Daddy Dearest II

The Apology ~ Part 1

Jaden Snape walked stiffly into her father's office. She had been told in her last class she was to report to him before lunch started. Her dark eyes narrowed as she saw Scorpius sitting in a chair in front of Snape's desk. The Headmaster was sitting behind his desk, looking at his daughter soberly. She really was a lovely young woman.

"I was told you wanted to see me," Jaden said rather coldly to her father.

"Yes, I did. Please take a seat. Your mother should be joining us shortly," he replied, gesturing toward the chair next to Scorpius.

"Hi Jaden," he said to the witch as she sat down.

Jaden simply scowled at him in return. Scorpius blinked at her.

"Why am I here, daddy?" she asked Snape.

"There is a matter I feel must be cleared up. Yesterday, I saw you slap Mr. Malfoy and naturally called him in to find out what he had done to make you react so violently," Snape said softly.

"You already know what he did," Jaden said accusingly.

Scorpius looked back and forth between them.

"Yes, he asked you to the Christmas Ball, from what I understand," Snape answered smoothly.

"From what you understand? You put him up to it, daddy!" she hissed at him.

Both of Scorpius' eyebrows rose.

"What are you talking about Jaden?" he asked her, looking bewildered.

Jaden's eyes narrowed.

"Oh, don't pretend you don't know, Scorpius. I saw you look at him, and he was looking back at you," she said to the Slytherin.

Just then Hermione walked in, a scowl on her face as she looked at her husband.

"What do you want, Severus? I got your message," she snapped at him, then her eyes softened as she saw Jaden.

"Hi, sweetie," she said, walking up to her daughter and kissing her cheek before taking up a supportive position beside her. Snape studied the united front wife and daughter presented.

"Severus, I can't believe you put this young wizard up to asking Jaden to the Ball!" she began.

"By the howler you sent me last night, I believe you can believe it, Hermione. But in this case, you are wrong. I didn't have anything to do with Mr. Malfoy asking Jaden to the ball."

"No! No, he didn't. I just asked Jaden . . . because I asked her," Scorpius said earnestly, looking at both witches.

"But, I saw you look up at him," Jaden said accusingly.

"Yeah, well, I wanted to see if he were going to come down and tell me to get away from you I guess," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "Asking you out is kind of considered dangerous, but I wanted to ask anyway. We could have had fun."

Jaden seemed taken aback by this, but then her eyes narrowed.

"But . . . but you were watching us, daddy," she said to her father, who quirked an eyebrow at her.

"And when have you known me not to watch you, particularly in the presence of young wizards, Jaden. I was simply curious as to what Mr. Malfoy was speaking to you about. Don't tell me you don't want me to even look in your direction anymore," he said softly.

"But . . . but," Jaden stuttered, unable to believe she had been so wrong. "But I slapped Scorpius . . ."

Scorpius nodded.

"Yes, you did that all right. You pack quite a wallop, too."

Hermione was looking from Scorpius to Severus. Had she and Jaden jumped to conclusions?

"Well, Severus . . . you have to admit, with all the other things you've done to Jaden to try and manipulate her social life, it wasn't a totally biased assumption," she said, trying to cover for their error.

"Hermione, this isn't the first time in my life I've been accused of doing something I didn't do, as you are well aware. For many years I was ostracized for what people thought I was up to. That my own family would do it . . . well, it is unexpected, but to be honest . . . par for the course. It's not the first time those I am loyal to believed me less than forthcoming. I am . . . used to it."

Hermione blinked at Severus' references to when he was a spy and in service for the Order. He had been Dumbledore's man and Harry's true protector the entire time. He had even been left for dead in the Shrieking Shack with no one testing him for signs of life. If not for the specialized Bezoar he'd tossed into his mouth before Nagini's bite, he would have died. No one checked him because they all believed him to be a traitor.

How wrong they were.

Now, he was being wrongly accused again. Or so they thought.

That he said he was "used to it" struck Hermione right in the heart and a wave of remorse washed over her. Jaden was also saddened that her father felt this way, and that she immediately blamed him for Scorpius' attempt to take her to the ball.

"You may go, Mr. Malfoy. Thank you for clearing this up," Snape said to the wizard, who rose.

"Yes, sir. You're welcome, sir," he said, looking at both Hermione and Jaden with a bit of trepidation before he left the office.

Severus sat there silently, waiting.

"Daddy . . . daddy, I'm sorry," Jaden said in a small voice. "It was unfair of me to jump to conclusions."

"Yes, it was, Jaden," Snape replied. "I am trying to protect you, but that doesn't mean I'm trying to manipulate your life every moment of every day. But as I said, I'm used to it."

"But you shouldn't feel your own family thinks so little of you," Hermione said, feeling guilty. What else was he to think when she sent him a nasty howler browbeating him?

"Well, my daughter hates me, by your own admission, Hermione, and you have me relegated to the sofa . . . or would if I returned home. I can't enter my own marriage bed. What would you think if you were me?"

"I don't hate you, daddy, just some of the things you do," Jaden said, her eyes wet now and voice quavering.

Snape nodded.

"Yes, and you don't have a problem adding a few imaginary wrongs to the mix, do you Jaden. Well, it's fine. I just wanted to clear this little error in judgment up. You may go have your lunch now. Oh, and if you see Mr. Malfoy, I believe an apology is in order," he told his daughter coolly.

"I'm sorry, daddy," Jaden said, rising from her chair, walking around her desk and kissing her father on the cheek.

"I know, Jaden. I know. Now, go," he said, dismissing her.

Jaden walked up to Hermione and embraced her, before departing the office.

Snape looked at his wife. The expression on her face was absolutely priceless. Ah, Gryffindor guilt. There was nothing like it.

"I'm sorry too, Severus," she said to him.

"I'm sure," he purred at her. "It's best you get back to work, Hermione. I'll see you when I see you."

Snape pulled some parchments toward him as if to start on some paperwork as Hermione looked at him remorsefully.

"Will, will you come home tonight?" she asked him softly.

Not looking up from the paperwork, he replied, "I don't think so, Hermione. Here I have a bed, which is much more comfortable than the sofa, thank you."

"You won't have to sleep on the sofa, Severus. You can sleep with me," his wife said.

"Oh, and sleeping is supposed to make up for your distrust and wrongful accusations?" he asked her. "I can 'sleep' here."

"Well, you wouldn't have to sleep the whole night," Hermione told him, coloring.

"Are you saying you are restoring my husbandly rights, witch?" he asked her directly.

Hermione nodded.

Snape felt like rubbing his hands together in glee, but kept himself composed.

"Fine, expect me at nine, and be wearing nothing other than a smile, Hermione," he growled at her.

"All right, Severus," she said, walking around the desk and kissing his stiff lips. She drew back from him and looked into his dark eyes.

They were glinting.

Merlin, she knew what that meant. Rodeo time at the homestead. She'd better get out a couple of vials of purple potion.

"I'll see you tonight, Severus," Hermione told him, then withdrew from his office.

Snape smirked as the door closed.

She'd been doing more than "seeing" him. Of that she could be sure.

****************************************
A/N: lolol. He's terrible. Thanks for reading.