Harry woke up from a soup of odd dreams that featured blind wizards, glittering clocks, battling chess pieces, and red-eyed snakes. They faded away like so much fairy dust as he blinked the sleep from his eyes.

For several long minutes, as the sun rose over the horizon outside his bedroom window, Harry sat on his bed, holding one hand to his chest and rubbing it. His chest really didn't hurt, but he had an odd feeling in his heart like there was a string attached to his heart and someone was tugging on it. It was a curious and uncomfortable feeling.

Finally he threw off his covers, went to the loo, brushed his teeth and combed his long hair. He smiled at his hair. It was now just below his shoulders, about as long as his father's and it had quit sticking up all over the place. That used to drive him nuts since it made him look like Crookshanks had hacked up a gross hairball on his head.

Once dressed, Harry slipped quietly into the kitchen, grabbed a banana, and then left the cottage.

He knew when he started running down the pebbled path and through the gate to the sandy beach that he was doing something he was going to get into a lot of trouble for. He even told himself to stop and go back inside, but his feet and legs were no longer under his control. The tugging sensation at the center of his chest felt like it should be painful, and he even grimaced in anticipation, but it was only an imagined sensation that wasn't real.

The coast of Isle Solonus was jagged with tall cliffs honeycombed with small coves and white sand beaches like the one where the Snapes cottage was. Centuries of weather had carved and shaped the cliffs, as had the surging waters of the ocean. There were many caves, most of them small and shallow, but here and there the water had carved out great caverns deeply into the island.

There was such a cavern nearby that Severus had strictly forbidden Harry to go near. There were even signs that warned about flooding dangers at high tide. At low tide water would still seep into the cavern into scattered pools of cold water that could easily sweep a skinny, little boy down into unimaginable and endless depths.

Harry stopped in the shadow of the cavern knowing that his father would probably make it impossible for him to sit for a week if he went any closer. In the moment that he paused he really did think about turning back and he had even taken a step towards that decision when he heard it.

The sound that echoed deep from within the cavern sent a chill down Harry's spine and raised the hair on the back of his neck. It was a terrifying, mournful howl that reached out, tugging upon that string that had dragged him from the cottage, and tightly squeezed his heart.

Harry went as far into the cavern as the meagre light of the morning ventured. Ahead of him was a great yawning blackness waiting to swallow him up.

The howl echoed all around him. Harry was terrified, but not of whatever howled. The cavern frightened him as well as what could have hurt the creature that was howling. He had been dragged out of the safety of his warm bed by this frightened and painful cry for help.

Harry stepped a little further into the cavern leaving the last sliver of light behind him. The chill settled heavily upon him and he wished he had brought a heavy jumper. The mournful howl stabbed right through Harry's heart and he let out a sharp cry.

"Daddy!"

Turning on his heel, he ran faster than he'd ever run in his life back to the cottage. It didn't matter that his father was going to ask a bunch of questions and probably ground him for the rest of the summer. He needed his Daddy, right now!

Harry burst through the cottage door and was never more glad to see his father preparing coffee in the kitchen. He skidded into the brightly lit room and grasped his father by the arm.

"He's hurt, Daddy! And afraid! He's gonna die, I think! Come, please try to help him!"

Severus caught Harry tightly about the shoulders as his own heart leapt into his throat. "Harry!" He dropped down to his knee. "Child, calm yourself and tell me what you're talking about."

Harry drew in his breath and for a moment he held it as he latched onto his father's dark eyed gaze allowing it to ground him. He let out the breath he was holding. "In the cavern, Daddy," Harry began carefully as though he were explaining physics to a slow child. "He's been there all night. He's howling, but he's getting tired. He's scared and hurt and dying. We have to try and save him."

Severus wanted to leave immediately, but one word in his son's explanation made him pause. "Howling? Who are you talking about, Harry? Do you know who this person is?"

"Not a person, Daddy." Harry then tugged on his father's arms. He whispered urgently, "I don't want him to die."

He rose to his feet just as Echo walked into the kitchen. She immediately understood something was wrong. Severus glanced at her as he summoned his cloak. "There's an... animal hurt in the cavern. Harry heard it."

Echo didn't reply. She just summoned her own cloak and soon the two adults were following Harry as he ran, leading them back to the cavern.

At the cavern they were greeted only by the sounds of the wind circulating in the cavern and the water on its floor. Harry grabbed Severus' hand tightly. The Potions Master squeezed his son's hand in reassurance and then took out his wand. "Lumos!"

Echo cast a wandless spell that added a floating ball of golden light to Severus' glowing wand tip. "I think I hear something," she whispered.

"Why isn't he howling, Daddy?" asked Harry worriedly.

"Shhh, Harry." Severus pointed his wand into the darkness ahead of them. "Sonorous!"

The amplification spell found the faint sound Harry was listening for and the howl, now very tired, surrounded them.

Severus looked down at Harry. "Son, I need for you to stay here. Don't move."

"It's dark," he said softly.

Echo cast a second spell that produced another ball of light that hovered over Harry. He smiled weakly at her. Severus then cast a spell that made a set of numbers appear in front of Harry.

"When the numbers reach all zeros, Harry, you need to get out of the cavern. That's when the tide will be coming in." Harry started to object, but Severus pulled him into a quick hug. "Just do as I say, Harry. We ought to be back before the numbers hit zero, but, if we're not, go and tell Albus what happened. Understand?"

Harry nodded firmly and tried to hide a sniffle. He watched as Echo and his father went toward the even quieter howl. "Come back, Daddy."

Once he and Echo were nearly out of sight of Harry, Echo spoke quietly, "You do know we're risking our lives for a dog, Severus," she stated.

"If I didn't make the attempt, Echo, my son would never forgive me. If we don't find it within thirty minutes, then we've done our best and we go back."

All around them the stones and the walls of the cavern were smoothed by moisture and the lashing wrath of the sea water that wandered into its depths. Each step that Severus and Echo took was a study in balance and careful attention. Although moisture dripped from the walls, there was a constant dribble of water that seeped in from the cavern entrance. The stones and walls were rife with sea life that clung tenaciously to their dark home. It was a constant, urgent reminder, that at high tide this cavern became part of the undersea world.

Every once in awhile, the dripping silence would be broken by the mournful, and very soft howl of the dog. At one point, Echo began talking to it. Severus found her voice to be soothing, as well, and helped him to concentrate as he led them deeper into the cavern.

Ten minutes in they found a large, golden retriever, its leg trapped between stones and twisted enough to show it was badly broken. The dog itself was completely covered with sandy mud and shivering uncontrollably. Its tail slapped a sopping, heavy wag against the rocks as it saw its rescuers. It tried to bark, but only managed a tired whimper.

Echo was about to go directly to the dog to comfort it, but Severus held her back. "There's a pool behind the dog," he indicated pointing at a rippling, black surface that reflected their light. "It goes back beyond the shadows. I think the rocks his leg is trapped in kept him from the pool."

Echo frowned and bit a corner of her lower lip. "This is going to take us both, Severus," she said as she, too, studied the problem. "I'm not terribly good at levitation so how about I knock apart the rocks and you levitate him?"

"Let me put a Featherlight Spell on him, first. That way, as soon as the rocks are out of the way I can lift him before he even touches the pool."

"On the count of three?" Severus nodded in reply. Echo stretched out her hand and waited for the dark-haired wizard to cast the Featherlight Spell. The dog howled in pain as his weight became lighter causing his leg to be tugged painfully. "One... two... three...!" Echo flicked her wrist and the rocks parted freeing the dog's leg. Severus timed his Wingardium Leviosa spell perfectly and the dog lifted away from the rocks, the pool, and was floated towards Echo and Severus.

Severus tried a diagnostic spell, but as it was for humans, it didn't help him much. He then tried to manually examine the dog's leg, but it growled warningly as he only caused further pain. "I can't take care of him here," he muttered. Casting a Sleeping Spell, the dog dropped into a forced slumber. He then lifted the dog with the Mobilicorpus Spell and they carefully made their way back to Harry.

Harry watched as the glowing numbers in the air ticked down the seconds to high tide. It seemed like the numbers were running faster than they should so he stood up and began to pace. He tried very hard to not look at the timer, but he couldn't NOT look at it.

Just when the timer had five minutes left on it, Harry began to get very antsy. He tried sitting down, but was right back up. He sniffled and silently berated himself for being such a baby.

Light!

Harry drew in a deep breath and held it. It was just a gentle flicker, but it was light! He was nearly ready to jump out of his skin as his held in breath puffed out sharply. He wanted to run towards the bouncing ball of light that led the way for his father and Echo, but his father had told him to stay put.

"Daddy! Echo!" he shouted and his voice reverberated back to him.

"Harry! Don't you dare move from that spot!" shouted his father in warning. "This floor is too slippery and rocky!"

Harry pouted, but said nothing. He hadn't moved much at all, except to pace.

Soon Severus and Echo were much closer and Harry could see the sleeping, levitated dog in front of them. Once they were all three in the same place, Harry hugged his father and then went to study the dog.

"Is he gonna be all right, Dad?" asked Harry as he reached out a tentative hand to touch the dog.

"I'll have to examine him when we get home, Harry," replied Severus. "Let's go."

Echo and Severus carefully cleaned the dog in the back yard. It was a tedious job that had to be done by hand since the Scourgify Spell would have had to have been used too many times and might have hurt the dog's skin. Severus was able to examine the broken leg and found that it had been cleanly broken in two places and dislocated. The skin was also abraded in several places along the thigh and hip.

Severus popped the leg back into place and then set the bones by bracing them. He spelled Skele-Gro into the dog's stomach so that by tomorrow afternoon, the broken bones would be repaired. In addition to the broken leg, the dog was also very undernourished and nearly starved. Echo spelled some nutrients into the dog's stomach, and Severus made a mental note to brew a nutrient potion designed specifically for animals.

This whole time, Harry was inside, by the window, leaning against his grandfather and twisting knots into Dumbledore's beard nervously as he watched as the animal was tended. Every few minutes, Dumbledore waved his hand slightly and a de-knotting spell removed the knots.

"Child, your father is going to make certain the dog is well," Albus said softly.

"I know, grandpa, but I'm gonna be in a lot of trouble." Harry took Albus' hand into his and began to study the fine wrinkles and veins under the skin.

"Well, you did leave the cottage by yourself," began Albus.

"But, I'm gonna be seven soon! Daddy ought to let me do things by myself sometimes."

"He does, Harry. You always get to play out in the yard by yourself."

"That's not the same," muttered Harry.

"Venturing out to the beach and to the cavern is dangerous, child, and you know that. How many other children have you seen by themselves on the beach since we've been here?"

Harry glared darkly at his grandfather. Just as he knew the answer wasn't in his favor, so did Albus. At the sparkle in the old man's eyes, Harry didn't bother to answer the question.

At that moment, Echo and Severus entered the cottage. The dog was in Severus' arms and he brought the sleeping animal over to the fireplace and laid it down in front of the fire on a little rug by the hearth. Harry ran over to his father and knelt down by the dog and petted its prominent ribs.

"Is he gonna be all right, Daddy?"

"Going, Harry, not gonna. And yes, the dog will recover completely." Severus looked sternly down at his son. He was displeased that his son had slipped off alone to go where he wasn't supposed to, but... suddenly, Harry threw him off as the child threw his arms around his father.

"Thank you, Daddy!"

Severus patted his son's back. "Whatever for, Harry?"

Harry looked up at his father. "For saving Hector."

Now Severus' frowned in puzzlement. "Who is Hector?" he asked. Harry pointed at the dog. "How do you know his name is Hector?"

Harry shrugged. "He kind of looks like a Hector, don't you think so?"

"Ah," Severus replied in understanding. "Now that you've named our guest I suppose you think we'll keep him?"

That was precisely what little Harry was thinking. After all, they'd just saved his life and the dog probably had no one to take care of him. "Hector needs us, Dad. He's real skinny and anyway, he called me."

"He called you? Is that why you were out wandering around by yourself when you shouldn't have been alone?" his father asked sternly.

Harry stroked the sleeping dog's side. "I woke up with my heart feeling funny, Dad. I heard something, but, not with my ears, you know? And, I couldn't help myself. Then, when I got to the cave, I heard Hector. He knew I came for him." Harry stood up and took his father's hand in his as he looked down into the still kneeling wizard's face. "I know it was wrong, Daddy, but I couldn't ignore him."

"The problem, child, is you didn't think before you left. You should have awakened me and let me know what was going on. I would have gone with you."

Harry sighed heavily and looked down at his feet, and then the dog. "So I'm in trouble, then?"

"You are." Severus put his index finger under the child's chin and tipped his gaze upward. "However, as there are extenuating circumstances, I think just grounding you for a week and no flying, will be sufficient. Now, how would you like to share your bedroom with Hector?"

Harry didn't like being grounded, but having permission to have Hector in his room overshadowed the punishment. "Really?"

Severus' eyes smiled brightly. "Really. Go find a blanket and I'll transfigure it into a dog bed."

Harry ran to comply, leaving the adults staring at the sleeping dog. Severus tapped his chin thoughtfully. "How did that child wind up with another pet?"

Albus chuckled softly. "Do be careful, my boy, Harry might attract other strays."

Echo joined the older wizard's laughter. "A boy should have a dog. I'll bet that Hector will be very good for Harry."

"He'll learn responsibility, at least." Severus looked down at the dog, again. Inwardly he wished the dog could have been smaller. This thing was much bigger than his son. He hoped that it was possessed of a gentle nature.

Hector's broken leg was healed within 24 hours and strong enough for running upon another 24 hours later. The golden retriever did have a gentle nature and had attached himself rather quickly to the little boy. Severus also noticed that Hector, for being a non-magical animal, seemed to have a sixth sense about Harry and was careful about not accidentally knocking him over; Hector was rather larger than was average for his particular breed and he had a very bushy tail that could easily knock things (and children) down. The large dog's shoulders matched Harry's own!

Harry wasn't allowed to fly his broom and he was confined to the front and back yards of the cottage. He didn't mind, though, as he and Hector played catch, and Hector would let Harry chase after him. By lunch time, both boy and dog were thoroughly worn out. Harry had enough energy to eat a sandwich and then he willingly went off to bed for his afternoon nap. Hector happily joined 'his boy'.

Severus spent the morning in his lab working on the de-aging potion for Albus while the older wizard played a game of chess with Echo.

"I have spoken to some associates of mine, Echo, about your situation," Albus interjected quietly as they played.

Echo moved her bishop, threatening Albus' queen. "Is there any hope?"

"They feel that the evidence of fraud is rather obvious. The fact that you had no chance to defend yourself, and were, in fact, discouraged to do so means that this is a case the Wizengamot would be able to preside over." Albus' knight brutally took the bishop that was threatening his queen. "Check, I believe."

"The Wizengamot is quite an august body, Albus. I think I'd be a bit nervous going before them." Using her knight, she was able to stave off checkmate, for the moment.

He chuckled. "Quite frankly, Echo, they're a bunch of stodgy old wizards and witches. No doubt they'd view the seamier sides of your case with the same enthusiasm they would when reading the gossip section in Witch Weekly."

Echo laughed. "I ought to be insulted by that comparison, Albus! Gossip indeed." She moved a pawn, and instantly regretted doing so.

Albus moved his castle and cheerfully intoned, "Checkmate." He adjusted the quilt upon his lap. "Actually, according to my friend, Arthur, you need only assemble the requested memories, under Veritaserum, and your solicitor will present your case. You won't even have to appear before the Wizengamot."

Echo began resetting the chessboard. "That's not too bad. I was telling Severus that the law here requires that someone else file a complaint on my behalf. Would that follow in England, as well?"

"I've already filed on your behalf, my dear." Echo's head raised sharply and she saw the twinkle in the old wizard's light blue eyes. She was beginning to understand why Severus claimed the twinkle had its own personality.

"You didn't, Albus?"

He nodded and was about to say something else when he was interrupted by something smacking against the front door. Echo stood and opened the door, allowing in a little grey owl that flew into the room as though it were drunk. It crashed into the chess set sending the remaining upright pieces running for their lives.

"Pigwidgeon!" chuckled Albus as he picked up the little owl.

"I take it you know this little fellow?" asked Echo.

"Ronald Weasley's owl. Although, I believe that Arthur is making use of him over the summer." Albus removed a small scroll tied around Pig's foot. Once the owl was relieved of his burden, he flew back onto the chessboard, promptly fell on his side, and went to sleep.

"That owl's not right," murmured Echo.

"Ah! This is good news!" cried Albus. He shoved the letter at Echo. "My dear, would you mind taking this to Severus? He'll want to be interrupted for it."

Echo took the letter from Albus and made her way down the short hallway to the converted bedroom that was Severus' lab. She knocked in warning, and then pushed open the door.

In the lab, Severus was bent over a small cauldron carefully counting his stirring with a glass stirrer while casting a spell with his wand over the bubbling brew. Echo waited quietly until the Potions Master looked up from his potion at a convenient point.

"Is everything all right?" Severus asked with concern as he placed a stasis spell on the potion he was brewing.

Echo handed him the letter. "From Arthur Weasley. Albus said it was good news."

Severus stood, stretched his back, and took the letter. He read it over quickly. Echo was astonished by the smile that lit up his face.

"Is it the special dispensation?" asked Echo, smiling as well.

"It is! There are a few restrictions, but they're minor." He smirked. "Arthur says they wanted to Obliviate me, but they can't."

"No? Why not?"

Severus looked up at Echo. "I'm an Occlumens. I'm able to resist Memory Spells."

"What are they going to do instead?"

"A Wizard's Oath that I'll never brew the Second Chance Potion again. I have no argument with that." Severus folded up the letter. "We need to celebrate. Where's a good place to eat in the village, Echo?"

"Androzani's. It has the best Greek food. Plus, for fussy children, they'll cook burgers and fries."

"Perfect!"

Dinner at Androzani's was a few hours away. Since Severus didn't feel like spending anymore time in his lab, they all went down to the beach. Albus reclined out of the sun underneath a colourful umbrella. Severus sat closer to the water's edge wearing his dark grey trousers, a long sleeved, white cotton shirt, and his feet were bare.

He refused to even entertain the idea of wearing a bathing costume since such wizarding swimming fashion had yet to leave the 18th century. He did, however, rather appreciate the bathing costume that Echo wore. Instead of being made of deadly, heavy wool, it was of much lighter cotton. It was also more form-fitting and showed off her figure nicely, but with enough modesty that no one passing by frowned upon her. It was a rather scandalous colour of red with white trim, and Severus thought it was nicely bold.

Harry wore a long pair of black swimming trunks that were more modern looking. Although Severus thought they were a bit looser than they should have been, Harry would not permit his father to adjust the trunks. Therefore, the little boy looked like he was wearing a knee length, straight skirt to swim in.

Echo had offered to teach Harry to swim, and he had expressed enthusiasm for learning, but after experiencing the force of the incoming waves, he was more content to stay in the shallows where he could wade and splash. Hector ran up and down the edge of the surf, keeping an eye on Harry, and barking happily.

"Afternoon!"

Severus glanced to his left to see a somewhat portly man in a short, terry cloth robe that swung open and revealed far too much of the man's hairy chest and white belly. He wore a Muggle modern pair of indecent swimming shorts. He thought the man looked ridiculous.

"Good afternoon," he replied politely, doing his best not to look at the man.

"Name's Martin Reeves. My kids, Anthony, Charles, and Wendy." The accent he spoke with was decidedly American.

Severus coolly looked over the three children. One was a teenager, the other two were closer to his son's age. "Severus Snape." He pointed towards Harry and Echo. "My son. Harry."

Martin waved his kids away and they ran down by the surf. Severus drew in a controlled breath as the man presumed to sit beside him.

"Here for the summer with your family, Sev?" asked Martin.

Severus scowled at the despised nickname. "It's Severus, to my friends, Mr. Reeves."

Martin ignored the rebuke, shrugged, and smiled, "Of course, Snape. So, what do you do for work?"

Severus took a moment to watch as Harry introduced himself to the Reeves children. He didn't mind Harry having other children to interact with, but he did not care for having to put up with the parents of those other children. He bit the bullet and replied to Martin's questions.

"I am a teacher of Potions. I brought my son, and my father," he glanced over at the snoozing ex-Headmaster, "for the fresh air and sunshine. I gather from your accent that you hail from America?"

Martin used his wand to provide shade from a conjured umbrella and a basket of sandwiches. He silently offered a sandwich to Severus. The Potions Master declined the offer with a shake of his head. "From Monterey, California. Lost my wife this year to Thorsejn's Syndrome and felt the kids needed to get away. Wendy and Charlie are handling things fairly well, but Anthony can't seem to get rid of that sullen look on his face."

Severus knew of the disease Martin spoke of. It was a wasting disease that attacked a wizard or witch's magical core, before attacking the immune system. It was a terrible thing for a young family to have to witness happening to a loved one. His condolences were genuine.

For several minutes, both men watched as their children played. Severus noted that the eldest boy Anthony kept watch over his siblings but stayed separate from the childish play. Echo seemed to realise the boy was either shy or reluctant and tried to include him in the sand castle they began to build, but something Anthony said ended her efforts.

"Your wife reminds me of my Marjorie, Snape," Martin said rather wistfully. "She's very attentive to your boy."

"Miss Prosper is a family friend," Severus felt inclined to quickly correct.

"Oh," Martin acknowledged the faux pas with embarrassment.

An awkward silence descended between the two wizards ending the light conversation.

Echo directed the building of the sand castle as the three children, Harry, Wendy, and Charlie, gathered up wet sand in colourful buckets and piled it all together. She conjured some plastic tools to carve the sand and as they played, an odd little structure with thin and fat towers emerged. Echo bolstered some of the more unstable spots with a simple Binding Spell that kept the castle from tumbling in upon itself.

"How come you dress funny?" asked Wendy staring at Echo's bathing costume. Wendy wore a simple one-piece that was lime green and very Muggle.

"This is what witches wear for swimming," explained Echo.

"Our mom never dressed like that," said Charlie dropping a new pile of wet sand by the castle. "You look silly."

Anthony piped up sharply, "Don't be insulting, Charlie! You know they dress different here."

"I think it's pretty, Echo," said Harry shyly.

"How come you call your mom by her name, Harry?" asked Charlie.

"Echo's not my mum," asserted Harry. "Yet."

Echo accidentally knocked over a tower when she heard the word 'yet' from Harry. For a moment she stared at the little boy she'd known for only a few weeks. Her gaze then traveled up the beach to where Severus sat with the Reeves' father, Martin. She thought of the duel he'd challenged her to. There was plenty of time before dinner!

A convenient argument between brothers had Martin Reeves taking his children home early which left the beach to the Severus, Albus, Harry, and Echo. While Harry and Echo took a break from the water's edge with Albus and Severus, Echo broached the subject of the duel.

"I suppose you think you've wriggled out of our duel, Master Snape," she said casually as she dug her bare toes into the sand.

"Merely delayed, dear lady," quipped Severus matching her formal address with his own.

"Quite a bit of time 'til dinner," she observed, squinting her gaze towards the ocean.

Severus looked sideways at Echo and smirked. "Would you care to take up the challenge now? I'm not certain that costume of yours is entirely appropriate for a wizarding duel."

Echo smoothed the skirt of her bathing costume. "In a true duel, I doubt you'd give me the chance to dress in my robes."

"True, I wouldn't." Severus rose to his feet and then offered his hand to the young witch. She took it and he pulled her to her feet.

"The beach is certainly a good field, but what should be the deciding factor of the outcome, Master Snape?"

"What are you two up to?" asked Albus.

"A duel, Albus. Wandless against wand," replied Severus.

"Indeed? How fascinating my boy. Might I suggest the outcome be whoever gets knocked into the water first?" He smiled, eyes twinkling brightly.

Echo grinned wickedly. "Ohhh, I'd love to toss you into the waves, Master Snape."

He straightened and took out his wand. Speaking haughtily, he declared, "You'll never get me close to the water, m'lady. To be sure, I'll be collecting my prize."

"Daddy? What's going on?" asked Harry who'd been watching the whole exchange with a puzzled expression on his face.

"A wizarding duel, son. Echo and I are going to find out if wandless magic is better against wand magic," he explained.

"Are you going to hurt each other," he asked worriedly.

"We won't use any spells that can't be reversed, or ended. The winner will be able to push the loser into the water." Severus put a reassuring hand on his son's shoulder. "Some of the spells will look terrible, but trust me, Harry, we'll both be fine."

"So this is for fun?"

"Yes," Severus agreed. "Go sit with Albus and stay put. I don't want you getting hit by any stray spells."

Harry obediently went to sit beside Albus and took the older wizard's hand in his. "Do you think Daddy will win, grandpa?"

"Severus is quite good, but I must admit, I'd dearly love to see him get thrown in the water." He chuckled and Harry laughed with him.

Echo and Severus walked to just a few feet from the water's edge then paced away from each other, parallel to the ocean. Hector ran over to them, but with a gesture, Severus sent the dog back to Albus and Harry.

Severus bowed to his opponent and Echo repeated the gesture. She quickly dodged his first spell, a Disarming Spell, and cast a Jelly Legs Jinx. Severus countered with a Shield Spell and in quick succession he cast a Jelly Legs Jinx, a Wart Growing Hex, and a Tripping Spell. Echo was able to side-step the first, but the Wart Growing Hex knocked down her hastily raised shield. She was caught by the Tripping Spell.

Echo rolled out of the trip and threw a ball of bright light towards Severus. Not knowing what the light was, he was momentarily blinded. He cast a shield and then cast a curtain of darkness over Echo. Four more balls of bright light came at Severus until one hit him in the solar plexus. He was knocked backwards a foot, but nowhere near the water.

Severus' recovery was swift. As he rose to his feet he cast a Tempest Hex which stirred up the sand beneath Echo's feet. He then used a modified version of Sectumsempra that ripped at the skirt of her bathing costume.

Surprised by that last spell, she looked down at her tattered costume and just barely made out that the slices were in the shape of an 'S'. "Watched Zorro as a child, did you, Snape?" she snapped out.

"It is not wise to speak during a duel, fair lady," he warned casting another Tempest spell which she blocked with a shield. Echo dispersed the small tempest and sent a flock of ravens to attack the Potions Master. Severus countered the spell by turning the birds into black confetti. He then sent bubbles and a cascade of water from the tip of his wand. The water didn't reach Echo as she promptly sent it back, drenching the smug wizard.

Severus' next move was made so swiftly that Echo didn't even have time to react. Before she knew it, she was sailing sideways right into the ocean shallows. She let out a shriek of defeat as she fell into the water. She quickly bounced up, but lost her footing as a wave knocked into the backs of her knees dunking her right back into the water. Finally getting to her feet, she sloshed out of the water and shouted.

"You cheat! That was silent AND wandless!" Now stomping across the sand, dripping completely, she faced the tall wizard. "You ruddy snake! I win by default!" She slapped her hands firmly into his chest and was pleased when he was knocked off-balance and onto his backside into the edge of the surf. "I believe you owe ME a week free of the kitchen, Severus."

"I suppose I do," he smirked, not at all apologetic over having cheated.

Echo huffed. "Why did you cheat?"

"Oh, it was worth it to toss you into the water, Echo. Completely worth it." The black depths of his eyes sparkled with mirth as he appreciated the wet bathing costume that now clung to every curve she had.

She leaned over slightly and spoke menacingly, "You do realise, Master Snape, that such an insult, despite there being a bet, will be revenged, do you not?"

He pushed himself to his feet and somehow that smug look of his deepened. "Did I not say, it was worth it?" He cast a drying spell over them both.

"That was funny!" crowed Harry as he ran down towards his father. "Would you throw me in the water like that, Daddy?"

"Another time, silly boy," he promised. "It's time to get ready for dinner. He took Harry's hand in his, and offered his free arm to Echo. At the gesture, she smiled and linked her arm with his.

Androzani's was a beautiful little restaurant lit by amber lanterns with candle light, secluded tables, and a central fire pit. The restaurant itself sat above the village of Solonus and was nestled within one of the many hills that edged the island.

Harry was allowed to choose a place to sit by the concierge and the boy chose a table that overlooked all the sparkling lights of Solonus at night.

Albus explained the dishes on the menu and Severus was silently pleased that Harry was adventurous and did not go with the hamburger and chips their waiter offered.

They began with an appetizer of Kalamata Olives. Harry had too much fun eating the olives with his fingers and had to be stopped by his father before he ate too many. A beautiful salad was next followed by their entrees.

Harry had settled on the house special of Fried Kalamari with string beans and Greek Potatoes. As soon as Albus had revealed that kalamari was tiny squid Harry had to have it so that he could tell Ron, Hermione, and Draco that he'd eaten squid. Of course, he hadn't given any thought to whether or not he'd like it, but it turned out it was another finger food he loved.

The only dish that didn't go over too well with Harry was the Baklava which was, for him, much too sweet.

Harry was ready for bed by the time they reached the cottage and thankfully did not make much of a fuss as his father tucked him in early for the night.

"Daddy, when does grandpa get to take the potion?" asked Harry with a yawn.

"In two days, my boy."

"And then grandpa will be well again?"

Severus smiled one of his rare smiles and brushed aside a lock of hair that had fallen over his forehead. He lightly touched his child's cheek with his fingertips. "He will be fine, Harry. And younger, so he'll be with us a little longer."

Harry took his father's hand and placed his palm against Severus' palm, comparing his small hand to the elder wizard's. "I wanna make potions that help people someday like you do, Daddy. Can I?"

Severus' heart filled with such pride, it almost hurt, but in a good way. He kissed his son's cheek. "Harry, when you grow up, you can do anything you wish. And, if you wish to make potions as I do, I'll teach you all my secrets."

Harry's green eyes sparkled happily. "I like secrets!"

Severus chuckled and tapped his son's nose. "I know you do. Now, go to sleep."

"Love you, Daddy," Harry turned on his side and pulled his covers up to his ear.

"I love you, too, Harry."