Sev's POV:

I set my hands on my eldest daughter's shoulders and gave her a mild shake. "Alexis, quit crying and tell me how long Eileen's been missing. Can you do that?"

Lexy gulped hard, her eyes shimmering with tears. "Y-yessir," she sniffled. "I think she's been gone almost . . .fifty minutes."

"Fifty minutes? How is that possible? When did you first notice she was gone, before or after the egg hunt?"

"After it. We—Hermione, Ginny, and I—h-helped Eileen and Robyn and Melody Hawthorne hunt for eggs, like we're supposed to do. I wanted Harry to help but all he wanted to do was go off with Ron and brag about his stupid golden egg." Lexy said indignantly.

"Never mind your brother. He's in serious trouble, but you'll learn more about that later." I told her. "What happened after the hunt?"

My daughter's gaze dropped suddenly to study the tips of my boots. "If I tell you, are you gonna be mad, Dad?"

"Alexis, just tell me!" I ordered exasperatedly. "I'll let you know afterwards how much trouble you're in. Now—out with it!"

"'Kay." She wiped her nose on her sweater. I sighed and gave her a handkerchief. "We'd finished the egg hunt and I told Eileen to go sit on the lawn with Robyn and open her eggs. Ginny was helping Mel open hers and Hermione and I . . . well, we got to talking . . . about our favorite books and Hermione said she was gonna volunteer at the library this summer and I said that would be neat and maybe I could too . . . M'sorry, sir, but we . . .lost track of time and weren't paying attention to what the girls were doing. Ginny had to take Mel to the bathroom and when she came back, she asked where the girls were and that was when we noticed they were gone. Hermione and I called and looked all over the lawn, but we couldn't find them. We asked some of the other kids, but they hadn't seen them leave. Ginny went to see if they had gone to show Mom their eggs, but they weren't there either."

"Does your mother know Eileen's missing?" I interrupted.

Lexy shook her head. "No. Ginny didn't want to tell and make us get in trouble, 'specially if the girls were around and we found them. But we've been searching and searching and we can't find them, Dad! I'm really sorry, I know I was responsible for her and it's all my fault she's lost . . .!"

I frowned at her. "We'll discuss your behavior later, Alexis Marie. Right now, the important thing is finding those two little girls. Have you asked Uncle Al if he's seen them?"

"No."

"Go and do that. I'll be along shortly, after I speak with your brother about something." I ordered. I watched as she turned and hurried off. Then I looked over at where Harry and Ron were standing.

Harry was patting his pockets and looking very upset. "I can't believe I . . . lost it, Ron! It was in my pocket when we went into the castle, I know it was . . ."

"I hope nobody found it and decided to keep it," Ron was saying, looking sympathetic. "That really sucks, Harry. You could have bought an awful lot of joke products."

Harry looked very distressed.

Mouth clamped in a grim line , I strode over to my disgrace of a son and his troublemaking partner in crime. "Looking for something, Harry James Severus?" I demanded silkily, pulling out the note from my robe pocket.

"Dad! You found it!" Harry exclaimed, staring at the note, his eyes alight. "Where was it?"

My eyes narrowed. "It's a funny thing, Mr. Potter. Because I found this very note in a room next to the Great Hall, where the contestants for the Easter bonnet contest had placed their bonnets briefly while they took a short break. Now how do you suppose it got there?"

My son gulped. "Err . . .uhh . . .I don't know . . ."

"Don't you lie to me!" I snarled, my temper suddenly snapping like a frayed thread. After all the injuries and turmoil he had caused, making me ashamed and humiliated, this was the final straw. My eyes blazing, I thought How dare the little snot lie to me? I'm going to teach him a lesson he'll never forget. Almost without thought, my hand lifted, ready to smack the boy into next week.

Until a steely hand clamped about my wrist, restraining me.

"Severus! Calm down and think about what you're doing!"

It was my father. Suddenly the red haze that had possessed me flickered and went out. Breathing hard, I looked at my hand and then at my son, who was staring at me in fear. So was Ron. Only then did I realize what I had almost done, what my father had prevented me from doing, striking my child in anger. That was the one thing I had sworn I would never do, punish my child in anger, for such had been my father's bane. I blinked, struggling to control my temper. I had come so close to losing it. So very close. Had my father not been there . . . I might have done to Harry what he did to me as a boy, smacked him hard enough to knock him down and leave a mark on him.

How ironic, I thought with a sneer at myself, that the man who had hurt me so much growing up, now prevented me from making the same mistake.

Ron looked at me as if I had suddenly become a raging werewolf. "P-please , H-healer Snape, don't kill us! We're really sorry! We'll never do it again! Promise!" The redhead wailed.

"Do what, young man?" I demanded.

"P-play pranks on . . .on old ladies!" sniveled the youngest Weasley son.

Harry was nodding frantically, apparently too shocked to speak.

"So . . . you admit it was you who pranked the Easter bonnets with Zonkos products?" I growled, disgusted.

"Yes . . .sir." Harry mumbled, not looking at me.

I reached out and gripped his ear hard.

"Oww! Dad, I'm sorry!" he whined.

"You ought to be, young man! I can't tell you how disgusted I am with you right now. But I'll deal with you later. First I need to find your baby sister."

"Eileen? How come?"

"Because she's lost. Now, come with me."

I marched Harry and Ron over to Hagrid's hut and pushed them inside. "You are to stay here until I return, am I understood? As a matter of fact . . . Dad, would you mind staying here and keeping an eye on these two? I can't trust them to behave."

I also couldn't trust my temper right now and knew the best thing was to get far away from them before I did something unforgivable.

"Of course, Sev. I'll keep an eye on the little rotters," assured my father. He gave them both a very angry Snape glare.

The two flinched and cringed. Harry was lucky that he was Tobias' grandson and not his son, else his backside would be striped raw by the business end of Tobias' belt. I had no doubt that my father would lecture them severely before I came back. I took several deep breaths, wishing I had a Calming Draught for myself, but I had used the last one in my medical kit for the stricken matrons.

I left then, moving across the lawn to where Albus was standing, surrounded by Hermione, Ginny, and Lexy. All three girls looked like they'd been crying, there were tear stains and snot all over their faces. Albus was handing out handkerchiefs and lemon drops, trying to console them.

He looked up and spotted me coming towards him. "Severus, don't worry! We'll find them. They could have fallen asleep in Hagrid's pumpkin patch."

I hadn't thought of that. "Albus, what about the forest?" I asked, feeling my raw nerves start to quiver.

"No, my boy, they couldn't have gone in there. I put a Boundary Charm over the field and the tots couldn't cross that."

I breathed a half-sigh of relief. At least I didn't have to worry about some animal eating them. "All right then, where could they be?"

"I'm not sure, but perhaps you ought to check the castle, while we search out here." Albus suggested. "Minerva can help you. She knows the castle like the back of her hand and can command the portraits and ghosts to help as well."

That was sound advice, and soon Minerva and I were heading to the castle, calling for Eileen and Robyn loudly. I prayed that they had simply fallen asleep somewhere and weren't hurt or sick. I was irritated at Lexy, but not the way I was at Harry. This was certainly turning out to be a holiday I could never forget, no matter how much I wanted to.

I had decided against informing Alaina about our missing child just yet. Let one of us at least have a good Easter, though I'd tell her later after Eileen was safe. I was determined to find my baby girl, no matter what it took. I refused to contemplate the fact that someone might have kidnapped her. Or Robyn.

"I'm going to cast a Locator charm, Minerva," I told the elderly witch. That charm had saved my sanity more than once with Harry as a toddler and young child. I drew my wand and chanted softly, "Point me Eileen Lily Snape."

To my horror, the charm failed. That had never happened before. Frantic, I re-cast it. I could feel the magic uncoiling from me, spiraling outward, seeking my daughter . . . and then it stopped, as if something had prevented it. Panic surged through me. "Minerva, the locator charm isn't working!" I rasped, my throat hoarse with terror.

She turned to me. She did not look alarmed. "Severus, calm down. The castle is warded against locator charms. Don't you remember? Albus put that defense in place years ago, to prevent unscrupulous students from ambushing each other or spying upon a classmate in a private moment."

"Oh. Oh, that's right." I wanted to hit myself in the forehead for forgetting such a simple thing. Now I recalled Albus informing me about the wards.

"That's why Albus requested that I help you search. Because the portraits will speak to me where they might not to you, and so will the House ghosts, as I am Deputy Headmistress." We marched up to a suit of armor that flanked the doors of the Great Hall, which were now closed, as the contest was over. "Have you seen two small girls go by here recently?" she asked the suit. "They would have been alone, without parents. Severus, what were they wearing?"

For an instant, my mind drew a blank. What had Eileen and Robyn been wearing? But then I remembered. "Eileen was wearing a lilac cotton dress with small white lilies on it and lace ruffles and a hat with lilies, tulips, and rainbow ribbons on it. And Robyn had a ruffled pink dress and white shoes. Eileen had lavender shoes."

I looked hopefully at the animated suit of armor.

"Well? Did you see anyone with that description?"

The suit shook its helmeted head.

"Damn it!" I swore, frustration coloring my tone.

Minerva patted my arm. "Don't worry, Severus. We'll find them. They're probably up in one of the dormitories, taking a nap. It's been a busy morning and afternoon."

"You can say that again."

We walked by a row of portraits of ladies dancing and Minerva stopped and asked questions again. "If you haven't seen them, could you contact the other portraits on this level and ask them?"

"Oui, Madame," agreed one, curtseying. She was a French ballerina. She had not seen them, but she and her sisters quickly ran off to see if any other portraits on the main floor had.

We waited, until I was about to start gnawing my fingernails, before the ballerina reported back that no little girls matching their description had been seen on this floor. We climbed up to the second floor, where the classrooms were, and Minerva called for Sir Nicholas, the Gryffindor House ghost.

He came in a rush of wind, and bowed handsomely to her. "Gracious Lady, how may I assist you?"

"Sir Nicholas, we are searching for two small girls who may be lost and wandering about the castle. One of them is Healer Snape's daughter, Harry Potter's little sister, Eileen. The other is named Robyn, she's Hermione Granger's sister."

"Oh! Gracious heavens! The poor children!" Sir Nicholas frowned. "You know, a while ago I thought I heard the sound of a little child crying, but I figured since the castle was full of visitors it belonged to someone . . ."

"Do you remember where you heard it?" I prompted.

"Ah . . .I believe it was somewhere up here."

We ran down the corridor, calling for Eileen and Robyn. I could only imagine how frightened they must be, lost in this great moldering castle. I could recall getting totally turned about on my first days as a student here and that had been frightening for an eleven-year-old, never mind two toddlers.

But we found no sign of them, not in any of the classrooms or the bathroom. Just as I stepped out of the last classroom, which was Defense Against the Dark Arts, Peeves appeared in front of me.

I glared at the poltergeist, who loved tormenting students. "What are you doing here?" I demanded.

"I live here, or have you given yourself a lobotomy, Healer Snape?" he sneered.

"Have you seen two little girls, about three years old, wandering the castle recently?"

Peeves smiled maliciously. "You're asking me?" He asked mockingly. "Little children, blech! They're trouble . . .and they whine and cry too much . . .Boo hoo! I want my Mummy!" He made his voice into a falsetto, like a small child's. Then he gave a very convincing performance of a child wailing. "Where are you? Daddy, come and save me!"

"Stop it!" I snarled, furious that the spirit dared to make fun of my pain and anguish.

"Make me, Healer!" Peeves gloated, then blew a spitball at me. Then he flew about in circles above my head, causing a mini cyclone which tugged at robes and pulled my hair free of my hair tie. "You can't get me! You can't get me! Nynaa-nynaa! Poor little Snape has lost his baby and can't tell where to find her! See here, see here, I gravely fear . . .she'll be lost fore-ver-r!"

Before I could totally lose it and cast a Wind Gust hex that would tear the annoying wraith into shreds, Minerva appeared and cried, "Peeves! Don't start with Healer Snape! Do you know where those two little girls are? Well?" She came up and glowered at the ghost. "Answer me!"

Peeves snickered and chortled. "Whoo-hoo, Madame Cat! What's got your fur in a knot? Here, kitty, kitty!"

"Peeves! I am not amused! Now give me a straight answer!" McGonagall crossed her arms, looking very much like a teacher about to discipline a wayward student.

Peeves meowed and barked and blew a raspberry at her.

I drew my wand, ready to cast, for I wasn't minded to waste precious time coaxing the irritating ghost to speak. Then I recalled something from my student days in Slytherin. There was only one thing in the castle that Peeves feared, and it wasn't the Headmaster. "Lord Huntingdon!" I called, using the Bloody Baron's family name, which had been forgotten by all save us Slytherins. As members of the House of Serpents, only we were ever allowed to summon him by his name.

Peeves abruptly stopped his antics and whimpered.

Suddenly a chill wind blew through the corridor and the tall figure of a man dressed in medieval court attire appeared. He had dark hair, saturnine features, and a bloody hole where his heart used to be. He had a sword at his side. "What Slytherin has dared to call me by my secret name?"

"I did. Severus Snape, Master Healer."

"Ah, yes, Mr. Snape. I remember you. Always with your nose in a book. Why did you call me?" He shot a fierce look at Peeves. "Was it perhaps because of this wicked devil here? Stay where you are, varlet!" he growled at Peeves, who had been trying to melt away.

Peeves squeaked and whimpered, "Aye, Your Bloodiness!"

I quickly told him about the missing children and how Peeves refused to tell us whether or not he had seen them.

The Baron scowled and poked at the poltergeist with his sword. "Tell the truth, knave! None of your games and slanderous tongue! Or else!"

"All right! Mercy, Mr. Baron!" the poltergeist whined, trembling. "I did see the little brats! They was walking down 'ere and I jumped out an' made a scary face at 'em. Ooh, it were sooo funny! Made the two little witches jump, so I did! Then they run away, bawling." He started giggling like an insane hyena.

"Evil wretch!" the Baron scolded, and smacked Peeves with the flat of his sword. "Where did they go? Speak!"

Peeves yelped as the other ghost whacked him again, pummeling his backside. "Oww! Oww! Please don't beat me, sir! Owww! I'll tell! I chased 'em a ways, and they fetched up by the seer's tower. One of 'em climbed the stairs and banged on the door an' she came out and took 'em inside. That's the truth, Your Bloodiness, I swear on my mum's grave!"

"Humph! You never knew your mother, you wretched swine! You were a foundling the monks took in!" snorted the Baron. "Now get you gone, and if I find you were lying to me, I'll give you such a thrashing you'll wish you'd died again!"

Peeves went transparent, then vanished.

"Thank you, my lord," McGonagall said.

The Bloody Baron swept her a bow. "You are welcome, Mistress McGonagall. If he has played you false, let me know. Good luck to you, Severus Snape." Then he disappeared as well.

"Come, Sev. Let's see if Sibyll has been entertaining our two lost lassies," Minerva said and together we hurried to the entrance to Trelawney's tower.

Minerva rapped on the door. "Sibyll, are you there? It's Minerva and Healer Sev. We need to ask you a very important question, so please let us in."

The door was opened quickly. Trelawney peered at us through her huge lenses and smiled. "Oh, are you here about my two little guests, Minerva? Do come in!"

She stepped back and we entered her private sanctuary, which was outfitted like a gypsy wagon, her scarves fluttering behind her like butterfly wings.

"You found my daughter Eileen and her friend Robyn?" I half-panted, for I had taken those stairs like a bat out of hell.

"One of them is your little girl, Healer Sev?" she exclaimed. "I had no idea you had such an adorable child!"

"Where is she?" I asked, looking about and seeing cabinets overflowing with china and scarves and silver tea services, plus a large crystal ball on a clawfooted table and strands of multi-colored crystals dangling from the ceiling, but no small children about.

"There," she pointed at her large poufy green divan. "The poor little imp and her friend fell asleep after I gave them tea and cakes. I didn't want to wake them to find out who their parents were and I was just about to scry for you when you came knocking. What a fortunate coincidence!"

I walked over to the couch and exhaled loudly upon seeing my youngest asleep and well. "Thank Merlin, Sibyll! You have no idea how relieved I am to find them here and not . . . trapped in a broom closet or a toilet somewhere."

"How did you find them?" asked Minerva. She was smiling benevolently down on both children, who were snuggled next to each other like a pair of kittens.

"Why, they came to me, crying and banging on my door. Your small one, Healer Sev, said a scary ghost had chased them. The other little one was crying that all her Easter basket had spilled and her sweets were gone too. So I performed a small Summoning charm and put all the sweets back in her basket and invited them in for tea. They were most eager to have a tea party with me."

"Eileen and Robyn love tea parties," I told her. The two girls were forever making their older siblings play that with them, and their mothers as well. Even I had gotten dragged into one a time or two, but I wasn't about to admit that to Trelawney.

"When I cast my rune sticks this morning, they told me I would have a pleasant surprise today, but I never thought it would involve two little girls. They were so cute and so well mannered too. I gave them each some of my mild black tea blend with half milk and sugar."

I was happy to hear that, because sometimes my children forgot their manners when in mixed company. I then saw two small white baskets with colorful plastic eggs in them, obviously their Easter sweets from the egg hunt. "I am very grateful to you, Sibyll, for finding them and making sure they were safe. I nearly lost my head when my older daughter came and told me they were missing."

"Oh, I'm dreadfully sorry! Perhaps I should have sent an owl to Albus telling him I'd found them, so you wouldn't worry. I didn't think . . . I was enjoying their company and my Inner Eye tends to go insane with crowds of people, that's why I stay away from events like these . . ." Sibyll said, biting her lip.

"No harm done, Sybill. At least the lassies are safe and sound," McGonagall stated. "That Peeves! One of these days I'm going to chase him right out of the castle."

I knelt and lifted my slumbering daughter into my arms. I knew I would need to have a long talk with her later at home, about going somewhere without telling someone, and maybe give her a swat and a time out to make the lesson stick, but I would worry about that later. Eileen was unharmed and that was all that mattered to me right then. "Minerva, will you take Robyn? I'm sure Jane is frantic also."

"Of course, Sev." She picked up Robyn, who was also so exhausted she never stirred. "Sibyll, did you dose them with a Sleeping Draught?"

"No, but usually warm tea and scones make me sleepy, especially after walking about in the fresh air." The Divination teacher said. She gave the two sleeping toddlers a wistful look. "Perhaps you might bring her back sometime for a visit?"

"Yes, when I have some free time. I'm sure Eileen would enjoy that," I agreed. I stroked my child's tangled curls, and rocked her gently.

Sibyll beamed, then she picked up a tea cup off of the table and swirled it about, peering at it intently. "I . . . predict that you will have an evening of both laughter and tears, Healer Snape. I wish you and your family a joyous Easter."

"And you as well, professor," I told her sincerely. That was one prediction I wouldn't argue with, considering I still had to tell Alaina about Eileen's little adventure and punish my troublemaking son, who I was sure was praying for me to have memory loss before we returned home tonight. I sighed. I would also have a talk with Lexy as well about keeping a better eye on her sister, but I wasn't going to be too hard on her, for hers was an innocent mistake.

We departed the tower and Minerva smiled at me and said, "Thank goodness it was Sibyll who found them instead of someone else. There's no telling what would have happened otherwise."

I nodded, hoping that this holiday had run out of surprises to throw at me.