68

The Witches Defense Society

"Here, my faithful. You may each have a vial." Voldemort stepped away from Severus and began handing out vials, there were five of them. He Summoned a large map of wizarding Britain, especially Diagon Alley, and its environs, and began plotting out which groups were to go where to disperse the Plague Water.

Severus was almost gasping aloud, trying to figure out a way to get word to the Order and return to the cottage to fetch the antidote. He knew he wouldn't be in time to save all of those who had been targeted by the mad despot, but at least he could save some. It was better than none. His knuckles tightened about the vial of the potion Voldemort had handed to him.

Suddenly, Zoey gave a soft moan and toppled over at his feet. Astonished, Severus knelt at her side. "Zoey! What's wrong?"

He felt for a pulse, it was there. As he leaned over her, Zoey opened her eyes and hissed, "Pretend I fainted." Then she closed her eyes quickly and went limp.

Voldemort turned at Snape's cry. "Severus, what is wrong with your wife?"

Severus looked up at the Dark Lord. He was grateful the mask concealed his face. "I believe, my Lord, that she has fainted."

Voldemort scowled. "Fainted? Is she ill?"

"Not exactly. Fainting often strikes those in her condition, my Lord." Severus said swiftly, knowing full well how much Voldemort hated weakness in any of his followers.

The dark one raised an eyebrow. "What are you saying, Snape?"

"That my wife is with child," answered Severus truthfully, as he felt Voldemort's clumsy attempt to breach his Occlumency shields.

"Ah. I see," the other's eyes quit blazing, and his expression softened a tad.

"Might I have your permission to take her home, my Lord? I shall return and complete the task you have set afterwards." Severus asked quickly.

The Dark Lord nodded. "Of course, Severus. See that she is all right, then go to the East End of Diagon Alley and scatter the Plague Water into the water system. I want most of the population over there wiped out. Any who defy me shall suffer my wrath!"

"It shall be as you say, my Lord," Severus agreed, then he scooped Zoey into his arms and cradled her close. An instant later he had Apparated away, returning to their cottage in Hogsmeade.

As soon as they were safely inside, Severus set Lily down and hugged her. "That was brilliant, love!" He kissed her.

She grinned and kissed him back. "I try my best. Now, you fetch the antidote while I alert the Order. After I remove these disgusting robes, that is." She quickly removed her Death Eater costume and sent it into her closet.

Severus hurried to the lab to retrieve several vials of the antidote to the Plague Water. Lily had given it the name Resurrection Water. He found Dumbledore awaiting him when he returned to the living room. "Sir, here's the antidote. I only hope that we're in time to counteract the worst of it."

"Thank you, Severus. You and Zoey discovering this latest atrocity have performed above and beyond the call of duty." Dumbledore praised. "I shall hand these out to all of the Order present at the meeting. Farewell!" The old wizard took the vials Severus handed him and vanished.

Severus turned to Lily. "I have to go, Lil. But don't worry, as soon as I've done what I need to, I'll come home."

"Be careful, Sev," Lily whispered, one hand cupping her abdomen.

"Always." He carefully tucked the antidote in his right pocket and the Plague Water in the left one. "Get some rest. See you soon." The last sight he saw before Apparating away was her green eyes, glinting in the flickering flame of the candelabra with unshed tears and fierce pride.

Before the sharp crack of Apparition had faded, Lily was dashing away her unexpected tears, which were sorrow for the lives that surely would be lost this night, and sitting down on the couch with her arms about her belly. She could not rest, not with Severus going voluntarily back into the teeth of the beast to try and save whoever he could by using the antidote on the water system. She curled up on her side, whispering over and over to herself and her unborn infant, Be safe, Severus. Be safe, my heart. You must not be discovered, else we are all lost.

Page~*~*~*~Break

Severus appeared at the precise location indicated upon Voldemort's map, the east End of Diagon Alley. Waiting there for him were Regulus and Evan Rosier. Rosier grunted when he spied Severus coming up the street. "All set, Snape?"

"Hush, idiot!" Severus growled softly. "Do you want to be heard? This is supposed to be a secret operation."

"Who's awake to hear us?" snorted Rosier.

"You never know," Regulus reminded him, cocking his head at Severus in a silent query.

Severus gave a barely perceptible nod in return. Then he turned and walked towards the hidden reservoir which supplied all the shops of Diagon Alley as well as the citizens who lived near it with water. As they neared the reservoir, Rosier hissed, "Give me the potion, Snape! I want to be the one to poison the water."

Severus inwardly cursed, then handed over the vial, the contents had been replaced with a solution of sugar, water, and honey. But the other vial Rosier held had not been, Severus saw with a flash of alarm.

"Hee hee! A double dose, so they die that much quicker!" Rosier sniggered.

As the coldhearted Rosier uncorked the vials and dumped their contents into the water, Severus performed some quick sleight-of-hand and removed the stopper from the antidote and tossed that into the reservoir right after the poison. He only prayed it would work and neutralize the poison enough so drinking the tainted water would not kill.

Regulus clutched his wand and remained silent, though he longed to hex cruel Rosier to the moon and back again. Someday there would be a reckoning, he vowed. Someday soon. "Are we finished here then? Or would you like to take pictures of the corpses, Evan?"

Rosier sneered. "Why bother? Once you've seen one dead man, you've seen them all. Let's go back and report in. Then you two lovebirds can get back to your precious wives."

Regulus controlled the impulse to slug Rosier in the jaw and dump him in the reservoir. Then he followed his fellow Death Eaters back to Malfoy Manor to toast the Dark Lord's success. As well as the Order's.

Page~*~*~*~*~Break

Severus returned to find Lily asleep on the couch. Casting aside his hated charcoal gray robes and iron mask, banishing them back to the secret cubby in his wardrobe, he knelt and stroked Lily's fiery hair back from her forehead, whispering in her ear, "Wake up, Sleeping Beauty."

Lily stirred, she had only been dozing. Her heart thrilled to hear her husband's silky voice. "Only if you give me a kiss."

"Your wish is my command," he murmured, then his mouth was on hers, reaffirming the passion that surged like wildfire through him whenever he touched her.

Her green eyes opened lazily and she groaned into his mouth and wrapped her arms about his neck, kissing him back with equal fervor. At last the icy cold fear was banished, for he had kept his promise and returned to her. She knew he was feeling guilty and saddened that people might die tonight despite their attempts to thwart Voldemort's evil plan. She was as well, but there was only so much they could do about it. So she decided to banish the sorrow by reminding him that he still had things worth living for—namely herself and their unborn child.

She pulled him down on the couch beside her, indulging herself and playing the wanton lover as best she could.

Severus got the message loud and clear.

The next morning it was all over the newspaper, that a mysterious sickness had struck down almost a quarter of the wizarding population in London and the surrounding areas. But though over a hundred people, including witches and children, died from it, most were able to survive the sudden onset of headaches, nausea, and weakness. It was not as bad as Severus had feared, but neither was it the victory Voldemort or Dumbledore had hoped for. The best that could be said was it was a stalemate.

But Severus knew with a sudden chill that this setback would not stop Voldemort from trying again to commit mass murder. Or prolong his life. Those were the two obsessions, along with taking over the wizarding world, that Voldemort dreamed of daily. Severus couldn't help but fear that someday he might actually succeed in one of them.

He learned two days later from Lucius that the Dark Lord had been in a perfect fury and many of his inner circle had felt his wrath with the Cruciatus, though he had not Summoned either Severus or Regulus for punishment. Severus had a feeling that he was spared only because Lily was pregnant and so was Regulus.

Page~*~*~*~*~Break

Evans residence

Spinner's End:

"Hello, Mum!" Petunia called as she entered her girlhood home. She found Polly, as was her wont, stirring a pot over the stove. The delicious aroma of homemade chicken and dumplings permeated the kitchen, making Petunia's mouth start watering. She noticed her mother was still stirring and hadn't realized she had come in. Smirking a little, she went and put her arms about her mother from behind. "Surprise!"

"Oh!" exclaimed Polly, dropping her wooden spoon and turning to embrace her eldest. "Tuney, you've come back!"

"Miss me?"

"Always, you silly girl!" Polly laughed. "Let me take a look at you." She backed off a little to examine her daughter, who was round and rosy cheeked and very pregnant. "You look positively glowing, Tuney. How are you feeling?"

"Much better now that I'm smelling your cooking, Mum."

"Do they not feed you right in that fancy mansion up there?" asked Polly, alarmed.

"Well, yes. . . the house elves are excellent cooks, but . . . there's no comparing your cooking with theirs, Mum. I've missed your shepherd's pie. And your Yorkshire pudding. And your strawberry trifle and lemon curd tarts." Petunia admitted, unashamed.

"Hmm. You know, Tuney, now that you mention it, you do look a bit peaked," remarked her mother, swishing her apron about her ankles. "Sit yourself down and I'll dish you up a plate."

Petunia obeyed, for the savory smell was driving her mad. "How's Dad doing?"

"Oh, you know your father. He won't let a little thing like a bad back stop him from working. Or golfing. Or puttering about in the shed with his electronic gadgets." Polly stated, setting down a large plate of steaming chicken and dumplings over a bed of egg noodles. She also gave her daughter a glass of milk. "How is James doing now that you're getting close to your last trimester? Is he getting nervous?"

Petunia ate several mouthfuls of food before replying to Polly's question. "Umm . . . a little. Sometimes, when he feels the baby move, he gets this funny look on his face, like he can't believe I'm actually carrying our child. But he's been away so much this past week that I've hardly spoken with him, except to tell him good night."

"Ah. Is he working on a rough case?" Polly asked. She knew that James worked in Magical law Enforcement, and was sort of like a Muggle police officer or soldier.

Petunia sighed. "You could say so. Remember Lily telling us about this crazy wizard that called himself Voldemort who was trying to take over wizarding Britain a year ago?"

"Yes. He sounded like Adolf Hitler to me."

"He's as bad as." Petunia said darkly, continuing to eat. "Well, James is a member of this secret resistance group called the Order of the Phoenix, which works underground to bring down His Nastiness and his group of followers called Death Eaters. James has been hunting down many of their dark group, along with Sirius and Orion, who's Sirius' dad and their supervisor."

"Good heavens!" exclaimed Polly. "Does this mean that . . .?"

"We're at war, Mum," Petunia told her solemnly. "It's not very obvious to regular folks like you and Dad, but . . . every day James goes off to work I worry. And I pray that he'll come home safe and sound."

Polly hugged her eldest. "Oh, Tuney! Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I didn't want you to worry. I'm not in any danger at Potter Manor. Charles and Liana are so kind, they do everything they can to keep my spirits up and not fret myself to death. But sometimes I can't help worrying that this could be the night when he doesn't come home and . . . I'll have to raise my baby without its father." She started to sniffle and picked up a napkin and dabbed at her eyes.

Polly patted her on the back. "There now, love! You mustn't lose hope! After all, Hitler was defeated and I'm sure James and his Aurors will defeat this Voldemart too."

"Voldemort," Petunia corrected absently, blowing her nose on another napkin.

"Tuney, why are you crying?" Lily asked, upon seeing her sister's tear stained face.

"Lily! I didn't hear you come in!" cried Polly, turning to see her youngest. "You're right on time for a spot of supper."

Lily sniffed appreciatively. "It smells divine, Mum. Where's Dad? And what's wrong with you, Tuney? Did James do something to make you cry? Because if he did, he'd better run and hide, because I'm going to hex his ass off."

"Lily!" gasped Polly. "I swear, you grow more and more like your father every time I see you. He's working late at the pharmacy, filling in a couple of orders, one of his helpers called out sick, so there was a backlog . . ." She examined her youngest with the same knowing eye that she had her firstborn. "You're looking well, Lily."

"Today I am," said her daughter. "I think I'm finally over the nausea and headaches, thank God. For awhile there I felt like tearing my head off and replacing it with a rock."

"But don't you witches have potions for that kind of thing?" asked her mother.

"Sure, but when you're pregnant you can't take certain ones, just the same as it is with Muggle medicines," Lily explained. "The Severe Headache Remedy is one of those. So I've been relying on cold towels and dark rooms, sleep and Sev's hands to make the pain go away."

"Poor you!" Petunia said sympathetically. "I didn't get the headaches, but my legs got awful cramps in them and my feet too. Good thing James doesn't mind massaging my feet."

Lily started laughing. "Oh, Tuney! You don't know how weird that sounds. James really has changed if he's doing that. Because the James I knew in school wouldn't have been caught dead massaging a girl's foot. Other parts of her anatomy maybe . . ."

"Lily!" Petunia pretended to be shocked. Then she burst out laughing too.

Polly put her hands on her hips and gave the two expectant mothers a scowl. "Girls, behave yourselves!"

"Yes, Mum!" they chorused.

"Lily, sit down and have some of my chicken and dumplings. You're too thin."

Lily sat down across from her sister, who had almost finished her portion. "Well, Tuney? Are you going to tell me why you were crying?"

"It's over James—"

"Ha! I knew it. What's he done?"

"He's an Auror and a member of the Order of the Phoenix. And I can't bear it if anything happened to him."

"Oh. I understand. It's a rough job."

"Tell me about it." Petunia sighed unhappily.

"You're lucky, Lily, that Sev's a teacher and not in law enforcement," Polly said, giving Lily a plate. "There, eat up!"

Lily picked up her fork, thinking ruefully, Mum, if only you knew! "Sev's job can be dangerous too. Why, just a few months ago there was an explosion in his classroom and he burnt his hand badly . . ."

Polly listened as Lily related what had happened, then said, "You're right. Both of your menfolk like to live dangerously, it seems."

"Why don't you eat with us, Mum?" asked Lily.

"Because I don't want your dad to eat alone. Besides, I sampled enough of my cooking as I was making it," Polly chuckled. She looked at her two girls and smiled. "It's so good to have the both of you here again. Although I wasn't expecting you, Lily. Tuney had her father-in-law bring her over."

"I wanted to surprise you," Lily grinned. "Actually, Eileen invited me over for a self-defense class tonight."

"A self-defense class?" Petunia repeated, intrigued.

Lily nodded. "With the war on and all, Eileen felt it was a good idea to teach us witches how to protect ourselves, just in case. So Cindy, Annie, and Walburga are going to join me and learn from her. She's no slouch at dueling, she's a War Mage, you know."

"Can anyone learn?" asked Petunia. "Is it like karate?"

"Uh . . . it's magical self-defense, Tuney," Lily told her. "Otherwise you could join too."

"Heavens! Not now I couldn't! I can barely walk fast much less try and kick someone in the eye or whatever. I think my best defense would be to sit on a man right now!"

That made both Lily and Polly start giggling.

"Well, I'm sure your father could give you some pointers on how to discourage a man with a cricket bat," Polly remarked, her eyes twinkling.

"What are you talking about, Mum?" asked Lily, puzzled.

"Oh! You mean he never told you?" Petunia looked positively gleeful. "I can't believe you've never heard this story. It's an Evans family classic, Lil!"

"How can it be when I don't know it?" objected Lily, sounding a bit peeved. "Tell, Tuney!"

"Well, you must remember that arrogant git Roger Kent that used to work for Dad?"

"Of course. Severus socked him a good one over me in the ice cream shop the first summer he started working over at the pharmacy. Got him arrested for disturbing the peace too after Roger knocked over old Ida James." Lily replied.

"He was a toerag, all right," Petunia snorted. "Would you believe that after he got out of jail he came and asked for his old job back?"

"You're kidding! Did he really think Dad would rehire him?" Lily asked in disbelief.

"Uh huh. In he marches one morning, bold as brass, and asks Dad to hire him back. Dad just looks him up and down and says, "Mr. Kent, my hiring policy doesn't extend to convicts. Go and find work elsewhere, I have no need of anyone at this time." Well, Kent gets all huffy and indignant, like he was the best employee Dad ever had. He tries to convince Dad that he's reformed, but Dad won't hear of it. Tells the big oaf he has a reputation to maintain and Roger should leave. But he won't. He actually tells Dad to make him, that he's not leaving unless Dad gives him his old job back. Dad tells him he has five seconds to get his behind out of his pharmacy before he calls the police. But Riger just sneers at him. "Go ahead! I ain't afraid of no constables!" Then Dad gets mad and says, "Maybe this will persuade you then, boy." And he grabs his old cricket bat that he kept under the counter and threatens to belt him one."

"Really? Go, Dad! What happened then?"

"Roger took a swing at Dad. But Dad was too quick, and he ducked. Then he smacked that miserable scoundrel across the shoulders with the bat and chased him out the door with a good boot in his backside! Meanwhile, I phoned the police, but by the time they came, Roger was running down the street as fast as he could go! And he's never set foot in the pharmacy again."

"How long ago did this happen?"

"Oh, about three or four years ago, I think. You were at school when Kent was released."

"I can't believe you never told me before!"

"To be honest I thought Mum had mentioned it to you in a letter or something." Petunia grinned.

"Well, better late than never," Lily harrumphed.

"Oh, stop!" Petunia threw a napkin at her. "There's no sense in being a grump, Lily. It wasn't intentional."

Lily still looked sulky, but then the doorbell rang.

"I wonder who that is?" Polly queried.

"Let me get it, Mum." Lily rose. "Just in case," she muttered, fearing some kind of sick prank or trouble from the Death Eaters. They were growing bolder and some of them had been in school with her and might remember where she used to live.

When she opened the door, she found a skinny dark-haired boy on the porch, wearing navy jeans and a green and white pullover. She cocked her head at him, he seemed familiar, though she couldn't remember who he was. "May I help you?"

"Uh, yeah. My mum sent me with these to give Mrs. Evans." He held out a foil wrapped plate. "Is she at home?"

"She is. But who are you?"

"Don't you remember me, Lily? It's Ian Palmer. You and Severus helped me when I was little, you scared away Meekham and his gang." The boy gave her a shy smile.

"Ian? Goodness! You've gotten so tall! That's why I didn't recognize you!" She exclaimed. "How old are you now?"

"Eleven. Sometimes I mow your parents' lawn, like Severus used to," he informed her proudly. "My mum got sick with the flu last week, and your mum sent us over casseroles and pot pie for five days till she got better and could cook again. My dad says she kept us from starving or dying of gastroenteritis."

Lily laughed. "One thing I do know, is that no one ever died from Mum's cooking."

"No, ma'am," Ian agreed. Then he asked softly, "Are you gonna have the baby soon?"

"Yes. I'm due in about four months."

"I'll bet Severus is happy."

"He is. Do you still have trouble with bullies?"

Ian shook his head. "Not anymore. Meekham moved away two years ago, and Dad got me some boxing lessons. Last time one of Meekham's mates tried to mess with me, I gave him a bloody nose and two black eyes and now nobody tries anything."

"I'm glad, Ian. No kid ought to be picked on like that." She took the covered plate.

"Well, I gotta go, Mum will yell if I'm not home soon. It was nice seeing you again, Lily. Tell Severus hi for me."

"I will, Ian. It was great to see you again. Good night."

"Night, Lily. Enjoy the chocolate chip treats." Ian waved before turning and running off down the street.

Lily smiled and thought to herself, what an adorable boy! If I have a son, I'd want him to be just like Ian. Humming to herself, she shut the door and went back into the kitchen to give Polly Ian's gift.

The chocolate chip treats were sandwich biscuits made from two chocolate chip biscuits with whipped cream inbetween them. They were sinfully delicious, and the three women had one with a cup of tea, saving the rest for Henry, who had a notorious sweet tooth.

Regretfully, Lily told her mother she had to leave before just before eight o'clock, as the defense meeting was going to start. "I forgot, Mum, that Eileen was hosting it at Grimmauld Place and not at her house at Spinner's End, so I have to be going. Tell Dad I'm sorry I missed him and Sev and I will come by one weekend for a visit." She hugged her mother and Petunia goodbye, then Apparated to Grimmauld Place.

Page~*~*~*~*~Break

Grimmauld Place:

Walburga greeted all of her guests cordially, ushering them down a steep set of stairs to her workroom, where Eileen waited to instruct them. Annie and Cindy had already arrived and were eager to begin the training. None of them fancied being targets for any dark wizards and they didn't see why the men should always do all the fighting. Both Walburga and Annie were interested in learning self-defense because they were Auror's wives and could someday be in the line of fire just like their husbands, should Voldemort and his followers choose to "make examples" of them. And Lily and Cindy knew how important it was to learn to protect themselves, considering what their husbands did on the sly, and Lily as well. If ever Voldemort or his inner circle discovered what they truly were, all their lives would be forfeit.

Once they were all gathered in the workroom, which was a large square stone room bare of any furnishings save for four chairs in a semi-circle, it was heavily warded just in case a spell was miscast or backfired, Eileen began the first meeting.

"Hello, and welcome to the first meeting of the Witches Defense Society, as Walla calls this gathering. First, I would like to tell you how honored I am to head this meeting. I know that in these dark times, we must seek every advantage to protect ourselves and our families from those who would destroy us. And I am glad to teach you what I've learned from my War Mage mother, Sorcha. Though there are some spells I can't reveal, since they are for those who have been initiated into the War Mage path alone. However, I can teach you how to take a dark wizard out, temporarily or permanently, and to set up wards and decoys to confuse or trick an enemy or prevent him from discovering you. Sometimes a simple evasion can be more effective than a fatal curse. Live to fight another day, not go out in a blaze of glory is a War Mage's motto. Especially if you have a family to look after."

"Then we won't be learning any curses?" asked Cindy, sounding a little disappointed.

"I will teach you some, but not as many as you'd expect," Eileen said. "Harmful magics will drain your strength like no other kind of spell you've ever cast. Even though you and Lily are at triple strength now due to your pregnancies, you'll discover quickly just how high the cost can be when you try and harm someone. It's not as easy as one might think."

"But when you dueled those two Death Eaters, you made it look so . . .effortless," Cindy said admiringly.

Eileen gave a self-deprecating chuckle. "Appearances can be deceiving, Cindy. I was quite exhausted after that duel was over, I just wouldn't permit myself to show it. You don't have to be all that strong to be able to beat an opponent, either. What you do need to do is catch him or her by surprise. Many a stronger dark wizard has been defeated by a weaker one if caught off-guard. That's basically what I did when I dueled those two dunderheads at Hogwarts. It's also what I should have done to Tobias."

"Why didn't you?" asked Walburga bluntly, voicing the question Annie, Cindy, and Lily had always wondered, but never dared to ask. Then the elder Black flushed and murmured, "Forgive me, Eileen. That's your own private business."

"No, it's all right. I know you all have been wondering how a War Mage like me could have allowed Tobias to abuse me and Severus for so many years. It's a fair question. It's also one that has no easy answer. To be fair, Tobias didn't start out being abusive towards me and Severus, that happened gradually, as the drink and his failure to find work and provide for his family consumed him. I make no excuses for him, however. I had promised, long before we were married, to never raise my wand against him. I never thought I would ever be tempted to break that promise, or to even consider doing so. Thus I bound myself, and left myself vulnerable to him. It was a mistake, a huge one, and Severus and I paid dearly for it. For much of the time, I convinced myself that Tobias could overcome his addiction and his temper and become the man he used to be. But he didn't have the will or the desire, and so he would try for awhile, but eventually backslide and return to the bottle. It was a vicious cycle, and I was my own worst enemy. Love can make fools of us all, and hamper our better judgment. I learned the hard way never to let a man—any man—have control over me. It's one lesson I pray you never have to learn the way I did."

For a moment, the other witches were silent. Then Lily said, "Eileen, I'm glad you're free of Tobias and can finally have a good life with Dickon and Jess. Nobody deserves that as much as you. No one should have to pay over and over for loving a bastard."

"She's right, Eileen," agreed Cindy. "You made a mistake, but at least you also tried to fix it. In the end, that's all you can do."

"Experience is the harshest and best of tutors," Walburga said simply.

"You can say that again," Annie said feelingly, touching her face gingerly. "You might have made a bad choice, but at least you were smart enough to get out while you still could. There's many other women I know that didn't, and they paid for it with their sanity and their lives. Or the lives of their kids."

Eileen smiled at them gratefully. "Thank you all for understanding. Now I know you all have good relationships with your husbands, but even so, it's your responsibility to defend yourselves. So we'll begin at the beginning. With a triple layered Shield Charm."

For the next hour and a half, Eileen showed them how to cast layered defense spells, which they had never been taught in Hogwarts. She explained that many basic spells could be enhanced this way, and it was easier to do so than to learn an entirely new spell that might take weeks or even years to master. She showed them how to focus their will to make a spell stronger, and how to read another witch or wizard using Sorceress Sight—an ability all magic-users possessed—to determine how strong they were and what they were going to cast.

They decided to meet on Wednesdays and Fridays, because the more they met, the more Eileen could teach them. She also invited her students to share their own spells and experiences with the group, so no knowledge was wasted. She had hired a sitter to mind Jess while she taught the classes, and after two weeks, her students were becoming very proficient.

Lily shared her new charms of Quick Fire, Keen Senses, and Cat's Paws. She also shared her Tidy Up Charm, which everyone loved because it saved them time cleaning small messes on the go.

Annie showed them all her Pins and Needles Charm, which made the recipient feel as if his hands, feet, and face tingled sharply with pins and needles. She had used it on persistently annoying and rude customers in her shop to discourage repeat patronage. It had worked wonders.

"The best part is that it's not truly harmful and yet they get the point very quickly!"

"Mind you remember that if Sirius gets out of line with you," Walburga smirked. "It may just leave an impression on his stubborn hide more than I was ever able to."

Annie's mouth quirked upwards. "Oh, I think I have better ways of persuading him, Mother. Like a night alone on a couch."

"Ah. That always worked with Orion," Walburga admitted.

"Sev has ended up sleeping there a time or two as well, because I keep him awake tossing and turning. He's a very light sleeper." Lily added.

"A legacy of growing up with Tobias, I'm afraid," Eileen said regretfully. "When Tobias was in a mood, he often woke Sev in the middle of the night to fetch him another beer or whatever, the pig!"

"Regulus sleeps like a rock most times. Unless he's having a nightmare. Then he can wake the dead," Cindy said. "Good thing too, because my mum always said I could sleep through a natural disaster."

"That's a habit you'll lose once you have your baby," advised her mother-in-law.

"Merlin's hat, is that ever true!" Eileen said. "Jess kept poor Dickon and I up all night until she was five months old. That child never slept. Severus was good as gold compared to Jess at that age. Thank goodness she grew out of it. Although she still gets up at the crack of dawn, the little imp. I wish I had half of her energy."

"I'm just glad Sirius doesn't snore," Annie said. "Petunia's always complaining about James and how she needs to wear earplugs to drown out the sawing."

"A good dose of Snore-Eze will fix that," Eileen told her. "I'm surprised Liana hasn't suggested it before now."

"Maybe Tuney never told her," Lily said. She knew that her sister wouldn't want to seem like she was complaining to her mother-in-law. "But I'll send her an owl about it. Unless you'd like to tell her, Annie?"

"It doesn't matter. I'd be happy to pass it on. It's got to be hard on her as it is to sleep with the baby kicking her, never mind James' snoring on top of everything."

All of them agreed that husbands who snored were among the worst plagues a wife had to endure.

Cindy showed them a Stammering Hex, learned from her mischief-making younger brother. "He used to cast that on my little sisters whenever they were going to tell on him for being naughty. At first it worked, until Mum discovered what he was doing, then she learned to dispel it before asking my sisters what happened. Still, I think it could really take a dark wizard by surprise and make him helpless."

"That's the kind of thinking I'm talking about," Eileen said in approval. "Good job, Cindy!"

"I know a rather wicked jinx along the same line," Walburga announced. "I call it a Tongue-Swelling Jinx, and it can sometimes cause a person to smother if his tongue swells too much and blocks his airway. Or pass out, either of which would be ideal when fighting a dark wizard."

"Nasty, Mother!" Cindy muttered.

"Yet fiendishly clever," Annie added.

"But very Slytherin!" Lily observed. "Severus would probably like that one. A few of his yearmates, like Avery, Wilkes, and Rosier, could have done with having their tongues swelled up."

The meetings proved beneficial to the witches in another way besides just learning how to defend themselves. It enabled them to bond and to discuss various topics about themselves and their husbands, to complain and vent, and de-stress that proved invaluable as the weeks turned into a month, and Lily and Cindy grew even larger and less mobile.

A/N: Sorry about taking so long to update this, but it was a rough 2011 for me. I had a lot of health issues with myself and my mom. She ended up in the hospital for almost three weeks and also a rehab to help her learn to walk again after collapsing from exhaustion one morning in December. She's a chronic insomniac with Parkinsons and her inability to get more than three hours of sleep at one time really hurt her. Thankfuly she is home now, and should recover with lots of therapy. I hope.

To everyone who has stuck with me I thank you all and hope you will continue reading and reviewing this story, which I hope is still holding your interest.