As if having their normally reserved and rather strict father suddenly engage in a mud war with them was not surprising enough, seeing him embrace the small woman standing on the lawn was enough to make the two boys wonder if they'd gone to sleep and were still dreaming. Severus rarely initiated hugs, usually they happened because one of the boys went and hugged him first, though he always hugged them in return. But they had both seen with their own two eyes Severus walking over to the woman he called Sarai and hugging her hard enough to lift her part of the way off the ground.

Granted, that was not hard to do, considering the size of the woman, she was barely five feet tall, slender as a child, with a mop of short curly dark hair from which slightly pointed ears protruded. Once Severus had set her down, the boys could see that she also had a slender face with high cheekbones and her eyes were a dark green, tilted ever so slightly at the corners. She was tanned and fit, wearing a set of buttery leather leggings and a tunic that came down to mid thigh, colored nearly the same green as her eyes. About her waist was a worn baldric with a short sword and a dagger and a bow and quiver was slung across her back. She also had hunting boots which came up to her knees with the flaps folded down.

Clothes and weapons were well-worn and comfortable, though Harry's first thought upon seeing her was that she looked no older than a seventh year Hogwarts student, seventeen or eighteen. And this was Dad's teacher? She's so little, she barely comes up to his chest.

Draco too was quite speechless at the sight of the half-fae woman. This woman is the one who supposedly could toss Uncle Sev in the dirt during kin-sa-dor practice? Why, she's no bigger than a third-year! I'm bigger than her, for Merlin's sake! I'll bet I could take her in a spar, she doesn't look all that dangerous.

Sarai's green eyes sparkled as they looked up at her former student, who had since become something other than that to her years before, then she turned to introduce herself to the curious boys who were standing a few feet beyond the Potions Master, caked liberally in mud. "Well, it seems you two got the worst of that little skirmish, eh?" She waved a chiding finger at Severus. "Have pity, Sev, and clean them up, so I may introduce myself properly, won't you?"

Severus nodded, flushing a little, though Draco would have sworn nothing could ruffle his godfather's composure, and chanted a quick Neaten-Up Charm over the two boys, banishing the coating of mud and water and leaving them resembling fourteen-year-olds again instead of mud monsters. "Gentlemen, may I present Lady Sarai Kinsalari Valinek, kin-sa-dor and swordmaster, member of the High Queen's guard and your cousin?"

"Very distant cousin, Severus. About six times removed, on your great-great grandfather's side, near as I can figure it, I was never much good with reading lineage charts." She eyed the two boys with a keen appraisal. "And you are?"

"Draco Malfoy, my lady," answered Draco, giving her a slight bow, as he had been taught when meeting a pureblooded witch of equal rank. "Uncle Sev is my guardian and my godfather."

"Well met, Draco," Sarai said, coming forward to shake Draco's outstretched hand. "And please, do not milady me, that's for those of the court, whom I guard, not me. Plain Sarai will do, or Captain Valinek, if you insist on formality."

Draco soon discovered there was nothing wimpy about the warrior's grip, it was firm like a man's, and when he looked into her eyes, he saw a wisdom and knowledge in them that belied her youthful appearance. Then she turned to Harry. "And you must be Severus's son, anyone with eyes can see you're the spitting image."

"Yes, my lady. I mean Sarai Kinsalari, uh . . ." Harry stammered, trying to recall the rest of her name and feeling like an utter fool. Why couldn't he sound polished and suave like Draco, instead of a bumbling idiot?

"Relax, child. I won't bite you . . .not at first," she teased gently. "Just call me Sarai, all my friends do, it's much easier to pronounce than that awful name my mother stuck me with, which means ‘the moon's shadow darting upon the water'. Ai, Mother what were you thinking?" She shook her head in wry amusement. "Tell me your name, young Snape."

"I . . .I'm Harry, ma'am. Harry Albus Snape."

"Well met, Harry." She shook his hand too, and her green eyes twinkled. "Severus, why did you never tell me you had sons?"

"That's a long story, Sarai, one that's best told over a cup of merlinna juice or summerdew and a plate of scones." Severus invited. "Won't you join me, while the boys finish up weeding the garden like I asked them to?" He sent a pointed glower their way and both of his sons groaned.

"Of course, Severus. Have you ever known me to turn down one of your scones, Potions Master?"

"Not that I can recall," answered the wizard and together they headed inside the manor, leaving the boys outside to finish their aborted task.

q· * * * * * *

" . . .and he chose to send the child back to that abusive environment even after you told him what went on, Sev?" Sarai repeated in astonished anger. "Bright Lady bless, but that's-that's criminal negligence, I think is the term they use nowadays. Even with the Non-Violence Charm upon him, that's not enough to ensure his safety. And your mentor calls himself a white wizard? He may as well put on a Death Eater mask after sending a defenseless child, one who should have been in the care of his father, back to that-that wretched coward." The warrior's hands tightened on the hilt of her sword for a moment and she growled, "That bastard Vernon is lucky he's dead, otherwise I'd have to hunt him down and make him pay threefold for what he's done to Harry."

"Easy, Sarai. I'm sure the devil will take his due, if there is any justice in the next world," soothed Severus.

"True. Death settles all scores, I know that, but I simply cannot stomach any adult mistreating a child, Sev. I've lived too long with my fae kin to ever condone that kind of behavior."

"I know. And I don't condone it either, not in the slightest."

To the fae, every child was precious, a gift to be celebrated and loved and never mistreated or neglected. Sarai had explained to him that the High Court fae did not believe in using much corporal punishment as discipline, in fact the last time she could recall any youngster of her House being punished that way had been one hundred years ago, when her reckless kinsman Gareth had nearly gotten himself and the Queen's then youngest son Aubrey killed by challenging a dark sorcerer of the Unseelie Court to a magical duel. The boys had been about the same age as Severus's two sons, as the fae measured time, full of themselves and itching to test themselves against an Unseelie mage. It was a desire that had been swiftly quenched when her Uncle Thalion had hauled his son over his knee in front of the Queen herself and given him a sound spanking. To this day, her cousin could not recall that incident without going red in acute embarrassment. And that had been over a hundred years ago.

Severus's poor son had endured ten times that, for almost all of his short life, and it made Sarai's blood boil that a kinsman of hers could be so mistreated by one who was supposed to love and protect him. There was simply no understanding humans sometimes, despite the fact that she was part human herself and been friend, mentor, and lover to one for thirteen years.

"You did right to steal him away from there, Severus, and to the crows with what your Headmaster wished. No child should ever endure that."

"I know. And Harry is not the only one. Draco, too, has had his share of mistreatment by his father." Severus said gravely, and then told her Draco's story as well.

"Ah, Sev. It is well those two are here now, with one who will truly love and care for them as they deserve. You are too much alone, beloved, I have said it before. A man needs sons and daughters, to carry on his legacy." She eyed him shrewdly. "Although I'd wager raising them is no stroll through the Starmist Gardens."

"No, not by a long shot. There were days, especially in the beginning, when I was sure I was going to strangle them both, for all they did was fight nonstop. But I took your advice, and remembered how you dealt with your apprentices that quarreled that way, and it worked."

"Good. Though you look like you could use a nice long walk or a swim in the moonlight. When was the last time you took some time for yourself, Sev?"

"I can't remember. And you're a fine one to talk about that, Captain. How many months has it been since you've stopped guarding and took some time off?" countered Snape.

"Too damn long. I'm as guilty as you are of working until I drop," Sarai admitted with a crooked grin. "You know what my kinsmen say of me, Sev. There's duty, honor, and Sarai, you can't have one without the other. That's always been my life, I wander and I guard those in need, it is only here that I am able to relax."

He shot her an arch look over his cup. "Did you miss me then?"

"Need I answer that? I take my honor with me wherever I go, and my duty also, but my heart I leave with you, and know that it shall be waiting here when I return. I have been all over the realms, but there is nowhere I call home save here, and well you know it, sorcerer mine!" she laughed throatily.

"I'm glad to hear that, because for a moment I had feared you had forgotten about me," he teased.

"No more than I could forget how to wield a sword," she replied, then she came around the table and kissed him ardently.

The kiss lasted perhaps four seconds all told, but it felt like an eternity of ecstasy, as the two celebrated Sarai's return to the manor as they always had.

When at last she drew away, the half-fae was slightly breathless and smiling. "I guess you didn't forget all I taught you, huh, Sev?"

He laughed quietly. "All you taught me, lady? I was no novice when I came to you that midsummer's eve. I daresay I taught you more than a little, Wanderer. A warrior has little time for love, was that not what you said?"

"Nor does a wizard spy, yet we managed to steal a few weeks here and there. I would be glad to do so again, save for the children."

"Yes. I must tell them about us soon, Sarai."

"That was my thought as well, for I refuse to sneak about and play adolescent games here in my own home. I'm grown long beyond fifteen, Potions Master."

"I'll speak to them first, Sarai. They are old enough to understand, and old enough to accept as well. I hope."

"Until then, I shall cultivate another warrior attribute. Patience." Then she kissed him again. "Just don't make me wait too long," she added, with another mischievous smirk.

"Sarai! Have you no shame?"

"With you, I am shameless," she chuckled. "You know me as well as I know myself, and I love you, Sev. Now, forever, and always."

"And I love you too, bright Blade."

Her words, which he had heard a dozen times before, but never tired of hearing again, warmed his heart. It never failed to astonish him that she, who had been warrior and mage for over two hundred years, and had seen more of life than he ever would, could love him so very much. And there was no doubt in his mind that she loved him, for she was too honorable to pretend to an affection she didn't feel.

And he, in turn, loved her more than he had ever thought possible to love anyone save Lily. She had done for him something no one else ever had, she had given him back the heart he had buried in a grave with a red-haired witch fourteen years ago. He had been careful, however, to hide that love, so it didn't interfere with his duty as Dumbledore's agent, but now that was no longer necessary. He was no longer a spy, just a teacher with two sons and there was no need for him to guard his feelings so fiercely save from force of habit.

He planned to speak with both boys tomorrow, letting them get used to their new visitor tonight, before telling them the truth, that his former teacher was also his lover and had been for seven years. Duty and obligation to family and the Order had kept them apart for much of that time, but it had not dimmed their love, and now that his warrior had returned, Severus had no intention of denying himself and Sarai time alone for a few hours each day and night.

By the time the boys were done weeding and had come in to get washed up and eat something, Sarai and Severus were on their second cups of juice and tea, respectively. Sarai had also polished off three blueberry scones, for despite being small, she had a voracious appetite, though she rarely needed to watch her weight since she had an incredibly high metabolism due to her fae ancestry and she was very active.

She chatted with the two apprentices as they ate, telling them amusing anecdotes and stories about her duties as a bodyguard-"We call those in my profession Blades," she explained. "Because we are as sharp and keen as a blade and we know how to use them too."

"Sarai? Have you ever . . .uh . . .killed anyone in self-defense?" asked Harry quietly.

"Yes," she said seriously. "My job is to protect those who hire me, which are mostly my family, and sometimes I must kill in order to do that. It is not something I particularly like, but nevertheless I can do it. I began training to be a Blade around your age or a little younger."

"And how old are you now, Sarai?" asked Draco curiously, earning himself a pointed glare for his audacity from his godfather.

But the warrior was not offended, the way a human woman would have been. Sarai was not self-conscious about growing old, since she aged much slower than any human. "I am two hundred and ten years old, young Draco, not so very old the way my people measure time. I am around the same age as a human of twenty-eight or thirty."

Draco whistled and Harry just looked at her. "Uh, excuse me for saying so, ma'am, but you don't look all that old."

This time Sarai did laugh, and her laughter was like music. "Why, thank you, Harry. As a half-blood, like our ancestor Severus Prince, time's hand rests lightly upon me. And a good thing too, else Sev would lose interest in me."

"Now, Sarai, looks aren't everything," Severus reminded.

"True, some of the worst people I know were also some of the handsomest. A fair face can conceal a foul heart and vice versa. That is a truth all us fae folk know."

:Indeed, Captain Valinek. And it still is true.: said Smidgen, returning from her visit to see her kin beyond the Evermist and report in to Queen Titania, informing her of the lifedebt owed the heir to Prince Manor and his son.

"Smidgen!" exclaimed Sarai. "So this is where you've been hiding, dreamweaver!"

:Not hiding, Lady Sarai, but recovering from an attack by a lurk. It nearly finished me, were it not for young Harry and Severus, I would not be here to tell the tale.: the shimmerling interjected, hovering just above the table. :I owe them a lifedebt and am in their service until it is paid.:

"You picked some good wizards to be in debt to, shimmerling." Sarai told her. "There is none more honorable than Severus Snape. And if I had to guess, I'd say his son is the same."

:Too true, Sarai. And who would know better than you about honor, Captain?: teased the dreamweaver.

"Please, Smidgen," Sarai groaned. "I am more than my honor, you know."

"Very much more,"agreed Severus, and there was a warmth in his voice that neither Harry or Draco had ever heard before.

It made them wonder, but neither of them dared to ask their father such a personal question. But Harry was curious enough to ask Sarai what she had meant by that last comment, and the half-blood replied, "I have a reputation for being a stickler for honor and justice among my kin, which is true. I developed it long ago as a way to shield myself from the taunts of half-blood and inferior half-human that some of the Court called me, both to my face and behind my back. The Valinek-Prince line is not always the easiest family to be born into, we do things differently than most High Court families, and as a result they label us "odd" and "outsider". And my own parents, theirs is a romance fit for a Shakespearean play, I'm afraid."

"Really? Why?" asked Draco.

"Because two hundred and ten years ago, my father, fae lord Gwydion Valinek, he was named for our other ancestor, fell in love with a mortal woman, Juliana Cantorelli, who was promised to another man, and he stole her heart and her away. There is even a song written about them." Sarai rolled her eyes. "My cousin wrote it, it's awful doggerel, but honestly meant, for true love is rare among my fae kin, who do not give their hearts easily, especially to fragile mortals."

"Fragile mortals?" Draco repeated.

Sarai elaborated at the other's confused tone. "My fae kindred regard you humans as fragile because you live such short lives and can die from war, famine, and disease. High Court fae are nearly immortal, they live centuries and never get sick and can only be slain by violent death, grief, magic, or iron."

"Oh. I guess when you look at it that way, we are kind of . . .fragile," Draco conceded reluctantly.

"But we make up for our shortened lifespan by being passionate and eager to try and do new things, unlike some of our fae kin, who resist the slightest bit of change." Severus interjected.

"Very true. Your passion is one reason why I love coming into the World Beyond." Sarai said, and flashed the professor one of those mysterious glances-that Harry was almost certain was a passionate one. He shook his head. He was probably misreading it, what did he know of passion, after all? He had never experienced it, and he couldn't picture Severus with anyone but his mother and he had a hard time doing that.

"Sarai, was your father promised in marriage as well?" Draco wanted to know. As he knew quite well, such was usually the case among the nobility.

"No, he was not. As I said before, the Prince-Valinek line is regarded as quaint, and some would say tainted by mixing human blood with that of the fae. So not many Noble Houses wish to ally themselves with us. And my father was not contracted, so he was free to choose where and whom he liked. His parents were a bit shocked at his choice, but they accepted my mother eventually."

"Is she still, uh, alive?" asked Harry.

"Yes, she is aging gracefully, thanks to the time difference Underhill, but she can never set foot in the mortal realm again, or she will die. But she does not wish to go back, she is content to remain with my father. With those two as parents, the love match of the century, I'm sure you figured that when I was born, people made a great deal of me, calling me cute and princess, telling me that someday I might find a love like Mother's, if I looked long enough." Sarai chuckled. "But I was never a typical girl, I liked sports and fencing and I wanted to be a warrior. And a warrior isn't known for her cuteness. So I kept reminding my family when they called me that that a warrior wasn't cute, she was honorable. And I worked hard to become a warrior, until my kinsmen said, "there's duty and honor, and Sarai."

"Uh, are you allergic to iron like Smidgen?" was Harry's next thought.

"No, though I don't like to handle it, it won't hurt me. My human blood protects me from iron poisoning." Sarai said. "My blades are all made of silveron, a silver-based alloy, so if another fae handles them, they won't be harmed."

"Enough questions for now," Severus ordered. "Let the poor woman eat before you start grilling her, Harry and Draco." During their conversation, the older wizard had made sandwiches for everyone, though thus far they'd been too busy talking to eat them.

The boys shrugged and picked up their own discarded sandwiches, practically inhaling them.

"I don't mind, Sev. Questions are the way you learn, after all." Sarai said, working on her own sandwich.

"I know, but they don't need to badger you."

"If they were, I'd have told them so." Sarai said evenly. She turned to the two young wizards. "I will be staying here for a week, just so you know. I will have plenty of time to answer any questions you may have about me or Blades or the Faerie Realm in general."

Harry and Draco exchanged surprised glances. A guest at the manor. That was a first. Though Sarai was a relation, so perhaps she had stayed here before. She certainly seemed familiar with the manor, she seemed quite at home there in the kitchen. Of course it went without saying that they now would have to be on their best behavior, for Severus would expect no less of them.

So they cleared up after lunch without being told, earning themselves a compliment from Severus for doing so, and then Sarai asked her former student if he would like to spar with her using kin-sa-dor. Severus considered, then at last he agreed.

"Can we watch, Dad?" begged Harry.

"Please, Uncle Sev?" Draco pleaded, giving his godfather one of his best puppy-dog stares.

"Very well. But no talking."

The boys nodded and agreed and then they all made their way to the practice room.

They seated themselves on the bench along the wall, waiting eagerly for the spar to begin. First, the two removed their shoes and boots, and then did the usual warm-up stretches and meditation exercises for twenty minutes. Finally, they squared off against each other, bowed respectfully, and then they fought.

Watching Severus and Sarai spar was better than watching the Potions Master work out against Voldy. For one thing, Sarai was a thousand times better than Voldy at being unpredictable and she danced through forms that Draco whispered to Harry he never even knew existed.

It had been quite some time since he had played the Game of Shadows-as a kin-sa-dor practice was sometimes called-with a master and thus Severus was doubly on his guard and wary. He used both his mundane and magical senses to predict where Sarai would be next and what form her attack would take.

Even so, she managed to catch him two or three times by surprise and score on him. Like he did with his own students, she did not use her full strength when they sparred, and neither did he, but if a blow landed it did hurt. But Severus shrugged off the sting, using it as a goad to do better and as warning that he had grown sloppy.

Ten minutes became twenty and as the session went on, Draco and Harry were on the edge of their seats, for the two were so good they could make themselves vanish without magic and moved like shadows, quick, lithe, and graceful. Breathless, the two apprentices watched until the two opponents were exhausted, or so it seemed, and had fought each other to a standstill.

"Looks as though you remember what I taught you very well, Severus," his former teacher praised, flinging a stray curl out of her eyes.

"And why wouldn't I? I have an excellent memory, Amarsi Sarai. And teaching my sons keeps me sharp as well."

Sarai walked about for a few minutes, cooling down, then she looked appraisingly at the boys and asked, "Would either of you care to test yourself against me?"

"Yes, ma'am!" they cried, and practically leaped off the bench.

Fifteen minutes later, both youngsters were panting and aching, as they discovered that Sarai's small size was no disadvantage when it came to fighting them. She allowed them to attack her simultaneously, knowing they would never last in a one on one session, but even then they barely managed to hurt her.

She slowed her attacks down so they could counter them, but even so, Harry found she was devilishly quick. He blinked and she was slapping him alongside the head, he lunged, and met empty air, she was off countering Draco's form with one quick hand motion.

Nor could they sneak up on her. They tried multiple times, and she always seemed to know what they were up to, and avoided their trap neatly. "Focus," she snapped while battling off Draco's snap kick, then coming out of the block to flip Harry over her shoulder. "Focus is key. Focus on your enemy, and you will see patterns. Lose focus and he will have you."

"How do you do that?" cried Draco, ducking her return punch. "How can you know what we're going to do?"

"Over a century of experience, young Malfoy," she replied shortly, knocking him over with a Gryphon Combination. She tapped his throat with two stiffened fingers. "And you're dead. Match."

"What about Harry?" asked the defeated teenager, accepting her hand up from the mat.

Sarai whirled just in time to catch Harry's sneak attack. "Good try, young Snape."

Harry grinned.

"Just not good enough." She added, then returned his attack with a quick Wyvern's Strike, forcing him to duck and back away, defending frantically.

"How'd Dad ever beat you?" Harry panted.

"It took him years of practice," she answered, "killing" him with a single upthrust palm to his nose, which she pulled at the last minute, so his nose merely stung instead of shattering. "And you're dead too. Match."

Harry rubbed his nose, wincing a little, and thought that Sarai was a much harder teacher to spar with than Severus. Severus was tough, but he allowed them to score sometimes, but Sarai gave no quarter when she fought, and her return strikes were no love taps. He knew he was going to need a good hot shower tonight and so would Draco, he'd wager.

"You did well, young ones, for a beginning session," the half-fae warrior said then, a faint smile crossing her face. "We'll see if you improve by the end of the week."

"By the end of the week, I'll be lucky if I can still walk," muttered Draco, rubbing his shoulder where Sarai had punched him.

"You wanted to spar with the master, Draco," Severus reminded him, without a trace of pity. "Don't complain to me that it was harder than you thought. If you're serious about improving, you need to learn to endure a little pain."

"Yes, sir," his son muttered, a bit irritably.

"Take a long hot bath, it'll soothe your bruises and your pride too," advised the kin-sa-dor master. "Kin-sa-dor is not an easy discipline to master, it takes years of intense training and practice, and it was originally designed for fae reflexes and musculature, not human ones. You are both lucky you can perform the forms as well as you do, probably due to your fae ancestry. It was not easy for me either when I first started. If you think I'm fast, you should have seen my master, Gladion Shimmerswift. He could take me apart in three moves, in the blink of an eye. Even now, were he still alive, I doubt if I could match him in a true fight, for all of my mastery status."

Harry whistled, for he found it hard to imagine anyone besting the woman standing beside him. Perhaps once that had been true, when she had been a student like him, but now? He bowed to her before exiting the mat and grabbing his shoes. "I call the shower first, Draco," he yelled over his shoulder, then went out the door before his brother could protest.

Draco followed, muttering about Gryffindors acting like Slytherins.

Severus and Sarai watched them go, then the warrior turned to her wizard beloved and said, "I could use a nice hot bath also, Sev. And an extra pair of hands to wash my back too."

He smiled. "Is that a request, Captain?"

"What do you think, Potions Master?" she chuckled. "Tell me, do you still have that hot tub in your bathroom?"

"You know quite well that I do. And it's big enough for two, as you ought to remember from last time."

She laughed up at him. "I remember very well, Wizard Snape. It was a most memorable experience. Shall we see if the third time's the charm, Sev?"

"Need you ask?" he smirked, then Apparated her directly into the bathroom, where the hot tub waited.

* * * * * *

Later on that night, weary and sore but pleasantly tired, the two boys lounged upon their beds, watching Stormy and Hedwig feed their brood. They had seen the owlets eat countless times before, but it never failed to draw their attention. The little owls were getting their first pinfeathers now and beginning to resemble the adult owls more and more.

Harry was watching his small gray and white one, that he had called Zephyr, swallow a small vole, when an idea came to him. "I think I'm going to give one of my owlets to Ron. He's always wanted his own owl, and he'll be real shocked when I give him Zephyr."

"Gee, I wonder why?" mocked Draco softly.

Harry shot him an angry look. "Don't be such a snob, big brother. It's hardly Ron's fault he usually gets everything secondhand. But I never got him a birthday present, couldn't get out of the house at the Dursleys to go and shop, so maybe this will make up for it."

"I'd say." Draco said haughtily. Then he dropped the scion of Malfoy Manor attitude and asked hesitantly, "Uh, Harry? D'you think Hermione would . . .uh, like one of my own owlets? I know she doesn't have one, since she's got a cat and she always uses the school owls to send letters." He flushed a brilliant scarlet.

"Sure, Draco. And you could deliver a love note along with the owl," said Harry, who couldn't resist teasing his brother.

"Aw, shut up, Harry!"

Harry hid a grin, then focused on the white owlet he'd named Frost. She was growing rapidly and would soon be able to hunt by herself. "Seriously, though, I think she'd like it a lot." Speaking of birthdays, he recalled that he hadn't given his father a present either. "And maybe Dad would like a new owl too." Severus's last owl had been killed by Voldemort and he had never bothered to get a new one. "I could give him Frost."

Draco shook his head. "No, Frost is cool, but she's not really the owl I'd have picked for him. I was thinking more like Phantom, he's dark gray and I think he would get along with Uncle Sev."

"Hmm . . .yeah, guess you're right." Harry nibbled his lower lip, then said diffidently, "Umm, Draco, if you're going to give Dad Phantom, can I sort of put my name on the card, so he knows it's from the both of us?"

"Okay. Whatever!"

"But I think we should wait a little longer before we give them away," Harry suggested. "Not until the end of the summer, then they'll have their feathers and can start delivering the mail."

"Fine. But are you gonna keep Frost?"

"I . . .don't know. I may. It depends," Harry answered honestly. He really liked Frost and knew it would be hard to part with her. "You're giving Hermione Athena, right?"

"Yes. Why?"

"No reason. I think she'll love Athena."

Draco whistled happily, then said, "But I'm not signing my name to her, so don't even think about breathing a word to Hermione about who sent it. Otherwise I'll hex you into next week, little brother."

Harry made a face at him. "Even I'm not that cruel. Besides, she'd never believe me. Have you ever even spoken to her before? Except to insult her?"

"Like a real conversation? No, of course not. I'm a pureblood and it wouldn't have been proper for me to associate with a Muggleborn. At least according to my father. Cardinal sin in his book. Now though . . .maybe I could . . .uh, say something . . .I guess. . ." said the other awkwardly. Like what, Malfoy? Hi, how's the weather? How many books have you read from the library in the past week? Would you like to go out for an ice cream, perhaps? Ha! I'd be lucky if she didn't throw the ice cream right in my face.

"I'll put in a good word for you," Harry offered.

"Humph! Please, just let me handle it. The last thing I need is for you to interfere." Then he added, more gently. "Thanks for offering, though."

"Just remember one thing, Draco."

"What?"

"Faint heart ne'er won fair lady," Harry smirked, laughing softly.

Draco promptly threw a pillow at him.

But before it could escalate into a full-scale pillow fight, Harry left to use the bathroom.

It was just down the hall and as he was coming out of it, he saw Severus entering his room, accompanied by Sarai. His jaw dropped. Holy Merlin! Tell me I didn't just see that! He invited her into his room at night. Not only that but he . . .he smiled at her too! I don't believe this.

He quickly made his way back to his room, where he immediately told Draco what he had seen. The Slytherin was a bit more worldly and wasn't quite so surprised. "They've probably been together for years, Harry. Didn't you notice the way Sarai knew where everything was in the manor? Or the way she looked at Uncle Sev?"

"Yeah, but . . .aren't we related?"

"By a very distant relationship, she's our seventh cousin or something. It's not like they're committing incest."

Harry felt himself turn beet red at the other's frank words. Of course he knew Severus would never do that, but just admitting that his father was having an affair or whatever it was called made him feel confused. Severus had always seemed so . . .self-contained, so controlled, and self-possessed that Harry had never even thought of his father needing a woman in that way. He recalled the way Severus had looked just before he closed the door, the older wizard had been smiling and in his eyes had been affection and passion and . . .dare he think it? Love.

"How come he didn't tell us?"

"How should I know? Why don't you ask him, tomorrow morning, of course!"

Harry heaved a sigh and resolved to do just that come the morning.

* * * * * *

Much later, Potions Master and Blade were lying upon the huge four poster bed, snuggled next to each other, sleepy and content after their lovemaking, when Sarai asked curiously, "So, how are you finding your new role as father to two teenagers, Sev?"

"Are you sure you want an answer to that question, Sarai?" he asked, propping himself up on an elbow to see her face better, he hated talking to a person's back.

"Do you think you'll shock me, my dear? You forget, I've seen two centuries come and go."

"Yes, but not all that time was spent in the World Beyond."

"And you think my fae kin knew nothing about child rearing? Or scandal? Oh, Severus, scandal was bred in the High Queen's court, and rumors fly quicker than shimmerlings on a mission there. I might have grown up in the shadow of the great noble Houses, but I had servants aplenty to tell me gossip long before I should have known such things," she laughed, her deep green eyes twinkling. "Tell me, beloved, what insane stunts did those two pull to vex you? For they've the look of two bred to mischief and mayhem, or I'm no swordmaster."

"And then some, lady! If I attempted to list all the mischief those two pulled over the course of the summer, we'd be here for another month. Suffice to say they made me long to either rip my hair out, turn them over my knee, lock them up until they were seventeen, or bash my head into a wall."

"Poor Sev! Welcome to parenthood. According to my cousin, who has four young ones, she longs to do just that every other day, especially when they're fighting like dragonets over just about everything. She says there is no better test of a ruler or a sorceress than to be a mother. You need skills in discipline, diplomacy, patience, and observation, as well as lightning reflexes and eyes in the back of your head. And also love, forgiveness, and a sense of humor."

"She is one-hundred percent correct," Severus agreed wholeheartedly. "Although, by the time Harry and Draco finish Hogwarts, I may need a good therapist too." He then proceeded to tell her about some of the endless quarrels the two had when Draco had first arrived at the manor, and then he moved on to discussing Harry's reoccurring nightmares as well.

"I considered calling you at one point, his anxiety attacks were terrifying, and I didn't know what to do about them without using Legilimency and I was afraid if I did that, I'd do more harm than good. Thank the Lord that Smidgen ended up in the garden and we managed to save her, for she turned out to be an unexpected blessing."

"Fortunate indeed, Smidgen is a dreamweaver of impeccable reputation among her kind, and a favorite of Titania." Sarai informed him, then she frowned up at him. "But you could have called me, Severus, and I would have come. How many times do I have to tell you, my duty takes second place to you, if you need me, Severus Snape?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Captain. One fourteen-year-old boy's nightmares cannot be as important as your work for your Queen."

"Why not? Especially if the boy is your son? Severus, you know the value we place upon our offspring, yours no less than any other fae's. Besides which, I was not spending the summer guarding Titania, but her feckless son, Prince Balin. And Balin has just reached the age of majority and decided to celebrate his new status of a century by attending every revel in a hundred mile radius of the Crystal Palace. My so-called duty consisted of dragging my cousin home from midnight parties by his pointed drunken ear and settling his account with all the taverns and some of the hosts he insulted by trying out the favors of all the starstruck daughters and nieces we met along the way."

Severus's eyebrow climbed into his hair. "He was barhopping and wenching with you accompanying him? Great Merlin!"

"Yes, that about sums it up." Sarai rolled her eyes. "And no matter how many times I lectured him the morning after, he was right back to his rogue ways by the evening. And I was left to soothe the outraged fathers, uncles, and brothers, all of whom were NOT amused by their prince's cavalier attitude towards their ladies. A bit of flirting is one thing, or a few kisses in the moonlight, but taking a well-bred lady like a dog in heat in a hayloft, no. And most of those girls were unable to say no, since he was their sovereign's son, and they didn't want to risk insulting him. Young idiot! And when he wasn't seducing, he was guzzling summerdew like there was no tomorrow at all his friends' fancy parties. Talk about longing to thrash someone till they howled! Balin didn't need a bodyguard, he needed a good punch in the jaw. Too bad I'm sworn not to harm those I protect," the warrior grumbled balefully. "I'd have gratefully come and helped your poor son out with his nightmares rather than go scouring another tavern for my errant prince, Sun and Stars bear witness!"

"Tell me he's not the heir to the throne."

"No, thank heaven! But if anything ever happens to his mother and his elder brothers and sister, he will be king, and may the Fates have mercy upon us should that ever happen. We'll be known as the Court of Endless Revels and the Unseelie will run rampant through the kingdom because our sovereign is too busy playing to run his realm." She made the sign to avert bad luck. "And then I'm resigning and moving here permanently, because I won't be able to abide the court any more."

"You could do that now, bright Blade. You are always welcome in my home and my heart." Severus persuaded, kissing her passionately. That was as close as he would ever come to pleading.

"Were it not for the vow I swore to Titania upon my ascension to Captain, to serve the throne for twenty years, I would do just that in a heartbeat. Cernunnos' Horns, Sev, but I have missed you so much! Shepherding my fool cousin all summer only made me want you more. He has no idea what it means to have a true relationship. Or to sacrifice that which you love best for duty and honor for years on end."

"Neither does any boy that age."

"Not even you, Sev?" teased Sarai, kissing him lightly on the nose.

"I was never that age, Sarai. Oh, in years yes, but I was grown up far before then, thanks to my father and Lucius. Love was never a casual thing for me, then or now. It was special, the one pure thing in my life, and I treasured it. It was my saving grace. And it still is." He drew her down on top of him and whispered throatily, "I missed you as well, warrior. Shall I show you just how much?"

Her reply was smothered by his kiss, that stole her breath, but the language of the heart is one without words, and he understood her perfectly.