The fire hex sped towards Severus with the speed of an express train. He had barely a few seconds in which to react, but due to his year of training at the Auror Academy, he was not caught flatfooted. He didn't bother casting a spell to repel, instead he dropped to the ice and let the hex sail harmlessly over him.

Then he cast a spell of his own, the Entrapment Web, which caused several sticky purple strands to shoot out of his wand and enwrap his chosen target, the Death Eater who had shot the fire hex, in a large purple web. The harder the recipient struggled, the tighter the web became, and if they struggled too hard, the web would cut off their circulation or breathing for a short time, incapacitating them and knocking them out.

As a certified Healer, Severus was forbidden to use his magic to kill unless it were a matter of life and death, his Healer's Oath was the equivalent of an Unbreakable Vow. But he could use his magic in other ways to bind and hold, disarm or disable.

"Let's kill the son-of-a-bitch, Dolohov!" snarled one of the taller Death Eaters. "We'll teach him what it means to slaughter the Dark Master." he sent a Withering Curse at Severus, but Severus deflected it and cast a spell called Ice Serpent.

The ice suddenly cracked and reformed into a giant frost colored snake formed entirely of ice and water, it hissed and wrapped about Dolohov and began to squeeze the man hard. Dolohov screamed and his wand fell from his fingers.

Two down and three to go. Not bad for a former Auror trainee, Severus thought, pleased, but he whirled to face the three others, thankful that at least Lily and Harry were well out of danger.

* * * * * *

At Severus's warning cry, Lily had immediately scooped up Harry. She saw the first of the Death Eaters descend upon the fairgrounds and felt a terrible fear engulf her for about ten seconds. In the next instant she reacted, and Apparated away to Auror Headquarters, Harry clutched tightly in her arms.

She burst into the building, which was right across from the Ministry of Magic Headquarters, and cried, "I'm Lily Potter and this is a Priority One Alert! Death eaters have attacked the Frost Faire! You need to send a team out immediately! Tell Captain Moony!"

The Auror on duty, a young man who looked just out of the Academy blinked and hit a crystal knob on his desk. "Priority One Alert, Lieutenant Lupin!" Then he looked at Lily and said, "The Captain isn't here right now, he's off investigating a case. But one of our senior pairs is, that'd be Lupin and Black, ma'am."

"I know who they are, they're my friends," Lily said, patting Harry, who started to sniffle.

"Mummy, where's Sevvy?"

"It's okay, Harry. Sevvy will be all right," Lily whispered, fear surging up in her throat again. I hope. Oh God, Sev, please be all right. Why didn't you run? You're a Healer, for Merlin's sake and they're murderers. How long d'you think you can last if you can't kill?

She glanced about the stark wood paneled waiting area, with its plain white chairs and the desk the young Auror was manning.

Seconds later, a door behind the desk burst open and Remus came through, wearing a blue and gold set of robes with a staff and crossed sword crest upon them, the symbol of the Aurors. The werewolf's eyes were shifting from brown to gold as he fought to control his were nature.

"Lily! What's the matter?"

"Remus, Death Eaters came to the Frost Faire, I was there with Sev and Harry, I took Harry away, but Sev stayed to fight them. Please, you've got to hurry, I don't know how long he can hold them off, people were going crazy."

Remus swore softly and called, "Sirius, move your blinking arse, mate! We got to go rescue Sev!"

Sirius came through the door a moment later. He too was in uniform, a grim look on his face. "From what, sir?"

"Death Eaters."

"Bleeding goddamn cock--" he broke off the rest of what he was about to say, recalling that there was a lady and a baby present. "Okay, Lupin. Let's go."

"Wait. I'm coming too." Lily said.

"What?" Sirius looked at her as if she had gone insane.

"Lily, you can't. What about Harry?" Remus cried.

"I'll watch him," came a third voice, and a woman with brown hair and purple eyes stepped from another side door. She was slightly smaller than her male counterparts, but no less deadly.

"Thanks, Alice." Lily said gratefully. "Harry, go with Auntie Alice, okay?" She made as if to hand the child to the Auror, who was also her best friend, Alice Longbottom.

"No, want Sevvy!" Harry wailed. He began to bawl loudly.

Alice stepped up and hugged the toddler to her expertly, rubbing his back. "Hush, little one. Mummy will bring back Sevvy in a minute. Come on, let's go and play with Neville, okay?" She took the sobbing Harry away to the small daycare center that her son Neville stayed at, he was a day older than Harry.

"Thanks, Alice!" Lily called, then she Apparated away along with Sirius, Remus, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Frank Longbottom. Before becoming a stay-at-home mother, Lily had also studied with the Aurors, so she knew her share of defense and combat spells.

Back at the Frost Faire there was utter pandemonium.

People were knocked down and some were trampled as they sought to flee from the worst group of dark wizards ever to roam Great Britain. Most had thought the reign of terror the Death Eaters spread was ended after the death of their leader. But evil never truly dies, it simply sleeps, biding its chance to return and wreak havoc once more.

Severus backed slowly across the ice, for the three original foes now had been joined by three more, they had been further away, hexing some luckless vendors and blowing up the children's playground. He swiftly chanted a Null Magic Globe, one of the strongest defense spells in his arsenal. The pulsing screen of anti-magic surrounded him.

It would repel any magic save Avada Kedavra. The globe was a spell known only to Healers, and they used it as a last resort, for it cost a great deal of energy to cast and once the globe was up, the caster could not use his wand until the spell faded.

Severus wished he could cast it over all of the bystanders, some of whom had been hit by curses by the Death Eaters. But the Globe was a personal spell only.

Severus could feel the curses of the dark wizards strike the globe and fizzle and die, or were absorbed by the rainbowed light. It was temporary measure, a way to buy time until the Aurors arrived. He hoped Lily had gone to summon them, or someone else had.

About him, people screamed and sobbed, possessed by dreadful fear, for they had assumed the Death Eaters were destroyed or captured when Voldemort fell. But they were many and they hid like rats and the Auror Department had not been able to find them all. Now they had returned, to spread chaos and death once more, such was their main goal in life.

Severus heard a series of sharp pops and knew that the Aurors had finally arrived.

Just in time too, for his Globe was beginning to thin.

"Hey, scumbag! Why don't you try me on for size?" cried a voice Severus knew well.

"About time, Padfoot!" he cried, without turning around. He could not see out of the globe, but he could hear what was going on.

"Yeah, well better late than never, huh, Snape?" Sirius called, then cast a Blasting Curse at the nearest foe.

Severus felt the ground tremble as the curse struck, lifting the surprised Death Eater off his feet and sending him careening through the air.

The Globe shivered and then faded abruptly, and Severus could see once more.

Arrayed in front of him were Remus, Sirius, Frank Longbotom, Shacklebolt and .. ."Lily! What the bloody blazes are you doing here, woman?"

She did not turn away, but said only, "What's it look like, Snape? I'm kicking some evil bastard's arse!" Then she fired off a Burning Hex, and another Death Eater fell.

Before Severus could protest further, a dark wizard flew at him, though he summoned a quick Wind Gust and sent the masked intruder flying into the side of a bridge piling. He hit the ground and lay still.

Then he whirled around to see if his friends needed any help, but Moony and Padfoot were experienced in combat and so too were Shacklebolt and Longbottom. Furious as he was at Lily, he could not help but admire her courage and her spell casting, she was nearly as skilled as the Aurors. As well she ought to be, sev. The only reason she never graduated the Academy was because she got pregnant with Harry.

Within a matter of minutes, the Death Eaters were all either dead, arrested, or had managed to get away.

Severus felt the terror constricting his chest evaporate. Then, before either of his friends could say anything, he strode over to Lily and picked her up and shook her. "How dare you risk yourself, Lily Ann Evans....I mean Potter! I told you to leave with Harry, not come back here."

"Severus Snape, put me down! I chose to come back and help you." She glared up at him angrily.

"You could have been killed!" he exploded. "Name of Merlin, Lily! If you had died . . .You are my life, don't you see that?"

"Sev, I'm not a child, I don't need protection. I can fight my own battles. You needn't play the heroic fiancee and sacrifice yourself for me either! You're my life too, you stubborn boneheaded wizard! I've already lost one man I love to them," she spat on the ground. "I'll be damned if I'm going to lose another. Never ever again, d'you hear?"

She reached out and threw her arms about him, and he hugged her hard.

"Never ever risk your life for me again," they said in practically the same breath.

Then Severus's mouth was on hers and he was kissing her with a passion born of relief and anger. He couldn't seem to help himself, it didn't matter if his friends and everyone else was staring. His near brush with death had made him see just how precious Lily was, and he just wanted to hold her and never let go.

Lily kissed him back with equal fervor, unmindful of the crowd gathering about them. Sev was safe, Harry was safe, and that was all that mattered right then. Well that and the feel of Severus lean muscled arms about her and his lips on hers.

"Ahem! Earth to Sev and Lily!" Remus coughed pointedly. "We need you two lovebirds down at Headquarters to give us statements, so could you please shelve the public display of affection?"

"Aww, leave 'em be, Moony." Sirius snickered. "I'd be doing the same thing if I had my girl here."

Remus just rolled his eyes at his best friend's easygoing nature. Sirius was a firm believer in love anytime, and had left a trail of disappointed women in his wake, for he liked variety and could never stay with one woman for long.

"Severus! You going for a world record or something, buddy?" Remus reached out and shook his friend's shoulder.

Severus growled something unintelligible before drawing away from Lily. "Remus, leave me the hell alone!"

"Sorry, no can do. Let's go back to headquarters, you can give us your statement and there's a certain little boy who was crying for you."

At that Severus gave in. Statement be damned, Harry crying was far more important. "You left him at headquarters?"

" Yes, with Alice. Come on, let's do this and get it over with. Bloody Death Eaters, ruining our outing. I wish I could make them all die a slow and painful death." And with that, she stepped free of Sev's embrace and Apparated back to Headquarters.

Hot on her heels were Severus, Remus, and Padfoot.

After they had given their statements, Lily went to fetch Harry from the playroom. She found her son happily playing with a set of wooden blocks that laughed when you picked them up.

"Harry, it's time to go," she called.  Then she smiled down at Alice's little boy, Neville.  "Hi, Nev.  How are you doing?"

The little brown-haired boy looked up at her with wide frightened eyes, he was extremely shy, and sniffed, "Hawwy bited me." He pointed to a red mark on his chubby arm.

Lily knelt to examine it, and saw to her dismay that it was indeed a bite mark.  "Oh, Nev, I'm so sorry, honey!" She hugged the little boy, then turned to her son, who had looked up at her happily, but quickly realized he was in trouble when he saw the stern angry look on his mother's face, and his lower lip trembled.  "Harry James Severus, what have I told you about biting?"

"Not s'posed to," the toddler murmured, hanging his head.  "It's bad."

"Then why did you bite Neville?" Lily demanded, her hands on her hips.

"Cause he had my block."

"Harry, these toys are not yours. They belong to the center.  Besides, you're supposed to be nice and share your toys, right?"

Her son's expression grew stubborn and his bottom lip stuck out.  "Didn't want to! Mine, Mummy!"

"No, Harry.  That was very naughty, to not share and then to bite Neville. I'm very disappointed in you. You don't bite, young man!" Lily scolded. "When we go home you're getting hot sauce in your mouth and a five minute time out too."

Harry began to wail. "Nooo! I be good! No-o-o hot stuff n' time out, Mummy!"

Lily ignored him and picked him up.  "Say sorry and bye to Neville."

Harry sobbed out an apology and waved.  Lily marched out the door with him, exasperated at her son's behavior.  Harry's biting was beginning to be a real problem.  He had bitten her, his grandmother, grandfather, and Sirius and now Neville as well. 

When Harry saw Severus he immediately reached out his arms, howling, "Sevvy! Want you!"

"Don't think he's going to save you, young man." Lily said, but gave the child to the Healer anyway.

"What's all the fuss, scamp?" Severus asked, hugging the child to him.

"Don' want no time out!" Harry bawled, burying his face in Sev's shoulder.

"What did you do to get a time out, Harry?" asked Severus.

But the little boy refused to answer, so Lily did.  "He bit Neville and wouldn't share his toys." She gave Alice an apologetic look.  "I'm so  sorry, Alice.  I don't know what gets into him."

"It's all right, Lil.  It's a stage, Nev went through it too. Did he break the skin?"

"No,thank Merlin." Lily sighed, shaking her head. "I really should be going.  Thank you for watching him, Alice."

"Anytime, Lily. Bye."

She waved as the two Apparated back to the Potter residence.

Once they were home, Lily wasted no time in punishing her son.

Harry clung to Severus, but the Healer scolded him as well and surrendered him to his mother, who took a small bottle of tabasco sauce from the fridge, and rubbed some on Harry's tongue.  "That's what happens when you bite, Harry James Severus."

Harry bawled. "Hot! Yuck!" He tried to spit it out, but the tabasco sauce clung to his tongue and stung. 

Lily counted to thirty before she allowed Harry to drink some water and eat a piece of bread to rid himself of the peppery taste. 

"Harry sorry, Mummy," he sniffled.

"I know, but you're still getting a time out," she said firmly, picking him up.

At that, Harry struggled, screeching, but Lily had him tucked under an arm and in two seconds he found himself sitting on a little stool facing a corner.  "Sit still, Harry."

But Harry detested time out and always fought like the devil.  "No! NO!"

He tried to get off the stool, but Lily caught him and put him back. "Harry, no moving or else you get another minute."

"No, go way! Mean!" he sat still for about a minute, then squirmed and hopped up from the stool and tried to escape.

This time Severus caught him.  "Oh no you don't, boy! You listen to your mother."

Harry screamed, "No! Put me down, Sevvy! Bad! No time out!" Then he tried to bite Severus.

Severus was used to children trying to bite him, however, and pulled his hand away just in time.  "No biting, young man!" He gave the squirming naughty child a swat on the backside before depositing him back on the stool in the corner and holding him by the shoulders.

The toddler howled, kicked, and squirmed to no avail. 

"Sev, he bit you too?"

"No.  He tried to, but I was too quick." replied the Master Helaer over Harry's wails.

They made the misbehaving child stay in the corner for six minutes then released him.  Both Lily and Sev hugged him afterwards, told him they forgave him, and Harry promised he would be good.

"I think he needs a long nap, Sev." Lily said. 

"Mmm, yes.  So do we all."

Then Lily went into Harry's room and settled down in the rocking chair to rock and sing her baby to sleep, while Severus sat down on the couch, wishing that their day out had been a little less exciting. 

When Lily returned after tucking in Harry, she found the Master Healer asleep on the couch, a peaceful expression on his face.  She tenderly smoothed back his hair, kissed him, and tucked a blanket around him. Then she sat down next to him.

When Severus awoke some three hours later, he discovered a warm red-head in his arms, and smiled.  Lily's face was a wonderful sight to wake up to.