October 30,1994:

Harry found himself recalling some lines from Macbeth, or The Scottish Play, as it was called onstage lest bad luck dog the performance, as he made his way down the stairs towards the dungeons in search of Katie Bell.  Ever since he had asked Katie to go to the Yule Ball with him, and she had agreed, he found he couldn't keep away from her.  When he went to class, he found himself drifting off into a daze, thinking of the sweep of her sable hair as it fluttered against her cheek, and the way her azure eyes lit up when she was playing Quidditch or brewing potions. He dreamed of the way her slender hands caught a Quaffle and held a wand, gently yet firmly, and those same hands were gentle enough to handle the most delicate glass vial in Snape's cabinet, yet deft enough to dice, chop, and grind potion ingredients to her professor's exacting standards. Her laugh reminded him of bells chiming and her smile was pure magic. 

Several times he had to be shaken back to reality by Ron, and often was scolded by teachers for not paying attention.  But he could hardly be faulted for that, since this was the first time he had ever had a girlfriend.  Now that he was done with classes, he was heading down to the dungeons to see if Katie was done with her internship class. Katie had confided to him that she wished to be a Potions Mistress and so she was taking extra credit courses with Severus, who gave her more difficult potions to brew than even his advanced seventh years. 

"Double, double

Toil and trouble,

Fire burn and cauldron bubble,

Eye of newt, and toe of frog,

Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,

Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,

Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing,

For a charm of powerful trouble,

Like a hell-broth boil and bubble."

 

Recalling those famous lines from the three witches in the play made Harry grin as he slipped inside the lab, where he did indeed find a sweet witch toiling over a bubbling cauldron, only he didn't see any eye of newt or toe of frog on her workstation, merely some ground up herbs and peeled willowbark and a dish of salt.  Katie had her back to him, stirring the concoction in her cauldron carefully with a long handled wooden stirrer.  Smoke wreathed her head, making odd patterns in the air.

He crept up behind her, waiting till she had ceased stirring before putting his hands on her shoulders and crying, "Boo, my sweet witch!"

"Harry!" she exclaimed, spinning around to face him, her blue eyes dancing.

"Miss me?"

"I just saw you this morning at breakfast."

"So? I missed you." He returned, and kissed her lightly.  "What are you brewing this time?"

"A potion to summon a magical water-breathing creature," she replied.

"Hmm . . .sounds interesting.  Where's my father?"

"At a staff meeting, I think."

"And he trusts you down here alone?"

She snorted.  "Please, Harry.  I'm his intern, he knows I won't blow up his lab.  My last name's not Longbottom or Nott."

"And I'm sure glad of that."

She slipped free of his arms to give the mixture in the cauldron, it was a thick aqua and sea-green shade, another quarter stir and add a handful of coarse salt crystals. She dipped up some of the mixture and watched it fall back into the cauldron, testing the consistency.  "Almost ready for the next stage."

Harry stepped a little away from her cauldron, not wanting to risk catching the hem of his robes on fire.  "Fire burn and cauldron bubble," he quoted softly.

"What?"

"It's a quote from Macbeth, a famous Muggle play by William Shakespeare," Harry explained.  "Ever read him?"

"Not recently, but I've heard of him," she answered, reaching for the crushed mallow root and sea grass and sprinkling it into the cauldron. Then she flicked her hand at the fire beneath her pewter cauldron and it lowered to a gentle simmer. "Who said that?"

"One of the old witches in the beginning of the play," Harry said. "The one with one eye I think."

Katie cocked her head and frowned, pretending to be insulted.  "Are you saying I'm old? Or ugly, Mr. Snape?"

Harry shook his head rapidly, knowing the folly of getting a witch of Katie's caliber angry.  "No, of course not.  But you are brewing a potion the evening before Halloween and that verse just came to mind." He stepped forward and wrapped his arms about her again.  "I can't wait till you're done in here.  Then we can go outside and take a walk around the lake or go flying."

"Me too. But first I need to finish this draft. Want to help?"

"Okay. Tell me what I need to add next." Harry agreed.  He was a very good potion maker now thanks to his father's tutelage over the summer at Prince Manor, and he loved brewing with Katie.  

"A pinch of salt and that clump of starwort," she indicated the required ingredients upon her workstation. 

He carefully added the required ingredients and Katie stirred carefully, twice counterclockwise and three times clockwise. 

"It has to steep for five minutes," she told him, tossing her hair behind her ears.  "Should have put it up this morning."

He moved over and gently tucked it behind her ears, murmuring, "I like you with your hair down.  You look like a mermaid."

"A mermaid? Why do I have salt in my hair?" she asked in alarm.

"No, but it's long and wavy, like I think a mermaid's would be," he said, starting to finger comb it.  He playfully twirled it into a knot up on her head and then fixed it in place with a quill summoned off of Snape's desk.

"What are you doing?" she asked, trying to see what he had done.

"Just playing," was all he said. He pulled her close, hearing her heartbeat and feeling her breath upon his cheek.  It was irresistible.  He lowered his head and kissed her, deep and slow, surrendering himself utterly to her. 

She wrapped her arms about his slender shoulders and kissed him back ardently, loving how tender and passionate he was with her.  He might be a year younger than she, but he kissed better than any guy her own age ever had.  Her hands tangled in his silky black hair, so different from the messy mop he used to have as a result of a Glamour Charm cast when he was baby to make him resemble his stepfather, James Potter.  Now his hair fell nearly to his shoulders, black as a rook's wing and it brought out the slender cheekbones and accentuated his green eyes even more.  Oh yes, he was definitely a heartbreaker, but that wasn't what she loved best about him.  What she loved best was that he wasn't arrogant or pretentious, despite being the famous Harry Potter, the son of a professor, and a great Quidditch player. Most other boys his age would have allowed all the fame and family connections to go to their head and become insufferable, but not Harry.

"All I've ever wanted was to just be like everyone else," he had confided to her shortly after they began dating.  "With a home and a family."

Since discovering that he was actually Severus's son, Harry could now have that, and he was content. 

"Mmm . . .you taste so good," he muttered.  "Like chocolate."

She giggled and nipped his ear playfully.

He blushed and kissed her neck, thanking God that Severus was still at that meeting, for he would have had a fit if he had come down and found his son and his intern making out while brewing an unfinished potion.

Suddenly, Katie jerked upright as if she had been bitten by a doxy. "Hells! It's time to add the grindylow scales! Harry, can you grab them? They're on the professor's desk."

Harry hurried over to the desk and grabbed the first jar of scales he found and brought it back to Katie.  "Here.  How many of them do you need to add?" He unscrewed the lid and reached inside to grab a handful of large black iridescent scales. 

Katie was busy perusing her notes and did not look up.  "Five."

Harry dutifully added five scales to the cauldron.  That would determine the kind of creature that would be summoned with this particular potion.

Then he walked back to set the jar on Snape's desk.

Katie turned to stir the mixture vigorously, not recalling that Snape had told her as he left that he had left the grindylow scales in the storeroom and she would need to fetch them when she needed some. 

The scales upon his desk had no label, as Snape had just acquired them, and had not had time to write one before being summoned to his meeting.

They were from a rare fae creature that often frequented rivers and lakes in the Realm of Faerie, a magical shape shifting creature called a kelpie.

Katie finished the last stages of the brewing, then bottled the potion into two vials, labeling it carefully.  One vial she set upon the professor's desk, the other she tucked in her pocket.  Then she carefully cleaned up her workstation, because students with shoddy work habits drove Snape crazy, and at last said, "Let's take a walk down by the lake and we can continue where we left off."

Harry smirked in delight, his blood racing.  "Sounds great to me."

They spent the entire time snogging behind a cluster of aspens along the shores of the lake, and Katie chattered on about the Halloween feast and if the decorations would be better than last year's and who was going to get sick from eating too much sweets and guzzling too much pumpkin juice.

Harry was quiet, he really had no good memories of Halloween, because that had been the night his mother and James Potter had died and he himself had been nearly killed as well.  Even when he lived with the Dursleys, who never discussed what had happened that long ago Halloween night, he had spent the holiday at home, forbidden to go out trick-or-treating with Dudley and not allowed to go to the annual Halloween block party either. "You don't need a costume, freak, you can just go as yourself!" he recalled Dudley saying one year when Harry was seven.  Dudley had always come home with loads of candy, and Harry had never been allowed to eat a single piece.  Uncle Vernon used to count it and put it in a great bowl on the fridge, only taking it down when Dudley had whined for some.

"Harry? Is something wrong?" Katie asked, sensing that something was bothering him.

"No. Not really."

But Katie was used to dealing with men who hid their feelings and she was not fooled by his stoic attitude.  "If it's something I said . . ."

"No, it's not you.  Just the holiday."

"What's wrong with Halloween?"

He sighed.  "Nothing, except . . .my mum and stepdad died then."

"Oh! Oh, I'm so stupid, I knew that, everyone does," Katie could have kicked herself.  "And here I am babbling about parties and feasts when you . . .I'm so sorry, Harry. I'm an idiot."

"No, you're not.  It's okay. Really." He reassured her, but he could not meet her eyes.

She hugged him.  "It's not okay.  What happened was terrible, and I understand if you don't want to be at the feast and all because of it."

He leaned his head on her shoulder.  "I'll be at the feast.  It'll help take my mind off it. I can't really remember them, only bits and pieces, like my mum's hair, and the way she smelled, like lilacs, and sometimes I can hear her voice.  James I just remember as a pair of hands, lifting me into the air.  And then there was a green light . . ." And Mum was screaming. But he wasn't about to tell her that.  "It's worse for my dad, I think.  Because he . . .found them there, after they were killed."

"That's just . . .horrible! Poor Professor Snape!" Katie said, shivering.  "No wonder he disappears as soon as the feast is underway. People used to say it was because he was an old stiff that didn't like to be happy and celebrate holidays, but who could celebrate the anniversary of your wife's death?"

"Not me," his son said softly.  Before last summer at Prince Manor, Harry would have thought the same about his Potions professor that everyone else had, but that was before Snape had been found injured in the Dursley's living room and Petunia had revealed her long kept secret.  Now he knew better, and he couldn't blame his father for wanting to be alone to mourn the woman he had loved.

 "Maybe we could leave the feast early, if you want," Katie offered.  "We could come here and test out my new potion.  See if I did it right."

Harry smiled. "That would be good.  You know, my mum loved to brew too.  If she were here, I think you'd have a lot in common."

"I would have been honored to meet her." Katie said, and then she pulled him down to sit upon the grass, her arm about his shoulders, and they watched the lake quietly, content to just sit and be still, lost in their own thoughts.

Katie leaned her head on Harry's shoulder, still kicking herself for being so insensitive, and hoping that she could make it up to him tomorrow night.  I'll make this Halloween a night to remember for us both.

Little did she know just how true that would be.          

 

October 31, 1994:

Harry found that after two hours, the loud rock music played by a band called Merlin's Head was starting to grate on his already raw nerves. As he had told Katie, Halloween was always miserable for him, ever since he had learned it was the anniversary of his mother's and James' deaths, he had always felt a hollow bitter feeling in the pit of his stomach, for what had been lost and what might have been. He tried to enjoy himself, but even the magnificent feast the house elves had provided, loaded with sugary sweets and fried foods, did little to cheer him up.

Beside him, Ron gorged himself upon fried chicken and mashed potatoes with gravy, ham with applesauce, and tons of sweets, plus a pitcher of pumpkin juice. Lately Harry had noticed that Ron was ravenous, and if he didn't know better, he would have worried that his friend had tapeworm, the way he put food away. But Ron had already grown an inch since the summer and seemed intent upon growing another two before the year ended.  Harry sometimes envied his friend his height and his happy-go-lucky attitude.

On Ron's other side, Hermione nibbled upon some ginger cake and read a book called Surprisingly True Spooky Stories while sipping a cup of Bloody Fruit Punch.

Harry ate sparingly of the crunchy chicken and potatoes and wished he felt more like the other students around him, all of whom were chatting and laughing, dancing and having a good time. Draco was having a discussion with Blaise over at the Slytherin table and suddenly he felt stifled and too hot.  He needed air, needed to get away from the press of people.  He pushed back his chair and stood up.

Katie, who had been talking to another of her yearmates two spots down the table, noticed Harry's sudden departure and followed.  She knew he shouldn't be alone on this night, it was the shortest night of the year, known on the Celtic calendar as Samhain, and all the maleficent creatures roamed at will from dusk till dawn.  Hogwarts, because of its background and magical aura, frequently attracted dark spawn, and Katie feared that in his current depressed state, Harry wouldn't be able to defend himself.  Plus, she knew he needed someone to talk to, and she had promised him a walk beside the lake to test out her summoning potion.

She quickly located her boyfriend, he was walking with his head down and his hands tucked into his sleeves, down the path towards the lake.  It was just twilight, and the sky was a deep midnight blue tinted with a purple haze, and the first stars had just appeared beside the pallid moon.  It was chilly, she clutched her robe closer to her, glad she had not listened to Angelina and worn her lightweight sparkly shirt, she would have been frozen in such an outfit out here.  Instead she had a fluffy orange and black pullover with a black cat and a cauldron upon it paired with a sensible black wool skirt and leather boots. 

"Hey," she called softly, running to catch up.

He turned and gave her a sort of wan smile. "Hey, yourself. How come you're out here?"

"Figured you needed me," she answered.

"I just . . .couldn't stand it in there anymore. But you don't have to leave the party, Katie," he said, feeling guilty he had pulled her from the festivities.

"I'd rather be out here with you, under the stars," she said quickly.  "It was getting stuffy in there." She took his hand, it felt cold in her own.  "Come on, let's go to the lake. I've got a potion to test."

"Right," he liked her holding his hand, her fingers warmed him to the core, and just knowing she was beside him helped him chase away the doldrums. 

They reached the lake and stood staring out over the water for a few minutes.  Small ripples ruffled the placid water and the wind hissed and moaned through the trees like a clichéd adaptation of a Hitchcock horror film. 

Shivering slightly, Katie removed the vial of potion from her pocket and carefully unstoppered it. "Okay. Here goes.  Hopefully, the grindylow won't be too mad at being summoned here tonight."

"And if it is, I know how to get rid of it," Harry said, his wand out. Lupin had taught them how to defeat grindylows their third year.

Katie tossed the potion into the water with a quick flick of her wrist.

The elixir glowed an icy aqua as it arced across the water and landed in the lake.

Then the water began to glow and swirl, spinning around and around in a giant vortex.

Harry and Katie watched, rapt, as the water swirled and then a large black head thrust through the surface, snorting sharply.

It was followed by a long thick black mane and a body gleaming like polished satin, shimmering with ebony scales.  The horse-like creature had four hooves and a long tail and its eyes were the color of a banked fire, a smoky crimson.

Harry gasped and Katie stumbled backwards in astonishment.

"Harry! That's not a grindylow! The potion was only meant to summon a grindylow. I don't understand."

"Uh, Katie, just what is that creature?"

The water horse turned his head and stared directly at Harry. "I am a kelpie, sometimes known as a water horse." He stamped his hooves upon the earth and shrilled.  "Why did you summon me, girl?"

"I . . .I didn't.  How did you come here instead?" Katie asked.

The kelpie snorted.  "I was called from my rather pleasant rest in my home beneath the waves by your potion. And now you tell me it was a mistake?" The crimson eyes glittered angrily.  "Fool child, playing about with things you don't understand! All of you mortals are the same, reckless and foolish and bound to come to a short undignified end."

"I'm sorry," Katie said contritely.  "I didn't mean to disturb you. You can return to your home now."

The kelpie squealed angrily.  "Sorry? Mortal child, I don't need an apology. I need satisfaction.  Mistaken or not, you have summoned me." The kelpie drew nearer, and the satin coat gleamed wetly and he shook himself all over, unmindful of the chill. "Know you not the penalties for summoning a creature of faerie without the proper rituals?"

"You don't understand.  All I did was make a potion, it was supposed to summon a grindylow, not you!" Katie said, suddenly feeling terrified. The kelpie was beautiful, in an eerie otherworldly fashion, his coat shimmered in the moonlight as the water streamed off of him.

The water horse reared, stamping both hooves down until water arced and splashed over both teenagers, soaking them to the skin.  His crimson eyes burned with a strange seductive fire and he turned and looked directly into Katie's blue eyes.

A shudder went through her then, and she felt a strange urging to ride the kelpie through the waves. 

"It matters not," the kelpie said dismissively.  "Intent and deed are one and the same to me, especially on this night of all nights." He snorted, his breath hanging in crystalline streams in the air. 

"Why can't you just chalk it up to a mistake and go back where you came from?" Harry demanded, getting irritated at the fae creature's attitude.

The kelpie swung his head and blew sharply, spattering Harry's glasses with droplets.  "Because I don't wish to, boy.  Since the little sorceress has summoned me without safeguards, it is my choice whether to stay or go, and also my choice to demand recompense for my inconvenience."

Harry dragged off his glasses and rubbed them on the inside of his robe.  "Inconvenience? What are you talking about?"

The horse gave a short whinny, it sounded mocking even to Harry's ears.  "I do not like being summoned to the mortal realm without a good reason, I am no minor imp or garden fairy.  Therefore, I am annoyed and only one thing shall relieve my annoyance with you and yours, little child."

The kelpie abruptly shifted his gaze to Katie and exhaled very softly.  A soft mist smelling strongly of salt and oddly of flowers wafted over her and she felt herself start to drift.

"Come, little magus, do you not want to take a ride upon my back? I shall carry you wherever you wish to go, at a speed you have only dreamed," the water horse crooned, his voice a soft sweet rasp. 

Katie swayed, reaching out a hand to steady herself.

Quick as a flash, the kelpie thrust his head beneath her hand and she touched him.

The kelpie was like silk and a jolt went through her. There was a soundless thunder and Katie gasped, her eyes unfocused and filled with the desire to mount and ride the magnificent black stallion. 

"Come, little girl, and I shall take you on a ride beyond your wildest dreams." The kelpie sang, his voice rich and musical, weaving an age old spell, luring the innocent young maid onto his back.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Harry cried, glaring at the water horse, who had a sly smug expression upon his face. 

"Taking what I am owed," laughed the kelpie.

Harry spun upon Katie and grabbed her shoulder.  "Katie! Katie, listen to me. He's enchanted you, don't listen to him. Don't!"

But she did not appear to hear him.  She jerked free of his hold and walked into the water as if in a trance. 

"Stop! Katie, stop!"

The kelpie moved then, like a swirl of liquid lightning, he appeared at Katie's side. She placed a hand upon his back and then she was astride him, her hands twining in his thick mane, which was braided with seaweed and shells and three glittering scales.  "Now, my sweet magus, we shall visit my home beneath the water."

"NO!" Harry screamed, drawing his wand. "Leave her alone!"

The kelpie swung about, water frothing over his hooves.  "Are you challenging me, little wizard?"

"You bet your scaly horse's arse I am!" Harry snapped, and for some reason, he reached under his shirt and drew forth his Amulet of Inheritance.  The amulet glowed with a soft blue light, protecting its heir from the beguiling wiles of the sly water horse. 

The kelpie half-reared and tossed his head.  "So! You are one of the Seelie Court, are you?"

Harry nodded tightly. "I'm the Heir Apparent to Prince Manor."

"Old blood, youngling.  You come from an illustrious heritage."

"Yeah, and I want my girlfriend back. You have no right to take her away, Unseelie monster!" Harry's eyes were burning with a cold reckless fire.

The kelpie laughed.  "I? Unseelie? Young wizard, I am neither Dark Court nor Light, but go my own way.  I serve no master save myself.  And right now it pleases me to have a young maid upon my back." There was a wistful note in the fae horse's voice. "It has been centuries since a comely girl has ridden with me beneath the waves."

"Find someone else then," Harry growled. "She's taken."

"Aye, little wizard, she is.  By me.  But I am feeling generous this night and I shall offer you a bargain.  I shall take her with me beneath this lake, there are mer people here, who were once allies of my kind, and who are holding a banquet and feast.  I shall hide the girl somewhere beneath the water and it shall be your task to find her before midnight.  If you do, you may take her back.  If not, she belongs to me for the rest of her days."

"But that's . . .that's insane! You can't take her into the lake! She'll die! She can't breathe water."

The kelpie snorted mockingly.  "While she remains upon my back, the water shall be as air to her.  Be warned.  Try and remove her without my consent or kill me and my protection over her will end.  Well, little fae wizard? Are we agreed?"

Harry turned and gazed at Katie, who wore a smile of adoration upon her face. "Katie, get off him! Come back here, please!"

But she remained deaf to his entreaty, wholly under the water horse's spell.

"Time grows short, boy. I am not possessed of endless patience. What is your answer?"

Harry looked into the kelpie's eyes and said, softly, "All right, I agree. But if I find you before midnight, you agree to let us all go and not do anything to harm or prevent us from leaving by any means."

"Done!" the kelpie trumpeted. He reared up on his hindlegs, standing over seven feet in height, power and grace and magic incarnate. 

Then he spun on his hocks and leaped out into the water, Katie clinging to his back. They disappeared beneath the water with barely a ripple to mark their passing.

Harry stood on the shore and cursed softly.  Then he turned and ran up towards the castle at a dead run.  Dad, have to find Dad.  He's the only one who can help me fix this mess. 

Both Smidgen and Phil were absent from Hogwarts on this night. Smidgen had returned to the Seelie Court to make her weekly report to Titania, as she kept the queen informed about pertinent doings in the mortal realm.  And Phil had gone to the small cottage near Cornwall to be with his family, for Halloween was a sacred holiday among the vampires and Severus had assured him they would manage without him for one night.

Little did he know the mishap his son and his intern would be getting into.

Harry lowered his head and ran faster, his wet sneakers slipping on the grass.

* * * * * *

Severus Snape would have told anyone if they had dared to ask him that Halloween was his least favorite holiday.  It had pride of place as the worst memory of his life, as a matter of fact.  For that was the night that his beloved Lily had left him forever, going to dwell beyond the Veil in heaven, sacrificing herself for her child.  Severus had gotten there too late to stop her from being killed, all he had been able to do was to clutch her lifeless body close and tell her that he had always loved her and cry, the hopeless tears of a shattered heart. 

That image, the image of her beautiful face forever still in eternal repose, the light gone from her emerald eyes, was engraved upon his mind, never to be forgotten. Even now, years later, he only had to close his eyes and he could see it over and over again.  Sitting at the staff table, pretending to enjoy the ostentatious feast the Headmaster was so fond of giving, Severus longed to simply curl up in a corner with a Sleeping Draught and pretend Halloween were over. 

The cacophony of loud music and children's voices, laughing and screaming, grated upon his sensitive ear drums, making his head throb.  He had barely touched his dinner, his stomach would not have tolerated the greasy rich food that was being served.  He never ate much on Halloween anyway.  He sipped disinterestedly at a cup of Black Bohea tea, his eyes hooded, showing nothing of the pain he felt.

He scanned the room, seeing Draco dancing with Hermione.  He hid a smile.  Odd as that couple was, somehow they fit together. As he and Lily had, so long ago.  He then looked for his other son and his girl, but could not find them anywhere in the hall. Frowning, he stood up.  Where had they gone? He prayed they were not doing something impulsive and reckless-such as flying in the moonlight or, Merlin forbid, making out in some private place outside the castle.

He set down his tea cup and walked out onto the floor, the students dancing parted for him like he was Moses, scattering from his path so quickly they nearly tripped and fell.  Only Draco and Hermione remained where they were, unperturbed by the Potion Master's appearance. 

Severus tapped Draco on the shoulder.  "Draco, where's your brother?"

Draco looked up.  "Uh, I don't know. Last I saw he was headed somewhere with Katie.  Why?"

"I need to speak with him." Severus replied.  "I will see you later. Try not to gorge yourself sick on sweets and don't stay up too late."

"Yes, sir," Draco rolled his eyes at the typical parental litany. Then he turned back to dancing with Hermione, who was smiling in amusement.

"What's so funny, Mione?"

"He sounds so much like my dad."

"Oh." Draco shook his head.  "Guess it come with the territory."

Severus continued on through the double doors and into the Entrance Hall.  He prayed the two Gryffindors had just stepped outside for a breath of fresh air, not an illicit romp in the moonlight.  He was just about to go outside when the door to the castle burst open and a disheveled dripping wet Harry came in.

"Dad!" he cried, panting.

"Harry, what happened? Why are you all wet?" Severus reached out and took his son by the shoulders.

"It's . . .from the kelpie.  Dad, you've got to help me!" He looked up at Severus with wide frightened eyes, like a little child waking from a nightmare, desperate and needing comfort.  He clutched Severus's hands and said, all in a rush, "Please, Dad, I've got to save her.  The kelpie's stolen Katie away!"

 

"Harry, calm down and talk slowly, you're mumbling," Severus ordered, muttering a drying charm so his son would not catch a chill standing in the Entrance Hall soaking wet. "Take a deep breath, son, and repeat what you said. All I heard was something happened to Miss Bell."

Harry took several breaths before he felt he was able to talk coherently.  Then he repeated what he had just said, adding hopefully, "But you can help me get her back, right, Dad?"

Severus hit himself in the forehead. Why did everything that could go wrong did go wrong on Halloween? "Come with me, Harry."

Harry followed his father's swift strides down to the dungeons, his heart still sick within him over Katie's abduction.  But he was praying his father would come up with a solution and quickly. This Halloween could not end in disaster and death like that other one had.  It just couldn't.

Upon reaching his office, Severus unlocked the door and ushered his son inside. "Now then, start from the beginning. Why were you out beside the lake tonight and how did you summon a kelpie from the Realm of Faerie? Were you, perhaps, experimenting with Advanced Summoning Charms?" Severus demanded, frowning severely.

"No, Dad.  I came outside to take a walk, I just couldn't take it in there anymore, it was too much, watching everyone celebrating when I was remembering how Mum died . . ." Harry said, lowering his head to hide a sheen of tears. "Katie followed me, she didn't want me to be alone."

"A wise decision. And then?"

"And then she wanted to test out the potion she'd brewed yesterday, so we went down to the lake and she tossed it in the water. And that's when things got crazy. The potion was supposed to summon a grindylow, but instead it summoned the kelpie."

The lines on the Potion Master's face deepened. "The potion I assigned her yesterday for her internship class with me? That potion?"

"Yes, sir. She bottled it and left one-"

"-on my desk," Severus finished, and summoned it with a flick of his wrist.

Then he whispered a word and a wisp of smoke appeared, writing the ingredients used in the potion in the air. "Kelpie scales," he read.  "Why would she use that instead of the grindylow scales I instructed her to?"

"I . . .I don't know.  I got the scales off your desk like she told me . . ."

"Wait. You were in here while she was brewing?"

"Yeah, I came down and she wasn't quite finished so I was helping her," Harry said defensively, flushing.

Severus eyed him, seeing in an instant that his son was hiding something. "Tell me the truth, Harry. You were doing more than helping her brew potions, weren't you?"

His son blushed and stammered and looked at his shoes. 

"Well?"

"Yes. I . . .we . . .were kissing . . ."

"You were kissing?" Severus repeated, his voice dangerously soft. "While making a complicated potion? Harry Albus Snape, what have I told you about brewing advanced potions?"

"That you should never . . .get distracted. That all of your focus should be on what you're brewing."

"And would you call kissing giving all your focus to your potion?"

"No, sir." His son said in a small ashamed voice. But then he said, half-defiantly, "But nothing happened while we were kissing . . .it was after . . ."

"Yes, after you were distracted. Where did you get the scales, Harry?"

"From your desk, Dad. She said they would be there."

Severus walked out to his desk in the lab and picked up the jar of black scales, still unlabeled. "This jar? These scales?"

"Yes, sir."

"Harry, these are not grindylow scales, they are kelpie scales, most likely from the kelpie you summoned.  I told Katie that the grindylow scales were back in the cabinet, but because she was too busy thinking about kissing you, she forgot and you added the wrong ingredient, thus changing the composition of the draft."

Now Harry wished the kelpie had stolen him away.  It was his mistake that had caused Katie's mishap.  "Merlin, Dad! I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to . . ."

Severus sighed. "You never do.  Perhaps next time you will think before you act!" Then he relented, for he could see just how guilty and miserable his son was feeling, and he recalled that Harry was only fourteen, and at fourteen you sometimes made huge mistakes.  "But what's done is done. Now we have to find a way to rescue Katie.  What exactly did the kelpie say to you before he took her? I need it verbatim, because any bargain you make with a fae creature must be kept to the letter, or else.  The kelpie of legend was not known for its mercy, it traditionally pulls its victims beneath the water and drowns or devours them."

Harry wanted to vomit. "But it said it was going to hide her there, not . . .not kill her!"

Snape laid a hand upon the distraught teen's shoulder. "Word for word, Harry."

Harry closed his eyes, clutching his amulet between his fingers, and slowly repeated what the kelpie had said, as well as his own words.

"You are certain he said he was not Unseelie?" Severus demanded, focusing on certain aspects of the conversation.

"Yes, he specifically said he wasn't allied with either court, Dark or Light. That he went his own way." Harry reassured him. "What difference does that make?"

"A great deal. If he was Unseelie, Katie wouldn't stand a chance, since a dark kelpie would kill her and break his promise if he could.  But kelpies, like most fae creatures, are not all of a piece. This one seems to be able to be reasoned with, not crazed with evil. I think he will hold to his end of the bargain.  Which means we must do the same."

"We only have till midnight, Dad." Harry said, anxiety tying his innards in knots. "And it's 8:30 now."

"Then we must work quickly." Severus rose and rummaged on the shelf behind him, muttering softly.

"What can we use to breathe water? Gillyweed?" Harry asked, knowing that was a quick alternative to a Water-Breathing Draft.

"No. If you want to breathe water like a fish, you'll need more than gillyweed. That only lasts an hour. Ah, here we are!" He pulled a long tall vial from the back of his shelf, the potion within was the green of the ocean and frothed and bubbled, sparkling even in the dimly lit office.

"What's that, Dad?"

"This is what we need to rescue Miss Bell. A Transmogrifying Draft." Severus said shortly.

"Huh? What's it do?"

"It will make us water-breathers for longer than an hour. Come. Time's flying."

The two used a secret passage to get to the lake, then stood on the shore and Severus uncorked the vial.  "Three swallows, no more." He waved his wand over himself and his clothes vanished.

Harry gaped at him, but his father paid him no heed whatsoever, instead walking ankle deep into the lake as if it were a hot bath. "Quickly, Harry! Clothes off and come into the water. Once you swallow the potion, the change will start immediately, and you need to be ready."

Harry shivered and started to remove his clothing, thanking God it was night and everyone else was inside.

He splashed into the water beside Snape, yelping a little at the coldness of the water. "Arghh! Merlin's balls, I can't feel my feet.  Are they still there?"

Severus shook his head.  "Quit babbling nonsense and drink. Three swallows only." He handed Harry the vial.

Harry tipped the potion into his mouth. The first swallow was vile, it was like swallowing sea water. He nearly gagged, but forced himself to swallow again.  The next one wasn't as bad, it just tasted like water. Coughing, he took a third swallow.

Severus grabbed the vial as Harry's body started to shake and writhe, transforming fast and hard.

Harry felt as if every bone in his body was being wrenched and ground into powder. Fire licked along his limbs and he opened his mouth to scream, but he couldn't remember how.  His legs fused together and he fell forward into the water.

To emerge moments later gasping and flapping a very large scaly fish tail.

"What? I'm a . . .mermaid?"

He stared at his bluish skin and webbed fingers in amazement. Tiny scales dotted his forearms and the back of his hands and he could feel the flutter of gills at his neck. 

Beside him, Severus thrashed and groaned before his transformation was also complete.  "Not a mermaid, foolish child . . .a merman!"

"Oh.  Right." Now he felt really stupid.

He looked at his father, whose skin was now a shimmering pale blue and whose hair was inky black, with pointed ears peeking from beneath it. Severus's tail was long and graceful, a combination of different sea-green hues melded with black, it was as large as that of a marlin.  Harry was surprised to see that his father's shoulders were well-muscled and defined in this form.  Or maybe it was true in his human form as well, since he did work out.

"Will we be able to use our wands in the water?"

"Yes.  Though some spells might respond differently than expected. So use caution, and don't cast anything without asking." Severus fixed his dark eyes upon Harry. "Now, let us dive and see what we can find beneath the lake."

"Dad, how can we see down there?"

"Fear not, Harry, our eyes were meant to see in the depths." Severus reassured, then he gave a mighty thrust with his tail and arced deep into the lake.

Harry found the water was no longer cold, but pleasant as it stroked his skin.  Trying to follow Severus' example, he thrust hard with his tail and dove beneath the water, praying he could find Katie before midnight arrived.

 

There was a whole other world beneath the water, a world that Harry and Severus, or any human, had never seen. Until now.  Harry had no trouble seeing, despite the murkiness of the water. That was no barrier to his merman eyes, which could peer through the darkest depths and see as clear as crystal even through the stormiest seas.  This world was a study in deep blues and greens and black.  Myriads of small fishes swam past him as he glided through the water as easily as he could fly on a broom.  His tail was incredibly powerful, able to propel him great distances with a single stroke and his webbed hands cut the water like a scythe.

Some instinct enabled him to swim swiftly and competently, using his tail in sharp up and down strokes like a dolphin, rather than side to side ones like a fish or shark.  Some kind of invisible sonar allowed him to judge distances and objects as well.  He knew that the bottom of the lake was at least thirty feet deep, and covered with fine sand and water plants and various rocks and other objects which had been tossed into the lake over the years by students. 

Water washed gently over his gills, which were at the sides of his neck, hidden by a frill.  He also had a small frill along his elbow and was a sort of pale greenish color. His scales along his tail and flukes were a deeper emerald green and gold color and they shimmered slightly as he swam. His hair was fine and silky, an inky black with greenish-blue highlights. His glasses had vanished when he transformed and he supposed he didn't need them, since his eyes in his new shape saw perfectly fine underwater.  He longed for a mirror to see if his appearance had changed any more, he had heard that merfolk were quite handsome, hence all the legends about beguiling mermaids and stranded sailors.  The only piece of "clothing" he wore was a webbed belt, where his wand was attached.  Other than that he was bare from the waist up.

Severus was swimming with long sure strokes a little ways ahead of him, straight towards the middle of the lake and then diving down even further.  Strands of duckweed and other plants obscured Harry's sight for brief moments as he swam through them.  He quickened his pace, drawing alongside his father.

"Dad? Where do you think he could have taken her? I don't see any place where he could hide."

Severus turned to look at his son, his gills fluttering on either side of his neck as he spoke. "We haven't even gone down halfway to the bottom of the lake yet. This is only the top half, where the freshwater kelp grow towards the sun." Tiny bubbles  accompanied his speech, which sounded odd, probably due to the way the water distorted sound. It made his father's voice deeper and more compelling than normal. He felt the rich timbre slide across his skin, it made him feel all quivery.  Harry wondered how his own voice sounded.

Harry rolled over, splashing with his flukes, delighting in the way the water felt, and how his sonar let him see that there was a large object some ten feet below him that he needed to avoid.  A very large object.  "Dad, what is that down there?" He backfinned sharply as a black tentacle covered with multiple suckers the size of Harry's hand came up from the depths.

"Ahhh!"

Severus grabbed his shoulder before he could panic utterly.  "Harry, it's just the giant squid.  Decius won't hurt you."

Harry stopped trying to swim away, feeling a bit foolish.  But the giant squid seemed so much bigger under the water than atop it.  His sonar sense told him exactly how big the squid was-about fifty feet, and thirty feet of that length was the arms.  He took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart.  It had never been proven that the squid was a carnivore, it always appreciated the crackers Harry had thrown it. 

"How do you know that? It's huge. Bigger than a bus, I think.  Maybe the size of the Hogwarts Express."

"Oh, I doubt he's that big." Severus chuckled.

Suddenly, the single tentacle that waved at them was joined by five or six more and then there was a tremendous wash of displaced water as the giant squid rose and looked curiously at the two unfamiliar merfolk who had paused in his domain. The giant squid's eye was the size of a tire, black and twinkling, sort of like Dumbledore in a good mood.  Its hooked beak was the size of a compact car.

Decius made a series of high-pitched clicks and whistles that Harry discovered translated to his mer ears as words.  "Greetings! I am called Decius. You are new here, I think.  Did you come through the Gate for the celebration at Prince Amphitron's palace?"

"What Gate?" Harry asked, before he could think better of it. It was positively odd having a conversation with the squid. 

"The one the prince's Wavemistress Celiafarrah opened to allow their sea-dwelling relatives access to the palace and its waters of course." The squid's eye blinked. "Are you perhaps unfamiliar with Gates, little sprat?  You seem rather young to be swimming with those of the Lake Court."

"And so he is," Severus interjected smoothly, before Harry could make the squid suspicious.

"You are his sire?"

"Yes.  And we are unfamiliar with the lake, as you have guessed.  We come from an isolated part of the Caribbean Sea and he has never seen a Gate before tonight."

"Ah.  As I thought. Welcome to the Black Lake . . .err . . .I didn't catch your name." The squid inclined several tentacles toward himself, which Severus supposed was a gesture of either welcome or respect.

"I am called John Hawkins and this is my son . . .Jim," Severus said quickly. He quietly thanked God he had read Treasure Island as a boy. 

"Well met, John and Jim Hawkins," Decius clicked his beak together.  "Were you exploring and got turned around? I can show you the way back to the palace."

"Actually, we're looking for someone," Harry interjected.  "A friend of ours . . .he's a kelpie.  We were wondering if you saw him and a pretty girl swim by recently."

"Hmmm . . ." Decius gave a long sigh that echoed through the water.  "As a matter of fact . . .I did see a kelpie go by."

"You did?" Harry was so excited he nearly swam circles about the squid.  "How did she . . .err . . .I mean he . . .look? How long ago was it?"

Decius trilled in amusement.  "He seemed fine to me and that was about twenty ticks ago. Not so very long, sprat."

Ticks? Harry thought in puzzlement.  He looked over at Severus.  Is that like minutes or something?

"Do you know where he went?" Severus asked.

"Down that way, towards the palace," Decius waved a tentacle down and to the right.  "Come, I shall show you."

He sucked in some water and squirted it out, propelling himself along rapidly.  "This ball of Amphitron's must be very spectacular. I have seen many strange merfolk tonight, giant sea horses, dolphins, and sea hags.  Sadly, no cephalopods majoris.  My people tend to stick to the great depths along the Great Divide, what the landlubbers call the Mariana Trench." Decius sighed.  "And we have gained a rather unfair reputation as carnivorous shipwreckers as well.  Honestly! I haven't capsized a boat since I was a little fingerling, only ten feet long.  And the only sailor I ever swallowed was during a hurricane out over the Atlantic.  I think the poor chap had drowned.  Matter of fact, that was how I came here . . .the hurricane warped the Gate terminus and I was shoved through it to here. Then it closed and I was stuck."

"But couldn't that Wavemistress send you back to where you came from?" Harry asked, feeling sorry for the squid now. Sorry and kind of disgusted.

"No, because she was too young at the time to weave a Gate.  And by the time she was grown and had mastered her magic, I had been living here for one hundred seasons and I no longer desired to return.  This is my home now.  I am content here as the Prince's guardian and the young wizard sprats feed me the most interesting things and some of them are even bold enough to swim with me. And I have fun chasing away the grindylows and kappas from the palace and the kelp forest."

They emerged from the waving green and yellow fronds into the deepest part of the lake.  Several dolphin lengths below upon a rocky shelf, was the palace of the Black Lake clan, formed of limestone and sponge coral and gilded with gold and pearls.  It glistened and rippled like a precious jewel.  Dozens of jewel like fish and glowing eels wove their way in and out of the coral gates and sculptures. Rays and crabs scuttled across the sandy bottom, slipping in and out of the rocks and among the blue and white sea ferns. 

To the left of the palace was a blue and white shimmering stretch of water.  "That's the Gate," Decius said, pointing with a tentacle.  "And there's the palace.  If your friend the kelpie is anywhere, he should be there."

"Thank you, Decius," Severus said formally.

"You are most welcome, John Hawkins.  May the waves send you good fortune. Fare you well!" And with that, the giant squid shot away in a cloud of ink.

Severus and Harry glanced down at the palace and then began to swim towards it, hoping that the kelpie had decided to hide near it and not in it, for fear of being noticed. 

"How much longer do you think we have?" asked Harry worriedly.

"I believe we have three hours left. Approximately." Severus answered.  "And I strongly suspect that the kelpie is not hiding among the merfolk of the palace.  That would be too obvious as well as conspicuous."

"Yeah, I figured that too.  What about the ferns and rocks around it?"

The two swam quickly into the fern forest and checked all the rocks that might have had sea caverns inside, but nothing turned up.  Harry felt himself growing fearful again.  How could they possibly find a creature who was at home in the water and who knew the lake back to front? "What if he's using magic to conceal himself, Dad? What if we already went past the spot he was hiding?"

"Harry, a kelpie is a shapeshifter, true, but he can only take the forms of a horse, a man, and a sea serpent.  I have been checking for Glamour and DisIllusionment Charms as we swam and I felt none." Severus explained. 

They swam about the backside of the palace, where they saw large structures with huge sea horses tethered beside them wearing sea grass woven halters. Dolphins lolled there as well, smiling their eternal smile, hitched to a gilded carriage carved from a pink conch shell.

"Hullo! Hullo!" they whistled cheerily when they caught sight of the two mermen.

Harry waved back at them, feeling his spirits brighten a bit.  He had always liked dolphins.  Then he turned back to Severus and said softly, "Why couldn't the blasted water horse be more like a dolphin, all happy and helpful, instead of some sour git that likes to play tricks on people?"

"Because that is its nature, Harry. Most fae creatures live centuries and they have always been temperamental and fond of playing tricks upon unsuspecting mortals. I think they do it more from boredom than true maliciousness.  Some can be rather cruel, but the same may be said of humans."

"Some game, playing about with a person's life!"

"Sometimes the fae are impulsive and capricious, rather like spoiled children.  I think this kelpie is no different, but unlike his Unseelie brethren he may have a code of honor.  And if so, we must use that to get Katie back from him."

"If we can find him.  Do you think he went through the Gate?"

"That is a possibility.  You did mention that he said his home was in the sea, right?"

"Yeah, he said the potion had called him from there, I think," Harry said. He wriggled a little, for there were large bubbles coming up from small cracks in the rocky bottom and they tickled his fins. The water was also warmer here than one would expect, because of the jets of warm air accompanying the bubbles.

Underwater vents? He thought, wishing now he had paid more attention to his science teacher in primary school. 

The two were hovering just outside the prettily carved coral fence, where crushed shells and pearl dust formed a small walkway leading to a small turquoise door.  Harry glanced at it just as it opened and three very attractive giggling mermaids spilled out of it. 

One had pale hair the color of sea foam and a halter top beaded with pearls and tourmaline, her scales were the deep purple of the inside of a scallop shell and matched her lovely violet eyes.  The others who were bobbing up and down like corks and laughing, were also gorgeous, one had hair the same shade as a sealskin and amber scales, she was wearing a gold and ruby halter and more rubies on her ears and neck, and the other was a red-haired, green-scaled beauty that reminded Harry of Disney's Ariel turned seductive voluptuous siren.  She was wearing aquamarines and turquoises and had a pretty sea flower in her hair.

Harry felt his heart beat faster as they swam over, their voices were like music and put the finest human singer to shame. 

"Ooh, my aching head!" giggled the redhead.

"Anemone, I told you not to drink the plum wine when you bobbed for pearls!" scolded the brown-haired one, laughing.

"But it was so good, Tyra!"

The pale-haired one rolled her eyes and then caught sight of Harry and Severus. "Oh! Look there, girls! There's something else that looks mighty fine." She swam over, unlatched the small gate and glided up to them, her violet eyes appraising. "Neptune's trident, but you are a handsome one, aren't you?"

Harry couldn't tell who she meant and so he blurted, "Me?"

The other two had followed their bolder mermaid leader and giggled.  "Aww, Lorelei, the little one's sweet on you!"

"Sorry, small fry, but I prefer my men a bit more . . .mature," Lorelei purred, smiling not unkindly at Harry before turning to Severus and swimming lazily about him.  "I haven't seen you before, and believe me I'd remember, since you're built like a tiger shark, and put all those other sunfish in there to shame."

Her hand reached out and gave a startled Severus a pat on tail, close to where the bottom would be on a human.  "Hello, my name is Lorelei, want to go for a swim in the moonlight?"

"I . . .I'm afraid I cannot . . ." Severus began awkwardly.

"Oh, why not?" she pouted prettily. "Why are you out here then, if you're not bored to tears being in there, with all those dried up codfish?"

"I am looking for a friend," Severus said stiffly, trying his best to ignore the way she curved about him, her tail fins barely stroking against him, her hands gliding gently over his shoulders, her hair stroking the side of his face.  Great Merlin, what does she think she's doing? Trying to seduce me?

"I think you've found one," she laughed, fluttering her superbly long lashes at him.

"No, I mean . . .I'm looking for a different friend, my lady.  A kelpie.  Have you seen one?" He swam slightly backwards, avoiding her hands.

"A kelpie? Not the sort you need to be hanging out with.  Don't be shy."

"I'm not." Severus sputtered. 

"'Cause if you are, I know a private grotto . . ."

"We just want to find the kelpie!" Harry interrupted.  "He's with a friend of mine, we're . . .playing a game . . .of hide and seek . . ."

"Really?" giggled Anemone.  "I like hide and seek. Can I play too?"

"Ahh . . .maybe later," Harry blushed, for she was devastatingly beautiful.

Lorelei pursed her lips.  "What if I told you that I saw this kelpie you're looking for, carrying a human girl upon his back, one of those little witches from that magic school?"

"You saw them? Where?" Severus demanded, reaching out to grab her by the shoulders.

"Now, now, handsome . . .I'll tell you . . .if you'll give me one teensy little thing." Her tail wrapped about his in a fraction of a second and her arms pulled him close, until he was gazing right into her bewitching violet eyes. 

"What?"

"A kiss. Kiss me."

"I . . .I . ."

"Or else I shan't tell you a thing."

She was mesmerizing, her voice was like silk and her hands caressed him in a way that he hadn't experienced since his last night with Sarai at Prince Manor.  Abruptly, the spell she was weaving popped like an exploding soap bubble. Sarai.  She'll have my guts for garters if she knew I willingly kissed a mermaid. Severus thought, flushing. 

"I mean it." Lorelei said, and her amethyst eyes grew hard.

"Dad, we're wasting time!" Harry cried in alarm.  The more time they spent with these beautiful yet fluffheaded mermaids, the further away the kelpie was getting.

Dammit, he's right. My student's life is at stake. Severus huffed.  It was just one kiss, it didn't mean anything. "Very well."

He leaned in and gave the pouting coral lips a brief peck.

"Now, tell me where the kelpie went."

Lorelei shook her head.  "You call that a kiss?" Before he could move, she had pulled his head down again and kissed him deeply and passionately.

Harry's eyes grew wide.  Holy Merlin!

It seemed to last for an eternity, but was actually much shorter. Lorelei drew away at last, her pale face flushed and glowing, her lips puckered in an adorable grin.  "Now that's a kiss.  Still want to go find that kelpie?"

Severus coughed, for he was not immune to her wiles, despite the fact that he was in love with his half-fae warrior.  "Yes.  Tell me, if you will, Lady Lorelei, where he has gone. It's . . .imperative that I speak with him."

The mermaid sniffed and pouted, swishing her tail.  "Oh . . .very well . . .he went across that way . . ." she waved a hand at the Gate.  "Towards the Coral Forest.  But there's nothing to do over there but look at boring old rocks and sponges.  You'd have a much better time with me."

"You are certain?"

"Yes."

Severus gently removed her arms and backfinned away. "Thank you for your help, my lady.  Now, my son and I must be going."

"So soon?" mourned Tyra.

"Come back quickly. We'll be waiting," Lorelei called, waving gracefully. "Ohh, how I wish I had a rope and I could tie him up in my bedroom! I hate letting a catch like that get away!"

"God save me from man-crazy mermaids," Severus muttered, feeling a faint blush crawl up his neck.

He swam rapidly towards the Gate, beckoning to Harry to follow.

"So what was it like, kissing him? Tell us!" the other two begged.

"It was better than anything you've ever known!" Lorelei gushed. "I felt like I was going to faint, like an air-breathing mortal maiden!"

Huge sighs of longing came from the other two mermaids. 

"Well, if he comes back this way, I want to kiss him next," declared Anemone.

"And I'll kiss his son, I don't mind tutoring the small fry in how to please a mermaid," chuckled Tyra.

Harry waved goodbye to the three mermaids, his ears flaming, if such were possible in this new form, and caught up to his father.  He took one look at his father's face, and began to giggle helplessly, rolling over and over in the water. A mermaid had kissed his father!  "Guess she really liked you, huh, Dad?"

Severus turned and glared at his son.  "I'm glad you find this so funny." Harry continued to laugh.  "Harry Albus Snape, if you breathe a word of what went on here tonight . . .I'll . . .I'll ground you for life."

Harry quit laughing.  "I won't, Dad. Promise.  Wouldn't want Sarai to kill you." Then he added, "But she sure was cute and Merlin, she had the hots for you."

"That's enough, Harry!"

"Okay, sorry." His son said contritely, turning away to stifle a giggle in his hand.

They swam through the shimmering Gate, leaving the warmth of the lake for the colder and wilder waters of the ocean. Ahead was the large forest of gold, red, and blue coral. 

"Dad, how can we ever find them in that?" Harry asked, despairing.

"I can cast a Locator Charm." Severus said.  "I think it should work, even here beneath the sea." He quickly drew his wand and cast the charm. Instantly, he felt an urging to go to the left, through the vast maze of coral.  "This way, Harry. Stay close, I don't want to have two missing teenagers to find before midnight."

Then the two stroked hard into the branched coral, following the tug of the locator charm, which drew them ever closer to the missing Katie and the sly kelpie who had stolen her away. Harry hoped desperately that she was not hurt and that the kelpie would keep his end of the bargain, for though the fae could not lie, they were masters at finding loopholes in bargains. 

 

 The Coral Forest was well named, Harry thought as he swam through the living creatures, trying his best to avoid scraping himself upon the rough edges of some of the coral.  There were many different types of coral, besides the purple and white branching coral. Some of the coral was shaped like boulders, others were flat and formed shelves. Still others, known as pillar coral stuck up like fingers, forming a living stone forest.  The coral ranged in colors from gray, deep blue, purple and green, with the occasional orange as well. But besides the stony coral were soft corals, such as brain coral and sea fans and sea whips and staghorn coral all dwelled within the Coral Forest, and their splashes of brilliant color dazzled Harry's eyes for a moment.

Dozens and dozens of fish, ranging from fingerlings to large angel fish swam in and out of the coral, the current here was not as rough as in some places, and Harry had no trouble swimming along, except when the path through the coral narrowed and he had to turn sideways in order to squeeze through. Severus was quiet, concentrating on following the Locator Charm, though he did warn his son softly before they swam through a stand of brain coral to be careful about cutting himself upon the sharp points of the reef coral. 

"Where there are many fish, there are predators, Harry.  Barracudas, perhaps, and sharks, undoubtedly. So watch yourself, son. And if you do get cut, tell me immediately so I can heal it.  Blood in the water will attract sharks for miles."

"I will, sir." Harry promised.  "I've seen JAWS."

"Good, then you know to be careful." Severus said, and then he swam deeper into the forest. 

He had the deepest respect for the sea life that dwelled here, as a boy he had always been fascinated with the natural world, especially the sea, and had always regretted never spending more time by the sea shore.  But growing up at Spinner's End had not given him any opportunities for vacation at the sea shore and so he had to wait until he was grown to indulge his passion for discovering marine life. He wished he had more time to study the Coral Forest, for it was unlike any reef he had ever heard of.  But time was of the essence and so he regretfully pushed his fascination to the back of his mind and concentrated upon navigating the maze of coral.

 Harry was growing more and more anxious.  The clock was ticking, ticking . . .and every minute they spent searching was one less minute they had to find the bloody water horse and his latest victim.  He didn't like thinking of the vibrant beautiful Katie that way, but that was what she was right now.  And it was partially his fault, for not looking before picking up that jar of scales, for distracting his girlfriend during her brewing, he knew better than to do such a stupid thing.  Oh Katie, I'm sorry! I'll make it up to you, I swear.  As soon as I find you. God, let me find her. Let me not be too late. He would not be able to live with himself if she died.

His sense of time slipping from him increased his urgency and without conscious thought he found himself swimming further ahead, past Severus, deep into a stand of branch coral. Furious at the stony outcropping barring his way, he wriggled and shoved his way through it, and the backside of his tail caught on one of the sharp projections and sliced him open like a filleted flounder.

But it happened so quickly he barely felt it, and the first indication he had that he was cut was a swirl of blood in the water and a sudden stinging at the place where his scales began and his skin ended.

Severus looked up, cursing silently his son's sudden rush ahead of him, and his heart nearly stopped when he saw the blood staining the water a rusty red.  "Harry? Harry, are you all right?"

He thrust hard with his fins and shot a few feet ahead, but had to slow down because of the closeness of the coral. He carefully swam about the sharp branch coral and prayed his son was not leaking blood trail like this, that it belonged to a fish or a ray.  "Harry? Where are you? Are you hurt?"

"Umm . . .I'm here, Dad. Near the branch coral to the right. And I think I scraped myself."

Severus swore.  Damn kid could never avoid getting hurt! But he quickly located Harry by the amount of blood in the water, and found that his son had, as usual, underplayed the extent of his injury.  "That's no mere scrape, Harry. Turn over and let me see to it."

Harry opened his mouth to protest, then thought better of it. Sharks were drawn to blood in the water. But he was embarrassed, getting cut like that after he had promised to be careful and worse, getting cut on his backside, in a way.

He turned over, flushing hotly.

Severus swam up, wand out, and his eyes widened at the six inch gash that curved down his son's tail, no wonder blood was pumping into the water. "Merlin, Harry! Stay still. Good thing salt water cleanses wounds, I won't need a disinfectant." He put the tip of his wand at the beginning of the gash and chanted a few short sharp words.

"Ahh-oww!" Harry yelped, for there was a sudden sharp jolt of pain before the wound sealed itself, a week's worth of healing compressed into a minute.

"Done. Now let us swim away from here, and quickly." Severus urged, keeping his wand out just in case.  All of that blood in the water . . .

Harry grimaced and put a hand to his tail, rubbing away the lingering sting before swimming cautiously after Severus. That had hurt! But at least his father was not yelling at him for being so impulsive.  Harry had a feeling though that when all this was over . . .he was in for a blistering lecture.

Severus swam as quickly as he dared through the maze of coral, anxious to get as far away as possible from the site of Harry's injury.  There was no telling how many predators it would draw.

The tug of the Locator Charm drew him through a particularly thorny section of coral, and he kept a hand upon Harry's arm to ensure the boy swam slowly through that stretch. As they emerged from that part, a large shadow fell over them.

Both wizards froze. 

The shadow edged closer, and Harry gulped.  His sonar told him the approaching creature was about 23 feet long and 4, 500 pounds! As the shadow circled and glided downwards, Harry could make out that the tail was crescent shaped and totally the wrong shape for a friendly marine creature, like a dolphin.  The dorsal fin was also sharply pointed and Harry shivered. 

"Dad, that's a shark."

"I know.  I think, from the size, it's a great white," Severus hissed.  "Be still. Don't move an inch.  It might not be hungry. It may decide to look and move on."

Harry froze, every muscle in him cramping with dread.  He knew it was bad to show fear, that a shark could smell it, but he didn't know how to stop being afraid.  The shark could swallow him whole in one gulp and not even pause to chew. 

The great white cruised closer, and now they could see the dreadful maw, rows and rows of teeth glinting, and the cold dark eyes of the ocean's most feared killing machine tracked on them.  The shark circled lazily, mouth working, tasting the water, every circle bringing it closer to them.

There was something eerily terrifying about the silent way it came for them, as if it knew it had all the time in the world to catch them, and was not worried in the slightest they would escape.  Harry could see the spiky rows of gray skin upon its back and the white underbelly made him think of a cat for some reason.  A cat that was cruel and enjoyed playing with its food. 

Severus remained motionless, hoping the great white could not hear the hammering of his heart.  He had faced Death Eaters, the Dark Lord, and once a rampaging dragon, and out of all of them, nothing made his blood run cold as this giant predator, the white phantom of the deep, come looking for another victim to be its snack.  Merlin, if it has to take someone, let it take me, and spare my son. I would gladly give up my life for his.

The shark took in the scent of the two mermen and hissed softly through its teeth.  Normally it would not hunt such as they, it preferred easier prey, like large dumb tuna or octopus or seals. But it had fed upon a school of tuna a day or so ago and was now hungry again. It had scented blood in the water and the wriggling of some large trapped creature and had come to investigate. To its delight, it had found not one but two things to prey upon. The fear-scent burned its sensitive nostrils, making its nerves quiver and throb with hunger.

Closer and closer the shark circled, it could hear the staccato beating of the prey's heart, louder and louder, it drummed through the shark's nervous system, arousing it to the point of attack. Swifter than thought, it broke out of its circle and soared towards the small quivering one, figuring the little one was less work to kill.

All Harry saw was a pair of gigantic jaws arrowing towards him, and he screamed in terror and swam away, nearly slamming headfirst into the side of a gigantic rack of coral. 

Only his lightning swift Quidditch-honed reflexes saved him, and he twisted aside just in time.

"NO!" Severus snarled. "Not my son, you vicious bastard! Eat this!"

A crackle of electricity spat from his wand and struck the shark full on the nose.

The startled creature was knocked back a few feet and shook its head to rid itself of the sting.  But though the jolt had hurt, it had not frightened the shark away. Instead it had angered the big carnivore and the great white spun upon the larger merman and charged, jaws wide.

Severus shot away from the shark as if it was the devil himself, and right then he did not doubt it was a relation. The great jaws snapped shut a fraction of an inch before his tail. The wizard rolled about, curling his tail beneath him, swimming underneath the shark as he did so. 

"Dad!" Harry cried in horror. Furious, he snapped out a fire charm, only to discover that beneath the water, the fire emerged in a cold stream of ice, hitting the shark right below the gills.

The shark thrashed and shook, for the jet of freezing fire had knocked the breath from it for a moment or two.  Its gyrations shook loose several pieces of coral and they smashed into the sea floor with several large crashes. 

The predator shook its head, trying to get its bearings, while Snape took aim with his wand again.  "Harry, when I count to three, cast a Body Bind!"

"A Body Bind?" Harry repeated. "I don't understand."

"Just do it!" Severus snapped. "Ready? One . . .two . . .three! Petrificus Totalus!"

A sparkling jet of blue force erupted from Snape's ebony wand.

"Petrificus Totalus!" Harry shouted, and an equal jet of force shot from his wand.

The two spells struck the great white nearly simultaneously.

For one instant the shark hung suspended in the middle of the water, its body curved in mid-leap.  Blue sparks raced up and down its gray hide like fireflies and its eyes glinted as if in shock. 

Then it sank like a stone, mouth still showing those rows of teeth, down to the bottom of the sea.

Trembling, Harry swam over to Severus, who caught his son and hugged him hard. "Is it . . .dead?"

"It will be," Severus said quietly.  "If a shark stops swimming, it can't breathe and it will die.  But it was so large I knew that a single Body Bind wouldn't affect it, and that's why I need you to cast it as well.  But now that it's paralyzed, it's no more threat to us.  Are you all right?"

Harry nodded, content for the moment to lean against his father's chest and regain his composure.  He was no coward, but the shark attack had frightened him badly. He allowed himself to shelter in Severus's arms for a bit, realizing with a kind of wonder that together he and his father had defeated the greatest scourge of the sea, the monster that made hardened pirates quiver in their boots.  Bloody hell, we killed Jaws! 

He looked up and met Severus's eyes.  And in them he saw pride and affection. "C'mon, Dad. Let's finish this."

"Indeed."

"is the Locator Charm still working?"

"Yes." Severus replied, and he began to swim through the twisted branching coral, heading due west.

Harry wondered how much time had passed since they had started, and he looked at his magical watch. It had been 8:30 when they had dove into the lake and Harry estimated they ought to have at least an hour or an hour and a half left to find where the kelpie was hiding.  But when he looked at his watch, he discovered to his horror that it was almost eleven-thirty.

"Dad! We've got to hurry!" he cried.  "I don't understand what happened, but we've only got a half-an-hour before midnight! Well, maybe forty minutes."

Severus turned.  "How do you figure that?"

"Look at my watch," Harry gestured frantically. "I don't get it, Dad. I didn't think we were in the lake that long."

Severus inspected the watch, frowning, because his own estimate put their time at an hour and a half.  "This can't be possible . . .time doesn't speed up unless you have a Time Turner or . . ." His brow furrowed.  "Wait. When we crossed the Gate, this area of the sea . . .it's a different time zone.  The watch adjusts automatically to whatever time you're in. And this one must be at least an hour ahead of Britain's."

Harry groaned. "Damn that kelpie! He knew it! That's why he chose to come here." The young wizard slammed his tail down hard, making a loud splash.  "Sly sneaky piece of crap!" He wanted to use other words to describe the kelpie, but didn't dare.  His father detested when he swore and he didn't want to add a session with soap to his misdeeds. 

"Of course he knew.  He's over two centuries old, no doubt.  And the fae are known for their capricious and clever wit.  Very few things slip by them, especially when they make a bargain with mortals." Snape sighed.

"What do we do? Is there a spell to turn back time?"

"Regrettably, no.  We have only one option.  We must find her as quickly as we can."

With that, Severus turned back to where the charm pulled him and swam rapidly.

Harry followed and soon they were out of the Coral Forest and in front of a large limestone cave. There was a strange glistening green light over the entrance. Ten minutes had passed.

Severus paused and muttered several detection charms, making sure there were no harmful barriers or traps woven around the entrance.  The spells found nothing.

"Dad? Is this it?"

"Yes. The charm is certain she is inside there.  Light up your wand, Harry and let us confront this bold water horse."

"Lumos!" Harry said, and then he squared his shoulders and swam towards the cave entrance. Ready or not, here I come!

Inside the sea cavern, surrounded by soft sponges, the kelpie and the kidnapped witch sat upon a bed of sea grass and seaweed, the kelpie was lying down, just like a horse resting, and Katie was leaning against his side.  The enchantment to keep her breathing water worked so long as she was touching some part of the satiny hide.  He had told her that straight off, so she did not attempt to escape as soon as they had reached the grotto. 

She had looked at him then, scared and angry, and asked, “Why are you doing this? Playing this game? Why not just drown me and eat me and be done with it? That’s what a kelpie does, isn’t it? I know the old tales.”

He had breathed on her, calming her somewhat, and then he spoke.  “Not all old tales are true, little sorceress.  In fact, only a quarter have even a grain of truth in them.  The rest is invented.” He tossed his head, so his long forelock was swept back from his eyes, which were no longer crimson, but a blue as deep as the sea.

“What are you saying? That kelpies don’t really kill people and eat them?” She had slid off his back then and was resting her hand upon his withers.

“Oh some of my more uncivilized wicked barbaric cousins do, to be sure,” he admitted.  “Those who have pledged their souls to the Dark Court.” His lips wrinkled back in a sort of sneer. “But I am not like them.”

“No, you just kidnapped me for a lark,” Katie sniffed. “And threaten to keep me prisoner here for the rest of my life if Harry can’t find me.  It’s all a big joke. Trick or treat, right?”

He studied her for a moment, then snorted.  “You have spirit. I like that in a maid. Never could stand girls who cried and wailed and begged God to save them from the devil horse.  Silly fools didn’t even realize I was taking them to a better place.”

“What better place? Heaven, beyond the Veil?”

The kelpie laughed, and it was odd, a high pitched sound ending in a snort, just as she would have imagined a horse would sound if it could laugh.  “Please, milady! What do you think I am? Pay attention! I took them away to live in the Other World, the one that dwells but a hop, skip, and a Gate beyond your own. My world, the world of Faerie.  And there they live still, never to grow old and never to die, a far better life than the one they had as a milkmaid or a farmer’s daughter or a sailor’s forgotten bride.”

“You let them live?”

The kelpie’s eyes rolled.  “Have I not just said it? Something wrong with your ears, little mage? Killing maids is not my style and eating them even less.  I much prefer a good bunch of sea cucumbers and shrimp. Or a bit o’mutton and potatoes.”

“You eat mutton and potatoes?”

“When I can get it.”

“I’ve never seen a horse eat anything except hay and oats and grass.”

“I’m not always a horse, lass.  And even so, I am not mortal.” He sighed.  “But all of those girls, bonny as they were, never stayed.  Not one.  Not like her.”

“Her?”

“Shall I tell you a story, sorceress mine? Or better yet sing it, for I’ve a fine set o’pipes, there’s no denying.  A true tale, I promise, true and sad.”

The water horse settled to the cavern floor upon the thick bed of sea grass and Katie sat next to him.

“A long, long time ago,

I can still remember,

Sunny days in a purple haze,

And the way my music made her smile.

Down by the sea, she’d wait for me

On the place where the waves met the shore.”

His voice was beautiful, the deep rich tenor that put any opera singer to shame.  Then he paused and whispered, “So long ago that this island was but a place where seals stopped upon the way to the Arctic, I knew a girl of a seafaring folk, with hair like ebony and eyes like the sea after a storm. Fair skin like the froth on the waves, she had, and a voice as sweet and clear as a rock dove.”

“What was her name?”

There was a long pause, and then the kelpie answered.

“Albia.  Her name was Albia—the fair white maid, she loved horses and the sea, and she loved me.” He began to sing again, his voice filling the cave.

“Come away wi’ me and be my love,

She sang all on a summer’s day.

‘Twas folly to love a mortal,

But a folly I’d gladly pay.

Come away, come away

To the high wild hills that o’erlook sea

An’ there shall we dwell contentedly

Upon the land and the sea.

Come away, come away,

My heart longs for thee, horse of the sea,

I love thee more than any I’ve known.

I love thee more,

I love thee more,

Than all o’ the rest,

My heart to yours, will always be true.”

The kelpie stopped singing abruptly and shook his head.  “I was enchanted by her—me, the water horse, who had seen a century come and go! Who knew, none better, how ill it was for a fae to love a mortal. Such was forbidden, for it led only to a broken heart, and our hearts, once broken, do not mend easily . . .if at all.  But I could not help myself.  And so I loved her, my Albia, and for her I gave up the sea for a time, and dwelled on the land, as husband to her wife, like a mortal man. Though each week’s end, I returned to the waves and the sea, and she rode upon my back.”

“Why didn’t you take her to the Other Land?”

“Because she would not go. I begged and pleaded, as the years passed, I remained young, as perfect as I had been when I first saw her, and time’s hand touched me not. I had thought . . .being with me might give her some of my magic. . . but it was not so . . .She aged, slower than most, but she aged . . .Over a hundred of your years she lived and yet it was but the blink of an eye to me . . .A thousand years it has been, since she danced upon the shore, a thousand years and more, and still I have not forgotten . . .”

There was a terrible longing in the ancient eyes now, a terrible sorrow that somehow would never be fulfilled. 

“That is the curse of my kind. To remember always and to never ever forget.  You ask me why I do what I do? Every night upon Samhain I search, search for the one who reminds me of her . . .in looks and spirit, in the sound of her voice, and I hope that someday . . .there will be one who will stay with me forever . . .When you summoned me I was annoyed, for I was just about to begin my eternal search, and then there you were . . .and you are very like her, so very like . . .”

Katie gaped at him. “You mean, you kidnapped me because I look like your dead wife?”

“Not merely look, you have her courage as well . . .She did not flinch from marrying a fae creature, and neither would you, I’d wager.” He blew softly into her hair.

“No, but . . .I love another.”

His eyes flashed. “Aye, I know! The half-fae stripling I challenged.  But does he love you enough, fair one?  Enough to brave the depths and come for you? For if not, then it was a mistake and you should consider it lucky I stole you away.”

“That’s what this is then? A test to see if Harry loves me?”

“Aye, and if not, then might you consider me as an alternative?  For I will never abandon you.”

She looked up at him then and felt her heart swell with pity.  “But I don’t love you. I love Harry.”

“You say that now.  But wait till midnight. Then we shall see.”

He began to sing again, old songs of the sea, sailor chanties and ballads, all the songs gathered from several lifetimes of watching and listening to mortals in their ships and among the taverns upon the docks. 

Katie found herself laughing and clapping along in spite of herself, while leaning against the warm hide, and the kelpie smiled to himself. 

“Bring back, bring back

O bring back my Bonnie to me

To me!”

He sang till the walls echoed and that was the sound the two wizards heard as they entered the cavern, the kelpie’s brilliant voice and a girl’s soft laughter.

 

The last sound Harry or Severus expected to hear coming from the underwater grotto was laughter and singing.  They stared at each other, stunned, before swimming inside.  Harry had his wand out, prepared to fight the kelpie for Katie's return.  Severus also had his wand out.

The cave was not very large, but it was illuminated by dozens of colorful glowing sponges that cast a soft yet bright radiance over the cave.  The light caught the tiny crystals embedded in the walls and made them glitter and sparkle wildly.  It was like being inside a diamond. 

Harry rubbed his eyes and then looked towards the back of the cave, where a low shelf was situated, filled with a thick bed of seaweed and seagrass, upon which the kelpie was lying with Katie right next to him, and the most glorious voice was coming from the kelpie's throat.  Harry had never heard such a voice in all of his life.  And his girlfriend was clapping and singing along with it.

Harry rushed forward, anxious to show that he had fulfilled the conditions of the bargain before time ran out.  "Katie! There you are!" he cried.  "All right, I've found her, water horse, now it's time to keep your end of the bargain and let her go!"

The kelpie turned, snorting softly.  "Well, well. You have actually cared enough to find her. How remarkable! I didn't think there were still mortals who could feel such devotion left in the world."

The kelpie nuzzled Katie playfully. "Look, pretty one, who's come to see you."

Katie blinked, slowly coming out of the spell the fae horse had woven with his magnificent voice.  For an instant she was transported to another time and place and felt the love of a starved lonely heart.  She turned her head, breathing in the salty and sweet scent of the water horse, keeping a hand wound in his mane.

Her cerulean eyes met Harry's emerald ones.

"Who . . .?" she struggled to remember those eyes, that face, everything was muddled, her head felt as if it were wrapped in cotton wool batting. 

"Katie, it's me, Harry. Don't you remember?"  He whirled angrily upon the kelpie. "You rotten bag of bones! What did you do to her?"

"Nothing. Merely sang her a few songs."

"Songs to beguile and entrance," Severus interjected sharply. "I would not call that nothing."

The kelpie turned towards the older sorcerer. He stiffened.  "You are one of Titania's court."

"I am the Heir to Prince Manor, Severus Snape," answered the Potions Master.  "The girl you kidnapped happens to be my student, as well as my son's girlfriend. She is under my protection.  My son has fulfilled your bargain, kelpie. Now keep your end of it and let Katie Bell go." He leveled his wand threateningly.  "Or suffer the consequences."

The kelpie tossed his head, seemingly unconcerned by the other's warning.  "I have kept my end of the bargain, wizard.  I am not holding her prisoner.  Now it is up to her to choose."

Harry glided forward, until he was standing about five feet from the bed of seaweed. "Katie, listen to me.  It's Harry Snape, the one who always helped you brew potions, the one who kissed you while we were flying on our brooms back from Hogsmeade. We went out to dinner and you told me if I kissed you like that again I'd need to resuscitate you. Remember how we played that match against Ravenclaw? And you scored three goals? And how you stood up to MacLaggen for me? Remember? Remember me? You know me, you belong with me. Not him.  He doesn't love you.  I do. I've come to take you home."

"I . . ." she shook her head, those eyes pierced her, such familiar emerald eyes . . .eyes that she had seen laugh and sparkle and cry, eyes that she had seen blaze with anger and widen with fear.  Eyes that she had seen glow with love and affection . . .for her.  Do you remember? Remember me?

She shut her eyes and breathed in and out.

That kiss . . .she recalled it . . .and then all at once she jerked upright.  "I remember . . .Harry, how did you find me?"

Her eyes opened and she smiled at him, a smile full of love and contentment, and she would have rushed into his arms if not for the fact that she would drown unless she touched the kelpie. 

"Uh, I had a little help . . .okay a lot of help . . ." he amended upon seeing Severus raise an eyebrow and scowl.  "From Dad.  Do you remember me?"

"Yes! I could never forget you, Harry Albus Snape. I love you!" she cried.

"And do you choose to go home to them, Lady Katherine?" asked the kelpie, a hint of sadness in his tone. 

She turned to him and stroked his head gently.  "I'm sorry, but I can't stay with you. I belong up there.  And you have to go where your heart is.  I'm sorry, but I can't be what you want.  You're beautiful and magical and I understand why your Albia loved you, but . . .my heart belongs to Harry."

 

The kelpie heaved a sigh that seemed to come from the depths of his being.  "I should have known.  For only true love could hold a spirit such as yours, my lady." He dipped his head to her in respect.

Harry looked from one to the other. "What are you two talking about?" He frowned at Katie. "It almost seems like . . .you feel sorry for him. Why?"

"Because . . .he didn't kidnap me to hurt me.  He kidnapped me because he was lonely and I reminded him of the girl he had loved a long time ago and lost."

Harry didn't know what to say. For the first time he began to feel sorry for the kelpie.  Sorry for the creature who had kidnapped his girlfriend! He shot a glance at his father, expecting to see him sneering and glowering at the fae shifter.

Instead he saw Severus's face soften and understanding glint in his dark eyes. "Better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all," he quoted softly.

The kelpie shifted, tossing his head and then climbing to his feet. He was careful to keep Katie's hand touching his shoulder.  "And what would you know, wizard? You mortals love so easily! What would you know of watching the one you love wither and fade, like a rose touched by frost? To hold her in your arms and know that you could have saved her but for . . ." he stamped his hoof upon the floor angrily.

"But for one last moment, that was a moment too late," Severus finished.  "Oh, I know plenty about loss, kelpie. Trust me on that.  When my beloved died, I thought I would never love again. My heart was broken and shattered and I swore there would be no one else ever that could mend it." He met the fae creature's eyes steadily.

The kelpie shook his head.  "So then, you know what it is like to be empty and alone and to wish to find one who could . . .perhaps . . .mend the heart that was broken.  I have searched and searched for centuries for that one . . .the one who will be to me what Albia was . . ."

"Perhaps you would do better to stop searching and kidnapping girls and just wait for love to find you." Harry suggested.  "I mean, that's what I did.  Katie and I we were in the same House and all, we even played Quidditch together, but one day I looked at her and something just . . .clicked and I started to see her as more than just my Housemate.  It was sort of like being blind and then getting your sight back."

The kelpie cocked his head.  "Do you think that as well, Lady Katherine?"

Katie nodded. "I do.  Harry was just Harry, until one day I realized that he was someone that I could love and who loved me.  It was like finding something you had lost when you never even knew it was missing."

"And the thing that was missing was the other half of your soul," the kelpie whispered.  His lip curled.  "You are young, your love is like the first blush of spring. You have yet to face the autumn and the dark of winter."

"But that does not make it any less strong," Severus said suddenly.  "Love cannot live in the unwilling heart.  They have been tested tonight and their hearts are true. And they are right, sometimes when you stop searching, love finds you.  It did for me.  After my Lily was killed, I swore never again would I lose my heart. I buried it in the grave with her.  Or so I thought. Until Sarai came.  She was supposed to be my tutor in magic and the ways of the fae, my instructor in kin-sa-dor.  She was all of that to me and she taught me one more lesson.  How to trust and love again.  Where the heart loved once it can love again. And so I have and still do."

"Sarai? You love Sarai Kinsalari Valinek? Titania's Captain of the Guard?"

"I do.  And she is likewise pledged to me." Severus answered.

The kelpie laughed.  "Ah, now there's a lass that will take some taming, no?"

"And who says I want to tame her?" snorted the professor. "I like her just the way she is."

"You are wise then, my lord.  That is true love, to accept the other for all that he or she is, good and bad.  As my Albia did for me." He was silent for a moment, his forelock falling over his eyes.  "I have shared much tonight, more than I have ever shared with anyone other than my beloved.  ‘Tis strange, but I thought I was stealing away a bride, or so I had hoped, and instead the trick was on me."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked. 

"Because instead I found something better.  I found a friend. Or three. If . . .you will have me." The kelpie shuffled his hooves uneasily.  "I assure you, I am not like my wicked cousins, I have no liking for human flesh nor wish to harm you.  I know I am sometimes selfish and impulsive, but I am also loyal and my word is my bond. And . . .I do not call any mortal, not even one who bears the blood of the fae, friend lightly."

It was rare to see one of the proud fae humbling himself so, and all of them sensed that instinctively.  All three looked at each other for several long moments, at last coming to a silent yet satisfying conclusion.

Katie looked into the kelpie's eyes and said quietly, "We would like to be your friend, except . . .we don't know what your name is."

The kelpie coughed. "Ah.  The name my mother gave me is unpronounceable to mortals.  But Albia, my fair one, called me Duncan.  She said it meant "dark warrior" in the tongue of her mother's people.  And she was the last one to ever call me that. I would be . . .honored if you would do so also."

They agreed and then Katie climbed back up on Duncan and together the kelpie and the two mermen returned to the lake's surface just as the clock in the Entrance Hall struck midnight.

Dripping wet they emerged from the water and Severus quickly charmed their clothing on before using another potion to change them back, which he summoned from his lab. 

Then they bid farewell to Duncan, who told Harry, "If ever you need me, young Snape, don't hesitate to put your hand or foot into the water and call my name. I promise I shall come and help as best I may, like a true friend."

"Thank you," Harry said, and then he reached out and patted the water horse.

"Just mind you take good care of Lady Katherine, boy," the kelpie added mischievously. "For if not, I shall be glad to take your place and give her my heart, you hear?"

Harry grinned. "Right.  That will never happen."

"Darn straight it won't," Katie said, and then she kissed him.

* * * * * *

 

Ten minutes later, the two apprentice potion makers found themselves standing in front of their teacher's desk, receiving a very pointed and well-deserved lecture on their folly.  Now that they were all safe and sound, Snape allowed himself to give vent to his temper, which had been simmering ever since he had found out what these two had been doing in his lab instead of brewing potions.

" . . .could have cost both of you your lives, and for what? A two-minute kiss over a cauldron? Both of you know better! Especially you, Miss Bell. You're older and less likely to get carried away by your emotions, or so I thought."

"I'm sorry, sir." Katie stared at the ground, blinking back tears.

"Dad, don't yell at her. It was my fault, I came in and started talking to her."

"Don't you tell me whom I should lecture, young man!" snapped his father. "I'm the professor, not you! And you both behaved very irresponsibly.  More like two first years than a fifth and fourth year.  Perhaps you belong back with them, learning procedure and proper etiquette while brewing again? Maybe I ought to make you repeat a few classes, since you seem to have forgotten how to behave while brewing a master level potion?"

Both of them blanched and looked horrified.

"Dad, no! Please, anything but that!" his son groaned. "I'd rather you beat me."

Severus rolled his eyes.  "Spare me the dramatics, Mr. Snape.  I have never beaten you and well you know it. My name is not Vernon." He crossed his arms over his chest.  "In lieu of that, I will ground you for the upcoming weekend, Harry Albus Snape.  You are to report here to me at seven in the morning and I will assign you chores and an essay and you will also complete any homework you have as well. Furthermore, you are to be in bed by nine o'clock every evening, and you are not to see any of your friends, including Miss Bell, during that time."

Harry knew it was useless to argue, so he simply said, "Yes, sir. I'm sorry."

Severus then looked at Katie.  "As for you, Miss Bell, you will have detention this weekend and an essay as well, and you can also re-brew that draft for me-correctly this time. One more thing, you will refrain from speaking with or otherwise interacting with Harry for the weekend.  That ought to be a sufficient reminder of what not to do while brewing. Or you may choose the alternative I mentioned before."

Katie shook her head. "No, Professor. I'd rather squish a million dungbeetles than that, sir."

Snape frowned severely at her for another ten seconds before clearing his throat.  Then he waved his wand and a table popped up inbetween them with all of the food from the feast they had missed while on their adventure beneath the lake. 

They stared at each other, mouths agape.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Sit and eat, I know you must be starving after all of that emotional upheaval."

The two sat down and began to eat, discovering that the professor was right. 

To their eternal surprise, Severus also took a plate of food and sat down at his desk to eat. 

After the children had finished their supper, a selection of sweets and cakes appeared on their plates.  They looked up at Snape's desk . . .where the professor was calmly eating a slice of pumpkin pie. 

Feeling eyes upon him, Severus set down his fork and looked up. "Yes? Was there something else you wished to say, Harry?"

"Uh . . .no.  Except . . .thanks for saving me again, Dad."

"Thanks for saving us both," Katie added.

Severus coughed, embarrassed. "You are most welcome."

"Happy Halloween, Dad," Harry said, smiling back.

"Happy Halloween, Professor."

Severus felt his mouth twitch up into a small smile in spite of himself.  What had started out as a tragedy had ended happily after all. And for the first time in a long time, Severus Snape actually enjoyed Halloween. He finished his pie and bid Harry and Katie good night before locking up and returning to his apartments.  Tonight had been a Halloween to remember and tomorrow was another day, troublesome students, exploding cauldrons, and all.