The next morning, Cassie awoke feeling unusually peaceful.
For once, she could not recall any barbaric nightmares involving her parents, murdered loved ones, or memories she would have given anything to forget. The night had passed without interruption, and for the first time in what felt like ages, she had slept deeply enough that she could almost believe she was safe.
After spending some time holding each other before the fireplace, Severus had insisted that they move to the bed and that Cassie perform her nightly ritual of clearing her mind before allowing herself to sleep. At first, she had resisted. She had wanted nothing more than to drift lazily into sleep in her lover's arms, without rituals or meditation or having to confront the thoughts that waited for her whenever she closed her eyes. Now, however, she was grateful for his persistence.
Having been reminded once again of why the dark and brooding wizard was such a good match for her, Cassie smiled as she stretched beneath the blankets. She slowly rolled toward him, intending to reach out and touch him, only to find the space beside her empty.
She sighed. He had probably gone out to patrol again.
Cassie slipped out of bed, already missing his warmth, and shivered when her bare feet touched the cold stone floor. Still completely nude, she hurried to the wardrobe and retrieved one of Severus's grey nightshirts, pulling it over her head.
Wearing his clothing in the privacy of his quarters had become commonplace between them, but every time she did it, she was reminded of the first night they had kissed. There was something ridiculously comforting about the familiar scent of him lingering in the fabric, and the soft material brushing against her skin made her feel amorous and giddy in a way she would probably never admit aloud.
She smiled to herself as she made her way into the kitchen. That smile grew considerably when she discovered Severus seated at the dining table.
He had not gone anywhere. He was shirtless, wearing only dark green lounge pants, and Cassie paused for several seconds to take him in.
The darkness of the surrounding room seemed to emphasize his pale features and jet-black hair. His attention was entirely consumed by whatever he was writing, his brow furrowed with concentration as he leaned over the parchment.
Cassie made a mental note to acquire several more pairs of those lounge pants. She rather liked them. "Good morning," she said softly as she approached.
He grunted in greeting. Cassie smiled.
She could hardly be offended. When Severus became absorbed in something, attempting to pull him away from it was usually counterproductive. He would only grow irritated and eventually return to exactly what he had been doing.
Instead, she slipped behind him, rested a gentle hand on his shoulder, and bent down to kiss his cheek. Only then did she notice the book spread across the table.
Şəfalı İksirlərin Hamısı. Her curiosity immediately sharpened.
Severus was copying passages from the Azerbaijani text onto parchment. When he finished a section, he picked up his wand and slowly waved it over the freshly written words. The handwriting shimmered. A moment later, the Azerbaijani had become English.
"How long have you been awake?" Cassie asked.
"A few hours."
She noticed several neatly stacked rolls of parchment beside him. "How many have you translated?"
"Many." He was already examining the next passage. "Venom from a Phantasmal poison-arrow frog..." he murmured. "That will be exceptionally difficult to acquire. Viper venom might be substituted, provided the remaining components are adjusted appropriately."
Cassie smiled even though he wasn't speaking to her. He was simply thinking aloud. "Would you like some tea?" She started gathering what she needed from the cupboards before noticing the cup already sitting beside him. It was mostly full. And completely cold. She picked it up. "You forgot this."
Severus glanced at it as though he'd never seen it before. "I had other things to consider."
"Obviously," she said. She brewed two fresh cups, allowing him to continue working while she stole occasional glances in his direction.
She loved seeing him like this.
His brow was furrowed, his curtain of black hair framing his austere features as he leaned closer to the ancient text. There was an intensity to him when he became absorbed in something—a sort of single-minded brilliance that made him almost oblivious to everything else.
Severus finally looked up when Cassie placed a steaming cup in front of him. She took the seat opposite him. "Anything good?"
"This text has been extremely worthwhile." He carefully turned another page. "I haven't translated the entire thing, but I've already encountered several potions I've never brewed."
"Good." Cassie smiled. "I'm glad you're enjoying it, Sev."
He closed the book reluctantly. "It's time I take a break from it, anyway. I need to patrol. See what Potter is doing."
"No, no." Cassie immediately shook her head. "I can do that. You keep working."
"Cassie, it isn't your responsibility."
She was already standing. "I can handle it." She started toward the living room, but heard his footsteps behind her.
"I know you can." Before she could turn around, his hands caught her gently by the upper arms and pulled her back toward him. She laughed in surprise as he guided her toward the sofa.
"Severus!" He settled close against her, burying his face against her neck. Cassie giggled as his lips brushed her skin. "I thought you'd be tuckered out after last night."
"Never." The low murmur against her neck made her smile. She wound her fingers through his hair, and for a while the matter of patrolling was forgotten entirely.
Their teasing quickly became something warmer, and the world outside the dungeon seemed to disappear. By the time they finally emerged from their distraction, Cassie was flushed and breathless, while Severus looked considerably less inclined to leave his quarters than he had moments before.
"Will you always divert my attention away from important things, wretched girl?" he murmured.
Cassie gave him an incredulous look. "Excuse me? If I recall correctly, I was the one trying to get dressed and leave."
"It was your fault."
"How?"
"Wearing nothing but my nightshirt."
She grinned. "Well, next time I'll wear nothing at all."
The playful smack to her backside that followed made her burst into laughter.
Their argument over who would patrol continued for several minutes before Severus finally submitted, allowing Cassie to do him the favor. She suspected he cared less about winning the argument than about returning to his book.
Her first stop was the Great Hall. Harry was there with Ron, Fred, and George, so Cassie headed toward the third-floor corridor after spotting them. Nothing appeared amiss.
She slowly made her way through the castle, politely greeting the handful of students and ghosts she encountered before eventually heading outside. For the first hour, the castle's peacefulness was almost soothing.
Then she was alone with her thoughts. That was when the trouble began.
The sky was still grey, and snow covered the grounds in an almost picturesque blanket. Cassie initially enjoyed the quiet beauty. But as the Forbidden Forest came into view, her thoughts inevitably returned to the night she had gone searching for the centaurs, to Firenze and his revelation.
To wars. Carnage. Choices.
Everyone spoke about morality as though it were simple. Right or wrong. Good or evil. Choose a side. Check a box. Cassie wished it were that easy.
She knew her parents were evil. There was no doubt about that. She could say until she was blue in the face that she despised everything they stood for.
But they were still her parents. That fact had never stopped being true.
Voldemort had never given her much affection. He had been incapable of offering her the sort of love a child instinctively craved. Even so, when she had been small, some foolish part of her had still hoped she could earn it someday.
Bellatrix was different. Cassie had countless memories of her mother's madness and cruelty that still made her stomach turn. But there were other memories, too.
Warm arms around her and kisses against her forehead. Laughter. Games. Moments when Bellatrix seemed almost normal, almost loving.
What would happen if her mother came to her someday? If Bellatrix pleaded with her to return? Would it really be as easy as everyone seemed to think?
Could she turn away?
She tried to think of the people who had taught her something different.
Molly and Arthur. Andromeda and Ted. The professors who had shown her kindness throughout her years at Hogwarts. Even Narcissa, when Cassie had been younger, had given her something resembling a maternal relationship.
Those people had shown Cassie what love could look like without cruelty. Could she betray them and turn her back on everything they had tried to teach her?
Then she thought of Severus. The former Death Eater. The man who had once stood among her father's inner circle. The man whose face had appeared in so many of her childhood memories and sometimes appeared in her nightmares.
And now...
He shared her bed. Her secrets. Her heart.
She knew what he had done and what he had once been. She had seen enough of his past to understand that redemption did not erase a person's mistakes. Yet she trusted him.
She loved him.
And he had told her exactly what he intended to do when Voldemort returned. He would spy. He would place himself in mortal danger from the beginning and continue serving Dumbledore. He had chosen his side, just as she had.
Cassie swallowed hard. She could never betray him. The thought struck with such certainty that it almost frightened her.
She could never turn against Severus. It would break something inside her that could never be repaired.
"Cassie!"
She startled. Hagrid was calling her from outside his hut. She hastily wiped the tears beginning to freeze against her cheeks and forced a smile onto her face. "Hagrid!"
She joined him for tea and several questionable blackberry muffins, attempting to keep her earlier thoughts at bay. She managed to leave eventually.
But Hagrid had given her something else to think about. He had found a dead unicorn.
The peacefulness Cassie had felt that morning suddenly seemed very fragile. By the time she returned to the castle, she felt an almost desperate need to find Severus. Instead, she found Harry and Ron in the library. She approached them with a smile. "Hi."
Ron immediately slammed his book shut. Cassie raised an eyebrow. "Hello," he said quickly, then exchanged a glance with Harry.
"Did you two have a good Christmas?" Cassie asked.
"Oh, you know," Harry replied—another glance. Cassie was beginning to feel like she had walked into the middle of a conversation she wasn't supposed to hear. "You?"
Ron finally looked toward her.
"Uh...it was okay," Cassie said. "I got suckered into going to Draco's Christmas Eve gathering, which was thrilling, as I'm sure you can imagine." The boys exchanged another glance. "And I went to Tonks's parents' yesterday."
"Oh," said Ron. Then, silence.
"Your mum knitted me a really nice sweater," Cassie added. "Cozy, as always."
"Yeah. Me too," Harry said.
"And Charlie sent me a dragon scale."
"That's nice," replied Ron. Both boys were now staring at the table. Cassie glanced at the stack of rather advanced history books beside them.
Interesting.
"Listen, I know I'm not officially on tutoring duty, but do you two need any homework help?"
"No," they answered simultaneously.
Cassie blinked. "Okay." She stood. "I'm going to go." She had barely taken a step when Ron spoke.
"You going to see Snape?" he nearly shouted. The question was far too loud.
Cassie turned. Ron's ears had gone pink, and Harry was staring directly at her now.
"Not at this particular moment," she said slowly. "Why?"
"Do you trust him?" Ron asked in the same volume.
"With what?"
"We don't think you should," Harry said.
Cassie stared at him. "Is there something you two want to tell me?"
The boys looked at one another again. Eleven-year-olds, Cassie was discovering, were remarkably poor at secrecy. Ron shrugged as Harry said, "No."
Cassie stared at them for another moment before finally shaking her head. "Right." She left.
Whatever the two boys had discovered, they clearly weren't willing to share it with her. And somehow, she had lost their trust. It bothered her more than she wanted to admit.
Still, it changed nothing. She and Severus would continue doing everything they could to keep Harry Potter safe.
--------------------------------------------------
As the days passed and the new term began, Cassie noticed several things.
First, Harry, Ron, and Hermione kept spending an inordinate amount of time in the library—even between classes. Whenever Cassie wondered aloud what they were doing, Severus gave the same answer.
"Who cares? At least we know where Potter is."
"Do you think they know about the Stone?"
"Even if they do, it doesn't matter."
"But they seem awfully apprehensive of you. And now me. What if they think we're trying to—"
"And again, I reiterate: who cares?" he intoned. His patience had disappeared. The tranquility they had enjoyed over Christmas had vanished along with Quirrell's temporary absence.
Cassie had classes, studying, and her own responsibilities, leaving much of the Quirrell surveillance to Severus. She occasionally considered telling Dumbledore off and that he could handle the entire situation himself. He had certainly been reluctant to keep them fully informed.
But Cassie had little desire to argue with the powerful old wizard again. She especially didn't want to revisit their last conversation.
The second thing she noticed was that Quirrell seemed increasingly jumpy. He was thinner. His stutter was worse. He seemed to startle whenever Severus or Cassie appeared anywhere near him. Cassie hoped that meant their constant surveillance was getting to him.
They certainly weren't trying to hide it. Every day, she hoped it would be the day Quirrell finally gave up and left Hogwarts. So far, no such luck.
Then Severus's birthday approached, and Cassie was determined to make it special.
His birthday fell on a Wednesday, and she knew her stubborn Head of House would never voluntarily agree to take an evening off. So Cassie did what any resourceful Slytherin would do.
She cheated.
She paid Fred and George enough Galleons to ensure their absolute discretion and sent them on two separate missions.
The first was simple: make certain there was a party in the Gryffindor common room entertaining enough that Harry, Ron, and Hermione would be reluctant to leave for the library. The second required a substantially larger payment.
Fred and George were to cause enough chaos in Defense Against the Dark Arts that Quirrell would have no choice but to assign them detention. When the twins later reported their success, Cassie didn't bother asking what they had done. She suspected she didn't want to know.
Apparently Quirrell had nearly passed out. That was good enough for her. Finally, she would have Severus to herself.
When she told him about her plan, he was immediately skeptical. "Quirrell might cut detention early," he countered.
"He won't."
"Potter might leave the common room."
"He won't."
"You have no way of knowing that."
"Then I'll leave and check." Cassie folded her arms. "Severus, I just want you to relax tonight."
"I don't need to relax."
She raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"I don't need you looking after me as though I'm a child."
Cassie rounded his desk and settled herself onto his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. She could feel the tension in him immediately. "I do need to look after you. That's what we do for each other," she whispered, resting her forehead against his. "Will you let me?"
She kissed him. After a moment, his arms came around her. "All right," he murmured.
"That's what I wanted to hear," Cassie said with a smile.
She led him into his quarters, lit the fireplace, poured him a glass of wine, and settled beside him. "Are you relaxed yet?"
"Not quite."
She smiled mischievously. "Well, perhaps I can do something about that." What followed was considerably more effective than wine.
Severus didn't protest as she unzipped his trousers and slipped a hand under the fabric of his underwear. He also didn't move to stop her when she stroked him until he hardened beneath her touch.
He couldn't have argued with her if he had wanted to. The moment she took him into his mouth, he was incapable of forming words.
By the time they were finished, Severus was looking decidedly more relaxed, and Cassie was thoroughly pleased with herself. "So," she said, stealing a sip from his wineglass, "are you relaxed yet?"
"Yes."
She caught the rare smile that appeared on his face. "I got you a cake from the kitchens."
"What sort?"
"Vanilla with buttercream."
"You spoil me."
"Yes." Cassie smiled and began gathering herself. "And on that note, I'd better make my rounds." She had secretly hoped he would stop her, but he didn't. The only thing that would give him true peace of mind was if she checked on Potter.
But as she reached the door, he called her name. "Cassie." She turned to look at him. "Do you have any jewelry in your dormitory? Something that isn't sentimental?"
She frowned. "Probably. Why?"
"I need you to fetch it."
"What for?"
But he ignored her question. "Bring it to my office." He had already returned to the shelves, rifling through the parchments he had translated from her Christmas gift.
Cassie narrowed her eyes. She knew that look. He was planning something.
"Fine."
---
She quickly made her way toward Gryffindor Tower. Music could already be heard from somewhere above. Good.
On her way, she passed the library. It was practically empty—no Harry. No Ron. No Hermione. Exactly as planned. Her next stop was the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.
Cassie peeked through the doorway. Quirrell sat at his desk with his face buried in his hands. At the same time, Fred and George enthusiastically chatted beside him, showing absolutely no indication that they were completing whatever punishment they had been assigned.
Cassie smiled. Everything was going perfectly.
She continued to the Slytherin common room and ignored the curious glances she received before disappearing into her dormitory. She rarely spent time there anymore.
She opened her dresser and began searching.
"What, did you and your boy toy break up?" Laanstra's sneer came from behind her.
Cassie glanced over. "Who said I was dating a boy?" She found the bracelet. Bronze, with an emerald set into its center. A gift from the Malfoys several years earlier.
She turned toward the door. Behind her, several jaws had dropped. Cassie smiled to herself as she walked away.
She found Severus exactly where she expected. His office had been transformed into a miniature laboratory. A cauldron simmered over the fire, and a translated recipe hovered above it, held aloft by a carefully placed charm.
"Okay," she said, handing him the bracelet. "What are we doing?"
He barely looked at the jewelry before setting it aside. "It's called Aşağıdakı Layihəsi."
Cassie stared. "I love it when you talk nonsense to me."
"It roughly translates to 'Draught of Following.'"
"Oh."
"I found it in the text you gave me," he said as he began gathering ingredients. "I wanted to attempt it, but there are numerous components I don't have. Several will require substitutions, and some of those substitutions could have unpredictable consequences."
"What does it do?"
"If it works," he said, "we place the bracelet into the finished potion. We then bottle a portion and introduce it to Quirrell."
Cassie's eyes widened. "And?"
"The bracelet will react. A black glow indicates malicious intent. Yellow indicates neutrality. Blue indicates fear."
Cassie leaned closer. "And if it stops glowing?"
"Then he is no longer in the vicinity of the object."
"So if he leaves Hogwarts..."
"We'll know."
Cassie considered this. "Okay. So what made you decide that this was suddenly a brilliant idea?"
"I haven't decided that," he intoned. He dropped another ingredient into the cauldron. A burst of flame shot upward, but he didn't so much as blink. Cassie nearly jumped out of her chair. "I'm still uncertain," he continued. "If my substitutions are incorrect, the potion could produce false information."
"Or?"
"It could kill him."
Cassie shrugged. "I'd be okay with that."
"Or give him an extraordinary amount of power."
"Oh." She bit her lip. "Well, you're brilliant, Sev. If anyone can figure it out, you can."
"I know."
She smiled. "Can't I simply curse him and be done with it?"
"I've already run that suggestion past Dumbledore."
"And?"
"He said no."
Cassie sighed. "Fine. Tell me what to do, Potions Master."
They worked for hours. The potion demanded their complete concentration, and Severus became increasingly absorbed in the process. Cassie followed his instructions, measured ingredients, watched the flame, and double-checked his calculations whenever he asked.
By the time they were finished, neither of them had any hope of sleeping. The elixir bubbled quietly in the cauldron, glowing a brilliant blue.
Severus stared at it. Finally, he nodded. "Successful." He carefully lowered the bracelet into the potion and siphoned a small amount into a glass vial.
Now came the fun part. Finding Quirrell.
It was early morning, approximately an hour before the first students and staff would arrive in the Great Hall. Cassie was exhausted, giddy, and far too pleased with herself. "You are certain we shouldn't run this by Dumbledore first?" she whispered as they approached the last staircase.
Severus shrugged. "Dumbledore put me in charge of surveillance. This counts."
Cassie snorted. "I think I've been a bad influence on you, Professor Snape."
"An unfortunate possibility."
They positioned themselves outside Quirrell's classroom. Severus stood on one side of the door, composed and perfectly still, while Cassie paced on the other.
The doorknob turned. She looked toward Severus, and he nodded. She didn't miss the small smirk that had formed on his lips.
The door opened.
"Morning, Quirrell," Severus drawled.
Quirrell nearly jumped backward. "S-Severus!" He clutched his chest. "W-what are you d-doing here?"
"Miss Black and I were merely taking a morning stroll."
Quirrell turned just as Cassie threw the vial. It struck the stone at his feet and shattered. Blue liquid spread across the floor and immediately erupted into a cloud of vapor accompanied by a high, unnatural hiss.
Quirrell shrieked. The sound was so sharp that Cassie almost thought she heard another voice beneath it.
"Sorry, Professor," she said sweetly. The cloud disappeared almost as quickly as it had formed. "Must have dropped something." Cassie hurried toward Severus, and they descended the stairs together.
They would have loved to follow Quirrell and see exactly what he did next. But the bracelet was waiting.
Back in Severus's office, he used a charm to retrieve it from the potion. Cassie leaned closer. The emerald was glowing bright blue.
"Fear," she whispered, then looked to Severus. He nodded. Whatever was happening with Quirrell, they had frightened him. And that was useful information.
They were late to breakfast after cleaning the cauldron and putting away the ingredients. Cassie was exhausted enough to fall asleep standing up. Severus, however, appeared to have recovered a remarkable amount of energy. He pushed her up against his desk as soon as they returned and kissed her like he hadn't seen her for months.
Cassie suspected she might actually collapse before noon, but she was far from complaining. By the time they reached the Great Hall for breakfast, she had hidden the bracelet beneath the sleeve of her robes. While eating, she discreetly checked it. Still blue.
Cassie glanced toward the High Table. Severus was speaking with Hagrid. When he looked her way, she winked. His expression remained perfectly neutral, but she knew him well enough to catch the faintest glimmer of amusement in his eyes.
Then the owls arrived. Cassie was surprised to be given two letters that day, when she usually received none.
She reached for the first. The handwriting was immediately recognizable. Charlie.
Cassie groaned. She considered leaving it unopened, but eventually, curiosity won.
Green Pea,
Hope you liked my Christmas gift. I was so excited to send you something that I sent this letter soon after. I realize now how much I've missed you.
It may have taken this long because I've been so busy, but I hope you can take the time to write me one, too.
I'll be anxiously waiting.
I hope you're not too mad at me for everything.
Love,
Charlie.
Cassie folded the letter, wishing Tonks were sitting beside her. She needed someone she could properly complain to about this. Charlie pining after her was becoming a nuisance. She would write back and let him down gently. Then perhaps he could return to his dragons without constantly wondering about her.
She reached for the second letter. This envelope was brown and crumpled with no name on the outside. Cassie frowned as she opened it.
The first thing she saw was her name written in elegant loops.
Cassiopeia.
Her breath caught. Something about the handwriting was familiar. Painfully familiar. Her fingers shook as she slowly opened the parchment.
Cassiopeia,
My darling daughter.
I know this may come as a bit of a shock. But someone has helped Mummy get this to you.
It's been so, so long. I do hope that you still remember me, my sweet girl.
I've been thinking of you every single day since I've been here.
I hope I can return to you one day.
I do hope that you're keeping the right company.
Remember where you come from. Remember whose heir you are.
Be proud.
Be noble.
Toujours Pur.
Bella
Cassie stopped breathing. For a moment, the Great Hall disappeared, and the voices around her faded. The scrape of cutlery against plates became distant and distorted as her vision blurred.
Her mother's handwriting. Her mother's words. Her mother's voice seemed to exist between every line.
My darling daughter.
Cassie felt as though something had reached through the parchment and wrapped its fingers around her heart. Her chest tightened.
No.
No, no, no.
She had spent years learning to live without her and to separate the woman Bellatrix had been from the mother Cassie remembered—years learning to build a life that did not belong to her parents. And now—
Now Bellatrix had found a way to reach her.
Cassie's breathing became shallow, then faster. She could not get enough air.
She looked toward the High Table, toward Severus. Her anchor. Her safe place.
She needed him now. She clutched the letter in her hand and pushed herself to her feet.
Someone shouted her name as another voice called for help. The Great Hall tilted violently beneath her as she tried to take a step. Then, her knees buckled.
The last thing she registered was students screaming as the world around her spun into darkness. Then everything went black.