CHRISTMAS EVE JUSTICE

Severus stood regally before the full-length mirror in his bedroom trying to secure a black bow tie around his neck manually. His perfectly tailored trousers and white shirt had been expertly pressed and his dress shoes polished to a brilliant shine by Ollie for the event that night. Now, if he could only get the damned tie tied, he could put on the rest of his dress robes and check on Zoe’s progress.

It was Christmas Eve and the annual Christmas ball at Malfoy Manor was that night. The resident seven-year-old had spent a vast majority of the morning moping about the house complaining about having to go and Severus had found it so exceptionally irritating that he had eventually told her she could spend the rest of the day in her bedroom if she couldn’t find something positive to say. Zoe had taken it to heart and hadn’t left her room all day until called for early in the evening to bathe, and even then, she had done so reluctantly and after numerous pleas from Ollie and a few threats from him.

As Severus struggled with his tie, the child strolled dispassionately through his open bedroom door and plopped down onto his bed looking up at him with a thoroughly displeased grimace. Her dark-brown hair was still damp and uncombed and she wore her long, red dressing gown. At least she had donned the thick black tights and Mary Janes Ollie had picked out in Diagon Alley for her to wear. Severus frowned right back at his daughter.

“Why aren’t you in your dress?� he asked her, talking to her reflection in the mirror.

“Why do I have to go?� Zoe complained sulkily, wrinkling up her whole face and petulantly kicking at the air.

“The Malfoys have asked us to their home for the evening. It is polite to accept their invitation.�

Zoe crossed her arms and stared at the floor.

“Why can’t we spend Christmas Eve with Minerva?� she whined as if the notion had ever been a viable alternative.

Severus sighed heavily. “We have discussed this. Minerva must stay at Hogwarts with her students over the Christmas holidays. We will see her briefly tomorrow afternoon.�

Severus watched for a moment as Zoe continued to pout. The child was being rather adamant about this whole thing; there must be something else she was thinking about. However, one glance at his pocket watch and he realized he didn’t have the time to discover what it was. He pulled the bowtie apart and began again.

“Scorpius is mean to me,� she then stated without prompting.

Severus frowned again. He should have known. The two children rarely got through any visit without quarrelling and on more than one occasion, he and Draco had had to split them apart forcibly.

“Zoe, Scorpius is a year your junior. I expect you to find some common ground and work out your differences,� he said, then more forcefully: “You are going. Now, go put on your dress. See if Ollie will help you.�

Zoe remained sitting where she was, her arms still crossed over her chest and swinging her legs so that her shoes pounded against the bed frame. Severus stopped fussing with his tie and turned to face his daughter.

“I will not tell you again,� he warned sternly.

Zoe hopped down off the bed and moaned as she left the room, her shoulders sagging as she dragged her feet and Severus knew there was absolutely no way they were going to make it to the Ball on time.

Finally resigned to the fact that bow tying was a skill at which he was thoroughly inept, Severus walked to where his wand lay upon the duvet and with a quick swish, it tied itself, choking him slightly. He reached up to loosen it enough so he would not asphyxiate then flung his black dress robes over his shoulders, picked up his thick, wool traveling cloak and exited the room.

**************

Over an hour later, Severus had finally apparated outside the gates of Malfoy Manor with Zoe in tow. It had been quite the ordeal, but he’d eventually managed to win the power struggle. The girl was now dressed in the emerald satin dress with the black, velvet sash he’d bought her for this event and, though she’d hidden the matching cloak in a desperate, final effort to stay at home, Severus had simply transfigured a spare glove into a plain, but warm black cloak for her to wear. He had then placed a firm hand on her wrist for the Side-Along Apparition.

‘Gods, she’s acting as if I’m escorting her to her execution rather than a party,’ was his final thought before spinning on his heel and disappearing with a faint pop.

Fear of the Splinching he had told her about being the primary factor, no doubt, Zoe had kept still for the duration of the short trip. However, as soon as they landed next to the high, snow-covered hedgerows and viewed Malfoy Manor ahead, the little girl had started to walk briskly down the lane away from the gates. Severus quickly shot out a hand and grabbed the hood of her cloak, pulling her back. Then he turned her to face him as he bent at the waist, coming to her level, and setting her with a strict gaze.

“That is quite enough, young lady. You have fought this battle gallantly but it would be wise to accept your defeat, for my patience is very near its end. Now, we are going to walk into that ball and you are going to be well behaved, charming, and respectful. Have I made myself clear?�

Zoe shuffled her feet and refused to look at him. However, her eyes did shift several times to the gates and then to the darkness of the lane, as if she was calculating whether she had a viable chance at an escape. Severus reached up and placed his hand on her chin, turning her head so that she was looking at him.

“Zoe, do you understand me?�

“Yes, Papa,� she finally mumbled.

“Good,� Severus said as he stood and made his way to the gates, keeping a hand on his daughter’s shoulder in case she tried to make a run for it again.

As they made their way up the few steps to the front door of the manor, Zoe slipped her tiny, gloved hand into his large one and pushed herself against him and, once again, Severus found himself aggravated. How was it that such a daring, defiant child could become so bashful on the outset of a social situation? Later in the night, he knew she would be completely at ease among the children and adults but for now, she would hide within the folds of his dress robes.

With one last look down onto the dark head beside him, Severus reached up and pulled the cord. Within he could hear the melodic tone of the doorbell and the unmistakable murmur of a crowd of people. It didn’t take long before the door was thrown open by a beautifully dressed woman in her early thirties.

Severus vaguely remembered Astoria Greengrass--now Malfoy--as a mild-mannered, plain girl in her years at Hogwarts and aside from general classroom discussions and such, she had never been a standout student nor particularly sociable. However, she had since blossomed into a striking woman of the upper class. Her modest upbringing had instilled in her patience and virtue. Those attributes, combined with the cunning and social graces borne of her years in Slytherin House, made for a girl-next-door persona with all the refinement of one born of wizarding aristocracy.

Draco was more than lucky to have caught her eye in the years following the downfall of Voldemort and, as Severus understood it, their marriage had not been arranged--as was customary within the upper echelon of wizard society. They had married for love and nothing less and it showed in how they carried themselves and approached life.

“Ah, Severus,� Astoria greeted him jubilantly.

“Mrs. Malfoy, you are looking stunning this evening,� Severus commented, before taking Astoria’s hand in his and politely kissing it.

“Thank you. Draco and I had started to wonder what had held you up. Please, come in out of this horrible cold.�

Severus nodded and entered, pulling his reluctant daughter behind him into the large, granite-covered entryway. There was a fountain directly in front of them and a little ahead and to the right, Severus could see the lights from the grand ballroom where most of the guests were assembled, though a few people straggled out into the entry. As soon as Astoria had closed the door, Severus heard a pop and a house elf appeared next to him.

“Mott will take the guest’s cloaks and gloves from them, please,� he said, holding out his hands.

Severus reached down to unfasten Zoe’s cloak for her as she ripped off her scarf and gloves. As soon as he had removed his own winter attire, Zoe attached herself to his hip once more, hiding her face from view. Draco strolled up then with six-year-old Scorpius following closely behind. The boy waved up to Severus with excitement.

“Hello, Uncle Severus! You’re finally here!� he exclaimed.

“Good evening, Scorpius,� Severus said. “I trust you’ve been well?�

Scorpius, apparently bolstered at having been addressed like an adult, stood up a little straighter.

“Yes, sir, I have. At school we’ve been learning about how magical people first started a way long time ago and how we have to keep secret now because Muggles didn’t like magical people--�

“He’s been quite taken with history,� Astoria explained as Scorpius continued to babble on to Severus, while pointedly ignoring his other guest. The Malfoy heir may not have enjoyed the company of the younger Snape, but for some reason, he adored his godfather in a way Severus had never experienced with a child--probably because he rarely babied the boy, as his own parents were wont to do.

Astoria, ever the gracious host, noticed then Zoe’s continued reluctance to join in the conversation. She halted her son’s rambling with a kind touch of his cheek, looked down, and addressed the little girl.

“Good evening, Zoe,� she said. “You look very pretty tonight.�

Severus did his best to move out of the way so that Zoe was actually in view of Astoria and when his daughter didn’t speak or make any effort to look at their host, he reached around and discreetly flicked her shoulder blade with his finger. This had the instant result of removing Zoe from his robes and making her remember her manners.

“Good evening, Mrs. Malfoy,� she quietly murmured, curtsying cheekily and focusing her eyes at Astoria’s shoes.

“Are you excited for the Christmas party?� Astoria asked.

Zoe peered up at Severus briefly and he saw a momentary flash of defiance in her eyes and a slight upturn of her lips before the little girl turned back to face Astoria. “Not really. I wanted to spend Christmas Eve with my godmother, but Papa said I had to be polite, so I came here instead.�

Severus ground his teeth. He could have shaken the girl. Instead, he donned a discomfited smile for Draco and Astoria before shooting his daughter a reproving frown and making a mental note to reprimand her later.

“She’s seven,� he stated matter-of-factly to their hosts as if this would explain everything.

“Yes, she’s very good at it, too,� Astoria giggled and smiled kindly, pulling Scorpius forward to stand in front of her.

Severus doubted the Malfoys would hold Zoe’s rudeness against them but he would have to have yet another talk with her about the proper decorum for public outings.

“Severus, we’re so glad you finally made it,� Draco said smiling, reaching out to shake his former professor’s hand. “I still have the formal rounds to make, but please, come have some wine.�

Draco turned and began his way back into the ballroom. Severus looked back to Astoria.

“We have a room set up for the children at the end of the entryway. There are games and food and such to keep them occupied, of course,� she informed as the small group slowly started to walk in that direction.

As they approached the tall, elegant doors of the ballroom, Astoria stopped and addressed her son.

“Scorpius, why don’t you take Zoe into the children’s room so that she can meet everyone?�

Severus looked down at the small boy who looked every bit as much like Draco as Draco resembled Lucius--the white-blonde hair and gray eyes dominating his pointed little face. Severus was actually surprised when the boy looked from his mother to Zoe and didn’t even attempt to mask his displeasure at having to escort his rival away from the main party. As Scorpius glared at her, Zoe stuck out her tongue and wrinkled up her face at him, earning her another light flick from Severus. She promptly flinched and retracted her tongue.

“Come on,� Scorpius said as he started to walk down the entrance hall away from them.

When Zoe didn’t make any indication that she was going to follow, Severus placed a hand between her shoulder blades and pushed her in the direction Scorpius had gone. She fought the pressure, but he was too strong for her and she started to walk, chancing a last, desperate glance up to her father.

“Behave,� Severus commanded as Zoe slouched away to follow Scorpius.

When the two had entered a door at the very end of the hallway, Astoria looked up to Severus and grinned.

“It looks like Zoe was a bit reluctant to come along tonight.�

Severus rolled his eyes at the memory of what it had taken to get his child here then allowed them to fall back upon his host.

“You have no idea,� he told her. “Though I have to commend her; her tactics become more imaginative every time.�

Astoria smiled.

“Yes, Scorpius wasn’t too happy about this evening either. Draco had to end up being rather firm with him, but he’s been doing a fine job hosting the children’s party.� Astoria then took Severus’s hand to lead him into the ballroom. “Come,� she said, “They’ll be fine. In a few hours we’ll walk in there and they’ll all be sleeping peacefully.�

Nearly two hours into the party, Severus had begun to get bored with the idle conversation and the same meaningless babble that tended to dominate such events as this. However, seeing as many of those invited were high-ranking Ministry officials and members of Severus’s own clientele, he stuck around and continued to mingle amongst the crowd.

He had just begun his first interesting conversation of the night with the ancient apothecary owner from Hogsmeade, when a commotion near the door of the ballroom vied for his attention. Many of the guests were rocketing out of the way of a small, dark figure that was racing in and out of the crowd. As the figure passed by, people started to gasp and fan the air around them as if a putrid smell had permeated their personal space. Only when the figure came to a halt about ten feet from him in front of Draco and Astoria Malfoy who were discussing policies with Minister Shacklebolt, did Severus realize it was Scorpius. Upon further inspection, he realized the boy was covered from head to foot in what could only have been…

“Dung!� Scorpius shouted, splaying out his arms to show his parents. As he did so, flecks of the undesirable brown substance were flicked from his once midnight blue dress robes onto patrons standing too close to the conversation, including the Minister for Magic.

Severus moved closer to where the Malfoys stood so that he could hear a little better over the crowd. Something about the situation seemed highly suspicious and as he approached, Severus heard Scorpius plea to his parents.

“Mum, Dad, I was just standing there. I didn’t do anything to her. She did it for no reason!�

She.

Yes, Severus had an idea of whom Scorpius was referring to and as his eyes whipped around toward the entryway, he found his suspicions to be correct. Zoe stood in the center of a group of children of all ages who were getting quite a laugh out of Scorpius’s predicament. She had her eyes fixed vindictively upon the boy and a small, dark smile was playing itself across her features. Then, as if she felt she was being watched, she looked away from Scorpius and found her father’s onyx eyes and furious scowl upon her and her smile quickly faltered into a timid, uncertain line and she averted her eyes to the floor.

**************

Twenty minutes later, Severus found himself standing next to the fire in the first floor drawing room, one elbow propped upon the mantle, and his other hand stuck in his trousers pocket. Zoe sat quietly in a chair in the center of the room. She hadn’t moved or said a word since being ushered in here after the fiasco in the ballroom.

Upon hearing a rather discombobulated telling from the two children who did nothing but try to out-scream each other, Draco had decided to move the conversation to a more secluded setting. Therefore, Severus and Zoe had come here to wait while Scorpius was taken by Astoria to shower and Draco had attended to the guests before his and his wife’s imminent absence from the party.

In the meantime, Severus had chosen not to attempt to obtain Zoe’s perspective of the story. No doubt it would all come to light soon enough. Instead, he had watched his daughter from his place by the fire. He was certain from the look on her face and the way she was nervously wringing her hands that she had, in fact, been the perpetrator of Scorpius’s dung-covered dress robes--not to mention the imaginative nature of the offense which had his daughter’s spiteful sense of justice written all over it. He was also certain that Zoe was experiencing an entire array of different emotions, at that moment, from anger and fear to…sadness, perhaps. He was curious as to what she was thinking and what had gone on in the children’s room to cause his daughter to feel this way.

At that moment, the drawing room door was opened and Scorpius shuffled in wearing a set of green and white pinstriped pajamas under a grey, piped dressing gown with matching slippers. He was followed soon after by Astoria and Draco, the latter of whom closed the door behind him before striding across the room and moving another chair over so that it faced Zoe’s chair. He then made his son sit down in it so that the two children were facing each other. Simultaneously, Zoe and Scorpius crossed their arms and turned their heads away from one another.

Draco moved around the center table and looked down upon the children.

“Okay,� he said, business-like, “let’s see if we can’t get to the bottom of this. Now, you will both have the opportunity to tell your side of the story, but one at a time this time. Is that acceptable with everyone?�

He looked down at the children who didn’t make any indication that they had heard a thing, but Draco took that as a positive that they had understood. He then looked up at his wife who nodded, then back at Severus who merely raised his arm off the mantle slightly to show Draco he could continue.

“All right,� Draco began again, “Who would like to go first? Zoe?�

He looked at Severus’s daughter who stared up at Draco shortly, then lowered her eyes back down to her lap and didn’t utter a word. Draco sighed and turned to his own son.

“Okay, Scorpius. Tell us what happened.�

The boy pushed himself forward to the edge of his chair as if he’d been waiting days to speak his piece and pointed a finger straight at Zoe.

“She started it!� he accused.

Zoe looked admonished and shot back. “Did not!�

“Did too!�

“Did not!�

“DID TOO!�

“DID NOT!�

Severus rolled his eyes. This wasn’t getting anyone anywhere.

“Silence!� he bellowed, still leaning on the mantle but shooting a stern glare at both the children who immediately quieted.

Astoria took that as a cue to start in again.

“Scorpius, we already know that you think Zoe did it. Tell us what happened.�

Scorpius glared daggers at Zoe before looking up at his mother.

“She hexed me with dung for no reason!�

Zoe shot an equally wicked glower at Scorpius.

“That’s not true! I had plenty of reason!�

“You’re a liar!�

As Scorpius said the words, Zoe launched forward out of her chair with her hands raised in front of her. Rage burned in her eyes and it looked as if she wanted nothing more than to strangle the little boy in the other chair. Severus barely had time to react. In an instant, however, his wand was in his hand and he had nonverbally spelled Zoe back into her chair. She was caught off-guard, but whipped her head around to see her father staring lividly down on her; she stopped struggling against the invisible force instantly.

“Zoe, you will refrain from such violent little outbursts,� he lectured icily, his tone implying ‘or else’.

Zoe merely huffed, crossed her arms once more, and pulled her legs up into the chair to cross them as well.

“Yes, sir,� she mumbled.

Severus stowed his wand back into his robes and began to walk around the room.

“I think, perhaps, that I have an idea as to how this could have played out,� he said making a large circle around the children’s chairs and the Malfoy adults.

Draco and Astoria were now watching Severus attentively. If they were like him, they had had quite enough accusations from the pair of offspring and wanted to get to the reasoning--or absence of reasoning--behind all this.

“The two of you started flinging insults at each other, nothing out of the norm and relatively harmless. Scorpius…�

At the mention of his name Scorpius turned, wide-eyed toward Severus and was met with a stern eyebrow raise. “…said something especially nasty to Zoe and she allowed her temper to take over and her magical abilities to run loose and out of control.� At this, he eyed his own daughter harshly. Her expression, however, was appallingly unreadable. Severus continued.

“I imagine she felt that the best way to get even was to conjure a heap of dung to dump upon Scorpius’s head.�

Severus looked from one child to the other. “Am I correct?� he asked.

Scorpius’s jaw dropped as a look of absolute astonishment crossed his features at the knowledge that his godfather had so much insight into what had gone on, but when Severus looked down upon his daughter once more, he was surprised to see that she had her head bowed as if defeated. After several moments, she spoke.

“I didn’t mean to, Papa, I swear. I really did try to be good, but Scorpius said that I wouldn’t be a very good witch because my mum was a weak, dirty Muggle.�

There was an immediate outburst of astonishment from Draco as Astoria gasped and reprimanded her son.

“Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy!� she admonished.

“Apologize this second, young man,� Draco followed up.

Scorpius shuffled his feet and didn’t look at Zoe as he mumbled, “Sorry.�

Immediately after his feeble apology, Draco strode forward, yanked Scorpius to his feet, and ushered him out of the room. Astoria crouched down in front of Zoe’s chair and placed her hands upon the little girl’s knees. Only then did Severus realize that Zoe was crying.

“Zoe, sweetheart, you had every right to be upset by what Scorpius said. But it’s not true. You’re going to be a fantastic witch someday and, well, I’m sure your mum would be very proud of you no matter what,� Astoria kindly explained.

Zoe nodded slightly, but didn’t look at Astoria. Astoria pressed her lips together and watched Zoe sorrowfully before eventually rising and turning toward Severus who had continued to stare down on his daughter, completely in shock. Astoria walked forward and addressed him.

“I’m truly sorry, Severus,� she apologized, “Scorpius has been spending a lot more time with his Grandfather Lucius lately than I would prefer. But he’ll be punished for this, Draco will see to it.�

Severus could do nothing but nod. He felt detached from all else that was going on, feeling nothing but remorse and guilt. If he hadn’t forced Zoe to come tonight, she wouldn’t have had to hear that horrid little demon say such an awful thing to her and she most certainly wouldn’t be sitting here in the drawing room crying for the mother she had never known. Somehow, Severus found the ability to look up at their host.

“Yes, thank you, Astoria. I think we’ll be taking our leave shortly.�

“I understand,� Astoria said before turning away and exiting, closing the door behind her.

Severus stood for several minutes just looking at his daughter as tears streamed out of her eyes and onto the satin of her dress. She reached up and wiped her hand under her nose. She sniffled.

Knowing he needed to console his daughter, he took a tentative step toward Zoe’s chair, paused, and then closed the remaining space in two strides, conjuring a handkerchief as he walked. He crouched down in front of her as he had seen Astoria do and handed her the handkerchief, but instead of placing a reassuring hand upon the girl’s knee, he placed both hands on either chair arm. At that moment, Zoe looked up at him.

Her eyes were puffy and waterlogged but the color shining back at him startled him, for it was a brilliant, light blue rather than her normal, dark sapphire--it was her mother’s blue. Severus couldn’t help but be amazed. In her emotional state, had his daughter somehow managed to morph them to match Elizabeth’s eye color? Perhaps, it was merely a combination of the light in the room and her tears that seemed to make them a lighter shade--he couldn’t really tell. If she somehow had developed this new magical trait, however, her current color had to have been something instinctual, like an ingrained image from the few short moments Zoe had spent in her mother’s arms before being hastily snatched away as the woman faded into death--for the girl had never seen a picture of her mother in her seven short years.

“Am I in trouble?� she asked then, her bottom lip trembling.

“No,� said Severus, wiping a tear away from her cheek. “I think it is clear that you were provoked by Scorpius’s words.�

He sighed heavily. As in awe as he was with the caliber of his daughter’s magical abilities, what she had done in her anger and hurt wasn’t exactly the way he wished for her to settle any disagreements.

“Though, we shall have to have a talk about learning to control these unfocused, magical retaliations.�

Zoe nodded slightly and hiccoughed. She sat quietly for a moment. Severus noticed a deluge of tears well up in her eyes again.

“Was Mummy really a weak Muggle?� she asked shakily, a hint of desperation in her tone.

Severus opened his mouth to speak, to tell her Scorpius was a terrible little boy and didn’t know what he was talking about, but as the words came to him, he knew they wouldn’t be enough anyway. He had to answer her, though. But how do you tell a seven-year-old that humans are weak, that bodies eventually break down and die, and that sometimes people are taken away too early? Zoe would not want to hear any of that.

“Your mother was a Muggle, Zoe, you know that,� he stated, reaching up and delicately tucking a piece of her dark brown hair behind her ear, “but she was incredibly strong.�

“How do you know?�

Severus smirked.

“Because only the strongest of people are able to put up with me, I assure you--magical and Muggle alike.�

The tiny smile that played at the corner of Zoe’s mouth and the adoring eyes looking up at him were all it took for Severus to know that she was going to be fine. She reached out then and flung her arms around his neck and immediately the now-familiar warm sensation grew within Severus’s chest. He didn’t know if he would ever get used to that--perhaps, he wasn’t supposed to.

“Can we go home now?� he heard her ask, her breath causing his black hair to flutter away from his ear.

“I think so,� he said.

And with that, he wrapped his own arms around the little girl and rose to his feet, picking her up out of the chair as he went. Though she was getting almost too big to carry, Zoe settled her head down onto his shoulder as she had when she was tiny, as he walked to the large fireplace at the far end of the room. He shifted Zoe so that he was supporting her with one arm and with the other hand, he reached over, took a pinch of the Floo powder from the bowl on the mantle, and threw it into the fire.

Taking note that he would have to return on Boxing Day for their winter cloaks, Severus stepped into the emerald flames and clutched his daughter tighter as he clearly stated, “Snape residence, Spinner’s End.�