There are some days when you wonder why you ever woke up and decided to get out of bed. Especially after you've been on call all night the night before with three women in labor and a year-old child with a 105 temperature that won't break in spite of all the Fever Reducers you've poured down his throat. Come to find out, the poor boy was cutting a molar and it had caused both a raging fever and a horrid earache, which I also had to treat before the fever subsided. In the end I had used a combination of Muggle and wizard methods to bring the fever down, making an Extra Strength Fever Reducer in my lab to be administered every two hours and putting the baby in an ice water bath. Finally, something worked, and the fever broke.

Then I delivered three babies, practically one on top of the other, two girls and a boy, before finally surrendering my call to my partner, Matthew Morgan. I went home and passed out on my bed, only to be woken up after barely five hours of sleep by my hyper son, who wanted to know when we were going to his grandfather's.

It took all of my self-control not to scream, "NEVER! Now get away from me!" but somehow I managed it. Taking five deep breaths helped as did counting slowly to twenty. "Later on, Harry, when I've gotten more than five hours of sleep. Now either go back to sleep, or come in here and read to me, or go and watch cartoons, but do not keep waking me up and asking me is it time to go yet, understood?" I said that last with a bit of a growl in my tone to let him know I meant business.

"Yes, Dad. I'll bring The Lazy Cheetah's Breakfast in here and read it to you," Harry said, then slipped off my bed to get the new book Sirius had bought for him the day he'd left.

Which had been two days before, a Thursday, he'd finally managed to patch things up with Melinda, thank Merlin, and go back to his own flat. His "I'll-only-stay-for-three-days" had turned into nearly two weeks by the time Lindy decided he'd groveled enough to her and allowed him back in their apartment, which they shared. Hopefully, he'd learned his lesson about going out with single women in public when you were already dating. Then again, this was Sirius I was talking about, and he never did learn to keep his hands off women. He was a "chick magnet" as the Muggles say, women were drawn to him like bees to honey, and he loved the variety, which made Melinda Robinson have the patience of the Virgin Mary for staying with him for so long. They'd been living together for nearly a year now.

I knew Harry was going to miss him, having Sirius around was, for him, a lot like having a fun-loving older sibling. In my case, sometimes having Sirius around was a lot like having a six-year-old and a wanna-be six-year-old in the house. Remus had nearly laughed himself sick when he learned where his partner had been staying all this time. Moony had then written to me and asked if I was ready to go postal yet, and I had replied back-Not yet, Moony, but I'm getting very close to the edge. So if you read in the Prophet that I've snapped one day and run screaming down the street Take me away! Take me away!, you'll know why.

Harry returned and climbed up on my bed with the new book (he'd already read it three times) and opened it. Then he began to read, slowly and carefully, sounding out the words he didn't know. This was good practice for him to improve his reading, he wanted to beat Hermione in class and win back his gold star in reading.

But he soon put me right to sleep and when I awoke again it was somewhere around ten o'clock in the morning, and my little imp was snuggled next to me with the book over his face. I gently removed the book, careful not to wake him, and went to take a shower. With an active child like Harry, it was best to take advantage of the times he was asleep, because there weren't many of them.

By the time I had done, Harry was still snoozing, and I left him asleep and went to the kitchen to make breakfast. This morning I felt like waffles and sausage and pumpkin juice, so that was what I made.

The smells of the waffles and syrup and sausage must have drifted down the hall to the bedroom, because the next thing I knew, a little voice was saying,"Yay! Waffles for breakfast!" and throwing his arms about my waist as far as he could reach.

I smiled down at him and told him to go and have a seat, I would bring his breakfast over shortly.

He quickly scurried to his usual spot, then popped out of his chair again and cried, "I forgot to feed Inky, Dad! He needs breakfast too."

He raced down the hall and got the cub's dish and filled it with food, Inky was by then yowling hungrily and bumping the back of my legs. But as soon as Harry set the dish down, he ran over to it and practically inhaled it. It was a good thing panthers didn't suffer from indigestion from eating too quickly.

I levitated our plates to the table with a brief flick of my wand and we settled down to enjoy our breakfast, though I had to admonish my son not to feed the cub and leftovers until he had eaten most of his breakfast, otherwise half the food would have vanished down Inky's throat, the bottomless pit!

Once the dishes were washed and put away, I told Harry to get dressed, and just as I was straightening up the den, the phone rang. I knew it had to be one of two people, either my dad or Hermione, since they were the only ones who knew this phone number. I walked into the kitchen and picked it up. "Hello?"

"Sev, I was just reading the paper this morning, and I saw some ad for the cinema and wondered if you and Harry would like to go and see a movie this afternoon," my father said.

I arched an eyebrow and replied, "Yes, so long as the movie is appropriate for Harry, Dad." If I ever wanted proof that Tobias had changed for the better, this was it. The old man would've never gone to a movie when I was growing up, he had better things to do, like drink and gamble down at the tavern. But the newly sober and newly redeemed Tobias now wanted to spend timed with his son and grandson, and so I told him we would meet at his house around twelve, the movie wasn't until one o'clock, and have lunch after.

"Oh good, maybe we can try that new Chinese place that just opened down the street from the theater-Peking Palace, or whatever it's called. You still like Chinese, right, Sev?"

"Yes, and Harry doesn't mind it either," I answered. Looks like Dad had the day pretty well planned out, not that I minded, because I was still tired from being on call, and appreciated the fact that someone else do the organizing, for once. "Maybe we can even take some home for dinner, I really don't feel like cooking too much tonight, not after last night."

"You were on call, weren't you? Rough one?"

"Mmm . . .you could say that." I started to tell him about all the major problems I'd had to deal with, when Harry returned and mumbled something about wanting to play in the backyard. "Fine, but only for ten minutes, because your grandfather is taking us to the cinema, and we need to leave as soon as I get off the phone."

I had a clear view of the backyard, which was fenced, and I could see exactly what Harry was doing from the kitchen window.

Harry whooped at that announcement, then shoved open the back door and went outside. I had my back to the door for a moment, putting away the milk I had left out, and so did not see Harry coaxing Inky outside as well.

Now, Harry knew perfectly well Inky was number one, never to be outside without me there and number two always wearing his lead when he was outside. But the lure of the forbidden was too much and so he broke my rule and took the playful cub outside while I was speaking with my father.

Inky was quick and lively and liked to hide under bushes, which explained how I didn't see him out there when I glanced out the window a moment later. All I saw was Harry, crouched down next to a hydrangea bush, probably examining some worms or bugs.

Five minutes later, I glanced out the window again.

The backyard was empty.

I felt panic begin to seize my chest. "Dad, I have to go," I said quickly. "Harry's not in the backyard all of a sudden."

"He's what? You mean he's missing, Sev?"

"Yes. No. I'll talk to you later. Goodbye." I quickly hung up. Now where did that kid get to? I wondered frantically. He knew he wasn't supposed to leave the backyard without permission.

I stepped out on the back porch and yelled, "Harry James Severus Potter, come in here this instant!"

He would know I meant immediately when I used his full name in that tone.

I waited for his little head to pop up from behind the hydrangea bush, grinning sheepishly. But a few minutes went by and I didn't see my son anywhere in the yard. "Harry? Harry, come here, I mean it. If you don't get your behind over here right now, young man, we won't go to the cinema today with Grandpa."

I waited, for surely he had heard that and would quit fooling around and playing games.

Still no Harry. A sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach, I went down the steps and over to the bush where I'd last seen him.

And there, in the fresh mulch and dirt beneath the bush I saw the tracks of a panther.

Inky was out here too?

Oh, dear sweet Merlin!

This was all I needed. A panther cub on the loose and my son gone missing on top of it. I swore furiously for a few minutes, for I knew Harry had probably taken Inky outside, which was something I had expressly forbidden when I was not present.

Then another horrible thought occurred to me. What if Harry had not left the backyard on his own? What if the Death Eaters had returned and kidnapped him? My heart started pounding like crazy and I felt something squeezing my chest in two at the mere thought of those evil men snatching my precious son.

I forced myself to take a deep breath. Then another. And yet another, until the constricting sensation went away. All right, Sev. Just breathe. In and out. And don't be ridiculous. All the Death Eaters are in Azkaban, except for the very least of them, and they're being watched round the clock by Auror teams. Plus, no dark wizard could get past the wards here and Harry's panther amulet wouldn't let him get within five feet of a dark wizard before Apparating him back to the secret room. You nearly hyperventilated over nothing, you stupid ass.

I knew that if Harry were in the secret room, which was a built-in safe spot in my living room next to the fireplace, he'd be able to work the latch and get out, but of course he wasn't there. The only logical explanation was that he'd gone missing trying to find his blasted cub, and indeed, when I walked around to the gate leading out of the yard, I found it unlatched and swinging to and fro in the breeze.

Merlin and all the angels help me, I groaned. Now even though we lived in a wizarding neighborhood, a panther roaming free was a most unusual sight, and I shuddered at what this particular panther could get into before I found him. Not to mention my son.

I took another deep breath. I would NOT panic, I would remain calm, and I would find them. Once I found them I would. . . .No, I wasn't even going to contemplate what I was going to do then, because I had to find them first.

I whispered a Four Points locator charm. "Point me Harry Potter."

Almost immediately, I felt a tug on my wand, and the spell spun me gently until I was facing down the street, thankfully away from the section of Muggle London. I summoned my broom, reasoning it would be easier to search from the air, and mounted it. Then I followed the spell's insistent tug down the street.

It led me on a roundabout path, into other people's yards and across front porches and I could tell the panther was just running for the sheer joy of it and Harry was trying to catch him, but a six-year-old was no match for a panther cub crazed with freedom. I scanned the ground, I was flying just above the roofs of the houses.

No sign of either Inky or my son.

Ten minutes later, I recast the spell, found that Harry had doubled back for some reason, and I followed. Five minutes later I saw a small figure sitting on the edge of someone's lawn, looking like the world had ended.

As I flew down for a closer look, I could see he was unharmed, though tears streaked his face and he was panting.

I was so relieved that I nearly cried. Safe, he was safe, oh thank Merlin and anyone else in heaven. "Harry!" I called. "Harry, are you all right?"

He jerked his head up so fast I feared he'd give himself whiplash. His green eyes glowed with a mixture of joy and trepidation. "Daddy! How did you find me? I-I got lost looking for Inky. He's run away!" That last word came out as more of a wail, and now more tears were pouring down his face.

I quickly landed next to him, and in two seconds had an armful of a very upset six-year-old. He clung to me like a limpet and sobbed into my shirt and I clutched him to me and tried not to fall apart as well. All I could think of was that my child was unharmed and now I had him back. "Harry, Harry, shhh." I murmured, he had worked himself up into a state of near hysteria, and I tried my best to calm him down, rubbing his back and walking in circles. "You're okay, son. You're safe, I've got you. It's all right."

I leaned my broom against a tree and went to sit beneath it, my precious child cradled close. He was still bawling, though now I could make out words inbetween the sobs. "Inky . . .lost . . .find . . ." he kept repeating.

"All right, we'll find Inky, scamp. But first you have to stop crying, okay?" I ran a hand through his hair, that insanely messy mop that gave me hives any given day when I tried to smooth it down into something manageable. "Hush, Harry." I had him tucked inbetween my knees and was rubbing his back in slow soothing circles, gradually he calmed and started to breathe normally, his sobs dribbling down to one or two sniffles. "Harry, oh sweet Merlin, you scared me half to death!" I murmured against his ear. "I thought I'd lost you, son. Never do that again!" I scolded gently, for the anger at his actions hadn't kicked in yet.

"M'sorry, Daddy," he sniffled, lifting his face from my shoulder. "I-I just wanted to find Inky. Am I in trouble?" His tone said he knew perfectly well he was, but was hoping his extreme cuteness and pathetic face was going to get him out of it.

I sighed. "We'll discuss that later, Harry. For now, we need to find Inky, before something happens." We mounted my broom, and I performed a quick Sticking Charm so Harry wouldn't fall off. I seated him before me, wrapped an arm about him, and rose into the air. Then I recast the locator charm. "Point me Inky the panther cub." Sometimes you have to be specific when dealing with this spell, especially in relation to non-humans.

A minute later I felt a familiar tug, and flew northwest. "Looks like he headed this way," I told my son, who was still sniffling a bit. "With a bit of luck we'll be able to find him before someone else does."

"They wouldn't hurt him, would they?" Harry cried, his bottom lip trembling as he looked up at me.

"No, but it's not every day you see a panther cub running free, even in this neighborhood." I said quietly. "How did he get outside, Harry?"

My son immediately dropped his gaze to the broomstick. "Uh . . .I kind of let him out. He was pouncing at my shoe laces and when I ran out the door, he was still chasing one and I forgot to close it and he got out. Then he hid under a bush and we played hide-and-seek for a little, but then he saw a squirrel and he ran after it and all of a sudden he climbed the fence and ran away. I thought maybe I could get him before . . .umm . . ."

"Before I found out?" I guessed swiftly.

"Yes," he said in a small voice. "But he ran so fast, Dad, that I couldn't stop him and then I got lost." He stiffened a bit against me, and I could tell he was trying to figure out just how much trouble he was in.

A great deal, but as yet I hadn't decided on punishment, my temper was still simmering, and I hadn't yet gotten past the stage where I was torn between hugging him to death and paddling his behind for scaring me that way. Right then my first priority, now that Harry was safe, was finding our runaway panther.

I could feel the spell beckoning me closer, but as it turned out, I hardly needed it, since I could find where Inky was by the sound of the screams coming from a small house at the end of the street. Some of the screams were from children, and then I heard a dog barking and a woman's voice shrieking, "I don't CARE if it's somebody's pet, I want it gone! It ATE my roasted chicken!"

"But Mummy, it was hungry!" cried a girl's voice.

"Yeah, maybe it was starving," added another child, this time a boy.

"Starving! I'll show it starving, the mangy thief!" yelled the irate witch.

As I circled over the house, I could see the mother running after my chicken-stealing cub, who still had a leg of chicken in his mouth, waving a broom and swiping at him, while behind her came three kids of various ages, from around four to ten, and a small brown dog.

Inky, no fool, was running full out for his life.

"Hey!" Harry yelled. "Don't you hurt my panther, you bloody hag! You leave him alone!"

"Harry! Just be quiet and let me handle this, young man." I snapped, restraining my indignant child, as he tried to jump off the broom and go to his panther's rescue. I landed lightly on the lawn, just as the woman swung the broom at the fleeing cat again, missing him by an inch.

"Don't you hit my Inky!" screamed Harry, struggling to get off the broom. "Who cares if he ate your dumb old chicken?"

"Harry, quit moving!" I ordered, canceling the Sticking Charm. Then still keeping hold of my angry son, I dismounted and called out, "Ma'am, please stop chasing my panther with that broom. If you give me a minute, I'll get him."

She whirled on me, her blue eyes blazing, waving the broom about like an avenging Fury out of myth. "Oh, so you're the one who owns this little menace? Do you know what that blasted animal did? It jumped in my kitchen window bold as brass and snatched my roasted chicken right off the table! Then the mangy thing had the nerve to run out the door with it too! You ought to lock the bloody creature up before I make a rug out of it!"

I opened my mouth to apologize, but Harry interrupted me, crying, "You hurt my Inky and my dad'll hex you into next week!"

The witch gasped and looked like she was going to swat us with the broom.

"Enough, young man!" I scolded, giving him a smack on the behind for his atrocious behavior. "You don't talk to adults that way."

He yelped and gave me an injured look and muttered something that sounded like an "I'm sorry."

"I apologize for my son, but he's very protective of his panther. " I said quickly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a panther cub to catch."

I took Harry firmly by the hand and marched over to the tree where Inky had taken refuge, safe from witches wielding brooms and barking dogs and noisy children. "What's gotten into you, boy?" I demanded, frowning down at my child. "You know how to behave better than that."

"She was gonna make a rug out of Inky, Dad," my six-year-old pouted. "And I ain't gonna let her."

"No one is going to hurt Inky," I told him firmly. We had reached the base of the tree, where a black head was peering at us through the branches. The chicken leg was nowhere to be seen, so I assumed he must have dropped it.

"Harry, call him."

Harry obeyed. "Inky! Come here, boy1 It's all right, nothing's going to hurt you. C'mere!"

The cub hesitated, his green eyes darting wildly. I added my own voice to Harry's and held out a piece of beef jerky, making soothing noises. "Inky, you want a treat?"

Suddenly the panther made up his mind and jumped right into my arms. I staggered beneath his weight, he was over thirty pounds now, but managed to keep hold of him. "Good boy!" I fed him the jerky as a reward for coming to me.

"You're rewarding that mangy feline?" cried the angry witch.

"For coming when called, yes," I answered evenly.

"What about my chicken, huh? You ought to knock the thieving rascal over the head for that!" she shrilled. "And take a hairbrush to that child's behind too, the rude little brat!"

Harry hid behind my leg and I scowled at the woman warningly. "I apologize for any anxiety my cat caused you, madam. I can replace the chicken," I said stiffly, and with a wave of my wand, I did so. "But don't ever threaten my son or my cub," I added, and my tone shifted to become arctic ice. She backed off, her ire no match for one of my Snape glares. To the chicken, still steaming in a plate, I added a small bag of Sickles. "For any other inconvenience my pet may have caused you. He slipped out of my yard by mistake. I assure you it won't happen again. Good day, madam."

Then I turned, mounted my broom, put Harry before me, and conjured a sling for Inky to ride in. We were airborne before the frazzled witch knew what had happened, and I headed back for home with all due haste.

* * * * * *

Once we were safely back at home, I put Inky in his room. After his adventure this morning, the cub seemed content to curl up on his cat bed, which was a large stuffed blue pillow made from ultra strong material that was resistant to a cat's claws. I was lucky that all the cub had done was steal someone's chicken and frighten a housewife. It could have been much worse.

Now that we were home, I could give vent to the anger I had been suppressing, but I didn't want to terrify Harry, though perhaps he deserved to be a little terrified of me. So I sent him to his room for an hour while I cooled off, because if there was one thing I had learned from Tobias, it was to never ever punish my son when I was angry. My father had always either been drunk or wildly angry when he had punished me, and I vowed long ago to never be out of control when I issued punishments.

So I paced and thought while I did so, that yes, Harry did deserve to be punished, for he had knowingly disobeyed one of the major rules of the household, and left the property without permission, making me frantic with worry and getting lost into the bargain. He'd done that once before, flying off on his little broom with some older neighborhood children when he was five. My punishment then had consisted of an immediate spanking, loss of his broom, and grounding. This time, granted, the circumstances were different, but the outcome had been nearly the same.

This time it was a repeat offense, which meant that the consequences would have to be a bit harsher this time than last time. While I was considering that, the phone rang again. It was my father.

"Sev! Did you find him? Was he hurt? Do you need me to come and help you search?"

"Dad, calm down," I said, for Tobias sounded as panicked as I had felt when I had first discovered Harry was missing. "I found them both, everyone's fine, safe and sound. But thanks for offering, if I hadn't been able to locate Harry in an hour, I would have called you." I told him sincerely, touched beyond measure over his concern for my son. Despite his past mistakes, he truly loved his grandson, and me as well, which had been something I had doubted growing up. "I found him down the street, nearly hysterical, trying to find Inky, who had jumped the fence and run away."

"That blasted panther is more trouble than it's worth." Tobias had never really cottoned to the idea of Inky.

"Actually, the panther escaping was Harry's fault, since he took the cub outside without permission," I told him.

"And then he ran away trying to find it, huh?" my father's voice was sharp with disapproval. "That little rascal would be over my knee in two seconds, Sev, if I had the raising of him. But he's your kid, so I guess you can punish him however you see fit."

"Oh and he will be punished, believe me, Dad. Starting with no movie this afternoon." I said decisively. "Speaking of which, I need to have a talk with him, so we'll be over after I finish dealing with his disobedience."

Dad said goodbye then, and I hung up. Then I headed into my son's room to have the long awaited discussion and deliver his well-earned punishment. It was not something I ever looked forward to, but that was part of being a parent, and we all had to do things we didn't like.

He was anxiously awaiting my arrival, sitting up on his bed, biting his nails. He flashed me one of his most pathetic I'm sorry-and-I'll-never-do-it-again looks that never failed to tug at my heart. Of course, I never allowed anything like that to show on my face, the kid would pick up on it in an instant and know he had a weapon to use against me to mitigate punishments.

So, much as I longed to say okay, you're forgiven, just don't ever do that again, I maintained my stern facade of angry disapproval, a mask I had learned how to wear long ago from Tobias-though in his case it had never been a mask.

I began with my standard, "I cannot believe you would disobey my number one rule and leave the property without permission, Harry James Severus. And not only did you leave the property, you allowed Inky to escape as well. You knew he wasn't allowed outside without me there and you took him anyway. Tell me, young man, what were you thinking?"

He hung his head, plainly ashamed of his impulsive behavior. There was no defiance about him, he knew he had done wrong, but he was hoping to wriggle his way out of it still. That didn't surprise me at all, every child tries to get out of being punished, it was my job as a parent to teach him that every action had consequences and those consequences had to be faced.

"Well?" I prompted when the silence stretched out interminably. "I'm waiting."

"I don't know, sir. I-I just wanted to play with Inky outside for a bit. I didn't mean for him to run away! I was only going to play with him for a minute."

"Harry, why did I tell you never to take Inky outside by yourself?"

"Umm . . .because he might get lost or eat something he shouldn't and get sick."

"And what happened when you broke that rule?" I demanded.

"Inky ran away," he muttered to his shoes.

"And not only did Inky run away, but you ran away too. How many times have I told you to never leave the property without me, or an adult that you know, mister?"

"A lot."

"Look at me." I waited until I was sure his attention was focused on me before I allowed my temper to slip its leash a little. "Do you have any idea how frantic you made me, young man? I look outside and not only is the panther gone, but you're gone as well! Do you know what could've happened to you because you wandered off like that, Harry? You could've been kidnapped, or hurt, or attacked by stray dogs, anything could have happened to you, and I would never know, because I didn't know where you had gone!"

"B-but you found me, Dad."

"Yes, I did, but I was lucky I went in the right direction and that you hadn't kept wandering down the street somewhere. Otherwise, I might have never found you, little boy, and you would have ended up on a poster board for missing children, and you would've never seen me, or Grandpa, or Inky, or any of your friends ever again. You would've been just like an orphan, like Oliver." I said sharply, I was going for some major scare tactics here, for he had really terrified me. "And you know what happened to Oliver, don't you?"

He nodded, his green eyes filling with tears. "Yes sir."

"Do you want that to happen to you?"

"No sir."

"Then never ever wander away from the yard again, Mr. Potter! Because that's what happens to naughty little boys who disobey their fathers and leave without telling them where they're going or why. They're never seen or heard from again."

He started to cry and I was satisfied my lesson had sunk in. Now for the rest of the punishment. "Now, I know you knew better when you left the yard, Harry, because we've had this same discussion once before, when I caught you flying your broom by yourself. I had thought after the last time I punished you, you would have learned your lesson, but I was wrong. I am so very disappointed in you, little boy."

He started to cry harder after that, and then he sobbed, "I'm really sorry, Daddy, I'll never run away again. I-I don't wanna be on a poster board and live in an orphanage like Oliver!"

"And I don't want you to end up there either, but that's where you'll be headed if you keep on the way you are. So, as a reminder, since you seem to keep forgetting my rule, you're going to get a twenty-minute time-out all next week."

He stared up at me, his eyes wide. "No! Please, not all week!"

"Yes, young man. Every day, for a week, and you're not allowed to have any friends come over either. Nor will we be going to see a movie with your grandfather either, who is also disappointed in you, by the way." I moved over to sit beside him.

"Grandpa knows?" he whispered.

"He does."

He sniffed, looking even more ashamed. He valued Tobias's opinion highly. "Is he gonna spank me?"

"No. When you lived with him for three months, he punished you, but now that's my job. Come here." I ordered, indicating he was to lie across my knee. I expected the usual round of protests, for he hated getting spanked as much as I hated spanking him. That was why I reserved it for those times when he had done something truly forbidden, the way I did the week-long time-out.

To my surprise, he didn't protest at all, but obeyed me, lying face-down over my lap. I wasted no time in giving him six stinging smacks, there was no sense in drawing it out, and I wanted it over as quickly as possible. He bawled loudly and wriggled, trying to avoid my hand. I knew damn well I wasn't hitting him all that hard, just hard enough to sting sharply for at the most an hour, but from the way he was sobbing, you'd have thought I was taking a belt to him. Yes, it hurt, but it was not bad enough to warrant such dramatics. Then again, maybe it hurt more than I thought, since I wasn't on the receiving end of it this time. I shook my head. I had more than my share of spankings, enough so I was almost positive my own version was mild as milk compared to those I'd gotten. But I couldn't blame him for crying, it was a normal reaction.

But it was over and done with in thirty seconds, and then I could hug him and tell him I forgave him, which I did as soon as he'd stopped crying long enough to understand what I was saying.

"Do you still love me, Daddy?" he sniffled, rubbing his bottom.

"Oh, Harry! Of course I love you. I will always love you." I hugged him close.

"Even when I make you mad enough to spank me?"

"Always, little one. Now do us both a favor and remember this, won't you? Because I truly hate repeating the same lesson over and over again. But I will if I have to," I warned. I had learned to be consistent, and to always do what I said, so my son would know what to expect from me, and would not fear me the way I had feared Tobias. The sins of the past would not be repeated. I had vowed that long ago, when I had agreed to raise Harry as my own, and I kept that promise to the best of my ability.

"I'll remember. Promise."

I had to smile at the childish declaration, but I knew he meant it. I hoped the lesson would stick this time. I had a feeling it would, and not just because of my punishment either. "All right, scamp. Now go wash your face and change your shirt. As soon as you're done we can go and visit your grandfather."

"Okay. Where's Inky?"

"In his room, sleeping. You can play with him after we get back," I said, gently removing him from my lap and setting him on his feet. "Get a move on, Harry. Your grandfather is waiting for us."

He scampered away down the hall and I went back into the kitchen to make a quick phone call to my father and tell him we were coming.

Dad was on the porch when we arrived. Harry ran right to him, and Dad picked him up and hugged him, then he set his grandson down and said sternly, "What's this I hear about you running away, young man? You ought to know better than to make your father and I worry like that."

"I'm sorry, sir. I'll never do it again."

"Can I trust you to keep your word?"

"Yes sir."

"Good, because a Snape always keeps his word, minnow. I take it your father punished you already?"

Harry nodded quickly. "Yes sir. He yelled at me and put me in time-out for a week with no friends over and then he spanked me."

"Sounds like you've been punished enough then, and there's an end to it." Then Dad ruffled Harry's hair, making it stand on end. "I was intending to take you to the cinema, but since you got here too late . . .we'll have to think of something else."

"That's okay, Grandpa. Dad said I couldn't see a movie anyhow, it's part of my punishment," his grandson reported.

Dad arched one eyebrow, and glanced at me in approval. "That's fair. Let's go inside. I'm working on a set of small animals for my friend Carl's little boy. You remember Bobby, don't you? It's his birthday in a few days, and I made this group of forest animals as a present. I could use your help in finishing them, Harry, since you like to sand . . ."

The two went into the house and I followed, thanking my lucky stars that Harry would grow up knowing a normal Tobias and not the drunken monster I had. It was important for Harry to have his grandfather to go to for advice as well as his father, you could tell a grandfather things you didn't or couldn't discuss with a parent, and it would mean a lot to Tobias that Harry considered his opinion worth knowing.

Dad had the animals spread out on the kitchen table on a sheet of newspaper, and Harry immediately went to inspect them. "Cool! There's a bear, a wolf, a squirrel, a deer, a bunny, and an owl. You're a great carver, Grandpa. Will you teach me how to carve someday?"

Dad looked very proud and said, "When you're a little older, maybe eight, I will."

"Okay." He picked up a piece of sandpaper and started rubbing it over the wolf carving. "Grandpa, can you make me some animals too? My birthday's coming up in July, and I'd really like some."

"Well, minnow, I'll see what I can do. For now though, let's finish these for Bobby." He looked over at me. "Care to help us, Sev?"

Happy to be invited to join in the project, I picked up the detailed carving of the owl and another piece of sandpaper and set to work. The afternoon passed pleasantly as the three of us worked companionably, the soft shush of the sandpaper filling the room. I wished my mother were alive to see this, her husband and son together without fighting and her grandson as well, the way a family was meant to be. It would have pleased her to no end.