Analise was the prettiest and kindest little girl in her village. Her mother, Tama, adored her, and everyone, it seemed only thought well of the child. For Analise it seemed there was no evil in her small world.

But evil is never far, and it was said that there was evil in the forest that crept along the border of the village. Brave hunters might enter, but children were warned from birth not to step foot into the forest, else they might vanish... or worse.

However, there was another evil besides the forest that lived and walked amongst the villagers. It was the Blacksmith, Kalik, who wanted Analise's lovely mother. Kalik was a selfish man who never took 'no' for an answer. He was handsome, too, and charming when he wished to be. Tama only saw this when the Blacksmith came to call, and before long, she and the Blacksmith wed.

The Blacksmith did not care for Analise for she was not his true child and so he began to plan a way to get rid of the child where Analise's mother would suspect nothing. Tama would mourn and Kalik would comfort her. Then, he would give Tama strong sons until she forgot about her cornsilk-haired child.

One day the Blacksmith announced he had to travel to Market for a new horse and a few new tools. He offered to take Analise with him. Analise was delighted by such an adventure for she had only heard the wondrous tales of the Market. Her mother was wary, but her husband assured her that the sun was high in the sky, and they would return well before it fell. Travel through the forest, with the strong Blacksmith, would be nothing for Analise's mother to worry about.

Trusting her husband, Tama waved farewell to her only child, and watched, with only the tiniest of trepidation, as the cart with her husband and daughter faded into the forest.

Analise enjoyed the ride and the forest. It really didn't seem at all that frightening during the day. It was beautiful, and cool, and the slender trunks of the trees were bold strokes of earthen colour against the green leaves. She delighted in the birdsong that followed them, and the scents were heady, exotic, even.

She wasn't a very talkative child, which made it easier for the Blacksmith to contemplate his subsequent actions as he spurred on his horses to a gallop. As the cart gained in speed, it bumped terribly on the uneven path. Analise tried to hang on as she was bounced about on the hard seat of the cart, and she would have been fine had not the Blacksmith given her a mighty shove that sent her little body flying from the cart.

As the Blacksmith drove further into the woods he laughed harshly. Analise fell to the ground, bruised but not terribly hurt. Perhaps if she'd been a bit older, her bones more strengthened by age, she might have been terribly hurt, or even killed. She was dazed, and lay where she'd fallen, upon the soft, moss-carpeted floor of the forest for some minutes. Her gaze blinked against the dappled sunlight overhead, and she sighed.

Analise was a wholly remarkable child. She could have cried... well, she did sniffle a bit because she missed her mother, but she had heard too many tales of the evil forest at night. The smart little girl knew that if she were to see her mother again, she must keep her wits about her.

Rising to her feet, Analise dusted off her pinafore and swept her long, blonde hair out of her face and squared her shoulders.

Watching the dust drifting back down to the ground from the long, gone cart, Analise did feel the tears prickling at her eyes. She really wanted her mother, but to be realistic, her mother wasn't here and she was.

For a time, Analise wandered along the cart path, but it began to fade, becoming swallowed up by weeds, snaking vines, and creeping moss. She couldn't say when, but she soon found herself surrounded by the trees. They seemed to be moving closer to her, circling her, and somehow they didn't seem as beautiful anymore.

No child is perfectly brave, no matter how much they try to be. Analise succumbed to her fear of being in the evil forest all alone, away from her mother, and literally thrown away by the cruel Blacksmith.

"I want my Mummy!" she cried softly, not bothering to wipe away the tears that fell down her cheeks.

"Sssss," came a soft, sibilance that seemed to wend its way around the weeping little girl.

"Who is that?" sniffled Analise.

"Sssweet child, alone in my foressst." A beautiful snake of iridescent green and sapphire blue slithered over Analise's feet.

Other children would scream at such contact and run away, but not Analise. She'd always liked snakes and had never found them to be either terrifying, nor dangerous.

"Hello, pretty sssnake," she said as her voice took on the hissing hue of the snake language.

"You underssstand me, sssmall human?" asked the snake slithering closer.

"I do. My Mummy sssaysss it isss a gift my father'sss ancessstorsss gave me." She pet the snake's smooth head lightly with her finger.

"Sssuch a gift it isss. I sssaw the male of your ssspeciesss throw you away. Are you bad?" The snake curled up in her lap, luxuriating in the child's warmth.

"Sssometimesss I am bad and Mummy ssspanksss me. My new father doesss not care for me ssso he got rid of me. I want to go home, but the foressst isss evil and I won't live when night fallsss."

"Ahhh, the tale mothersss tell their eggsss to keep them sssafe. I have heard thossse. The foressst is no more dangerousss than your village isss, child. Danger comesss from not knowing how to sssurvive the night. I will keep you sssafe."

"You will?" Analise asked in delight.

"You ssspeak the Sssong of the Ssserpent, sweet egg. It isss my duty to your ancessstor to keep you sssafe and deliver you to your mother."

So Analise spent the night with the beautiful snake. It showed her how to gather up leaves to create a warm bed against the chill of the night and told her stories to keep her happy and to chase away the nightmare of the evil Blacksmith.

As Analise slept, the other creatures of the forest came, but were warned by the snake that she was its 'egg' and under her protection. A wolf, that was friend to the snake, listened carefully as the snake told about how the child was thrown from the cart by an evil human.

"I know this man," growled the wolf, careful not to wake the sleeping child. "He smiles, speaks words of honey, but I have seen the bodies of those he has hurt. Your egg will not be safe if he returns to the village."

What no one knew was that Kalik the Blacksmith was a truly evil man with a heart as Dark as the darkest night. For several years children had vanished from their mothers and fathers hearths in the surrounding villages, never to be seen again. Kalik, afraid that his horrid darkness might be discovered hoped that a marriage to the eligible Tama would throw any suspicion from him. Thus, he might continue his games with innocent children.

At daybreak the wolf left the sleeping child in care of the snake who had claimed her, and went to find his brothers.

In the village, Tama had spent a night of grief over the loss of her beloved child. Kalik had returned just before dusk with a grand tale of robbers that had overturned his cart, took his new tools, his money, and captured Analise. He wept, crocodile tears, with his wife, as he related his tale to any that would listen. In his shriveled heart, he crowed and laughed at his success, again making a promise that he would give Tama sons to replace the dead child. Sons, he would teach his games to.

Much later the next morning, the wolf returned to the snake and the little girl. Analise was afraid at first, but the snake assured her egg that the wolf was a friend. The wolf told the snake of the Blacksmith's story and that all in the village mourned Analise's death.

A plan was made to keep Analise in the forest, safe with the creatures, until the Blacksmith had to journey to the town again. The snake explained the plan, but did not elaborate on what the wolf and his brother intended for the vile Blacksmith. Analise was content with her new-found friends, knowing that eventually she'd return to her mother's arms.

A few strategic midnight raids upon the Kalik's smithy where the wolves removed vital tools, meant the Blacksmith had to return to town before he had planned. So, two days after his journey where he'd gotten rid of his step-daughter, he got out his cart, made his goodbyes to his wife, and made his way to town.

The wolves were waiting. They made certain to visit upon the Blacksmith all the pain and terror he had caused the innocents.

By late afternoon, the snake and the wolf brought Analise back to the edge of the village. She ran all the way to her home and burst into the small house and threw herself into her startled mother's home. Tama was so overjoyed at the return of her daughter she wept. Later, she listened in horror as Analise, who had never been known to lie, told her mother the true story of what happened.

The Blacksmith never returned and the forest lost its aura of evil as Analise's friend, the wolf, and his brothers, became the Protectors of the village.

No more children disappeared, and the village thrived, as did the lovely Analise, who one day told her story of her marvelous friends to her own children, and then to her grandchildren.

"That's a really good story, Dad," Harry complimented sincerely.

"Thank you, son," smiled Severus as he brushed Harry's hair off his cheek. "As I told you, this is a magical story. The snake and the wolf, just as they were friends and protectors of Analise, will befriend you and protect you, as well." He tapped Harry's forehead lightly with his index finger. "Here, in your dreams, they will help you against the Snake-Man and Aunt Petunia and anyone or anything else that frightens you."

"Really?" asked Harry. His hand carefully drifted over his father's fine script.

"Truly. Every night we will re-read this story to renew the magic."

"Will it really work?" Harry's voice was hopeful.

It was Draco who replied, "When I was little, Harry, I had some scary nightmares, too. Uncle Severus created a magic story for me, and it helped a lot with my nightmares."

Harry seemed relieved by that. "What was your protector, Draco?"

"I had a vampire," he smiled with a wicked glint in his grey eyes.

"Vampire? But, those are scary!" protested Harry.

"Oh sure, they can be, but there are rare ones that are good and I'd always wanted to meet a good one."

Harry smiled, then. "Okay. I think I can sleep now, Dad."

"Good!" smiled Severus as he gently removed his son from his lap so he could stand up. "Let's all get some sleep."

A few minutes later, Severus was tucking his son into bed. The parchment with the story, he folded in half and tucked it under his son's pillow.

"You sleep well, child," said Severus softly as he brushed his fingertips over Harry's cheek. "You have nothing to fear, now, but..." he paused, "if you need me, your brother is near, and so are your mother and I."

"I love my family," Harry sighed as he burrowed under his covers. "G'night, Dad. Night, Draco."

"Goodnight to both of you." Severus doused the lights, but felt a hand on his arm. He turned towards Draco. "Yes?"

"Sir, I really do think you ought to keep writing. There IS magic in your stories." He flopped back onto his bed and yanked up his covers to beneath his neck.

Severus leaned over and cupped Draco's cheek. "You are growing up into a fine, young man, Draco. I am pleased you are a part of my family." To Draco's surprise, the older man leaned down further and kissed his forehead. That was something his godfather hadn't done since he was small. With a blossoming warmth in his heart, he watched his godfather leave the small bedroom before turning over on his side. He would definitely sleep well the rest of the night.

Echo woke the next morning blissfully curled up beside her husband. Her heart beat rapidly and pleasantly at that thought. For several minutes she watched as he slept before leaning over and kissing him awake. That caused a pleasant diversion until a half hour later when Severus stretched like a satisfied cat and reluctantly dragged himself out of bed.

It was then that he smelled the stomach tempting aroma of breakfast.

"I think someone woke up before we did," he smirked.

"So it would seem," Echo smiled and slipped out of bed. She grabbed her dressing gown and put it on, and then kissed Severus. "I'll go check on them."

Harry and Draco had wakened early and since they were hungry, they decided to fix breakfast. Rummaging through the cooler that Echo brought, they found everything that they needed and got to work in the small kitchen alcove making pancakes and bacon and eggs.

They were joined a little later by two besottedly happy adults, who were also starved.

By 11 o'clock the tent was packed away, everything was shrunk down, and they made sure that the hideaway was left as they found it. Severus stopped to collect a few more flowers and roots, and soon they were making their way back to the Livingston and Harley.

"How do! How do!" greeted Harley enthusiastically. He was untying the rope that anchored his steamboat to a tree. "Congrats, Mr. and Mrs. Snape!" He grinned.

"I wish you could have come to the wedding, Harley," said Echo as he gave her a hand aboard.

"I'm sure it was a whizbang," he smiled. "But, me and land just don't agree too well." He grasped Harry under his arms and lifted him aboard.

Harry asked, "How come you don't like land, Harley?"

Severus stepped onto the boat and then helped Draco, catching him as he slipped. "Thanks, Uncle!"

"I am curious, too, Mr. Walnut," interjected Severus. "You do seem to have quite an aversion to land."

Harley planned to answer, but he had to send a few kicks at 'Wheezy' and get the motor started so that they were chugging their way out in reverse from the channel. It was about twenty minutes before the channel had widened enough that Draco requested taking over the rudder so Harley could finally answer the question.

Mopping his neck with his red handkerchief and taking a long swig of water from a bottle, Harley squinted into the morning sunshine. "It's roots."

"Roots?" asked Severus.

"Yep, roots. It's a strange thing, but when a sailing man like myself finds himself on land, there's that irresistible pull that calls you to stay put. Settle down. Get yerself a family and a regular job." He took another long draught of the water. "I shore don't have nothin' against all that. Had it myself, once. Maisie Gayle. Right pretty gal from Tennessee in the U. S. of A. We had us the little house, picket fence, and I sold insurance."

Both Severus' and Echo's eyebrows rose in disbelief at that. Harley laughed richly.

"Yep! Five years o'selling Muggle life insurance. I was good. But... well, things happened." He shrugged and went over to kick the pot-bellied stove and it sent up a cough of soot. "We was livin' in a little suburb not far from London proper. Back in the days of, You-Know-Who."

"Death Eaters," said Severus flatly.

Harley nodded. "Blew two of the bastards dead away with my shotgun, but it was already too late fer Maisie." He mopped his face with his red handkerchief a little too abruptly. "Haven't stepped foot on land since then." He took a deep breath, snorted rudely, and then grinned. "Me an' the Livingston's all I need these days. I expect we might just sink someday and it'll be a fittin' end to a good life." Harley walked away and went to stand in the bow of the boat for several minutes. When he returned to his guests, the melancholy mood had lifted and he was back to his old self.

Severus remained quiet, though. There were still Death Eaters out there. No Bellatrix, or Lucius... many were thankfully kissed and gone. A few had escaped, though. Albus had taken him aside after the wedding ceremony to let him know that he and his son, and now Echo, were still in danger.

He hoped for the day when he'd no longer have to watch his back. When he could sleep at night without having nightmares of losing Harry, or Draco. And, his fears for Echo were part of those nightmares, too.

Drawing Echo close to his side, he kissed her cheek and watched as they pulled away from the channel and out into the main waters of the ocean. For a brief moment, Severus felt that he understood all too clearly why Harley Walnut would never step foot on land again.