Ginny sat next to her husband for several more moments, thinking about everything that had occurred during the day. She sighed as she felt Harry rubbing her back.

“What is wrong, Love?” Harry asked her.

“I am just thinking about how we are going to punish the boys. I don’t feel right about punishing Severus, Harry. While I don’t condone physical fighting from our children, I believe that Severus was in his own rights. Until he stands up for himself against Sirius, he is never going to be happy and Sirius is never going to leave him alone. While I do not think that we should commend him for hitting Sirius, we should not punish him either. We can talk to him about ways to control his anger instead of hitting, but I am not feel comfortable making him sit and write lines with Sirius, who attacked him without reason all day.” Ginny told him.

Harry looked at her.

“Are you sure that is what we need to do?” Harry asked, concern written all over his face.

“Harry, I am not going to let Sirius treat him like he did the first go around. I refuse to let that happen!” Ginny told her husband sternly.

“Love, I don’t want that either, but can we really condone hitting? Regardless of the circumstances?” Harry asked.

“Harry, that is not what this is about and you know it! We are not condoning Severus physically getting even with someone because we will talk to him about ways to better control his anger. We, however, are not going to punish him more by making him sit in the same room with Sirius, when Sirius’ offense was so much greater than his. He pranked him continuously today, and not one of those pranks was funny. Not only that, but we told the boys what we expected from them when they opened those pranks this morning. Obviously, they are still too young to have them, and that, too, will be taken care of.” Ginny growled.

There were many things that Ginny Potter would accept, but her children being hurt for the pleasure of another was not one of them, even if the one doing the hurting was another of her children. She would not accept that, no matter what the reason.

And, currently, Sirius was pushing her patience. What he had done was selfish and there had been no reason for it.

“Gin, Sirius was wrong, I agree with that, but won’t we be sending a mixed message to the boys if we let Severus off?” Harry asked, though it was obvious that he was doing so cautiously.

“No. It will not be. Because, Harrison Potter, Severus will be punished, but differently. We have to make sure that the punishment fits the crime. Why are you so set with those two boys having a punishment together?”

“I want them to get along, Gin. They are brothers now.”

“Harry! Forcing them to be in the same room together is not a punishment! It is torture! For both of them, and they will not go through that! We cannot make them love, or even like one another, but we have to make damn sure that they know that regardless of their feelings for one another, we are always going to love them.” Ginny hissed this at her husband, and it was quite obvious to Harry, at that moment, that he had overstepped some invisible boundary that the mother had with her children.

He had, however, thought that he was right. Now, he was not so sure.

“Gin, Love…”

“Do not dare ‘Gin, Love’ me! Harry, think about the life you lived! The life with your Aunt, Uncle, and cousin! Think about it! Think about Harry Hunting. How is that any different from what happened to Severus today, Harry? If you would have been able to get even, would you not have? Did you not, in the end, get even with Dudley? Even if they were only mind games?”

At that, Harry looked down, a light red blush covering his cheeks. Yes, he had played endless mind games with Dudley so that the overweight boy would leave him alone during his tortuous summers on Privet Drive, and had he been able to match Dudley, he may very well have hit him. He had stopped after the Dementors before fifth year because Dudley had somewhat changed. But, was it really the same thing that Severus was going through?

“Yes, Harry, it is the exact same thing. I won’t punish him unjustly for it. If, however, he does hit someone after we talk to him, yes, he should be punished. But not this time.” Ginny said.

“Okay. I see where you are going….”

“Good. I am going to check on the boys.” Ginny said as she stood up and walked out the door.

She still wasn’t happy with him. That was his own fault, he knew, and he would have to make it up to her eventually.

Right now, though, he knew that if he valued his life, he would leave her alone for the time being.

~sdrawkcab~

The afternoon continued slowly and painfully.

The boys had all woke up and had been told their punishments. Sirius was now on line ten of his punishment, even though he had been writing for over an hour. He had already been warned once that if he didn’t make progress, he would just be making his punishment longer.

Severus was reading a potions book in the study, waiting on Harry and Ginny, but only after being reassured by his Mummy that he was not getting a spanking. The other two boys were in their rooms, which, sadly (to them) were both void of all non-educational toys and books.

“We need to go talk to Severus before Mum brings Alby back through the Floo.” Ginny said.

Harry could tell that his wife was still miffed at him, so he obediently got and followed her to the study.

As they entered, Severus looked up. He smiled at Ginny, but frowned at Harry. Unbeknownst to both adults, Severus had heard some of their earlier conversation.

“I will not talk to, Potter.” Severus hissed.

His words hit Harry like a ton of bricks. No longer was he ‘Daddy’ to Severus, but once again, he had lost the child’s trust and was merely ‘Potter.’ Harry would be lying if he said that those words hadn’t stung like a whip against bare flesh.

“Potter, I demand that you leave! I will not discuss anything with you!” Severus yelled across the room.

Ginny quickly walked over to her son and sat beside him, taking him immediately in her lap and turning him to face her.

“You will stop this, Severus. Harry is your father and you will show him respect, regardless of what memories you are using. Am I understood?” Ginny asked him.

Severus scowled at his mother.

“I don’t want to talk to him! He only takes the Mutt’s side!” Severus screamed. He fought his instincts to cry. His five year old side wanted it, though.

Ginny smacked Severus’ leg lightly to get his attention and to let him know that he was close to being punished.

With that smack, however, Severus burst into tears and wrapped his arms around Ginny’s neck.

“I don’t want to talk to him!” He sobbed.

Harry started to turn around, a look of defeat on his face.

“No, Harry. You will stay. We are going to have this discussion together.” Ginny said.

Really? How could the man and boys in her life be so absolutely clueless? It was times like these that she honestly hoped that she was carrying a girl this time. These were also the times in which she wondered how her poor mother made it out alive raising so many boys.

Harry walked over and sat opposite of Ginny and Severus. He looked at Severus, who peeked around at Harry.

“You want to punish me because you like Black more. You are no better than I was.” Severus stated through his tears.

Harry cleared his throat uncomfortably.

“That is not true, Sev. I just want you and Sirius to get along.” Harry said lightly.

“No. That is not true! I defended myself against him! He ruined the first good Christmas that I have ever had and because I punched his stupid nose so that he would leave me alone, I am in just in as much trouble as he is. Which, really isn’t fair because he made me sick, ruined my present from Grammy, and got me and Mummy covered in paint and ruined my book. All I did was punch him!” Severus said.

Harry sighed. He knew, in the back of his mind that he was definitely at fault in this situation.

“Severus, I apologize. I should not have grouped you with Sirius in this situation, but you must understand that you cannot hit when you get angry.” Harry said.

“I was not angry.” Severus said with complete clarity and calmness.

“What do you mean, Sev?” Ginny asked him.

“I was not angry, I was upset! He hurt me! I thought he was starting to like me and think about me as Severus, not Snivillus! Now, I hate him. I will never trust him!” Severus began crying with earnest, great wracking sobs that made Harry feel even worse about the situation.

“Severus, I am sorry that you had to feel that way, and I promise that things will get better. You and Sirius are still getting used to one another, but it will take some time. I do apologize for being inconsiderate of your feelings.” Harry said.

Severus sniffed.

“Severus, right now, our main concern with you…only you…is that you understand why it is not okay to hit another person and ways that you can better control your anger.” Ginny told him.

“I know that I am not supposed to hit people.” Severus mumbled.

“What else can you do? Instead of lashing out physically when you are angry?” Ginny asked him. Harry continued to look at the little boy.

“I don’t know. I guess I could come talk to you. Or Grammy. But not him. Can I go to my room now?” Severus asked.

Ginny sighed.

“How about, if I let you go to your room, you think of ten things you can do instead of hitting when you are angry, write them down, and then show them to me at dinner.” Ginny said to him. It wasn’t a harsh punishment, but one that would allow Severus to think about what he had done and ways to refrain from doing so in the future.

“Okay. May I leave now?”

“Yes, you may.” Ginny told him and watched as he quickly left the room.

“I messed up, Gin.” Harry said, as he watched the door that Severus had just walked through, knowing that, unfortunately, he was probably back to step one with the little boy.