Severus Snape heard a scream and rolled over in bed; the clock read 2:48AM. "Damn those ghosts," he said out loud as he rolled back over. He heard another scream, but paid no attention, he knew if the ghost who was making this racket didn't get any attention it would stop. "MOMMY!" This scream made him sit straight up in bed. "MOMMY!" He quickly put on his robe and ran towards the screams; they were coming from Tirza's room. "MOMMY!" Snape ran to her; she was sitting up, knees pulled up to her chest, ghostly pale, shaking and crying. "Tirza, what is wrong?" "MOMMY!" she screamed.
Snape picked her up and held her close. "Tirza, tell me what is wrong?" She started fighting to be released. "Let me go! I want my mommy!" He rubbed her back. "Father is here," he told her softly. "Daddy, the dreams! The dreams!" Tirza started sobbing hysterically. "They're back, make them go away!" Snape rocked her back and forth. "Tell me Tirza, what are the dreams?" She buried her face in his shoulder, soaking his robe with her tears. "The bad ones, make them go away, please!" "What happens in the dreams?" Tirza vigorously shook her head. "Can't tell you, it's too bad, you'll hate me forever and forever." Snape was surprised at how easily the instincts to comfort came to him. "Honey, I won't be mad, I promise. But I need you to tell me."
OKAY ALL, HERE'S THE WARNING. TIRZA IS ABOUT TO TELL SNAPE THAT SHE WAS MOLESTED EIGHT MONTHS AGO. I AM NOT GOING TO GO INTO ANY REAL DETAILS, IT IS JUST IMPLIED. BUT IF ANYTHING OF THIS NATURE WILL OFFEND YOU, DON'T READ. IT'S NOT BAD THOUGH, BUT THOUGHT I HAD BETTER WARN EVERYONE.
"It's the bad ones, I can feel it again. Make it stop!" Snape stroked her hair. "Tell me more, honey." "When he did bad things to me daddy. The dreams come and I see it again and I can feel it again," she whispered. Snape felt his blood grow cold, his heart barely beating. "What bad things?" Tirza started to hiccup. "Grown up things, things not for little girls, mommy said, but he did!" She buried her face in his chest. His heart stopped. 'My god,' he thought. "So mommy put you in karate class?" She nodded. "That's why there can't be happily ever after?" She nodded, lifting her pale face with tears running down. "I need my bag. Pink bag with medicine."
Snape remembered the bag from when she had her allergic reaction. With her still in his arms, he grabbed it from his desk and then sat again on the bed. Tirza's hands were shaking as she reached into the bag and pulled out a bottle. She opened it and took out a small blue pill and swallowed it. "Daddy, I'm scared." Snape kissed her head. "Don't be scared, I will protect you." A few minutes later, the shaking stopped and some color returned to her cheeks.
Snape sat and held her for nearly an hour as she cried and told him the terrible story of how it happened and how the dreams plagued her, making her relive the terrifying experience. Her crying subsided and she started to yawn. "Do you want to try and sleep again?" he softly asked. "No!" she shouted. "I'm never ever ever gonna sleep again!" Snape suddenly had an idea. "What if I gave you a medicine that will help you sleep and not have any dreams? It is a special wizard medicine that takes away all dreams, even bad ones." Tirza eyed him suspiciously. "Are you sure I won't have dreams?" "I promise." She thought for a moment, and then nodded. "Only if you stay with me until I fall asleep, okay?" "Of course." Snape kissed her forehead and, still holding her, went to find the Dreamless Sleep Potion. Before giving it to her, he bewitched it to taste like chocolate. She drank it quickly. "Wow, that's good." nape carried her back to her room and tucked her in; he sat next to her and with one hand held hers, the other stroking her hair. Her eyes quickly began to droop. "I love you daddy," she whispered before falling a sleep.
Snape felt angrier than he had ever felt in his life. How could some horrible boy do this to HIS daughter while she was on a fieldtrip? Who could do that to any child? He wanted to throw up as he thought of what Tirza must be going through. He also thought of every horrible curse he could use against the bastard that did this. Of course he didn't know who it was or how to calm down. 'Well,' he thought. 'If I can talk to anyone about this, it's Dumbledore.' He quickly apparated outside the headmaster's chambers and banged on the door. The tired old wizard look surprised to see an angry Severus at his door at almost four in the morning. "I need to talk to you, in my quarters. It is urgent." Dumbledore nodded and both wizards apparated into Snape's sitting room.