Harry sat on the old stone wall in front of his house with a little smile on his face. The summer was almost half over, but he felt good. The summer had been sweltering enough that his mum had convinced his dad to come down to St. Margaret's beach and wade in the waves on more than one occasion. Harry smiled and looked down before he polished the apple in his hand against his shirt. As he bit into the fresh apple, the one he and mum had picked the day before at a local orchard, the juice burst in his mouth with a wave of sweetness. He couldn't help but let his smile widen.

Yes, life was good.

"Harry darling!"

"Coming!" Harry bellowed back before he spun around on the wall and launched himself for the door of the cottage. As soon as he opened it the overwhelming smell of apples wafted over him. He smiled and rushed for the kitchen then blinked. His mum was taking one of three trays of apple turnovers out of the stove. Beside her a bowl of dough was kneading itself while on the other side featured a peeler and knife working in tandem, peeling and dicing apple after apple. "Whoa."

"Come help me move these to the cooling rack," Emmeline begged desperately. "Otherwise the bottoms will burn."

"Sure!" Harry said as he rolled up his sleeves and did just that, occasionally hissing and shaking out his hands as he did. They were piping hot! But they smelt divine. He eyed the first turnover he'd taken off the sheet with a conspiratory grin and went back to the rack. As soon as he lifted the last one and placed it down he reached for it.

"Ah ah ah!" Emmeline harped as she tapped his hand with a wooden spoon. Harry turned to her with what he hoped were very convincing puppy dog eyes. Emmeline tried very hard to withstand them before she huffed. "Oh fine." Harry grinned and snatched it up with a smile. As soon as he bit into the gooey treat he moaned in delight.

"Oh, mum!" He cried through the mouthful "These are amazing!"

"Oh good!" Emmeline said with a sigh of relief. "I've never made these before so I wasn't sure they'd be any good."

"You're great at baking though!" Harry argued. And she was. Her cakes were always deliciously moist and her cookies had the perfect balance of crunch and crumble. 

"Precisely why I decided to do this!" Emmeline said with a smile before she turned back to her work.

"Although," Harry began with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" Emmeline said with a note of panic as she whipped back around.

"Erm… well it's a bit much isn't it?" Harry argued with a glance around the kitchen. "Dad's not gonna be back from the conference until the day after tomorrow! There's got to be at least a hundred turnovers in here!" Harry argued. Then he gestured to the still-working charms. “And more on the way!” Emmeline laughed.

"Well thank goodness they're not all for us!" She said before she turned back around and pulled out a sheet of paper from under the thick book of recipes on the counter. 'Mrs. Butters 101 Tasty Tantrics' it proudly proclaimed across the front featuring below a cauldron with various sweets flying out of it. Emmeline fluttered the page at Harry and he took it.

Welcome one and all 

To the annual

MARGARET'S CATHEDRAL CHARITY BAKE SALE AND COOK OFF!

 

Open to all residents of St. Margaret's Bay. 

All proceeds will go towards helping the needy.

Held on the church green of St. Margaret's Cathedral

Please Donate Generously

Setup begins this Sunday, July 23 @ 10:30am after mass

Volunteers welcome

Sale from 11am-4pm

 

"One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord, And He will repay him for his good deed." ~ Proverbs 19:17

Harry blinked and looked up at his mum.

"Er… we've never really gone to church," Harry admitted. Emmeline blinked. Then she laughed.

"Oh well, I never have, no dear! Well, not since I was a little girl. My grandmother was Lutheran. She used to take me to church on holidays. But I was raised in the Celtic traditions. Your father was raised Anglican. Neither of his parents were exceptionally religious, but apparently, his mother did make sure he went to church on Sundays with his father." She put the paper off to the side. "But your faith is hardly the point dear! It's a charity event for a good cause. I'm sure we won't be turned away just because we aren't part of the parish. That wouldn't be very conducive. Besides! It says 'volunteers welcome'!" Emmeline finished with a grin. Harry nodded before he gave another wince.

"Er… but are we sure that Dad would like this? There'll be a lot of people there. Seems like a perfect place for an attack." Harry argued. Not that there had been any Death Eater attacks in the last year. Ever since Sirius Black had been put in charge of the Anti-Dark Wizard Auror Task Force the Death Eaters seemed to have melted away into the wind. The press had been showing the ex-convict with praise and admiration, something the man seemed to be eating up with relish. It made Harry a bit miffed. It didn't seem fair. The man had been nothing but nasty to Harry for most of the year. But because he'd saved Harry once, he got to get showered with glory. And Harry was expected to be grateful!

"Oh honestly!" Emmeline cried with a guffawing chuckle. "You're as paranoid as your father! What do you think is going to happen?! Death Eaters will swoop down and start murdering people over the brownies?! They would have to be pretty spectacular to warrant that!" 

"I still think it might be a good idea to wait until he gets home…" Harry argued. " It might be better to just… drop them off," Harry said. Emmeline huffed.

"Fine. But I still think you're being paranoid." Emmeline argued before she went back to her baking. Harry hummed and went back to nibbling his turnover. 

Harry looked up from snappy as the flames flashed green and a smile quickly sprouted.

"Dad!" He cried ecstatically as the tall imposing figure of Severus Snape stepped out of the floor and dusted himself off.

"Darling!" Emmeline cried with a smile as she swept into the room. "Welcome home!" She leaned in to give the man a kiss which he sunk into with some relief before she pulled away. "You're a day late!"

"Yes," Severus said with a scathing note. "Damocles Belby, the conceited twat, issued a rite of challenge against me."

"What? Why?!" Emmeline demanded with a snort of derision.

"He 'took offence' to my alterations." Severus sneered bitterly.

"I'm lost," Harry said with a slight laugh. "Who is Damocles Belby? What sort of alterations to what did you do? And what is a 'rite of challenge'?"

"Master Damocles Belby is the man who invented the Wolfsbane potion," Severus explained first as he began taking off his coat. The conference he'd been attending was in Siberia, which he had informed his family through letters, was exceedingly cold, even in July. "While Remus was teaching at Hogwarts I modified the formula slightly to improve his condition. Specifically, I helped relieve some lingering joint pain in order to reduce his recovery time. However, I did not consult Master Belby before making these alliterations." Severus rolled his eyes. "He took offence, as I said before. He said I 'mangled it'."

"Oh come off it!" Harry snarked coldly. "Uncle Remus says your potion was leagues better than the swill the Ministry gives him! And it's not as if you rubbed the improvements in his face! Er… you didn't, did you?" 

"Hardly!" Severus cried with a sniff. "I shared my notes with him and recommended he use his resources to test my hypothesis better!" The man looked very cross now, jaw jumping and eye twitching

"I'm sorry darling," Emmeline said with a sigh, rubbing his back. "Why don't I make you some cocoa." Severus relaxed as his future wife (goodness they still had to plan that didn't they!) Soothed him.

"I'd like that a lot." He admitted after a beat. Emmeline smiled and nodded before retreating back into the kitchen.

"That Belby sure sounds like a piece of work." Harry agreed with a huff. "But what is a rite of challenge?"

"Essentially, It's a potion-making contest," Severus said flatly. Harry blinked. "Two masters create the same formula. Whoever makes it better, according to the grand Masters, wins the challenge and may receive whatever they wish from their opponent, as long as it's potions related. That last rule was instituted after one master tried to steal another man's wife for his reward sometime in the 1400s." Severus snarked sardonically.

"Who are the Grand Masters?" Harry asked in awe. 

"Anyone who has obtained the grand seal for excellence in their field. They are awarded by the international confederation of Wizards. Only one is awarded every year. There are 5 grand potion masters…" Severus trailed off, tapping his hand on the armrest thoughtfully.

"Your father has been working towards becoming the 6th since he was your age," Emmeline said with a grin as she returned with a tray containing three hot cocoa.

"Really?!" Harry cried with a grin. "That's amazing!"

"Unfortunately," Severus said with a sniff. "The bar for reaching excellence in potions has become exceptionally high. There hasn't been a grand potions seal awarded since 1942."

"Who was it awarded to?" Harry asked curiously.

"Mistress Glinda Briggs," Severus drawled "for her development of the Veritaserum."

"That truth potion?"

"Yes. Keep in mind this was the height of the second world war and the war against Grindelwald." Severus reminded with an eye roll. "Anything useful for the war was considered extraordinary."

"So… she didn't really deserve it?" Harry asked.

"No, she did," Severus said quickly. "Veritaserum is dastardly difficult to brew and its versatility is definitely worthy of recognition… I just think that another discovery could have easily been overlooked in the confederation's zeal for war. Which unfortunately we are seeing ice again," Severus finished under his breath with a slight huff over his mug. "The more things change…" There was a moment of peaceful quiet as the small family settled.

"So who won the challenge?" Harry finally asked. 

"I did, of course," Severus said with a smirk. "Belby has gotten out of practice thanks to his successes. Overconfident. Sloppy."

"So what did you win?" Harry asked. "What did you ask for?"

"The right to administer Belby's experiments with wolfsbane," Severus said coolly. Harry blinked then grinned. "If the man is too stubborn to make changes, I'll make them for him!"

"Surely… surely not the profits as well…" Emmeline began quietly. Severus sniffed.

"No. I left the man his fortune. But now he has to take my advice. Hopefully, the test will back me up. If they do then…" he leaned back into his chair and began to quietly smirk. "That grand seal will be as good as mine!" 

"How do you mean?" Harry questioned. Severus grinned at his son.

"Because if I'm right, this may be the key to the first steps towards the cure."

"The cure?" Harry asked curiously.

"The cure for lycanthropy." Severus clarified. Harry nearly dropped his cocoa.

"You want to figure out how to cure a werewolf!?" He demanded in shock. The man huffed.

"If you read the theory, it should be so simple! The problem stems from a number of allergies that werewolves gain upon infection. It creates a bunch of hoops in the brewing process that eliminate the theories." Severus explained. "But according to Remus, my alterations resulted in a marked benefit! I have a number of hypotheses I've been dying to try out! But I lacked the resources. Now though I can begin to indulge them." Severus said as the glint of anticipation flickered in his eyes. Emmeline smiled.

"I'm glad the conference was a success," she began. "But I hope you can hold off your research for just a day!" Severus’ face scrunched in confusion.

"Why?" He demanded with a frown.

"We're going down to St. Margaret's Cathedral tomorrow." Emmeline declared. "They're hosting a charity bake sale. I've already prepared our contribution." Severus' face was bland.

"Emmeline," he began slowly. Harry winced. 

That was not a nice Severus Snape voice.

It was one of the ones Harry remembered from his first year. The sort that felt like he was ripping into you with a hot poker.

"Surely you wouldn't try to do something so monumentally daft."

"What?" Emmeline demanded with a scowl.

"Emmeline we are in the middle of a war," Severus told her plainly. "Now is not the time to go prancing around to bake sales."

"Oh do be ridiculous Severus!" Emmeline shouted back with an angry look. "It's a local bake sale! Death Eaters are not going to be skulking around!"

"You don't know that!" Severus growled, shooting to his feet, trying to tower over her. The fact that she was only a few inches shorter than him cut the effect a bit. "I absolutely forbid such reckless unnecessary actions!"

"You are my partner Severus!" Emmeline bellowed back, face flushed with fury. "Not my keeper! I can do whatever I damn well, please! With or without your approval!"

"THEN YOU CAN DO IT WITHOUT MY SON!" Severus finally screamed. Harry flinched as soon as his father said that. Emmeline also seemed to blink, a lot of her anger turning into shock. Then her expression grew very cold.

"Go take a walk." She commanded. Severus was already walking towards the door as she said it. He too seemed to have left most of his rage for shame. But he was still angry enough to slam the door behind him. Harry flinched again at the sound.

"Oh darling, I'm sorry you had to see that…" Emmeline said quietly, coming to sit beside Harry with a sigh. "Your father and I both have a habit of… well we both inherited rather famous tempers." She admitted with a sigh. "Granted I have a touch more control over mine than your father." Her scathing tone made Harry smile a bit. Maybe Emmeline thought she did, but to Harry, it seemed that her temper simply manifested in… other ways. She let out a tired sigh. "Come, let's start dinner." Harry nodded and followed his mum into the kitchen.

Severus came back twenty minutes later looking tired, but not angry. He came in and immediately started helping make dinner. His parents didn't say anything, but Harry could tell that the fight was over, though the discussion would probably continue. Sure enough

"Harry," Severus began after wiping his mouth free of crumbs "can you please go upstairs."

"Sure," Harry said before he stood up and did just that. Emmeline took a deep breath and watched him go with a smile before looking back to Severus.

"I'm sorry," Severus began first. "For what I said… Harry is as much your son as mine and it was wrong of me to say such a thing."

"It's alright. I could tell you didn't really mean it. Heat of the moment and all that." Emmeline assured him quietly. Severus nodded.

"Now… about this bake sale." He began sounding exhausted. "I really don't think it's a good idea."

"Whyever not?" Emmeline demanded, sounding exasperated.

"I have spent the last decade turning this place into a fortress, Emmeline," Severus began quietly. "That ward wall was not nearly as impressive as when I bought this cottage. Be that as it may, those wards are not infallible. More than anything, the thing which has kept me safe these past few years, has been keeping a very low profile."

"Well we don't have to tell everyone where we live," Emmeline said with an eye roll. "We can just claim to be a new move-in."

"The priest is going to try and rope us into going to mass," Severus argued with a grimace. He did not have particularly fond memories of his time at church growing up. It was too stuffy and boring to be fully engaging. 

"Then we politely decline." Emmeline insisted. Severus looked at her.

"You're going to be very stubborn about this, aren't you?"

"Yes," Emmeline admitted. Then she huffed. "Harry isn't like you, Severus. He's personable and friendly. I know he won't admit it, but he feels lonely here. Letters from friends can only go so far. He needs to meet other children. People, his age, to interact with over the summer. Now if he was raised like I was, I could see a concern for him not interacting with muggle very well. But he wasn't. So I see no reason why he shouldn't be allowed to meet new people." She reached out and grasped his hand. "I know that open war is fast approaching… but in this calm before the storm, Harry deserves to have a normal life." Severus took a deep breath and let out a deeper sigh.

"Very well." He finally relented. Emmeline smiled.

"Thank you, darling." She got up and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. "Now come to bed. It's late. You're still on Siberia time and it's making you grouchy." Severus scoffed but did as his future wife bid. 

"Emm," Severus suddenly said from behind her on the stairs. She turned back to him with a raised eyebrow. "I’ll make you a promise now. By the end of the year, we will have our wedding planned." The woman threw her head back and laughed.

"That's what you said last year!" She reminded him.

"I mean it!" Severus argued though he did have a very subtle blush. "The Triwizard Tournament and Crouch Jr made last year too complicated…"

"I know," Emmeline assured him. "But somehow I doubt we'll manage anything again this year," Emmeline said with a sigh. Then she smiled down at him. "Just promise me I'll be an honest woman before Harry leaves Hogwarts!"

"You have my word," Severus swore with a hand over his heart. Emmeline smiled and led the way to their room once again