There were three weeks left till the end of school and then came summer. I couldn't wait, even though I liked school, not like some of the other kids in my class, who hated it. But in the summer, I could play with my friends all day long and Dad worked shorter office hours and Alaina was off too, so she could watch us sometimes and when I was over her house, I could pretend, a little, that I had a mum again. ‘Course I never told anybody that I was doing that, I still called her Alaina (she'd told me I could call her by her first name, ‘stead of Mrs. Montague) and never Mum, but it was nice to pretend even for a few hours that I had a mother like most kids my age.

There was a Mother's Day breakfast planned at my school a week from this Saturday and I wouldn't be able to go, since I had no mother to go with me. Unless I asked Lexy if I could borrow her mum, and we could both go with her. But I hadn't had a chance to ask her yet, she was spending the night over Hermione's tonight and then she'd be staying at my house for the weekend. Alaina had to go to some teacher's conference, which dad told me is like a big seminar and all the teachers go to it and discuss different things about how to teach and what to teach. She asked Dad if he wouldn't mind watching Lexy for her, since Hermione was going away for the weekend to see her grandparents in Devon. Dad agreed, so now Lexy could be with me for the weekend.

I was quite excited, I'd never had a friend sleep over before, and Dad said we could go to see a movie as well as visit Grandpa that weekend, if we behaved ourselves during the day, that is. Otherwise, we'd get time-out and an early bedtime. I had the weekend all planned, we would go to Spinner's End, and Grandpa and Dad would take us fishing up by the big lake near Hogwarts. I would make sure to warn Lexy about the poison ivy, so she didn't end up with an awful rash on her bum like I had last time. Then we would go to a movie at night. On Sunday we could go to the park near Spinner's End and play there and later on at night we could play Monopoly with Dad and tag with Inky, who was now almost as big as Bagheera, the panther in The Jungle Book movie. It was going to be a great weekend.

But Friday night wasn't so good. Stupid Miss Wilkins gave us homework over the weekend, she never does that, and I didn't feel like doing it at all. But Dad said I had to, because once Lexy came, we'd forget about schoolwork, and then it would have to get done Sunday night. I was all for doing it on Sunday, but Dad said no, I was going to do it tonight.

"But D-a-a-d!" I whined, for I was mad at him for making me do the dumb homework and mad at Miss Wilkins for giving it to us in the first place. "Why can't I just do it on Sunday?"

"Because you'll never remember to do it on Sunday, after Lexy goes home. You'll be tired and cranky and then you'll end up with a zero. So, you'll do it now, this way it's over and done with and you have the weekend free to do whatever you want."

Maybe that made sense to him, but right then I was sick of school, sick of homework, and I wanted to go and play with Inky. "I don't wanna do it now, Dad!" I cried, giving him my best Snape stare. "I'll do it later. I'm going to play with Inky." I pushed the chair away from the table and started to leave the kitchen.

Dad caught me though. "Hold it, mister! First you finish your homework, then you get to play."

I stamped a foot on the ground. "Later, Dad! I'm sick of school and we never get homework on the weekend, Miss Wilkins is dumb for giving it, and I don't feel like doing it now."

"Too bad, because you are. Now go back and sit down."

I shook my head stubbornly. "No - o-o! I hate homework! It's stupid."

Dad crossed his arms over his chest and gave me a Look. "Harry, don't make me count to three. Go and do your homework, now."

"It's no fair! We never get homework on Friday," I pouted. "That's the rule."

"Harry, quit whining and just do it." Dad ordered. "One."

I remained where I was, for I was mad as blazes. Why did I always have to do what Dad said? Why couldn't I do what I wanted for once? Homework on Fridays was stupid, stupid, stupid!

"Two." Dad pointed back at the table. "Better move it, scamp. You know what happens if I get to three."

I did. But right then I didn't care. It was a beautiful Friday afternoon and the last thing I wanted was to be stuck inside doing math and reading and spelling. It wasn't fair! Everybody knew Friday meant no homework. It was Friday, by Merlin's hat!

Dad ran out of patience then. "Three."

Still I didn't move, but all my stubbornness got me was more trouble. "Find a corner and stand there, young man. You've earned yourself a good twenty minutes for not listening and arguing."

I dragged my feet, for I hated time-out with a passion. It's the most boring thing on earth and I hate being still for longer than five minutes, unless I'm sleeping. I found a corner of the kitchen that was free and stood there, staring at the wall, scowling.

Dad set a timer, same as he always does, then went to fix us dinner. He stayed right in the kitchen, so there was no way I could wriggle about or turn around, and every time I moved he yelled at me, "Be still and eyes front, Harry. You know my rule for time-out."

I sighed and did what he had ordered. I wished the corner I'd picked wasn't so boring. Dad's rule for time-out was you couldn't talk or move during it, unless it was an emergency, like using the bathroom.

The twenty minutes passed so slowly it was a miracle I didn't fall asleep standing up. But I knew better than to move again, else I'd get another five minutes. But finally the buzzer rang and Dad said I could leave the corner, go straight to the table, and start my homework, no arguments, else no fishing trip tomorrow.

"Fine, sir!" I grumbled sulkily, and went to do my stupid homework. I couldn't wait till I was grown-up and nobody could tell me what to do ever again.

By the time dinner was done, I had most of it done, and the only thing I had left was a single page in my spelling workbook to do. "You can finish up after dinner, Harry," Dad said. "Put your books away and go wash up."

I was happy to obey that command, and soon I was eating tuna casserole, which was one of my favorites, and telling Dad all about how I'd planned the weekend with Lexy. Then I finished my homework and Dad said I could go play with Inky before I took a bath and had a bedtime story. I was still a little mad at Miss Wilkins though, for giving me homework and nearly ruining my weekend.

* * * * * *

Lexy and Alaina arrived bright and early the next morning, Lexy had brought her special pillow with her that smelled like lavender and her stuffed kitten, a fluffy white one called Misty, that she slept with every night. "Hi, Harry!" she greeted, holding her pillow in one hand and Misty in the other.

"You're just in time for breakfast, Lexy! Have a seat," Dad waved her to the table. "I hope you like waffles and sausage."

"I love them, Healer Sev!" She dropped her pillow on the floor and ran to have a seat next to me along with Misty.

"Do you have time for breakfast, Alaina? Or do you have to leave right away?" asked my father, looking over his shoulder at Lexy's mum.

"Uh, I probably should get going, Sev, it's a bit of a drive down to the hotel, but . . .oh what the heck, I'm hungry too and those waffles smell divine." She set her purse down next to Lexy's bag and came to sit down also. She was dressed in a pretty pink dress and matching shoes with heels.

Dad floated plates with waffles and sausage to the table and we started eating. Alaina loved them, most everyone loves Dad's cooking, and said I was very lucky that my dad could cook so well. "My ex-husband couldn't even boil water, and I did most of the cooking back then. Where did you learn how to cook, Sev?"

"My mother taught me some, Lily showed me how to bake, and the rest I learned on my own," answered Dad, taking seconds of the waffles.

"I really appreciate you watching Lexy, Sev," Alaina said, smiling at Dad. "Otherwise I would've had to hire a sitter, and there aren't too many that will work for two days straight. You're a lifesaver, Healer Snape."

"It's no trouble, Alaina," Dad said, giving her a quick kiss. "Harry and I enjoy having Lexy over, we've planned a fishing trip with my dad and a movie for today."

"Wow! I've never been fishing before," Lexy told me. "My dad always said he was gonna take me, but he never did. He never did a lot of things."

"Sounds like you're going to have some fun, snuggle bug," Alaina grinned at her daughter. "Just remember, you listen to Severus and do what he says, because he's in charge until I come back and pick you up. So what he says goes, Alexis, am I understood?"

"Yes, Mom."

"That's my girl. Sev, if she misbehaves, you have my permission to discipline her like you would Harry," Alaina told Dad.

"I would hope that wouldn't be necessary," Dad said, slowly sipping a cup of coffee. "However, I won't hesitate to put you in time-out along with Harry if you do, Miss Montague."

"I'll be good, Healer Sev." Lexy promised.

"And how did yours react to the Friday homework assignment, Alaina?" asked Dad. "Mine pitched a fit and earned himself a twenty minute time-out before he agreed to do it at all."

"Homework on Fridays is stupid!" I said, embarrassed that Dad had to bring that up now. I thought he'd forgotten about it.

"Harry, sometimes teachers need to give homework on weekends," Alaina said. "Because they only have so much time to go over things in class and you need to learn a subject more thoroughly, so they give you homework to make sure you've learned it the way you should."

"But we never got homework on Fridays before. Miss Wilkins broke the rule!" I pouted.

"Sometimes, Harry, rules are meant to be broken," Alaina told me. Then she turned to her daughter. "Have a good time with Sev and Harry, sweetheart. I'll be back on Sunday to pick you up. Love you." She bent to hug and kiss Lexy.

"Love you too, Mom. Have a good time at the hotel, okay?" Lexy kissed Alaina back and hugged her for a long while.

"I will. Bye, Sev. Bye, Harry." Alaina hugged and kissed me too and Dad, but him she gave a real kiss, on the lips. Yuck! Sometimes grown-ups are disgusting.

Once Alaina had left, Dad asked if we were done with breakfast. We were, so then he told me to show Lexy where she could put her bag, he'd transfigured a chair into a bed for her in my room.

"Once I'm done cleaning up here, we're going to head to your grandfather's," Dad said, waving his wand at the dishes, which immediately flew into the sink and started to wash themselves.

"I love that spell!" Lexy said, watching the dishes and smiling.

"C'mon. You can see dishes get washed any old time," I said, and tugged her down the hallway to my room.

* * * * * *

Grandpa had baited both mine and Lexy's hooks and we were standing about four feet away from each other, lines cast, waiting for a fish to bite. Dad was fishing a ways upstream from us and Grandpa was somewhere inbetween, so he could keep an eye on us and Dad, he said.

"Whoever catches the biggest fish wins," I told Lexy. "And then the losers get to cook lunch."

"But Harry, I don't know how to cook anything ‘cept toast and oatmeal, and only the instant kind of that," Lexy said worriedly.

"Don't worry. Dad'll help you, if he doesn't win and if he does then me an' Grandpa will. They know how to fry fish, all I do is watch, mostly."

"How will I know when a fish eats my worm?"

"You'll know. It'll pull real hard."

"If you get a bite, sweetie, let me know and I'll come help you," called Grandpa from down the bank.

"Okay, Mr. Toby," answered Lexy. Grandpa had said she could call him Toby instead of Mr. Snape if she wanted, but she said her mum wouldn't like it if she called an adult by their first name, so she called my grandpa Mr. Toby.

I was hoping to catch a gi-normous trout the way I did last time. But so far I'd been holding my pole for twenty minutes (it felt like forever, but Grandpa said it'd only been twenty minutes) and I hadn't gotten a single bite.

"What's wrong with the fish today?" I asked with a huge sigh.

"Patience, minnow. Sometimes the fish are sleeping," Grandpa said. Nothing had bit his line either.

I didn't want the fish to be sleeping, that was no fun. So I decided to wake them up. "Hey, fish!" I yelled. "Wake up, you lazy arses!"

Oops! I hadn't meant to say arse out loud, just think it.

"Harry James Severus!" came Dad's angry voice. "Watch your language, young man! You want to eat soap for lunch?"

"No, sir." I said quickly. "Sorry."

Lexy flashed me an amused glance, but said nothing, concentrating on her pole.

"Quiet, kid," Grandpa ordered, frowning at me thunderously. "You yell like that and you'll scare the fish away for good and then we won't have anything to eat for lunch."

I knew there were sandwiches and drinks in the cooler just in case, but I also knew better than to act like a smart aleck in front of Grandpa, so all I said was, "Yes, sir. But I was trying to wake them up since you said they were sleeping."

"Minnow, you wake up a fish by jiggling the bait on your line, not by screaming cuss words so loud they can hear you in America." Grandpa shook his head, and wriggled his line to show us how it was done.

Just then a fish pulled his line and he began to reel it in.

"You got one, Mr. Toby! You got one!" Lexy was so excited she was hopping up and down.

Grandpa reeled it in expertly. "Not bad." He held up the fish to show us. "Hey, Sev. You have any luck?"

"Not yet." Dad looked back at us and saw Grandpa holding up the fish. "First catch of the day, huh? Put him in here," He pointed to the spelled bag he had near his foot that would keep the fish cold so we could eat it later.

Grandpa moved to put his fish in the bag, and that was when Lexy felt a huge tug on her line.

"Harry!" she shrieked. "I . . .I think I got one! It's pulling real hard!" She was gripping the pole with both hands, for her line was pulled tight out into the middle of the lake. "Help!"

I ran over and tried to help, but I could only use one hand and the fish was fighting like crazy.

"Help, Mr. Toby! The fish's pulling my pole into the lake!"

"Hang on, Lexy! I'm coming!"

Grandpa raced down to us and took the pole from her, reeling in the big trout easily. "Well, look here, missy! A fine big one you've got here. You're a natural fisherman, Lexy!"

The trout was as big as the one I'd caught the last time we'd fished here.

Lexy was beaming from ear to ear. "I got a big one, Harry! See? See?"

"That's nice, Lex," I said, unable to feel very happy since now she was beating me. I began to pray that I caught one soon. I jiggled my line and waited. C'mon, you dumb fish. Wake up and smell the worms!

But no fish was biting my line. Two minutes later Dad got one too, and I was feeling very sorry for myself. Everyone had a fish but me.

Grandpa caught another and so did Dad and Lexy, but so far not one had nibbled on my line.

I groaned. "Why aren't I getting any?"

"Let me check your line, Harry," said Grandpa, and he pulled my line in.

There was no worm on the hook. "Ah. You had a clever one come and steal your bait, kid. But we'll fix that." Grandpa put another worm on my hook and a red feather lure as well. "Now we'll see if they won't come, Harry."

Together, we re-cast the line.

"Here you go, minnow." He handed the line back to me and went back to his spot.

A minute later, Lexy got another one, and this one was another keeper.

I was steamed. She was doing better than me and I was the one who knew how to fish!

"Didja get one yet, Harry?" she asked, like she didn't know perfectly well I hadn't.

"No," I growled.

"Oh. Well, you can have one of mine."

"Don't want one of your dumb fish," I snapped. "I want one of my own!"

"Okay, be that way!" she cried, and turned her back to me.

"Just shut up!" I shouted, mad as all get out that a girl was better than me, even if she was my best friend.

"What's going on over there?" Grandpa asked. "Harry, why are you yelling at your friend?"

Before I could answer, Lexy said, "He's mad ‘cause he didn't catch any fish and I did."

"Am not! You're just a dumb girl, what do you know?"

"More than you!" Lexy yelled back. "And don't call me dumb!"

"Boys are smarter than girls," I shouted, it was something the twins had said to Ginny once.

"Are not! That's a big fat lie, Harry Potter!" Lexy was glaring at me fit to kill.

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"Settle down, the pair of you!" Grandpa roared, and we both froze.

"What in Merlin's name is going on here?" Dad demanded, setting down his pole and coming over to us. "Sounds like the Second Wizard War. Harry, why are you shouting at Lexy?"

I looked down at the ground and didn't answer, knowing I was in trouble.

"Healer Sev, he's jealous ‘cause I caught more fish than he did," Lexy chimed in and I wanted to take the fish and slap her one. "And he called me a dumb girl too!" She sniffled.

"Harry, is that true?" Dad frowned at me. "You know how I feel about name calling, young man. Well? Answer me."

"Yes," I said to the ground. Now I felt sort of bad, since I knew I'd hurt Lexy's feelings.

"You owe Lexy an apology. How would you feel if someone called you dumb?"

"I wouldn't like it," I admitted.

"Then don't call anyone else names. What's my rule, Harry?"

I heaved a sigh. "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." I recited.

"Good. And how about the one for friends?"

"Treat others the way you want to be treated."

"Looks like you've forgotten them, wouldn't you say? And if you can't fish without getting mad because someone else catches more than you, maybe you ought to sit over by that tree for fifteen minutes and think about your behavior. This is supposed to be fun, not a competition. Lexy is your friend, and this is how you treat her? By calling her names? Is that nice?"

"No, sir." Now I felt even worse. But I was still jealous over Lexy's good fortune and so I said, "But I wanted to be the one to catch the biggest fish, Dad. Like last time."

"You're being greedy, minnow," Grandpa said, coming up behind Dad and frowning. "There's enough fish in the lake for everyone."

"Then how come I don't have any? It's no fair."

"That's how life goes sometimes, kid. You win some and you lose some. Last time, you beat both me and Sev, Harry. But this time it's Lexy's turn."

I scowled. I wanted to catch a fish, even if it wasn't the biggest.

"Harry, we're not stopping yet, so you have time to catch one," Dad pointed out. "Now quit being a spoilsport and go back and fish."

"Why? I won't catch anything anyhow," I sulked.

"If you're going to be a sulky brat, you might as well go and sit in time-out for fifteen minutes," Dad said, and he gave me one of his I'm-very-disappointed-in-you looks.

"Fine!" I threw down my pole and stalked over to the tree he pointed to. I'd rather sit in time-out then keep fishing and catching nothing and having Lexy beat me.

"Harry, come back here and pick that pole up," Grandpa ordered, and he sounded mad enough to take me over his knee. "I don't care what kind of snit you're in, you don't throw my fishing poles around like that."

I turned around, my lower lip trembling, and looked questioningly at Dad.

"Do as he says, Harry."

I went back and picked up my pole and then Grandpa told me to lean it up against the cooler and then I could go stare at the tree for fifteen minutes the way Dad said.

I did, angry and ashamed and upset all at once. I had been glad Lexy had come fishing with us this morning, but now I wished she hadn't. I knew that I was being mean and selfish and acting like a brat, but I couldn't seem to help myself. Nothing was turning out like I'd planned.

So I stared at the rough tree bark and the little insects that crawled on it for fifteen minutes and wished I'd caught at least one fish, like the rest of them. I sulked and pouted until Grandpa came and told me I was off my punishment.

"But you still need to apologize to your friend, Harry. You've been treating her terribly, you know."

"Don' care," I muttered, not looking him in the eye.

"No? You going to let a few fish ruin your friendship? Now that's just plain silly, Mr. Potter. Come here, I think it's time we had a little talk."

He led me over to where we had the cooler and put me up on top of the flat boulder nearby, then he stood in front of me, and I could see that he was disappointed with me, just like Dad was. I hung my head and sniffed, blinking back tears.

"Now then, mister. When you asked Lexy to come fishing with you, did you say I want her there because she's my friend, or because I need another kid around to brag to about how good I am at fishing?"

"Because she's my friend."

"That's what I thought. You wanted her here so you could have a good time with her. Only now you're jealous because she's caught more fish than you, right?"

"I guess so."

"Yup, you're mighty jealous, since last time you were the best fisherman. Only today looks like your luck's changed. Now, the way I see it, you can do one of two things about it. You can sulk and act like a jealous little brat and make yourself and everyone else miserable, or you can pick up your pole and get back out there and see if you can get a fish to bite and don't worry about how many fish Lexy has, or I have, or your dad, and just have fun, like last time. Because that's why I brought you on this fishing trip, so you could have fun, not so you could make it into a contest."

"But you and Dad started the contest," I argued.

"Yeah, but Sev and I aren't really trying to beat each other, we're playing for fun. It doesn't matter to me if he catches a bigger fish, or if I do, since it's only a game."

"But the loser has to cook lunch."

"Yeah, but that doesn't bother me none, Harry. Or your dad, since we both like cooking. So even if I lose, I won't get all sore over it, y'see? Because it's not winning or losing that matters, it's being here with all of you. I like spending time with my family more than I do winning any bet with Severus. Do you understand what I'm getting at, Harry?"

Slowly, I nodded. "Yeah. You're saying I should just be friends with Lexy again and not make a big deal over who's got the bigger fish."

"Right. Your friendship is more important than any old trout. Now, get your bum over there and tell her your sorry, mister," he growled, then he lifted me off the rock and sent me off towards the lake with a swat to my backside.

Lexy looked up when I came over, it looked like she had been crying. I felt really bad, I hadn't meant to make her cry. Well .. . maybe only a little. "Lexy. . .I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to call you dumb, you're better than me in spelling. And it's okay if you've got more fish."

"You mean it? ‘Cause I can give you one of mine if you want. I don't mind."

I shook my head. "No, you caught ‘em, so you keep ‘em. I'll catch one if I keep trying." I picked up my pole and recast it. Grandpa was right. A fish wasn't worth making Lexy cry and not be my friend any more.

About five minutes later, I finally caught one. It was smaller than Lexy's, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that I was having fun, I reminded myself.

After that Dad said we should stop, and we all agreed that Lexy won, since her trout was biggest. So Lexy got to sit and watch while Dad, Grandpa, and I cooked the trout and then we ate it and the sandwiches and drank the soda Grandpa had brought.

"Mmm. This is the best fish I've ever eaten, Healer Sev," Lexy told him, licking her fingers.

Dad handed her a napkin. "I agree. Nothing tastes quite so good as fresh fish that you've caught yourself."

"Too true, Sev," Grandpa agreed, lifting his can of soda in a toast. "Now after that fine meal, I think I'll take a little nap." He settled down in the grass and fell asleep right away.

I helped Dad wash out the frying pan and the silverware, we'd eaten off paper plates this time. We put all the trash into a small bag, because littering was bad, it hurt the animals who lived here. Dad doused the fire with a spell, then he said he was going to sleep for a little too and we were to stay right here and not go wandering off.

"And if you have to pee, Lexy, don't go behind any bushes with green vines," I told my friend.

"Why not?"

"Cause they've got poison ivy on them and I did that last time and ended up with a rash on my . . .uh, bottom."

Lexy's eyes widened. "You did? I didn't know you could get poison ivy there."

"You can get poison ivy on any part of your body that touches the leaves of the poison ivy plant," Dad lectured. "So watch out for green vines and don't follow Harry's example, please."

"Okay, Healer Sev. I know what poison ivy looks like, I had Brownies."

"Huh? What d'you mean you had brownies? How does that help you know about poison ivy? It's a dessert."

"No, not that kind of brownie, Harry. I mean a club for girls, it's the little girl version of Girl Scouts. We wear brown uniforms, so they called us Brownies."

"Oh." I felt really dumb now. Serve me right for calling Lexy that. "And they teach you about poison ivy?"

"Uh-huh. We go hiking in the woods a lot, so you have to know the good plants and the bad plants. How long did you have it for? My aunt once had a case that lasted a week. Was it really itchy? I've never had it."

"Yeah, it was awful. And I only had it for a few minutes, till Dad summoned a potion and put it on me. Then it went away in ten seconds."

"That's so cool. I love magic potions. Maybe your dad can show me how to make one sometime?"

"Maybe. But he says I'm too little to make anything unless he's right next to me. But we could ask him."

"That's a good idea. Let's play with Misty for now, okay?"

"Okay. When they wake up, we'll go home and later on tonight we can go to a movie."

"What's playing?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. I haven't read the paper. But Dad always picks pretty good ones."

Then we began to play, pretending Misty was a cat princess trapped in a tower by an evil dark wizard and I was the good wizard come to rescue her.

* * * * * *

On Sunday we went back to Spinner's End. Last night had been fun, we'd gone to see 101 Dalmatians, and we both loved it. Then we'd stayed up talking in my bedroom until Dad came in and told us to go to sleep right now, or else we could stay home and not go to the park tomorrow. Then we shut up and went to sleep. Inky slept between our two beds, and his purring finally made me fall asleep.

We went to the park in the early afternoon, and there weren't very many kids there then, so we had our pick of the swings and the slides and the jungle gym. While we played, Dad and Grandpa stood there and talked, I think Grandpa was asking Dad something about Alaina.

I didn't pay too much attention though, because I was busy playing with Lexy. While we climbed up to the top of the tree house I asked her about the Mother's Day breakfast at the school Saturday next.

"Are you, like, uh, going to be there?"

"Yeah, Mom says we can go if I want. Though everybody knows her already, since she teaches there." Miss Wilkins had told us that the breakfast was a good way to introduce our classmates to our mums and we were supposed to make a special card for her to put at her place setting.

I was quiet for a moment, then I said in a small voice, "I wanted to go too, but . . .I have no mum any more."

Lexy flashed me a sympathetic look. "That's ‘cause she died, right?"

"Yeah. She got sick real bad, and not even Dad could fix her, so she went to heaven and became an angel, like my Granny and Pop Evans and Grandma Eileen." I answered, sniffling a bit, for I really wished she were here now.

"I'm real sorry, Harry. I'd cry forever if my mom died."

"I did, almost. So did Dad, but that was three years ago." I bit my lip hard. "Umm . . .I was wondering something, Lexy. I was wondering if-if I could . . .borrow your mum."

She stopped dead and just stared at me like I was crazy. "Huh? You want to borrow my mom? What for?"

"For-for the breakfast," I stammered. "I mean, would you mind if I went with you and your mum could, uh, sort of pretend I was her kid too?"

"Oh! I get it now. You want to share my mom for the breakfast, right?"

"Yeah. D' you mind?"

Lexy thought hard for a moment. Then she said, "Nope. I guess not. But I've gotta ask Mom if it's okay and what if Miss Wilkins won't let us share her?"

I'd never thought about that before. "Uh, she will. She knows I don't have a mum anymore and she feels bad for me, so I don't think she'll mind. Will your mum mind?"

Lexy shook her head. "No, I don't think so. But I can ask her and have her call you, okay?"

"Sure." I smiled shyly at my friend. "Thanks, Lexy. I'm glad you crashed into us that day at the supermarket."

She giggled. "Me too, Harry. Your dad's sort of like my dad now, y'know. He's a lot nicer than my real one. He makes Mom laugh instead of cry."

"And your mum does the same thing to my dad."

"I know." Then she bent and whispered in my ear. "Once, I saw them kissing! Like on the lips."

"Ugh! Gross! How come grown-ups do stuff like that?"

"Cause it's romantic, my mom says," Lexy giggled again, not as grossed out as I was. "I think it's cute!"

"You would, you're a girl, and you like all that disgusting mushy stuff." I said, making a face.

Lexy stuck her tongue out at me. "Mom says that someday all the boys will like it too. Your dad doesn't seem to mind."

I rolled my eyes. "That's ‘cause he's a grown-up, Lexy! When you grow up you get bigger and get a job and you like women to kiss you on the lips for some reason. I think you go crazy or something. Dad said once that something happens in your brain when you get to be a teenager."

"What? Is it like a disease?"

"Must be. It's called, uh . . ." I thought really hard. "Uh . . .hor-hornmoans or something like that."

"Hornmoans?" Lexy gasped. "Sounds terrible! Are we all gonna get it or something?"

"Yeah, Dad says every teenager goes through it." I shuddered. Just thinking about it made me feel sick to my stomach.

"Well, I'm not!" Lexy declared suddenly. "I'm gonna find a cure for it."

"Uh. . .I don't think there is one."

"Well, duh! That's why I'm gonna invent one!" Lexy huffed, rolling her eyes. "Boys!"

"Girls!" I shot back. Then I started to race up the stairs to the top of the tree house. Well, it was a kind of tree house, except it wasn't in a tree, just on top of the slide and the monkey bars. "Last one to the top is a griffin turd!"

"You're gross, Harry!" shouted Lexy, then began to run up the stairs too.

We both reached the top together, so it was a draw. As usual. Lexy can run fast, for a girl that is.

By then I had thought of something else. "Hey, Lexy. D'you think ‘cause Dad and Alaina were kissing they're gonna have a baby?"

"Not yet!" she seemed shocked. "Don't you know anything, Harry? You only have a baby after you get married. That's what the married part is for. So then it's okay for you to have kids."

"Oh. That makes sense. But how does kissing make a mum have a baby?"

"I don't know. Why don't you ask your dad? He delivers them, he ought to know why kissing makes a girl pregnant. That's what you call it when a woman has a baby in her," Lexy said, sounding like a know-it-all.

"I know that! You think I'm stupid? My dad's a Healer, remember?"

"There's no way I can forget that, Harry, since his name's Healer Sev. When are you gonna ask him?"

"I dunno. Later I guess, he's busy talking to Grandpa right now." I wondered if they were discussing getting married. "C'mon, let's go play on the swings." I slid down the slide at the top of the treehouse and Lexy followed.

* * * * * * *

When we left the park, it was almost lunchtime and Lexy and I were starving. We walked back to the house, since the park was so close, and Dad carried Lexy on his shoulder, since she was tired and didn't want to walk. I showed her where Butch the Doberman had almost eaten me, halfway up the driveway.

"He almost took a bite of me, but my magic made a blue shield and then Grandpa drowned him with the hose till he ran away."

"Wow! You must be really brave, Mr. Toby," Lexy said, looking at my grandpa like he was some kind of superhero. "Weren't you afraid the killer dog was gonna bite you?"

"No. I was more afraid he'd bitten Harry. So I just blasted him with the hose till he turned tail and ran. Then I went over to see Harry. That's one experience I never want to repeat. I think I aged ten years in one minute when I saw that Doberman running after Harry."

"Did you get hurt, Harry?"

"No. Well, my hands got scraped really bad and Grandpa had to clean them out with something that stung like hell." I told her.

"Harry! Language!" Dad scolded.

"Sorry." I apologized. "But it really did."

"Was it peroxide? ‘Cause my mom puts that on cuts sometimes and it stings like blazes."

"Uh, yeah. I think so." I looked at Grandpa. "Was that what you put on my hands that time, Grandpa?"

"Yes."

"Ouch! I hate peroxide."

"Me too." I said.

We had peanut butter and jam sandwiches for lunch, my favorite. Then I wanted to go out and play in the yard with Lexy and show her the big oak tree there, which was great for climbing.

But before we went out the door, Dad's magic mirror started chiming loudly. I winced, then realized that was a bad sign. The mirror only rang like that if there was an emergency.

"Sev? What's going on?" asked Grandpa.

"It's an emergency," Dad answered, then took the mirror and spoke into it. "Healer Snape. What's the emergency?"

Uncle Matt's face appeared in the mirror, he looked pale and his hair was a wreck. "Sev, we need you in the ER, stat!"

"What's the matter, Matthew?"

"There's been a bad fire down at Diagon Alley. We think it was caused by a kid fooling around with Incendio, but it caused a lot of damage because part of the apothecary caught fire and some of the potions were explosive. We've got about a hundred people in here now, some with bad burns and others with spell damage from the exploded potions. We need you, Sev!"

"On my way, Matt." Dad turned the mirror upside down, and it went blank. He tucked it back in his pocket then looked at Grandpa and said, "I have to go and help them, Dad. Can you watch the kids for two hours or whatever? I should be back after that, I'm not the only Healer they've got."

"Go ahead, Sev. I think I can handle the minnow and the kitten till you get back." Grandpa said. "You go over there and help those people, Sev. I'll be fine with them."

"All right." He looked at us, then set Lexy on her feet. "Behave for your grandfather, Harry. And you as well, Lexy. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Then he Apparated away to the hospital.

I asked Grandpa if we could still go play in the yard and he said yes, so we ran outside and I showed Lexy the huge oak tree and she said it looked like a fine climbing tree, so why didn't we climb it?

So we did, though we couldn't get more than halfway up and then we found a big long branch and hung upside down from it, whooping and hollering like jungle kids.

"I'm Mowgli!" I yelled, giving a cry like a wolf.

"And I'm Jane," said Lexy, also yelling.

"Jane? Hermione's mum?" I repeated.

"No, not that Jane, silly! Would Hermion's mum ever hang from a tree?"

No, definitely not. "Then who are you?"

"I'm Jane from Tarzan. You know, the girlfriend of the guy raised by apes? You never read that story?"

"No."

"Aww, man! That's the coolest. Tarzan Lord of the Apes. Mom read it to me. You gotta read it, Harry."

"Okay. I'll ask Dad if he has it." Along with the question of how women got pregnant and made babies.

I started to swing back and forth.

Lexy matched me.

I liked having a girl for a friend-NOT a girlfriend-that could do mostly all the things a boy could do. She was almost like a boy, ‘cept for the fact that she couldn't pee standing up and she thought kissing was cute. Yuck!

But soon I had to get down, because all the blood was rushing to my head and making me dizzy. And I knew Grandpa would skin us alive if he saw us hanging upside down in the oak tree.

Just as I got down and so did Lexy, Grandpa came out on the porch. Talk about good luck! "Hey, guys. I'm going to work on a new project I have in my woodshop. Would you like to watch?"

"What kind of project?" Lexy asked.

"You'll see."

"Can we sand some of it?" I asked. I liked sanding. I did it very well.

"If I get done carving it all today, Harry." He waved us into the house. He was holding a can of soda in one hand and sipping at it.

"Grandpa?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"D'you know how to get a girl pregnant?"

He spit the soda all over the porch. "What?!!"

"Can you do it by kissing?"

"Uh . . .maybe you ought to ask your father."

"That's what I told him, Mr. Toby." Lexy said smugly.

"Smart girl. Harry, ask Sev. He'll tell you what you need to know."

"Okay, Grandpa." Maybe he'd forgotten or something.

We went into the woodshop, which was usually kept locked, and Grandpa had me and Lexy sit on chairs near his bench and he told Lexy all the rules. No touching, no wandering around, and especially no playing with the machines. He repeated them like five times, I guess he thought we wouldn't remember if he didn't.

On his workbench in the middle of the room was a large sheet, with something underneath it.

He swept it off and I gasped. It was carving of my dad, me, and Inky, nearly as big as me.

"Grandpa! It's-it's wicked!"

"Like it? I'm going to give it to your dad for a Father's Day present. If i finish it in time, that is." He turned the carving around to show that it wasn't finished in the back.

"Ooh! It's awesome, Mr. Toby. It looks just like them." Lexy was staring at the carving in amazement and I could tell she was itching to feel it, like I was. "How'd you do it?"

"Uh, lots of practice and a couple dozen photographs of Sev, Harry, and Inky."

Dad was sitting on a bench, I was on his lap, and Inky was sitting next to him with his big head on Dad's other knee. Dad had one arm around me and one hand on Inky. And he was looking at us both tenderly, the way he usually did when we were at home and half-asleep in the den. On the bottom of the base was the title Healer and Sons.

"I've been busy with work, so I haven't had time to work on it as much as I'd like," said Grandpa. "But maybe I can finish the back of it today."

He started to sharpen his carving knives, then he set to work.

Lexy and I watched, fascinated, as curls and wood shaving flew from his knife as he carved the wood with slow strokes. We sat still as mice and ghosts as Grandpa carved the back of Dad's head, making his hair.

But after awhile, I started to get restless. I'm not too good at sitting still. "Grandpa? Can I sand something?"

He didn't answer me for a moment, he was still carving. Then he said, "Yes, Harry. You can sand this other piece I have." He bent and picked up a pretty carved doe from a box of finished pieces. "Here. Get yourself a piece of sandpaper and start with that."

I obeyed.

"Can I have one too?" asked Lexy.

"Sure, sweetie." Grandpa gave her a bear to sand. "You know how to sand? If not, Harry can show you."

So I got Lexy a piece of sandpaper and showed her how to sand the right way, with firm even strokes, around and around.

We worked for about fifteen minutes before Lexy said, " Mr. Toby, how do I do the eyes? I can't get the paper in there."

"Come here, kitten, and I'll show you," Grandpa said, and he beckoned Lexy over and put her on his lap. "You need a special little sandpaper stick to do the small stuff." He got one out of the drawer under the table, and began to show Lexy how to sand the bear's eyes.

She watched and snuggled on his lap, and for some reason seeing her there made me feel jealous. I was usually the one who got to help Grandpa in the woodshop, and I was the one he sat on his knee and helped do something. He was my grandpa, not hers, I thought sulkily.

I watched them, forgetting the carving in my hand, my lower lip stuck out. Lexy seemed right at home in his lap, like she was there forever, and Grandpa was patiently holding her hands about the sandpaper stick. The green-eyed monster was biting me awful bad now, and I said, "Grandpa, can you help me do the eyes too?"

"In a minute, Harry. Let me finish with Lexy."

I sat back in my chair and scowled. Why did girls always get to go first?

Five minutes later, I was getting so sick of waiting that I wanted to scream. I kicked the leg of the table. Thump!

"Harry, stop it," Grandpa ordered, giving me a mild Snape glare. "You nearly knocked a carving knife down. I'm almost done with Lexy."

"You said that five minutes ago. It's taking forever. You should have let me go first."

"Why?" asked Lexy.

"Because I won't take up so much time. I need help too!"

"I'm sorry, but I've never done this before." Lexy said.

"Harry, stop whining and wait your turn. Lexy's your guest, she should go first." Grandpa said sharply.

I didn't like that at all. "Well, I'm your grandson, doesn't that count?"

"Yes, but you're going to have to be patient, Harry. Now be quiet and wait."

But I didn't want to be quiet and wait, I wanted Grandpa to help me first, and I wanted Lexy to quit sitting on his lap, because that was my spot, and suddenly I was mad at my friend. "I never said you could share my grandpa, Lexy!"

Lexy looked up at me, puzzled. "Why not? You want to share my mom and I let you."

"Because," I said stubbornly. "I don't want you to."

She glared at me. "Well, if you won't share then I won't either!"

"You promised!" I cried, alarmed that she would take back her promise to let me go with her mum for the breakfast.

"I take it back, since you're being mean."

"I am not. You're taking too long. And if you break a promise, you'll be a liar. Liar, liar pants on fire!" I chanted.

Grandpa set down the sandpaper and said, in an awful voice, "Harry James Severus, get your backside out of my workshop and into a corner this instant, boy! I don't know what's gotten into you, but it's going to stop."

"B-but Grandpa, it's my turn next." I sniffled.

"One."

"You always take her side," I grumbled and got to my feet.

"Two."

I left the woodshop and went to the corner between the kitchen and the hall. I knew better than to test Grandpa when he started counting. Unlike Dad, when he got to three it didn't mean time-out, it meant a smack.

I wondered how long I'd have to stand here, since Grandpa hadn't said. Probably until he was done with Lexy. I sighed and wished I had never lost my temper. But all weekend it seemed like Lexy was getting all the attention and I was being ignored. She caught the biggest fish, she got to ride on Dad's shoulders (I hadn't wanted to, but still), and now she got to sit on my grandfather's lap and sand with him. What about me? When was it my turn?

I shifted from one foot to the other. Whoever had invented time-out liked to torture kids, I'll bet.

I was slowly dying of boredom.

The, just as I was about to drop dead, Grandpa came in and said, "Come here, young man. We need to have a talk about your behavior."

On second thought, the corner looked good, and I wasn't bored any more.

"Harry."

I turned around and came, dragging my feet a little. I hated when he was mad at me almost as much as I hated it when Dad was mad at me. He led me to the den and sat me on the sofa. Then he sat down next to me.

"What in blazes has gotten into you this weekend, young man? I know you know how to behave, so why aren't you? There's no need to be so rude to Lexy. She asked me for help first, so that's why I was helping her and not you. Not because I like her better or something."

"You DO like her better," I cried. "You didn't yell at her for not sharing her mother!"

"Harry, what are you talking about?"

I told him about the breakfast and Lexy's promise and how she'd broken it and was a liar.

"Wait a minute. Let me get this straight. You asked her to share her mother for this breakfast and then you wouldn't let her share me? How is that fair?"

I shrugged. "That's different. I never promised I'd share you."

One eyebrow went up. "Minnow, you're being selfish. You can't have it both ways. It's share and share alike, or nothing. Didn't your dad ever teach you that?"

I looked down on the ground. I knew about sharing. I shared my toys and games and everything with Ron, Hermione, Blaise, and Lexy.

"Look at me."

I obeyed , looking into his dark blue eyes.

"Sev mentioned the other day that you seemed to think if he paid attention to Lexy that he no longer loved you. Is that what this is about? You're jealous that I'm paying attention to Lexy and not you?"

Slowly, I nodded.

Grandpa sighed. "Harry, you're going to have to learn that you can't always be the center of attention any more. It's not like it was a year ago, when it was only you and me and your dad, mostly. Now things are different, you have more new friends and so does your dad. And the way things are going, I think Alaina might be a bit more than a friend someday."

"Like maybe Dad might marry her?"

"Yes, then you'd have a new mum, but also a sister, and you'd both have to learn how to share your parents. Like I did when my little brother was born. I was five and I didn't like him at all at first."

"You have a brother?"

"Had. He died a long time ago. An accident in the mine," Grandpa said, and he looked terribly sad then. "My family worked in a coal mine up in Yorkshire, all except me, because I went and became a soldier. But I remember when Nate was born, and I told my mum to send him back where he came from, that I was her little boy, not him."

"What did she say?"

"She said, ‘Toby, you'll always be my little boy, but now Nate is too, and you're going to have to be a big brother and teach him everything you know. But you're both my sons, and I love you the same.' Then she made me hold him and feed him, and all of a sudden I didn't mind so much that he was there."

"Did you like each other?"

"Sure we did. He was my baby brother, I looked out for him and he annoyed the blazes out of me, like all little brothers. We fought like cats and dogs sometimes, and got our backsides walloped for it too. And sometimes I thought my parents favored him over me, but they didn't. It was just that Nate was better behaved than I was. He was the good one, I was the troublemaker. He was easygoing, like my mother, but me, I got the Snape temper and stubbornness. He obeyed all the rules and I broke every one of them. But for all of that, my mother still loved me. Just like Severus and I love you, Harry."

I felt ashamed then and I got tears in my eyes. "I'm sorry I acted like a brat, sir."

"Yeah, well you should be," Grandpa said sternly. "You need to start learning to control your temper, Harry. I've noticed that it tends to run off with you, like it does the rest of us Snapes."

"Sometimes I say stuff I don't mean." Like today with Lexy. And yesterday.

"Mmmhmm. . .that temper is something I have a problem with too. That's why I want you to get a grip on yours now, Harry, so you don't make the same mistakes I did with your dad when he was little."

"Like when you spanked him over nothing?"

Grandpa looked startled. "Sev told you that?"

"No, but I heard you and dad talking that one time, when you stayed over. You said you were sorry."

"I was. And I still am. My temper made me do a lot of things I'm not proud of, Harry. That's why you should always . . .how does Severus put it? . . . Think twice before you open your mouth. That'll prevent you from saying or doing something you'll regret later, like I regret punishing Severus and you regret arguing with Lexy. And if you do let that temper run off with you, best you learn how to say you're sorry afterwards." He paused, then stretched his legs out and continued. "Another thing I'm not too good at. But then, no one's perfect."

"Dad's almost perfect." I said loyally.

Grandpa laughed. "Sev would tell you differently, but I thought the same when I was your age about my father." Then he reached out and tousled my hair. "Now, i think you need to go back and say you're sorry to Lexy. She was pretty upset about what you said. Thought you didn't like her or something."

"I do like her," I objected. "She's one of my best friends."

"Then maybe you need to act like a friend and go and apologize," Grandpa ordered.

So I did, and Lexy forgave me and I agreed to share my family with her and she said she would share hers, except her dad, since he was so mean, and everything was okay between us.

Dad returned, he looked very tired, and asked Grandpa if we'd behaved for him.

I held my breath. Would Grandpa tell Dad about how I'd acted with Lexy?

"They were pretty good, for the most part. Was it very bad, Sev?"

"Bad enough. There are several that will need an overnight stay in our burn unit and spell damage ward. But no one died, thank God."

Now seemed like a good time to ask my dad about women and getting pregnant. "Hey, Dad?" I tugged on the sleeve of his robe to get his attention.

"Yes, what is it, Harry?"

"How do you make a girl pregnant? I asked Grandpa and he couldn't remember and he told me to ask you."

Dad didn't answer for a moment. For some reason he was coughing and Grandpa was laughing.

I looked at Lexy. She looked as puzzled as I felt. "What's with them?"

"I dunno. They're grown-ups."

Yes, that explained it. Sort of.

"Dad? So how do you? You know, you're a Healer."

Grandpa was laughing harder now. "Well, Sev?"

"Err . . .when two people love each other, Harry, they get married and then they have a baby."

"So it's love that makes a girl pregnant?"

"Yes, in a way."

"And kissing too, ‘cause all the people in love kiss a lot," added Lexy.

"Umm . . .yes, I guess you can say that," Dad said, biting his lip. "Come on, you two, I need to get you back home before your mother comes back, Lexy." He picked us both up and we Apparated home. When we got there, Alaina had just pulled up in the drive and was getting out when Lexy ran to her, she hugged her and kissed her.

Then I ran over too and she did the same to me. "How's my boy, Harry?"

"Good." Then I asked her if she'd mind if I went to the Mother's Day breakfast with her as her kid also.

"I think that's a wonderful idea and you were smart to think of it." She got out of the car and went to my dad , who hugged her so long that I thought she might turn into a pancake. I wondered if Dad loved her. I wasn't sure if I liked the idea of a pregnant Alaina. Then I remembered what Grandpa had said about him and his little brother and I didn't mind as much as I had before. Sometimes it was true, what they said, that grandpas (and Dads too) really did know best.