Cassie woke up late into the night to make sure her indisposed lover took another dose of cerberus antidote. Expecting a swift interaction and then to be able to go back to sleep, she grew concerned when she noticed a sweet, sickening smell engulfing the room that she hadn't noticed earlier.
"Severus?" She gently touched the slumbering Head of Slytherin House's arm, hoping not to startle him awake. His pale bicep was slick with sweat, and she moved her hand to his forehead, finding that it was coated with perspiration. "Oh no," she whispered, and flicked her wrist, lighting the lamps next to the bed. She needed to get a better look at him.
His usual sallow complexion was looking especially haggard, and his raven hair was plastered to his face. She could tell that his breathing was ragged, and even without seeing his leg, she had a hunch as to where the new putrid smell was coming from. Uncovering him, she wasn't surprised that the wound was green and pus-filled, the surrounding skin an angry red and incredibly swollen. She had to get another dose of the antidote in him, and urgently.
"Severus," she said, grabbing the vial from the bedside table and uncorking it, "you need to wake up so you can drink this."
"You need to go back to the owlery," he mumbled, barely audible, not opening his eyes. "Ten points from butterbeer!"
"Okay then." He was incoherent, the poison making him delirious. She either had to figure it out now or get him to Madam Pomfrey. Knowing it probably would be fruitless, she brought the yellow elixir to his lips. He wouldn't drink, and within seconds he started snoring.
She went to his living room, looked through some shelves until she found an empty flask, and went to the bedroom. Grabbing her wand, she moved to his leg, the rotting smell of dying flesh making her gag momentarily. She started to wave her wand slowly over the wound, muttering a healing charm, and green and yellow liquid started to slowly rise out of his skin and into the waiting vial.
Snape started to grunt and writhe, as the movement of the thick sludge coming out of his flesh was painful. Cassie kept going, knowing that the bite needed to be cleaned.
"It hurts, stop," he murmured, his eyes starting to flutter open.
"We're almost finished, Severus," Cassie said softly. The flask was almost full, and his leg was already looking much healthier.
"Good. Then, can we go to the Black Lake? Maybe the giant squid will be out," Snape said, his speech much clearer, and Cassie was hopeful that he was pulling out of his feverish state. She didn't know why he was requesting to go out to the grounds in the middle of the night.
"Not now," she said, corking the flask full of her lover's pus. She walked over to the fireplace and tossed it in, and it shattered, the poisonous matter burning away with a high-pitched hiss. She went back over to the bed and started to dress the wound, a crisp clean bandage appearing from the end of her wand. "You need your rest first."
"Probably best," he responded, his eyes closed, and he started to settle back into the pillow. "Potter and his furry friends might be there."
"Oh?" Cassie said, not sure how else to respond, and she grabbed the antidote again. "Severus, I need you to sit up and open your eyes. You need to drink this, and then we both can go back to sleep."
His eyes fluttered open momentarily but closed again. She placed a hand behind his shoulder to help him sit up and placed the vial to his lips. "Please, you have to drink this, or I'll have to take you to Madam Pomfrey, I don't know how else to make you better."
"Anything for you, Lily." He slowly began to drink. Cassie tipped it back, so he got every last drop. She was taken aback, not sure who he was referring to.
"Okay," she said when he had finished it, letting him lie back. She put the empty bottle down and crawled in next to him, flicking her wrist and darkening the room once again. "You did good, Sev. Go to sleep."
"So nice to hear that from you," he whispered, and turned towards her, nestling his face into the nape of her neck. She noticed that he felt less diaphoretic, which pleased her.
"I suppose," she said quietly.
"Why has it taken so long for us to do this?" he asked. His tone was inquiring, almost childlike.
"What, Severus? Clean each other's gaping wounds?"
"This," he said. "Be in bed together, embrace. It's what I've wanted for so long, Lily."
Even though he was snuggled up to her and she had her arms around him, she suddenly felt stiff. Again, she didn't know how to respond to his disorientation. "Oh, I think we should just go to sleep. "
"You've forgotten about Potter?" he asked, and Cassie's mind went blank for a moment. Was he that out of it, that he was jumping from some childhood memory to one of his current students? Maybe she should take him to the hospital wing after all.
And then she suddenly made the connection. Snape went to school with, and hated, James Potter and his friends. That meant he was also classmates with James' wife, Lily. Was that who he was referring to? Cassie had never heard Snape reference her much before, other than the fact that the Dark Lord had murdered her. But then again, Snape didn't like to talk about his past in detail with Cassie.
Cassie swallowed hard, debating if she should play along, and maybe he'd fall asleep soon, or try to reason with him. "Sure, Severus. But you need your rest. Please, try to sleep, okay?"
"Alright." He didn't say anything after that. His breathing changed, signaling that he had drifted off. Cassie had a hard time falling into a peaceful slumber that night.
The morning came quickly, as they both had classes to get ready for. Cassie felt drained, but she snapped to attention as soon as she woke up, worried how Snape was doing. She breathed a sigh of relief when she laid eyes on him, as he no longer appeared sweaty, and his white skin looked a lot healthier.
"Severus," she said, touching his shoulder, and he woke up immediately.
"Morning," he muttered. She held her breath, waiting for him to call her someone else's name, wondering if he was still confused.
"I need to check your leg," She pulled the covers off him. "It looked pretty bad last night, I had to siphon out a lot of drainage last night. Do you remember any of it?"
His look of surprise gave her an answer. "No. Did I take my second dose of antidote?"
"After some coercing, yes." She opened the bandage and smiled, as the bite looked like it was healing. "Much better!"
"So you didn't go back to your dorm at all last night?"
"Of course not," Cassie said, raising an eyebrow. "I wasn't going to leave you in that state."
"Foolish!" he spat.
"Sev, you're the one who didn't want to go to the hospital wing. And you're lucky I stayed because you barely knew your own name last night. Your leg would have fallen off by this morning."
"Your dormmates are going to have noticed. I'm going to have to reprimand you when they report you missing all night," he said.
"So what? You'll have to give me detention," she said, shrugging. She was moving about the room, starting to get ready. Snape sat on the edge of the bed, then stood to gingerly test out his injured leg.
"Leave it to you, to want detention," he muttered, limping his way to his bureau.
"If it's with you, then sure. And chances are, they won't say anything anyway," she said nonchalantly. She started to head towards the bathroom, intending to bathe.
"What makes you think that?" he asked, slowly following her.
"There were plenty of nights I was gone the last term. They're kind of used to it," she said, turning on the water to the bathtub.
"What?" he asked, his tone changing. She was regretting discussing the topic all of a sudden. "And what exactly were you doing that you were gone all night?"
Cassie bit her bottom lip. Maybe if she stayed silent he'd forget what they were talking about.
"Black!" he snarled. There was no way he was going to be forgetting anything that morning.
She sighed. "Are you asking me as my Head of House, or as my..."
"Your what? What does it matter?"
"Because we're getting into past relationship territory, Severus, and I don't know if we're ready for that - "
"It has nothing to do with that!" he barked, literal spit flying at her, and she folded her arms across her chest. "What I would like to know is what dangerous, imbecilic activities you were up to because Merlin knows you have a knack for them!"
"Nothing like that! I was just with Charlie some nights, okay?" He stared at her, and she couldn't tell if he was caught off guard or was so infuriated that he was at a loss for words. When he didn't speak for a few moments, she started to climb into the tub.
"Doing what?" he asked finally, his voice low and silky. He was trying to contain himself.
"Is that a trick question?" she asked, becoming annoyed. She suspected he was starting to grow jealous when he had no right to be. "What do you think we were doing?"
They were going about their morning rituals, but angrily. "So you were running about the castle in the middle of the night, getting your rocks off with the beloved Gryffindor Quidditch star, all the while maintaining such a squeaky-clean reputation with the staff, making us trust you - " he started in on her, and she knew when he was referring to 'the staff' trusting her, it was just him.
Annoyance turned to anger very quickly. "Oh, I wasn't just running around the castle, Professor Snape! We were running around the grounds, even during the night, and we were going into the Forbidden Forest. Do you remember that little clearing you found me in? That rock I was sitting on fits two people, you know!"
"I should give you detention from now until graduation!" he sneered at her.
"For what? Having a boyfriend before you?" she challenged, and he rounded on her, backing her up against the bathroom counter. His arms were planted on either side of her, keeping her from escaping his wrath.
"Is that what you think this is? That I'm jealous of some teenage, broom-riding, freckle-faced Weasley?" He looked so bitter that she barely believed that this man and the one cuddling up to her in bed last night was the same person.
"I don't know! Are you?" She went to duck under his arm and move away from him, but he blocked her. She glared at him, knowing he was just going to grow nastier with his insults unless they stopped the argument now.
"I'm disgusted," he sneered lowly, scrunching up his nose, "that to feel some sort of self-worth, you let some manky dimwit touch you."
"Lovely," Cassie said, sarcasm dripping from the word. "Now you'd better let me pass, Severus, before I make you!"
He moved and she stormed out of the bathroom. He followed closely, or at least as quickly as he could considering he was sporting a limp. "Was it the stimulating conversation an empty-headed Quidditch star can offer that appealed to you? Or maybe it was the impressive way he could catch a ball with his hand? Lord knows that takes so much talent!" he was spewing as he came after her. Cassie took a deep breath, and feeling like her theory about Lily Potter was being proven true. She knew that James was a Quidditch player as well. Snape was projecting whatever school-age resentment he had leftover onto her.
She was trying to hold her tongue. Maybe if she just reached the door and got into the corridor, she could avoid the fight altogether, and he would cool off.
"Did he even know where to touch you?" Snape jeered. She knew he was lost in his head, probably not even realizing that he was talking to her, and not the memory of a girl from so long ago. "If you gave him a diagram, would he even know how to read it?"
"Severus!" Cassie shouted, turning towards him, infuriated now. He was looking at her, but it was like he was seeing through her. Even so, she couldn't help herself when she said, "I'm not Lily!" and then stormed through the door.
He didn't chase after her. She didn't know what effect that jarring statement had on him, but he didn't make an appearance at breakfast. She heard murmurs in the halls that morning that Professor Snape was on the warpath during his lessons, and she dreaded having class with him that day. But even so, she worried about him.
The time for Potions came, and he stormed in like usual, going to stand in front of the class. "Buoyancy Solution, page one hundred twelve," he announced, his voice so low that it was barely audible. He didn't seem noticeably angry, which Cassie thought might be a good sign. She got started, thinking she was off to a decent start with chopping ingredients, when suddenly, the Potions Master was right behind her.
"Black," he hissed, "Forgot how to prep your ecklonia uniformly in the first two minutes, eh?"
"I - I don't think so - " she started, but he was on a mission, and he would not be deterred.
"Get out," he said, not needing to raise his voice. Every pair of eyes drifted their way, but no one dared say anything. Cassie was at a loss, knowing he was not in the mood for an argument. He wasn't even taking points or assigning detention, he just wanted her out of his sight. She packed up her station and left without a word.
She was able to keep a stiff upper lip for the remainder of the day. Her first instinct was to avoid him, but the more she thought about it, the more she felt compelled to see him. She didn't want to let this fester, or let a stupid argument ruin whatever it was they had between them. She wanted to fight for them.
After dinner, she went to the Potions classroom. When he looked up from the papers he was grading, his coal-black eyes were shooting daggers.
"Get out," he said in the same tone he had used in the class that day, but this time, it didn't have the same influence on her.
"No."
"It's not up for debate!"
"You're right," she said calmly, approaching his desk. "It's not, because I'm not leaving until we talk - "
"Out!" he shouted, standing suddenly. Cassie turned towards the door, waving her wand and slamming it shut, ensuring that they weren't going to be interrupted.
"This isn't how it works!" Cassie countered. "We're not leaving this unresolved, so we can avoid it, and then our relationship goes to shit!"
"What relationship?" he hissed at her, his eyes narrowing. Always trying to be cruel, to keep people at a distance. But she saw right through him.
"Don't do that. You think you're just going to hurt me, and then I'll leave, and then we can just go back to being miserable?"
"I was fine before we started this mess," he responded curtly. "I'll be fine after."
"Well, I won't be!" Cassie said, "because believe it or not, I care about you a great deal, actually! Even after you judged me unfairly for my past relationship like an immature asshole."
He was staring at her silently, and she could see the gears spinning in his head. Finally, he said, "How do you know?"
Cassie took a few seconds, wanting to be careful as they approached the topic. Obviously, he was sensitive about it. "I need you to be more specific."
"About her."
"Lily?"
He visibly flinched at her name being said out loud, like someone had slapped him. It made Cassie wanted to reach out to comfort him, but she stayed in her spot, sensing that he wouldn't respond to it well. "Yes, her!" he shouted.
"You thought I was her last night. When you were fevered."
He looked taken aback at the revelation, and then he sat down in his chair again. His eyes, which had been constricted in aggravation, widened in awe. Cassie let him have a few minutes of silence, not knowing what was going through his head, but assuming it was incredibly painful. Finally, he said, "I'm sorry."
Cassie went around the desk to him and squatted down so that their faces were level. She placed her hands in his, giving them a reassuring squeeze. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"No."
Cassie sighed but didn't press the issue. "We should look at your leg again, make sure it's not getting worse."
"I had Filch change the bandage earlier today," he replied. Not being able to help herself, she started to snigger.
"What?" he snapped.
"Bet it's not as fun having your pants off around him," she said, and he grabbed her, pulling the laughing girl into his lap and covering her with kisses.
Life at Hogwarts went on as usual for the next few days, or as usual as it could, considering that Cassie was secretly sleeping with her Potions professor. That, and she was pretty sure her Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was going to frame her for something sinister, not to mention that Hagrid had reported finding more unicorn blood in the Forbidden Forest. But Cassie also had her studies to worry about, assuming that she'd score high enough on her end of year exams to become an Auror, so she was staying pretty busy.
Nonetheless, she spent almost all of her spare time with Snape. When they spent time out in the open none of the staff or students questioned it, as their behavior wasn't any different from other school years. It was a plausible cover for them and this particular Tuesday night was no different. She was in his classroom, working on her homework as he brewed a nausea potion to restock the hospital wing. It was a simple elixir to make, especially for the Potions Master's abilities, but Cassie found herself distracted as she watched him practice his craft. He always got so engrossed in making his potions, his focus drawn to the bubbling liquid beneath him, scrupulous care given to every step. It was enthralling for her to witness it. And for whatever reason, tonight it made her want to jump his bones.
She cleared her throat, trying to get back into the grueling task of finishing her essay for Professor Vector's class. Tried, and then failed. Suddenly, she was standing, and then crossing over to Snape, intending to come up behind him, and wrap her arms around him. Maybe she'd reach down towards his crotch, get right to the point.
She was a few feet away from him when footsteps entering the classroom startled her. Professor Sprout came in unannounced, giving Cassie a friendly nod hello, and asked Snape about brewing a solution to help her snargaluff pods grow. Cassie went back to her seat, tried to get back to her homework, and found herself watching Snape as he chatted with Professor Sprout.
Now, she was watching him in awe as he interacted with his colleague. She was taking in his mannerisms, loving his calm demeanor as he spoke with someone he was comfortable with and even enjoyed being around. He was such a different person when he was with the other professors, versus when he was with the students. It was a marvelous thing to see.
She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. Boy, just being in the room with the man was distracting for her. She needed to get a hold of herself, something she repeated in her mind numerous times a day. But then she'd catch sight of him and his towering frame, and his commanding presence and dark features, and she'd find herself lost in him again.
That night, she had to go back to the common room early, as Snape had to patrol the corridors. But she had gotten an idea, something she'd execute during Potions the next day. It was something that she wasn't sure if she'd be able to go through with or not, but it made her heart pound and put a smile on her face.
Cassie did find her bravery, and as she waited for the Potions Master to enter his classroom that day, she found that her palms were especially sweaty and her heart was beating so swiftly that it might leap right out of her chest.
He burst into the room, swooping down the aisle, declaring what the lesson plan was for the day. She immediately caught his eye. She knew her plan had worked because he stuttered, if only for a bit, and kept going with his short lecture. Then the students were told to start on their potion.
Cassie had worked on a charm for the last week or so that revealed a rather provocative appearance, but only to an intended target, and today was the day that she had used it. To all of her classmates, she looked completely normal in her school uniform. But to Snape, her cleavage was exposed, her skin especially glowing and dewy. Her Slytherin skirt was so short, that when she bent over to pick up an item she might have accidentally dropped in front of Snape's desk, it revealed the bright purple thong she was wearing underneath. There was a particularly strong scent of her pheromones that wafted specifically towards him, and it didn't matter where he was standing.
She was glad that the potion they were brewing wasn't especially complicated, because most of her time was spent watching out of the corner of her eye for his reactions. He still walked around the room to critique the other students, but she was thrilled that he was circling her desk more frequently than usual, getting closer and closer to her every time he came to examine her work.
When the class was done, she made a point to take her time packing up, and she could tell that the Head of Slytherin was having a hard time keeping his mouth shut as he sat behind his desk, waiting for the last student to leave.
"What are you doing?" he choked out, and Cassie smiled at him.
"What do you mean, Professor?"
He stood up, moving around the desk to approach her, a hungry look in his eyes. Cassie started to move towards the door.
"I'm sorry, Professor Snape, but I have to get to my next class," she said sweetly.
"My office, tonight," he said, his voice gravelly with need, and she smiled at him over her shoulder.
"Yes, sir," she answered him, playing her little game, and she knew she'd be in for it. For the rest of the day, she had a difficult time concentrating, knowing that she'd be with him that night, but it was the price to pay. She made a point not to look at him at dinner, just to aggravate him even more.
She knew it had worked as soon as she entered his office. He was sitting at his desk, and when she walked in, he flicked his wand, slammed the door shut, and locked it. She started to walk around the desk toward him.
"Stay where you are," he commanded, standing, and started to cast sound-shielding charms around the office. Cassie bit her lip nervously, but obeyed, staying in front of his desk. So far, they'd only had to make sure the classroom was sound-proof, not his office.
He walked behind her, then placed his hands on her shoulders, pushing her down towards the desk. "So you want to play games, do you, Miss Black?"
"Yes, Professor," she said, continuing to use the formality like earlier in the day. She giggled when he lifted up her skirt, revealing the bright purple thong and butt cheeks.
"You are a naughty thing," he purred, "Wearing something like this in my class." He massaged her bottom, his warm hand on her skin making her moan with pleasure. "What do you think the boys who saw you were thinking?"
"I placed a charm, Professor," Cassie replied, smiling. "It's only for you."
"Is that so?" Snape said. "Regardless, I think you ought to be punished, distracting your professor like that."
"If that's what you choose, sir."
The warm hand left her bottom, and then came down with a hard smack, making Cassie cry out. She stood up in surprise, and Snape gripped her arm, pulling her around the desk with him. He sat down in his chair, pulling her across his lap, making sure her skirt was lifted up again. Then, without warning, he smacked her again, this time harder.
"Do you deserve this, Miss Black?" he asked her, his deep voice like warm butter as it reached her ears, a sharp contrast to the harsh stinging of his spanking.
"Yes, Professor Snape," she gasped, and his hand came down on her ass again and again. It hurt, but she was loving every second of it. Her cries that echoed around the dungeon room only seemed to spur him on, his blows alternating between firm and gentle. She knew her backside was going to have lasting imprints of his large hand, evidence of their secret activities. Just as she was sure she couldn't take another second of it, she felt him shift her panties over, and his fingers started to probe her. His thumb started to slowly circle her sensitive nub, two digits diving inside of her without pause. She started to pant, overtaken with pleasure, and he spoke again.
"You definitely don't deserve this," he said, his voice smooth and dangerous. She was about to agree with him, but found that she was unable to form coherent words at the moment. She cried out as she came instead.
When she stopped trembling, she pulled herself off his lap, coming to rest on her knees on the floor. Like a crazed woman, she started to work at getting his pants open and down, and soon she had his erection free and in her hands. She gave it a few long, firm strokes, and lowered her head, taking the tip of his cock into her mouth.
"Good girl," he groaned, tilting his head back, and the sound of his voice alone spurred her on. Bobbing her head up and down, she continued to pleasure him with her tongue and lips, enjoying the noises he was making just as much as he was enjoying the sensations she was giving him. When he finished, she swallowed every drop he gave her, and there they were in his office, a tired, panting mess once again.
"Well," Cassie said after a few minutes, "it's getting late, I'd better get back before the girls notice I'm gone for the night."
"Let them," Snape said, pulling her to her feet and into a tight embrace. "If they tattle, I'll just have to give you detention and we can do this all over again."