A/N: This Chapter is still under beta viewing. Anything can (and most likely will) change, be added, or removed.

Chapter 11
The Cheater

By Thursday morning, Draco was ready to be discharged from the Infirmary. Trixi saw him out to see if he needed any help since he was still in a great deal of pain. This was probably because he was no longer allowed to take strong pain relieving potions.

His arm was bound up in a sling. He couldn't play seeker for the Slytherins because of his injury, but he only appeared mildly upset about this. They were going to have tryouts for a substitute Seeker later that week, and he would get to assist with that.

"Madam Pomfrey says I can fly on my broom at least." He had told Trixi.

"Do you need any help carrying your books?" Trixi had an hour before her Transfigurations lesson, but Draco had a Potions class to get to.

"No, I got it." He winced as he picked up his book bag.

"It's not far from here." She told him. "I could help."

"I am not going to have a tiny little child carry my things." He said.

Trixi crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "You don't have to be a jerk about it."

"It would make me look like a ninny, Trixi." He told her reasonably. "Imagine if one of the other students saw you carrying my things."

He had a point there.

"Well, have fun in class then, Draco." Trixi said when they were outside of the infirmary.

The blond Slytherin smirked. "I'll have loads of it!" Trixi didn't like that face of his. He was going to cause some mischief, that's for sure.

After seeing Draco, Trixi found a nice unused room somewhere in the dungeons to spend a little time practicing the Cedito spell. The room was bare and layered with dust, but she had cleaned it with a dust sucker spell.

When the door was shut, it was pitch black inside. Trixi worked better in dark areas. There was something about the blackness and the silence of it all.

Her father did the same if he needed to think, locking himself up in his dark bedroom, not wishing to be disturbed. He was much better at adapting than she, though. He could just tune out the surrounding world whenever he needed. Trixi couldn't do that. She had to resort to hiding away.

While Trixi liked dark places, she did like a vibrant of colors. Green being her favorite. She only ever wore green socks, those were always hidden by her robes. She liked a lot of colors paired with white too. Like red and white, and blue and white. So a few of her "muggle" shirts were made of stylish checked, plaid, or striped with a color and white.

Trixi pouted as she unsuccessfully cast the Cedito spell for at leeast the hundredth time that day. By now, just about the whole Transfiguration class was on the next step; turning a round pebble into a marble. Some students were even so advanced that they were exchanging Chess pieces.

Trixi was sure she had made a thousand attempts at it, but her stupid match was stubborn and simply refused to change. At least Thomas' match would turn into metal when he cast the spell. Trixi's just lay there, like she was some muggle or squib.

Ten minutes later, Trixi entered Professor McGonagall's class room and placed her Transfigurations essay on the teacher's desk. She smiled slightly at the teacher before taking her usual seat in class.

"I did it!" Thomas exclaimed, taking his usual seat next to her. "I got a needle!" He excitedly showed Trixi his recent accomplishment.

She smiled. "Great job!" Oh, great, her muggleborn friend could do it, but she couldn't.

Talk about a failure. Daddy better not find out about this.

"Finally!" Thomas breathed a sign of relief. "Now onto the marble." He instantly went to work, even though the class hadn't started yet. His round rock turned into many shapes, but never once into a marble.

The class started then. It was pretty much a repeat of the last lesson; the demonstration and explanation on how to change a pebble into a marble. Pointless for Trixi at the moment, but she listened and took notes, because eventually, she would need the info after she completed the first task.

Professor McGonagall came up to Trixi in the middle of the lesson. The old teacher looked incredibly displeased. "Miss Snape, I would like you to stay after class." She said sharply.

"Yes, ma'am." Trixi acknowledged with a frown.

"Don't worry, Trixi, she's probably going to help you with the spell." Thomas told her quietly reminding Trixi that she was now the only one in the school that couldn't change a match into a needle.

Maybe he was right.

"Baby Trixi's in trouble!" Cassi said under her breath behind Trixi. Cassi's friends snickered quietly enough so Professor McGonagall didn't notice.

When everyone else left after the lesson ended, Trixi remained in her seat. Her match lay on her desk; still a thin sliver of wood.

"I have been trying, Professor." Trixi said as soon as Professor McGongagall shut the door for privacy. "You were correct- Transfigurations is extremely difficult."

The woman silently picked up a stack of papers and set two down in front of Trixi. She looked at the girl disapprovingly.

"What's wrong?" Trixi asked frowning. Why was she looking at her like that? She was trying as hard as she could! She practiced the spell everyday!

"Look at these two papers and tell me what you see."

They were the Transfiguration essays. One was hers, and one was Cassi's.

'When performing Transfigurations, one must start with a clear mind. Depending on the spell, disastrous events could happen if the caster-' Cassi's was a complete copy of hers.

Trixi laughed both in amusement and in disbelief. "What are you going to do to her?"

"Excuse me?" Professor McGonagall demanded curtly.

The smile immediately left Trixi's face. "Oh..." she said when she realized the situation. "You think I did this..."

"It certainly was not Miss. Greystone!"

It certainly was so! She wanted to scream.

Instead...

"It wasn't me, ma'am." She said calmly with a shake of her head. "Those are exactly the words I wrote Monday night when I wrote the essay."

"You can't expect me to believe that? Miss Greystone is on the third transfiguration. I don't tolerate cheaters, Miss Snape!" She crossed her arms over her chest with a huff. "And from my own house! How shameful! I will be deducting twenty five points each for cheating and then lying about it!"

"But-"

Professor McGonagall raised her hand up for silence. "You will write ten feet of lines. 'I will not lie and cheat my way through school.' " she then transfigured Trixi's essay into a blank roll of parchment. "Your next lesson is Potions, I will let your father know you will not be attending it. And I also want a new essay, Miss Snape!" The professor then left the room.

Trixi pursed her lips in anger and kicked the desk leg. Her teacher hadn't even given her the chance to explain.

What was there to explain though? The worst student in Transfigurations had the same essay as one of the top in the year. It was no a brainer. She'd look like the cheater even to the wisest men of all.

'I will not lie and cheat my way through school.' She wrote.

"I do not lie and cheat my way through school." Trixi muttered. "I do not lie and cheat ever..." her fingers were already sore on the twentieth line from the heavy pressure she applied to the paper.

Severus stood in front of his desk, watching the first years walk in. With only three minutes until the class started, he was surprised when his daughter had yet to arrive. Trixi had always been one of the first to class.

Mr. Vandel kept glancing toward the doorway, waiting for his friend to arrive. The rest of the Gryffindors could care less that their Housemate was absent.

"Severus?" Minerva called him from the doorway.

He had to stop himself from demanding, 'What happened to Trixi?!'

"Yes?" The professor asked as if nothing in the world was bothering him.

Minerva's eyes scanned the room of the curious students. "We need to speak for a moment, if you don't mind."

Severus' heartbeat nervously picked up. What's wrong with her? Was she sick? Had she fallen a flight of stairs? What happened to my Trixi?

"Stay in your seats." He told his class.

"Where is she?" Severus asked calmly once the door separated him from his students.

"Miss Snape is in detention. Knowing how excellent her Potions grade is, I have decided to keep her there until she serves her punishment."

"Dentention?" a major weight lifted from his chest. "For?"

"For cheating!" Minerva furiously shrieked.

Cheating...?

He could see Trixi getting one for talking, laughing, or even speaking out of turn, but certainly not cheating. "My daughter is not a cheater, Minerva." Severus growled.

"Don't you use that tone with me, Severus!" She scolded him. The woman still had issues remembering that he was not her student anymore. "She copied Miss Greystone's essay. Cassidora Greystone is exceptionally well in the class. Trixangela is not."

Severus' eyes narrowed dangerously. "Greystone..." What a shocker. "I want to see these essays, Minerva."

"Trixangela's has already been erased. She is to write a new one."

He scowled. "How unsurprisingly foolish of you!"

"I have no doubt she cheated! If suddenly your daughter and Miss Greystone had the same amazing essay in your class, what would you think?"

"That Greystone copied Trixi's paper, of course. Greystone is a complete dunderhead in my class."

Minerva looked at him, waiting for her point to sink in.

"Dare you call my daughter stupid, Minerva?" He asked darkly.

"Of course not, Severus." Minerva sighed. "Obviously, she is having some difficulties adjusting to a new lifestyle, but that is still no excuse to cheat."

"Trixi doesn't cheat!" He insisted with a hiss.

"At this point, you are no different than Lucius Malfoy with Draco, Severus. As her Head of House, I have academic control over her. My punishment stands." Minerva turned on her heel with that and walked off.

Severus muttered a curse. Even after two decades, things hadn't changed. Snapes were always accused of things they didn't do.

"You could have just asked for help if you had needed it." Professor McGonagall told Trixi gently from behind her desk.

'I will not lie and cheat my way through school.' Trixi wrote over and over with angry, narrow eyes. She scowled as she hovered over her messy paper. Trixi had been writing so hard, that the quill nib had poked through the paper, making a mess on the desk. It was good that she knew an ink removal spell.

"Are you afraid to ask for help?"

"I do not need your help, ma'am." Trixi told her quietly.

"Evidently you do when you resort to cheating."

Just keep writing. She told herself. You are not a cheater. She just doesn't know it.

"Come sit up at front here. My next lesson is about to start." Professor McGonagall duplicated a chair and desk for Trixi.

Trixi sat in the corner at the front of the room feeling embarrassed as a group of second year students came in. Shortly after, Trixi finished her lines.

"I expect to see the essay by Monday's lesson." Professor McGonagall said to her as Trixi set the messy roll of parchment on the teacher's desk.

"Yes, ma'am." The girl's voice was lost. All she could get out was a whisper.

* * *
Trixi skipped dinner that night, she was not in the mood to be around a bunch of people after what happened today. She was sure no one but her and the professors knew about it, but she would rather spend the rest of the night in her dorm.

Why had Cassi copied her essay? Professor McGonagall had been correct, Cassi was very good in the skill, so there was no reason to copy from Trixi's work.

It was a good paper though. Trixi would admit that. In writing, Trixi understood the skill, but when it came to performance, she obviously was missing something. Still, Cassi could have probably come up with an even better essay.

After History of Magic that day, Thomas had asked why she was held back in class and about her absence during Potions, but she brushed him off and told her friend that she didn't feel well and was going to her dorm.

Now she was laying in bed looking at the top of her canopy bed. The coverings where drawn to block out most of the light that came from the massive window of the room.

Something caught her eye. Something green and slimy seeped through the curtaining.

A spell.

Trixi bolted up in bed. She knew this spell. It was a very special one.

The slime arranged into a series of words in mid-air. 'Come to my office. We need to talk.'

Trixi erased the words with her wand. Daddy wanted to talk to her. Did he believe Professor McGonagall? Trixi jumped up from the bed. If he did, he would soon know the truth. All he had to do was take a quick look. She normally didn't like her father casting legimency on her, but she was willing to make an exception concerning her academic reputation.

Every floor except the ground one appeared empty. Most, if not everyone, were eating their meal happily. She could hear the sound of the Great Hall chatter as she passed it. After a few minutes of walking the dank corridor, she knocked on her father's office door. The door swung open quickly, allowing her access. Trixi stepped into the room, making sure to walk inside far enough so he could close the door behind her with magic.

Their eyes met and she instantly knew he didn't think of her as a cheater. Trixi ran to her father, wrapping her arms around him, both relieved and upset.

"I would never think you're a cheater." He told her, patting her soothingly on the back.

Trixi sniffed, trying to keep a wave of tears from falling. "She wouldn't believe me, Daddy! And now they all will think I'm a cheater!"

Professor Snape hugged her tightly. "We'll fix it, Trixi." He promised. "I need to know a few things before I can help you, though, alright?"

Trixi nodded against him.

"Let's sit down."

Trixi sat in one of the silver and green wing-back chairs and folded her legs into a comfortable position. Professor Snape sat in a chair next to her.

"Do you know when Greystone could have copied your text?"

"Anytime when I was not studying. I am surprised she even did it, Daddy, she's very good in the skill." Trixi frowned.

"Greystone is lazy."

"I hope she's not doing it in my other classes!" She gasped as the thought suddenly occurred to her.

"Whichever classes she is good in would be the ones you should watch out for. Otherwise, it would seem too suspicious. I gather that is why she chose Transfigurations. Minerva would never suspect her." He then let out a low growl. Naive old woman.

"Okay..." Trixi gave it a thought. "Defense is the only other one I can think of."

"I will talk with Lupin then."

"Really?" She was a bit surprised. "But you hate him."

Professor Snape uncomfortably adjusted his eyes to the floor. "Minerva will alert the rest of the professors and the Headmaster about this." He said, ignoring her inquiry about Professor Lupin.

Trixi took the hint and didn't push it. She tapped her fingers on the arm of the chair. "So... I am the cheater of the year, I suppose."

"No." He said firmly, getting up from his chair and sweeping across the office to his desk. "I know a way that will catch Greystone in the act. But it will only work if she copies another paper." He opened a drawer of his desk and pulled out a roll of parchment paper.

"I have to somehow trick her into it then." Trixi said, catching up with the idea.

"Right." His lips curled into a smug smile. "A Slytherin in disguise."

He was never going to let her Gryffindor sorting go.

"I am sure I could just 'carelessly' leave my paper laying around. Cassi would find it tempting."

"If Greystone is as lazy as I think she is, all that is needed is this and a spell. She's probably not going to write down your text; instead, she'll make a magical copy."

Trixi nodded. "She has practically mastered a copier spell. I see her do it all the time to share notes with the other girls. She even knows a spell that makes the copied text look like it's her own handwriting." she laughed in disturbance. "The signs were there. I failed to notice it."

"It's been a busy week." his look softened. "I have the perfect spell in mind." Professor Snape took his wand out, returning to the subject at hand. "Seek the Plagiarist." He said as he touched the paper with it. "That's all you'll need, Trixi."

"What will happen when Cassi copies the paper? Is it a hex?"

"Come here, I'll show you what it does." He handed her a quill and a pot of ink when she joined his side behind his desk. "Write something."

"What should I write?"

"Anything you wish, it's hardly relevant."

She wrote: 'Black is better than purple, but green will always be the best.'

"Strange sentence..." he said once he read it. "Alright, now cut it off from the roll, and make a copy."

Trixi refrained from sighing. The copier spell fell under a branch of Transfigurations. Thankfully, she knew of a spell that was easier for her than the one Cassi used.

"Duplica Acesta." She tapped her paper but nothing happened.

Severus waited silently while he watched her struggle with the spell. Finally, after several attempts, a copy of her paper appeared right out of thin air, and fluttered to the top of the desk.

"Read it." He told her.

"It's the same as the first one." Trixi announced confusingly.

"To you, yes." He took the paper from her.

"What do you mean?" His daughter asked.

"To my own eyes it says, 'Attention Reader(s), this text has been stolen. I did not write the following: 'Black is better than purple, but green will always be the best.' "

Trixi gaped at it. "Why can't I see that?"

Severus raised his eyebrows, surprised Trixi would ask such a question. "If the cheater could read that, how else would they get caught doing it?"

"Would you show it to me?" Trixi was excited to see it work.

"Of course." He wrote his down own text down. He then ripped it off the roll, made a copy, and handed it to his daughter.

The paper read:

'Attention Reader(s), this text has been stolen. I did not write the following: 'There are seven ingredients to the Wolfbane potion.'

"Wow, and you just see the original sentence?"

"Correct."

"What if you wanted to make a copy of your own work though?"

"You just remove the spell by tapping it and saying 'Hide the Plagiarist.' It will turn back into a normal roll of parchment."

"So, basically, when the text is copied, there's a hidden message from the copier, but anyone else can see it?"

"Precisely."

"What if she shows Sara and Kelsa the copy?"

"If they would even pay that much attention to it, she would know not to copy your work at the very least."

"And I would still be known as a cheater." Trixi frowned. So much for clearing her name.

"Stop your worrying." He scolded her. "Most cheaters end up becoming careless and eventually get caught. Let's see if this works first, alright?"

Trixi nodded.

"Are you hungry?"

"Yes!" She smiled. "Starving!"

He conjured up two platters of food along with two empty plates, cutlery, and two goblets of apple cider.

"Thanks!" She immediately took a sip from a goblet. Apple cider was her favourite drink.

"If you need anything, Trixi, you can always come to me."

"I know." she said. "I miss you, Daddy."

"Miss me?" He questioned. "We see each other practically everyday."

"Yes, but it's not like before. We used to brew and study together. Now we just..." she shrugged, not knowing how to finish what she wanted to say.

"Quarrel." Professor Snape supplied.

"Yeah..." she whispered and poked her roasted potatoes with her fork. "Couldn't I help you brew again?" She suddenly pleaded. They got along best when they were brewing potions together.

Her father sighed. "Your studies are very important, Trixi, I am afraid I can not allow you to brew with me into the wee hours of the night."

Trixi pouted. She wished she could work with him again.

"While working at Hogwarts, I spend long nights at it. Between grading work, issuing detentions, brewing, and patrolling the corridors, I am lucky if I get five hours of sleep." He said this as he cut up a piece of chicken with his fork.

"So that explains your moodiness." Trixi commented dryly.

"How funny you are." He said with sarcasm. "But you surely agree with me?" He asked, back to being serious. "You have other things to work on now- not just potions."

"I suppose..." she mumbled, knowing he was right. There was a certain class she was failing at.

"There is something you could help me with though."

Trixi's attention sparked up; she was all ears.

"You know how much I hate testing potions- especially taste testing. Would you like to assist me with this?"

Trixi grinned. "You are giving me your dirty work?"

"You caught me." He smirked.

"I would surely enjoy it!"

"Excellent!" His black eyes glowed happily. "We'll start with the Snap Serum. Saturday night. Is Seven o'clock alright for you?"

Trixi nodded eagerly.

"I'll limit it to one night a week so you have plenty of time to study."

"Thanks, Daddy!"

"Don't thank me just yet." He warned. "Wait and see just why I don't like this part of my teaching job." He chuckled slightly. "And first years potions are the worst ones of all."