A rough first month, really," he kissed her hair. "Alastor beat me to a pulp when I started training. Didn't lay off trying to get in my head either."

Elizabeth grimaced. "Neither did you."

Sirius nodded. "I can't very well coddle you through this, sweetheart. No matter how much I love you." He grinned. "However, I will do something for you that Moody never did for me." He pulled a jar of balm out of his pocket. "Rub it everywhere. I didn't have to sit through classes all day without drawing attention to myself."

"Thanks," Elizabeth managed a weak smile.

Sirius smiled. "Go get a hot shower and some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."

Severus watched his daughter walk stiffly into her room before sitting in his armchair. "Really, how did she do?"

Sirius shrugged. "She's afraid to fight back. I told her to avoid getting hit, and all she did was dodge and block, like it never occurred to her to hit me back."

"She wasn't afraid to hurt anyone at the Quidditch match," Severus sighed.

"Yeah, because she was pissed off," Sirius shook his head. "She's got to fight back, Severus."

Snape nodded, looking at the ceiling. "I'm trapped in a parenting minefield," he muttered.