Emily was back on Monday, to Harry's disgust. He was really hoping she'd not ever come back. Harry just stayed as far away from Emily as was possible, and he was a tiny bit pleased that the rest of the students stayed with him.

Emily pouted for awhile when Hamish ignored her, but then she ignored everyone else. Nobody really cared, except for Molly who kept trying to get the girl to participate in activities.

At lunch break Emily tried to play the little coquette and draw Hamish back to her side.

"Hammy," Emily said in a little soft whine as she looked over at Hamish sitting on another table with the others. "Aren't you going to sit with me?"

"No." Hamish replied tautly. The tall boy then turned to say something to Harry when Daniella cried out. Emily had thrown her orange at Harry, but her aim was bad and it hit Daniella, knocking her glasses from her face.

Hamish jumped angrily to his feet and strode threateningly over to the dark-haired girl. "You better apologise, Emily!"

"But, Hammy," Emily simpered, batting her lashes at the handsome boy. Emily reached out for Hamish's jumper sleeve.

Molly intervened. "Emily, finish your lunch and then you're going to do sweep and mop the cloak room."

"I'm a Pureblood! I don't do house elf work!" Emily screeched.

Molly Weasley was often the epitome of the effusive, motherly figure, but when she had to deal with a disobedient child, she could become scarier than Severus Snape at his worst. Emily Soong might be a spoiled, little brat, but even she knew that when Miss Molly put her hands on her hips and towered over you, it was best to do what she said.

Molly vanished Emily's lunch and pointed towards the cloak room. "The broom and mop are in the broom closet. Get to work."

Emily sniffled melodramatically and trudged back to the cloakroom. She managed a quick sneer towards Harry who had his arm protectively around Daniella.

The rest of the day was an uneasy one for Emily and she was glad when her mother came to take her home. Launching immediately into complaints about how Hamish had betrayed her. Thankfully, the Floo cut her off and no one else had to listen to her whining.

The next day, when Emily arrived to school, it appeared she'd done a complete 180 degree turnaround with her attitude. She was polite, when she needed to be and participated in class activities. She just didn't talk to anyone.

Emily tried very hard to cosy back up to Hamish, but he refused to have anything to do with the little girl. Molly expected the child to throw a temper tantrum at some point during the rest of the week, but when Friday came, Emily returned home with her mother. The girl was absolutely polite and even waved farewell to Hamish.

Molly was worried.

Emily was forgotten, though, for the weekend. This was the weekend in which Bill was finally free to break the Abortive Curse on Echo.

Although Bill wanted to help Severus and Echo right away, the pressures of school, being a teacher, and learning to deal with the children in Slytherin House, had Bill at a breaking point. Severus had verbally smacked the younger wizard and sent him to Madame Pomfrey for one of her patented lectures on 'taking care of yourself'. By the time the last weekend in September arrived, Professor Weasley had gotten himself more settled and on a more even keel with his job and his students; in other words, organised.

Friday evening after dinner Harry was sent to stay with Remus. Hector went along. Remus had promised a weekend of fun going to a fair in Muggle London.

"Harry?" asked his father as he looked through his son's overnight bag. "Do you want your..." Harry rapidly shook his head as he stepped up closer to Severus. The older wizard frowned in puzzlement. He leaned down and whispered, "What's wrong, son?"

Harry's eyes darted between Remus and his father. Harry didn't know that the werewolf's keen hearing could detect a whisper rather clearly so he heard as Harry softly told Severus that he wanted his dragon, but he didn't want Remus to think he was a baby for having it.

"Wait here," instructed Severus as he hurried up the stairs. A few minutes later he was headed back down carrying a blanket Harry had never seen before. "I think Harry might appreciate a bit of home while he's gone, Remus. His favourite blanket." Severus unfurled the blanket with the intent, supposedly, to fold it, but Harry was able to see his Opaleye Dragon as part of the design. He grinned.

"Oh yeah! I needed that, Dad!" Severus winked at his son, and Remus, kept his small smile to himself. The blanket was folded and shrunk and then packed into the overnight bag.

"One more thing, Harry!" Echo emerged from the kitchen with a bundle in a checkered cloth.

"Ohh! That smells lovely!" remarked Remus. Severus frowned.

"Walnut Pie Trifle." She handed it over to Remus and Hector came over wagging his tail to sniff it.

"Really, my dear, do you truly think these two need a dessert on top of the fair food they'll no doubt be indulging in?" asked Severus disapprovingly.

Echo smiled brilliantly at her husband. "Yes I do because I'm going to miss my little son terribly this weekend." She leaned down and gave Harry a hug and kissed his cheek. He hugged his mother tightly. She then pulled back and brushed his hair off his face. "You be good now, Harry."

"I will, mum!" Harry stretched up his arms for his father. Severus leaned down and hugged his son and Harry kissed his nose, and giggled.

"Very funny," scowled Severus. His dark eyes glittered with mirth. "Lupin, only one piece of that pie, mind. I don't need you to return our son hopped up on sugar."

"I suppose fairy floss at the fair is out then, Severus?" smirked Remus.

"Merlin's teeth, Lupin! That stuff is pure, vile sugar! Don't you dare give any of it to Harry," ordered Severus sternly.

"Harry will have a fine, safe, and healthy time, Severus." He took Harry's hand. "Ready, Harry?"

Harry tugged Hector, who was on a leash, closer to him. "I'm ready, Remus."

Echo tossed Floo powder into the fireplace and called out, "Number 12 Grimmauld Place." The green flames rose up with a roar and then Harry, Remus, and Hector stepped into them. They were gone in a blink.

On Saturday morning, Severus brought Bill to Fairwinds. Echo had prepared a nice breakfast and the three adults had pointedly avoided all talk of the curse breaking.

After breakfast, the preparations began for Bill to break the Abortive Curse. Healer Bell arrived then and she and Bill talked for some time while Echo and Severus waited, uneasily, on the sofa.

"Well, let's get started!" Bill's exuberance wasn't exactly welcomed by the nervous Snapes and he shrugged an apology as he sat down opposite them. "The first thing I need to do is to find out just which curse you have. It's painless for you, but it's a bit boring, for us." He glanced at Severus and Healer Bell. "You, Echo, get to sleep."

Healer Bell took out her wand. "I'll be spelling you to sleep. We can't have a potion wearing off in the middle of Bill's discovery."

Severus helped Echo to lie down on the couch and then he moved to a chair beside Bill. He stretched out his hand and Echo caught it.

"Ready?" asked the Healer.

"I am," said Echo. A wave of the Healer's wand and a short incantation, and Echo was asleep.

Bill stood, took out his wand, and began his discovery spell. It wasn't an easy thing to do as he had to draw a part of his spirit down into the curse in order to examine it. In less than a minute he was looking upon the curse within Echo.

The Dark Magic of the Abortive Curse was undeniably artistic as colourful threads inhabited Echo's womb. It was a cancer, a beautiful infection that pulsated like a living creature. It sent out a dozen tendrils towards Bill, trying to absorb him. He dodged the curse and with a twist of his magic he stretched out lightly to Echo's magical core. A thread of his magic attempted to touch hers and he was thrown out by a burst of sparkling red protection that threw his body back into the chair he'd sat in earlier. He was breathing heavily and fighting the boneless feeling of his body.

As Bill 'woke' the Healer was running a Diagnostic Spell over him. Severus brought the young wizard a glass of water which he quaffed down greedily. Bill tried to sit up, but his arms were still a bit rubbery. Severus pulled him up by his underarms. Bill winced as the man was just a bit too rough.

"What happened?" asked Severus guardedly.

Bill smiled and shook his head. "It's all right. My fault. I forgot about the Old Magic you two are bound by, Severus."

"I thought I felt... something," muttered Severus. He didn't wish to voice the horrid and irrational feeling that had surged within him the moment Bill was thrown backwards. He'd felt that the young wizard had tried to violate his wife.

Bill, though, knew precisely what Severus felt. "I'm not going to be able to do this without your help, Severus," Bill began to explain. "With that bond in place, no matter how I approach Echo's magic, or the curse, I'm going to be met with... hostility."

Severus' lips firmed into a thin line. He wouldn't say it aloud, but he was glad of any reason to help his wife. "What do I need to do, William?"

"We'll be using the Infero Maledicto incantation to slip our spirits into the root of the curse. Nothing physical can harm you, but her magic, or the curse itself, can cause considerable damage. Like you saw," explained Bill.

"It sounds similar to Legilimens," commented Severus.

Bill smiled. "That's right! It's very much like Legilimens. What I need you to do the moment we're at the root is to reach out to Echo's mind and assure her that we're not there to harm her. Keep her calm and then I can connect us to her magical core in order to analyse the curse."

Severus took out his wand, watched as Bill demonstrated the wand movements, and then, together, they incanted, "Infero Maledictio!"

Even though it wasn't his real body inside the pulsating, colourful mass of the Abortive Curse, Severus still found himself feeling dizzy. Bill caught him by the upper arm and steadied him.

"That's it?" asked Severus, rather in awe.

"No time for sight-seeing, Severus," warned Bill. "Contact your wife."

Severus realised in that second that he wasn't sure HOW he was supposed to contact Echo. Since he only had, possibly, a few seconds, he just imagined that he was looking into Echo's beautiful, deep ocean blue-eyed gaze.

Very softly he whispered, "Legilimens."

Severus drifted gently into Echo's mind and found himself within her dreams. He was in the nursery that Echo had described to him the night after their visit to Healer Bell. Echo stood by the window with her back to him. Her shoulders were shaking lightly and he could hear, just barely, the sound of her tears.

"Echo?" he spoke softly.

She turned and ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck. "Oh, Severus! We were wrong! The Healer was wrong! I can't ever have your baby!"

"Beauty, listen to me," he said softly, but with an undertone of urgency. "William is working on the curse, but unless you calm yourself and trust him, he won't be able to break it."

"He is?" she whispered, her body shuddering against his. "I was certain he'd gone back to Hogwarts. Is he here? Now?"

"Yes. Now please, calm yourself. Trust me."

There was a subtle shifting of the nursery walls and they were now in the living room of Fairwinds. Severus sat down with his wife on the sofa and drew her close to his side. Time froze and as he blinked, he was once more standing beside Bill.

Severus saw a blue filament of Bill's magic wrapped loosely around a silver filament of his own magic. Just as the Old Magic surged forward like some great, formless beast, Severus took a wary step backwards. Bill caught him.

"Don't move!" hissed Bill.

The Old Magic curved sinuously, like a dangerous cobra prepared to strike, around the wizards. A tendril shot out, touching Severus and within him, the Old Magic surged like a flame as it traveled down the woven strand of the two wizards magic. Echo's protective Old Magic bowed swiftly, subsiding like a gentle wave. It could only be seen peripherally; a warning that it was still protecting Echo.

"Amazing!" whispered Bill. He tore his scholarly thoughts from the behaviors of Severus' and Echo's bond and sought to touch his and Severus' magical cores to Echo's. There was no disruption, and Bill was able to examine the Abortive Curse.

By the time Bill and Severus emerged, both wizards were exhausted, in need of water, and something to eat. Healer Bell had been contacted by Albus who had sent over Dobby to assist. The house elf was perfectly on time with a tray full of food that the two men attacked ravenously. The Healer woke Echo, checked her over, and then the two women joined the feast.

After lunch, Bill sat down in the chair he'd occupied earlier. "I was able to identify the curse and how to break it." He leaned forward, his forearms on his knees. "I have to warn you that removing it isn't going to be easy and it will be painful. It's going to cause some damage..." Echo gasped and caught Severus' hands. Bill held up his hands. "That's why Healer Bell is here, Echo."

Lauren Bell patted Echo's shoulder and smiled thinly. "You'll be fine, Mrs. Snape."

"Why are you telling me this, then?" snapped Echo, breathing heavily.

"You need to know what to expect, so that you don't panic. It's going to hurt, there will be damage, but it can all be taken care of. You'll still be able to have children," Bill spoke sternly, but warmly.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you. Thank you, Bill," she said softly. Echo then looked at her husband. "Can we get this over with?"

"We can," nodded Severus. "Let's begin, William."

The fair was spectacular! Harry's eyes glittered as he was dazzled by everything. His favourite display was the petting zoo. There were striped horses (Remus called them zebras), and goats, lambs, a beautiful rooster that had a tail longer than Harry was tall. There was a Greased Piglet game and Harry joined the messy frolic. He didn't catch the piglet, but he had a lot of fun getting dirty.

After Remus took Harry to a secluded spot, he had the little boy cleaned with a quick flick of his wand. Harry ran right back to the Petting Zoo, with Remus jogging after him. He wanted to see the tame bison. The poster of it had caught his dazzled eye.

The very huge bison had a corner of the Petting Zoo all to itself. It was being tended to by a wiry, old man with haphazard whiskers on his chin.

"What's his name?" asked Harry of the wiry, old man that held the bison by a long, leather lead.

"Roy. G'head and pet his nose, young man," the old Muggle encouraged.

Remus stood behind Harry, rather wary of the large beast. It could probably eat Harry in one bite. Harry tentatively stretched out his small hand and very lightly touched the huge bison's warm, velvet nose. The bison let out a giant huff of air and Harry squealed as he leaped back into Remus.

"Ewww! Bison bogies!" exclaimed Harry as he looked down at his somewhat slimy jumper.

"Roy jus' likes ya," chuckled the old man. He firmly patted the bison's side. "Come on over here an' give Roy a thump."

Harry stepped away from Remus and at first lightly petted the bison's side. He then patted the bison. Harry let out a giggling yelp as the bison shook its great, shaggy head. The little boy sprinted over to Remus. He was grinning.

"Having fun, Harry?" chuckled Remus.

"Yeah!"

They left the bison behind in order to explore the rest of the fairgrounds. There were crafts, face painting, and lots of art exhibits. Harry picked out an interesting small piece of artwork for his mother. It was a foil painting of a sparkling unicorn underneath a starry sky with fairies floating around its corn. At another exhibit, Harry found a bunch of interesting dried herbs that he thought his father might like, so he bought several.

"Look, Harry!" Remus was grinning and pointing at one of the many food booths scattered around the fair.

"Fairy floss!" crowed Harry.

"I think we really must try some, don't you?" asked Remus.

Harry nodded solemnly. "We've been very good. We've only had hot dogs, and hamburgers, so far."

They walked up to the booth as the owner was spinning the colourful spun sugar onto a stick. "What colour do you want, Harry?" asked Remus.

"Purple!" Harry was very soon the possessor of a large, spun mass of purple fairy floss. Remus showed him how to remove a piece of the flimsy confection and eat it. "It melts!"

"It's very sweet," remarked Remus. Severus was going to kill him if the Potions Master ever found out he'd fed the man's son straight sugar.

"I like it!"

Minutes later Harry's hands, his cheeks, lips, and even his tongue were purple with the dye used to colour the fairy floss. He was also sticky and managed to get it into his hair when he swept his hair off his face so it was sticking up and out, rather madly.

Remus, to his chagrin, was only marginally less sticky than Harry.

For the breaking of the curse, Bill had them move Echo to her and Severus' bedroom. Severus sat beside his wife, holding her hand, while Healer Bell kept up a running incantation of a Vitals Monitoring Spell.

Bill was at the foot of the bed with his wand held out in front of him. This time he didn't need to go into the curse. His spell was in a language Severus had only read in some of the oldest spell books.

"Hold her down, Mr. Snape," ordered the Healer as Echo began to thrash on the bed.

Remus was smiling a smile that was close to a laugh as he watched Harry get his face painted by a gypsy garbed young woman with streaks of blue, green, and yellow in her dark-blonde hair. Harry was trying not to smile, and certainly not to laugh since the delicate paintbrush tickled his skin.

"You have to go next, Remus!" declared Harry as he stifled another giggle.

"Oh, I think not, Harry. This is just for kids," protested Remus.

"No it's not," Harry blurted as he finally did giggle.

"I told you not to move," teased the gypsy girl as she tapped Harry's nose with the other end of her paintbrush. The young woman then looked up at Remus, her amber eyes sparkling flirtatiously at him. "You've a fine face for painting."

"Do I?" Remus turned his attention to the young woman and found himself instantly under the spell of her lovely eyes, and decidedly delicious smile. "I don't think I'd quite care for flowers on my cheeks, though."

"An animal," interjected Harry.

The gypsy girl paused in her painting and her eyes seemed to see right through Remus. It disconcerted him slightly, but he held onto his composure and only returned the artist's glance bemusedly.

After what felt like several long minutes, but was only a few seconds, Remus couldn't help asking, "What animal's face do you see for me?"

She looked away from Remus and dabbed a few sparkles under Harry's eyes. When she looked up, Remus felt a strong sense of foreboding. It nearly crushed him when the gypsy girl spoke silkily, "Wolf."

"I like wolves," said Harry.

The gypsy settled her gaze upon Harry as she continued to paint, but her words were clearly for Remus. "Wolves were once the companions of Man. They guided the Ancient Peoples during their hunts and protected their dreams at night. To befriend a wolf in this day and age is a very rare thing for those that are friend of the wolf will find in him a fierce heart, unbounded loyalty, and a great teacher."

Remus' heart began to thump painfully in his chest. Surely she can't know what I am. The woman is a Muggle!

"Are you a real gypsy?" asked Harry as she dabbed at a bit of paint that had dropped onto his chin.

"The Wandering Blood is in my ancestry, but I have no clan. My parents were earthbound and raised me to be the same." Harry gave her a puzzled look. "They weren't gypsies. As for me, I am a spirit that flits here and there wherever I am taken by the wind." She laughed and put down her paintbrush. "Others would call me nothing more mysterious than a hingkponk."

"Hinkypunk," Harry automatically corrected.

"That too," she winked, as she held up a mirror.

"Wow!" Harry's face had been transformed by the paint into that of an owl's face. "I look like Hedwig, Remus!" He turned to Remus. "Do you like it?"

"I think it is quite extraordinary, Harry. We'll have to take a photograph for your parents." Remus removed his wallet that held Muggle money. He took out a pound note and started to hand it over to the beguiling woman, but she folded his hand over it and cupped her hands over his.

"One never takes coin from a friend, Remus." She caught his gaze with her own and for a brief moment he felt as though time had stopped.

"It is customary to know one's friend's name," he said with more boldness than he felt.

"Journey Leeds." She slowly drew her hands away from his and turned slightly away, as if to dismiss him. Remus felt suddenly alone until Harry's hand slipped into his.

"Journey," he spoke softly.

The enigmatic Journey Leeds spun round suddenly and glitter showered forth from her fingers as she laughed. "Away wi' ye, good travelers!"

Dazzled by the sudden display, neither man nor boy saw the young woman as she slipped away. When Remus thought to say something, perhaps to thank her, she was nowhere to be seen.

"She's weird, Remus," smiled Harry. "But, I like her."

"She was certainly unusual, Harry. Come along. I think it's time for some lunch." Is it possible she is a witch? His thoughts asked softly.

"And more fairy floss?" Harry's eyes sparkled mischievously and Remus laughed richly.

Echo let out one final, exhausted scream as the curse was finally broken and its remnants were pulled from her body. She fell back on the bed and shivered as she felt a disturbing trickle of warmth down her thigh.

"Out! Out!" shooed the Healer. "Severus, get that boy some Pepper-Up, a Headache Potion, and some soup." Severus was helping Bill, who was leaning heavily against him, but he looked back anxiously at his wife.

Echo's usually warm, olive skin, was an ashen grey. Sweat suffused her entire body and her hair streamed outward, making her look more vulnerable. And then, Severus saw the blood.

Healer Bell gripped Severus with both hands by the upper arm and forced him towards the door. "Your wife will be fine, Mr. Snape," she declared firmly, "now let me work."

A flash of anger set a dark scowl upon his face as his bedroom door was summarily slammed in his face.

"Pa'fesser," whispered Bill, bringing the older wizard back to the job at hand.

Bill was on his second bowl of soup when the Healer finally emerged from the bedroom. Before Severus could fully rise from his chair, she was nudging him back into place.

"How is Echo?" asked Severus in a strained voice.

The Healer smiled and summoned a cup of coffee for herself. "She's fine, Mr. Snape. I do apologise for being so abrupt with you, but I was there for your wife and you needed to take care of Mr. Weasley. You'll be pleased to know that the damage was minimal and is healing. She's asleep now, and she'll stay asleep for a full twelve hours."

Severus asked the question he knew Echo would want to know the answer to, "Will my wife still be able to have a child, Healer?"

"I do not foresee a problem, Mr. Snape. However, as I told you and your wife, I will need to monitor her closely just to be on the safe side." The Healer smiled tightly, but Severus didn't feel entirely assured.

The next afternoon Severus was finally able to see his wife. He brought in some broth and thick bread with butter.

Echo was seated in their bed with pillows plumped up behind her. She looked fresh, and she was smiling.

"How are you, Beauty?" he asked gently, setting the tray hovering securely in front of her.

"I feel like a dozen chains have melted away, dear Master Snape," she sighed happily and leaned over to smell the broth. "I think I might need more than just broth."

"Healer's orders. Broth and bread until tomorrow. Dobby wished me to make certain that you knew he'd made sweet butter just for you."

Echo laughed. "He is the oddest house elf! I'll be sure to thank him later."

Severus sat on a chair beside the bed and watched as Echo had a few spoonfuls of soup and then tried the bread. "Ohhh! This is wonderful! I'm going to need to get Dobby's recipe. Do you think he might share?"

"I've never known a house elf to share cooking secrets, but, as you said, he is an odd thing, so he just might."

"How is Harry? Is he having a good time with Remus?" Severus grimaced. "Oh dear! What happened?"

"Tummy ache. They both over indulged in fair food, including fairy floss. Imbecilic werewolf!" He leaned over, and with a napkin, dabbed at a small divot of butter on Echo's chin. "Remus called late last night for a potion remedy, and then he had to take ten minutes to apologise. I almost brought our son home right then and there."

Echo smiled. "Yet, you didn't. Is it possible you're finally allowing yourself to trust the man?"

Severus shrugged. "Except for the times I'd like to throttle him... well... Perhaps. A little?"

"I know you're cordial to him because he's financing your research on the Wolfsbane Potion, but I think that Remus would like to be your friend, as well."

His grimace was very slight, but Echo caught it. He intended to say something else, possibly insulting, but then he laid his hands over his abdomen and stretched out his legs on the bed beside his wife. "I doubt I'd know what to do with a friend."

Echo ate a few more spoonfuls of soup. "Just give things a chance, Severus. You never know where they might lead." She yawned.

He quickly rose to his feet and sent the tray back to the kitchen. "Time for a bit more rest, Beauty," Severus said helping her back down under the covers.

"I love you, Severus," Echo said softly, smiling beatifically.

"And I you." He kissed his wife's lips, lingering for just a moment, and then pulling reluctantly away.