Echo yawned deliciously and turned slightly in the bed. She lifted just enough to drape herself across her husband so that her arms rested on his bare chest and her chin rested on her arms. She smiled and watched him as he slept.

"Do you mind?" rumbled his deep baritone from the depths of a fleeting, pleasantly muzzy sleep. "I'm attempting to sleep and you're restricting my breathing." Severus had only a moment to smirk before Echo's lips were over his own. A brief moment later she pulled away.

"Very nice," he said, twining his fingers in her black curls. He pulled his wife up closer, kissing her very thoroughly.

"I think I'm hungry, Severus," giggled Echo.

"You think you are?" he grinned wickedly. "Let's make sure you are!"

Echo let out a laughing squeal.

Dobby was preparing a large lunch for Madame and Sir that was nutritious, but high in calories. Making babies was exhausting work that required a good house elf to keep his family in tip-top shape. After all, it was important that Harry become a big brother as soon as was possible.

Dobby had lunch served just as Madame and Sir were emerging from their bedroom. He grinned in delight to himself as he noted their rather mussed appearances, but vanished before they could see him.

"Are we supposed to eat all of that?" asked Echo as she stared in astonishment at the feast.

There was pasta, of three varieties, rolls, breadsticks, and garlic bread, a huge salad sprinkled with parmesan and romano cheeses, and an absolutely decadent dessert that was chocolate and strawberries.

Severus smirked and sat down beside his wife. "I thought you were starving."

Echo laughed. "Oh! Yes, that's right. I am."

A half hour later they had put a significant dent into the food, including devouring half the dessert.

"Ugh!" declared Echo as she slumped over the table and dropped her head on her arms.

Severus chuckled and rose to his feet. "Come along, Beauty. I think we need to work some of those calories off."

Echo raised her head. "Oh no! Severus, I love you. Truly. Madly. Deeply. But, I can't mooooove."

"Up. Up. Up," he encouraged, helping his wife leave the table. "I think we both need a walk. Shall we get dressed and explore the grounds?"

With her arm across Severus' back, Echo walked with her husband up the stairs and back to their bedroom.

"So what's the surprise for? Is it Hermione's birthday?" Harry asked Draco as they took a left off the main Hogsmeade street onto one of its tributaries.

"Well, I hope after our miserable performances that it will still be a surprise," murmured Draco, mostly to himself.

"Huh?" asked Harry.

"You don't say, huh, Harry. Say, excuse me, when you don't understand something."

"You sound like Dad," smirked Harry as he started hopping just on the worn stones of the sidewalk.

"I'm practicing."

"For what?" Harry kept his eyes on his feet, making sure not to jump on the cracks.

"For the day when I'm a father." He caught the boy imitating a frog and steered him carefully away from two old witches that passed them by.

"You an' Hermione are going to have kids, then?" asked Harry as he stopped mid-jump and almost lost his balance.

Draco steadied him. "Someday, but not for a long time, yet. We both have to finish school, then get married, and decide where we're going to live."

"Don't you have a house, Draco?" Harry stopped walking and regarded the young man. He'd just realised that Draco had never spoken of a home.

"Sort of. It's a house my mother has in London, but she's never there. The manor I grew up in was confiscated by the Aurors because there were so many Dark Artefacts my father had collected. It was magically contaminated." Draco grimaced.

"Do you miss your Dad?" Harry slipped his hand into Draco's again and picked at his purple clothed buttons.

"Sometimes, I think I do. He honestly wasn't a nice wizard and he did... he uhm... well, I think he hurt a lot of people. I'm not sure."

"He was your Daddy, though," persisted Harry.

"Yeah, he was. When I was little, and there was no Dark Lord around... well, he wasn't too bad."

"But... didn't he hurt you?" Harry asked tentatively.

Draco stopped and looked down at Harry. "Where's all this coming from, Snapelet?"

Harry backpedaled a few steps, and Draco caught him by the upper arms before he tripped backwards off the sidewalk into the street. "I don't mean to be nosy, but Ron and Ginny were saying some things about your Dad when you went to the loo. Hermione got mad at them, cuz it was mean stuff, but I think she sort of agreed."

"You'll hear lots of bad things about Lucius Malfoy, Harry. And, yeah, he did hurt me sometimes, but not real badly. There's a lot of kids at school who thought my father hit me with his cane, but he didn't. And, he never used curses to punish me either. Father could yell as scarily as Uncle Sev can scowl. He would slap me, too, sometimes. Uncle Sev didn't like that. I think that's why I stayed a lot of the times with your Dad because it was pretty hard for my father to control his temper."

"Why'd your Dad join the bad wizard, Draco?" Harry was genuinely curious. Deep down he felt that the kind of person Draco was had to come from someplace, not just from his godfather's influence.

Draco shrugged and for a long moment they walked in silence. "I think my grandfather made him join. Now, my grandfather Abraxas... he was a really bad person. Evil, even. He hurt a lot of people, not just Muggles. I know he made my father join the Dark Lord."

Draco pulled Harry over to a wrought iron bench on the sidewalk and he leaned over with his elbows on his knees for several minutes. He was feeling slightly light-headed even though he had answered many of these questions when he and Hermione began to get serious.

Being the son of Lucius Malfoy had been very hard for Draco. He was like any son who sought the approval and acceptance of one he thought was flawless. Lucius Malfoy would always be known as a wizard as Dark and as evil as Voldemort himself was, but Draco did have a few memories that he cherished, hidden deeply within his heart, of a father who had loved him. Those memories had became fewer and far between as Draco had gotten older. Lucius was determined to see his son become a 'proper Pureblooded heir' of the Noble House of Malfoy.

His father's desire for power and for flaunting his superiority, though, was not Draco. It hurt to see the truth of his father as he grew older, but he kept his thoughts to himself. It was better to obey his father than to risk his temper.

Reaching up to his chest he felt the amulet, the size of a small coin, that hung around his neck and was hidden under his shirt.

Draco suddenly drew it out and showed it to Harry. "This is an amulet my father gave me when I was six years old. It was a portkey."

"Does it still work?" asked Harry as he reached out to touch the silver coin.

Draco shook his head. "With my father dead, the magic no longer works. I keep it, though, to remind me that no matter how terrible he became, or the things he'd done, there was a part of him that cared about me and wanted me to be safe."

"Where would the portkey take you?"

"To the one wizard my father knew would always keep me safe, even from himself." Wistfully, Draco clutched the amulet in his fist and then spoke, ever so softly. "Uncle Severus."

"Draco?" Harry asked worriedly, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder. "I won't ask anymore questions if you're getting sad about your Dad."

Draco turned his head and smiled at Harry as he tucked the amulet away back under his shirt. "Nah, it's all right."

"Does it help that you have me as your little brother?"

Draco gave Harry a hug that squeezed a happy 'meep' out of the little boy. Ruffling the boy's hair and then kissing the crown of his head was the only way Draco knew to tell Harry, that in his own loving way, he was one of the people to save his life.

"Let's go get Hermione's surprise, Harry," suggested Draco as he stood up.

"Yeah!" Harry leapt to his feet, grabbed his big brother's hand, and they ran up the street.

Harry was getting sleepy by the time he and Draco met the others at Dribbles, the ice cream shop. He did his best, though, to stay awake since his father wasn't making him take naps in the afternoon anymore. As he listened to the pleasant noise of the young witches and wizards chatting about school, their preparation for NEWTs and in general, a life without Voldemort and Death Eaters, Harry dropped into a deep sleep, slumped against Luna.

"I can take him, if you'd like, Luna," offered Draco as he saw Harry's heavy eyelids droop closed over his vibrant, green eyes.

Luna was carding her slim fingers through his hair. "It's all right, Draco. He's perfectly comfortable." She smiled serenely down at the little boy curled against her side.

"You know, Luna," teased Ginny, "I think little Harry's got a crush on you." Hermione giggled and Neville snorted.

"Really? Do you think so?" Luna asked. Her surprise was so sincerely genuine that the looks of amusement on everyone's faces sobered slightly. As she looked down at Harry's sleep smoothed forehead, a tiny smile touched the corners of her mouth. She brought a finger to her mouth as she looked at her dining companions. "His Dreaming Spirits are so colourful."

Dobby, his hands on his bony hips, glared at Madame and Sir. Their cheeks were flushed, but certainly not from the cold. He waggled a finger at them, as if they were two teenagers caught in the Hogwarts rose bushes.

"Dobby is not happy, Madame and Sir! You is spending much too much time out in cold and if you get sick, Dobby is not accepting responsibility. In! In!" he ordered as the witch and wizard stood gaping at him.

The house elf ushered them inside and then vanished. As they removed their heavy, outdoor cloaks and placed them on hooks, Echo asked, "Don't we pay him?" she let out a giggle as Severus kissed her cold ear.

"Two sickles and a bar of chocolate a week," he murmured pulling his wife close.

"Are you serious?" Echo turned in her husband's arms. "Two sickles?"

"Albus was paying him one sickle. I doubled it." He frowned slightly. "You don't approve," Severus stated.

"Well..." Echo's mouth gaped open slightly and then she closed it as she drew Severus into the living room. They say in front of the fireplace. "I don't know. I've certainly never heard of a free house elf and to be honest, the Salem Academy didn't have house elfs. I think paying Dobby is fine, but are you sure he shouldn't get paid more? Harry gets a galleon a week for his allowance. Two sickles just seems a bit unfair."

"Dobby is quite the negotiator, I discovered," replied Severus. "Why don't we discuss this with him?" Echo nodded and the Potions Master summoned the house elf.

"Madame and Sir need Dobby?" asked the house elf.

"Dobby," began Severus. "Take a seat, if you would?"

Echo and Severus were seated on the small loveseat in front of the fireplace, so Dobby sat gingerly on the edge of a leather ottoman. He folded his hands together, and waited patiently.

Echo tried not to smile at the house elf's quiet politeness, since he appeared so sincere. "Dobby, I wanted to know if you truly feel that two sickles a week is sufficient pay for you?"

"And a chocolate bar, Madame. Dobby also gets his own room with a bed not on the floor, and Dobby gets storage in sewing room." His head bobbled in delight.

"I take it that is quite a fortune by house elf standards?" she asked delicately.

"Oh yes, Madame! Dobby is rich now. Dobby has garden to plant, family to protect, and Dobby has Little Harry. It is good, Madame." He grinned and his head bobbled once more on his slim neck.

"So, there is nothing else that you want, or need, Dobby?" asked Severus firmly.

Dobby wrung his hands, looked at the ceiling, then the floor, and then adjusted his blue jumper a few times.

"What is it, Dobby?" asked Echo. "You can ask anything of us."

Dobby glanced left and right, then leaned forward slightly, "Dobby is..." he curled his thin hands in the hem of his jumper. "Dobby is wanting to read and to write, Madame. House elfs have long memories, but Dobby was told by bad Master Lucius that Dobby was stupid, insignificant house elf." He grinned self-consciously. "If Dobby reads, Dobby will buy books, too!" His grin vanished as he looked to Sir. "If Dobby allowed books."

"I'll teach you to read and write, Dobby," said Echo, very pleased at the little house elf.

Dobby's excitement went into house elf overload. He clapped and began to weep at the same time he was babbling his thanks and praising his Madame and Sir.

Several times Severus tried to quiet the elf until he raised his voice and commanded, "Dobby! Quiet!" Dobby was instantly silent and subdued as he re-seated himself.

"Sorry, Sir. Dobby is just very happy."

"So I gathered. I will also allow you access to our library once you begin to read." Severus rose and put a restraining hand on the elf's shoulder since he seemed ready to bounce out of his skin. "For now, please take Hector for a walk, and then you may retire for the evening. Echo and I are going to cook dinner for ourselves."

"Dobby will do so, Madame, Sir." He grinned and vanished with a pop.

Echo giggled. "He's priceless, Severus!"

"I'm beginning to think that Lucius had no idea what sort of house elf he had." He pulled his wife up into his arms. "Come along, my dear. Before we begin dinner, I'd like to work up another appetite."

Echo smiled wickedly. "Ohhh, that sounds like fun!"

Severus and Echo had cooked a stew with roasted potatoes and steamed vegetables.

"My lab is finished," Severus announced during a lull in their conversation.

"Does that mean I finally get to see it, Severus?" she asked as she finished off her vegetables.

He nodded. "If you're finished, we can go look at it now."

Within minutes they were down the stairs in the basement where Severus had set up his potions lab. The main room had two long work tables running down the left and right hand side of the room. The surface was smooth, dull, raw black marble. Shelves along the wall held cauldrons, pipettes, bottles of all sizes and shapes, knives, daggers, stirrers, all the equipment that a potions master would need. There were three chalkboards for scrawling notes as he brewed and there were charts scattered over the walls. At the far end of the lab was a large oak desk stained by age and years of being in a potions lab. Near the desk were all of Severus' potions journals.

"This looks wonderful, Severus," said Echo as she ran her hand down the smooth marble of one of the tables. "Will you let Harry down here?"

"Sometimes. He'll need a healthy respect of it, though. This is not someplace I want him running around with no thought of the dangers in here." He smiled. "I did think of him, though." He motioned her over to the right hand side table where he showed Echo a stool that he'd charmed so it raised up and down and also had a cushioning charm. "It's wide enough so if he wants to kneel on it as is his habit, he may do so."

"A place all for him! Wonderful, Severus. Harry will be so pleased."

"I've also got a chair for him at my desk and a place for his own potions journals." He had a light, smug expression upon his face.

"Do you also have a place for his ingredients, Severus?"

His dark eyes sparkled. "Indeed, I do. Come and see the Potions Cabinet."

Severus led Echo over to a heavy door of ironwood. He touched it, whispered a password, and it swung silently open on its thick, iron hinges.

The Potions Cabinet was an impressive room nearly the size of the main room. It was meticulously organised and included the small greenhouse area with the enchanted window for the Melancton plants. Near the door was an area of the cabinet that had a bronze plaque denoting 'Harry's Cabinet'. It was a separate, smaller cabinet, with a door, that currently held all of Harry's potions ingredients. Some were from his Junior Potions Kits, but there were some dried ingredients that Harry and his father had collected.

Echo teased, "You are going to turn him into a Potions Master, aren't you?"

"He is his father's son," Severus puffed out his chest proudly. He was looking forward to years of handing down his secrets and his knowledge to Harry.

Echo tapped her chin thoughtfully as she looked around the lab. Severus frowned as she watched him "It appears that you've planned for everything, but I think there is one thing you do need." She then pointed. "That area by your desk is rather empty and could work out very well."

"What have you in mind, my dear?" he asked warily.

"Let's see if I can do this..." Echo held out her hands as though she were sculpting in mid-air. The ghostly shapes of furniture began to appear waveringly. "What do you think?"

"That appears to be a sitting area with a tea table." He scrutinised the ghostly construct.

Echo grinned, "Yes! That's just what it is!"

"A potions lab isn't really the place for a social setting, Echo." His voice was wary.

"Normally it isn't, but you're going to be working down her quite a lot. Which means Harry and I aren't always going to want to be content upstairs when you're down here alone. This way we could have tea with you and encourage you to take reasonable breaks."

"Considering that some of the substances are disagreeably aromatic or volatile, we'd need a series of wards that can be easily passed through by us, but filter out those substances to keep the air fresh."

"Would you be able to do it, Severus?" she asked.

"I could do some of it. Albus might be able to assist with the rest." He smirked, glancing sideways at his wife. "You may have your little family area."

Echo laughed, clapped her hands together, and then kissed Severus with dozens of enthusiastic pecks.

Harry had been dropped off to the Headmaster's tower about an hour ago by Draco. Dressed now in his pyjamas, he sat on the divan curled up by his grandfather as he related all the day's adventures.

"Neville's really smart about all kinds of plants. He wants to show me this plant that can be practically a pet. It's very sweet, he says. But, then we met Luna and she talks about all these strange animals, and pixies, and things. And, Luna can draw with light and she even showed me a Patronus! It's the cutest little hare you've ever seen, Grandpa. Can you make a patronus?"

Albus smiled. "Would you like to see it?" Harry nodded enthusiastically. The Headmaster took out his wand and cast, "Expecto Patronum!" A beautiful, silvery ghost-like phoenix burst from the end of his wand.

"Oooohhh! It's like Fawkes!"

"Shall we send it with a message to your parents, Harry?"

"Can we say anything?" The patronus phoenix drew it silvery wing teasingly down Harry's cheek and he giggled.

"Anything. Just say what you'd like and the patronus will deliver it," instructed Albus.

"Okay! Here's my message...!"

Echo was curled up against her husband's side under a large quilt. While he read, his hand carded idly through her hair. Echo was working on her embroidery.

The phoenix patronus burst through the wall until it settled upon the arm of an empty chair.

Severus stiffened perceptibly. "Albus? Is everything all right?"

The phoenix opened its beak and Harry's smiling voice emerged. "Hello Mum and Dad! I had a great day at Hogsmeade. Grandpa and I played a Muggle board game called Life and now I'm married and I got four kids and I'm a banker. I have to go to bed soon, but I'm not going to have bad dreams because Luna told me I have two wonderful dream spirits, a wolf and a snake, watching over me. I didn't tell her about your magic story, Dad. She's just really, really magic. Oh! And pretty, too! Okay. Grandpa says I gotta say goodnight. So, goodnight. I love you both and can't wait to see you again. Bye!