"Just like that - fuck!" the Potions Master's deep voice groaned.
Severus rewarded the young witch in his lap with a squeeze to her supple arse. The two were on his couch, the fireplace crackling with life as Cassie road him with fervor, sweat beginning to glisten on her bare chest. Her hands were on his thighs, bracing her weight as she leaned back to give him a full view as her body moved over him. Lit candles that were charmed to hover in the dark parlor gave Severus just enough light to take in every inch of her creamy porcelain skin. It was all for him.
And yet he wanted more. His fingers dug into her hips as his eyes feasted over her naked form, finally landing on her face.
"Look at me," he breathed. Her eyes were shut in concentration, her mouth open in silent ecstasy as she panted.
When she didn't comply, a hand slid between her legs, passing over her swollen nub momentarily before returning to her hip. She let out a small whine.
"Cassiopeia," Severus managed to utter, although he feared he might pass out from lack of oxygen. "If you would like me to continue, you will look at me."
She submitted, much to his enjoyment. She leaned forward, her clear blue eyes ablaze with passion as they found his onyx ones. "So demanding," she whispered, her hands grasping his jaw as she stole a heated kiss.
A man of his word, Severus let his hand slowly glide to her clit again. Cassie moaned into his mouth as his fingers moved, and then she broke the connection at their lips. She tipped back slightly, just enough so she could give him what he wanted, doing her best to keep her gaze on his as she ground herself slowly on his shaft. It wasn't long before her lids grew heavy. Severus tangled his free hand into her thick raven hair and tugged her head back gently, a reminder to keep her focus on him.
Loud, melodic moans left her throat. Her walls squeezed around him deliciously, and as the young witch came down from her moments of ecstasy, he pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her tightly. She gasped into his ear as he thrust up into her heat in rapid, uncontrolled movements, chasing his own release. As he emptied himself into her, she nipped at his earlobe. She knew that one little sensation could be his undoing. She was the only person in the world that knew that about him. When he thought about that fact, his heart thumped in adoration for her all over again.
They were in the last week of classes before Christmas break and enjoying sessions like these almost daily. Despite the never-ending tension with Sirius Black on the loose, many other aspects of his and Cassie's lives seemed to have calmed in the last few weeks. She had replied to the Ministry's invitation to attend the forum. It had been a concise refusal, one that was hopefully well-received. So far they hadn't heard anything in return.
Lupin was being a rather good boy and had been staying away from both of them. He hadn't requested Cassie's assistance with any classes or prep, and his lessons with Harry wouldn't be starting until after term resumed. So they would keep an eye on the professor for the time being, and wait.
December the seventeenth was a Friday. The day started out pleasantly and with promise. Although Severus and Cassie hadn't found time to fornicate that morning before classes, everything else seemed to be going smoothly. No one in Severus's potions lessons had blown up anything and he hadn't needed to send any students to the hospital wing for burns or injuries. He was relishing this fact, and that he and Cassie had a free period together right after lunch when the day decided to curdle.
He was making his way to the Great Hall, looking forward to eating next to his beloved when Minerva's voice interrupted his homey imaginings.
"Professor Snape!" she called sharply, and he turned, the crease between his eyes deepening in displeasure when he saw that she had Draco Malfoy's ear in her grip. The third year looked despondent.
"My office," Severus growled lowly, "now."
Draco made whimpering noises as the Head of Gryffindor drug him down to the dungeons. Severus didn't bother to look back at them, knowing that if Minerva was angry enough to humiliate this young wizard in front of his peers, then it was warranted.
"Professor Snape, I didn't - " Draco started as soon as they were behind a closed door.
"You will not speak until you are addressed," Severus hissed. The young Malfoy shut his mouth. And then Minerva filled him in, that Draco and his usual minions had been outside Hagrid's hut.
"Smashed flobberworms, fire crabs let out of their enclosures and frozen to death," Minerva seethed, "and they were attempting to hex Buckbeak! The poor beast was tied out by the edge of the forest - "
"I wasn't!" Draco protested. "I didn't do a thing to the stupid bird! It was Blaise and Goyle trying to hurt it!"
"Who were the witnesses?" Severus asked quietly.
"Potter, Weasley, and Granger," Minerva answered proudly. "They were on their way to visit Hagrid. He was out gathering food for the Thestrals, it seems."
"And where are the rest of the involved students?"
"They scattered when they saw the three of them coming. Mister Malfoy made the unfortunate mistake of heading to the courtyard, where I found him right away. Miss Black is rounding them all up as we speak."
It didn't take long until all of the Slytherins were gathered in Severus's office. Cassie had made quick work of using her Patronus to locate several of them, and Filch and Mrs. Norris had found Pansy Parkinson holed up in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.
"Tormenting a professor," Severus started icily, glaring at his students. Minerva had left minutes ago, likely going to make sure Hagrid and Buckbeak were alright. Cassie had stayed. "What in Merlin's name motivated all of you to resort to this?" There was a pulsating silence in the room, and none of the Slytherins had the gall to look at him. "Do you not have enough to keep you entertained while here at Hogwarts? Shall we start assigning more coursework? Shall I schedule playtime so that you do not become bored?"
"Professor - " Crabbe started, and he audibly gulped when his Head of House's stare landed on him.
"Yes, Mister Crabbe?" Severus snapped.
"It was - " he started, then looked to Draco.
"Do not look to Mister Malfoy for permission to speak," Severus drawled dangerously. "He is not the one in control of this situation."
Crabbe looked forward again. "It was Pansy's idea."
The young witch cried out in protest, ready to defend herself. Cassie slammed her hand, hard, on Severus's desk. Parkinson shut up immediately.
"And do none of you possess the ability to think for yourselves beyond one of your classmate's asinine ideas?" Severus asked, his voice almost a whisper. "I do not care who thought of it. All of you will be punished."
Crabbe, Goyle, Parkinson, and Zabini would be serving their detentions with Filch starting that night. After a private, heated discussion, it was decided that Draco would be serving out his punishment with his older cousin. The other students might see it as favoritism, but Severus feared Draco might be much worse off.
"You cannot be cruel to him," Severus warned Cassie after all of the students had been sent away. He hadn't wanted to say it out loud, but he could see that Cassie was approaching her breaking point.
"I won't be cruel to a thirteen-year-old," she hissed back.
"Good," he said. "I just wanted to hear you say it out loud." He watched as his words processed behind her blue eyes. She left his office without saying anything, slamming the door angrily behind her. What kept him calm was knowing that her anger was not directed at him.
When Draco entered Cassie's classroom at eight o'clock, she knew instantly that he was trying to appear aloof. She was seated behind her desk, tapping a quill on a piece of parchment impatiently as he strolled in. He took off his knapsack and let it thunk to the floor unceremoniously, then stood there and looked at her smugly.
"Thank you for being on time," she said. Draco nodded once.
"So?" he asked after a few seconds of silence. "What are you having me do, cousin?"
Cassie bit back the slew of heated words that were threatening to leave her mouth already. She gestured to a prep table off to the side of the classroom. It was covered with an array of leeches, bouncing spiders, and cockroaches that needed to be sorted, chopped, and placed into their proper containers.
"Let me guess," Draco said as he rolled up his sleeves and approached the unsightly ingredients. "No magic? Can't leave until it's done?"
"It seems you've done this before," Cassie answered lightly. He didn't reply.
The seconds ticked by grudgingly as he worked. Cassie started on the stack of essays that needed grading. She left her spot in the first few minutes to make sure he was chopping to the Potions Master's standards. She was able to return to her desk moments later, satisfied.
"This really is a waste, you know," Draco said out of the blue twenty minutes later.
"A waste of your Friday night?" she quipped back.
"No," he said, rolling his eyes. "This whole, 'professor's assistant' thing that you're doing."
"How so?"
"Come on, Cass," he said, stopping with a dead roach in one hand and a knife in the other. "You're not even an actual professor. I mean, it's pathetic, really. You killed Sombria, and then all of a sudden you come here and you're everyone's bitch - "
"There's more to it than that," she said, slight amusement in her voice.
"You at least could have gotten a job at a decent school," he said, chopping the roach in half. "Durmstrang or something."
"And work for Karkaroff? Please."
"Anything would be better than this."
"You don't have respect for any of the staff here, do you?" she countered.
"Oh, don't start," Draco huffed. "Hagrid is a joke! Just a moronic half-breed - "
"That's enough," Cassie cut him off sharply. "I realize you're only spouting what you've heard from your father and your classmates, but it's disgusting hearing it nonetheless."
"What are you going to do?" Draco argued, "Make me chop more bugs?"
"Would you speak to Professor Snape this way? Professor Dumbledore?"
"You're just an assistant," he said without missing a beat. Cassie threw up her arms in defeat, looking around the room for any inspiration, some idea that could help her with her younger cousin.
"No Hogsmeade tomorrow," she said, and when he let out a noise of protest, she continued, "In fact, no Hogsmeade trips until I decide I'm okay with you going again."
"You can't do that!"
"I can."
"Father - "
"Oh stop," she said exasperatedly. He glared at her then, his arms across his chest in defiance. "What is it, Draco?"
He shook his head, clearly weighing his options between spewing his thoughts or keeping quiet. And then it came erupting out of him in an even, icy statement. "I hate you. I hate you and all your stupid mud-blood and blood traitor friends and all the Muggles that are more important than me."
The silence that followed was strained. Cassie watched the young wizard closely, even as his grey eyes shot daggers at her. It seemed like something in him was deflating as the seconds passed by, like admitting that to her was cathartic.
"Okay," she said quietly, and he looked down to his feet. With a wave of her wand, all of his remaining ingredients were chopped in a single magical blow. With another graceful flick, they drifted to their respective containers. "Now we're getting somewhere."
"What?"
She didn't answer him. Instead, she went into her quarters to retrieve one of her thick purple cloaks and grabbed a second black one for Draco. Returning to her classroom, she handed it to her cousin, then scribbled on a piece of parchment and sent it to Severus's office via Floo.
"Come on," she said, gesturing for Draco to follow her out of the classroom.
"What are we doing?"
"Just shut up and follow me."
He was silent as they went out to the entrance hall, but protested when she handed him the cloak. "We're not going to the Forbidden Forest, I refuse - " he started.
"Relax," Cassie told him. "We won't be anywhere near the forest."
He shot her a suspicious look as he placed the traveling cloak around his shoulders. Reluctantly, the young Slytherin followed her out the front door and to the gate, even as they approached the two dementors that guarded it.
"We're leaving the grounds?" Draco asked in disbelief. "Alone, at night?"
"Just stay close, you'll be fine." Her cousin did just that as they took a few steps towards Hogsmeade. He nearly smashed into her when she stopped walking.
Cassie earned another skeptic look from Draco when she held out her arm for him to take. "I'm not Apparating!" he spat.
"I'm not asking."
"What if I get splinched?"
"You won't." He glared at her, and Cassie rolled her eyes. "Come on, Draco. You've done side-along with me before! You can be pissed at me all you want, but do you really think I would do something that would put you in danger?"
He took a few moments to think about what she had said. Finally, Draco gripped her arm, and Cassie wasted no time. With a loud pop, the two Disapparated from Hogsmeade.
Draco was understandably confused when they appeared in the middle of a deserted street. They were in a quiet neighborhood, the street lined with little white houses, and Christmas tree lights could be seen in many of the windows. Cassie started to lead him down the sidewalk, their feet crunching on the freshly-fallen snow.
"Where are we?" Draco asked.
"You haven't recognized it yet, huh," replied Cassie lightly. "Not surprising, considering we're in a mostly-Muggle area of Wiltshire."
"Wiltshire?" he nearly yelled, looking around him as if he expected Lucius and Narcissa to suddenly appear to save him from whatever his older cousin was doing with him. "You took me home?"
"Not home. We're in Chippenham."
"Well, what are we doing?"
"Be patient."
Draco grumbled under his breath as they walked. After several minutes, Cassie finally gestured for him to stop in front of a house. "What are we doing?" Draco repeated.
"Be quiet," Cassie said. What looked to be a mother and preteen girl could be seen in the windows. They were exchanging kisses and smiles and probably goodnights, considering what time it was. When they both walked down the hallway and out of sight, Cassie kept walking.
"What was that?"
"We're checking on Morris's family."
"Who is Morris?"
"Be patient," Cassie repeated. Her stomach was churning a bit. Playing this out was something she had been thinking about doing for a while, but she knew it wouldn't be without consequences. She just hoped it affected her cousin in the way she needed it to.
"Muggles?"
"Yes."
"So that's what you wanted me to see, some stupid Muggles?" Cassie didn't answer. They had reached their destination and were now standing in front of a large brick house at the end of the street. In comparison to the rest of the neighborhood, this house was incredibly rundown. "What an eyesore," Draco mused. "The place should be burned down."
"The Muggles can't see it," Cassie answered quietly, "The Ministry placed a disillusionment charm on it when my father disappeared." She gestured for Draco to follow. He seemed much more hesitant as he stepped behind her.
"What is this place?"
"The Death Eaters called it the Celebration House. Have you heard of it?"
"No."
"I'm not surprised," she said, trying the knob to the front door. It wasn't locked. She pushed the large oak door, and it swung open with a loud creak. "I doubt your father would want to speak of it after all these years."
Cassie was worried about Draco's reaction to seeing this place, but she also had to mentally prepare herself for being there again. She had been brought there many times as a child when kidnapping and murdering Muggles was merely an entertaining sport for her father's followers. She had been here twice since then. Both times were with Severus when he felt like he had some atoning to do.
Draco opened his mouth to speak and let out a cry of surprise instead. His boot had collided lightly with a skeleton that was lying in the entryway. It was still partially clothed, although the dress the woman had worn while alive was now tattered and partially eaten away by moths.
"That's not the only one," Cassie said evenly. She waved her wand, and every lamp and ceiling light in the house suddenly glowed to life. Draco jumped to her side, grasping her arm as tightly as he had when they had Apparated. She could hardly blame him. The remains of numerous tortured souls littered the furniture and the floor. Some were intact, while others were missing limbs and heads.
"What is this place?" Draco managed to whisper.
"This was the home of a Squib," Cassie explained matter of factly. "My father murdered him and his family. He and the Death Eaters brought Muggles and Muggle-borns and whomever else they wanted here so they could torture, rape, and kill them." She felt her cousin's hand tremble, his grip even tighter on her arm now.
She slowly moved him to another room. A skeleton was forever trapped in a metal device that was used to pull its victims apart by their limbs. Rodolphus Lestrange had gone through the trouble to model it after a medieval Muggle contraption. She could still hear him explaining it to her in excitement when he had finished it.
Draco was startled when the silvery ghost of a small boy passed through the wall and walked through the room. He did not acknowledge their presence.
"Can we leave?" Draco asked, his voice barely loud enough to register to Cassie's ears.
"Not yet."
The ominous feeling in the large house could not be shaken even with all of the lights on. Even as they ascended the staircase, Cassie wanted to turn back and leave, knowing that the bedrooms up there were piled with the bones of so many young women that were used and discarded like they were nothing.
When they were in the hallway, she spotted a familiar silhouette staring out a window. He was tall and lanky, with short-cropped hair and a beard. He was also mostly transparent.
"This is Morris," Cassie explained quietly. This time, Draco didn't shake. When she turned to study his face, she saw an expression of understanding.
The ghost, noticing them, turned in their direction. She felt Draco jump slightly, likely taken aback at the apparition's unsightly appearance. His eyes had been plucked out before he had been murdered, and he still did not have them in his death.
"Hello," Morris said politely. "Have you seen my girls? My Hannah and Jenny?"
Cassie had been here enough times to know that being prepared for this ghost's questions was the easiest way to be kind. He seemed to suffer some sort of dementia and not remember that he was dead, nor that he had been told of his wife and daughter's whereabouts numerous times before. Perhaps it was that he had been killed after days of torture and finally put out of misery when a small dagger had been stabbed into the base of his skull.
"Yes, Morris," Cassie said, "They are enjoying a quiet evening together at home. It looks like Hannah has the house prepared for Christmas, lights and all."
"Oh?" Morris said, his mouth turned into a frown. His empty eye sockets seemed to bore into her very being. "I didn't realize it was close to Christmastime...I must buy Jenny a present straight away."
"Of course."
"What does one buy for a two-year-old girl, I wonder?" Morris said dreamily, drifting away from Cassie and back to the window he had been looking out earlier.
During the exchange, Draco had wandered into one of the bedrooms. Cassie hurried in after him, expecting to find him in a panic. She was surprised to see that he was still as he studied one of the large wooden bedposts, his face only inches away.
He turned to glance at her when she stepped on a broken booze bottle and then immediately went back to staring. She didn't ask what he was looking at, as she knew that some of the Death Eaters had carved their signatures into the wood after assaulting Muggle women in that very bed. 'Malfoy' was scribed neatly between 'Dolohov' and 'Nott'.
"Can we leave?" Draco asked. Cassie could hear the disgust dripping from his voice. She knew there was no need to keep him there any longer.
Their journey back to Hogsmeade was silent. Draco didn't protest having to side-along Apparate again, and he didn't say a word as they trudged past the dementors and back up to the castle. It was well into the early morning when they were back in the entry hall, and Cassie turned to study her younger cousin's face. He looked paler than usual.
"Draco," she said softly, "do you want to sleep in my quarters tonight? My couch is pretty comfortable. And I can give you a Dreamless Sleep potion."
He looked up at her in surprise, his mouth curling up in a sneer. All at once, his sour look melted away. "Sure."
Severus was extremely unhappy with her choice of detention for Draco. He had received her note in his fireplace only seconds before Cassie had left with Draco, and had he not felt the need to stay at Hogwarts for Harry's protection in case Black decided to make an appearance, he would have intervened. Only a few hours after Cassie had climbed into bed, Severus burst into the room unannounced.
"What in Merlin's beard were you thinking?" he snarled.
"Shush!" she hissed back, "don't wake Draco!"
"He's fine!" Severus said, but Cassie got up to check nonetheless. Draco was still asleep on her couch, his mouth hanging wide open and a trail of drool hanging on his chin. Scabbers was curled up on his stomach, asleep as well. She closed the bedroom door gently. "Until he wakes up and remembers everything he saw, that is!"
"He needed to see it," Cassie retorted.
"So he could be traumatized?"
"So he could finally understand what my father - and his - put innocent people through!" Cassie said. "He's been sheltered his entire life, Sev, and he just regurgitates everything Lucius teaches him - "
"Because he's thirteen!"
"I saw all of it when I was a child!" Cassie said shrilly, "and they weren't skeletons! They were real people, with lives and beating hearts and families, and I saw what was done to them! And I won't let Draco grow up to think treating anyone like that is acceptable!"
"Cassie - " Severus tried to interject, all anger gone from his face now and replaced with anguish.
"Don't say it's okay," she hissed, tears rolling down her cheeks, "The fact that he was trying to torment Hagrid...it's not okay!" Severus pulled her into his arms, his embrace so tight that she was nearly unable to breathe. He held her as sobs shook her entire body, only daring to loosen his grasp when she quieted.
After their emotions had quelled, Cassie stepped back out into her living area to check on Draco. He looked so innocent as he slept, she couldn't help thinking. When he woke, Severus delivered the news that he and the rest of his friends would be going down to Hagrid's hut to apologize. Draco merely nodded.
After the group of Slytherins returned to the castle for breakfast, Cassie noticed that her cousin looked sullen. She couldn't be certain if it was because of the night before, or the fact that he wouldn't be able to go to Hogsmeade with his friends. She hadn't realized she was picking at the plate of food in front of her until she caught Severus eyeing her curiously.
"Are you worried about him telling Lucius?" Severus asked her when they were alone.
Cassie snorted. "I could care less what Lucius does. And besides that, what is Draco going to say? 'Father, I saw that house where you and your friends did atrocious things to people, would you like to talk about it?' Can you imagine his reaction?"
"I fear you may be instigating a rather unpleasant confrontation."
"So be it. The Ministry kept that place intact to make sure the past wasn't forgotten. No matter how much everyone licks my uncle's boots, at least it serves as solid proof of what he took part in."
"So what is worrying you?" Severus pressed gently.
Cassie sighed wearily. "Let's say showing him all of that worked, and he finally gains some empathy for Muggles and Muggle-borns and the like. What if I just shattered his relationship with his parents?"
"You knew that could be a direct consequence, Cassie."
"I don't deny that," Cassie said, biting her bottom lip. "But that doesn't make me feel any less guilty."
In her state of remorse, Cassie sought out Draco a few hours later. He wasn't in the library or out on the grounds, so she asked one of the first-year Slytherins to look for him in the common room. When he came out, the rims of his eyes were pink, and his voice was thick when he greeted her.
"Do you want to talk, Draco?"
"No," he answered right away. Cassie studied him for a few silent moments. He wouldn't look her in the face.
"You're sure?"
"Just leave me alone. Please." Cassie nodded, feeling that now might be a good time to back off. She turned away and was surprised when she heard him speak. "Cass...how old were you?"
"When I was there?" she clarified. Draco nodded, his lower lip trembling slightly. "I was seven."
He inhaled shakily, trying to get control over his voice before he spoke again. "And you saw...everything."
"I saw enough."
"He was involved? Father, I mean."
Cassie's heart broke when she saw the despair in Draco's eyes when he asked her. She had no doubt that this was the very first moment that all of this was actually real to him. She didn't know how to answer him without shattering him further.
"I think you know the answer to that," she said quietly. He went back into the Slytherin common room without saying another word.
Cassie looked for Draco as soon as she took her place at dinner. For the first few minutes, she tried not to worry over the fact that he wasn't there. Instead, she tried to focus on the animated discussion between Sprout and Flitwick. They were exchanging light-hearted insults regarding the last Quidditch match, which had resulted in a Ravenclaw victory.
As if reading her mind, Severus leaned forward to whisper in her ear. "Perhaps he decided to stay in the common room. It is the last night before leaving for break."
"You're probably right," she said.
When the meal was over, Severus went up to the hospital wing to take inventory on Poppy's healing elixirs. Cassie took the opportunity to catch up with Crabbe and Goyle, who were about to head down the dungeon staircase.
"Have you seen Draco?" she asked them. She was met with blank stares and shrugs. Growing frustrated, she pressed on. "He wasn't in the common room when you came back from Hogsmeade?"
"Why do you care?" Pansy Parkinson's shrill voice interjected. She was flanked by two other Slytherin girls, all of whom were glaring at Cassie. "Looking for him so you can torment him again?"
"Mind your tongue," Cassie warned the third year, taking a step forward. Parkinson's sneer faltered.
"He's been doing nothing but staring at the wall today," she went on after refinding her voice. "Whatever you did to him in detention - "
"Do you know where he is," Cassie asked, and Parkinson took a step back. "If I have to repeat myself, you'll be serving detention with me next."
"He's out for a walk on the grounds," Blaise Zabini said, coming up behind the girls. Parkinson let out a loud sigh of relief that someone had come to her rescue.
"What? You all know that's dangerous - " Cassie started.
"We know," said Zabini, not impolitely. He almost looked apologetic. "We tried to talk him out of it, but he's been so unlike himself today."
"When did he say he was going?"
"Before dinner."
That was all the information Cassie needed. Sending the Slytherins on their way to the dungeons, she nearly ran to the front door and burst through it. With each stair she descended, a sense of panic grew in her belly. All she could do was hope that Draco had stayed close to the castle.
The night sky was covered with thick clouds, giving Cassie no light from the moon or stars as her feet hit the grounds. For a moment, she debated which direction she should go to look for Draco, and then decided to head to the Quidditch pitch. Already, she could feel the dread forming, a unique feeling that one would only associate with dementors. What was her cousin thinking, coming out here alone?
She called out for him. There was no answer, not even barking from Fang in the distance. When she reached the pitch, she sent out a large ray of light from her wand. It revealed nothing.
"Damnit," she muttered under her breath. She knew her next course of action was getting help from the other staff, but she was far away from the castle. She could send her patronus with a message, but it would leave her defenseless against the dementors until it returned to her. Cursing her stupidity for not rounding up some help before she had rushed out on her own, she was taken by absolute surprise when she saw a bright, silver light approaching her.
It only took a few seconds before it registered that it was a patronus approaching. It moved on four legs in a trot, and she squinted to try to make out its form and figure out who was trying to communicate with her. When she recognized it, an initial wave of confusion quickly turned to fear.
It was a large, shaggy dog. It looked exactly like the one she had seen so many times around Hogsmeade, except now its eyes were glowing white instead of yellow.
"Black," she hissed quietly. The dog circled around her, wagging its tail before it turned to face her. "Well," she said dully, "on with it, shall we?"
It took off, and she kept up as best as she could. She was thankful that she had taken up her physical training again recently. She had to run through the snow to stay in view of the patronus that was now bounding playfully ahead of her. Cassie wasn't surprised at all that they were headed to the forest. That didn't scare her. What did was that Black had to have gotten a wand to cast the dog that was now leading her to a madman.
The big silver dog slowed to a walk the further they got into the trees. Cassie heard two voices, one belonging to a man, and the other was shaky, but she recognized it instantly -
"Draco!" she yelled. Her fingers gripped around her wand tightly when she saw her younger cousin bound to a tree. Black, clothed in rags and his dark hair long and unkempt, had Draco's wand in his fingers. The moment he saw Cassie, he stepped closer to Draco, brandishing the wand at the boy's throat. Draco looked at her with wild, puffy eyes. He had a few obvious bumps and scrapes on his face as if he had been dragged on the forest floor but otherwise looked unharmed.
"Hello, cousin," said Black. His attempt at a smile made Cassie want to rip his throat out.
"Let him go," Cassie growled.
"Now, obviously it's not going to be that simple - " Black started.
A bolt of blue lightning shot from Cassie's wand a few trees away from where Black and Draco stood. The escaped convict turned to look, although the wand's tip never moved away from Draco. "Let me start again," Cassie said, "let him go now, and I'll let you choose between a kiss and death at my wand."
"Merlin, you sure can be scary when you want to be," Black mused. "Put your wand down, cousin." He jabbed Draco's wand further into its master's neck. Cassie froze. She looked into Draco's eyes for a few moments, trying to convey some sort of reassurance to the scared teen, before she set her wand at her feet.
Black summoned the white wand to him, catching it in his hand before stuffing it into the pocket of his tattered prison robes. "Thank you. Now we can talk properly."
"Let me guess," Cassie said, noting the way Black's posture relaxed when he thought he was safe because she was unarmed. "You want Harry."
"Wrong," Black said, shaking his head and smirking. "I just need you to listen to me."
"That's what this is all about? You need someone to lend an ear?"
"Not someone. You."
"I'm not that good of a listener," Cassie said, taking a long sidestep to the left. Black eyed her warily. "I'm more of a 'take-action' type of person, you know?"
"I know. That's why I had to have a little safeguard so you wouldn't just attack me," he said, gesturing to Draco. His casual referral to the blond teen made Cassie's blood boil hotter.
"You know because you've been watching me?" she asked. She thought back to the many times she had seen that big black canine in the past months, now wondering how many times he had been there without her knowledge.
"That wasn't my intention, at least not right away. It just so happens that you spend a lot of time with the Weasleys."
"What has that got to do with anything?" she snapped. All she was expecting to hear was how much of a dirty blood traitor she was from the mass murderer.
"Everything," Black said. There was such an intense look in his eyes that Cassie held her breath, wondering if he was distracted enough, if this would be the opportune moment. She was right. The disheveled wizard was preoccupied enough by his next thought that the wand moved a few inches away from Draco's neck.
The forest around them was lit up with white light as Black was blasted through the air and into a large tree trunk several yards away. The crack the energy made was loud enough to stir up some sort of sleeping creatures nearby, and wings and shrieks of surprise could be heard as Cassie rushed to Draco's side.
"Are you hurt?" she breathed. With a wave of her wrist, the magical ropes that bound him dissolved into a wisp of black smoke. She took his face in her hands and tried to look him over, but he pushed her away.
"I'm fine!" he choked. "Did you kill him?"
"No."
"Why the bloody hell not?"
"I wanted my wand back," she said, starting to walk toward Black's unmoving form. "I thought you might want yours as well. If I had used enough power to kill him they probably would have been destroyed."
Cassie dug in the unconscious wizard's robes and found her wand. She had to summon Draco's, as it had been flung into the trees when Black had been hit.
"Now what?" Draco asked. He kept his wand pointed at Black even though his eyes were still closed.
"I guess we take him up to the castle," Cassie said with a shrug.
"Why not just kill him?"
"That's for Fudge to decide."
"You threatened it earlier - "
"When you were in danger, Draco. You're safe now."
Black began to stir, making both of them startle. Cassie bound his arms and legs magically with chains before he had a chance to register what was happening. "If you try to transform - " Cassie started.
"I won't," Black wheezed. "I've made it this far, why would I do something that idiotic now?"
Cassie scoffed. "Do you really think you're going to be able to get at Harry? It's over."
"You've got me all wrong, cousin - "
"Stop calling me that," she hissed. With a flick of her wand, Black began to float a few feet off the ground at her side.
"I know you want to take me back to the Ministry," he said, "but I beg you to listen to what I'm saying!"
"And why should I do that?"
"Because from what I've seen, you are full of mercy and kindness and I know you wouldn't want to send an innocent man to his death," he spouted, and then muttered darkly, "or worse."
"Innocent man?" Cassie repeated. It sounded ridiculous being said out loud.
"The rat," Black said.
"He's so crazy," Draco muttered to Cassie quietly.
"Listen to me," Black said, "the rat! The Weasleys have one as a pet, one that has lived far beyond what a rat should. He's missing a toe, is he not?"
"Shall I shut him up," Cassie replied to Draco, trying to ignore the wizard. They were nearing the edge of the forest.
"That rat is Peter Pettigrew!" Black shouted. "He's an Animagus, has been since our Hogwarts days - "
"You're trying to convince me that Ron's pet is really a wizard disguised as a rat?" Cassie asked him. "Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds, even for you?"
"So don't believe me," Black told her, his eyes wild. "Brush me off. But even if there is a minuscule, knut's chance that I'm telling the truth, that means one of Lord Voldemort's followers has learned everything about the Weasleys and Harry and you."
Cassie stopped walking. Black, with renewed hope, kept talking. "Give me Veritaserum, I'm sure there is some in the castle!"
"We don't need it," Cassie said quietly. She looked around the dark sky, knowing the longer they were out on the grounds, the higher the likelihood they would encounter dementors. Especially now that Black wasn't in his Animagus form. "I can look into your mind."
"Fine!" he said enthusiastically. "Do it!"
"You believe him?" Draco spat in disbelief.
"No," she said truthfully, "But if Scabbers is truly a Death Eater, then a lot of people I love are in danger. I can't take that chance, Draco." She waved her wand, the silver runespoor bursting from the end and hissing as it circled around the trio in a protective dance.
Entering Sirius Black's mind was easy, as the man was so willing to open it to her. She only had to spend minutes there to find the information she needed but saw things she wished she hadn't. The moments in Azkaban she experienced through his memories were enough to make her silently vow that she would never perform Legilimency on him ever again. The fact that he was still lucid at all was a miracle.
Draco gasped when Cassie suddenly released Black's chains with a graceful wave of her hand. "What are you doing?" he demanded, pointing his wand at the now-smiling wizard.
"I'm releasing an innocent man."
"I knew you'd see reason!" Black declared, rubbing his wrists. "Now, onto the hard part: finding that damn rat."
"That part isn't hard at all," Cassie said, giving him a knowing smile. Excitement grew in her belly, knowing they would be bringing a criminal everyone thought was dead to justice very soon. She wanted the wizard gone, kissed, dead; whatever it took so he was unable to pass along any information he had learned when her father rose to power again someday. "Pettigrew is sleeping in my quarters as we speak."