"NO!" Harry ducked away from his father's arms and skittered like a little insect under the dining room table and out of the dining room.

"Harry James Potter-Snape! You get back here!" shouted Severus. In his hand was one of Harry's Dragon Pox potions.

"I don't want it!"

"Dammit!" Severus cursed as his disobedient child slammed out the door. Looking through the picture window he could see the little brat running off towards the beach. Pocketing the potion, he stomped out to follow. "Harry!"

Harry just kept running. He was sick of taking all the yucky potions that seemed like he was having to take every hour of the day. In truth, he only took them every six hours and he only had one more day in which to take them.

He hadn't felt hot, or tired, or feverish in two days now, and even the green tinge to his skin had faded significantly. He wanted to go play with his American friends, or maybe invite Draco, or Hermione, or some of the Weasleys for a visit. But, all his father wanted him to do was to read quietly, to sleep, or take disgusting potions. He'd had enough and decided today was the day he'd...

"Ulp! Dad! No fair!" As though an invisible lasso had been thrown around his waist, Harry was flying backwards through the air.

Severus smirked. After adopting Harry, he'd discovered very quickly that the little boy had an amazing speedy set of legs on him. In a short few weeks as father to the Boy-Who-Lived, Severus had chased Harry through several of Hogwarts corridors. There had been a memorable afternoon, when Harry's accidental magic had asserted itself, and he'd wound up in the Great Hall just out of a bath, and was streaking up and down between the tables... naked. The entire school body had made things worse by trying to catch the little boy who was worse than a greased pig as he ran, dove under tables, and did a rather impressive job of dodging everyone. That was, until he inadvertently collided with his father. Severus covered his son's bare bits and hauled the child down to the dungeon where he received three swats on his bare bottom.

The Potions Master was sure he was courting an early heart attack or stroke if this chasing kept up.

After consulting with the Goddess of Motherhood, Molly Weasley, she had taught the frazzled Potions Master several very helpful spells designed specifically for parents of young, magical children. One of those spells was a very handy Summoning type of spell that would lasso a child and yank them back to their parent who cast the spell. The basic Summoning spell, Accio, was meant for objects. It was a spell that grabbed the object and navigated the shortest, and least damaging route possible to the summoner. The spell Severus cast, aptly named, the Get Back Here Spell, was limited to sight casting (meaning the summoning parent had to be within sight of the recalcitrant child) and it only worked on youngsters under 60 pounds. Also a part of the spell was a safety charm that prevented the child from being injured by a yanking or shaking motion as they were transported through the air. Such a spell had often saved young toddlers from taking bad spills, or even from being kidnapped.

Harry hated the spell. Only his father and Molly had ever used it on him and as a child who valued his escapes, it was a frustrating spell.

"Not fair at... oof... all!"

Severus caught his son and hoisted the wiggling boy against his upper hip with his arm securely around the child's waist. Harry was aimed so he was looking behind his father which meant that made his...

SMACK!

...backside vulnerable to a well-deserved spank.

That was an awfully hard, hurty one, thought Harry as his father set him down on the grass in front of the cottage fence. Harry rubbed his sore bum while Severus took the ghastly potion from his pocket, and shoved it in Harry's face.

"Drink it. Now. Or that smack will be joined by four more," threatened Severus.

"But I don't..." Severus held up four fingers and glared darkly. Harry fumed at the little potion phial, made a face, used his fingers to shut his nose against the smell, and tipped the potion back. He swallowed, gagged, and shoved the phial back at his father. "Tastes like grandpa's yucky old socks!"

"Go to your room, Harry," ordered Severus sternly as he pointed back to the cottage.

Crossing his arms over his chest in a fair imitation of his father, Harry scowled and stomped back to the cottage. At the door, he turned back and declared, "You're mean and I don't like you no more today!" Slamming inside, he then ran to his bedroom where he proceeded to pout more.

"Trouble in paradise, Severus?" asked Albus seeing the younger wizard enter the cottage with a frustrated scowl on his face. Albus went to sit in his chair by the fireplace and picked up the Daily Prophet.

Severus sat collapsed on the sofa and stretched out his long legs. "Harry's feeling better." Albus chuckled and Severus cast a short glare at the older man. "How are you feeling today, Albus?"

"Very good. It will be nice to see Minerva again this evening." Albus' eyes twinkled softly as he thought of his fiance'. After her midnight proposal from Albus, she had returned to Hogwarts to deal with some urgent business.

"Are you certain you want to go back to being Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus? There's so much out there for you and Minerva after you get married," said Severus.

"Hogwarts is my home, dear boy. You're the one who sounds wistful for a change," he observed. Albus had heard the faint tone of longing in Severus' voice.

"What else would I do? Except for a brief stint as a very angry young teen in the employ of a madman, I was either a student or a teacher. I'm not even certain there's anything else out there for me."

"Research, perhaps?" suggested Albus.

"Not unless I was an independent. I don't care to work for either St. Mungo's or the Ministry. I would hate having to kowtow to someone else's regulations, rules, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera."

Albus looked up from the paper and saw that Severus was looking out the front window of the cottage. Coming down the path from the village was Echo. Upon the younger man's face was the faint glimmer of a smile as he watched the pretty, young woman as she walked, carrying a basket that held loaves of bread and other food she'd shopped for. Echo was smiling brightly, enjoying the day and the exercise.

"I believe if you put some thought into your future, Severus, that you might find something right where you least expect it." Albus snapped the paper purposely, jarring the Potions Master from his staring.

Severus scowled at the interruption. He was certain the old man had no clue about his growing feelings for Echo. He didn't want anyone to know until he knew for himself just, exactly, what it was he was feeling.

"Daddy?" came a plaintive and muffled call from the bedroom.

With a melodramatic sigh that overshadowed Albus' light laughter, Severus rose to his feet and went back to his son's bedroom to free him from his time-out.