"Jace? What the hell are you doing here?" Harry sputtered, astonished at seeing the young Slytherin he had taught potions to and played a prank of epic proportions on the insufferable Malfoy with. 

"I could hear you calling from all the way over at my place, about ten miles from here. And so could my dad and our neighbor, Tristan Cantrell." Jace explained. "We're all readers, see, and you were, uh, kind of yelling really loud, Harry."

"Sorry." Harry blushed, embarrassed. "But Professor Snape is hurt bad and I need help and-"

Before he could finish there came the awful strident howl of a hunting werewolf.

"Ahh . . .damn it to hell!" he exploded. "They've found us again, the bloody menaces!"

Jace looked alarmed.  "Who has? Those sound like . . .werewolves."

His outline seemed to waver for a moment.

"They are. They-LOOK OUT!" he screamed.

A werewolf sprang out of the shadows, teeth bared and claws gleaming, right at the smaller wizard.

Harry went to hex the creature, but then saw that it went right through Jace and landed on the ground in front of Harry.

"Huh? How did-?"

He felt something tap him lightly on the shoulder. "Shhh! It's a mind trick, making him see what isn't there."

Harry watched in amazement as the confused werewolf went in circles, whining and snarling and biting at the air.  He glanced down at the spot where he thought Jace was and hissed, "Are you invisible?"

"Nope.  Just using my talent to make you not see me," Jace informed him.

Now they could hear the high-pitched growls and snarls of the rest of the wolf pack as they attempted to locate Severus and Harry. It was unnerving, hearing them so close, yet not seeing them, because they couldn't see or smell them. Harry felt like he was surrounded by a legion of ghosts.

The single werewolf abruptly threw up his head and howled, then raced off into the darkness as abruptly as it had come.

"Jace, what just happened?"

"I sent it off on a wild phantom chase," the other chuckled.  "It thinks it's chasing you across the moor."

"So how did you find me again? By following my . . .um . . .thoughts?"

"That and your owl, Harry.  She found us picking some nightblooming jasmine in our garden, my mother and I, and she told us Professor Snape was in trouble and so were you and we ought to come immediately."

"You can understand birds?"

"No, but my mother can. She's an Animagus too. Her form is a kestrel."

Beyond the circle of the firelight, the howls, yips, and snarls of the werewolves crescendoed, then faded as the werewolves were led away from their true quarry.

"Can you help Severus? I mean, Professor Snape?"

"We'll certainly do our best, lad," said a tall man that looked like an older replica of his son, down to the inquiring hazel eyes. He was wearing a white long-sleeved shirt with sleeves that billowed out and were gathered at the wrist, rather like a pirate's. Black breeches and long boots completed the outfit, he wore a silver chain about his neck with a large red jasper pendant shaped like a teardrop upon it. 

"That's my dad, Jace Witherspoon II," Jace announced, suddenly appearing.

"Just call me Jasper. Everyone does. And you must be Harry Potter.  Pleased to meet you," Jasper introduced himself and  shook Harry's hand before asking, "What's wrong with your teacher, lad?"

Suddenly another man, this one was stockier with dark hair cut close about his ears, broad-shouldered, and dressed in casual jeans, work boots and a plaid hunter's shirt, popped into view. "Those mangy sons of Set won't be returning here anytime soon. By the time they realize what they're chasing isn't real, they'll be halfway to Lancashire."

"And that's Tristan."

Harry noticed that Tristan had penetrating blue eyes and wasn't using a wand either. Another reader then.  "Sev was hit by a cursed dagger and I don't know what else to do for him, sir," he told the elder Witherspoon.  "I think . . .he's dying." He felt himself choke up.

"Not Professor Snape!" cried Jace in dismay.

 Jasper knelt and put his hand to Snape's neck, feeling for a pulse. It was there, weak, but there.  Harry was right though. The professor needed immediate medical attention. 

Hedwig flew overhead, hooting in alarm.  Harry, you must leave immediately! I saw Death Eaters coming.

"We've got to get out of here!" Harry cried.  "My owl says she saw Death Eaters heading this way."

"Calm down, lad," soothed Tristan.  "I can misdirect them while Jasper there stabilizes your teacher. If we attempt Apparition with him so badly hurt, he could die.  Apparition ain't easy on the body, y'know, ‘specially when you're hurt bad. Drains a lot of your reserves."

"Oh.  What about Sidelong Apparition?"

"Mostly the same." Tristan closed his eyes and lowered his head.  "Three of ‘em. Nasty buggers.  Why don't you go play in traffic, boys?" A few minutes later he opened his eyes.  "That takes care of them." He sounded very pleased. 

"That's . . .incredible," Harry murmured.

Tristan shrugged.  "Reader trick. Even young Jace here can do it."

Harry looked back at where Jasper knelt, making a few more passes with his wand over the comatose Severus. Then he conjured a stretcher, levitated Snape on to it and said, "Okay, I'm set. I've muffled him as best I could, so the Apparition won't drain him any.  Hopefully my wife will be able to cure him." He looked over at Tristan and the two younger wizards. "Tris, can you handle both of them at once?"

"Got no choice, have I?"

"Uh, I can morph into my hawk form if that'll make it easier," Harry offered.

"Yes.  Good thinking," Tristan said approvingly. "Get your stuff then."

Harry quickly gathered up the rest of his and Sev's belongings and Tristan shrank them and Harry put them in the pockets of his robe.  From far away, they could still hear the echo of a hunting werewolf.  Harry shivered, thinking how lucky it had been that the Witherspoons had found them before the werewolves had.  He rubbed Meadowsweet's bracelet and thought sadly that if she were here, Severus might be well by now.  And probably ready to kick my arse up and down the British Isles. Then he blurred into Freedom and perched upon Tristan's shoulder.

A second later, Jasper Apparated with both hands on Severus's stretcher, vanishing in a surge of blue light.

"Ready?" Tristan asked.

Freedom bobbed his head yes, then called to Hedwig, Meet me at the Witherspoon's house, okay?

Will do, Harry, the snowy owl cried, then she turned and flew off to the west.

Tristan took hold of Jace, and concentrated.

An instant later Freedom felt as if a giant hand had picked him up and whirled him through space and time, spitting him out moments later in the yard of a small picturesque thatched cottage. 

It looked like something out of a fairytale, all silvery gray stone with a golden thatched roof (it was spelled to be waterproof, fireproof, and insect proof, Harry learned later) and a green door with a round window in the top of it. All the windows were either round or square, with flower boxes beneath them. There were primroses, wild flowers, and heather in the boxes, which were also painted green. A cobbled walk led up to the door and to either side of it were hydrangea bushes and a large yew tree was on the left side of the lawn, opposite a rowan.

Harry drew a deep breath, the air was fragrant with flowers and had an air of peace about it that soothed his aching raw spirit. A small split rail fence ran about the property, though ivy was entwined about some of the posts. 

"Here you are," Tristan said when they had arrived, releasing Jace's arm. The boy looked slightly green.

"I hate Sidelong Apparition," he muttered. "Makes me want to puke."

The red-tailed hawk flew down and transformed into Harry. "I know. I used to feel like my stomach had turned inside out." He grimaced.

"You'll get used to it eventually," Tristan chuckled.  "Well, guess I'll be getting on home. Left my wife and kids still asleep when your dad called me."

"Thanks, Tris. See you later!" Jace waved, then his neighbor Apparated away, leaving the two boys alone in the yard. "Come on, Harry. Let's get inside. It's getting cold."

Inside, the cottage was toasty warm from the roaring fire in the stone fireplace. A black cat with a white crescent moon on her forehead was curled up asleep in a basket next to the hearth. "That's Eclipse," Jace said. "She's my new familiar."

The cat blinked open brilliant green eyes, gave a soft  mew, then went back to sleep.

"Where's your dad and Severus?" Harry asked, looking around.

He saw a plump long sofa in a soft teal shade, flanked by two handcarved oak tables with swirled lamps on them that glowed softly with an inner light. Up above, a globe also shed more light. The floor of the cottage was hardwood polished to a golden sheen, with several rainbow-colored rag rugs on it. On the walls were odd curiosities-a crossbow, a fish skeleton, a carved ivory icon, a woven tapestry of an apple tree and the three Graces.

"This way, in the spare room." Jace led the way across the main room off to the right, down a short hall lit by more glowing globes, and into a small bedroom done in shades of moss green, teal, and heather accents. The walls looked as though they had been hand painted with sprigs of heather. A window faced east, but it had the curtain drawn.

Severus lay upon the only bed in the room, pale and drawn, his breathing still labored.  He looked, Harry thought, stricken, like death warmed over.  Harry quickly raised his Occlumency shields, not wishing the readers to catch any stray thoughts about how he was to blame for Sev's predicament.

The Potions Master's shirt was unbuttoned, and a slender woman with blond hair the color of summer wheat was examining him, gently probing the wound on his chest and frowning. She was wearing a heather-colored robe and looked extremely concerned.

"Well, Grace? Can you mend him?" asked Jasper. He was standing next to the pine armoire, leaning against it, his hazel eyes bright with worry.

"The wound has been treated and that is easy to fix," answered Jace's mother, waving her wand over the Potions Master.  "But the curse was transmitted along with the wound and that . . .is not so easy to break.  I need to know what caused this wound on him before I can try and counter the dark magic within him."

"I can tell you what caused it," Harry said then.

The woman turned to face him and Jace.  "You must be Harry Potter, right? Jace told us all about how you helped him during the year," Grace said warmly. "My name is Grace Witherspoon. Welcome to my home. What happened to Professor Snape?"

"He was stabbed by a cursed dagger. The Dagger of Discord."

Grace went pale. "Great Merlin and Artemis have mercy! That dagger is one of the worst cursed objects in history.  No wonder he's like this." She glanced down at Severus and shook her head sadly.

"But you can help him, right?" Harry pressed.

"I . . .there is very little I can do to remove the curse on him right now, Harry. I can arrest it for a time, slow it down, but eventually it will consume him. Unless . . .the dagger is destroyed. And that may prove well-nigh impossible. The dagger protects itself well. Many have tried to destroy it and all have failed. The dagger subverts nearly all it comes into contact with, or so the tales say."

That's for damn sure! Harry thought bitterly.  "What if . . .I knew of a way to destroy the dagger?"

"How? A spell, even a shattering charm, would not destroy it totally."

"But a Curse Dissolving Potion would."

"I have never heard of such a potion."

"Severus taught me how to make it. I just need the ingredients on this list." He pulled out a recipe tucked into his pocket.

Grace examined it. "I have most of these, but a few . . .are quite rare."

"I know. We were trying to get to Hogwarts, because Severus has the rare ones in his lab, but . . ."

"I could fetch them from the school, but even if you did make the potion, Harry, what use will it be without the dagger?"

"I . . .might know where the dagger is," Harry hedged.  If I can get Hedwig to tell me.  "Could you . . .arrest the curse or whatever so I have time to find it?"

"Of course," Grace said, sensing that there was something Harry was not telling her, but she did not pry. The boy was clearly at the end of his tether, filled with despair and fear for his mentor.  "Jace, fetch me my Stasis Cloak, you know where it is, in my trunk."

"Sure, Mum. Be right back."

"And mind you be quiet, Jilly's asleep."

Jace went out of the room, moving like a shadow.

Grace tapped the wound on Severus's chest with her wand and spoke a charm to mend deep cuts. Within moments, the dreadful wound was healed.

But Severus still shivered and groaned, lost in a realm of shadows, fighting for his life against an insidious evil.

Harry went to him and grasped one long fingered hand in his own. Don't give up, Sev! Please stay with me, even though I don't deserve you. Please! The prophecy will fail without two hawks.  And . . .I need you. He blinked back tears.  Then he tore his gaze away from the comatose figure in black and asked, "Who's Jilly?"

"My two-year-old daughter," answered Grace.  "You can meet her tomorrow, Harry."

Jace returned with a long shimmering iridescent cloak in his hands. Harry had never seen anything quite like it, not even his Invisibility Cloak was this fine. "What will that do?"

"The Stasis Cloak will put anyone who wears it or has it draped over them into a stasis sleep for weeks.  The cloak can be removed and then the wearer will wake, but while in stasis the curse will be frozen in time, unable to do anything more than what has already been done."

"What has it done to him?" asked Harry fearfully. Did he really want to know?

"It's difficult to say, but I think the dagger has made him relive some terrible memories and scarred his psyche, more than it was. I would recommend a session with a Mind Healer once the curse has been broken."

"Mum made the Stasis Cloak," Jace declared proudly. "She's an enchantress. Anything she enchants lasts forever."

Harry looked up at the witch with respect. "Really? Wow!"

Grace shrugged modestly.  "It's my talent. An old skill, it used to be taught at Hogwarts but has since been removed from the curriculum." She took the Stasis Cloak and spread it out over Severus.

The cloak elongated to fit the tall man and wrapped about him like a shroud. Then it began to sparkle like a thousand diamonds were caught in its folds.

Harry could feel the magic pulsing from it even across the room.

And he saw Severus's face smooth out and slip into a peaceful rest.

"There.  He will remain so until I remove the cloak," Grace said. "Jace, why don't you show Harry where the bathroom is so he can take a hot shower and then go to sleep? He can stay in your room, your father will transfigure a bed for him."

"All right, Mum." Jace turned and beckoned Harry out of the room.

"Wait." Grace said. She snapped her fingers and a vial of a smoky gray potion appeared in her hand. "Take this before you go to bed, Harry."

Harry took it and said, "Dreamless Sleep potion."

"Yes. You are a good apprentice, to recognize it on sight."

"How did you know . . .?"

"Jace told me you were Professor Snape's apprentice and ward.  I didn't read your mind," she reassured him.

"Oh." Now Harry felt even more awkward and embarrassed.  Flushing hotly, he quickly followed Jace.  "Thank you, Mrs. Witherspoon."

"Call me Grace, dear. Everyone does."

Jace led him back through the den and into another hallway to a bathroom done in shades of cream and woodtone accents. Leaves of all kinds and sizes were painted over the wall.  Thick towels were folded upon a towel rack and Harry took his pack from his pocket and enlarged it so he could get his pajamas and toothbrush and other things.

"I'll meet you in my room, it's the first door on the left, okay?"

"Fine, Jace." Harry felt as if he were about to fall over, he was so tired. He carefully set the vial of Dreamless Sleep on the vanity and started the shower. When he looked up from that, he saw that Jace was gone and the door had shut so quietly he hadn't even noticed.

The hot shower was heaven after so many weeks of washing up in cold streams or using Freshen Up charms.  Harry scrubbed himself with a liquid soap that smelled like pine and sandalwood.  It reminded him of the woods and he clutched the sponge to him and wept silent tears of guilt and remorse.  He tried to pretend he wasn't crying, that it was only water, but the tears were bitter and did little to ease the hard knot inside of his chest.

He soaked in the shower for fifteen minutes before finishing up and heading into Jace's room, the potion clutched in his fingers. He was very grateful for the Witherspoons' rescue of him, and tomorrow he would tell them so.  Then he would find Hedwig and see if she would tell him about where the dagger was hidden.  But right then, all he wanted to do was fall upon the bed that Jasper had transfigured from one of Jace's socks and sleep for a year.

Jace was sitting up on his bed when Harry entered.  "You're tired, aren't you?"

Harry yawned in response.  "Sorry. I'm just . . ."

"It's okay. We can talk tomorrow. I hope Professor Snape will be all right. I really like him as my Head of House. The school wouldn't be the same without him. G'night, Harry."

"Night, Jace." He was so tired that he gulped the potion and nearly choked from swallowing it too fast. It hit his system like a sucker punch to the gut and before he knew it, he was coasting into the realm of sleep and was sleeping soundly before his head touched the pillow.

And no sinister little girl disturbed his dreams that night.