Iris pushed her marble forward, and it collided with a marble in the center of the circle, knocking several different colored marbles out of the circle boundaries. She smiled as she collected the red marbles that came out of the circle and wrote down her points on a scrap of parchment. The green marbles spat out a putrid liquid right at Harry, who jerked his head away in time.
"No fair," Harry said. "You keep winning."
"I've played this longer than you, that's all," Iris said. "And Nami taught me. She's a professional. You're turn."
Harry sighed and picked up his red marble. As far as his understanding of Gobstones went, he had to knock out the marbles in the center of the circle, with focus on trying to get just the green ones out as they were Iris's color. Each green one he managed to get out won him ten points while Iris would lose a point, which then resulted in the red marbles spraying her with a funky, green liquid. If he knocked out his own colors, they were technically "saved" and he would get five points for each one, but he could not collect them like the green ones. They had to stay wherever they landed, and if they happened to get knocked back into the circle, they were fair game again.
Harry stared at the marbles before he rolled his shooter marble at a few near the center. His roll wasn't strong enough, however, and it tapped another marble gently without sending any out of the circle. Harry growled in frustration and pouted at the game.
A throat cleared, making Iris and Harry look up from where they were sitting on the floor in the back of the classroom. Severus had a finger to his lips as he stared at them, and Iris and Harry each copied him and nodded their heads in understanding. Many students were smiling at their game before they turned in their seats to look back at the board Severus was writing on as he explained something.
Harry cleared his own throat before he sighed and watched Iris take her turn, and she took her time lining up her marble just outside the ring, eyeing the position of the other marbles carefully. It was the only game they could think of that they could do quietly while Severus taught his last few classes of the day. As it was the end of the school year and the students would be leaving at the end of the week, the class was mostly a review as well as a time for everyone to get their summer assignments before they spent the next couple of days packing up. It wasn't anything exciting to watch like when the students were brewing or when his father was demonstrating something with an ingredient or potion. At least Harry and Iris were allowed to spend the night for the week while their father packed up his own things and finished up last-minute tasks with his house and students.
Iris released her marble, and it bounced off a couple of red ones and sent them flying out of the circle. Iris silently cheered and collected Harry's red ones, and Harry was unable to dodge out of the way fast enough when the green ones spat their smelly liquid at him again. He growled softly as he wiped his face.
"This is stupid," Harry said. He felt a tickle in his throat and swallowed a few times to hold back a cough so he didn't interrupt his father's class again.
"No, you're just not good at it," Iris said. "Try doing it a little harder. You don't have to be so gentle."
Harry picked up a marble and rolled it into the circle with a little more force. It tapped another marble enough to roll it some but not enough to send it out of the circle. Harry ground his teeth together in frustration.
"Close." Iris gave Harry another red marble. "Here, I'll give you a freebie. Do it again. A little harder."
With all the pent-up anger that he had for the game, Harry threw the marble into the circle, and it created a domino effect of marbles smashing into each other and rolling out of the circle and away into the classroom, many disappearing under desks and shelves. Iris stared wide eyed at her father, but he seemed focused on answering a question at the moment, and she glared at her brother.
"Great, now look what you did." Iris said through her teeth to keep quiet.
"I just did what you said!" Harry hissed back.
"Well, I didn't mean that hard. Now we have to find all the marbles."
"Well, that beats playing this stupid game."
"Just go that way." Iris pointed down a row of desks and chairs. She crawled toward another row and began weaving her way between desks and chairs to collect the marbles. Harry rolled his eyes while he began crawling down the row she had pointed at.
Grabbing a marble under one student's desk, Harry carefully slid between the row to get under another desk to grab a green marble. The two students glanced down at him and smiled in amusement. Harry didn't find his predicament that funny, but it did beat losing to Iris every turn. Harry pushed between two bags resting near the desks to grab a couple marbles that had slid under them, garnering more attention from the students, some looking down in surprise before stifling a laugh.
Harry crawled down the row a bit more, trying to see where the other marbles had gone. That cough he had held back earlier came back full force and he had to pause and swallow a few times as the tickle in his throat intensified. Sometimes, he had coughing episodes that his father said were related to his asthma, but they had been a lot better and he was usually able to keep them down now. But this cough felt different as the tickling in his throat grew hotter and dryer, and he sat up and sucked in a breath of cold air, which seemed to be the wrong move.
"Harry!" Severus shouted at the front of the classroom. "Iris! What in Merlin's name are you doing?"
Iris was answering back somewhere in the classroom. Harry could hear her voice, but he couldn't decipher what she was saying. His chest was suddenly very tight, and he couldn't seem to move it to breathe air in or out, and he struggled silently for a minute until a student realized what was happening and jumped out of his seat.
"Professor Snape!" he yelled as he pulled Harry out from under his desk.
Harry finally found his breath as he was lifted up to sit on the desk, but it did not come easy, and he wheezed for air while his father appeared in front of him.
"Shh, nice slow breaths, son," Severus said as he reached into his pocket and grabbed an emergency inhaler. Harry recognized the device as his father brought it to his mouth, and Harry struggled to take in the puff, but once he got it in, he could feel the effects taking place.
Slowly, his airways relaxed and the wheezing lessened. He wasn't normal but that would still take a few minutes to get to. Harry realized every eye was on him, and his cheeks reddened. He reached for his father, hoping to hide his face in his father's shoulder. Severus, of course, obliged him.
"You're okay," Severus murmured as he held his son to his chest. "I know that was scary, but you're alright now."
More like embarrassing, Harry thought as he kept his face buried. He hoped the class would be dismissed soon. They should have been close to done with their review lesson. To Harry's relief, his father addressed the class.
"Your summer assignment is to write three feet listing the components of the Wiggenweld Potion as you will be brewing it come fall. We've reviewed the potion several times over the last couple of years, so this assignment should require very little references from your book. I expect much of your essay to be in your own words. Class dismissed."
The students scrambled to shove their books in their bags and head for the door, chatting away with each other.
"Mr. Coler," Severus said to the student who had noticed Harry's attack, "good quick thinking. Remind me to award Gryffindor twenty points in the fall."
"Yes, sir," the teen said with a chuckle before he left the classroom.
Once everyone was gone, Iris walked over to her father with the gobstones gameboard and a near-empty bag of marbles. Severus set Harry down on his feet and looked his son over.
"Are you feeling better?" At Harry's nod, Severus asked, "What happened?"
"Nothing. I was fine, but then I felt a cough and tried to hold it back then I couldn't breathe."
"Hmm. Perhaps you shouldn't try holding back any coughing. We'll see Madam Pomfrey before lunch just to make sure there's nothing more going on. What on earth were you two doing crawling under the students' desks?"
"Harry got mad at the game and threw the marbles everywhere," Iris said.
"No, I didn't!" Harry snapped. "It was an accident. It's a stupid game anyway."
"It's fun. You're just awful at it."
"Enough, you two." Severus said. He squatted down and touched the floor with a single finger before muttering something under his breath.
Several marbles came rolling to Severus from all different directions, and Iris and Harry shared a smile before squatting down as well to pick up all the marbles that stopped at their feet. Once the marbles were secured in Iris's bag, Severus set the board and bag on his desk and herded his kids out of his classroom.
"Let's pay a visit to Madam Pomfrey," he said. "Then you two can play outside while I teach my last class."
In the infirmary, Madam Pomfrey used her wand to cast diagnostics on Harry, and a parchment appeared in the air next to her, hovering above her head. She grabbed it and reviewed the words. She frowned, then set it aside and illuminated the tip of her wand to peer into Harry's eyes. Harry swung his feet while sitting on the bed as he followed the light at Madam Pomfrey's prompting.
"Anything abnormal?" Severus asked.
"Well, it's not a complete diagnostic, just a basic overall report." Madam Pomfrey lowered her wand and asked Harry to open his mouth. She checked his tonsils before she felt around his throat for any swelling, which made Harry giggle at the ticklish feeling. Madam Pomfrey smiled at him before glancing at the report once more. "He has some inflammation in his airways, but that's to be expected soon after an asthma attack. You can always follow up with his healer for a more thorough examination to be on the safe side."
"He hasn't had an asthma attack in a couple months now," Severus said. "He hasn't been coughing at night and he doesn't get winded too much when he's playing. I thought we were doing well."
"Asthma can be a tricky thing to manage," Madam Pomfrey said. "Sometimes, changes in the weather can set you back. Or even just growing up. Harry's definitely put on some weight from the last time I saw him. I think you grew a whole two inches, too!"
"I'm gonna be as tall as Daddy," Harry said proudly, holding his hand way above his head to indicate how tall he was going to be.
Severus snorted at that and helped his son slide off the bed.
"Take it easy for the day," Madam Pomfrey advised Harry. She looked up at Severus. "Keep an eye on any more episodes and I'd follow up with his healer at some point to make sure everything is moving in the right direction. Otherwise, he seems okay now."
"Thank you." Severus led his kids out of the infirmary and to the Great Hall for lunch.
Iris and Harry sat with their father at the head table during lunch, and once they had eaten their fill, they were ready for their promised outdoors time and bugged their father to let them run off. Severus refused until everyone appeared to be finished eating, then he summoned one of his Slytherins with a charmed parchment slip that flew over to her. The prefect hesitantly walked up to the head table, the small slip asking for her presence held tight in her grasp as she paused in front of her professor, a small frown on her face. She had hazel eyes and long wavy hair that was gathered up in a messy bun on top of her head.
"Yes, Professor Snape?" she asked.
"Miss Swayton," Severus greeted, "I believe you have the afternoon free?"
"Yes, sir."
"Would you mind taking my two rambunctious children outside for some fresh air for an hour or so? It will give me a chance to teach my final class without worrying about what these two are up to."
"Of course, sir," Swayton agreed, her face relaxing at the request. "I'll keep an eye on them."
"Harry, Iris, this is Miss Eleanor Swayton," Severus said. Harry and Iris offered a small smile and wave. "You will stay with her and listen to her while in her company. I better receive a good report about how you two behaved impeccably for her while outside, is that clear?"
"Yes, Dad," Iris and Harry said in unison.
"Very well. Run along. Try not to get too dirty while you're out there."
"Come on," Swayton said, holding her hands out for the kids. Harry and Iris rounded the table, and each took a hand and allowed Swayton to lead them out of the Great Hall and to the large entrance doors. Once outside, Harry and Iris let go of Swayton's hands and took off running through the grass, then dropped down and rolled down the hill, racing each other to the bottom. By the time they rolled to a stop, their clothes were covered in grass stains, much to Swayton's amusement as she walked down the hill after them.
It was a beautiful day; the sun was high in the cloudless sky and birds were chirping in the trees surrounding the castle. A gentle breeze kept the day cool, and Iris and Harry chased each other around the yard in a game of tag, though Harry did take a few breaks now and then, drinking water that Swayton supplied when he felt his throat drying up. He was sure this was not what Madam Pomfrey had in mind when she told him to "take it easy," but he was having too much fun to stop. They tried to put their toes in the water at the lake, but Swayton put a stop to that quickly when she realized why they were taking their socks and trainers off.
"Not near the water, please," she told them as she led them away from the lake.
They walked over to Hagrid's Hut, and Harry paused at the structure. He had seen the half-giant a few times in the castle, but he had not seen the place he lived in, and he was surprised by the small size. He had envisioned a giant home with big doors and big windows for Hagrid, not a tiny little cottage.
Though the beastly, gray dog that came around the corner definitely fit the picture of the giant home Harry had in mind.
Harry let out a surprised yell as the large boarhound ran into Harry, pinning the child down with several licks of his slobbery tongue. Harry laughed as he tried to push the dog off him.
"Down, Brutus," Hagrid said. He grabbed the collar of the big dog and yanked him off Harry. "Sit, you big oaf."
Swayton helped Harry to his feet and brushed him off. Iris was busy petting the dog that towered over her, and its tail was wagging a thousand miles an hour.
"Sorry 'bout that, Harry," Hagrid said. "Brutus gets very excited when he meets new faces. Even in his old age, he's spry as ever."
"He nearly crushed Harry," Swayton said with an annoyed look at the half-giant.
"Are you alright, Harry?" Hagrid asked.
"I'm okay. What kind of dog is that?" Harry asked.
"Boarhound. Or Great Dane if you prefer. A beaut, isn't he?"
Harry smiled and nodded. The gray dog was dappled and had a sleek, shiny coat. It was a very pretty dog, despite the drool dripping from its large jowls.
"I asked Daddy for a boarhound once, but he said no." Iris rubbed the dog's ears, earning a leg thump. "I don't think he likes drool."
Harry was sure there were five hundred other reasons why Severus would say no to owning such a dog, but he didn't say anything as he stepped forward and rubbed the dog's head. Brutus gave Harry another lick on the face, and Harry pulled away with a laugh, so Brutus licked Iris instead, who giggled as she tried to endure the ticklish feeling before finally pulling away.
Swayton had a rather disgusted look on her face, but she forced a smile and gestured for Harry and Iris to follow her.
"Okay, you two, let's get going."
"Bye, Hagrid," Iris said, and Harry waved goodbye to the dog and Hagrid as well.
Swayton led the two kids back toward Hogwarts while talking to them.
"Your dad should be almost done with his class by now, so we'll head back now."
Harry and Iris shared a disappointed look as they followed the Slytherin prefect. They sighed as they neared the entrance, then froze when another Slytherin student exited the doors first, pausing in front of Swayton and the kids.
"Oh, there you are Ella," the student said. "Babysitting for Snape?"
"Matt," Swayton greeted, her cheeks reddening as she brushed off invisible dirt from her robes. "Professor Snape asked me if I could watch his kids for a bit. You know he wouldn't trust just anyone to do it. We've been having fun."
"That's cool. Probably earned yourself some extra points on your O.W.L."
"Maybe," Swayton agreed with a smile as she brushed a loose lock of hair behind her ear. "I doubt it though. Hey, do you have any plans for this evening? I still have some last minute packing to do, but for the most part, I'm ready to head home at the end of the week. How about you."
"Yeah, I haven't really done much packing yet . . ."
Iris nudged Harry's shoulder, and he looked at his sister. She jerked her head toward a path that looped around the castle, and he smirked and nodded. Slowly, they backed away from the two conversing students, then ran down the path, following it around the castle and up a small hill, laughing as they made their escape. The path led to a tower, and they climbed up the stairs and found themselves in the owlery. Many birds hooted in greeting as they looked down at the guests. Harry grinned at all the birds above him, awed by the sight of so many colors and noises in one space.
"Hi birdies!" Iris greeted, waving up at them.
One bird way up in the tower cooed in response before flying down to the windowsill the kids were near. It was a great horned owl, and it tilted its head at Iris curiously with another soft sound.
"Athena!" Iris greeted, running up to the owl. Athena hopped back a step, which made Iris slow down and offer a hand instead. Athena leaned forward and allowed Iris to gently stroke her feathers. Athena cooed gently again.
"What are you doing here?" Iris asked.
Athena ruffled her feathers, then flapped up to where Severus's owl, Tums, was perched with a few rolled up parchments and a parcel resting in a small mail slot behind him. Athena hooted at him before taking the small parcel out of the slot and flying down to Iris. She offered the parcel to her.
Iris accepted the package. It was box-shaped and wrapped in bright paper with a bow holding the box and an envelope together. Iris saw her name written on the envelope in her mother's unique, pretty scrawl. Iris stared at the package for a moment.
"What is it?" Harry asked, stepping closer. "Who's it from?"
"My mum," Iris answered. She looked up at Athena and smiled. "Thank you."
Athena hooted then took off to the sky, flying away from Hogwarts.
"Are you going to open it?" Harry asked when Iris stared at the box once more.
"No," Iris answered. "Not right now."
Iris looked up at Tums and smiled at her father's familiar.
"Hi, Cuddlywuddlytums!" Iris said, waving at the owl. She tucked the parcel under her arm and used her free hand to pat her knee. "Come here, boy. Come here!"
Tums shifted on his perch and tilted his head, but he did not fly down to Iris. Harry snorted while Iris narrowed her eyes at the bird.
"I'll get you later," Iris told Tums. Iris looked out the window where she could see Athena disappear behind clouds. She looked at her brother. "We should get going. We could visit the lounge!"
"What's the lounge?" Harry asked as he followed his sister down the steps of the tower. He gave one last wave to Tums, who hooted in response.
"It's just a big hang out room. Anyone is allowed to enter, no matter what house you're in. Maybe we'll run into one of the Bells."
"Joshua's cousins? That'd be cool. I haven't seen Terrell since his class with Dad."
Iris led the way back to the Hogwarts entrance, and the two kids slipped inside and ran past the Great Hall and up a flight of stairs. Harry had no clue what had become of Swayton, but he had a feeling she was probably reporting them missing to their father. He briefly wondered what Severus might think or do when he found them not where they were supposed to be, but he quickly forgot his concerns when Iris opened the door to a very large lounge room.
It was half the size of the Great Hall and filled with plush chairs, a couple hammocks, a few circular tables with chairs, and a small kitchenette with snacks, candy, and a fridge. Shelves of books lined one side of the room, and on the other were a few small tables set up for wizard's chess, a pool table, and one final table that appeared to have several types of card decks waiting for use. Every table had students at it, some playing chess, a few playing pool, and a few more playing card games. The rest of the room was occupied as well, students from all houses mingled in one room, some reading to themselves while others were engaged in conversation while enjoying some snacks.
Harry blinked where he was frozen in front of the door, unsure of what to do. He winced at the volume of everyone talking over each other, and for a minute, he debated just leaving the room and searching for his father when Iris jumped up and down waving at someone.
"Hi, Zuri!" Iris said.
A first year Gryffindor turned in her seat and waved back at Iris. Harry followed his sister when she ran over to the young girl who had been talking to a few of her friends.
"What are you doing here, Iris?" Zuri asked. "Are you supposed to be here?"
"Dad wanted to run a class without Harry and me in it," Iris said, bending the truth a lot, Harry noted. "What are you doing?"
"Wondering how I'm going to survive second year," Zuri answered. "I have so much summer homework and my school career just started."
"Just wait until you're a fifth year," April, another of Joshua's cousins, said as she leaned over the arm of the chair, she was sitting in. "Then you'll be going home with entire textbooks to read for the summer."
Zuri groaned and shook her head while April chuckled.
"Delilah will be starting her first year in the fall," Zuri said. "She's really excited."
"Really?" Iris asked. "When are we all getting together again? Doesn't your mum always have a party planned?"
Zuri and April laughed at that, nodding their heads in agreement.
"Well, no one's birthday is coming up yet until August," Zuri said. "Mum's still waiting for Adina to display her first accidental magic, so there's always a magic celebration possibility."
"She's kind of late," April said, frowning at her cousin. "She's been five for almost six months. Aunt Destiny doesn't think that maybe Adina might be . . . you know . . ."
"No," Zuri said with a firm shake of her head. "She's probably just a late bloomer. She still has time to display something."
A loud commotion in the back of the room caught Harry's attention, and he glanced around the girls discussing the likelihoods of accidental magic at certain ages to see a stream of fire emitting from a chair, startling two boys walking boy. A redheaded boy sitting in the chair apologized to the two boys who glared at him before they continued on their way.
Curious, Harry walked through the crowd in the room toward the chair the stream of fire had come from. He peeked his head over the arm of the chair to see a third-year boy lying back against the opposite arm with a tiny lizard on his chest. The lizard looked like a bearded dragon, for the exception of it's spindly legs with long claws at the end of each foot, and the two little wings on its back.
"It's a dragon!" Harry exclaimed.
"Shh!" the boy shushed him. "Not so loud, kid. I'm not technically supposed to have him."
"Where did he come from?" Harry asked, leaning over the arm of the chair for a better look.
"He's a Barkeater Dragon," the redhead said. "They live in the forests around here. Their name is actually inaccurate as they eat the bugs hiding in the bark of trees, not the bark itself, but if you ever watch them, it does look like they are eating the bark. I named him Spitfire. I think you can see why."
Spitfire turned his head to look at Harry, flicking a forked tongue out now and then. Harry grinned as he pushed himself closer, hanging over the arm of the chair now. He reached a hand for the dragon, pausing and looking at the student.
"Can I pet him?" he asked.
"Sure. He's nice. He only breathes fire when you startle him. It's defense."
Harry touched the scaly back of the dragon, and his smile widened.
"How big will he get?" Harry asked.
"Not much bigger than this," the student said. "They only get to about a foot long in length."
"Can I have one?" Harry asked.
"I don't recommend it. I only have this one because he broke his wing a couple weeks back. They don't use them to fly so much as glide from tree to tree, which is important for them to escape predators quickly."
"Cool. Is he all better?"
"Not yet."
"He better be before we go home," an older student with matching red hair said as he leaned over the back of the chair. "Mum will have a conniption if she sees that thing."
"He's not ready yet," the younger redhead said.
"Make him ready, Charlie," the older boy said. "He can't come home."
Harry looked at the younger redhead, Charlie, and the boy seemed to pout and grumble under his breath while he scratched a spot under the dragon's chin. Spitfire closed his eyes and purred happily at the attention.
"What are you going to do?" Harry asked.
Charlie glanced up, and seeing the older redhead had left, he looked at Harry and grinned mischievously.
"Sneak him home," Charlie said.
Harry grinned back and gave the dragon a few more pets. Spitfire kept his eyes closed as he purred some more, and Harry was sure he found his new favorite must-have pet. If only he had one to sneak home too.
"Iris Eileen-Louise!"
Harry froze at the sound of his father's voice, and he jumped off the arm of the chair and looked to the front of the room where Severus was standing in front of his daughter with his hands on his hips. Iris was talking a mile a minute while Zuri and April added something every second or so.
"That's right," Charlie said. "You're Snape's kid."
Harry quickly slid behind the chair Charlie was sitting in when he noticed Severus moving through the room, his eyes scanning for his son. Harry waited. He was sure hiding was pointless, but he really didn't want to be scolded in front of all these strangers. He had enough embarrassment earlier with his asthma attack. Maybe he could sneak by everyone and make it outside the room. Then Severus could scold him.
"What do you have there, Mr. Weasley?" Severus asked as he paused in front of Charlie's chair, crossing his arms.
"He's injured," Charlie said quickly. "He can't go back outside until his wing is healed."
"Hmm. Please refrain from bringing wildlife into Hogwarts, injured or not. Have you seen my son?"
"No, sir. I haven't seen him since class last week."
For a moment, Charlie was Harry's favorite person in the world.
"Seeing as you have one of his obsessions sitting on your chest, I highly doubt that. Harry James, come out from behind the chair."
How did he know? Blushing, Harry slowly slid out from behind the chair, clasping his hands behind his back and looking at the ground. He was sure all eyes were on him as they had been on Iris a moment ago. He looked up at Severus through his fringe. Severus had his arms crossed this time, and he gave Harry a stern look.
"I do not recall giving you permission to leave Miss Swayton's side when I let you and Iris go outside earlier. Do you?"
"No, Daddy," Harry said softly.
"Then how is it you ended up here and without her present?"
Harry didn't really like the rhetorical questions. He kept quiet instead, and after a few seconds, he heard Severus sigh.
"You and Iris are on restriction for the next few days. If you cannot follow my rules when I am not around, you will not have the freedom of running around Hogwarts with a student escort. Come, we are heading back to our quarters."
Harry waved goodbye to Charlie and Spitfire before following his father and sister out of the lounge area.
"It's not like we were lost," Iris mumbled, pouting up at her father.
"You shouldn't have left Miss Swayton," Severus said. "She was a right mess when she couldn't find you two and then had to come tell me. Did you not like her so much you wanted to scare her?"
"No, it wasn't that; she was fine," Iris said. "We just didn't want to go back inside and sit in your classroom again. Besides, I got mail in the owlery."
"Which you would have gotten later when Tums brought the evening mail." Severus glanced at the parcel Iris had. "What is it?"
"It's from Mum," Iris said.
"Did you open it?" Severus asked.
"No, not yet." Iris held the package close.
Severus quirked a brow at her.
"Do you plan on opening it?" he asked.
"Mmm," Iris hummed for a few seconds as she looked at the parcel. "Not today."
Iris looked up at her father with unsure eyes.
"Is that okay?" she asked.
"That's alright," Severus reassured her. "You can open it when you're ready."
"Daddy," Harry said, grabbing his father's hand and looking up at his dad with his best puppy eyes look. When Severus looked down at him, Harry smiled innocently before asking, "Can I have a Barkeater dragon?"
"No."
"Why not? They're little. They only get a foot long."
"Because it's a dragon. You're not having a dragon now or ever."
"Okay, what about a puppy? A boarhound puppy?"
"Harry, please stop."
