Lyrica removed the binding spell and directed Draco and Harry into Ashmere. She led them into the library and summoned two chairs for them to sit down upon. "Sit down, please." Although it sounded like a request, her tone of voice was clear; she was no more pleased with their fighting than was Snape.

"Mmmh gmmph mmff, mmffph!" Draco mumbled ineffectively through the silencing spell.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Malfoy, but I think I shall allow Master Snape to dispense with your silence." Lyrica examined their injuries. Bruises, a black eye for Draco, broken glasses for Harry, and broken noses for them both. She smiled in admiration of Hermione's restraining handiwork. "Your friend has quite a way with her spell work. I wonder though, why ever did you both resort to fighting when you might have caused a more impressive amount of damage with magic?"

Both Harry and Draco tried to reply, but it was useless. Lyrica dealt with most of the bruising and scratches and cleaned away the blood. The broken noses would require the skill of a medi-witch, but for now she could protect the injuries with a stasis spell.

"Reversis Silencio!" The spell announced the arrival of Snape. With the return of their voices, the cacophony of both of them talking ended abruptly as Snape stood before them, favoring the two miscreants with his most threatening look. He then turned his attention to Potter. "Mr. Potter, explain to me while you felt it necessary, again, to resort to Muggle means toward Mr. Malfoy?"

Harry threw a scowl at Draco. "He's not worth the effort of expending magical energy!"

"Same to you, Potter," snarled Draco.

"It's quite clear that Professor Lockhart's dueling class made not a whit of an impression upon either of you." He paced in front of them briefly. "I think we ought to resurrect those lessons. Perhaps if the two of you injure each other in a sanctioned activity, you might just learn to control your TEMPERS!

Both boys cringed from the volume of Snape's voice. Draco piped up in defense of himself. "It wasn't my fault, sir! He attacked me!"

"You deserved it, you bloody skrewt!" shouted Harry as he lunged again for Draco. "You assaulted Hermione!"

Snape caught Harry before he could body slam the snivelling Slytherin and shoved him down into the chair. He stood over Harry. "Mr. Potter, you were mistaken in your assumption of what was occurring between Mr. Malfoy and Miss Granger." Harry frowned in puzzlement. "Let me repeat myself, Mr. Potter... you were mistaken."

"No I wasn't!"

"Yes you were, Potter!" snapped Draco as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"No I wasn't!"

"Yes you..."

"SHUT UP!" Snape swept away so abruptly his robes snapped viciously behind him. He went to the door of the library and came back in with a very cowed, and still embarrassed Hermione. "Miss Granger, please enlighten your rescuer, Mr. Potter, as to the exact circumstances of what he saw."

Hermione blinked a few times as she tried to meet Harry's puzzled, searching gaze. She looked down at his feet instead. "Draco wasn't attacking me, Harry. I... I kissed him, first." Please let the floor open and swallow me up! she pleaded silently.

Harry was certain his hearing had gone off. Maybe he'd gone crazy. Was she joking? Hermione couldn't have meant what she said. "Are you kidding me? You kissed a Slytherin? You kissed Malfoy? He called you mudblood, Hermione!"

Harry found himself on the floor and with a black eye to match the one Draco had. Hermione had just socked him with her famous right hook. "Whom I choose to like and whom I choose to kiss is none of your business, Harry Potter. If you can't respect me enough to trust what I'm doing, then you don't know me as well as I thought you did." Hermione turned to Snape. "Professor? Would you mind if I go to my room? I'd like to begin on my essay."

Snape nodded to her and she stalked out of the library, but not until she cast an angry scowl at Harry. Snape then glanced at Draco and caught the smug look on the boy's face. "You're not entirely blameless in all of this, Mr. Malfoy. Your lack of foresight in this matter has diminished my expectations regarding your intelligence. You're Slytherin, boy, consider your actions and start thinking!"

Draco now felt about a foot tall. He gulped and whispered. "Yes, sir. I'll do that, Professor."

"Get up, Mr. Potter," Snape said with exasperation. He waited until Harry had gotten up and resumed his seat before speaking again. "You two may think I cannot give you detention, but you are both mistaken. Not only will each of you deliver to me two feet of essay on the consequences of jumping to conclusions, you will also assist me tomorrow in sorting through our notes in regards to time travel. Go to your rooms, now, and get to work."

Harry stood and led the way out of the library. Draco, who just really couldn't help himself, snickered to Harry, "She's a good kisser for a Gryffindor, Potter."

Harry didn't have a chance to punch Draco a third time and Snape was usurped in rebuking the boy just as Lyrica caught the Slytherin by the scruff of his neck. He yelped.

"Mr. Draco, boasting in such an ill manner is insulting to the young lady and is quite unbecoming in a gentleman. For that pitiful outburst, I shall require an additional one foot essay in regards to how a young man should treat a young lady. I expect you to have it completed this evening." Draco was about to plead his case to Snape when the headmistress warned him. "Be wise, Mr. Malfoy, and say nothing more." She let him go and Draco happily made his escape.

"You're very good, madam," Snape bowed his head and gave Lyrica a tiny smile.

She curtsied. "Why thank you, Master Snape." She began to laugh and shook her head.

"I'm glad to see that you find humor in this, Headmistress," he said sarcastically.

"Oh stop, Severus! They're children. Wild and unruly, but you can reign them in."

He sighed heavily and dropped down into the chair Draco had recently vacated. "They're going to drive me to madness, Lyrica."

She sat down in the other chair. "You're being melodramatic, Severus, and I believe you to be above that. Parenting is not that much different from being a teacher." He scowled at her. Lyrica ignored the look and leaned over to brush away a lock of his hair. "I know you're frustrated, but they're frightened. Their immediate future is shaky at best until you either find a way home, or you end the search for a solution. Until the matter is decided one way or another, what they need most is structure and the familiar; they need you as their anchor." Severus rolled his eyes and she touched his shoulder. "You know I'm right."

"Do I?" he asked with a sly gleam in his eyes.

"Yes you do, Severus. You're also not going to be alone in this. I shall help whenever I can get away from Hogwarts and Henry will be more than happy to assist you in keeping the children in line." She leaned in and kissed the tip of his nose.

"Henry. That ghost was a bit large for the thin Henry the VII. His son, perhaps? The infamous husband to six wives?" He drew Lyrica down onto his knee. "Pray tell, what is a member of the Tudor royal family doing residing in your home?"

"When he was a young boy, his father, his brother and Henry came to Ashmere as guests of Elphias. They spent several weeks hunting, falconing and enjoying my ancestors' hospitality. Not long after his death, Henry the VIII was first seen to haunt this house and the grounds. He's very jealous of any other ghosts sharing Ashmere and has kept it quite clear of other spectres."

"Ah. I noticed that he seems a bit more solid than the ghosts at Hogwarts." He traced Lyrica's jawline and smiled as she shivered.

"He does, doesn't he? When I've asked him, his only reply is that he's been a ghost for a very long time." Lyrica kissed Snape lightly. "Don't be surprised, though, if you and Henry happen to disagree in regards to the children. He can be over-protective at times."

Snape frowned. He wanted to ask if the ghost had ever been over-protective toward Lyrica. That was a question for another time, though. For now he drew her close, suddenly hating himself for his promise in finding a way back home.