AN: It's a hot day, so I decided to cool down by writing a one shot!

Thank you for all the support! It is very deeply appreciated!

Of all the days for Hermione to take Victor to the doctor, it had to be the one when Severus' four year old daughter decided that a temper tantrum was the best form of communication.

She plopped onto the emerald carpet, her arms folded over her chest. Her scowl was a perfect imitation of her father's, as was her glare. Severus would have found it endearing if she wasn't surrounded by piles of stuffed animals, heaps of blocks, and a blue tea set strewn about the room.

"You need to put your toys away now," Severus stood over his daughter, giving her a look which would have given even the bravest Gryffindor pause.

"No!"

Of course Rose wouldn't be intimidated by his professor face. He didn't know if he should consider her braver than his former students, or more stubborn. Probably a combination of both.

"I won't do it!"

"You need to put the toys away now." Severus lowered his voice.

"No! You can't make me!" She huffed before turning away from him.

Severus pursed his lips.

"I won't do it." Rose stood up, still staring at the Slytherin banner upon her wall.

"If you don't clean your toys then you're going to take a nap."

"No."

"No what?"

"I'm not cleaning up my toys."

"Then are you planning on taking a nap?"

"No, I'm going to brew a potion."

"Can you even find your potions supplies?"

Rose scanned the ground. She lifted a stuffed unicorn with her foot, only to drop it again. After picking up and tossing aside a few other animals, her frown deepened.

"You need to clean up your toys before you brew a potion. Otherwise you will never find your supplies."

"We can brew one together." Her face lit up. "We'll go to your lab and brew it because it isn't messy there."

"No, we will not be going to my lab."

She strolled towards the doorway.

He touched her shoulders. "We are not brewing anything until you pick up your toys."

"Why not?"

"Because you cannot brew if your room is messy."

"Why? We'll be in your labs," she argued. "It isn't messy there."

"If your room is messy I'll be thinking about how messy it is. That is reason enough to clean it."

"Just think about something else." She stomped her foot.

"Rose, I am not arguing with you. Either clean this room up or we will not brew potions at all."

Her eyes grew. Now she looked like a Gryffindor who was dealing with the head of the Slytherin House.

"If this room is not clean in ten minutes we will not brew potions."

"But I can't clean it in ten minutes!" She shouted.

"You cannot clean it that quickly if you are arguing with me." He rose and made his way to the door. "If you start now though it could all be done in time."

"Can you help me?"

"No, you made the mess, you clean it up."

"But I need help!"

"You needed no help in making the mess, and you need no help in cleaning it up."

"But I want to brew potions now!"

Severus made his way to the door.

Rose turned red and clenched her hands into fists. Her temperature skyrocketed as her dad's hand touched the doorknob.

"I hate you, Daddy!"

Severus froze mid step.

"I hate you!"

He turned around, the color gone from his skin. Rose was panting and snarling.

"Clearly you are in no condition to brew potions," Severus voice was low yet quiet. "We will not be creating any today."

"No!"

Severus stepped into his bedroom, shutting the door behind him. Rose threw a teddy bear at her door before slumping down and pouting.

"I hate you Daddy!"

He'd dreaded hearing those words since the day she was born. Granted, he always thought she would say it as a response to finding out he was a Death Eater, not at being asked to put away her toys.

The context didn't matter. She'd still said the words, and it still pierced his soul.

He stopped pacing about his bedroom and stared at the closed door.

This was nothing more than a temper tantrum. Children said they hated their parents all the time, Most of them didn't mean it. Rose was more than likely one of them.

Except when Severus had said those words to his parents he had meant them.

Even at Rose's age he'd hated the way his father drank, and how his mother yelled at him.. He'd hated how his dad treated him like a freak, and his mom treated him like a mistake. He'd hated that his parents ignored him until they needed someone to yell at. At all costs, he was determined not to raise any child of his in such an environment.

Up until now he thought he'd done an adequate job of doing just that. As late as this morning Rose had crawled onto his lap and asked his advice on the best way to draw a pumpkin for the Halloween card she planned to make Aunt Ginevra. She'd looked at him like he hung the stars and the moon.

Now she hated him.

What if he was failing her as a parent, and he was too inept to see it? Was he too strict? He wasn't known as the nicest professor at Hogwarts for good reason. Perhaps it was time to loosen up some of the rules…

No, asking her to clean up her toys was not being too strict! He refused to raise a dunderhead who could not do things for herself and had no respect for any authority. What he did was completely reasonable, or so he thought.

Did Rose hate him and only became brave enough to say it today? If she hated him, was there a way to fix their relationship? What, if anything, was he doing wrong?

How could he fix this, or did anything need to be fixed?

The sound of a crash interrupted his thoughts.

"Daddy!"

He ran across the hall into her bedroom. Sticking out from the mountain of toys in the center of the room was a little hand. Severus yanked his crying daughter towards him.

"Daddy," she sobbed into his chest. "I'm so sorry."

He shushed her as he massaged her back.

"I didn't mean to make a bigger mess."

"It's fine Little One," he whispered. "Just tell me what happened."

"I wanted to clean up with magic and without a wand because it wouldn't take as long." She broke away just enough to make eye contact with him.

He glanced at the toys. None seemed to have come to life, thank Merlin.

"They went in the box at first, but then they jumped at me." She sniffed. "They all came on me, and I couldn't stop it. I didn't mean to make more of a mess."

"It's fine." Severus embraced her tighter. "Wandless magic is difficult. I am simply happy you were not seriously injured."

She whined.

"Are you injured?"

"I'm fine," she squeaked.

"Then there is nothing wrong."

"But I messed up and made things worse."

"Learning magic is difficult, especially when you're young. Consider this a learning experience and move on."

"I love you, Daddy," She hugged him tighter.

"You do?" He choked.

"Yes, I love you." She grinned. "You're the best Daddy ever."

"If that is what you think." He broke away from her. "Why did you say you hated me?"

She shrugged. "I got angry."

"Rose, you shouldn't say things you don't mean, especially when you're angry. You could hurt somebody doing that."

She frowned. "Did I hurt you?"

"Yes," he admitted.

She gasped. "I didn't mean to!"

"I know you did not."

"I'm really sorry.

"I know." He kissed her cheek. "And I forgive you."

Her lips curled up.

"Now," Severus exhaled. "It is time to clean your room."

"Yes."

"When you are finished we could play reusable hangman or Wizarding chess."

"We can?"

He nodded.

She grabbed three stuffed animals and threw them in the bottom of the toy box.

"Be careful not to put Mr. Snake in there," Severus warned. "We would not want him to get lost again."

"Oh yeah." She grabbed him. "Can you hold him?"

"Of course I can," he took the stuffed animal.

"Why can't you move the king wherever you want in chess?" She continued putting her stuffed animals into the box.

"I do not know, those are just the rules," he sat on her bed.

"I think you should be able to move the king wherever you want. I'd win that way."

"You can win even if you can't move the king wherever you want."

"Really?" She glanced back at him.

"If you practice enough, then you will defeat me one day."

"How much?"

"I don't know."

"I'll do it tomorrow." There was a spark in your eyes. "I'll practice really hard today so I can beat you tomorrow."

"I am sure you will." He laughed.

Rose looked up at her dad. Even if he sometimes made rules she disagreed with, he was still a great dad. He needed her to show him how much she cared.

Rose never told Severus she hated him again.