Arriving in front of Andromeda and Ted's house with a loud pop, Cassie sighed in relief as soon as the familiar house came into her view. The Tonks residence was the complete antithesis to Malfoy Manor, radiating coziness and a welcoming atmosphere. The only regret she felt as she walked up the drive and to the front door was that she had been robbed of the chance to spend more time there growing up.
She was greeted with warm hugs and large smiles from her aunt and uncle as soon as the door opened, and she apologized for arriving earlier than they had planned in their letters.
"Nonsense," Andromeda said immediately, "You're always welcome here, Cassie. I hope you know that now." The brunette witch looked positively radiant in just a set of flannel pajamas, bathrobe, and slippers. Cassie realized then that she was still in her silver dress robes, and couldn't wait to change into something a bit more informal.
"I know, Aunt Dromeda," Cassia replied with a smile. "I just hate to impose."
"You'll be in Dora's room," Ted said, ushering Cassie further into the house. There was a large, heavily decorated tree near the lit fireplace and it looked like they had been sipping something in mugs in the squashy looking chairs when Cassie had come calling. With all of the elaborate ornaments and dim lighting in the house, it all almost seemed surreal, like she had stepped inside of a holiday painting. The atmosphere was similar to the Weasleys around Christmas time, and Cassie found herself missing being in the large family's home this year, even though she was thrilled to spending the holiday where she was.
"Is she going to have time off tomorrow after all?" Cassie asked as she stepped inside of her cousin's bedroom with her bag, pulling out a long purple nightshirt to change into.
"Yes, it seems Mad-Eye is letting her have most of the day to spend here," Ted said with a smile. "Why don't you get settled, and then join us out in the living room?" He left her alone to get settled, and Cassie changed into her pajamas, eager to get out of the elegant clothing that reminded her of the disastrous dinner she had just come from. As she started to take her raven hair out of its up-do, she started to look around her cousin's room a bit, and her eyes landed on a photo of her, Tonks, and Charlie that was framed and perched on the dresser. The three of them were standing arm in arm in front the Three Broomsticks, all of them smiling broadly, looking quite pleased to be in each other's company. They had taken the picture right after Tonks and Charlie's graduation from Hogwarts.
Now as she stood looking at it, Cassie recalled that Charlie had already broken up with her at the point that they had posed for the picture. It made her realize that she had been rather complacent when the relationship had ended, that she had barely taken the time to cry more than a handful of times when her boyfriend of two and a half years had given her the boot. She couldn't imagine reacting that way now, if Snape told her that it was over, that he no longer wanted her. Even imaging the scenario to compare the two relationships sent a sharp pain through her heart, and she forced herself to stop thinking about it immediately.
But now she missed him, wondered what he was doing on this Christmas Eve. He was probably patrolling the corridors, making sure Potter was safe, as usual. She suddenly found herself wishing it was the next night so she could go back to Hogwarts to see him, and she internally scolded herself, knowing she should be grateful for the this night to spend with her aunt and uncle.
She headed out to where Andromeda and Ted sat by their fireplace, ready to spend some much needed quality time with them. Ted immediately handed her a mug of tea and guided her to a recliner, and the three of them had a leisurely, natural conversation. Cassie caught them up on what she was learning in her classes, and they filled her in on some of Tonks' adventures in her training, although the more dangerous endeavors Andromeda didn't seem to keen to relive on that peaceful night.
There was no talk of the Ministry, or upcoming wars or prophecies, or unicorn blood or someone wanting to kill Potter; not once did Cassie think of what she had seen that night in the mirror, or the conversation she had with Firenze in the forest. There was no unpleasant tension about what pureblood was doing what and who was a blood traitor and what mudblood to stay away from. It was a welcome change of pace for Cassie, an ambience that she desperately needed. They chatted well into the night, and finally when all three of them started to yawn mid-sentence, did Andromeda announce that they should probably think about heading to bed.
"Oh, before I forget, Cassie," the older witch said as Cassie slowly padded towards Tonks' bedroom, rubbing her eyes. She went into the kitchen for a moment, then came back to Cassie, holding a package wrapped in brown paper. "It's the text you wanted." Cassie took it from her and unwrapped it, revealing a tattered, antique book titled Şəfalı Iksirlərin Hamısı, its cover looking like it had once been a bright vermilion but now faded and almost a shade of rust, and as she gingerly picked it up and opened it to its first page, she saw that the pages had yellowed.
"Thank you, Aunt Dromeda," Cassie said, going to place the obviously frail looking potions book on Tonks' desk, not wanting to cause it further damage, as she intended to wrap it up nicely and give it to its intended recipient tomorrow night when she saw him. "I would have gotten it myself in Diagon Alley, but I haven't really been back in public since...that day."
"You don't have to explain," Andromeda said quietly. "I wouldn't be ready to yet, either."
Cassie nodded, sitting on the bed. "Did the money I send you cover it?"
"Oh, yes," her aunt said. "It just took a bit of searching, is all. Flourish and Blotts didn't have a copy and didn't know of a way to obtain one, so I got Borgin and Burkes to track it down for me - "
"Dromeda, you didn't have to do that!" Cassie said, surprised that her aunt went to that much trouble.
"Oh, it's nothing," her aunt replied with a sly smile. "Do you really think that the shopkeepers in Knockturn Alley would mess with me? My sisters might not associate with me, but the rest of the world remembers that I'm a Black, after all."
"Yes, I suppose."
"You don't need to protect us," Andromeda said then, going to sit next to Cassie on the bed, placing a reassuring hand on her niece's shoulder. "I know you must feel that way, after you learned what the Malfoys were doing - "
"I told them, if they ever say anything like that to you two again, I'd - " Cassie was cut off when her aunt placed her hand over her mouth to shush her.
"Please, not so loud, I don't want Ted to hear," Andromeda explained quietly, and removed her hand. "I didn't mean to upset you, Cassie, and I really didn't want to bring anything close to the subject up tonight. So the only thing I want to say is that we're fine, and we'll be fine. Ted and I are so happy to have you here with us, and Dora will be thrilled to see you tomorrow."
Cassie nodded, wanting to say so much more, but conceded to her aunt's wishes to keep the peace. "I'm happy to be here, too."
She went to bed then, hoping to have a restful night's sleep. Having had a busy day, she drifted off quickly, and started to dream of a certain Potions Master, her subconscious reliving a particularly sultry afternoon they had spent in his quarters only a few days ago, barely leaving the bed except to nourish and relieve themselves. But then her images started to slowly shift, and then she was no longer in bed with Snape, but instead standing in the Dark Forest next to figures in black robes, hoods pulled over their heads and silver masks covering their faces; she turned to confront one of them, to ask what they thought they were doing there, when she heard her mother's voice call her name.
Cassie turned around to follow the voice, now seeing Bellatrix standing there with Nymphadora in her clutches, a silver dagger digging into her cousin's exposed throat. Cassie tried to call out, to plead with her mother to let Tonks go, and when she took a step forward, the blade was plunged into flesh, red blood starting to spurt in every direction and paint the forest around them.
Christmas morning started with Cassie screaming in her sleep. She didn't realize she was doing it until she was shaken awake by her aunt, and it took her several seconds to focus on the concerned faces of Ted and Andromeda above her.
"Cassie!" Andromeda was saying concernedly, smoothing her niece's hair away from her pale, sweaty face. "Cassie, you're alright, you're in Dora's room, you're safe!"
"Oh," Cassie said, now feeling quite foolish as she realized she had been dreaming. She wished the bloody images of her dream would start to fade as reality started to take over her consciousness as it sometimes did, but no luck so far. She swallowed hard, trying to push the thought of her cousin's dead body out of her mind as she simultaneously attempted to appear calm as to not further alarm her aunt and uncle. "I'm fine, it was just a nightmare."
"Must have been a bad one," Ted muttered. "Tried to pull you out of it for a minute or so."
"I'm sorry," Cassie said, sniffling. "I have them sometimes, I just forgot to meditate before I went to sleep is all."
She saw Ted and Andromeda exchange worried glances, but they didn't push the issue further. "Well, why don't you take a few minutes, and then come help us get breakfast on?" Ted suggested, and left Cassie alone. She spent a few minutes sitting on the bed to gather herself, clear her mind.
This was going to be a good Christmas. She was going to make sure of it.
She pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt from her overnight bag, and then made her way out to the kitchen. Andromeda was starting to make sausages and eggs on the stove while Ted put on some coffee. Cassie was about to ask what she could help with, when a loud bang towards the front of the house startled her, and she heard a voice call, "Oi, I've arrived home just in time for presents! Owls just came by!"
Cassie completely forgot about helping her aunt and uncle make food and sprinted towards the source of the noise, and she launched herself towards Tonks, who had just burst through the front door. Cassie also totally disregarded the fact that Tonks was holding an armful of packages, and they were all knocked to the ground as the two young witches embraced each other with so much enthusiasm that they nearly toppled over.
"Happy Christmas, Cass!" Tonks exclaimed, and Cassie squeezed her cousin so hard that she thought she might cut off her air supply, but she didn't care at the moment.
"Happy Christmas, Dora!" Cassie replied, and then she peeled herself from the hug, because she knew that her aunt and uncle would be just as eager to embrace their daughter. Cassie watched the three of them exchanged enthusiastic hugs and kisses, and then she headed back to the kitchen to make sure their forgotten breakfast wasn't burning on the stove as they started to chatter away happily in greeting.
"Well, you're a bit of a popular one, aren't you?" Tonks said as she entered the kitchen a few minutes later. "Looks like you got a few packages out there."
"I don't know who from," Cassie mused, putting the sausages onto a plate.
"I don't know for sure, but one's handwriting looks like a certain someone from Romania," Tonks said with a wink, and Cassie looked at her in surprise.
"Oh," she replied. "Well, that's rotten, because I didn't send him anything!"
Tonks started laughing, her features glowing from her currently spiky, bright green hair. "Serves him right. He was kicking around the idea of sending you more letters recently, you know, but when I caught wind of it, I sent him a rather nasty one, told him to leave you be - "
"Wait a second," Cassie said, and Andromeda and Ted entered the room, helping her plate up the rest of the food so they could eat. "How often do you talk to Charlie?"
"Oh, I don't get enough time to talk to him much," Tonks said, biting into a sausage. "I heard it through Arthur at the office, of course."
"Right."
"But anyway, apparently Charlie's been telling his mum and dad how much he misses you, that he was thinking about trying to strike up a long distance relationship with you, and of course Molly was all for it because she loves you and wants you to have her grandbabies," Tonks continued. Cassie snorted.
"I have enough on my plate, thank you very much," Cassie said, sitting down and pouring herself some coffee.
"That's what I said!" Tonks declared. "And once you graduate and start your Auror training, you're going to be so busy like me, you're not going to have much time to spare for that anyway." Cassie nodded, and thoughts of Auror training and other conversations with Dumbledore started to spring forth in her mind, and she quickly tried to force them away.
"Well, I can't imagine Charlie can afford a distraction like that, anyway," Ted mused. "Needs to stay focused on the fire breathing dragons, right?"
"Right," Andromeda agreed.
The rest of their breakfast was rather pleasant, and then they went to sit around the large, beautifully decorated Christmas tree to exchange and open gifts. Cassie received a new set of quills from Andromeda and Ted, and Tonks bestowed upon her a set of standard antidotes in a handsome leather traveling case. "Since you're so bloody wretched at Potions, thought I'd give you a set that that the Aurors carry with them in case they get poisoned," Tonks explained with a wide grin.
Next, she opened one of the packages that the owls had brought that morning, and Cassie had received the standard Weasley sweater made by Molly, this year's version a dark green with a silver 'C' on the front. Cassie had come to cherish these annual sweaters, and she immediately pulled it on over her t-shirt, relishing the warm fabric. Tonks had also received one this year, hers yellow with a black 'T', and she was delighted that the mother Weasley had remembered the 'correct' initial this year.
Cassie moved onto her remaining package, and indeed, it looked like the handwriting on it belonged to Charlie. When she opened it, she was surprised to see that there was a gleaming iridescent scale inside, larger than her hand in size. There was a small hole in the apex, with a length of black cord through it. There was a note at the bottom of the brown paper.
'Green Pea,
This is from the young female Antipodean Opaleye I've been working with. I've nicknamed her Ella, because she's stubborn and hot-headed, just like you. Hope all is well. I find myself thinking of you often.
Love,
Charlie'
Cassie jumped when she heard Tonks snort in her ear, as she had been reading the note over her shoulder. "'Green Pea'. That nickname always made me want to puke."
"Did he send you one?" Cassie asked, closing the dragon scale along with the note back up in the brown paper.
"Yeah," she said, and she opened her similarly wrapped package, revealing a silvery-blue scaled on the same black cord. "He says its from a Swedish Short-Snout. No sentiments of love or pet vegetable nicknames, though."
"Oh, give him a break," Cassie said, rolling her eyes. "Maybe he's just lonely over there, isn't thinking straight."
"He's lonely? Try traipsing about the country with Mad-Eye day in and day out, then he can complain about being lonely! The man is brilliant, don't get me wrong, but he's not much for company! I'd bet those dragons make for better conversation some days." Tonks said, and she launched into story after story of her training days, and her successes and near misses of catching criminals of the wizarding community. There were a few times that Cassie tried to throw her cousin a warning look to get her to shut up, because her parents looked rather worried hearing some of the dangerous things she had been up to. But overall, Andromeda and Ted seemed rather proud of their daughter and her endeavors.
They got to work on their Christmas mid-day dinner, and Cassie was never so grateful for the family's lack of house elves, for they shared so many stories and laughs while preparing the turkey and trimmings, mainly without the use of magic. They ate a little too much, and spent some time outside to enjoy the slowly falling snowflakes and watch a few of the neighbor children have a rather enthusiastic snowball fight while they sipped hot chocolate. After wandering back inside the house, Tonks and Cassie went to the bedroom while Andromeda and Ted went into the kitchen to put on some tea.
"So weird to be back here," Tonks said quietly as she picked up her old knickknacks and studied them, as if she hadn't seen them in ages. "It's like this is all from a lifetime ago." She came across the old Azerbaijani potions book that Cassie had Andromeda pick up, and scrunched up her nose. "What's this?"
"It's an old potions book. Collector's piece, really," Cassie replied.
"For Snape?" Cassie nodded. She had always gotten the Potions professor Christmas gifts, so the presence of the book wouldn't exactly arouse suspicion about their now not-so-platonic relationship. "Is he still the same old greasy git?"
Cassie snorted in laughter, amused that Tonks' blunt temperament was unchanged even with her strenuous Auror training. "Yes, I suppose."
"Never understood your friendship with the guy," Tonks said, now rummaging through her old jewelry box and putting on a large, dangling pair of gold earrings, and her hair suddenly started to grown drastically in length and change from green to a deep scarlet.
"Well, I spend more time with him now more than ever, with you and Charlie gone," Cassie admitted, laying back on the bed.
"Bet you can't wait to get out of there, huh?" Tonks replied, looking in the little mirror perched on her dresser, examining her nose. The shape started change, suddenly looking much more short and flat. Cassie, who had felt rather content and relaxed for the majority of the day until right then, felt her stomach twist as the familiar pang of anxiety gripped her. Her cousin's well intended words had her now thinking of how in a few short months, she'd be leaving the familiar routine of Hogwarts, and with it, the ability to see Snape basically whenever she wanted to.
"Oh, I don't know," Cassie replied softly, but Tonks had started another anecdote and didn't hear her. Cassie did her best to shake the negative thoughts from her mind and continue enjoying her time with the little family, as she had to be heading back to the castle in a few short hours.
Nighttime was upon them soon. Tonks had to be heading back to the Ministry to meet back up with Moody, and Cassie had a scheduled time to use the living room fireplace to get back to Snape's office, as to once again limit time in public. After emotional goodbyes all around, the foursome parted ways, and Cassie was once again using the Floo Network, this time with a few more packages in hand and proudly wearing her homemade Weasley sweater.
Snape wasn't seated at his desk, so Cassie went to his quarters. The fireplace was lit, and she could see his hunched over silhouette in one of the chairs, as if he were reading. She went to the dining area to set her overnight bag and packages down, and he stood to greet her, the text he had been looking at still in his hands.
"Happy Christmas, Severus," she said, holding the gift she had gotten for him, and he bent down to her to give her a kiss.
"Hello, Cassie," he murmured. His breath smelled slightly of whiskey, and he seemed relaxed, as if he had actually gotten the chance to unwind, spend some time to himself. She was about to ask him if Quirrell was out of the castle, for that was the only reason she could think of for him to be acting this carefree as of late, but she couldn't bring herself to even bring it up. Even though she had spent the whole day with people she loved and speaking of things completely unrelated, she found herself drained even thinking of the topic, so she refrained from speaking of it for the time being.
"Did you have a good day?" she asked.
"It was fine. Better, now that you're here," he replied smoothly, and he kissed her again, this time with more fervor, sending shivers throughout her entire body.
"Mmm, you're distracting," Cassie said after she pulled away, and she handed him his gift, going to pour herself her own drink. The Head of Slytherin sat back down in his chair, carefully opening the wrapping, as if he was anticipating the antiquity of the book inside. Perhaps he was, as rare potions and spellbooks were something that Cassie liked to find for him.
Once he had the paper off, he ran a graceful hand over the cover, then carefully opened it, started to gently page through it. "How did you get it?" he asked.
"I wanted to find it myself, but I didn't want to risk going out in public just yet," Cassie explained, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I had Aunt Dromeda get it."
"Won't she be suspicious?"
"No," Cassie reassured him, "they know I've gotten books for you other years." He didn't say anything, and Cassie watched his face carefully as he continued to examine the book. He didn't look pleased, or all that interested, and in fact seemed a little bit uneasy. It made Cassie start to feel a bit flustered, as this was the first gift exchange between the two of them since they had become romantically involved, and she had wanted desperately to get it right. "Do you have this one already, Severus?"
He looked up at her suddenly, as if she had pulled him out of a thought. "No."
"So you don't like it."
"What? No, it's not that."
Cassie went over to his chair then, and dropped down to her knees in front of it, her eyes now level with his. She wanted to get to the bottom of what was going on, but also she just wanted to be close to him, because she had been away for almost two days and just wanted to be near him. "So what is it?"
He looked at her then, his black eyes looking so intently at her that all she wanted to do was kiss him, but suddenly he sighed and set the book on his lap, then reached into his pocket. He withdrew a small, maroon box and held it in front of him. "This is for you," he said lowly.
She wanted to giggle in relief. Now she knew he had been acting strangely because he had been nervous about the gift he had gotten her. But she resisted, knowing that laughing in this moment when he was feeling so vulnerable would only make him agitated, and she gingerly took the box from him with a straight face. When she flipped the top open, it revealed a black onyx necklace on a silver chain, the oval-shaped pendent surrounded by small moonstones.
"Severus, it's beautiful!" she exclaimed, and she started to take the jewelry out of its case, intending to put it on right away.
"If it's not your aesthetic, you don't have to wear it," he muttered.
"Nonsense," she said, and she handed it to him, lifting up her hair and turning around so he could help her. "I love it." Once he had it clasped, she turned back around to kiss him again. "It's a very thoughtful gift, Sev."
"As is yours," he replied, standing only long enough to find a safe place for his new text on one of his many bookshelves. It wasn't long before they were locked in a sensual, loving kiss, and hands were roaming over each other's bodies, and soon, the necklace was the only thing that Cassie was wearing as she laid down in front of the crackling fireplace on the rug. Her long black locks strewn underneath her, she felt her cheeks redden as Snape slowly crawled over her, taking his sweet time, letting his eyes roam over every inch of her naked body.
Cassie was feeling rather lascivious, having been away from him for so long and feeling so bonded to him at the moment, but he appeared to want to take things slow, to savor things this time around. She was hungrily kissing his neck and tightly wrapping her legs around his hips to pull him to her, but he was making unhurried, deliberate touches all over her skin. She moaned as he slowly began to suck on her earlobe, and she nearly came undone when his breathy voice reached her senses.
"Now, now," he purred, her earlobe still between his teeth as he spoke, "this isn't a race."
She wanted nothing more then to grab him, to take control and to ride him into oblivion, but she was also rather enjoying the attention he was giving her, so she kept her hands on his torso and his backside instead, letting him decide where and when he wanted to give her contact. His mouth went from her ear, to her jaw, to her collarbone, and soon her chest was heaving from anticipation. When he finally took one of her nipples into his warm mouth, she started to tremble, and she was sure she was going to lose it right then and there.
"Severus," she said breathlessly, "please - "
She stopped talking when his hand started to slowly, painstakingly travel from her rib cage, down her stomach, and she desperately wanted it to come to rest between her legs. Instead, it bypassed that desired area and came to rest on her inner thigh and slowly rub there. She responded by opening her legs wide, urging him to touch her in her most sensitive place, to stop teasing her.
"You're so wet, I can feel it dripping down your thighs," he uttered lowly, moving his mouth to her other breast.
"You're mocking me," she panted, and she moved her hand between her legs, going to stimulate her clit, because she simply couldn't take it anymore, but he grabbed her wrist.
"I would never be that cruel," he said in reply, gently moving her hand to her side, and she tried to pull it away from him. In response, his head started to move lower between her breasts, down her stomach, coming to rest between her legs, and just as she was about to argue with him, she felt his tongue on her aching core, making her moan so loud that he chuckled at her enthusiasm. He used his nose expertly to press into her sensitive nub as he lapped at her, his hands on her thighs to open her legs up even more. Just when she was about to burst at the seams, he shifted pressure, his tongue now moving to her clit, and he slowly inserted two long fingers into her, using them to pump in and out of her tight opening. He could tell that she wanted them at a vigorous pace, but he kept his movements slow, gradual. He admired her ragged breaths and the sweat accumulating on her flushed skin, knowing that he was building something inside of her so overwhelming that her legs would be shaking for hours after.
When she did reach her climax, she was writhing so hard that she almost seemed to seize beneath him. He allowed her a few minutes of recovery, planting warm, tender kisses on her flushed skin, and then he inched up her body again, pressing his now incredibly wanting shaft at her entrance and entering her at the same relaxed pace in which he had just pleasured her. He wanted to enjoy every moment of this, to make it last all night if he could. Cassie seemed to cling to him for dear life as he pumped in and out of her, but soon he found that his own breathing was turning ragged, that he was losing self control as her warm pussy clenched around him from all sides.
She was absolutely delectable. In this moment, he was sure that he'd never be able to get enough of her, not in ten lifetimes. Not wanting to cum just yet, he pulled himself out of her, making her groan in displeasure at the sudden loss of contact, and he flipped her onto her side, settling himself behind her. Grasping her leg and holding it up, he entered her again from behind, and continued at the same pace.
Eventually, when he started to feel her walls start to shudder around him, he allowed himself his own release, and when they both came down from their peaks, he pulled her close, as they were both still lying on their sides in front of the fireplace. He nuzzled his face into her neck and hair, planting kisses on her skin.
When he reached his arm around her to pull her closer, he absentmindedly started to fondle the pendent that had fallen between her breasts. The necklace was an instant reminder of their bond, of their unsaid commitment to one another, and he smiled into her neck, something he rarely showed when the two of them were awake together.