Prince residence

Point Pleasant, New Jersey:

"But Harry, when can I learn to make a potion?" asked Mia, Harry's  nearly six-year-old cousin.  She gazed up at him pleadingly and he stifled a groan.

Merlin's socks, how come little kids always manage to make you feel all guilty with just their eyes? He wondered inwardly as he bottled up a finished batch of Severus's Veritaserum and placed it gently in a lined cardboard box, ready for shipping.  His father's mail-order potions business he had begun last year had really taken off, so much so that Severus had recruited Harry, Neil, and Aria to be his assistants over the summer.  Good thing all three of them were excellent potions students, and they could brew some of the more complicated drafts that customers requested. 

"Later, Mia, okay? I promised Aria and Neil I'd play Quidditch with them after I finished brewing." He told the anxious child, who was the only one of the Prince line here in America to have inherited magic.  Her mother, Melody, was a Muggle and her grandmother Aurelia a Squib, but Mia would be a strong witch someday, and she was impatient to get started on her magical education.

The curly haired girl sighed and pouted.  "But that'll be another hour at least. I want to make a potion now, Harry.  Please?"

Harry groaned as the full force of her hazel eyes bored into him.  They ought to have been classed as a lethal weapon, he thought ruefully, trying to remain firm. "Aww, Mia! Don't whine, I promise I'll brew a potion with you this afternoon.  But right now I really really want to go flying.  Why don't you play with Rosie till then?"

"O-okay!" Mia sulked, seeing she wasn't about to convince her cousin otherwise.  She frowned at him and trudged up the stairs, whistling for Rosie, Harry's young beagle.  It's no fair! I wish I was big, then I could make my own potion and I wouldn't have to wait for Sev or Harry or Aria to help me.

She had waited all spring for her wizard cousins from Britain to return to New Jersey and hopefully teach her how to do real magic.  But in the two weeks they had been back in Point Pleasant, the only thing Mia had learned was how to chop up flobberworms and write her name and address with a quill and ink. That afternoon, Harry had said he would teach her how to make a Boil Cure, which was the first potion Severus had ever taught him, but Mia hadn't known that the afternoon meant after two o'clock.  She had been waiting all day, ever since her mother had dropped her off this morning. 

Severus and Aurelia had gone to the supermarket to pick up something for dinner that night and left Mia with Harry, Aria, and Neil.  Remus had gone to the American Magical Association to finalize some papers for his guardianship over his niece, Aria, and figured he would be back within an hour.

Rosie frisked up to the little girl, jumping up and licking Mia's face, grinning her happy-go-lucky beagle grin. "Hi, Rosie! Wanna go play?"

Rosie lifted her head and bayed, dancing around Mia and wagging her tail.

She raced Mia to the back door and burst into the yard her long ears flopping.  Mia followed, picking up one of the beagle's nylon bones and throwing it for her.

"Go get it, Rosie!"

Rosie galloped over and snatched the bone up in her jaws and brought it back to her.  She loved playing fetch and would fetch for hours if the humans in her family were willing to oblige her.

But Mia soon tired of throwing the bone and playing tug-o-war with the beagle, she was still stewing over making the potion.  She walked into the den and turned on the TV, watching cartoons for half-an-hour before growing bored and walking outside to see if Harry and Aria had come home yet. 

But the two teenage wizards were still over Neil's house, playing a rousing game of Quidditch, with Aria as Seeker in her hawk form. 

Disappointed, Mia returned to stand in the middle of the foyer, at loose ends.  I wonder if Severus will mind if I borrow a potions text to look at some potions recipes?  She knew she wasn't allowed to go down in the basement potions lab without an adult or Harry, but just this once she thought it wouldn't hurt.  She only wanted to read a book.

She opened the door, preparing to go downstairs, and Rosie whined and started to follow.

"No, Rosie.  Stay here." Mia ordered and shut the door in the beagle's face.

Rosie whimpered and kept her nose plastered to the bottom of the door.

Mia entered the lab, going straight to the bookshelf near the door and looking at all the potions manuals Severus had stored there.  She found one called Potente Potions for Beginners and took it down from the shelf.  She walked over to an empty lab table and began to read it. 

There were potions to cure boils, potions to make people sneeze, to reduce wrinkles, and even one to change hair color.  Hmm . . .that looks interesting.  Wonder what goes in it?

She read the list of ingredients and it didn't sound too complicated.  She knew where Severus kept most of the ingredients for it and could probably make it herself.  She chewed her lower lip, knowing she shouldn't attempt anything magical without supervision.  But she was so bored and she was able to read fairly well and really, what was so dangerous about a Hair Color Change Draft?

I'll just gather the ingredients and put them here beside the cauldron.  Then I'll leave and see if Harry's come home yet.  I'll tell him I want to make this potion instead.

She slid off the high stool and began gathering up what she needed.

Before long she had what she thought was everything lined up neatly on the counter.  She read over the instructions again and began to chop and dice the dried kelp and the sunflowers. 

Put two cups of water into the cauldron and simmer slowly, then add the kelp, the mallow root and the . . .what's that word there? Ginger? She squinted, unsure, since the writing was small, but she was almost sure it was ginger.  That doesn't sound too hard.  She concentrated, and a fire bloomed in the grate beneath the cauldron. 

"Okay, now I can add the water," she said aloud, and poured the water into the cauldron. 

* * * * * *

Remus had arrived back at the house just as Harry and Aria returned from Neil's.

"Hey, Uncle Remmy, how was your meeting?" asked Aria, going up to the werewolf and hugging him.

"It went well, Aria.  It's official, you're now my daughter." He hugged her back and smiled.

"Great! Now can we go to New Orleans?"

"Yes.  Severus and I had planned on going next week.  We can stay at Gran Lara's house for two weeks and see the sights." Remus said.

"I can't wait," Harry said, he'd been itching to go to New Orleans ever since Aria had arrived.  "Neil can come too, right, Uncle Remus?"

"That would be up to your father." Remus said. 

"I'll ask him when he comes back.  He won't mind, I think."

"He likes Neil.  Claims he's a good influence on you, Wild Harry," teased Aria, tossing some of her honey-blond hair out of her eyes, which were the color of amber, a mark of her shapeslipper heritage.

Harry raised an eyebrow at her nickname, but before he could respond there came a huge bang and the whole house shook violently.  Smoke poured from the windows, followed by the sound of a frantic beagle howling.

For an instant, nobody moved.

Then Harry shouted, "Mia! Rosie!" and began to run towards the house.

Only to be caught in his godfather's relentless grip.  "No! Harry, stay here! I'll go, I'm faster than you and can Apparate if the house starts to collapse."

Remus bolted up the stairs, chanting a Shield Charm as he did so.

He found a terrified Rosie huddled beside the door leading to the basement, whimpering and cringing.  But she was not hurt, only scared to death.

"Merlin help me!" Remus muttered, his face ashen. He feared to open the door, but knew he had to. 

He cautiously unlocked the basement door.  Green and purple smoke drifted in wisps up the stairs.  The werewolf coughed, his sensitive nose assaulted by a foul odor.  But he forced himself to continue down the stairs and into Severus's potions lab, where he found a blackened smoking cauldron and lying next to it was the unconscious form of little Mia Barry.

"Oh God, no!" Remus groaned, and knelt to gather the child into his arms, she was barely breathing and one side of her arm and her hair had been burned. He pulled his wand and waved it making sure the fire beneath the cauldron was out and then he raced upstairs with the badly injured child, praying that Severus had returned home.

Aurelia and Severus had just pulled up in the driveway and were unloading the groceries when Remus came upstairs with Mia cradled in his arms. Severus walked in the front door holding a shopping bag with eggs and some cheese. He dropped the bag in horror when he caught sight of his small cousin, and eggs broke and splattered everywhere, but neither man noticed that fact.

"Dear sweet Merlin, Remus! What happened?" he cried, moving over to inspect the child, who was still unconscious, a livid red blister forming on one side of her face. Half of her hair had also been crisped away, as had part of her sleeve on the left side. Her arm and face were burned severely, and Severus ordered Remus to bring her into the den, where he transfigured the sofa into an emergency diagnostic table.

"A potions accident, Severus. I guess she tried to make something and . . .it exploded. I had just come home when it happened." Remus explained, setting the child down on the table. "One minute I was talking to Aria about the guardianship being finalized and the next there was a huge bang and smoke was pouring out of the windows."

Severus swore softly. "Where were Harry and Aria while this happened?"

"Outside, they looked like they had been flying, near as I could figure."

Before Severus could snap out a reply, Aurelia came rushing in. The normally cool and collected Squib was clearly dreading the worst, her eyes were bright with tears. "Severus! How bad is it? Will she be okay? Do I need to take her to a hospital?" She gasped when she saw her granddaughter's face. "Oh Lord, my poor baby!"

"Aunt Relia, I think I can mend the worst of this with magic," Severus soothed. "I have a Burn Salve made up and a Pain Reliever and I'll be running a diagnostic to determine if there's any other damage to her respiratory system. She will recover, Aunt Relia, I just need time to work on her. Please, call Mel and tell her . . ." he trailed off, cursing himself. " . . . .tell her I'm sorry, this never should have happened."

Aurelia touched him lightly on the shoulder. "Severus, don't worry about assigning blame, just fix my granddaughter. I'll deal with Mel, you worry about Mia."

"Thank you, Aunt Relia," said her nephew gratefully. He turned to Remus to ask for his assistance when Harry and Aria entered the room.

"How is she, Uncle Sev?" Aria asked, her amber eyes wide in her pale face. "Is she going to be all right?"

"Eventually, Aria."

"Dad, please . . .oh God . . .I should have watched her better . . .I know this is all my fault . . .I'm sorry . . ." Harry babbled, one look at Mia and he felt as if someone had cast the Cruciatus Curse on him all over again. There was a sharp pain in his chest and his stomach cramped and he felt as if he were going to throw up. He swallowed sharply and whispered, tears glistening in his eyes, "Please, sir . . .let me help you . . .I'm so sorry, I should have made her come with me . . ."

Severus jerked his head up at his son's voice and snapped, "Harry, I have no time for your excuses, if you're going to help me, stop babbling and do what I say. Get me two Class Five Pain Relievers and a large container of Burn Salve, plus some soft cloths and a basin of water."

Harry flinched at the sharp tone, but said, "Yes, sir," and muttered a quick Summoning charm.

Meanwhile, Severus cast a quick diagnostic upon the unconscious girl, making sure the explosion had not damaged her lungs and throat or any other part of her body.

There was some slight residue in her lungs of whatever potion she had been brewing, but Severus determined it was minimal and yet he wanted to take no chances. He ordered Harry to summon a Breathe Ease Elixir, and began administering that to Mia first, with a small medicine dropper.

In the kitchen, they could hear Aurelia speaking on the phone to Melody, Mia's mother, reassuring her that her daughter was still alive and would be fine in a day or two.

"Aria, why don't you go and help Aurelia with the groceries?" suggested Remus, figuring it would be better to give her something to do so she was kept busy, instead of hovering over Severus like a ghost.

"Okay, Uncle Remmy," she headed into the kitchen to put away the remainder of the groceries and see if Aurelia needed help with dinner. She felt terrible that Mia had gotten so badly hurt, she should have insisted they return earlier and that Harry bring Mia when they decided to play Quidditch over at Neil's. But then she had gotten caught up in her flying and Harry had told her they would be right back and Mia had wanted to stay behind and play with Rosie. Where was your brain, Aria Lenore? You ought to know better than to leave a little kid alone!

She put away the groceries woodenly, avoiding Aurelia's gaze.

Back in the den, Severus was now gently washing the burns on Mia's face and arm. The little girl whimpered, and Harry flinched, the guilt smothering him. He felt ill and wished it were him lying there instead of Mia. He silently handed Severus the container of salve at the Potion Master's unspoken glance. "Dad, will she . . .get better soon?"

Severus did not reply, he was too busy applying the thick cream to the little girl's face. It was a pale green and smelled like lavender and aloe, it began to be absorbed almost immediately into the child's burned skin. Severus made sure to coat Mia's arm and face generously before stopping and giving the child a draft of the Pain Reliever.

Harry hovered over them, tearing his nails to the quick, miserable and wondering when Severus was going to let him have it for behaving so irresponsibly. He had assured his father he would watch Mia until they returned from the store, she had been visiting her grandmother as usual on the weekend while Mel worked, she had since gotten a second job now that Devon was out of her life for good.

He recalled Mia's face, looking up at him hopefully while he bottled up the batch of potions, and her little voice asking, "When can I make a potion, Harry?"

Guilt twisted his insides and he hung his head. I should have made the potion with her like she wanted, I shouldn't have brushed her off like that. I could have played Quidditch later on. I should have listened to Aria and not left her alone. Merlin help me, why didn't I? This is all my fault!

"How is she doing, Sev?" asked Remus, returning from cleaning up the lab.

Severus looked up then, anxiety and guilt carving new lines in his face. "I've gotten her stabilized, Remus. There was no real damage to her lungs and trachea, thank God, but she'll need the Burn Salve and the Pain Reliever again when she wakes up, she'll be hurting quite a bit, burns are the worst."

"Will she have a scar?"

"No, the salve will heal the skin enough so it shouldn't scar, I got to her in time. Hopefully, she'll sleep another few hours, she also sustained a slight bump on the head, but I mended it with a spell." One hand gently stroked the child's head, wincing as his fingers encountered the stubble that was left of the little girl's once curly mop on one side. "I need to make up a Hair Growth Solution, remind me, Remus."

"Sure. I think Mel is on her way here, your aunt called her and told her what happened," the werewolf informed his friend.

The Potions Master sighed. "Melody is going to tear me into pieces for this. I never should have allowed Harry to watch her, thirteen-year-old's can't be trusted to look after children properly. I know better, damn it! I'm such an idiot! I don't know what the hell I was thinking."

"Sev, accidents happen-" Remus began, but before he could finish, Aria's voice rang out from the kitchen.

"Uncle Sev, you'd better come in here quick! Something's the matter with Rosie!"

Harry froze, then he ran into the kitchen, his heart pounding crazily in his chest.

He found Aria on the floor, holding the little beagle, who was gasping and wheezing for breath. Green flecked foam was dribbling from her nose and she was whining very softly.

"Rosie! What's wrong with you?" he cried, aghast, and he dropped to his knees to hug the beagle, struggling to keep from sobbing. First Mia, and now his dog.

"Harry, move!" ordered Severus, coming into the kitchen to examine the dog. "I need to see what's wrong with her, she may have inhaled some fumes from the explosion." He removed the dog from his son's arms and chanted a diagnostic.

"Damn!" he swore. "As I feared. Whatever she breathed into her lungs is harmful to dogs. Remus, bring me another vial of Breathe Ease, my medicine dropper, and some Tissue Repair Solution. Those fumes damaged her lungs . . .hopefully this will mend them . . ." he muttered, half to himself.

Remus Summoned what Severus needed, then shifted into his wolf form to better monitor the beagle's vital signs. He sniffed the little tricolor dog and whined softly.

"Dad, she's not going to die? You can save her, right?" Harry pleaded, hovering as close as he dared.

"Harry, get out of my light! I can't see with you hovering over me, blast it!" Severus growled, all of his attention now focused on the dog. " . . .two spoonfuls ought to be plenty . . .she's a small dog . . ." He gently tipped the beagle's head back and began to put a colorless potion down her throat.

Harry remained frozen for one more second, then abruptly turned and raced outside, unable to bear the awful weight of guilt any longer. It was like a mountain atop his shoulders, pressing down on him until he could barely stand.

"Harry? Harry, wait!" Aria called, starting to go after him.

"Leave me alone, Aria!" he yelled, half-sobbing. "Just . . .leave me alone!"

He ran through the backyard and on into a small grove of trees that bordered the property, tears of bitter remorse and regret coursing down his cheeks. If Rosie died it would be his fault. He was so upset that he didn't watch where he was going and smacked headfirst into a tree.

"Oww!" he yelped and fell on the ground, holding his head. It hurt but he welcomed the pain. It was no more than he deserved. He curled into a ball and sobbed, whispering over and over, "I'm sorry, Mia. I'm sorry, Rosie. I'm sorry . . .!"

Dad was right, he shouldn't have trusted me, I'm an irresponsible idiot . . .Mia's hurt because of me and now so's Rosie . . .If she dies, I'll never forgive myself . . .Never!

He had no idea how long he remained there, overwhelmed with guilt and remorse, wishing fervently that he could turn back time, hot tears soaking the ground, his cheek pressed against the cool earth. His father was justifiably furious with him and a small part of him wondered what punishment he was going to get for this latest escapade. Grounded for the summer? Beaten within an inch of his life? Whatever Severus chose to do to him, he would not protest, for he deserved every bit of it.

He lay still, unable to muster the will to get up and go back to the house and face the wrath of his father and cousin, who surely blamed him for this whole misbegotten mess. Then too, he was terrified that his dog had died from inhaling the potent fumes from the failed potion and he could not face that yet either. Utterly miserable, he lay there and cried, until a hand grasped his shoulder.

"Harry? Merlin's bloody staff, where the hell have you been? I've been looking all over for you."

Harry groaned and looked up into the dark eyes of his father. "Dad? Is . . .Rosie . . . is she . . .?" he stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence.

"She'll live, son. She's sick, but she'll live," answered his father. "Now get up. We need to have a long discussion about your behavior, young man."

"Yes, sir." He murmured, guilt now intermingling with dread, as he accepted his father's hand and rose to his feet. He followed Severus back towards the house, dragging his feet a little.  Brilliant, Snape, just brilliant! You sure know how to start the summer off on the right foot. There goes your trip to New Orleans. But at least Rosie is all right. And Mia. I don't care what he does to me, that's all that matters.   

 Severus glanced back at Harry for an instant, and shook his head. Guilt was branded all over the boy like a dozen Dark Marks. Clearly, Harry was punishing himself over the incident quite sharply, and the Potions Master scowled and turned away. He looked like Severus felt and that was going to make it ten times more difficult to issue a punishment. Oh, Harry, what the hell am I going to do with you?

When the two Snapes arrived back at the house, they found Mel sitting at the kitchen table with Aurelia, drinking a cup of black coffee and sniffling into a dishtowel.  Her normally cheerful hazel eyes were dark with worry and sorrow for her only child, who had come very close to losing her life in that potions disaster. Her curly hair was hanging limply in her eyes and she looked every inch of her thirty-one years. 

Severus cast a swift glance at her and winced, for he had been very close to Mel when they were children, she was only two years his junior and she had regarded him as an older brother.  He had always protected her as a child, even going so far as to beat up local bullies who had been picking on her.  But now, to his everlasting shame, he had caused her to be hurt in the worst way a parent could be hurt. 

Harry saw Mel and felt his guilt increase tenfold.  Surely she couldn't stand the sight of him, since he should have made sure the lab was locked the way Severus told him and that Mia wasn't left alone.  But he had failed and now Mia and Rosie had suffered for it.  His eyes lit on the beagle, who was asleep in her bed beside the stove and he ran over to her and picked her up, bed and all. 

"You're gonna be okay, pup.  I love you, beagle," he murmured into her satin ear, swallowing hard as he looked down at his dog, Severus's first birthday present to him, whom he loved to pieces, who had almost died as well through his carelessness.

"Harry, go and bring Rosie into your room, I'll be along shortly," Severus ordered.

"Yes, sir." He  ducked his head and mumbled a quick hello and an I'm sorry to Mel before heading down the hall to his room.  For once he was happy to have been sent to his room, that way he didn't have to face Melody. 

As he reached his door, he heard his cousin say to his father, "Severus, that kid looks like hell, so try and go easy on him, it was an accident."

Harry was so shocked that Melody didn't blame him that he stumbled and almost fell into his room. 

Then he heard Severus reply, "I know that, and I'm sorry, Mel, it never should have happened.  I should have-"

"Severus, if you apologize to me one more time, I'm going to smack you good and hard.  You and your son, the pair of you blaming yourself for an accident.  Mia shouldn't have been down there either, you know.  There's no sense in you wallowing in guilt, Sev, just . . .chalk it up to a very bad mistake and go from there, okay?  All I care about is my little girl getting better."

"I'll make her well, Melody.  I promise."

"Good.  Now go and talk to Harry, before he drowns himself in guilt.  And no yelling, Severus."

Harry didn't wait to hear what Severus's response to that was, he ducked into his room and shut the door with the toe of his trainer, then settled down on the bed with Rosie's dog bed next to him.  He began to stroke the dog's head, over and over, struggling to keep his emotions under control.  Even if it sounded like Mel forgave him, he still felt terribly guilty over what had happened-what he had allowed to happen, a sharp voice in the back of his head growled.  He had promised to watch Mia and he had broken that promise.  He deserved to be yelled at or worse.

He began to pet the sleeping beagle again, silently thanking whatever angel watched over dogs for keeping Rosie alive long enough for his father to heal her with his potions. And then he thanked God for saving Mia too, because if she had died . . .Don't think about that, Harry.  Just don't.  He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to stem the tears that pooled behind them.  He didn't want his father to see him crying like a whiny seven-year-old, he was nearly fourteen. 

Severus entered the room a few moments later and Harry instinctively straightened and avoided his gaze, such responses were ingrained into him after a lifetime of living with his uncle, who had always insisted his nephew look at the ground and yet remain upright instead of slouching like a lazy bum.

Severus didn't speak for several moments, instead pulling out a chair and placing it some two feet away from where Harry was seated on his bed.  He then sat down and studied his son for a bit, noting immediately the way the boy refused to meet his gaze, the stiffened posture, as if he were bracing himself for a blow and the way Harry's hands curled into his palms. They were little things, but Severus read the signs easily.  Clearly Harry was remorseful and overwhelmed with guilt and a bit fearful of Severus's temper.

The silence was too much for Harry's nerves and he said, softly, "Dad, I really am sorry.  I should have watched Mia the way I promised, instead of leaving her with Rosie while I went to play Quidditch.  I forgot to lock the lab too, even though you've told me about a dozen times to do that soon as I'm finished.  Is Mia going to be okay?" his voice trembled and fresh tears threatened.

"She will be eventually, Harry.  The explosion . . .it burned her left cheek and arm and some of her hair also.  But with my potions she should heal in about a week or so.  She was very lucky.  Very lucky."

"How about Rosie, Dad?"

"Her too.  Her lungs were damaged by the potion fumes, but she too should heal up in a week or so, with repeat applications.  She's sleeping soundly because of a Sleeping Draught."

"That's good.  I . . .I was afraid I'd . . .that they would die . . ." Harry stammered.  "Because I was stupid and I didn't listen and . . .well, you know . . ."

"Look at me," Severus ordered quietly, then waited until his son had complied before continuing.  "While it is true that you should never leave a young child home without some kind of supervision, and you should have made sure my lab was locked as well, the blame for this does not lie entirely with you, Harry.  Much of it rests on me, for I was responsible for Mia as well and should have made sure you understood how to care for a small child before leaving her in your care.  But, as Melody said, what happened was a terrible accident, and you should not tear yourself apart over it.  Accidents happen and we all make mistakes. The most important thing now is healing the harm done, not pummeling yourself over things that cannot be changed."

"But . . .aren't you mad at me for being so irresponsible, sir? I could have killed Mia and Rosie because I went off to play Quidditch." Harry admitted miserably. 

"True, but I think now you know better, and I am as angry at myself as I was at you, son.  This might have been avoided if we were both thinking straight."

Harry was astonished to hear that Severus blamed himself for this disaster, whenever something had gone wrong at the Dursleys it had always been his fault, no matter what.  He had never had an adult authority figure ever shoulder blame for an incident the way Severus had just done.  It was bewildering, to say the least.  He cleared his throat, then gazed up at his father and asked, "What are you going to do to me for this? Cancel our trip to New Orleans?" They had been planning a two week trip to New Orleans with the Lupins as part of their summer holiday, going to stay at Remus's grandmother's house, which he had inherited upon her death and see the sights there.  Harry had been looking forward to seeing where Aria had grown up, he loved seeing new places. 

"Do you think that is a fair punishment?"

The thirteen-year-old gaped at him.  "Huh? What does it matter what I think? You're my father, you can punish me however you want."

"Yes, but in this case I would say you are punishing yourself far more harshly than I could."

"Dad, are you okay? Because you're not acting like yourself."

"In what way?"

"You should . . .I mean . . .I don't understand why you aren't kicking my arse over this.  I deserve to have my arse kicked good . . .I ought to be grounded for life or something."

Severus eyed him for a moment, then said, "Harry, do you know the reason why parents issue punishments?"

"Uh . . .yeah, I guess.  To teach kids what they did was wrong, and so they remember not to do it again."

"Yes.  But what happened was an accident and experience has taught you a far sharper lesson than I ever could.  However, if you feel the need for something more to assuage your guilt, I shall make you my assistant medic.  Your punishment shall be to help me tend to Mia and Rosie until they are well, making salves and administering them, and anything else I require.  I would like to know what potion Mia was trying to brew, so I can discover what went wrong and why it exploded.  Once I discover that, I can teach her to brew it the right way."

"What if she's afraid to try again, Dad?"

"Then we must make sure she gets over that fear, Harry.  A good witch must know how to brew potions.  Perhaps that can be your task, helping Mia overcome her fear and learn from her mistakes.  It won't be easy, but then nothing worth doing ever is. And that is a more effective punishment then me kicking your arse, as you put it."

"I . . .I guess."

But Harry still wore a doubtful expression on his face.  It was then that Severus caught onto what else was bothering the boy, and said, "I forgive you, Harry.  Now, for the love of Merlin, learn to forgive yourself.  Before you give yourself a stroke."

Harry managed a tremulous smile at that.  "Okay, Dad.  I'll try." He was luckier than he deserved. 

"Good.  Now, as the first part of your punishment, I want you to study this potions recipe," he pulled a piece of parchment from his pocket.  "It contains the formula for a Burn Salve.  When you think you have it down you may come and find me and we can practice brewing it, for Mia will need more than the small amount I have already on hand."

Harry took the potion recipe then looked at Rosie and back at Severus.  "How about my dog? What kind of potions does she need?"

"A few that are beyond your current level of study for now.  Don't worry, Harry.  I will brew all the necessary drafts for her and you may observe and then watch how I give them to her in the beginning." He reached out a hand and squeezed his son's shoulder gently.  "She'll get better. In no time she'll be her usual troublemaking beagle self."

"Thanks, Dad.  I'm sorry I screwed up again."

"Harrison Remus Snape, if you don't stop apologizing, I'm going to smack you one," Severus scolded.  "Enough, child. It's done, now forgive yourself and move on. Do you hear me?"

"Yes, sir.  But-"

"But nothing.  You're only thirteen, you're allowed to make mistakes, just try not to repeat them.  No one expects you to be perfect." Severus shook his head.  Merlin, but he reminds me of myself at that age! I struggled so hard to please my father that I ended up making myself sick over it.  And the old man never even cared, he never even noticed.  "Ah, you're more like me than you know, son." He stood up and gave Harry a long hug before saying, "I need to go and help Aurelia with supper, you stay here with Rosie and look over that recipe.  I'll call you when supper is on the table."

"All right," Harry hugged him back, relieved beyond words to know that Severus forgave him. 

Severus departed, and Harry took Rosie, who still snoring soundly, out of her bed and placed her next to him, then commenced studying the potion recipe.  He still felt a nagging sense of guilt, but perhaps his father was right and he was being too hard on himself. After all, accidents happened, right?

* * * * * *

Over the next week, Harry discovered that he had a knack for making sick children feel better. When Mia had first awoken, she had her mother and Aurelia and Severus around her to comfort her and hold her.  Her face and arm had hurt dreadfully until Severus reapplied the Burn Salve and made her drink a nasty tasting pain relieving potion.  Harry had hovered in the background with Aria and Remus, wanting to speak with the little girl, but not wanting to overwhelm her. 

She was sitting up, and both Mel and Severus were sitting next to her on the couch. 

"There.  That wasn't too awful, was it?" asked the Potions Master, giving the girl a cup of water to drink.

"It was, Severus, but Mom says sometimes medicine tastes bad and you got to take it anyway to get better."

"She is exactly right, Mia, and I'm afraid you will have to take many more nasty potions for me in order to get well." He hugged her gently.  "How do you feel now?"

"Better.  Thanks, Sev." She smiled up at him.  Then she looked down at her hands and whispered, "Umm . . .am I in trouble for touching your potions?"

Severus looked over at Mel before addressing that question at Mel's nod.  Since Severus was Mia's magical tutor, she seemed content to allow him to handle this one on his own. "Well, young lady, you ought to be," he began, putting on his stern teacher's mask.  Mia sniffled.  "You know my rule, if I'm not in the lab then you shouldn't be either.  However," he continued quickly, before she started to cry, since getting too upset would hinder her recovery, "I think having a potion explode upon you and you getting hurt from it like this is enough of a punishment.  I trust you won't be making any more unsupervised potions, now will you, Miss Barry?"

"No, sir.  Uh . . .what's unsupervised mean?"

"It means without an adult like Severus beside you, honey." Mel said quietly.   "You shouldn't ever do anything like that again.  You scared us all to death, Mia Aurelia.  If anything ever happened to you . . ." She hugged her daughter tightly.

"I'm sorry, Mom!" Mia sobbed.  Then she said, "I . . .I don't think I want to make a potion ever again."

Severus sighed, for this was exactly what he had feared happening.  Some students who had cauldrons explode on them, like Neville Longbottom, quickly got over the fear and went back to try again, but others were more damaged by it and had to be coaxed into getting over their fear. 

He placed a hand on the little girl's shoulder and said gently, "I can understand why you're afraid to brew another potion after what happened this time, Mia, but what happened was an accident, since you didn't read the instructions or whatever, and you tried to make a potion on your own.  But that won't happen if I'm with you, little one.  I will make sure you don't put anything in the cauldron that doesn't belong in there and no more explosions will occur."

But Mia was shaking her head, clearly frightened of ever going back down into the lab again.  Severus wisely decided to leave that discussion for another time.  "All right, perhaps you'll feel differently when you're better."  Still, he knew the best way to conquer what one feared was to go back and try again.  It was very much like riding a horse.  Or a broom.  When you fell off, you had to get right back on.

"Would you like something to eat, sweetie?" asked Aurelia, gently stroking her granddaughter's hair, the part that hadn't been burnt away.

"Can I have some cereal?"

"Of course.  What kind would you like?"

"Uh . . .Frosted Flakes."

"I'll get it, Aunt Relia." Harry volunteered before Aurelia could say anything.  He quickly went into the kitchen and got out a bowl and the cereal from the pantry.

Aria followed him into the kitchen and asked in hushed tones, "Harry, are you all right? Did Uncle Sev ream out your ass for . . .uh, leaving Mia alone?"

"Not really.  He said I felt bad enough and my punishment was to help take care of Mia and Rosie." Harry said, pouring the cereal into a bowl. 

"Oh.  Then maybe I could help too, since it was my fault too, I know better than to leave a little kid home alone," Aria said.

"Hey, don't blame yourself, Aria.  You were the one who said I should've gone home and gotten her," Harry argued.  "If I'd listened to you . . ." he sighed, recalling what Severus had said about letting blame go and just healing the harm. "Look, we're all kind of to blame, me, Dad, you, even Mia kind of.  So instead of worrying about who's fault it is, let's worry about getting Mia and Rosie well again."

Aria nodded slowly.  "That's great advice, Harry. You're pretty smart, y'know."

Harry blushed, he liked it when Aria complimented him. Until he recalled he really couldn't take credit for that advice and said, "Not really, Aria.  My dad told me that, all I'm doing is trying to follow it."

"It's still good advice, Snape.  And you're smart for following it." Aria grinned, then she picked up a cup of chocolate milk and carried it out to the den for Mia.  Harry quickly followed with the cereal.

"Hey, kid.  Here's your cereal." He placed the bowl before Mia, waving his wand to make it hover so she could eat without worrying about spilling it. 

"Thanks, Harry!" she took the spoon and dug in. 

Aria handed her the milk and she thanked the older girl also. 

Severus rose and allowed Harry to sit next to his cousin, knowing it was best to let Harry spend some time with Mia alone. Mel followed his lead, going back into the kitchen to have tea and dessert with her mother, Severus, and Remus. But before she did so, she placed a hand on Harry's arm and said quietly, "It was an accident, Harry.  Don't beat yourself up over it, okay? Things happen."

He gave Mel a small smile.  "I'll try.  Thanks, Mel."

"I'm going to get some tea.  Keep Mia company." Then she disappeared into the kitchen.

Reading the signs the adults were giving off, Aria said abruptly, "Harry, I'm gonna check on Rosie, see if she's awake yet and needs a walk."

"Thanks, Aria.  Let me know if she seems like she's in pain, and I'll get Dad to give her some more Pain Reliever." Harry flashed her a grateful smile, then he turned back to Mia, who was staring at him curiously.

"What's wrong with Rosie? Is she sick?"

"Uh, not exactly.  She . . .sort of got hurt from breathing in the fumes from that, uh explosion," Harry explained.

Mia looked horrified.  "Y'mean . . .I hurt Rosie with my messed up potion? Oh no! I'm really sorry!" She started to cry and Harry quickly put a finger to her lips.

"Hush, Mia! It's okay, it's not your fault, really.  She's gonna be fine, Dad said so.  She just has to take potions like you for a bit.  C'mon, kid, don't cry, nobody's blaming you.  It was an accident."

"But . . .poor Rosie! I never wanted to hurt her or . . .anything." Mia wept, for she adored the little beagle. 

"I know, it was partly my fault for not telling you to wait till I got back before trying anything."

"No, it's not, Harry.  I'm a . . .terrible witch . . .I can't do anything right . . ."

Harry moved over and put a tentative hand on her shoulder.  "That's not true, Mia.  You think you're the only one who's ever exploded a cauldron? Shoot, I knew a kid at school who blew up or melted his nearly every class, and that was with Dad watching him!"

"Honest?"

Harry nodded.  "And I've blown up a few myself and I haven't been expelled yet."

"No way! You're almost as good as Severus at potions, Harry."

"Now I am, after being tutored by him all last summer, sure.  But before that I was ruddy awful, ‘cause I didn't really care about getting good marks.  One time, I exploded a whole cauldronful of Swelling Solution and it landed all over half my classmates," Harry admitted candidly.  "Dad was not happy."

"You did? Did you like get in big trouble?"

"Uh . . .kind of," Harry hedged, not wanting to tell her that Severus had never discovered who had thrown the firework into Malfoy's cauldron during second year.  Harry had done it as a diversion so Hermione could sneak into Snape's office and steal boomslang skin from his private stores to make Polyjuice Potion.  "But that's not the point, kid.  The point is that stuff like that happens to all us apprentice wizards.  I think Dad even blew up a few cauldrons when he was experimenting once, and he's a Potions Master."

Mia's eyes looked as round as saucers.  "Not Severus! He'd never do anything like that! He's . . .like . . .he's perfect!"

Harry had to bite his lip to keep from laughing.  "Nah.  He just wants us to think he is.  Listen, Mia, nobody's perfect, although Dad tries real hard, he'll tell you so himself.  We all make mistakes, but that doesn't mean you're terrible at potions or at being a witch.  Just that you're little and you need to be taught the right way."

Mia cocked her head and considered.  "Then you don't think I'm stupid . . .or horrible . . .?"

"Merlin, no! If you don't make a mistake you'll never learn."

"But Harry, . . .I'm afraid to make another potion.  What if it happens again? I don't want Severus to get hurt like Rosie."

"Aww, Mia.  You don't have to worry about doing it wrong if Dad's there.  He'll make sure you don't make a mistake like that again.  Just follow his directions and you'll be fine.  Trust him.  I did, and I haven't blown up a potion since."

"But . . .what if I mess up . . .like that kid you told me about?"

Harry groaned, wishing he'd never mentioned Neville Longbottom.  Good one, Harry! Next time think before you start blabbing. "Listen, kid.  You're not him . . . he's got a potions complex or something . . .Look, just don't worry about making another potion now, all right? Dad will let you know when it's time to go back and do that.  All you should be worrying about is . . .finishing your Frosted Flakes before I do," he teased, pretending to grab her cereal.

She giggled.  "Harry! Go get your own!"

He made a pleading face at her.  "What's this, you can't share with me?"

"Nope.  I need to keep up my strength, don't you know anything about being sick, Harry?"

Harry burst out laughing.  "Clever little scamp! Where'd you hear that?"

She shrugged.  "Some TV show." She ate two more spoonfuls of cereal then offered the rest to her cousin.  "Here.  I was only kidding."

"No, that's okay, Mia.  I'll get my own." Harry gently pushed the spoon away and summoned his own bowl of cereal and the milk. 

They ate companionably, hunger overriding any lingering pangs of guilt they had been feeling.

Aria returned with Rosie, who seemed to be feeling a little better, she wagged her tail and licked both Harry and Mia before trying to eat the cereal in their bowls.  "Rosie, you silly dog! Milk's no good for you!" Harry laughed, gently pushing the beagle's muzzle away.  "I guess it's good that you're hungry though."

Rosie whined, eyeing the bowl eagerly. 

"I'll go and ask Uncle Sev if it's okay to give her some dog food," Aria said, walking into the kitchen. 

Five minutes later she returned with a warm bowl of chicken broth and rice for Rosie and another bowl of cereal for herself.  Then the dog and three apprentices all sat and ate hungrily until it was time for bed.  Severus gave more potions to both Mia and Rosie before tucking her into bed and setting a ward spell in case Mia woke during the night and needed another dose of Pain Reliever or something. 

Rosie would sleep with Harry so he could monitor her as well.

It had been decided that Mia would stay over Aurelia's since it was easier for Severus to care for her there, though Melody spent as much time as she could with her daughter after work, but she went home at night to sleep since with the Lupins staying over there wasn't room for another adult in the house, and she knew Severus and Aurelia would make sure Mia wanted for nothing.

Harry found himself assisting Severus in the lab, brewing batches of Burn Salve and Pain Relievers, and then learning how to apply the salve to Mia's skin, so he did not hurt her too much.  The salve numbed the skin somewhat, but the first two days or so, the skin was very tender, and Severus had to show Harry carefully how to glide his finger across the little girl's cheek, barely touching it, in order to apply the salve. 

"Tell me if I hurt you, okay?" he told his small cousin the first time he went to put the medication on without Severus there.

But Mia reassured him it didn't hurt once he was done, and Harry sighed in relief.

"You're doing well with her, Harry," Severus praised.  "I think you have a real talent for healing.  Perhaps you might want to consider a career in that area."

And Harry found himself flushing in pleasure, for he knew that Severus never gave a compliment unless it was deserved.  "Maybe.  I'll think about it." Then he headed off to the sink to wash his hands.  Once he had thought he'd never want to be anything save an Auror, but now . . .it was something to think about.

Aria helped him give Rosie her doses of Tissue Repair Elixir and Pain Reliever, holding the little dog while Harry carefully put the potion down her throat with a small medicine dropper.  Rosie didn't care for it much, but she seemed to understand that they were trying to help her and didn't fight too hard when Harry gave her the potions.

And like Mia, he also gave her a treat once she had taken her medicine and petted her and told her she was a good dog. 

Neil visited as well, and told Mia that he too had a potions accident when he was little.  "I threw a mango into my teacher's cauldron, as a joke, my brother dared me to, and it blew up everywhere.  Last time I ever pulled anything like that, I'll tell you! Mr. Thurgood gave me the worst lecture and made me scrub cauldrons for a whole week.  But I learned my lesson, and now I really like potions and want to be a Potions Master one day like Mr. Snape."

"Really?"

"Yeah.  See, squirt, we've all been there and done that, so don't feel too bad." He reached out and ruffled her hair, which was starting to grow back thanks to Severus's Hair Restoring Potion. 

"Neil's right, Mia.  I tried to brew a potion to make me invisible once and melted a hole in my Gran Lara's floor in the basement." Aria added sheepishly.  "Matter of fact, the hole's still there, I think. Gran Lara left it there as a reminder, so I'd remember to never do anything so foolish again."

"But Aria, weren't you scared to try again after that?"

"Sure I was, a little.  But you can't let that get in the way of you doing things, Mia.  Sometimes . . .sometimes you just gotta grit your teeth and try again.  And usually, the second time around's not so bad, ‘cause you know what not to do."

"Like brew potions without Dad there," Harry reminded. 

"It's kind of like riding a bike," Neil remarked.  "When you fall off, you get right up and get back on.  It's the same with this, Mia.  As Mr. Snape says, practice makes perfect."

"Neil, please!" the other two groaned. 

"What?" he asked, pretending to be innocent. 

"Now you're beginning to sound like him," Harry rolled his eyes.

"So? Imitation's the sincerest form of flattery, Harry," his friend quoted loftily.

"MacIntyre, knock it off!" ordered Severus's son, cuffing the back of his friend's head.  "Before I cancel your invitation to go to New Orleans with us on account of I don't need two Severus Snapes along on this trip."

"Okay, okay, Snape.  Don't have a unicorn." Neil laughed. Then he tried to imitate Severus' trademark glare.

Harry burst out laughing.  "Uh, Neil . . .this is how it's done." And he glowered at his friend so realistically that Neil pretended to cower away.

Mia stared at her cousin in awe.  "Wow! How's he do that?"

"He's a Snape," Aria chuckled.  "It's born in them."

They all laughed then, and Rosie barked and wagged her tail from her place beside Mia on the couch.  Though they knew it would probably take weeks for Mia to get over her fear of making potions, it was a step forward in healing the harm.

By the beginning of the second week of June, Mia's face and arm were healed, and her hair was almost all grown back too. Rosie was mostly recovered from the accident as well, and the little girl and the beagle were currently racing about Aurelia's backyard, making the two adults smile as they watched from the back door.

"It looks like your potions worked beautifully, Severus," Aurelia said, smiling as her granddaughter rolled about in the grass with Rosie. "I can't see any scars at all."

"Yes, she healed up nicely," Severus agreed. "Physically." His expression darkened. "But emotionally . . .she's still frightened of going down into my lab. Not that I blame her. But it's something we're going to have to work through."

"Can she overcome it?"

Severus nodded. "Yes. She's young, she's had a terrible scare, but she's got the Prince spirit and resilience. Slowly but surely, she'll recover, if we're patient. Harry can help me a great deal, she loves him and admires him like a big brother. And I had a similar experience once."

Aurelia stared at him in wonder. "You, Severus? But you're a Potions Master!"

He slanted a wry grin at her. "I was an apprentice before I was a Potions Master, Aunt Relia. One who didn't always follow my mother's instructions. I was nine, and I liked to experiment with different recipes. One of those little experiments went horribly wrong and I nearly ended up blind. I also had burns on the left side of my face. The Healers at St. Mungos managed to reverse the damage after two weeks, and I could see again, but for a year I wasn't able to even look at a cauldron without getting the shakes and recalling that afternoon when my cauldron exploded. I had nightmares all that year too and I was convinced I'd never go back to making a potion again."

"How did you overcome your fear then?"

"My mother was very patient with me. And so was Lily, she helped me just by being there. It was a gradual process, I even had a few sessions with a trauma counselor my mother knew at the hospital, she helped me deal with the residual fear. I can find one if I think Mia needs it, but I know most of the techniques she used. One of the things that helped me the most was determination though. You see, I refused to let my fear rule me, and I was determined to overcome it, one way or the other. And I did, as you can tell."

"I never would have guessed, Severus." Aurelia shook her head in wonder.

"Well, it was a long time ago, and I really don't like to talk about what a stupid little boy I was, making potions unsupervised that way." Severus admitted, flushing. "And that's one reason I insist on my students following directions exactly in my classroom, and any experimenting be done while I am there to supervise, because I know just how deadly a mistake can be. My students think I'm a strict bastard, and they're right, but it's to keep them safe, I can't afford to have a child die on my watch, so I make certain the potions on my syllabus aren't ones that will cause irreparable harm if made incorrectly and I always have an antidote on hand just in case as well an emergency medical kit. And I watch them like a hawk and practically breathe down their necks during class. They hate me for it, but I don't care. I got careless with Mia and look what happened."

Aurelia laid a hand upon Snape's arm. "Severus, everyone makes mistakes. You need to stop blaming yourself, son. Thank Merlin Mia and Rosie are well now. And I have faith that you can help her overcome her fear, Severus. She trusts you, Sev. You're almost like a surrogate father to her, since you sent Devon packing all those months ago."

Severus snorted, but Aurelia fixed him with a stern look, and he subsided.

"You ought to tell Mia that story, Sev. I think it may help her a lot to know that you once were in her shoes," said his aunt wisely. "I know you think you ought to be perfect as a teacher, but sometimes a student needs to know that you can make mistakes too. That way she doesn't try and hold herself up to an impossible standard."

The professor was silent for a long moment, pondering Aurelia's words. Though a Squib, Aurelia was wise and she too had once been a teacher, and Severus respected her, she was almost like a replacement for Eileen in some ways. He had come to value her advice, she had years of experience to draw upon, both as a teacher and a parent. She had counseled him before when he had first arrived at her home with Harry over six months ago, helping him to adjust to his new role as a father and keeping him from making irreparable mistakes with his son.

He knew better than to disregard her words, Aurelia loved her granddaughter and wanted only the best for her, as she had for Melody and Severus. He was unused to admitting he was wrong, especially to a student, but Mia was a special case. He did not want the child emotionally scarred by this experience, and that could very well happen if Severus did not handle it the right way. He had promised Mel he would cure her daughter, and he intended to do just that. Healing her body was only the first step. Now he must try and heal her psyche as well.

"All right, Aunt Relia. Perhaps you're right, and if it will help her, I shall humble myself and tell her what my foolishness nearly cost me and how I eventually overcame my fear."

"Good for you, Sev!"

Severus felt an unaccustomed surge of pleasure at the praise, though a part of him scoffed that he was no longer ten years old and hungering for praise from an adult. He looked about, wondering where Harry and Aria were, and then he saw the familiar golden hawk flying and Harry chasing her on the Meteor. This was the first time since the potions accident that his son and Lupin's niece had gone flying.   He supposed that was a good thing, since it showed that the two were finally beginning to let go of the guilt they had felt over Mia's accident. Harry, especially, had taken a long time to forgive himself for not watching the little girl more closely, though now it seemed he had decided he deserved to go flying on this beautiful afternoon.

Severus and Aurelia continued to watch the children playing for a few more minutes, joined by their other guest, Remus, who had been busy cooking lunch for everyone.

"Lunch is ready, Sev," said the werewolf. "Better call the wizardlings in."

The Potions Master nodded, but he did not follow the werewolf's request for another few minutes, giving the children an extra five minutes before opening the back door and informing that lunch was on the table.

All three young wizards halted immediately and made a mad dash for the back door.

The three adults hastily stepped backwards to avoid getting trampled.

But quick as the youngsters were, none of them could catch Rosie, who had heard the magic word ‘lunch', and used her beagle agility to outmaneuver them and get to the door first, because nothing comes between a beagle and free food.

* * * * * *

After lunch, Severus took Mia, Harry, and Aria into the den and explained he wished to share a story with them. "This is a true story, it happened to me when I was only a few years older than you, Mia," he began, and then he told them of how he had attempted to make a potion unsupervised and how he had ended up almost damaging his sight permanently and how the experience had frightened him so badly that he didn't think he would ever make another potion as long as he lived.

The children gaped at him. "But you're a Potions Master, Uncle Sev!" Aria exclaimed, her gold eyes wide.

"And a professor," added Mia. "You're not afraid now, are you?"

"No, Mia. Not any longer."

"How come?"

He told her how he had managed to overcome his fear, with the help of his mother and Lily and a young therapist named Ashley Middleton. "It didn't happen overnight, you see, but after a year I was able to begin brewing again, and it no longer made me shiver or feel sick to go near a cauldron or handle ingredients. And if I could do that, so can you, little one."

Mia stared at him uncertainly. "You think, Severus? But . . .I'm scared to go down there."

"Why? Are you afraid another explosion will occur, Mia?" inquired Severus gently.

"Yes," she said in a small voice. "I don't want anything to catch on fire again, Severus. Or Rosie to almost die."

"I understand, child. But you know that if I am there, no cauldron will explode, yes?"

Mia nodded.

"Then will you be willing to at least let me bring you down there and sit with me while I watch Aria and Harry prepare ingredients. You won't have to go near any of the apparatus, all I want you to do is sit in my lap for a bit. Do you think you can try that for me, my brave girl?"

"I . . .don't know."

"Tell you what. We'll try for ten minutes, and if you're still scared, I'll bring you back here, and you can sit and watch TV with Rosie. But if you aren't all that scared, Mia, we'll stay for fifteen minutes."

"Okay, Severus," she agreed, but he could feel a tremor go through her even as she agreed.

He stroked her hair and summoned a vial of Calming Draught to him. "Here, I need you to take three swallows of this, Mia. It'll help you stop shaking."

She obediently drank three swallows of the blue potion and immediately felt less tense and frightened.

Then Severus scooped her up and gestured for Harry and Aria to precede him down the stairs to the lab.

He had the two teens grind some chamomile and comfrey and chop up some silverfur root while he sat casually in a conjured armchair and watched, occasionally calling out instructions, with Mia on his lap. At first, the child cuddled into his shoulder, refusing to even look at what the older kids were doing, but by the time ten minutes had passed, she had turned around and was watching, though her hand was clenched in a death grip on Severus's own.

He murmured softly to her, telling her she was all right, there was nothing to be afraid of, and he rubbed her back and her neck with his other hand while she snuggled against him. "Would you like to go back upstairs?"

Mia considered. It wasn't all that scary, just watching Harry and Aria chop things, and as long as she didn't look at the cauldron, she could bear it. "No. I can stay, Severus."

"Five more minutes, child," he reassured her.

By then the two had finished chopping and grinding were ready for the next stage, which involved lighting up the cauldron beside their workstation. Then Severus rose and took Mia back upstairs and told her she was a brave child and he was proud of her.

"I was scared, Severus, but I knew you wouldn't let me get hurt," she confided shyly as he set her down on the couch and flicked on the TV with a wave of his wand.

"Never. We'll do the same thing tomorrow, all right? I'll see you later, I have to go back and watch over Harry and Aria." He returned to the lab to observe the older children, relieved that first session had gone as well as it had.

Thus a pattern was set, and all that week Severus took Mia with him whenever he went down in the lab for fifteen minutes and had her sit with him, or occasionally Harry or Aria, observing while he harvested ingredients or demonstrated how to grind roots or other substances correctly with a mortar and pestle to his son, Aria, and Neil.

Once he even had Remus sit in on a demonstration, which made the little girl ask, "Why are you watching, Mr. Lupin? You're not a student anymore."

The blond wizard turned to look at her while she was seated on Harry's lap and grinned at her. "No, but that doesn't mean you can't learn new things, Mia. You see, I never learned how to make this type of healing potion, it wasn't one we covered in school. But I think it's one I should learn, so I don't have to depend on Sev to brew every time someone gets hurt."

"Oh. Okay." Then she gave him a small smile and said, "But you better do what Severus tells you, else he'll give you detention."

Harry started to snicker, just imagining that scenario, his father punishing his godfather.

"What's so funny, Harry?"

"Nothing," he said quickly, finding his father's eyes upon him.

Remus chuckled. "I'll be a good student, Mia. I've seen what Severus's detentions are like."

"That's a first, Moony," teased his friend. Remus glared at him. "Observe, this is what finely ground calendula flower should look like," he showed the mortar around to all the students. "In order to get the right consistency, you need to grind it using a firm circular motion, like so." He picked up the pestle and demonstrated. "That is critical, because if the consistency of the flowers is off, so will the potency of your potion be off . . ."

By the end of two weeks, Mia could sit and watch the others at work for twenty minutes before requesting to go back upstairs. Severus was careful to gauge the time she spent in the lab, he did not want to push her, and he always made sure to tell her how well she was coming along. He did not let her watch when they started brewing, however, he knew seeing fire at this stage would terrify her.

He did ask her to show him the book where she had found the Hair Color Change potion, which she did, and then he asked her what ingredients she had gotten.

"What's written there, Severus," she pointed to the recipe list.

"Can you read them for me?"

She gave him an odd look, then complied.

"Stop," he ordered when she read one rather smudged word as ‘ginger'. "That's not ginger, Mia, that's goldenbroom. That's where you went wrong. Ginger should never be mixed together with chameleon scales, it reacts violently, makes your solution too agitated. When you stir it vigorously, it causes it to react even more violently and that's why your potion exploded."

He turned to look at Harry, Neil, and Aria, who were standing at their workstation, listening. "Remember that. Never ever mix ginger with any reptile skin, it causes any mixture you are brewing to explode. Also, if you can't understand or read a recipe, you should stop immediately and ask your teacher before brewing, since a misread recipe can cause unexpected and unpleasant results as well." He leveled a stern look at the older wizards. "Understood?"

"Yes, sir," they chorused.

Harry vowed to remember that bit of information forever, he had a feeling it would come in handy someday, and not just when brewing potions.

"That is why I stress exact measurements and consistency when you make potions," Severus elaborated. "Because the slightest miscalculation could throw off your entire solution, and then you could end with a disaster. Precision is a prime requirement in a good potion maker."

Little by little, Mia was slowly overcoming her fear, though she shivered at first upon entering the lab, and she insisted upon being carried there and sitting on someone's lap while there. Severus had reduced the dose of Calming Draught to two swallows after three weeks and was pleased at Mia's progress. Mel told him she occasionally had nightmares about fire and being trapped in the lab, and Severus gave her a bottle of Dreamless Sleep, though he cautioned Mel to not give it to her unless she was absolutely unable to fall asleep any other way, since it could be addictive.

"Her nightmares are normal for one who has been through what she has, Mel. Eventually, she'll stop having them, as time goes on and she forgets some of the terror. But if she has them too many nights in a row, give her the Dreamless Sleep. One teaspoonful only should ensure a decent night's rest."

"Thank you, Sev. You've been so wonderful with her." Mel said, smiling at her older cousin.

"I didn't do anything you couldn't have," he began, embarrassed.

"Oh, yes, you did. Don't sell yourself short, Sev. I would never have known what to say to her to make her forget what happened, or had the patience to keep bringing her back down there day after day, knowing damn well how scared she was."

"It was the only thing I could think of," he admitted softly. "And she's far from cured, Mel, but it's a start. We'll work some more on it after I return from New Orleans."

"That's right. You leave on Friday, right?"

"Yes. We'll be gone for two weeks. Once I return, I can work some more with Mia until I have to return to Hogwarts." Severus informed her. "You won't mind watching Rosie until I come home, will you?"

Mel shook her head. "You kidding? Mia can't wait to take her home. You know how much she's always wanted a puppy of her own. Now she can pretend she has one for a little while. Until I get her one for her birthday, that is."

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Finally giving in, are you?"

"Oh, it was never me who didn't want a dog. That was always Devon, he claimed he was allergic. I think it was just a convenient excuse not to get a puppy, because he never showed any symptoms of allergies when a dog came near him. But now that he's hit the road, I can do what I like and get Mia a puppy for her birthday."

"Just beware if you get a beagle puppy. They're jaws with brains until they grow up," Severus warned. He ruffled Rosie's ears, she was napping on his lap while he and Mel talked in the den. "Right, Miss Destruction? I nearly made you into potions ingredients several times for chewing everything in creation, and only the fact that Harry loved you saved your sorry hide."

Rosie opened one eye and yawned, then licked Severus's hand.

Mel laughed. "But who can resist those eyes, Sev? Not even you."

The Potions Master did not answer, instead concentrating on stroking the beagle's satiny ears. Melody was right, even though he would rather be skewered than admit that the snarky dungeon bat had a soft spot for beagles and little girls with huge pleading eyes. I must be losing it. I really need this vacation to New Orleans if I'm starting to go all soft over a dog, by Merlin's starry robe! Yes, a nice relaxing two weeks down South is just what I need.

Little did he know that a relaxing vacation wouldn't be all he was getting.