Friday night:

"Mum, are you almost done with my costume?" Harry asked impatiently, as he shifted from one foot to another, watching Lily sew fake flames and sequins onto the phoenix costume. "How come you don't just use magic to make my costume?"

Lily set down her needle and frowned at her inquisitive son. "Harry, the costume would have been done an hour ago if you didn't keep driving me batty with questions and interrupting me. Now, why don't you go and play with Eric and Rosie?"

Harry huffed and sighed. "But Mu-u-m . . .how come?"

"Because I don't do well with magical clothing alteration charms, that's why!" she snapped, exasperated. That was a branch of magic she wished she'd had more time to study, but working at the apothecary was a full-time job and so was raising her children. So she had put that on the back burner. She could do simple charms, like hem a piece of clothing, sew on a button, make a size adjustment, but creating an entire costume from raw materials with magic was beyond her. Besides, she had learned from her mother how to sew as a child and was quite good at it. She was nearly done with Harry's Halloween costume, having only to add a few more flaming feathers made of shiny gold cloth and sequins. She had not sewn the entire costume, but used Sticking Charms upon most of the sequins for the wings and body, but the last few feathers of the tail she sewed by hand.

"Merlin, Mum! Don't have a hippogriff," her son muttered.

"Harry James, don't get smart with me, or else you can go trick-or-treating as a ghost. Now, quit hovering and go do something fun, for the love of Merlin!" she ordered.

Harry pouted a bit, then decided to listen to his mother without arguing and went to find his younger siblings. He couldn't wait until it was Saturday, because then he would get to visit Godric's Hollow with his dad and learn more about his heritage as the next Potter heir. James had promised to invite the Lupin children as well, except for baby Zoey, who was too young. He was also going to watch Eric and Rosie, since Severus and Lily would be away for the weekend, attending an important seminar for apothecaries and potion makers. This was the twenty-fifth anniversary since the opening of the International Brewers' Conference, and both Lily and Severus looked forward to attending it. This year it was to be held in Bath.

At last the final feather was sewn on and Lily set aside her needle and thread and rubbed her eyes, yawning. She floated the costume into the air and inspected it. It looked very good, almost an exact replica of one that Harry had seen in Madam Malkin's window. Lily cast a charm that would prevent the costume from getting dirt on it and then another to strengthen the fabric so it didn't tear easily. "There! That's done." She folded the finished costume and placed it in a bag, ready for Harry to take to Godric's Hollow.

Eric and Rosie's costumes were similarly packed. Rosie wanted to go as Little Red Riding Hood, Lily had altered her cloak to a deep red with a tassel on the hood, and had her wear the dress and boots of a typical medieval child, complete with a child-sized picnic hamper and a stuffed werewolf. Eric wanted to go as Salazar Slytherin, and Lily had made him a set of robes just like the Founder wore in his portrait at Hogwarts and made him a fake little mustache and a goatee as well, just in case James didn't know how to cast decent Glamours.

Lily loved Halloween, and was sorry she would miss this one with her children. Usually she took Eric and Rosie around during the day if Severus worked, or vice versa, and later Harry went with them again as well as the Lupins. When Harry was younger, James would occasionally take him for an hour, but three years ago he had chosen to go out to Halloween parties with Sirius and leave the parental trick-or-treat duties to her or her husband. This would be the first time she wouldn't be doing so and she felt a sudden pang of loss.

James, you had better do a good job, she thought. Thank goodness Tildy would be there to supervise, and so would Remus, as they would also be going to a local fair that weekend. Halloween was on a Sunday this year, most people would be home, and the kids should have a good time. I'll tell James to make sure he takes lots of pictures for me.

Then she rose and went to pack her younger children's clothing for the weekend. Harry insisted he could pack his own, but she would check that too before she left. She was really looking forward to the conference, but couldn't help feeling a little guilty about leaving her children, even though James had sworn on his wand to protect them with his life.

But then she recalled that she hadn't had a vacation—and neither had Severus—in forever. Oh, they had taken day trips places with the kids, but she and Severus hadn't had an honest-to-goodness adult vacation since their honeymoon. It was long past time for it. Lily knew she would enjoy it once she got there, but the leaving was hard.

She picked up Rosie's stuffed cat from the floor and hugged it hard. It was only two days, not two weeks. But she would miss her children. She sighed and set the toy on her daughter's small bed, then began Summoning some clothes from Rosie's closet and magically packing them in her baby's overnight duffle with pink pygmy puffs printed on it.

Page~*~*~*~*~*Break

Saturday morning

James Potter's cottage, Godric's Hollow:

James stared as Severus set a full case of potions on the kitchen table accompanied by a six foot roll of parchment. "Severus, what is all that?"

"Potions in case any of the children get sick," responded the apothecary. "They're all labeled and have the correct dosages according to age on the label. Make sure you read carefully before you give them, James. If you have a question, call Andromeda."

"Snape, you've got bloody St. Mungos here!" protested the former Auror. "You're only going away for two days, not two months!"

"Better safe than sorry, Potter. If you do have to give one of them a potion, make sure you have a bowl of chocolate pudding on hand to give them afterwards, it's a reward for taking medicine," instructed Severus. "You shouldn't have any trouble with Harry or Eric. They understand about taking medicine that tastes bad, but Rosie might fight you at first . . ."

James listened, though his eyes were beginning to glaze over at Snape's litany of instructions. "All right. I got it." He pointed to the roll of parchment. "What in Merlin's name is that?"

"An instruction book," Severus replied without missing a beat. "It has things like who to call in case of an emergency, what they like to eat and don't, what their proper bedtime is—we've got them on schedules, so it's best if you follow that, it's what they're used to. If you want to allow Harry to stay up, that's fine, but I'd advise against doing that with my younger two, they tend to get cranky when they don't get enough sleep and you really don't want to deal with a cranky Rosalind, trust me."

James' eyebrows rose into his hair. "All of that is in five feet of parchment?"

"Six," Severus corrected. "I've also written down rules and consequences if they misbehave for you, which I hope won't happen, but if it does . . . you have permission to punish them as I would."

James looked uncomfortable. "I . . . Severus . . ." He recalled more than a few times when he had stayed over the Snape flat, he and Harry had gotten in trouble, and Severus had not hesitated to stick his nose in a corner, among other things. "You mean putting them in time out and . . .washing their mouths out with soap?" He blushed when he recalled Severus doing that to him for teasing Draco.

"Exactly." Snape nodded. "You're my stand in, Po—James. Don't hesitate to punish them if they're naughty . . . I don't. My children know what happens if they misbehave, and I need you to be consistent."

James sighed. "I . . . all right. Tom and Tildy are forever on my arse about consistent. No means no, and all that."

"Yes. What you say, you should do. All the time. So never say you'll do something and not follow through on it. I usually give my children three chances to quit doing something wrong and if they ignore the warnings, they end up swatted or grounded or whatever."

"You're . . . letting me spank them?"

"If you need to. Don't make that your first option, but you ought to know what earns you a spanking in my house, Potter."

"Uh, yeah. Playing with potions," muttered the other. "And pushing Rosie." He remembered all too well how the Potions Master's hand had stung after he had knocked Rosie down in a fit of temper because he didn't want to wait his turn when she was playing with a toy he wanted.

"Good, you do remember. If you have any questions, read the instructions. You know where we'll be staying, don't hesitate to firecall if something should go wrong."

Lily returned from putting Eric and Rosie's things in the spare bedroom. "Sev, relax. I'm sure James and Tildy can handle it."

"I know, but I just wanted to make sure . . ." her husband began.

"Sev, why don't you go tell the kids goodbye?" Lily suggested gently. She pushed him towards the living area, where the three were sitting and looking about them.

"I . . . all right . . ." he hurried off.

James shot Lily a grateful look. "Bloody hell, Lily! What's with him? He acts like I'm going to have them for months! I mean—look at that!" He waved a hand at the instruction manual.

Lily chuckled. "I know. We both wrote that, though. Sometimes it helps, knowing what to do."

"Six feet of parchment?"

"So he overdid it a bit. He's nervous, James. This is the first time he's ever been away from Rosie since she was born, or Eric and he's a little . . ."

"Paranoid?"

"I prefer overprotective, but . . . yes. Just humor him, James." She patted his shoulder. "You'll do fine."

In the living room, Severus was kneeling down in front of the couch, facing all three of his children. "Harry, I want you to promise me to behave and look after Rosie and Eric for me. You've been away from home before, but they haven't stayed anywhere except with Uncle Remus and Aunt Cissy. So just . . . try and help them adjust, all right?"

"Not a problem, Da. We're going to have a lot of fun here," Harry said, hugging him. "Have a good trip to Bath."

"How long will you be gone, Da?" asked Eric. He looked a bit uneasy.

"I'll be away for the rest of today and tonight and come back tomorrow night, late. You'll probably be sleeping, Eri, so I'll see you on Monday morning. Now, you behave too and listen to James and Miss Matilda and Harry."

"I will, Da." Eric moved and threw his arms about Severus. "I'll miss you, Da."

"I know. But you'll have a good time going to the fair today and trick-or-treating with Teddy, Tessa, and Draco." Severus hugged him back, feeling suddenly anxious.

"D'aco's coming, Da?" asked Rosie eagerly. "To play wif' me?"

"Yes, Rosebud, he is. But until then I want you to play nicely with your brothers and don't touch anything in Mr. Potter's house, understand?" Severus moved to address his youngest. "Look with your eyes, not your hands."

Rosie nodded. "Mr. Potter is Harry's daddy, right?"

"Yes."

Her little brow wrinkled. "How come Harry has two daddies?"

"Uh . . .I'll tell you later," Severus hedged, not wanting to go into that subject just yet. "Just remember what I said, Rosalind. Behave, or else James will put you in time out just like at home."

"I'll be good, Da." She flung herself at him, clinging to him. "Do you have to go, Da?"

"I'm afraid so. But I'll be back soon. It's only for two days."

Rosie sniffled. "That's long!"

"I know, snippet, but . . . if you and your brothers behave, I'll . . .bring you a surprise when I come home."

"What kind of s'prise?"

"If I tell you, it won't be a surprise, now will it?" her father said, gently stroking his fingers through her auburn hair, which was the same color as Lily's, but silky soft like his own. He felt a sudden spasm clutch his heart, as he realized he would be away from his baby for forty-eight hours, unable to comfort her if she woke with a nightmare or got sick or wanted to snuggle with him and read a story. He loved his sons fiercely, but his daughter had him wrapped about her finger from the moment she had gazed at him with her newborn dark eyes. To his horror, he felt sudden tears sting his eyes. Stop it, you idiot! It's not like you'll never see her again, you maudlin dunderhead, he scolded himself roundly. Yes, it was definitely time to leave. "You have fun playing with Draco, Rosie. I'll be back before you even know it." He gave her a kiss on the cheek and handed her off to Harry.

She squirmed on her brother's lap, whining, "Da-a-a! I wanna come!" She held out her arms, tears gathering in her brilliant eyes.

Harry quickly stood up, and carried Rosie over to the large window. "Rosie, don't cry. Look, we can go and feed the peacocks. See those big pretty birds over there? My dad says we can throw bread to them." Harry pointed to the three large peacocks walking upon the lawn. One was a traditional royal blue and green, one was a dazzling white, and the other was a sparkling gold and white.

"Thank you, Harry," Severus mouthed to his elder son and he quickly rose and slipped out of the den.

"Are you all ready to go, Sev?" Lily asked upon spotting her husband. She had bid her children goodbye before bringing them over to Godric's Hollow.

"Yes. We'd better leave right away, Lily. Before Rosie wonders where I am." Severus said hastily. He shot a warning look at James. "You had better take good care of her. Sometimes she has nightmares-"

"I understand. Don't worry, Severus. I'm sure your . . .err . . .book explains everything. Have fun and I'll see you on Sunday night." James waved farewell to the two apothecaries as they Flooed back to Diagon Alley.

The former Auror decided to go and check upon the children before reading over the bloody tome of rules Snape had given him. But before he could move, the Floo flared again, startling him.

"What?" he whirled, wand in hand, only to see Tildy step through the green flames. "Hello, Tildy!"

"Hello, James. Are the Snape children here yet with Harry?"

"Yes, they were just dropped off," James said. "Come on, I'll introduce you to them." He led the way into the living area.

Page~*~*~*~*~*Break

International Brewers Conference

Bath:

Severus and Lily were escorted into their suite by a house elf, after they had registered in the large book in the meeting hall. The large stone hall was set in the middle of the square, and across from it was the inn where Severus and Lily had their room. Several other buildings made of reddish brick surrounded the hall, these were where you could attend a lecture or an experimental brewing session. There were two mandatory lectures you had to attend, the first one was an introductory one, which welcomed all the apothecaries to the conference and listed all the seminars and lectures one could attend, and handed out programs of the events. The last one was held on Sunday, as a wrap-up. Other than that, you could attend as few or as many lectures and sessions as you wished. Lily had been asked to be a speaker, telling the other apothecaries about the invention of a new and improved Nerve Elixir for victims of the Cruciatus Curse and also strokes. Severus had helped her invent it, but he refused to give a talk, he hated doing them, so Lily had agreed.

Scattered all over the main square were kiosks selling everything from sweets to cauldron stirrers, hot apple pies to toys. There were stalls selling robes with all kinds of repelling charms for apothecaries, as well as flame retardant gloves and goggles. The two meandered through them, and Severus said he would have to come back later and shop for a surprise for Rosie and her brothers.

"I'm sure we can find something, Sev," Lily agreed. They were dressed in formal apothecary robes, he in black and she in midnight blue. Stitched on their robes was the emblem of the Apothecary Master Guild, a mortar, pestle, and cauldron. They made their way inside the meeting hall and took their seats for the commencement, accepting the programs handed out by a small elf by the door.

As they sat down, they saw a couple of other apothecaries they recognized from previous years and waved to them. Then the Head of the Guild mounted the stage and began to speak.

The introductory lecture took about half-an-hour, Severus listened with half an ear, to be polite, since everything was spelled out in the program anyhow. He applauded the announcement of young apothecaries who had attained Mastery status, two of them were ones who had worked in the shop over the last three years.

At last they were dismissed. Severus turned to Lily and asked, "Would you like to attend the seminar on Improved Cold Elixirs, Lil, or shall I?"

"That one looks good, but so does Mistress Thora Korialis's experimental session on strengthening solutions and improving the immune system." Lily replied, perusing the program. "How about you attend the Cold Elixir, that's at ten o'clock, and mine is at ten thirty. By the time mine's over, we can eat lunch and you can shop a bit. Then we can see about the afternoon exhibits. I'm glad mine isn't until tomorrow."

"All right. Let's do that," Severus agreed. If they happened to come to a conference together, which was rare now that they had three children, they usually split up, so each one could attend and learn at a different seminar. "I'll see you at noon." He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss before departing for the building to the right of the meeting hall. Each lecture or experiment usually ran about an hour and a half to two hours.

Page~*~*~*~*~*Break

Severus squinted as he emerged into the bright sunshine from the lecture hall. He had found the session quite informative and taken plenty of notes. He would have to try brewing some new drafts of Pepperup Potion and Lung Repair Cordial when he returned home. He paused upon the edge of the square, it was eleven thirty, which meant he had thirty minutes to kill before noon. A stand with a brightly striped awning selling small toys and trinkets caught his eye.

He began to make his way over to it, when a hand touched his shoulder and a throaty voice whispered in his ear, "Severus, darling, fancy meeting you here!"

He turned, drawing away from the hand, he hated being grabbed unaware, a legacy from his abused childhood. To his surprise he saw an attractive witch with short golden hair and merry hazel eyes grinning at him. She was wearing a purple robe that hugged her tall figure, slit up the side so you could catch a glimpse of her tanned calves and fashionable suede boots. She was smiling in a wickedly delicious come-hither way designed to entice a man to forget his own name.

"Medea Argentin! I thought you had moved to Greece," he exclaimed, trying to ignore the way his libido stirred. Medea was a quarter veela and once he had dated her, when he had been a naïve boy fresh from the Academy and Lily had been married to James.

"Oh, I was, but it was so boring and stuffy over there!" she sniffed deprecatingly. "Too much tradition, if you know what I mean." She made a dismissive gesture with one hand.

Severus knew what she was implying. She had found no men willing to put up with her wild attitude and expensive tastes. It was one reason why he had broken it off with her. Medea was high maintainance and he couldn't afford her, nor did he love her, she was very possessive and he could only take so much of that type before growing irritated. They had lasted about three months before he had broken it off. She was the last person he expected to see here.

"It's nice to see you again. You're looking well," he muttered politely, wishing she would quit staring at him as if she wished to devour him.

"So are you, darling! You haven't changed a bit since you were twenty," she purred, grasping his sleeve again.

"What lectures are you attending?" was his next question. That way he could avoid her.

"Lectures?" she snorted. "Bite your tongue, Sevvy! I had all the lectures I'll ever need back in school. I'm here to make some new contacts . . . understand?" she purred, her voice suddenly shifting to a rich velvet that would have made a dead man shiver.

Severus felt himself begin to respond and quickly clamped down ruthlessly on his desire. It was an old veela trick, and he was not about to fall for it. He should have known Medea would be here for one thing only—to find a new partner for her bed. "I see," he firmly withdrew his arm from her grasp. "I'm afraid that I'm no longer available."

"Oh, come now! Surely you're not still mooning over that red-haired snot who dumped you for that rich boy? After all this time?"

Severus flushed angrily. "Always. And she divorced her first husband and married me. We've been married for several years now. I have three children."

Medea pouted. "Humph! Congratulations. I think." But then she eyed him thoughtfully. "Still . . . you must be growing bored with her by now. The same old thing day after day. Why don't you come and have a drink with me? For old time's sake?"

"Sorry. I'm meeting Lily for lunch in ten minutes." He declined, feeling like a bird being stalked by a snake.

She licked her lips seductively. "We can do a lot in ten minutes, darling. Remember?"

Severus did. He coughed. "No, Medea. I'm not interested. Forgive me for being blunt."

"Why not? Because you're married? Married men have flings."

"Not me," he said sharply.

"Oh, Sevvy, don't be such a stick in the mud," Medea hissed. "She'll never know. We'll be . . .discreet."

"It's Severus," he corrected her, keeping his voice low. "Don't make a scene, Medea. I'm sure there are others here who would be more than happy to . . . satisfy you."

"I don't want anyone else. I'll be she doesn't appreciate you like I do."

Severus snorted. He knew quite well that Medea's "appreciation" only ran skin deep.

"You used to love it when I did this . . ." her finger began to trace the outside of his ear.

"That was a long time ago. It's done, Medea." He quickly moved away from her. "Goodbye." He tossed over his shoulder.

Had he bothered to look back, he would have seen a very angry and frustrated witch, who muttered under her breath, "This isn't over, Snape!"

But at that precise instant, Lily emerged from the building on the right and headed straight for Severus.

"How was your seminar? Did you learn anything interesting?" she asked brightly, hugging him.

"Yes. I've my notes here, you can look them over." He patted his satchel. "How about yours?"

"It was very good. I enjoyed it. But now I'm starving."

"Let's go and eat." He led her away to the kiosks selling all kinds of food and they bought hot chicken pies and chips and cold lemonade. They took their lunch and sat at one of the small tables scattered about, complete with an umbrella.

"This is so nice," Lily said. "The sun, the fresh air, and just the two of us for once."

"And no children to interrupt us."

"That too. I just hope they aren't driving James crazy."

"Potter deserves to be driven crazy after the things he put us through last year," her husband remarked. He finished his plate of chips and asked, "What would you like to do next? Attend some more lectures? Or shop? Or how about test out the famous hot springs?"

He was referring to the legendary "waters" of Bath, which people believed had miraculous curative properties. They were a series of hot and cold springs and mineral water, and the town had built their reputation on them as one of the world's best spas and relaxation resorts.

Lily consulted her program. "Well, there was a lecture on the properties of some new herbs I think we ought to attend, but that's at four o'clock. How about we pick up a few things for the kids and then see how long the line is for the spa? If it's too long we'll go tomorrow and relax in our room until the lecture."

"Sounds like an excellent idea, Mrs. Snape." He rose, about to banish their trash when a house elf popped up and did it for them. "Thank you."

"No thanks are necessary, Master," the elf replied, bowing. Then he vanished.

Severus glanced about surreptitiously, but he didn't see Medea. "Come, Lily. I saw a stand selling toys over that way." He put an arm about her and together they walked down to the brightly covered awning.

They lingered awhile, Severus chose a soft rag witch wearing removable apothecary robes and came complete with a small cauldron and fake potions kit for Rosie. The doll had strawberry blond hair and blue eyes and had other clothing and accessories. "This will make a nice birthday present, Lily. The doll we can give her now and buy some of the other clothes for her birthday."

"That's brilliant, Sev!" Lily exclaimed, and purchased a few more outfits and a black cat familiar for the doll. "I guess you did learn something from being dragged all over on my shopping expeditions."

Severus rolled his eyes. "How could I not?"

"Now, how about Eric?"

They chose a child's self-stirring cauldron and recipe book, and for Harry a more advanced child's potions kit and a selection of sweets for all of them. Next Lily went to visit the robe booth, and bought new robes for both of them. Severus perused the rare herbs and ingredients stall while Lily was measured for a pair of dragonhide boots.

After making a few more purchases, they sent their packages back to their room and went across the street to a building called the Pump Room, where the famous spa was. It was partially in the wizard and Muggle world, though Muggles couldn't see the queue of wizard customers.

Severus frowned at the long line, it wrapped almost about the pavement. "Lily, maybe we ought to—"

"Severus, darling! Come to try out the waters?" cooed a familiar voice. "I've heard they do wonders for a pasty complexion!"

Bloody hell! Groaned the Potions Master, trying not to respond to Medea. For once he wished he wasn't a gentleman and could hex the annoying witch to the moon. Gritting his teeth, he turned about to see Medea standing behind him. "Hello, Miss Argentin."

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your . . .?"

"Wife," Lily supplied, her eyes suddenly frosty. "I'm Lily Snape, and you are?"

"Medea Argentin. I knew your husband once upon a time," Medea said, her eyes suddenly hard as diamonds. "It's been too long, Severus. As I said, the waters here are renowned for their curative properties." She cast Lily a disdainful look, which said louder than words that it would take more than mineral water to rid him of his dowdy wife.

"So I've heard," drawled Severus. "But the line is a bit too long for my taste. Enjoy the spa, Miss Argentin. Perhaps we shall sample it another time." With that, he drew Lily off the queue and back towards the inn.

"Who was that?" Lily demanded as they climbed the steps to their suite.

Severus sighed. "An old flame. I went out with her briefly while you were married to James. She moved to Greece after I ended it. I never expected to see her again."

"It would appear she still has a thing for you." Lily's mouth twisted angrily. "Pushy bitch."

"Forget about her," Severus soothed, shutting the door and locking it behind them. "She's old news."

"Well, if she keeps sniffing around you, I'm going to put my boot in her face," Lily said, turning about and kissing him possessively.

He drew her into his arms. "Never fear, Lily. There is no one for me but you. Always."

With a wave of his wand, he banished their clothing and they spent the rest of the afternoon indulging themselves upon the silk sheets until four o'clock.

After the lecture, they went to dinner with all the other apothecaries in the meeting hall. The dinner was a huge hot and cold buffet with everything from lobster salad to prime rib, fried calamari to chicken wings. Wine, ale, and firewhiskey were served, along with the usual water and juice beverages. The food was excellent, and there was a live band.

Severus danced several dances with Lily, he was not a superb dancer, but he knew enough of the steps to not look like a fool, and Lily was happy he was willing to dance at all in public. Then again, there were several other couples out on the floor they knew from other conferences, and they were all laughing about how awful their dancing was, and it made Severus less self-conscious.

Medea was there, dressed in an outrageously revealing gold lame dress, dancing with almost every available man there. She flashed Lily a sneer as she twirled by in the arms of a tall blond who looked more like a Quidditch Chaser than an apothecary.

"Tramp!" Lily growled, then she tilted her head up and kissed her husband.

"Ignore her, Lily," Severus whispered. He escorted her back to their table for the sweet course.

Afterwards, they thanked the Head of the Association, Melvin Corbin, and retired to their suite.

Severus read a book while Lily took a shower and asked the house elves to wake her at a quarter to nine tomorrow morning.

"Shall I come too, Lil? For moral support?" offered her husband.

"No. I'll be fine and I know how you hate everyone gawking and pointing at you," his wife demurred. "You can sleep in for once. And maybe even take the waters if you get up before eleven. I've heard there's not much of a line then, because most everybody else will be in a seminar."

"Hmm. That's something to think about," Severus said. He set his book aside and drew his wife close, sensing she needed the reassurance of his touch after seeing Medea again.

Lily Noxed the lamp, for they needed no light for what came next.

Page~*~*~*~*Break

Sunday morning

Brewer's Conference

Bath:

Severus woke up, stretching leisurely. It was half-past nine and Lily was long gone to speak at her lecture. For a few moments, he felt guilty and considered getting dressed and heading to the hall to watch her give her presentation. But then he shrugged and decided, for once, to indulge himself. He rose, showered, and had an elf bring him breakfast in bed. He ate slowly, enjoying the fluffy cheese and chive omelet and crispy bacon. He drank his strong coffee and read the paper, soaking up the solitude and the sun that streamed through the large window. He could not recall the last time he had had breakfast in bed. Usually that only happened around Father's Day, and then he had his children climbing all over the bed and his knees, snitching food off his plate and giggling and laughing. This however, was sheer bliss.

He didn't get up until ten fifteen, and then he dressed casually, throwing on his everyday black robes, and carrying a set of swimming trunks in his pocket. He wandered about the square for ten minutes, watching the vendors set up for the day and enjoying the peaceful morning. Birds fluttered everywhere, picking up crumbs and singing. He glanced across the way at the Pump Room and saw that it was now open and only twenty or so people were on line.

Severus joined them. He was skeptical about the actual curative properties of the hot springs, but it was a novelty, and he decided he might as well see for himself what all the fuss was about. He thought about waiting for Lily, but figured she would join him once her seminar was finished around eleven. It was ten thirty-five now.

A few minutes went by and then he was inside. There was a small room with mosaic tiles and cubbies to place one's clothing in, and two changing rooms, one for men and one for women. The cubbies were charmed to keep thieves from stealing one's belongings while one was in the spa. There was a sign to that effect over the recessed spaces.

Severus changed into his swimming attire and took his towel and made his way down a short hall to a large door marked, Warm Plunge. This was the first of the hot springs, and it was set up like an ancient Roman bath.

Once you were done with all three pools—warm, hot, and cold-there were massage facilities set up as well as stations for pedicures and manicures and even barbers and hairdressers. There was a small café that sold snacks and beverages and more shops as well.

There were separate pools for men and women, and Severus quickly submerged himself in the gently bubbling water. It was not the deep heat of the true hot spring, but a gentle warmth. There was a faint mineral tang to the water, but after he wandlessly Summoned some cedar crystals and sprinkled them in, he allowed himself to relax and swim leisurely for about ten minutes. There was no one else in the Warm Plunge and so he had the large pool all to himself.

The walls of the facility were tiled and had several pictures on them of different mythological sea creatures. The lighting was recessed and soothing to the eyes. Once he had adjusted to the warm pool enough, he decided to move to the Hot Plunge, where he could really soak himself.

He climbed out of the spring, wrapped his towel about his neck and padded through the door marked Hot Plunge.

Two other wizards were soaking in there, they gave him nods and then ignored him.

Severus slipped into the steamy water after leaving his towel upon a hook. The temperature of the hot pool was around 110 degrees and Severus felt his bones start to melt as he floated in the water. The mineral smell was more pronounced here, but after sprinkling some white pine crystals in the water, it was less noticeable. The Potions Master half-closed his eyes and floated calmly in the water, the pool was so large that it could hold ten or twelve people comfortably.

After about five minutes, the other two wizards climbed out and headed to the cold pool, as it was only good to stay in the Hot Plunge for about twenty to twenty-five minutes at a time.

Severus heard the door shut behind them and permitted himself to relax totally. It felt wonderful to just lie there and let the soothing heat unwind all his muscles and take away the stress he had felt from the day before with Medea pursuing him all over like a dog in heat. Well, here was one place she could not follow.

He drifted, his mind spinning in lazy circles, recalling bits and pieces of potion recipes, holding Lily, watching Rosie take her first steps, helping Eric build a sandcastle at the beach, teaching Harry to make a Color-Change potion, walking with Remus in the woods on the farm, roughhousing with Teddy and Tessa on his living room rug . . .reading Jamie a bedtime story . . .curling close to Lily upon the couch in a rare moment of intimacy after putting the children to bed . . .she began to massage his shoulders, caressing the back of his neck . . .

Abruptly, he sat up with a splash, for the fingers caressing him were not phantoms of memory, but real ones.

"What in bloody hell!" he cried. He twisted about, certain he was being propositioned by another wizard. "Excuse me, but I'm not—"

"Surprise, pretty boy!" Medea laughed up at him.

Severus nearly slapped her. She was wearing a suit that looked like scraps of cloth, it revealed much more than it covered. "Medea! Get out of here!" he sputtered, furious.

"Why?" she smirked, then she swam towards him. Before he could get out of the pool himself, she had entwined herself about him and pulled his head down for a breath-stealing kiss.

A house elf popped into the room, wringing its hands. "Mistress, you must leave! Is not proper for you to be here, Sparky will get in terrible trouble! Please, Mistress, 'tis forbidden!"

There came a loud cough from the side of the pool, and a man's voice said sternly, "If you want to do that kind of thing, get a room! That's not done in the bathing area!"

Severus managed to push Medea off him. He stood up, dripping water all over, to meet the blushing gaze of a young man wearing a shirt and cargo pants with Staff written across them. "Believe me, this was not my idea! Feel free to escort her out of here."

"Escort me . . .!" Medea's voice was stiff with outrage and grew even shriller as her temper mounted. "I'll leave when I'm damn good and ready, Severus Snape! And don't you forget it!" She arced up from the pool like a siren, her eyes blazing.

The boy's eyes looked as though they were about to fall out of his head. "Uh . . . err . . ."

"Mistress, you is not allowed here!" cried the elf.

"Stick it up your arse, short stuff!" snarled the witch.

"Sir, there's another woman waiting for you out there," the boy managed to say as Severus strode past him towards the outer complex.

Severus opened the door . . . and saw Lily standing on the other side.

"Sev, what is going on?" she began, until she saw Medea come up behind him, wearing almost nothing. Hurt flashed in her green eyes as she stared at her husband and the other witch who was wearing a smug grin. Before Severus could say anything, Lily snarled, "You bastard!"

Then she slammed him one right in the nose. The crack of breaking cartilage echoed in the now silent room.