Double Time



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Simone stood in front of the desk in McGonegal’s study. She’d called her here. Simone knew she’d be in trouble for it, but why was McGonegal calling her? Why wouldn’t her OWN head of house deal with her? She tugged at her collar, already having had her tie taken earlier.

"Well, Miss Palermo, are you ready?"

"Yes, Professor."

"Very good. You can remove your robes and come here in front of the desk." The girl did as she was told, and stood on shaky feet looking up into the penetrating eye of the Gryffindor Head of House.

"You know that that the type of behavior you displayed today is not permitted, Miss Palermo. I don’t know what could have possessed you to behave in such a way, but I intend to insure that it does NOT happen again." McGonegal spoke brusquely, removing her own flowing robes and opening the small drawer in her desk.

Simone gasped when she saw McGonegal’s hand draw out the thin, wicked-looking strap. She took a breath, and swallowed hard, watching the Headmistress run it once through her hand before walking round the desk. She couldn’t believe this was happening! Of course, she’d heard some of the boys joking about getting thrashed, but she hadn’t believed it. Now, she wished she had.

"Now then, right over. Put your elbows down on the desk. And keep still." McGonegal’s voice picked its' way into her thoughts and Simone whimpered. Then she gasped and moved to stand. McGonegal had taken the hem of her skirt and was lifting it!

"Professor!" she wailed.

"Stay down, Miss Palermo. Perhaps you’ll remember to behave in a more acceptable manner in future." McGonegal tucked the hem of the skirt into the waistband and wasted not a single moment before she swung.

"Ah!" Simone cried out at the very first blow. She would have cried out at the second, but the fourth had already fallen before she’d caught her breath. Merlin! The old bat was laying them on quick!

McGonegal kept her stern face throughout the relatively quick strapping, and looked with satisfaction at the bits of red left by the twelve sharp strokes. There were a few lines visible outside and below the edges of the knickers of the now tearful girl. She lifted the edge of the skirt down over Simone’s bottom again, and touched her arm.

"Stand up now please. Sign here." Simone stood, and dashed at the tears on her cheeks before taking the quill thrust out to her. She scrawled her name and stood uneasily before McGonegal nodded once, and dismissed her. But there an odd expression had flickered across the Professor's face before she rolled the parchment and put it away.

"You may go now , Miss Palermo."

Simone barely muttered the "yes, Professor" as she snatched her robes and dashed out the door.

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"Follow me, Miss Palermo." The deep rumbling voice of Professor Snape made her tremble inside and out, but Madeleine followed quickly, unwilling to anger him further. She wondered why she had been called here. Usually McGonegal preferred to deal with students of her house herself and Besides, at least if she'd been called to McGonegal's study, she could have gotten her tie back. true she never tied it properly, but at least it was ON.

Snape gestured to the desk and she moved to stand in front of it. "Robes off, and bend over there, Miss Palermo. Reach right over to the far side. Such foolishness as you have committed will NOT be allowed here. I intend to convince you to never do such again. Or to at least have the sense not to get caught."

Madeleine sighed but laid her robes over the desk chair and bent quickly, reaching across. Snape slid his robes off, and laid them to the side. Madeleine closed her eyes and concentrated on holding tight to the desk. Her head snapped up, however, when she felt the cool fingers of the Potions Master at the edge of her skirt.

"Stay down, Miss Palarmo," Snape rumbled, annoyed. "I can’t very well see what I’m doing if all this is in the way, now can I. You should be thankful I’m only giving you four today." He folded it over her back and stepped to draw the thin cane from it’s hiding place. Madeleine almost rolled her eyes at the sly cleverness of it. Hidden in plain sight, in a small hole in the wall. She looked back down at the desk as Snape stepped behind her.

"Now then, are you ready? Count out."

He wasted no time, and swung. Madeleine gasped as the line of fire made it’s presence known. "One.." Snape continued, and so did she, counting each one. He laid them hard, but she stayed still, her voice breaking on the last count as she dissolved into quiet tears. Snape slid the cane back into its' place and tugged her skirt back down.

"Stand up now, Miss Palermo," he said smoothly, holding out her robes in one hand and a quill in another. "Sign here, please." Madeleine took her robes and rubbed a hand across her cheeks as she scribbled her name at the bottom of the report. She slid her robes on, and looked up just as Snape fixed her with a particularly piercing glare. "Go on then. Back to your rooms. This is done. You’ll get your tie back tomorrow."

Madeleine scurried back to her rooms, passing Simone along the way. She stopped, staring at Simone. Her eyes were red and puffy. Simone looked quizzically at her sister, whose eyes were equally red and puffy. "Madeleine? What…"

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McGonegal’s face flickered in the Floo-fire of Snape’s rooms. "Madeliene was fighting. What did YOURS do?"

"Cheating," Snape said, frowning.

"Four of the cane for cheating? from YOU?"

"Come now, Minerva. You know how highly I require my students to perform. Dishonesty has it’s place. The classroom is NOT that place."

McGonegal nodded. "True. And I’m surprised young Mister Morgan isn’t missing an ear. Madeleine IS bold though. He’s nearly twice her size. Perhaps the Palermo twins should wear hair ribbons?"

Snape sniffed disapprovingly. "Perhaps they should be reprimanded for not being in proper uniform. If they'd been in their sweaters we would have known. they never Do wear the things. and the way YOUR Miss Palermo wears her tie is atrocious."

"YOUR Miss Palermo has quite an interesting colour choice in socks, you might notice, Severus. In just the past week, I've seen hot pink, orange, and some plummy colour with sparkles."

He quirked his eyebrow in thought. "I’ll deal with my Palermo, Minerva, about proper attire, if you deal with yours."

"Fair enough, Severus. And what will your Uniform discussion entail?"

"Not the cane, though something else might be in order. Twenty points for shaming the house... perhaps a day's detention."

McGonegal considered this, and smiled. "Usually, Severus, twins switch on purpose. This time, I think they’ll take pains on their OWN to ensure this doesn’t happen again!"

Snape let a rare grin creep across his face. "I think, Minerva, they have pains enough already!"

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