The atmosphere upon returning to Hogwarts for the start of term was serene compared to when Cassie had left. The dementors were gone, having been sent back to Azkaban, and one could cross onto the grounds without feeling as though walking into an icy, horror-stricken lagoon. There was perceptible tranquility she noticed as soon as she stepped into the entrance hall, something that hadn't been possible when everyone feared Sirius Black breaking in. Now, as students filed into the Great Hall after their long journey on the Hogwarts Express, many of them were chattering with each other with large grins on their faces instead of strained trepidation. They were able to reminisce on their holiday breaks and not worry about anything except what they were supposed to, like homework and upcoming Quidditch matches.
Cassie was speaking with a group of seventh years about their arithmancy essays that were due this week when a boisterous voice called her name. Before she could fully react, Hagrid had scooped her into his arms and was giving her a vice-grip-like embrace.
"I can't thank yer enough!" the half-giant croaked, tears squeezing out of his black eyes. "Convincing the Minister to let Beaky go free, we owe you so much!" Cassie tried to utter a response, even if it was merely a squeak of acknowledgment, but all she could manage was a wordless gasp.
Severus, who had come from the Headmaster's office only minutes before, quickly abandoned the conversation he had started with Professor Burbage to materialize at Hagrid's side. "Hagrid, while I'm sure Miss Black appreciates your display of gratitude, I'm equally certain she values her ability to breathe."
Hagrid looked at the Potions Master through glassy eyes for a few seconds before his confused expression changed to one of understanding. He put Cassie back on the ground and loosened his grip, his enormous hands now on her shoulders to steady her as she struggled to draw air into her lungs.
"Sorry, Cass," said Hagrid sheepishly.
"It's alright, Hagrid," Cassie said, coughing slightly but managing to offer Hagrid a genuine smile. "I'm happy for you and Buckbeak."
Hagrid went over to the Gryffindor table to share his good news, and Severus took the opportunity to fuss over her. He lifted her arms and his obsidian eyes traveled over her body as if he could see injuries through her clothing. "I'm fine, Sev," Cassie insisted as she attempted to smooth out her black dress.
"He could have cracked a rib," he muttered.
"Then you would just have to take care of me," she countered buoyantly as they moved toward the staff table.
Draco was watching her. When she glanced at him, he tore his eyes away. Suddenly he seemed very interested in what the Parkinson girl, who was seated next to him, was saying. Cassie's effervescent mood was deflated by her younger cousin's reaction.
The conversations at the head table that morning mainly centered around Peter Pettigrew. It had yet to be reported in the Daily Prophet that his lifeless corpse had been found inside Barty Crouch's locked office on New Year's day, but the majority of the magical community had already found out through some busybody's mouth. Not surprisingly, it was quite the scandal, and everyone had their own theory as to who had caught up with the former Gryffindor-turned-Death Eater.
"Remus, remind me again where Sirius was after he left the Ministry?" McGonagall asked, her lips turned up in a knowing smirk as she took a bite of porridge.
"He was with me up until I returned to Hogwarts," Lupin said lightly, looking far from flippant as he spoke. In fact, he looked like he might be sick. "And I believe he was with Cassie and Severus until he Apparated to Hogsmeade - "
"Sirius and Severus spending time together?" Flitwick piped up.
"Not of my own volition, I assure you," Severus deadpanned.
Cassie shrugged. "Unfortunately, you're dating his cousin." A few of the professors chuckled, assuring the couple that it was enough of a reason for Sirius to have been visiting his arch enemy's home. As their colleagues chattered on and continued eating their breakfasts, Cassie and Severus exchanged a fleeting, furtive glance.
She felt someone watching her. Turning slightly, she noticed the Headmaster's blue eyes locked on her. He raised his glass of pumpkin juice, barely, just enough for her to notice, as if he was toasting her. She couldn't contain the slight frown that formed on her lips.
When students were heading to their first lessons of the day, Cassie found a few isolated moments with the Head of Slytherin after pulling him into her classroom. "Did you discuss Pettigrew with Dumbledore?" she asked him forthright.
"I did."
"What did he have to say?"
"In essence, that he applauded Black's decision." Severus narrowed his onyx eyes as he studied her. "You're displeased?"
"I can't help but feel that we're dancing for the puppet master yet again," she told him, leaning back against her desk as she bit her bottom lip.
"The Headmaster was involved in the plan in its entirety," he pointed out.
"Yet he didn't have to lift a finger," she rebutted, "he was in the chamber where the Wizengamot could see him, and he was with Fudge after. We did all the dirty work - "
"There is no we," Severus bristled annoyedly, "as you were not there when Wormtail died."
"Sev - "
"I will not have this argument with you again, Cassie," the Head of Slytherin snapped. "The responsibility relies on the mutts and I alone." As lessons were to start in only minutes, they had to leave their conversation at that. They exchanged only a few words of grunted sentiment and a quick peck on the lips before parting ways. Cassie was left to silently curse her headstrong partner as she made her way to help with the sixth years' lesson on transfiguring tree trunks into functional bows.
The Great Hall was abuzz at dinner that night, and for the life of her, Cassie couldn't figure out why at first. Most of the students, especially the Gryffindors, were smiling and could barely manage to stay in their seats. And as would be expected when the Gryffindors looked ecstatic, the Slytherins appeared sullen and on the brink of retaliation. It wasn't until Cassie was leaving the hall that she overheard details on the matter.
" - a Firebolt, can you imagine?" Cedric Diggory was saying to Maxine O'Flaherty, shaking his head. "All the house teams will really have to buckle down on training, Potter is already incredibly skilled at flying."
As students went past Cassie, jabbering about the most scandalous news since Sirius Black broke out of Azkaban, she looked for a familiar platinum-blond third year in the sea of black robes. When she spotted him, she stood on her tiptoes to call for him above the crowd.
"Why do you have to be so humiliating?" Draco hissed at her when he hastily approached. She was fully aware that he likely was only talking to her to shut her up, but she was pleased nevertheless.
"Because that's what older cousins do," she said simply, gesturing for him to follow her.
"Father is furious," Draco declared as he slumped into a chair behind a front-row desk. For once, he looked quite comfortable in her classroom.
Cassie felt genuinely confused at the moment. "About Pettigrew?"
Draco snorted. "No. About Buckbeak."
She rolled her eyes. "I would ask if he's really that petty, but I won't waste my breath."
"He doesn't like that you have influence over Fudge."
"I don't," she said, going to sit behind her desk. "Fudge is essentially blackmailing me. Buckbeak is just a pawn in his eyes."
"Either way," Draco said, pulling a textbook and parchment from his knapsack, "he talked about it nonstop over the holiday."
"Sorry," she told her cousin truthfully.
"It's nothing."
"Did you get my Christmas gift?"
"Yes," he said, scowling now, "although a fancy broom kit isn't going to do anything against Saint Potter's shiny new Firebolt."
"That's a bit out of my price range," she retorted.
"Not what I meant."
"Maybe your father will get you one."
"Fat chance," he said, shaking his quill so hard that ink splattered all over his blank parchment. He sighed, digging his wand out from his robes so he could clean up the mess. "He's been harping on me since we lost to Gryffindor last year."
Cassie resisted the urge to offer her sympathy to him again. She knew it was the last thing he would want. They worked in silence for a short while, Cassie marking a short stack of Charms essays while Draco worked on his Herbology homework. The quiet was interrupted when Draco cleared his throat.
"I apologized to the half - " he started, his cheeks turning pink when Cassie's eyes swiftly met his, "to Professor Hagrid. After lunch."
"Draco, that's amazing, I'm proud of you," she started, and was about to continue slinging compliments at her cousin when her gaze traveled to the doorway. She hadn't realized someone else had entered the room until that moment. Hermione Granger stood there, bushy hair hanging on her shoulders and her arms full of books. There was no doubt that the young witch had heard Draco, because she stood there with her jaw hanging open, her brown eyes locked on the back of Draco's head.
Cassie, not knowing what to do in the slightest, was frozen. Draco noticed the stupefaction on his cousin's face and turned, spotting Hermione.
"Shit," Draco spat, instinctively standing up at his desk. Hermione rushed further into the room, haphazardly throwing her stack of books, now forgotten, on a nearby desk. In the next second, she had thrown her arms around a rather panic-stricken Draco, who looked at Cassie with wide eyes.
"Thank you," Hermione sniffed into his chest, "for being kind to Hagrid!"
Luna Lovegood skipped into the room, a yellow lolly in her mouth as she hummed a made-up tune. Surveying the scene in front of her, she shrugged, approached the rigid Slytherin embraced by the emotional Gryffindor, and wrapped her own arms around them.
"For Merlin's sake!" Draco snarled, struggling out of the arms of the two witches. Ignoring Cassie's pleas to stay, Draco quickly gathered up his belongings and stomped from the classroom.
"Oh," Hermione said, her hand to her mouth as she watched him leave. "Perhaps I shouldn't have done that."
"On the contrary," Luna said dreamily, popping the sucker from her mouth. "He needs to be hugged more, so he won't resist it so much."
Cassie laughed, so amused that she let out a little snort. Draco's injured pride would have to be dealt with at a later time.
It was near curfew Wednesday night when Cassie looked up from grading Astrology exams to find Remus Lupin standing in her classroom. The last of the students, even Hermione, had left for their common rooms. The fact that they were alone seemed to magnify the pulsating unease between them.
"Professor Lupin - "
"You're reverting back to that?" he bemused lightly. "I thought you were comfortable calling me Remus."
"We're at work," she said curtly.
"Of course," he said, looking down at his feet. "I, uh, have a reason to be here. I was looking for Severus, and he wasn't in his classroom."
"You must have just missed him. He's giving Neville Longbottom private lessons, probably walking him back to Gryffindor Tower now," Cassie told him, putting down her quill and crossing her arms over her chest. She watched him with cold, captious eyes. He didn't seem to miss the fact that she was on edge.
"Cassie, I'm not going to do anything - "
"You haven't come to my classroom after hours for anything," she interjected. "Forgive me if I'm a bit apprehensive."
"Now that's not fair - "
"You haven't asked me to assist in lessons or administer exams, anything of that nature, since that night. I thought we had an understanding."
"What do you think I'm capable of?" he asked, flustered. Before she could respond, he continued, "No, don't answer that. I'm sorry. That's not why I'm here. As I said, I'm looking for Severus."
"And he's not here," she said slowly, "So you can leave."
Remus sighed wearily. "Yes, yes. I will." He dug into his pocket before producing a small, glowing jar and stepping forward to place it on her desk. "This is what I wanted to give Severus. It's Nux Myristica. I know it's hard to come by, but with my heightened olfactory senses, it's easier to find out in the forest. Give it to him for me, will you?" He turned to leave, but just as he took a step away from her desk, Severus Snape swept into the room, his steps silent on the stone floor.
Cold black eyes first inspected the witch sitting behind the desk. After they ensured her welfare, they flitted over to the werewolf, who looked as though he had been caught with his paw in the hen house. "Lupin," the owner of those onyx eyes hissed icily, "I recall making it clear that if you came near Miss Black again, there would be consequences."
"Now, Severus, I was only looking for you - "
"In her classroom?"
"As you weren't in yours, I thought that might be the next logical place, yes!" he spluttered. "And I was right, wasn't I? You came here eventually. It's not as though I came here to corner her or seduce her - "
They were the wrong words to use in his argument. Severus bared his teeth as he slammed Lupin up against the desk, brandishing his wand in his colleague's face.
"Severus!" Cassie squawked. She rounded the desk, grasping the Head of Slytherin's upper arm. "Don't do something that will get you in trouble with Albus!"
"The Headmaster was a fool to trust the wolf," Severus sneered. The tip of his wand was pressed into Remus's cheek. "I would be doing everyone a favor."
"Trust me?" Lupin breathed, "Dumbledore is letting me teach Harry the Patronus charm. Of course, he trusts me!"
Something in Severus collapsed at those words. His shoulders visibly slouched, and he pulled back his wand slightly. Cassie, who had been seconds away from deciding if she would have to use her wand against her lover, felt like she could breathe again. "Lupin brought Nux Myristica for you," she told him quietly.
Severus looked over Remus's shoulder, spotting the dazzling bottle on Cassie's desk for the first time since he had entered the room. He let go of the other wizard's robes.
"Just a small thank you, for making me the Wolfsbane potion every month," Remus said, straightening up. "I apologize for disturbing your night." He left without another word.
The anger that Severus had toward Remus seemed to shift a little after that altercation. For the first time that year, the Potions Master didn't glare down the head table at Remus during every meal. Much to Cassie's surprise, Severus even struck up a conversation with him one breakfast, telling him how he planned to use the Nux Myristica and that it was in the optimal flowering stage when it had been harvested. She was sure that was as close to an expression of gratitude that the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor would receive.
But something was still off with her boyfriend. He avoided talking about what was bothering him, but she had an inkling that it had to do with Albus Dumbledore. The Headmaster had failed Severus so many times in his life, the first being when he was merely a student. It had been like a dagger to the Potions Master's back when Remus Lupin had been hired, especially since Severus had kept his lycanthropy a secret for so long. Dumbledore choosing to trust Remus wholeheartedly, even after he had failed to divulge the fact that Sirius was an Animagi, was another blade added to Severus's anguish. Cassie wondered how many more infractions there could be before Severus could no longer tolerate the Headmaster's antics.
Despite the embarrassment of being hugged by a Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, Draco continued to come to Cassie's classroom a few nights a week. It seemed to offer him respite from his Slytherin companions, and she was thrilled he was seeking time away from them. Between classes and Quidditch practice, her cousin was having a very busy term, especially with the upcoming match against Ravenclaw.
"Ugh," Draco groaned one night, throwing his homework down on the desk and leaning back to stretch. "This is tedious. You have to have the answer key somewhere, don't you, cousin?"
"I will never say," Cassie quipped. She was showing a second-year Hufflepuff the proper wand movements for a water-repellant charm for the fourth time in a row. Even during her demonstration, she caught the look that Hermione shot Draco from across the room. Apparently, he didn't miss it, either.
"Relax, Granger," he said, rubbing the back of his head heedlessly as if her glare stung him. "I'm only joking. Maybe you should study up on growing a sense of humor."
"As if I have the time for that," Hermione muttered.
"Aren't both of you working on the same Arithmancy assignment? Why don't you work together?" Cassie suggested.
Hermione snorted. "As though he could keep up with me."
Draco let out a low whistle. "I'm surprised you can manage to sit up at all with a head that big, Granger."
They did not work together on the assignment. However, it seemed to turn into an unsaid challenge, and both third-years buckled down without another word. Draco was uncharacteristically focused except for the few times that he would glance up to see if the Gryffindor witch was still working. While Cassie was going through an Astrology essay with a fifth-year, Draco approached her desk.
"I've finished!" he declared.
"Wonderful," she said, cocking an eyebrow at him. "I can't really correct it, Draco, not until it's turned in to Professor Vector tomorrow."
"Fine," he said, eyeing Hermione, "Just tell me if I've gotten any wrong and I'll go back and figure out which ones." Cassie reluctantly took the parchment from him.
"There's no way he's finished and has them all correct," Hermione stated from her seat. "I've got two left."
Cassie shook her head in amusement, waving her wand over Draco's homework. After a few seconds, no marks had appeared on the parchment. "You've got them all right."
The Slytherin smirked, taking the assignment back and sitting back down at his desk. "Why don't you stew over that, Miss Perfect?" he said, pulling out his Potions textbook.
"You just got started earlier than me, that's all!" Hermione said, storming up to Cassie's desk. After she was reassured that her Arithmancy was also entirely correct, she strode from the room with her head held high.
"Haughty prig," Draco murmured, but it was loud enough for Cassie to hear. She was about to scold him when her attention was swiftly moved to the second-year Hufflepuff, who had somehow managed to create a small hailstorm in her classroom.
The cold days of January continued to fly by. It was halfway through the month, and the Slytherin versus Ravenclaw match was upon them. Cassie wasn't usually one to get very amped up by Quidditch, but this was the first chance she would get to see Draco fly in a game.
Students were huddled together as they made their way to the pitch, many of them carrying small blue flames in jars as they walked. Cassie had forgone making a tiny fire in lieu of putting on many layers of clothing and cozying up to Severus, who wasn't objecting to their affectionate display for once. He even put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close when they approached the stands, rubbing her upper arm as she shivered.
"Will you save me a seat, Sev?" she asked, looking toward the locker rooms. "I want to say hi to Draco."
"If there isn't any room, you can always sit in his lap!" McGonagall chirped. Her cheeks were rosy, barely visible under the thick blue scarf wrapped around her head and neck. She laughed heartily, taking a swig from a small bronze flask.
"Why don't you take my arm, Minerva," Severus suggested, smirking at the Deputy Headmistress as they ascended the stairs together. With Black no longer being a threat and Gryffindor not playing today, apparently, McGonagall was taking the day off.
Cassie trotted across the pitch to where the Slytherin team was holed up until the start of the match. The sky was grey with thick cloud coverage, the threat of snow imminent. It was not a great day to be flying.
"Hey," Cassie said, poking her head into the locker room. Draco made his way over to her, his Nimbus 2001 in hand. "Just wanted to wish you luck."
"Thanks." There was no hint of a smile on Draco's face, his nerves getting the better of him. "I used the polish from the kit you got me, got my broom in the best shape for flying I could, but it's already ice-cold and hard to grip."
"Easy enough fix," she said, taking out her wand. With a quick tap, she heated the handle from the inside with a simple charm. "Then you can expose your fingers, make it easier to grip." A gentle flick and his gloves became fingerless.
Finally, Draco had the smallest hint of a grin on his face. "Can you do that for the rest of the team?"
"Yeah, of course," Cassie said, genuinely happy to help. But the cheer on his face disappeared as he locked eyes with someone behind her.
"Draco," came Lucius's signature drawl, and Cassie closed her eyes to steel herself for the unpleasantness that was about to come. "Prattling with your cousin instead of talking strategy with your team, I see. Was everything I tried to teach you over break a waste of time?"
"I was merely wishing him luck," Cassie said through gritted teeth, whipping around to meet her uncle's pompous gaze. Draco retreated back to the safety of his teammates as she spoke.
"He doesn't need luck. Unless you can bestow talent upon him, I can assure you that your efforts are fruitless."
Cassie hurried to charm the rest of the team's brooms and then left the locker room. If she stayed in her uncle's presence another minute, she feared she would hex him. To her dismay, he was following only steps behind her, and with his long strides, it didn't take him long to catch up to her.
"Do us both a favor and leave me alone," she snapped. The snow had started to fall in heavy flakes and the wind was whipping her hair around her face.
Lucius grabbed her arm, pulling her underneath the stands so they wouldn't be seen by the eyes of hundreds of students. He bent down to her face while simultaneously painfully yanking her closer to him. "Do not think that just because you have some pull over the Minister," he hissed, "that you may attempt to influence my son."
"What are you even doing here? Weren't you stripped of your governor duties last year?"
"That just proves my point, does it not? That I am in the Minister's favor no matter what you do?" he snarled back.
"You're a paranoid, narcissistic miscreant," Cassie retorted.
He slammed her up against one of the wooden posts, knocking the wind from her. She pulled out her wand just as a large hand raised to strike her.
"Unhand my assistant, or I shall have to turn you into a slug, you slimy cretin," came the slightly slurred words of McGonagall, who had appeared under the tarp. As Lucius turned to look, Remus and Severus appeared at her sides.
Lucius removed his hand from Cassie's bruised flesh, both of his arms now going to his sides. Cassie's wand was still drawn. "My niece and I were just talking, Deputy Headmistress. As Severus knows, she can become a bit...mouthy."
"Lucius, my old friend," Severus said, and Cassie could tell by his even tone that he was choosing his next words carefully. "For your benefit, I will not mince my words. If you raise a hand to her again, I will ensure that you will not have the means to do so ever again."
McGonagall all but led Lucius out from under the stand by his ear. As they walked, she reassured him that she would be sitting next to him for the entirety of the match and then be escorting him from the grounds as soon as it was over. Realizing that the Head of Gryffindor was still slightly tipsy, Remus hurried after them to make sure she didn't lose her footing.
"Are you alright, my darling?" Severus asked, kissing Cassie's forehead.
"I can take care of myself," she told him, "although I might have gotten in trouble with Lucius's Ministry friends after I hexed him."
"You did well to restrain yourself."
"Yes, well," she said, a coy smile spreading across her face. "After you came to my rescue, I would prefer not to restrain myself any longer." She waved her wand, casting sound and disillusionment charms around them. When she was done, she reached up to kiss Severus, who was clearly taken aback.
"The match is about to start - " he said between kisses.
"They won't miss us," she said, giggling into his mouth, "at least not for a few minutes."
"A few minutes," he echoed as his hands snaked their way under her thick traveling cloak. His large hands on her ribcage were a welcome sensation, yet the layers of fabric left her wanting. She craved his skin on hers, the incandescence that belonged only to her melding into her center. "You must give me more credit, my love."
Severus pushed her against the side of the stand, careful not to hit her head against the wood as he bombarded her with fevered kisses. She could barely catch her breath as his tongue penetrated her mouth, wrapping around hers and offering her needed warmth in the surrounding winter chill. He demanded contact from her with the same need that spread through her, and their heavily clothed state left them pawing at each other. Severus clawed at the scarf that had been wrapped snuggly around her neck, pulling it away just enough so he could leave a trail of kisses on her ivory skin.
"Sev," she gasped when his teeth sunk into her flesh. She had missed how his hands had ended up inside her trousers, but now his fingers were dancing along the edge of her panties. Her mind was being pulled in so many directions as his tongue swirled over her angered skin where he had bit her. Her gloved hands were wrestling with his belt as he nipped at her ear and his fingers dipped into her wet slit. She would surely lose her mind right then and there.
The crowd they had quickly forgotten roared to life as the Ravenclaw and Slytherin teams walked onto the field. Lee Jordon announced the beginning of the Quidditch match. Cassie, who had been keeping her moans in check even with her solid sound barriers in place, suddenly felt secure enough to let her appreciation for Severus's ministrations be heard.
"That's right," Severus groaned with her earlobe still between his teeth. He was working her clit faster, spurred on by her audible enthusiasm. "Scream for me, my vixen."
Cassie had completely lost track of the fact that she had been trying to get into the wizard's trousers. All thoughts besides his touch and his smell and the weight of his body pressed against hers had been chased away, and then she was seeing stars, her cries drowned out by the crowd above them as one of the teams made some miraculous play.
She had barely come down from her orgasm when Severus spun her around. She braced herself against the wooden post as the Potions Master pushed aside her cloak and pulled down her pants, just enough so extra skin would not be unnecessarily exposed to the bitter cold. She turned to watch him pull himself from his black trousers, stiff and swollen, making her groin pulsate at the sight of him.
The guttural groan that left his throat when he buried himself inside her sent waves of pleasure through her. "Fuck me hard, Severus," she panted, encouraging him to keep going. He gripped her shoulder, pulling himself nearly all the way out of her before impaling her once again.
"You feel so good," he grunted as he pounded into her. She would have responded, but she was no longer capable of forming a full thought, let alone articulating it to him. He felt deliciously exquisite inside of her, his movements hitting her in just the right places. She felt herself start to shudder around his length just as he snapped his hips in erratic, uneven movements. He yelled his release into the shielded sanctuary around them, collapsing forward slightly and resting his head on her neck as he caught his breath.
Ravenclaw was up by twenty points when they found their seats. Cassie tried to focus on finding Draco in the air, but she felt eyes on her. She turned to see Lucius staring at her, oozing wrath as his nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed. Her hair and clothing probably looked disheveled, and it wouldn't take a genius to work out what she and Severus had just been up to.
It was spiteful, she knew, to rub it in her uncle's face that Severus was loyal to her over him. She didn't need to encourage Lucius Malfoy's animosity toward her. And yet, she found herself tucking her arm under Severus's and laying her head on his shoulder. The feeling that silver eyes were glaring holes into her intensified, and she smirked at the feeling.