The Stars on the Staircase

Pervasive Pretense about Punitive Punishments

By Monday morning some form of Peeves' song was becoming a rumour that was rapidly spreading. I didn't have to face it directly until the break between first period and second where a cohort of fellow 7th years from two houses gathered in the courtyard for our little break.

Two of the boys from the other house approached my girl friends and I. "Did you hear about Snape and the spanking" one asked, in a hush.

"No! What!?" Demanded my friend.

"Right so apparently, old Sevvie likes to give girls an old school spankin' when they are bad instead of taking an 'ouse point."

"You're joking!" My friend exclaims

The boys insist they aren't and tell the tale again only with more embellishment. They ham it up, enjoying the attention of the group of girls. It amuses me a little extra, knowing these embellishments come from nothing.

"Can you imagine? What would you even say if he spanked you?" My friends looked at me, since I'm usually ready with a witty rejoinder. I almost panic, they can't know it was me that got the smack.

"Excuse me Professor but if you're quite through with my punishment could you kindly move your erection out of my way so I can leave?" I joke and my friends start to burst into laughter but it spontaneously dies on their lips. I turn to see the Professor himself passing through the courtyard behind me. Had he heard?

"I would think." He said, striding up to our group with frightening calm. " that a group of 7th years would understand that rumours..." He glared at me pointedly "are dangerous and foolish to repeat. I hope that when you leave these halls and find work that you will remember this situation and behave differently. 25 points from each of you. "And you." He stared down his nose at me "Detention tonight at 7:00. Now you can find out if the rumours you choose to repeat are true. You had better hope for your sake they are not." He left with a scathing look at me that left me somewhere between humiliated and horrifically aroused, a confusing pallet of feelings. Merlin, please let him spank me. Oh please let him not really be angry. He can still spank me though.

He strode off, and all my friends couldn't wait till he was out of ear shot to react. The boys jumped up and pantomimed, one bent over the other spanking back and forth across his rear while he moved his mouth into silent mock cries of horror. As soon as they were satisfied he was out of earshot they exploded into laughter and mocking.

"Girl! You are gonna get spanked so hard tonight!"

"You said the wrong thing at the exact wrong time!"

"Do you think he is gonna bend you over his knee or just make you grab your ankles?"

"You are all so very funny and I hope you all get detention and so we can all get spanked together, you asses." I say sarcastically.

The day passes with me worrying that Severus is mad at me instead of being flooded with desire for once. I ate a light dinner, my belly a little upset, worried what he would say when he saw me, but still, eager to get it over with. He had to know I was just trying to react as my classmates were reacting. To blend in, and not be suspicious. To have said nothing would have been more noticeable than to make a joke.

As I cross the threshold to his classroom he slips into my mind immediately. "There she is my naughty one. Here to be punished."

"I'm sorry. Had to pretend to be one of the gang. Avoid suspicion." I think, walking down to the front and placing my bag on a table before approaching him at his desk.

There is a group of first year girls doing some horrible work removing bloat worms from old vials. More than one of the girls looks like she might cry. "Where do you want me, Professor?" I ask.