Disclaimer: I do not own any of the people or places that belong to the wonderful world of Harry Potter, as they belong to J.K. Rowling. The OCs (Katherine, Septimus, Helena, Christoph, Elisa, Henry, Nick, Justin, Kyle, Carlos, Mike, Nurse Canter, Headmaster Jeremy Mickels, Hunfrith, Olwen, Huffie, Sorsek, Bilik, Fossum, Lars, Sven, David Suttington, Darius Prescott, Gerard's, Grace and Zielinski's) are entirely my own.


Chapter 13: Potions, Snitches & Nightmares

The morning after their return from Rynek Lane, Severus set himself to work in the lab, while Katherine wandered off to the gardens, with Septimus not far behind.

Katherine and Severus had spent a good part of the night going over the list of potions, solutions and draughts that the hospital needed. And it was quite a list indeed. Pepper-Up Potions, Dreamless Sleep Draughts, Skele-Gro, Strengthening Solutions, Blood Replenishing Potions, and on and on it went. Severus was just thankful for the boy's help the week previous, as he and Septimus cleaned the cellar's lab.

Father and son had spent almost every morning that week, scrubbing caldrons, junking rotten or decaying ingredients and clearing dust that had settled over the two years of vacancy. In only four days, the lab was immaculate. Each older ingredient was inspected before being put back in alphabetical order, along with all the newer supplies. By the time they were all said and done, the lab looked brand new.

The simpler and most used potions were started first. Severus had made these ones thousands of time already, having made them for the hospital wing at Hogwarts. And from that morning on, the small family of three fell into a routine. Severus would wake early and begin brewing, while Katherine would start breakfast. The boy would wake around six-thirty, and to Severus' surprise, would take off on a two mile run each morning, before breakfast.

"Does he always do that?" Severus asked one morning, as he stood, with tea in hand, watching the boy through the kitchen windows. Septimus was just getting back in from his run, five minutes before breakfast was ready.

"Do what?" Katherine asked, as she levitated a plate of bacon to the breakfast table.

"Run," Severus stated. "Every bloody morning he runs. You'd think he be sick of it by now."

"Yes," Katherine chuckled. "But he's been doing it since the summer before his first year. He was so persistent about getting on the Quidditch team that he asked me to let him start training."

"Wouldn't training require a broom?" Severus frowned, as he sat down at the table.

"Not always," Katherine smirked, as she sat down across from him. "Remember how I was in school. I ran and flew every day. Running helps Septimus because of his height. He's tall, yet lanky, which means it will help him in the radius of reach, but it will slow him down otherwise. Most seekers are about five foot five in height, were as Septimus is almost six foot, so even though he's thin, he still weighs a lot more than the rest."

"So he's...what's the word you call it?"

"Conditioning," Katherine smiled. "He's conditioning himself to maintain his normal weight, while making his legs stronger at the same time. The stronger the legs, the stronger the flyer."

"Plus, if I remember right, you ran as a part to relieve stress," Severus smirked, behind his teacup.

"Yes, that too," Katherine sighed. Suddenly the back door opened, revealing a tired and wet sixteen year old. Septimus' t-shirt and shorts were completely drenched with sweat and his white tennis shoes were almost fully brown.

"Hey!" Katherine shouted at him, causing Septimus to stop dead in his tracks. "Shoes off. It rained last night, so they're probably caked full of mud and sand."

"Sorry mom," Septimus said, as he backtracked to the door and took his shoes off.

"And why don't you go rinse off quick before joining us," Katherine smirked, as they watched their son drag his feet across the room, heading towards the bathroom.

"Yes mom," Septimus muttered, as he disappeared through the bathroom door.

"So," Katherine said, as she shook her head and turned back towards Severus. "What potions are you working on today?"

"The Oculus Potion," Severus sighed, as he leaned back in his chair. "Maybe."

"Maybe?"

"Katherine," Severus said, raising an eyebrow at her. "You know that potion requires three hands, since you have to constantly stir the bloody thing at all times."

"That right," Katherine sighed. "An hour of stirring constantly clockwise..."

"And an hour constantly counterclockwise."

"You know I would help you," Katherine said softly. "But I can't risk being down there because of the baby."

"I know," Severus sighed. "I just wish I could figure out how to do this."

"Do what?" Septimus asked, as he emerged from the bathroom, and joined his parents at the breakfast table.

"Your father has to brew a complicated potion for the hospital today," Katherine explained, as the three of them began serving themselves.

"What potion?" Septimus asked, as he went to grab a piece of toast.

"The Oculus Potion," Severus said, as he handed Katherine the plate of bacon.

"That's the potion that restores the drinker's sight, right?" Septimus asked.

"Yes," Severus said slowly, while raising an eyebrow at Katherine, who was smirking behind her glass of juice.

"I could help," Septimus shrugged, as he looked back and forth between his parents. "You know, cut up ingredients. Measure. Stir. Or whatever."

"Have you ever brewed this potion before?" Severus asked, as he turned his raised eyebrow towards the boy.

"Well...no," Septimus sighed. "It's a seventh year NEWT level potion, so we haven't brewed it at school yet. But I've read about several times in mom's potion books."

"If you've read about it, what color does the potion become when complete?" Severus asked, eyeing Septimus up as though he were the Gryffindor know-it-all, Hermione Granger. Suddenly, Severus turned into professor mode again; his arms crossed over his chest, his brow furrowed, and his lips tightly pursed.

"It should be a deep orange color," Septimus said, before popped a piece of bacon into his mouth. Katherine smirked even more, seeing her son unfazed under his father's glare.

"And what curse does it counteract?"

"The Conjunctivitis Curse."

"And what are the key ingredients to this potion?"

"Wormwood, stewed Mandrake, ground Unicorn horn, crystallized water..." Septimus was about to continue, but Severus put a hand up to stop him. The elder wizard's brow furrowed deeper in thought, as he intently watched his son's face.

"After breakfast, I want you in trousers and a long sleeve shirt," Severus said, as he returned to his breakfast. "You'll will help me chop ingredients first."


After that first morning, a new routine began. Septimus would still go out for his morning run before breakfast, but as soon as they were finished eating, he would follow his father to the cellar's lab. The two worked out an arrangement; Septimus would chop and measure ingredients, while Severus began the brew process.

They would work persistently throughout the morning, until Katherine would call for lunch around noon. Afterwards, Severus would release Septimus, and the boy would head out towards the lake for a just a fly or to practice seeking his modified snitch.

It seemed that every day one, if not all, of the Fuerst children would make their way through the floo and into the Prince's home. Helena would show up the most, but was usually followed by one or both of the boys, who would insist that Septimus go flying with them.

So, Helena would sit on the pier, with book in hand, or tend to the gardens with Katherine, until the boys were done flying. There were even days when Severus would emerge from the cellar, late in the afternoon, to find both his wife and her goddaughter, sitting on the dock, watching the boys practice for the upcoming Quidditch season.

"At it again are they?" Severus asked, as he joined the girls on the bench one afternoon. Henry, Nick and Septimus were high in the air above the lake; the younger boys were passing the Quaffle between them, while Septimus sat on his broom, with arms crossed, as he coached the boys on passing techniques.

"When aren't they," Helena grumbled into her book.

"What's wrong with her?" Severus asked Katherine through their connection.

"She hasn't had a moment alone with Septimus this entire week," Katherine told him. "I talked to Elisa last night, and we agreed to send the boys home for supper, while Helena can have dinner here. They need some time together without her brothers around."

"Good idea," Severus said as he looked back up at the boys.

"Helena," Katherine said, turning towards the younger witch. "Why don't you stay for dinner tonight. Just you, so that way you and Septimus can do something together without your brothers hanging around."

"Really?" Helena's head snapped up out of her book. Her hazel eyes were filled with hope, at the thought of spending some time alone with Septimus.

"Of course," Katherine chuckled. "You're always welcomed here, you know that."

"Thank you Katherine," Helena said, as she threw her arms around the elder witch. "I'm going to go leave a note for mom and tell her I'll be here for dinner tonight." Helena quickly released Katherine, and bolted for the house.

It wasn't long after that afternoon, that Helena began appearing at more dinners. But Severus didn't mind; the girl, which he knew was quite intelligent, began to open up more around the dinner table. She discussed her hopes of a government job after school was done, gaining a position in the education department, which helped to fund schools, regulate and update textbooks, and also helped raise funding for children who came from poorer families.

Septimus was torn on his future after school. It took Severus weeks to finally getting it out of Septimus as to what he wanted to do. Potions and Quidditch. The boy was persistent about trying out for one of the nation's Quidditch teams, as a seeker, while at the same time he wanted to earn his potion's mastery. But Severus could tell by the look on Katherine's face, the she was worried if the boy would be able to handle both at the same time.


As summer continued on, everything finally seemed to fall into place. Septimus and Helena were getting closer, much to Katherine's happiness; and Severus and Katherine seemed to fall into their own contentment. Elisa has made a point to check the baby and Katherine every three weeks, and slowly, but surely, Katherine was beginning to show more and more as the weeks passed.

By day, everything was normal and peaceful. It was the nights, that were beginning to be the problem.

"Just enjoy the view Snape."

"I'm only getting what I didn't get at Yule."

"This is what you get for taking my place in the inner circle, you filthy half-..."

"Severus...Please..."

"Avada Kedavra!" Then a blinding green light. It was always green at the end of that particular nightmare; one that would have Severus bolting up in the bed, and sweat dripping down his face and torso.

But it was the night of the twenty-seventh of July, in which the worst night came.

Katherine knelt before the Dark Lord in the old ballroom of Malfoy Manor.

"Katherine," the Dark Lord snarled down at her. "I am very displeased with you tonight. You're flight plans were faulty and unorganized. And although we have rid of one very important Order member, you could have done much more damage."

"Forgive me, my Lord," Katherine whispered, her eyes never leaving the marble floor. "I…"

"FAILED ME! CRUCIO!" the Dark Lord bellowed, as he directed his wand towards the witch. Katherine fell to her side, withering in pain and biting her lower lip in order to keep herself from screaming.

"CRUCIO!" the Dark Lord screamed. Katherine's body spasm under the curse and she couldn't hold in the scream any longer. She had bit down on her lip so hard, that it was now bleeding freely, and a cry escaped her. Her scream echoed off the walls of the old ballroom, causing many of the inner circle to flinch and look away.

Severus felt something much different. The muscles in his arms and legs clenched, while his heart raced as though he was suffering the curse as well. Katherine's scream pierced his mind, and he closed his eyes momentarily to block his mind from the scene before him.

But he couldn't. The longer Katherine was under the curse, the weaker he felt. He looked up toward the witch and the Dark Lord, to see the latter's wand still pointed at the woman withering on the marble floor. He couldn't take it anymore. He knew it was his fault that Katherine was being punished, and he promised Albus to keep her safe. He had to keep her safe, not only for Albus, but for himself as well.

"My Lord," Severus uttered, as he stepped forward slightly into the circle. The Dark Lord stopped the curse, to look up into the dark wizard's eyes.

"Severus," the Dark Lord hissed. "You dare interrupt Dumbledore's punishment."

"My Lord," Severus said, as he slowly approached the red-eyed wizard. "Katherine is not to blame for the disaster that occurred tonight."

"Then who, Severus?" asked the Dark Lord.

"I am, my Lord," Severus said, raising his chin a little. "I did not discover the entire plan that the Order had created. I knew that they would fly him out, but I did not know that they would polyjuice others to look like the boy." Severus paused, waiting for the Dark Lord to say something, but Voldemort merely looked him in the eye. Others around the circle looked away again, not wanting to be a part of what might happen.

"CRUCIO!" the Dark Lord suddenly shouted, as he aimed his wand towards Severus' person. The curse came so hard and so fast, that Severus didn't have time to prepare himself. His legs buckled and his body fell hard to the marble floor below.

His head hit the ground with a sickening thud, and his body jerked under the curse. The force of the hit caused his mind to lose focus, but he managed to turn his eyes towards Katherine. A white haze slowly began to form around the edges of his vision, as he watched Katherine slowly raise back to a kneeling position. He saw her right hand clutch her chest again, but he had to close his eyes as the curse seemed to become stronger and his body began to convulse more violently than before. Red eyes glared at him from above and the pain slowly got worse and worse.

Severus bolted upright, sweat pouring off of him as his body shook almost uncontrollably. But as his heart began to slow down, he glanced over at Katherine, hoping that he didn't wake her. But what he saw almost stopped his heart altogether.

Katherine sleeping form was curled into a tight ball. One hand clutched her chest while the other was wrapped protectively around her growing belly. Her body was shaking hard and sweat was forming on her forehead.

Severus quickly grabbed his wand off of the nightstand, and waved it over her person. The diagnostic showed just what he feared, Katherine's heart was slowing again, almost to the point of stopping.

"Katherine," Severus yelled, as he dropped his wand in order to shake her shoulder. "KATHERINE!" But she would wake; her body shook violently under his hand.

"What's going on?" a voice muttered sleepily from the doorway of the bedroom.

"Septimus," Severus barked at the half-awake boy. "Go floo Elisa."

"What's wrong? Is it mom?" asked Septimus, who was now more alert.

"Don't asks questions," Severus snarled. "Go get your godmother. NOW!" Severus heard the shuffle of feet, indicating that the boy had finally gotten the hint. He looked back down at Katherine's form, which was illuminated by the full moon from outside their bedroom window. Her body still shook, and her forehead was now drenched with sweat.

Slowly Severus opened his mind, and tried to force his way into Katherine's. But it was no use; whatever it was that was causing her this pain, was also blocking their connection. Suddenly there was the thundering of three pairs of feet from the living room, followed by both Elisa and Christoph bursting into the bedroom. Christoph immediately lit the room, as Elisa hurried to Katherine's side of the bed. Septimus stood frozen in the doorway, staring intently at his mother's shaking form.

"Tell me what happened Severus," Elisa said, as she began running her wand up and down Katherine's body.

"I woke up from a dream and found her like this," Severus said, as he rubbed small circles on Katherine's shoulder, hoping that she would calm under his touch.

"I don't understand," Elisa said, as she ran her wand over Katherine again. "It's not a miscarriage. The baby's heartbeat is as strong as it was this afternoon when I came by for her examination. The baby's consistent with where it should be at nineteen weeks, but Katherine's heartbeat...I just don't understand..."

"Severus?" Christoph asked. "Has this happened before?"

"Yes," Severus sighed. "Several times over the past year. Ever since..."

"Ever since what?" Christoph asked, as he closely watched Katherine.

"Albus' death," Severus murmured, as he slowly let his hand move down to take a hold of Katherine's hand, that was clutching her chest. Instantly Katherine stilled, and the three adults stared at the now quieted form. Elisa quickly ran her wand over Katherine's body again.

"It's back to normal," Elisa whispered, as she dropped her wand to her side. "Her heartbeat is leveled out. I don't understand. I've never seen anything like this before."

"Severus," Christoph said in hushed tones, so the boy couldn't hear him. "I think we need to see your memories from the night of Albu's death. I don't think this is anything normal. I think it involves something far more complex; a dark spell or even a darker curse."

"We'll do that in the morning," Elisa whispered. "Try and get some more sleep Severus. And we'll try to figure this out then."


a/n: A bit later than I would have wanted, but I finally got it done. Chapter 14 should be posted by the end of next weekend :)

A big thanks to tigerlili48, Missyick, blind-saint, Mira Severus Sirius Black-Snape, Love me like snape loved lily ALWAYS, LemonDropsWoolSocks, RequiemWolfenstein87, MRSSPICY, lexiloo124 and AccioSS for their wonderful reviews!