Cassie didn't know what she expected to happen as time trickled on that summer. She never really thought Harry and Severus would just start getting along, even with her daily insistence that they try, but she had hoped that their mutual dislike for each other would lessen. It seemed like it was just getting worse during that first week.
"Show him around your potions lab," Cassie encouraged Severus one morning as she tapped her wand on the coffee pot, which immediately started to fill with steaming caffeinated drink.
"As I told both of you from the first night, Potter is not allowed to step foot in that room," he grumbled in return, cracking an egg a bit too forcefully into a pan. Instead of getting the eggshells out, he banged the pan against the sink to rid it of the mess and threw it back on the stove.
"The first night? More like the first minute he was in this house," she countered. He cracked another egg, his black eyes darting up to shoot her a glare.
"If you're attempting to convince me of something, squabbling with me first thing in the morning is not going to help your cause."
"I was going to try to implore to your reasonable side, but it didn't take long for you to remind me that you don't have one." When his eyes darted to her face again, they were met with a jesting smile. His sneer didn't falter.
"I'm making the boy breakfast, aren't I?" he pointed out irritably.
"Yes, and that's very nice of you," she said, going to wrap her arms around his waist. For a fleeting moment, she felt the tension start to falter as he leaned into her embrace. Footsteps coming down the stairs made him drop his spatula so he could pull her arms off him. Any displays of affection in front of Harry were nonexistent, as if Severus were too proud to let the young Gryffindor see him in such a vulnerable state.
"Morning," Harry said as he entered the kitchen. The apprehensive look on his face was pretty much a guarantee every time Severus was in the same room.
"Good morning, Harry," Cassie greeted him, gesturing for him to sit down at the table. As Harry settled himself, she elbowed the Head of Slytherin in his side. Instead of greeting Harry, he let out an annoyed grunt.
"Any news of Black?" Harry asked. Before Cassie could answer, Severus picked up the Daily Prophet that was on the counter and tossed it to the table. Cassie could see the boy fighting to keep from rolling his eyes as he picked up the paper.
"Just more reassurance that the Ministry is looking for him," Cassie told him, placing a plate of food in front of him before going back to the stove to get her own. "What are your plans for the day, Harry?" Harry shrugged as he chewed his toast. "Severus could use help in the garden gathering fluxweed."
"No thanks," Harry replied quickly. Cassie wasn't surprised that he declined, as any suggestion to do something with the Potions Master had been answered in a similar rushed manner. Severus tutted as he took his seat beside her.
"What?" she challenged, raising an eyebrow at the older wizard.
"You know perfectly well that fluxweed must be harvested under a full moon," he said silkily. "It seems in your attempt to force us to spend time together you have forgotten something I taught you in your second year."
"Fine. When is the full moon? He can help you then," she said.
"I'm perfectly capable of gathering fluxweed without Potter's help," he said coldly. Harry nodded in agreement, and Cassie sighed in exasperation.
"Fine. I don't care what you two do. Avoid each other all summer for all I care," she said, standing up and putting her plate in the sink.
"You say that with so much finality, and yet you will attempt to do the same thing at tomorrow's breakfast," he pointed out.
"I'll nag you nonstop until you try to get along."
"Don't hold your breath," Harry muttered. Severus, instead of acknowledging that he agreed with the young wizard's comment, rounded on him.
"Potter! You will address her with respect while you are in our home," he hissed. Cassie grabbed his forearm, but he yanked it from her hand.
"Severus, that's enough," she said quietly. His glare went from Harry to her, and then he left the room without another word. When they heard the door shut to his workshop, Harry looked at her sheepishly.
"I'm sorry, Cassie," he started, but she shook her head.
"No need, Harry," she said. "So what would you like to do today?"
"I wouldn't mind going back to the Burrow," he told her, and she gave him a small smile, knowing that visiting the Weasley household even without any of its inhabitants there was comforting for the Gryffindor. It also gave her a warm, nostalgic feeling whenever they went to check on the property, and it was becoming an almost daily occurrence.
As Cassie and Severus would not allow Harry to go outside without supervision, she made him wait in the cottage's entryway while she crossed the potions room's threshold. She told its occupant where they were going, and she was rewarded with a disapproving stare.
"We brought him here to keep him safe from Black, and yet you two keep traipsing down the road where there are no wards or precautions in place." His eyes drifted downward so he could carefully chop the pickled horned slugs in front of him.
"He'll be with me the entire time," she replied evenly. "You know I can keep him safe."
"Black is a madman," he said, potentially for the hundredth time since Potter had come to stay.
"I'm well aware," she said, placing a soft kiss on his cheek, careful not to disturb his movements as he worked. "He can't be any worse than what I've dealt with before." She wanted to point out that if he made an effort to get along with the boy that he might be more agreeable to staying put, but she had told him that numerous times already. She didn't feel like starting another argument.
Cassie and Harry made their way down the road to the Burrow, leisurely strolling down the dirt road. Harry had his Nimbus 2000 slung over his shoulder, chatting with Cassie about the upcoming year's Quidditch team and what practices might look like. The day was beautiful, with clear skies and a pleasant breeze blowing through their hair. She wished that Severus had agreed to join them.
After feeding chickens and chasing away a hungry-looking fox, they went to the secluded area where the Weasley children practiced their broom riding skills. Cassie, never one to get excited about flying a broomstick herself, watched Harry as he zoomed around, and charmed a small rock into floating about like a snitch. The young Seeker was so elated about getting the chance to practice that Cassie couldn't bring herself to remind him that they had missed lunch. By the time evening was upon them, Harry came back to the ground stating he was famished. They went back to the small cottage, and Severus was out back tending to his garden that contained numerous potion ingredients. Cassie was able to successfully pull him away from fussing over his stock of Chinese chomping cabbages so the three of them could go into town to buy what they needed for dinner.
Still exhilarated from his practice, Harry was happily talking about different moves he hoped to master over the next month as they walked, Cassie politely responding to what he was saying. She never really cared about the wizard's sport all that much, but after being friends with and then dating Charlie for so long, she knew the right things to say and when.
"I could always get you and Draco together this summer so you can swap tips," Cassie teased as they neared the market.
Harry grimaced. "I'll bet you he practices every day! Good thing I've got the chance to fly this summer, Wood will be happy when he hears."
"Flint won't be," Severus said, referring to Slytherin's Quidditch captain. Cassie almost gasped, as she was surprised that he had contributed to the conversation. Harry, who didn't respond, had a satisfied look on his face, likely picturing Marcus Flint's distress when he realized that the Gryffindor Seeker had gotten a slight advantage over the holiday break.
They found sausages and potatoes at the market. Harry made his way over to the dessert display, examining a jam roly-poly and a scrumptious-looking carrot cake before making his way over to Cassie and Severus. Severus gave Cassie a long, scrutinizing look before sighing.
"Go ahead, Potter," he said, "Pick out whatever you would like."
Harry looked startled, looking to Cassie for reassurance before he spoke. After she gave him a wink, he replied, "Um, thanks, Professor." He went back over to the display, and Cassie playfully nudged Severus while grinning at him. All she got in return was an unwavering scowl.
The walk home was mainly silent, as Harry was likely mulling over the fact that he had shared a somewhat positive interaction with his Potions Master, while Severus was probably regretting letting Cassie see him be nice to the young Gryffindor. Cassie could hardly blame him, as she had every intention of telling him how happy she was about it the next time they had some privacy. He would hate every second.
As they ate dinner, Harry resumed his chatter about Quidditch, and Severus remained silent once again. Just as Cassie was about to cut into the carrot cake that Harry had selected, one of their magical alarms started to sound, and a few seconds later a knock came at the door. Cassie exchanged a concerned glance with Severus before starting to head to the entryway.
"Stay put, Harry," she said, reminding herself that it was unlikely that Sirius Black would knock at the front door if he was coming to attack The Boy Who Lived. Nonetheless, she drew her wand, Severus doing the same as he came up beside her. As soon as she opened the door and saw who it was, part of her wished it had been Sirius Black instead.
"Niece," came Lucius Malfoy's lazy drawl. He looked her up and down, and then warily eyed the ivory wand in her grip. Severus waved his hand, making the chiming of the defensive charms go silent. "Severus. Good evening."
"Uncle," Cassie said, giving the blond wizard a curt nod.
"I see you have the necessary precautions in place."
"Of course," Severus replied, his expression unreadable as he met their visitor's silver eyes.
"Tell me," Lucius said, stepping inside without invitation, and Cassie fought the urge to block his path, "how has your little babysitting stint been going?"
"It's been fine," Cassie told him, not really in the mood to elaborate further. Her wand went back into her pocket, and then she folded her arms across her chest as she watched him look around the little sitting room. His nose was in the air like he was trying to catch a whiff of something unpleasant. "Why are you here, Uncle?"
Lucius was running his gloved finger across a photo of Cassie, Alex, and Romily that was sitting on the fireplace mantle when she asked him this. Either he was too distracted to hear her question, or he was choosing to ignore her. "A slight improvement from that brick building you lived in, Severus. I never cared to visit that place. Far too quaint and far too many Muggles nearby." As Cassie's blood began to boil, the blond wizard turned to the Potions Master, a smug smile on his lips. "Although, I daresay the magical neighbors you have to put up with here are worse than being in an all-Muggle village. How did she convince you to move here?"
"To what do we owe the pleasure of your company, Lucius?" Severus asked silkily, echoing Cassie's earlier inquiry. Lucius smirked at the Head of Slytherin, likely assuming that his younger counterpart was not answering him as not to aggravate Cassie.
"I am here on the Minister's behalf," he answered, "As he and his officials have been looking for Black nonstop, he simply could not spare the time to come here himself."
Cassie groaned in annoyance, shaking her head as she left the room and made her way to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of wine. Harry was still seated at the table, and he must have heard every word because he was looking about as irritated as she felt. "Where are your manners, girl?" her uncle called after her. "You have not yet asked me to take a seat in your humble little sitting room, and you storm out while your guest is speaking!"
She slammed the now empty bottle of wine on the counter, drinking the red liquid a little too quickly as she returned to where the older wizards were. After she had downed nearly half the glass, she said, "You are not a guest, you are an intruder!"
"Your behavior doesn't reflect the way your aunt and I raised you," Lucius hissed, his lip curling as he looked at her. "You've lived too long in that jungle like a barbarian."
"Now, Lucius," Severus interjected, his tone sounding as if he were almost bored, "We both know she was this spirited long before she went to South America." He gestured to the recliner, offering Lucius a seat to appease him, and sat down on the couch himself. Cassie stayed standing, clenching her fingers as she stopped herself from whipping out her wand and demanding that the Malfoy patriarch leave.
"How you put up with her behavior, I will never know," Lucius drawled. Cassie finished the last of her wine and put the glass on the mantle. Severus threw her a perturbed look, although the change on his features was so subtle that she wondered if she had imagined them. With a wave of his wand, two more crystal goblets and another bottle of wine floated into the room. He poured a glass and then offered it to Lucius.
"I have always been able to adapt to my surroundings," Severus replied indifferently, his meaning capricious, but seeming to satisfy Lucius nonetheless. He sipped his wine with an amused look in his eyes as if he understood Severus' statement as demeaning towards her.
"Tell me," the blond wizard continued, apparently looking to aggravate her further, "How has the boy been behaving? From what Draco tells me, he must be quite the inconvenience."
"I've always found Potter to be contemptible," said Severus. "Naturally, being in the same household has only proved how much of a nuisance he is." Just as he finished declaring this, his onyx eyes flitted toward the kitchen, and Cassie turned to see Harry standing there. It didn't matter if he was in the room or not; the cottage was small enough that he would have heard every word even if he had stayed at the dining room table. He was glaring at the two Slytherin wizards, and Cassie couldn't blame him for any anger he was feeling.
"Harry," Cassie said quietly, "Could you go upstairs to your room, please?"
"I want to know what's going on," he said defiantly.
"You are not entitled to that information," Severus said coldly.
"What does it matter? I'm going to tell him anyway," Cassie snapped at him. Even though she knew he was putting up a facade for Lucius' benefit, his words were getting to her. And knowing that Harry couldn't know about Severus' need to keep the Malfoys on his good side was making it worse.
She had a sudden idea, although she didn't know if it would work, as she had never tried it before. "I will tell you what's going on no matter what," she hissed, successfully speaking Parseltongue as she looked at Harry. "I just don't want you subjected to their comments any further."
The sudden change in language caught the entire room off guard. Lucius looked appalled, while Severus was looking at her like she was crazy. Harry, who looked pleased but unsure, was likely wondering if he could reply in the same manner. Without another word, he crossed the room to the stairs and started to ascend.
Lucius still looked flabbergasted even as they heard the guest room door close, and Cassie used the silence to her advantage. "Why are you here? And if you don't answer me, I will force you to leave."
The reminder that she was a Parselmouth and indeed her father's daughter seemed to weaken her uncle's confidence, as he started to speak right after he closed his gaping mouth. "Fudge is requesting your assistance tomorrow. He wants to inspect Azkaban, and as most of his Aurors are out trying to apprehend Black, he hopes that you will agree to accompany him."
"What for?" Cassie countered. "I don't know how to inspect a prison."
"Not to inspect it," Lucius replied, taking a few gulps of wine. "He wants you there to protect him."
"From what? Heavily guarded prisoners?"
"As they still don't know how Black escaped, he is unsure that the prisoners will be as...harmless, as they would hope."
"The dementors can't handle it?" Severus asked quietly.
"Most of them are out looking for Black, like the Aurors."
Cassie's mind was racing a mile a minute. If this was truly what Fudge was asking of her and there was no ulterior motive, then the logic was sound. But she had little desire to enter an isolated prison containing her father's followers. She couldn't even begin to imagine the state they were in after all these years with the dementors, even if they deserved to be there. She just didn't need more fuel for her nightmares.
"I'm already protecting someone important," she pointed out, referring to Harry. "Does Fudge not realize that?"
"He is confident that Severus can handle the situation for the few hours you will be gone," Lucius said. "Do you not agree?"
She glanced at Severus, his expression still nearly undetectable, something that was common when Lucius was in the room. "Do I have to give you an answer now, Uncle?" she asked.
"If you are agreeable to his proposal, Fudge requests that you arrive at the Ministry at seven tomorrow morning," Lucius told her, his poise seeming to come back to him. He stood then, straightening out his tailored robes as he looked down his nose at her. "I trust you don't need any directions on how to get there."
"Of course I don't," she snapped. "You of all people know I spent more than enough time there in the last few years."
Her uncle went to the front door, his gloved hand on the handle. Instead of leaving right away, he turned to Cassie one more time. "I trust it has been pleasant, being on the Minister's good side as of late. I wonder how many times you can deny him before that changes?"
Before either Severus or Cassie could respond, he was out the door. Cassie glared at it as if daring the deplorable wizard from coming back through. Severus waved his hand, setting the wards back in place in case another unwanted visitor decided to stop by that night.
"How did you sleep?" Severus asked her early the next morning. He had woken up when she started to move about the room to find her robes.
"I didn't, at least not for more than a few hours," she said, pulling on a black set that had been discarded on the floor. No use in trying to look nice for Azkaban's population of criminals, she figured.
Severus sighed as he got out of bed. "You need your strength for the upcoming day."
"It's too late for that."
Ignoring her, he crossed the room to a small cabinet that contained some of his more common elixirs. By the time she had pulled her hair into a loose knot, he had retrieved a small vial of green potion. "Invigoration Draught," he said, uncorking it and handing it to her. "Drink."
She obeyed him, drinking it down in one swig and handing the bottle back to him. "Thanks, darling." His lip curled slightly at the sentiment, the usual reaction to her calling him that. "What? I didn't say it loud enough for Harry to hear."
"Perhaps you should say it in Parseltongue," he bantered, and she smirked.
"It might come in handy, you know," she said, heading out the door and into the hallway.
"Yes, a secret language you share with a teenage boy will no doubt prove useful," he said icily.
"Yeah, so we can talk about you right under your nose."
By the time they entered the kitchen, Severus was thoroughly annoyed. Nonetheless, he moved about the room to start the coffee and she started on making toast. When they finished their breakfast, it was nearly time for Cassie to head to the Ministry.
"Aren't you going to ask me if I really want to do this?" she asked her lover quietly. "If I'm sure I'm making the right decision?"
He looked at her over his coffee mug, his eyes calculating as they bore into her. "Did we not discuss it enough last night? I thought you had made up your mind."
"I kind of want to change it."
"It is your decision, my dear," he said. "But we both know that helping Fudge now and again will make your life easier."
She huffed. "Yes, and Lucius will likely stay out of my hair as long as I continue to make him look good." She shook her head, still a bit disbelieving that she had agreed to do something her wicked uncle had asked of her. "Can you imagine how pleased he'll feel this morning when he realizes that he got me to do something for Fudge? All I'll be doing is helping him stay in favor."
"At least he won't be accompanying you," Severus pointed out, his large hands going to her shoulders and starting to rub them gently. "He is too cowardly to step foot on Azkaban of his own accord."
"It might do him some good if he did," Cassie muttered.
She gave Severus a long hug and a kiss and reminded him to get along with Harry while she was away. He didn't say much in response, but she knew that he was thinking of what Harry overhead last night when Lucius had been there. Any progress that the professor and student had made in regards to a cordial relationship had probably been ruined with just a few words.
She Apparated to London and made her way to the guest entrance that she had come to dread seeing in recent years. As she walked, she told herself she couldn't dwell on Severus and Harry's situation, that she had more important things to worry about right then. But what was coming wasn't something she wanted to think about, either.
After descending into the Ministry's atrium, she made her way to the security desk to have her wand examined, and Eric the security wizard raised his eyebrow at her as he held it in his hands.
"Don't remember you having a white one," he muttered.
"Mine was destroyed," Cassie said irritably. She took a cleansing breath, reminded herself that today she would not be making her way to the courtrooms, that the threat of being restrained by chains to a chair was not on the agenda. Today, she was here of her own accord, and she was wondering why she had agreed to it.
Eric gave her directions to the Auror department, and she put up with the typical stares from workers bustling by. When she entered the office that held the Aurors, she wasn't surprised to see that the walls were full of pictures of Sirius Black. The witches and wizards that were there standing in front of them were quietly muttering to one another.
Cassie was about to try to get someone's attention when a cry startled her. She turned just as Juniper Ringwald rushed to her and pulled her into a hug.
"Cassie!" she said, "So surprised to see you here!"
"Hi, June," Cassie said, smiling at her old Hogwarts classmate as they pulled apart. "Working hard?"
"Yes, it's been nutters lately," Juniper said, "But I don't think I have to explain why. What are you doing here?"
"Accompanying Fudge today," Cassie said dully.
"Fudge?" Juniper asked, sounding even more surprised now. "To Azkaban?"
"Yeah, but I'll gladly look through your paperwork if you'd like to take my place," Cassie suggested lightly. Juniper shuddered.
"Haven't had to step foot in the place yet, and I'll die happy if I never have to."
Cassie tried to force a smile on her face. "What's Al been up to? Is he here today?"
"He's out guarding Hogsmeade with some of the more experienced Aurors," the Ravenclaw said. "Sounds like it's been mind-numbing work, as they haven't found any leads on Black's whereabouts."
"That's what I keep hearing," Cassie said quietly.
They were interrupted by an older wizard, one that Cassie had seen numerous times over the years but hadn't interacted with much. He had a kind face, his dark eyes twinkling as he offered his hand to her. "Cassiopeia Black?"
"That's right."
"I'm Kingsley Shacklebolt. You and I will be going with Fudge to the wizard's prison this morning."
Juniper caught Cassie's eye, mouthing 'Good luck!' before making her way back to her desk. Cassie looked to Kingsley in surprise. "Will it only be the two of us guarding Fudge?"
"Yes. He was going to bring five of us, but once he got word of your arrival this morning he decided not to spare the manpower. Our office has been very busy."
"He has a lot of faith in my abilities," Cassie said as the Auror led them out of the office.
"As he should." As they made their way to Fudge's office, Kingsley filled her in on what was going to happen that day. He and Cassie were there only to defend Fudge if the need arose, and a witch and wizard that specialized in knowing the ins and outs of Azkaban's layout and defenses would be doing the actual investigation.
"Ah, Miss Black!" Fudge greeted her when they entered his office. She had never been inside it before, and the grandeur room was something she expected out of the pompous man. The large desk held many golden knickknacks and artifacts, and a large painting of himself was hung behind it. "I am very pleased that you were able to make it today. Although, I shouldn't have doubted Lucius when he told me that he would convince you."
"He certainly has his charms," Cassie said, but the Minister didn't seem to pick up on her sarcasm. Kingsley's lip curled in a subdued smirk as he looked at her.
"Yes, good man, Lucius Malfoy. I can always count on him."
The three of them stepped into the oversized fireplace, using the Floo Network to meet up with the investigators in another area of the building. The wizard was short and thin, a bushy mustache nearly overtaking his face and thick glasses making his eyes seem three sizes too big. The witch, who seemed to be near retirement age, examined Cassie with a shrewd look, looking unimpressed by her presence.
"This is who you bring, Cornelius? A teen girl? Has she even graduated from Hogwarts?"
"This is Cassiopeia Black, Elspeth. She is more than capable," Fudge told the elderly woman.
"The Dark Lord's daughter," she said, suddenly sounding much more interested. "Not my first choice, but a riveting one!"
They were to be taking a Portkey to the secluded island in the North Sea. As Kingsley readied the enchanted letter opener, he glanced at Cassie. "Have you been around dementors before?"
"No."
"Can you cast a Patronus, in the case that we would need to?"
"Yes."
"Good. I hope you have a supply of chocolate waiting for you at home."
"I don't, but I would be surprised if my boyfriend doesn't go out and get some while I'm gone today," Cassie said, feeling a bit better as she thought of Severus. No matter how bad today was going to be, at least she could count on the fact that she would be able to go home to him.
The five of them touched the Portkey together, and in the next second, Cassie was standing on jagged rock, saltwater spraying all over her as violent waves hit the edges of the island. The wind roared around them, and Kingsley ushered them inside the tall stone building for fear that one of them be swept away in the North Sea waters.
The fortress, while offering shelter from the oncoming storm, offered no comfort once they were inside. Cassie didn't have to see a dementor to know they were near. She instantly felt cold, and with every step they took further along the stone corridor, any bit of joy that had been in her was sucked out. She had read about the creature's powers, had learned about them over the years, and knew logically what to expect. But within minutes she was wondering how any person could stay sane longer than a day while in their presence.
"Keep your wits about you," Kingsley murmured, and Cassie wasn't sure if he was speaking to her or if he was saying it to himself. "It's only temporary."
Fudge ordered them to stay next to him, so they did as the witch and wizard began to examine every inch of the prison. Cassie trembled when she heard agonized wailing somewhere further away, perhaps on the next story.
They stayed on the first floor for what seemed like hours, as every cell was looked over whether it held a prisoner or not. Cassie glimpsed witches and wizards with gaunt faces, disheveled hair, and eyes that seemed like they were unseeing. Most of them were silent, huddled in the corner of their cells, or lying on their sides on the grimy floor. A few of them watched them with some interest, but any curiosity was quickly squashed when two dementors came floating down the hall to complete their rounds. Cassie and Kingsley pressed themselves against the stone wall to allow them to pass, and she thought they were in the clear until one large creature stopped, its hooded head turned to her. In seconds, she felt nothing but despair, and she tried with every ounce of control she still had left to think of something happy, that she would be with Severus soon. But that thought was sucked out of her almost as soon as it had formed.
"Keep on with your rounds," Fudge said to the dementor, although his voice was now shaking, "everything is under control here." The cloaked figure obeyed the Minister and kept moving down the hall. Cassie, who hadn't realized she had been holding her breath, sucked in the cold air and coughed.
"How do you make yourself come here?" she asked weakly.
"Believe it or not," Fudge said, reaching into his pinstripe robes and pulling out a bar of chocolate, "You eventually get used to it." He offered their small group a square of chocolate each, and they began to make their way to the second floor.
Of the prisoners that Cassie had seen, she had yet to recognize any of them. To say she was surprised when she locked eyes with the wizard in the next cell was an understatement. She remembered him having neatly kept black hair peppered with grey, chiseled cheekbones, and warm eyes. His hair now fully grey and nearly down to his elbows, his face so sunken in that he resembled a skeleton. His eyes grew wild, especially as something within him seemed to recognize Cassie.
"Cassiopeia," he croaked, lurching forward and clinging to the bars of his cell.
"Professor Depecor," Cassie uttered in surprise.
"Back now, Floyd," Kingsley warned the man, but he hadn't seemed to hear the Auror. "The girl is here on official Ministry business."
"You have grown," Cassie's second-year Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher said, his eyes so wide that they seemed like they would pop from the skull. "You have changed your mind? You have come for me, for us?"
"I - " Cassie started, stepping away from the cell. She wanted to walk further down the hall and out of the wizard's sight, but she couldn't bring herself to. "No, Professor, I haven't."
A large smile spread on Depecor's face despite her words, revealing rotting, yellow teeth. "The Heir is here. She has come to free us!" he said, his hoarse voice growing louder. Fudge had heard the man now and ushered to Cassie to follow him further down the corridor. But the prisoner only grew more manic. "The Heir! The daughter of the Dark One has come for us! We will be free! She is the savior of us all!"
Kingsley was muttering something in her ear as Fudge summoned dementors. As the cloaked creatures flooded the hall, she felt herself shudder uncontrollably, unable to focus in on any thought except that she was desperate to get out of there. The dementors all went to Depecor's cell as he shrieked, "SAVE US CASSIOPEIA! PLEASE!"
She stumbled past the next two cells as more prisoners began to yell, all saying something about The Heir freeing them and begging her for help. She didn't realize that Kingsley was rushing after her. It was too late when she stopped in front of a cell that contained a bedraggled witch with thick, dark hair and porcelain skin. Cassie froze in place.
"Cassie?" Bellatrix whispered, taking a slow step toward her. "My sweet girl..." she wrapped one skeletal hand around a bar, the other stretched out into the hall to Cassie. "Let me see you." Cassie shook her head, taking a step back and bumping into solid wall. "Is it true, you've come to save Mummy, my love?"
"No," Cassie said, her voice barely audible. "No, Mother, I can't - "
She startled when Kingsley wrapped a large, warm hand around her wrist. Tears began to fall as she met his gaze. "Keep your eyes on me," he said in a commanding voice, and she obeyed, refusing to look at anything but the kind Auror as he pulled her away from Bellatrix and to the next set of stairs. When they were safely on the third floor, Cassie could still hear the shouts of desolate criminals. They were gradually being silenced by the dementors.
"I'm sorry," she whispered to Kingsley.
"No one was expecting the prisoners to act that way, least of all you," Kingsley said. "Can you continue?"
Cassie sniffled, hastily wiping tears away from her face as she nodded. "I've dealt with worse."
"This is unlike any place on earth."
"I can see that," she said. She heard one more shriek of, 'The Heir!' before the voice started to scream in terror. Cassie took a deep breath, and using the Occlumency skills that Severus had taught her over the years, forced the agonized emotions from her mind.
After endless hours of searching the rest of Azkaban, the final cell that the Ministry workers wanted to look at was Sirius Black's. They declared that his method of escape was still a mystery, and by the time they went back outside to the island, dark clouds were pouring rain on them. Cassie was more than ready to take the Portkey back to London, and she barely listened as Fudge sang his praises.
"I should have warned you of where Madam Lestrange's cell was located. For that I apologize," Fudge was saying. Cassie nodded, and the Minister went back to his office.
"Would you like me to escort you back home?" Kingsley offered when they were alone.
"No," she said meekly. "I'll be fine."
It was nearly dark when she opened the front door of the little cottage she called home. Alarms and chimes sounded through the house, and she silenced them with an irritable wave. She entered the kitchen to see Harry and Severus sitting and eating dinner, but they seemed to be in some sort of argument, glaring at each other and barely noticing her as she came into the room.
"Couldn't figure out how to get along while I was away?" she said quietly, and both wizards turned to look at her. She must have looked atrocious because Severus stood up so quickly that his chair nearly fell over, and Harry dropped his fork.
"Cassie," Severus hissed, not caring that Harry was witnessing the exchange. He cupped her chin in his hand and tried to get a better look at her. "What happened to you?"
"Azkaban," she whispered.
"You're as pale as a ghost," Severus declared. "And your eyes - " he turned back to speak to Harry. "Potter, there's chocolate in the top cupboard above the sink!"
Harry didn't waste any time listening to his Potions Master and went to retrieve the candy. Severus had wrapped his arm around Cassie's waist and was leading her to the stairs. "Sev, where are you taking me?"
"You need a warm bath and some rest," he said angrily.
"Are you mad at me?" she said weakly.
"Of course not," he spat, "I'm appalled at your condition!"
"Is that your way of telling me I look like shit?"
"Yes."
As she soaked in the bath, Cassie tried to revel in the fact that Harry and Severus had worked together to take care of her, even if it had only been for a few minutes. But all she could think about was her old professor with his wild eyes, and the pleas of her imprisoned mother.