After enduring a rather pointed lecture from his father about inappropriate topics and names to discuss with one's little sister, Harry went back into the kitchen and ate some more waffles.  Sue's waffles were first rate, crispy on the edges and soft and sweet in the middle and the maple syrup was so good Harry wished he were a dog so he could lick the plate.  Syrup at home never tasted this good.  He told his grandparents that and Bill laughed and said that's because this was pure maple syrup, from Vermont, and there was nothing quite like it.

As soon as she was done eating, Eileen shot up from the table and asked her brother, "Now can we go flying, Harry? You promised!"

Before Harry could answer, Alaina said, "Eileen, first you need to clear your plate and then get some clothes on, you can't go flying in your nightgown."

"Yeah, Lee.  You don't want a bear looking up and seeing your undies, do you?" Lexy teased.

"No!" her sister yelped, horrified.  "Would a bear really do that?"

"The bears in Pennsylvania would," Lexy smirked.

"Alexis!" her mother reproved. "What a thing to tell your little sister."

"What? Grandpop always told me that whenever I went outside in my nightgown."

"William!" Sue scolded, and gave her husband a pointed look.

Now it was Bill's turn to look a bit sheepish. "Ah, that was a long time ago and besides, I was only fooling, dear. Right, Lex?"

His granddaughter nodded.

"Up to your old tricks again, huh, Dad?" Alaina sighed.  "I remember when you told me that Sasquatch lived down the road and if I wasn't careful he would snatch me up some night and take me away to live in a dark cave. And then there was the kelpie in the swimming pool and the tiger in the woods."

"Hey, it kept you from wandering off or swimming by yourself, didn't it?" her father said defensively.

Alaina rolled her eyes.  "Sure it did." She looked at her daughter.  "Go and get dressed, sweetie.  And if you find a gnome under a mushroom, tell your father and he'll take care of it."  

"'Kay, Mummy." Eileen promptly got up from the table, put her dirty dish and silverware in the sink, then went running down the hall to get dressed.  She wasn't sure if Lexy and Pops had been teasing or not, but she didn't want to find out the hard way and risk all the bears in the woods talking about her.  Like the girls in her pre-school class had done once when she'd tripped and landed flat on her face, her dress had flown up and all of the kids on the playground had seen her pink and purple underpants.  And they had all laughed at her, and she had been so embarrassed she had run and hid behind the garbage bin, crying, until Miss Gibbons found her and coaxed her to come out and brought her to the school nurse to fix up her scraped knees and hands.

Five minutes later she was dressed in shorts and a flag shirt, since it was the Fourth of July everyone was supposed to wear red, white, and blue today to celebrate America's birthday.  America was over two hundred years old, the little girl thought, which was so old Eileen had trouble imagining it, though her dad said England was much older than that. 

"Harry! I'm re-a-a-dy!"

Harry winced at his sister's shrill tone.  "Why don't you scream a little louder, Eileen? I don't think they heard you over in China."  He looked over at Lexy, who was playing peek-a-boo with Toby. "You coming, Lex?"

"Go on without me.  I want to play a bit with Toby before I go flying," she waved him away, making silly faces at her baby brother, who blew bubbles at her and giggled. 

"All right," Harry acquiesced.  "Come on, shrimp.  The sky is calling."

"Whoo-hoo!" Eileen shrieked and all the adults winced.

"You sure she isn't related to a banshee, Sev?" asked Tobias. Eileen's scream had made his ears ring.

"I'm starting to think she might be," answered his son, looking after his daughter as she raced outside. 

"Naw.  That's her mother in her," Bill told them.  "Alaina could yell loud enough to scare the fur off a grizzly once upon a time."

"Gee thanks, Dad."

"You're welcome, sweetheart."  He winked at her.

* * * * * *

"Not too high, Harry," Eileen warned him, clutching the broom handle tightly in her small fingers.

"Relax, kid.  I've got charms on the broom so you won't fall off, plus I'm holding you," Harry reassured, hovering up around fifteen feet and flying in long looping circles about the property and the game preserve. 

"You sure?"

"'Course I'm sure!" Harry pretended to be insulted.  "Don't you trust me?"

Eileen thought about it.  Though Harry sometimes teased her, he had never broken a promise to her, and that counted for a lot in her book.  "Yeah.  ‘Cause if you dropped me, Dad and Mum would wallop your bum into next year."

Harry hugged her against him.  "That'll never happen.  You want to see the lake?"

Lake Naomi was a large freshwater lake nearby, it was great for swimming in, feeding ducks, and taking canoes out.  Harry had a Notice-Me-Not charm on his broom so no Muggles would spot them and he could fly further than the backyard.

"Yes, let's see the ducks!" Eileen cried excitedly and clapped her hands.

"Okay, scamp. Ready?"

He spun the broom about, careful to not take it at top speed, then he crouched slightly and headed east towards the lake, flying slightly faster than an owl hunting.

Eileen peered down and cried, "I can see the whole state of Pennsylvania!"

Harry laughed.  "Not really, but we can see the whole of Timber Trails and the game preserve."

He swooped low over the water, kicking up some spray, for the lake was empty of people and ducks, making Eileen shriek with delight.  The sun sparkled upon the water and dazzled their eyes until Harry pulled up the Firebolt and arced over the trees.

"Having fun, Lee?"

"You bet! You're the coolest, Harry! I like you better than chocolate ice cream," she told him earnestly.

"Thanks, Eileen," he laughed, as a Snape he knew he rated high on her list, given her penchant for sweets.  "Want to do it again?"

Eileen nodded and Harry obliged by doing a repeat of the skimming maneuver, his sister's laughter echoing like sweet music in his ears. 

As he pulled up once more, Eileen began to sing The Air Force song, which was one her grandpop had taught her just yesterday, since he used to be a Major in the US Air Force.  "Off we go into the wild blue yonder . . ."

Harry knew that song too and he soon joined in, though his voice wasn't as good as his sister's, it wasn't awful either.

They flew around the game preserve for another hour before Eileen said that her bottom was getting stiff and Harry decided to go back home.  "Let's see if we can prank Grandpa, okay?" he suggested mischievously.

"Won't he get awful mad?" his little sister asked, her brow creasing with worry.

"Only for a little."

"Will we get in trouble?"

"No.  And if we do, I'll make sure Dad won't punish you," Harry reassured her.

"When are we gonna do it?"

"Later, after lunch." Harry landed on the back lawn and set Eileen on her feet.  "Go on, scamp.  Go play with your dolls or something."

They heard the sliding glass door open and Lexy came out, summoned her broom, and took off from the top deck neatly.  Like her brother, Lexy was an excellent flyer, and played Chaser for Slytherin.  Her teammates called her the Rocket because she could blast her way past any Bludger or Keeper.  Together, she and Harry had invented a maneuver they called the Snape Special, which involved a speed dive into a slingshot around one of the three goal posts and a corkscrew feint.  It was bold, daring, and nobody could master it yet but the two siblings.   But when they used it, Lexy almost always scored.  Their Captain, Jasper Malone, declared them a brilliant pair and was proud to have them on the team.  He called them the Dynamite Duo.

"Race ya, Harry!" she challenged as soon as she was aloft. "Last one to the lake has to wash up after dinner without magic."

The two tore across the sky like two wind dervishes, enjoying the crisp summer day and the beautiful sunshine.

Eileen watched until they were out of sight, but instead of going back inside to take a nap or read a story with her mum or dad or play with Rufus the way she usually did, the four-year-old walked to the edge of the woods and stood there, peering into the trees.

I wish Firefly would come back and play with me.  She was so sweet and I loved how soft her fur was.  It was even softer than Inky's, Eileen thought wistfully.  I don't wanna play by myself, it's boring.  She heaved a large sigh.  She wouldn't mind being in on the prank Harry wished to play upon Grandpa, but lunch was so far away and she didn't want to wait until evening to see her friend the deer again.

Daddy says I've got a special magic, that my voice can make deer come to me. Maybe if I sing to Firefly, she'll come back and play with me.  Eileen wrinkled her brow and thought hard.  She didn't know any song off the top of her head to bring a deer to her, so she made one up.  In it she poured all of her heartfelt longing for a companion, all of her desire to see and stroke the fawn again, and then she set it free. 

The words flowed from her in an unstoppable torrent.  "Come, Firefly, come play with me . . .come be my friend . . ." she sang, softly at first, then with growing insistence.

Her dormant magic stirred once again and woke, in response to her need, and it filled her voice with eldritch power, power that wound its compelling siren song through the air and summoned not only Firefly but all the deer in her herd and any others that happened to be in range of the child's call. Raw and untamed the spellsong echoed through the woods, its haunting refrain drawing every deer within earshot.

Eileen nearly yipped in delight when her friend Firefly stepped gracefully out of the trees and came to her, lowering her head and nudging her gently in the chest.  "You came! I really missed you, Firefly!" the child exclaimed, hugging the little fawn to her. 

Though she was no longer singing, her spellsong was still working, and so Firefly remained passive when Eileen hugged her. 

Suddenly, Eileen saw more deer, older ones, bigger ones, coming out of the trees.  There were does and stags, tall ones and short ones, and they all came and surrounded the astonished child and the fawn.  Eileen stared up at the herd of deer and cried, "Hey! What are all of you doing here?"

But the deer ignored her question, continuing to press up against her, the enchantment compelling them to get as close to her as possible.  Warm muscular bodies pushed up around her and suddenly she was terribly afraid.

These deer were so big and they looked at her strangely, with a blank look in their brown eyes, and they kept pushing and shoving at her and she couldn't see the house anymore or the yard or the woods or anything except an endless wall of brown hide.  All she could smell was the reek of deer and she gasped and tried to push them away, but they refused to budge, still in thrall to her song.

"I can't breathe!" she yelled.  "Move, you dumb deer!"

But the deer just pressed nearer, eerily silent, and Eileen began to sob.  She hugged Firefly and wailed loudly, petrified, "Daddy! Mummy! Help! The deer are crushing me! Please!"

* * * * * *

 Inside the house, Severus was holding his baby son on his shoulder, rubbing his back and rocking him gently, trying to get little Toby to sleep.  Toby was fussing a little, whimpering and squirming, he was in a strange place and did not feel comfortable taking a nap, even though his father was holding him and humming like he always did.

"Hush, little baby, don't say a word, Daddy's gonna buy you a mystic bird," Severus sang very softly in one tiny ear, he only sang lullabies when he was desperate, despite his wife's observation that all of his children loved it when he sang to them. He was convinced his voice was dreadful, when in actuality it was a velvet baritone.

Toby quit squirming and put his head down, sucking his fist. 

"There, there.  If that mystic bird won't sing, Daddy'll buy you a serpent ring . . ."

Severus continued rocking his son and walking about the kitchen, the others were in the den, watching TV in the case of Tobias and Billy and reading in the case of Alaina and Sue.  As he passed the sliding glass door he happened to glance outside.

"Great Merlin's ghost!" He gasped.

There was about thirty deer on the lawn, all milling about in circles.  Severus had never seen so many deer in his life and couldn't fathom why they were all gathered there without anyone being outside with food. 

"D-A-A-D-D-Y, M-U-U-M-M-Y! HELP ME-E-E!"

He would know that terrified wail anywhere.

"Eileen!" he bellowed. "Where are you?"

He jerked open the door, his eyes scanning the yard frantically for his little girl.

In his arms, Toby woke and began to howl, irritated at being woken up from his brief sleep.

"Eileen!"

"Severus, what's the matter?" Alaina cried, appearing behind him.  "Good Lord! Where did all those deer come from?"

"Help! Help!"

Eileen screamed again, and Alaina went white.  "Oh God, Sev! Where is she? I can't see her.  Eileen, baby, where are you?"

Severus whirled and handed her their screaming son.  "Take Toby, Alaina." He bolted down the deck stairs, calling, "Eileen, hold on, I'm coming!"

He sprang towards the mass of deer, wand out, his heart nearly bursting from his chest, for he feared that his daughter had gotten trampled by the deer, since he couldn't see her anywhere. 

Tobias heard Severus shouting over the TV and something in his son's voice made his "trouble" radar start humming.  He rose and went into the kitchen to see a white-faced Alaina holding a screaming baby while peering out the window at Severus, who was half-running towards a humungous herd of deer.

"Bloody hell, Alaina! What's going on?"

"I don't know! I think Eileen is somewhere in that herd of deer.  Sev heard her screaming . . ." She gripped Toby hard and rocked him automatically, but her focus was on the outside world, not the baby in her arms.

Tobias found himself moving down the stairs and after Severus without conscious thought.  His granddaughter was in danger and that was all that mattered.  He paused to snatch up the pool skimmer lying on the deck, the kids had forgotten to put it away again.  Maybe he could make the deer leave by waving it or something, he thought, but as he caught up to his son, Severus shook his head and motioned for him to stay still.

"Don't, Dad.  If you panic them, they might . . .step on her," Severus whispered, his voice low, but his eyes were wide in fear.  "Eileen, honey? I need you to calm down," he called softly, he could hear his little girl sobbing and it ripped him apart.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, I'm here. Stay still, little one."

"Sev, can't you just . . .Apparate her?"

"No.  It doesn't work that way, Dad.  I need to be touching her, and I can't do that if I can't get near her."

The deer were slowly starting to disperse, as the spell wore off and they found themselves among humans.  Just as they were starting to leave, gradually, in ones and twos, Harry and Lexy returned from their flight. 

Harry was astonished to see what looked like the entire preserve's worth of deer gathered in the Montague's backyard.  "Merlin's shorts! Look at that, Lexy!"

"Good God!" she exclaimed.  "How in the world-?" she halted, looked at her brother and they both said, "Eileen!"

Peering down from on high, Harry saw Eileen huddled in among the deer, holding onto Firefly.  Then he saw Tobias and Severus.  "Dad! Eileen's all mixed up with this bunch of deer."

"Can you see her, Harry?"

"Yeah."

"Is she all right?"

"Looks like it.  Want me to try and get her?"

"Yes, but be careful, son.  You don't want to startle them and cause a stampede."

"Right."

"Harry, maybe if I summon some cereal, I can lure them away," Lexy suggested. She pulled her wand and chanted a quick Accio.  Then she began tossing handfuls of cereal down, making broad loops in the air, trying to get them to move away from her sister.

Slowly, the deer began to browse, and Lexy continued throwing the cereal, looking for all the world like some kind of mobile flying deer feeder.

Good thinking, Lexy! Harry thought, watching as the knot of deer broke apart, leaving Eileen standing in a small cleared patch, still gripping the fawn about the neck. "Eileen!" he called softly.

Eileen looked up, her grip loosening.

Firefly drew away, trotting after her fellow herbivores and Harry swooped down, quick as a comet, and scooped up his baby sister, holding her tightly against him.

The deer, startled by the huge flying predator, bolted, scattering in all directions, heading for the safety of the trees.  Within moments all the deer had fled.

"It's okay, kid.  I've got you," Harry murmured into Eileen's hair, as she clung to him, crying.

Then he circled briefly before landing and giving his distraught sister to his father, who grabbed her and hugged her so hard it seemed as if he wanted to absorb her into his very being.  "Thank you God and Merlin!" he whispered, then he looked at his son and gave him a tremulous smile of approval.