The student chatter that reached Severus's ears seemed deafening as he entered the Great Hall. He strode to his seat at the head table with a sneer etched on his face, but the young witches and wizards hardly noticed. They had seen the Potions Master in a sour mood so frequently that they expected little else. Instead, most of them were discussing a singular subject while eating their breakfasts. Severus noted the fact that many of them were gawking at the morning edition of The Daily Prophet.
Severus reached for coffee as soon as he sat. He had barely slept the last few nights. Rather than drink sleeping draughts, he stared at the emerald green canopy as he agonized over his wife's safety.
"Severus", McGonagall whispered. He debated ignoring her completely as the hot, bitter coffee scalded his tongue. He found it difficult to do so as she hissed at him again.
"What is it, Minerva?" he drawled. He could feel Pomona and Filius's stares, but he kept his focus on the students in front of them.
"Have you read the Prophet this morning?"
"I have not."
McGonagall grimaced, then turned to Filius. He scrambled out of his seat to push a copy of the newspaper into Severus's hands.
He had not had much of an appetite that morning, but after scanning Rita Skeeter's article, any hope of eating breakfast vanished. He flung the newspaper onto the table in front of him before standing to leave.
"Were you aware?" McGonagall asked. Severus silently berated her for imploring such a thing, and in front of so many others. He glared at her, his jaw clenched, before turning away.
No one chased after him as he returned to the dungeons. He was quite skilled at knowing when he was being followed, but his footsteps were the lone sound as he glided down the stone corridors. Nonetheless, when he reached his classroom, he was not surprised to find the Headmaster already there.
"Severus," Dumbledore greeted him softly. He was seated at the Potions Master's desk and did not rise to give the younger wizard his seat. When Severus came to stand in front of his superior, he noticed that a copy of the Prophet sat waiting next to his quill.
"I don't need to see it again," Severus snarled.
"You read the entire thing?"
"Yes. Filius made sure of that."
"Then you understand the gravity of the situation."
"Of course I do," the Head of Slytherin hissed. "I'm not an idiot."
Dumbledore inclined his head. "No, you are not. Then you realize that we must be careful in navigating this delicate situation going forward."
"It was going to come out in some way or another," Severus replied silkily. "Surely you realized that Fudge - and everyone else - would find out?"
"Yes," sighed Dumbledore. "Although I hoped it would not be revealed in such a sensational way."
Severus scoffed. "Would you rather Cassie had told Fudge she was planning to usurp Gryzlov?"
"That would not have benefited anyone but Cornelius."
"Then you knew it would go public. It was a matter of when."
Dumbledore folded his hands neatly on the desk, his blue eyes looking over his half-moon spectacles as he studied his younger counterpart. "I advise you and Madam Snape to exercise caution. Cornelius will be rattled, I am sure."
Severus held the Headmaster's gaze. "Have I ever been anything but cautious?"
Dumbledore only nodded. "It is not you, necessarily, that I am worried about."
"Cassie has thought this through. She knew our ministry would react."
Dumbledore stood. "Then I am reassured." He made for the exit, but not before asking, "Inform me when she returns to this castle, would you?"
Dumbledore waited. Severus offered no reply before leaving the classroom.
-*-*-*-*
The night of June twenty-second promised to be a dull affair. The Potions Master had finished administering his second-to-last final exam hours ago, and yet he was still occupied with scrubbing the silver cauldrons clean. The normal charm he used for such things was far too harsh on the chemical reaction between the silver and the Coagulant Antidote's ingredients. If he rushed the process, his carefully procured cauldrons would be weakened and eventually ruined. He wouldn't dare even let students who deserved detention handle such a delicate task.
He had three dirty cauldrons left when he felt something in the classroom stir. He gripped the sudsy sugar kelp sponge in his hand as he paused his scrubbing to listen, but after a few silent moments, he realized that he had not heard anything. Rather, he felt as if someone was watching him.
Severus dropped the sponge on the desk and stood to meet whatever gave him such unquiet. He reached for his wand as a cloaked figure emerged from his office.
"Severus!" Cassie exclaimed, ignoring the fact that her husband had his wand drawn as she nearly bowled him over. He nearly lost his footing as she squeezed him around his torso. "I am so happy to see you!"
"Cassie," he hissed, for the intensity of how hard she hugged him afforded him little use of his voice just then. "My love, I was not expecting you!" His wand clattered to the floor as he abandoned all thought of cauldrons or exams or brittle ingredients. He buried his soap-covered hand into her hair as he pulled her tight against him with his other arm. For weeks, he had forced himself not to imagine this moment. Hope was a dangerous indulgence in wartime, and longing was worse. Yet here she was, solid and warm in his arms instead of another cruel fantasy.
"I know, I'm sorry! I couldn't afford the message being intercepted - "
Severus silenced his wife with a kiss. The conversation he just boldly interrupted would have to take place at a later time, but being in Cassie's presence had quickly woken the desire within him. Discussing Fudge was the last thing he cared about as heat from the black-haired witch's body radiated across his flesh.
There would be time for ministers, politics, and impossible choices. There had to be. If the world intended to steal her away again, then for one selfish moment, he would pretend it had forgotten they existed.
The Potions Master gripped the collar of Cassie's robes. Blue eyes locked onto black as she stared up at him, pupils blown and chest heaving. With the fabric of her robes still in his fist, he guided her to his desk, careful not to break eye contact between them.
The classroom door clicked behind him, signaling that Cassie's wandless magic had been used to lock them away from the rest of the castle. For all he cared, she could cut them off from the rest of the world from now until eternity. Everything he needed was currently in his arms. The school, the Death Eaters, the Dark Lord - every obligation that had shaped his existence dissolved beneath the simple weight of her against him.
Severus let go of Cassie's robes, his hands moving to grip her hips. He lifted her effortlessly onto the desk, knocking over a few inkwells in the process. She giggled into his black-clad chest as he pushed her legs apart.
"Why do you smell of sugar kelp, Sev?" She smiled as if nothing in the world had changed. As though he had not spent countless nights wondering whether the next owl would carry news of her demise.
"Hush," he demanded as he pushed her further down onto the desk. Her body squirmed beneath him, sending delicious sensations to his groin, and he pressed his hardening cock harder against her.
He sensed another inquiry bubbling up from his wife's throat. In response, he latched his lips onto the nape of her neck and sucked. Whatever she had intended to say was lost in the moan that erupted from her instead.
As he sucked and nibbled at the sensitive skin on her neck, his hands went to work elsewhere. He pushed the black cloak away from her chest and then pulled at the top of her pewter-gray dress. At risk of ripping the fabric, he pulled the neckline low enough to bare one breast. He cupped the warm, familiar flesh in his hand before rolling her hardened nipple between his thumb and index finger.
He pulled away from her neck, just enough so he could admire the blush that was spreading from her cheeks downward. His wife's eyes locked onto his face to study every subtle change in his expression. Her breath hitched in her throat when he lowered his head to her exposed breast.
He wrapped his lips around her nipple. He suckled her, pulling the sensitive bud into his hot mouth until she was groaning and bucking her hips beneath him. It was the response he expected from his careful ministrations, and one he had experienced so many times before with her. It didn't make him crave it any less.
Nimble fingers pulled at the fabric on the other side of her chest. In seconds, he had exposed her other breast, attending to the nipple with his hand while his mouth denied reprieve from the sucking and nibbling on the other. Her cheeks were pink and warm now, the heat from her core pressing into his clothed cock. For a fleeting moment, he wondered just how wet she had become, and he instinctively ground his growing bulge into her. "Oh - Sev!" she cried.
He had forgotten how effortlessly she unraveled him. No Occlumency discipline, no carefully cultivated mask had ever survived her touch.
He wanted to take her, foreplay be damned; he needed her, now. Control had always been his greatest weapon. Discipline had kept him alive for decades. Yet with Cassie, surrender was becoming its own temptation. Instead of abandoning her glorious chest to focus on his own needs, he detached his mouth from her breast with a small pop! and latched onto the other.
"Sev, please, please." He loved it when she begged. He did not know if it was a depraved part of him that took pleasure in it, but this moment was not the time to ponder his degeneracy. He was growing harder by the second. Focus had to be kept on her exposed skin and what sounds he could pull out of her, or he would abandon all reason.
He sensed that his wife was in a similar predicament. Her hands, which had been buried in his hair only moments ago, had found their way to his shoulders and back. With his body pressed firmly on top of her, she was unable to reach his crotch. He looked up at her frustrated face as he licked across her nipple, and he smiled at her undiluted reaction.
"You are going to be the death of me, husband," she declared breathlessly.
"As you will be for me, wife," he drawled in response. Her wandering hands found his backside, and she squeezed, her nails digging ever so slightly into his flesh. It was then that he decided that their clothing needed to be removed.
Severus thrust his arm into the air and called his jilted wand to him. It flew into his splayed hand, and with a small puff of pink and gold smoke, the couple's clothing disappeared from their fevered skin. Cassie giggled the moment she realized what he had done.
He silenced her with another deep kiss. Duties had stolen his lover away from him too soon after their honeymoon, for far too long. If he never felt anything besides his wife's skin again, he could die a deliriously happy wizard. He looked at her - really looked. Alive. Breathing. Smiling at him. Weeks of carefully maintained composure cracked all at once beneath the impossible relief that she had returned.
"Fuck," she moaned as he dove his aching cock into her. She leaned back into the desk and supported her weight on her hands. He could see nearly every inch of her as he slowly pulled out of her, readying himself to plunge back inside. The thoughts that had run through his tormented mind only moments ago were swiftly proven wrong. This feeling of being inside her, her hot, wet core gripping him so tight that he might burst. This was the peak of his bliss.
Her breasts bounced under him with every thrust. The luxurious sight combined with her throaty cries nearly snatched every ounce of control from him. He would surely come undone. He leaned forward to press his forehead to hers, one hand grasping the back of her neck like a drowning man. The only thing that could save him was her proximity, and he knew this to be true as he dug his fingers into her even harder. He struggled to ground himself even as his hips started to lose their steady rhythm, and then he felt the beginnings of her own release. His moans were drowned out by her cries of pleasure, and her cunt squeezed him so hard he was sure he had long ago died and now resided in heaven -
His body was wracked with pulsating waves of ecstasy, and her heavy-lidded gaze locked on him. He had spent years believing happiness belonged to everyone else. Yet every impossible dream he had never permitted himself now stared back at him through familiar blue eyes. As his speed spilled into her, he could not contain the noisy, trembling whines that escaped his throat. His needy moans were swiftly replaced by heavy breathing while he attempted to regain his composure. He pressed his sweaty forehead to hers once again.
Giving in to her own exhaustion, Cassie wrapped her arms around the raven-haired wizard. She leaned back onto the desk and pulled him down with her. Only when Severus's face nestled into the nape of her neck did she close her eyes to relish the sound of their synchronized breathing.
Tomorrow would demand Severus once more: spy, professor, liar, survivor. Tonight, hidden within the quiet of the dungeons, he allowed himself the luxury of simply being Cassiopeia's husband.
-*-*-*-*
The morning of June twenty-fourth began like almost any other at Hogwarts. While full of the blossoming minds of the next magical generation, it was quiet. Young witches and wizards were resting soundly in their canopied beds. The majority of the student body had stayed up well past their official bedtime, partly because it was the beginning of the weekend, and partly because anticipation of the Third Tasks made it too hard to fall asleep.
The kitchens bustled beneath the castle. Copper pots clanged, knives chopped in practiced rhythm, and the warm scent of yeast, cinnamon, roasting meat, and fresh bread drifted upward through hidden passageways. Only when the faint smells of freshly-baked cinnamon rolls began to waft through the castle did some students begin to stir. The house-elves, while not fully understanding the importance of the Triwizard Tournament, were putting in their best efforts to make an enormous amount of food for the day. Even as breakfast was about to be served, they were marinating whole chickens and searing off roasts with small flashes of fire produced from their fingers. Albus Dumbledore had asked that they prepare a glorious feast in the name of the Tournament, and in the decades that the kitchen elves had served under him, they had yet to disappoint him.
The Headmaster's empty stomach rumbled as he went about his morning routine. He could smell scrumptious pumpkin pasties, and he could almost taste them. That would be the first thing he reached for, unless something else seemed even more appetizing. He did not know what that could possibly be, but he was sure the elves had come up with something sweet to tempt him.
Dumbledore hummed quietly to himself while pulling on his burgundy and silver robes. Fawkes, having heard the made-up song hundreds of times, clucked lowly in approval from his golden perch.
His thoughts refused to remain on breakfast for long. His mind wandered to Cassiopeia's familiar. Before he could stop the thought, he wondered if Boros the basilisk enjoyed music just as much as Fawkes did.
His brilliant mind had been occupied with both the outcome of the Triwizard Tournament and the doings of the young witch. Her return to the castle had caused quite a stir among both the staff and student body, not that he had expected any less. The displacement of Minister Gryzlov sent shockwaves through the entire British wizarding community and other magical governments across the globe. The owls carrying frightful letters addressed to the Headmaster had been unending since the news had broken.
Nothing would be the same. But Tom Riddle had already seen to that, hadn't he? His return marked the beginning of the next great wizarding war, even if he had yet to confirm his presence among the magical population. Cassiopeia was merely playing her part.
It was exactly what Dumbledore had planned for. She was only doing what she had been taught. Then why did he get the feeling that something within her had drastically shifted?
Breakfast came and went, as did lunch. Dumbledore's belly was as full as his occupied mind as the Third Task grew closer. It wasn't until the arrival of the magical community's prominent figures that he wished he had drunk an extra cup of tea with his roast pork and potatoes.
Cornelius Fudge entered the castle with no less than nine Aurors. His lime-green bowler hat was clenched in his white-knuckled hands as he looked around the entrance hall, fear evident in his watery eyes. It was apparent that he expected to be attacked right there in the massive stone walls of Hogwarts, even though countless students and staff were present.
Dumbledore greeted him as if he were perfectly unaware of the extra guards. As he shook the Minister's clammy hand, he locked eyes with Nymphadora Tonks. It was easy to read her unbridled amusement.
The Headmaster and Minister of Magic exchanged pleasantries before making their way to the grounds. The conversation quickly took a turn when Fudge mentioned Igor Karkaroff.
"A pity for Igor to abandon his post at this time. Surely Krum's chances of winning have suffered because of it," the Minister mused.
Dumbledore was not often at a loss for words, but the topic admittedly caught him off guard. Fudge and his cabinet had been informed of Kalina's capture, but it had been quickly chalked up to her returning to Durmstrang. Dumbledore wondered how much effort it took Fudge to continue to perform such mental gymnastics. "Krum's classmates have been very supportive," said Dumbledore.
"Ah, yes. I suppose they would not be rooting for Diggory or Delacour, eh?"
Dumbledore and Fudge took their seats. The students who noticed the small army of Aurors began to whisper to one another.
Fudge's gaze landed on Harry, who was seated between the other two-thirds of the Golden Trio. Sirius Black and Remus Lupin were directly behind them. Then his eyes wandered over the rest of the crowd. Before speaking again, he cleared his throat. "I do not see the Potions Master and his new bride." His voice betrayed his uncertainty. Dumbledore did not miss the fact that he did not mention Cassiopeia by name. As if saying it would bring on his demise.
"Severus and Cassiopeia are preoccupied at the moment," Dumbledore replied simply. The Minister flinched beside him.
Deep within the castle, the newly married couple was indeed absorbed with the task at hand. Cassie was seated on the foot of one of the hospital beds while Severus paced in front of her.
"He is late," the Potions Master snarled.
"It's only been five minutes, Sev." Even as she spoke confidently, her fingers twisted together in her lap.
"Five minutes might as well be one hundred! If we do not start soon, the Third Tasks will need to be delayed for Potter's safety!"
"He will be here," Cassie replied, less worried by the vampire's tardiness than her husband, and for good reason. Immediately after attempting to reassure him, she could sense Stellan's presence.
"I must tell them to wait," Severus said as Cassie took a deep breath to steady the conflicting feelings of exhilaration and foreboding within her. Her husband took a few steps toward the double doors.
"No. He's here," she declared.
Severus stopped in his tracks, his onyx eyes studying his wife. She appeared entranced, her blue eyes glazed over as she looked past him at the hospital wing's doors. He absolutely loathed the blood bond between the ancient vampire and his beloved. Until recently, he had looked forward to the end of the Triwizard Tournament for the sole fact that these bloodlettings would be behind them. Now that Stellan had bound himself and his clan to her, the effects on her would continue.
The doors opened, and the blond vampire crossed the threshold. Poppy clutched the top of her white healer's robes, the same worry etched on her face that was always present when Stellan was in her ward.
"You are late!" snarled Severus as Stellan brushed past him.
"My apologies," Stellan replied simply. His cold eyes were fixed on the raven-haired witch. "I do hope that young Harry is alright."
Severus opened his mouth to hurl a slew of insults, but his wife spoke first. "Enough. We must start," she said tonelessly. As if by command, the vampire placed himself before her and dropped to his knees. Severus waited for the next cloying remark to fall from Stellan's mouth, but he remained silent. Instead, he took Cassie's wrist in his massive hands. Severus stepped closer, his guard up, waiting for a reason to finally curse this impudent dark creature.
Cassie and Stellan locked eyes. Cassie's gaze grew hazy, her pupils widening as instinct overtook conscious thought and the blood bond asserted itself. Then the vampire sank his fangs into the underside of her wrist.
Severus could not tune out the little moans that left his wife's throat. Every instinct screamed at him to tear the vampire away from her. He wanted to leave the hospital wing and not bear witness to this crude display, but he could not. Abandoning his wife while she was at her most vulnerable was not something he could do. And so he endured the sounds of the vampire drawing the very life from her veins, his tongue sliding across her skin as he lapped up every drop. The Potions Master's wand hand twitched more than once.
Stellan finished drinking his fill. He turned away from Cassie to smile at Severus while her blood dripped from his lips down his chin. Severus grabbed two vials from the small bedside table and inserted himself between the vampire and the witch.
The vampire chuckled lowly as he got back to his feet. Severus coaxed his exhausted wife to drink the first of what would be many blood replenishers that day. Stellan eyed the other vial, which was filled with sunflower-yellow liquid, in the Potions Master's hand.
"Antivenom?"
"Yes."
"How insulting," Stellan mused. He flopped onto the bed beside Cassie's, folding his hands behind his head as he watched the couple. Cassie, although nearly drained of energy, sensed the growing tension between her husband and the vampire.
"Stop it," she said softly as Severus helped her lie back on the bed.
"As you wish, Lady Black," replied Stellan.
Severus could not help but take the bait. "Lady Snape," he shot back.
"Ah, yes, I had nearly forgotten that the wedding ceremony had taken place. Although I have not entirely forgiven that I was not invited."
"You would have burned in the sunlight," Cassie said, closing her eyes as she nestled her head into the pillow beneath it.
"Yes, such a travesty," the Head of Slytherin quipped. Cassie missed the triumphant grin that spread across Stellan's face due to Severus's discomfort. If they continued to banter, she did not know. The voices around her blurred together before darkness claimed her in a deep slumber.
Loud noises woke her. As she rose through the layers of consciousness, it took her several long moments to realize that there was screaming within close proximity. It was expected, but no less horrific, as Stellan was tortured to the point beyond recognition. Black lightning engulfed the ancient being, hitting him over and over until his skin bubbled and peeled away from the muscle underneath. Severus thrust another blood-replenishing elixir into Cassie's hands, and she was grateful for the momentary distraction as she swallowed it.
Both Cassie and Severus had seen countless victims of the Cruciatus Curse. They had never seen it wielded like this.
The lightning disappeared, satiated with Stellan's sacrifice. The end of the Third Task signaled that Harry Potter was finally safe from the Goblet of Fire's binding magic.
Stellan was left a bloody, groaning mess in the white linens of the hospital bed. The young witch wasted no time in slashing her wrist with the dagger she had brought with her. Severus hated that she did it without hesitation, never once looking to him for approval. Nonetheless, he could not help but watch as the injured vampire once again sucked greedily at his wife's body. He regretted not convincing Cassie to just let him die when they had been sure that Harry was safe.
He banished the thought. As much as he loathed the vampire's hold on Cassie, he knew that having him and his clan's loyalty would benefit them in the coming war. Logic would triumph over sentiments yet again.
After Stellan had been tended to, Cassie fell into another deep sleep. Severus made sure that there were plenty of replenishing elixirs at her bedside before turning over her care to Poppy. He could not fully trust the reports that Harry Potter was safe. He needed to be sure. He journeyed through the castle and out to the grounds to find the young Gryffindor.
-*-*-*-*
"I am telling you, she is not in any shape to be disturbed - " Madam Pomfrey said hoarsely. She stood behind her desk, her arms folded across her chest as she challenged the witch standing before her.
"Albus insists," McGonagall said tersely.
"I won't allow it!"
"Poppy, either I wake her, or the Aurors will. What do you think would be more pleasant?"
The school nurse conceded. She huffed in indignation as the Head of Gryffindor bent over Cassie's sleeping form. She noted how pale the younger witch's skin was, even more than usual.
"Cassie," McGonagall whispered, a hand gripping her shoulder lightly. The girl stirred but did not wake. McGonagall repeated her name while shaking her shoulder gently.
"Hmm," Cassie groaned, licking her chapped lips. McGonagall snatched the balm from the bedside table and swiped it over Cassie's mouth.
"I need you to come with me," said McGonagall. "Albus needs to see you."
"Why can't he come here to speak with her?" demanded Pomfrey.
"Because Fudge will not leave the headmaster's office," McGonagall said sharply, although she did not mean to sound so angry at the nurse. Her frustration lay with the Minister of Magic and the Headmaster.
At the mention of Fudge, Cassie forced her eyes open. It took several moments for her vision to focus on McGonagall's face above her. "What the fuck does he want?"
Cassie's journey from the hospital wing to Dumbledore's office was a slow one. McGonagall, who insisted that Cassie continue to sip blood replenishing potion as they walked, had her arm linked with the younger witch's to steady her as her knees threatened to buckle more than once. The corridor seemed longer than she remembered, and twice they had to stop and rest on one of the many marble benches that dotted it.
"Severus is going to curse me," McGonagall said under her breath as they neared the stone Griffin.
"You are only doing what you were told," said Cassie.
"I will fetch him as soon as I get you to the office," McGonagall said firmly.
"Perhaps you shouldn't," Cassie said, intending her statement to be a jest. McGonagall side-eyed her in annoyance.
"Then he would certainly curse me."
Cassie smiled as they stepped onto the spinning staircase. Her husband was protective of her, but she was unsure of how helpful his anger would be in this situation.
Cassie and McGonagall entered the office. Dumbledore was behind his desk. Fudge, who was seated across from him, was surrounded by his nine Aurors. Nobody spoke, making the sound of Fudge's chair scraping across the stone floor unnaturally grating as he shifted uncomfortably. The Aurors were standing. Only three of the youngest-looking ones appeared on edge, watching her hands as she hobbled alongside the Head of Gryffindor. Kingsley smiled at Cassie, while Tonks tried and failed to stifle hers.
McGonagall guided her former student to the empty chair that was on Dumbledore's side of the desk. She gave Cassie a knowing glance before exiting the room.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of your company, Cornelius?" Cassie asked, leaning back in the cushy chair. She hoped this conversation would be stimulating, or she might fall asleep.
"I did not see you at the Third Task," Fudge started uncertainly. He did not meet her gaze as he spoke. Cassie refrained from rolling her eyes as he failed to answer her direct question.
"I was not there."
"So it seems. What preoccupied your time instead?"
Cassie stared at the Minister. She sensed that, as the seconds ticked by in silence, he was growing increasingly uncomfortable. Finally, after tearing her eyes away from Fudge, Cassie turned to Dumbledore. "Who won?"
Dumbledore smiled gently. "Cedric Diggory."
Cassie nodded. "I thought he might." She raised her blood-replenishing elixir in an ironic toast. "To Cedric," she declared, before downing the rest of the crimson liquid.
"You are avoiding my question!" Fudge snapped.
Cassie snorted as she pulled another vial filled with blood-red liquid from her pocket. McGonagall had insisted that she wear a hospital robe so she could carry several of Severus's carefully-made potions. "I was only returning the favor."
Kingsley chuckled softly. Fudge's face turned purple in indignation. "Surely you understand my position. I demand to know of your whereabouts this evening, just as I demand to know what happened in St. Petersburg!"
Cassie looked down at her lap, nodding to indicate to the Minister she had heard him. She wanted to tell him to fuck off, to leave this office so she could crawl back into a comfortable bed and sleep. After his words had fully absorbed, Cassie looked at him again. "And if I don't?"
Fudge finally stared back at her with wide eyes. The Minister was not good at hiding his anxiety, nor his growing hysteria. "I could have you arrested!"
Cassie gave him a wry smile as she tilted her head slightly. "You do make it a habit of choosing the most idiotic decisions, don't you?" A few of the Aurors shifted on their feet. One young wizard had his hand wrapped around the base of his sheathed wand. Cassie wondered when Severus would arrive. There was no doubt that he would defend her in the event of a duel, but would Dumbledore?
Perhaps it was best that Severus was not there. She worried he would lose his temper.
The fatigue was settling over Cassie like a warm, heavy blanket. She wanted nothing more than to be done with his asinine line of questioning. She eyed a few of the Aurors before turning her attention back to their Minister. "Gryzlov was displaced."
"I know that!" sputtered Fudge. "But how? And why?" He shook his head in disbelief. "You did not defeat him and his cabinet alone. Help me understand!"
"I never said I did."
"Who helped you, then? I want names!"
"No one you need to worry yourself with." Cassie noticed Tonks trying not to laugh. She didn't dare meet her cousin's eyes, or she would certainly lose her composure.
"This is betrayal! This is treason!" Fudge declared. He jumped in his seat as the office door opened. Cassie smiled knowingly at her husband as he made his way to her, his robes billowing behind him like storm clouds, but he did not mirror her expression. With his jaw tight and his thin lips pressed together in a scowl, he looked far from amused. Some of the Aurors' attention was pulled from Cassie to him.
Severus came to stand directly behind Cassie. She could not see his face, but Fudge could. The Minister's expression grew even more daunted as his eyes fell on the Potions Master. "How is it treason?" Cassie asked evenly, her blue eyes boring into him. "I overthrew a government that opposes yours."
"You are not being forthcoming when I demand answers! I want to know who is behind you, how many! How did you come to know the witch you left in Gryzlov's position?"
"Khristina Baladin was a student of Martese Machado. As I was."
"So that's it, then? Machado's pupils aided you?"
"Only the ones that disagreed with Gryzlov's ideology as well," she replied. Severus's hands came to rest on her shoulders. The slight squeeze she felt was a silent plea for her to use caution.
"His ideology! What a preposterous notion, as if that is good enough reason to start a conflict with the Magical Duma!" Fudge cried. Beside Cassie, Dumbledore stirred. She met his bespectacled gaze. Without speaking, his glittering blue eyes communicated a conflicting approval. It was permission, but also a warning.
"Gryzlov coordinated my capture. He handed me over to my father - "
"Lies!" Fudge yelled. "All lies!" One of the inexperienced Aurors unsnapped the leather holster around his waist. Kingsley signaled with a small tilt of his head not to go any further.
Cassie wanted to slap Fudge across the face. Threaten him. Hex him. But even with those extremes, she knew there would be no convincing him of reason. She almost wished that her father and the Death Eaters had actually shown up at the Magical Duma to defend Gryzlov. Then, someone else besides her, Dumbledore, and Harry would tell Fudge that Lord Voldemort was back. But her father had made a strategic decision not to.
He didn't want Fudge to have more evidence that he had returned, and of course, he didn't. Lord Voldemort never wasted information. He was biding his time, gathering numbers. Which is exactly what Cassie needed to keep doing. "Where do you think I was for all that time? Taking a vacation?"
"Declaring that the Russian Minister was in cahoots with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is a truly appalling excuse to remove him from office! A desperate, ill-conceived lie to cover up your own schemes and objectives!" Spittle flew from Fudge's pudgy mouth.
Cassie's feigned calm was beginning to break. Exhaustion was giving way to rage. Her blue eyes flashed dangerously as she asked, "How have you explained away Colin Creevey's death?"
"An unfortunate thing, yes, but Barty and I both agree that his son was behind it."
Cassie shook her head. "Barty Crouch junior has done some heinous things since he escaped your grasp, but he did not kill Colin."
Fudge began to tremble, with fear or anger, Cassie did not know. "Perhaps we were mistaken. Perhaps it was you - "
"Enough," Severus hissed icily. "You are exhausting my wife's patience."
For the first time during the argument, Dumbledore spoke. "It is unlike you to distrust Lucius Malfoy's information, Cornelius," he pointed out. Fudge looked like a fish out of water. His mouth opened and closed several times, but no words were forming as he looked between the Head of Slytherin and the Headmaster.
Once again, the four-poster bed down in the dungeons was calling to Cassie. "Are we finished?" she asked irritably.
The Minister was reanimated by her question. Fudge repeated his imposition. "I want the names of every witch and wizard that aided you!"
"That is not going to happen." Cassie scooted forward in her chair, and Severus wasted no time in steadying her as she got to her feet.
"Then we are at an impasse. I regret that we leave this in such a hostile manner," Fudge said, his voice cracking.
All eyes were on Cassie as she leaned on her husband. Her words would be much less of an impact if she toppled over, she thought sardonically as her head spun. Severus kept a secure hold on her elbow as she turned toward Fudge. The room was eerily silent as it anticipated her next words. Even Fawkes had stopped his soft clucking and paused, pruning his feathers. "Cornelius, if I wanted the Ministry of Magic, it would already be mine."
She didn't wait to hear if Fudge had formed a response. Once she and Severus were beyond the office doors, he tightened his grip on her elbow. The Snapes began their slow walk to the dungeons. Poppy would be upset that Severus did not return her patient to the hospital wing, but neither spouse cared. Cassie wanted nothing but to sleep in her own bed, with her husband beside her.
-*-*-*-*
The Snapes left the Potions classroom at ten-til-seven, as the end-of-term feast would be starting in minutes. Severus had pulled himself out of his wife's arms and coaxed her into getting dressed so they could attend, and she had eventually complied. Severus wanted nothing more than to crawl back beneath the emerald comforter beside his wife, both of them blissfully free of clothing. Still, her recovery came before either of their desires. Her strength was returning to her with every potion she drank, but the delicious food prepared by school-elves would aid her even more. So Severus had decided that they would go, mutual desire to stay naked under the emerald green comforter be damned.
As soon as they stepped off the dungeon staircase, Severus's senses were flooded with bright yellow. Every common area besides the dungeons had been grossly decorated with yellow and black banners, yellow streamers, and yellow balloons. A badger statue stood proudly in the center of the entrance hall, honoring the newly crowned Hufflepuff Champion. Every bit of wall looked like Pomona had melted a canary on it.
Diggory's win had ensured a celebratory end to the term, a welcome distraction from the death of young Colin Creevey. But his classmates could not fully forget his absence, not at a time like this. Had he still been alive, his camera would have been clicking and flashing from now until the students stepped onto the Hogwarts Express to return home.
Severus took his seat after ensuring his wife was settled comfortably in hers. Various students glanced up at Cassie before whispering to each other, as had been happening since the Sergery Gryzlov had been usurped and sent to prison. But after a few minutes, attention turned elsewhere. Some Gryffindors smiled and pointed at Diggory, adorned in a golden sash and handmade crown, but the majority of them seemed sullen. Two seats normally occupied by the Diggory brothers were empty, except for the flowers their classmates had placed there.
The Hufflepuff table was by far the loudest. Diggory was constantly being congratulated, and the students around him set off endless fireworks from the tips of their wands. Severus turned to a rosy-cheeked Pomona, assessing whether or not she was preparing to intervene. She was instead drinking deeply from her goblet. Severus would have bet every galleon to his name that it was something stronger than pumpkin juice.
Cassie, sensing his irritation, put a hand on his knee to get his attention. "They're not hurting anything."
"By the end of the feast, all of us will have raging migraines."
Cassie smiled at her husband. "It's a good thing I know a fairly competent Potions Master, then."
A few seats away, Hagrid rose to his feet, but not before nearly knocking over the head table with his belly. He didn't seem to hear as his colleagues grumbled at him. Like Sprout, his cheeks were rosy red. His beady black eyes sparkled as he raised his drink.
"A toast!" he shouted, "to the best Champion the Triwizard Tournament has ever had!"
Even the remaining Durmstrang and Beauxbaton students joined in the cheering. Cassie's eyes fell on her younger cousin, who was halfheartedly clapping as well. When he met her eyes, he gave her a feigned grimace before his mouth upturned into a small smile.
If Dumbledore or McGonagall gave a eulogy in Creevey's name, Cassie and Severus did not hear it. They left the feast shortly after pudding was served. Cassie wanted to be sure that her classroom and nearly-forgotten quarters were in order before the summer break started.
"Let me gather your belongings," Severus insisted, frowning in disapproval as Cassie rummaged through a cupboard. She wanted to re-read an advanced textbook over the summer. She needed to be an effective teacher now more than ever.
"I can manage, Sev."
"You have not yet completely healed."
Cassie pulled the Dark Arts book from a stack and tossed it onto her desk. Apparently, she handled it too carelessly, because the black leather-bound book growled in protest. "Oh? That didn't seem to bother you an hour ago when you were groping me."
Severus's arms crossed over his chest as he eyed her. "Then perhaps we should refrain from making love as well."
Cassie abandoned her task in the end, her attention now fully on the Potions Master. She wanted to kiss him, pull at his robes, cup his groin until he was breathing heavily in her ear. She imagined the tryst as she took a few slow steps toward him. But fucking him again would not prove to him that she was well.
She raised her arm to slap him. But her husband seemed to know her intention well before she made the movement, and he caught her wrist in his hand before it could make it to his face.
His black eyes searched hers as a coy smile played at her lips. Instead of trying to wrench her arm from his grip, she reached into her robes with her free hand. She set her sparkling white wand on the desk beside her. "As if that could stop you from cursing me," Severus mused lowly.
Cassie inhaled deeply before saying, "Come on, Sev." But he didn't move. He stood perfectly still with his hand still wrapped around her wrist. Only when she was made to slap him with her other hand did the wizard finally react. He caught her other wrist, intending to announce her efforts were pointless when Cassie twisted her way out of his grip. She backed away two steps before crouching, her blue eyes sparkling as she stared at him.
"Insolent witch," Severus said, removing his own wand from his pocket and setting it next to hers. He faced her fully. If she wanted to spar, then she would get her way. But when he won, he would force her to rest for at least a few more days.
Despite her anemia, her movements were fast and difficult to predict. Severus grabbed her arm again before she could land a punch, but not before she kicked him in the shin. Rather than stop to yell in pain, he launched his own attack. She blocked his blows with her forearm and dodged the foot aimed for her stomach.
Before he could size up her position and make his next move, she was on him. She gripped his arm and spun them both around, and suddenly, his arm was pinned tightly against his back. Although quick, Severus noted that she was half a step slower than she might have been while healthy.
They were not practicing with a blade this time, but if they had been, she would have had the cold metal pressed against his throat. But without weapons, he would not yet give her the victory she wanted.
Severus heaved her over his back. Despite being destabilized, Cassie kept a hold of his arm, and then she twisted it into such an unnatural angle that he thought his bone might break.
She saw the pain in her husband's eyes. She let go of his arm immediately, but didn't hold back the triumphant smile that spread across her face.
"See," Cassie huffed, her hands planted on her thighs as she caught her breath, "I can manage."
She laughed, catching the sneer on Severus's face too late. He crossed the distance between them in one long stride, and then she was being slammed back-first onto her desk. The Dark Arts book snarled in annoyance as it slipped off the edge and landed on the floor.
"Get out of this, if you are so clever," he hissed, pinning down the lower half of her body with his. One hand held her wrist down against the wooden surface, and the other gripped her neck.
She giggled. He squeezed her throat harder, silently telling her that this was not play but the training it was meant to be. And she wanted to go through with this venture, she really did. But she also couldn't ignore the fact that his body felt familiar and warm on hers, and his fingers on her throat only made her mind go to indecent places.
"Do it, Cassiopeia," Severus growled, his face inches from hers. She could see the determination in his eyes, but they were also conflicted. "Defeat me."
She had had enough. Even though she had initiated the scuffle, she now longed for something else. His crotch was warm and inviting as it pressed into hers, and the sensations were becoming impossible to ignore. Her free hand rose to his head, and her fingers found the back of his neck.
Severus's bellow of pain caught her completely off guard. As his body rose into the air, Cassie sat up so quickly that her head spun and the classroom swam around her. She stared as though the world had tilted sideways. One heartbeat, Severus had been on her, the next, he was hurtling across the room.
Severus slammed into the stone wall behind the desk, his head and back hitting so hard that a trickle of blood instantly oozed from his nose. It wasn't until Remus Lupin spoke that Cassie started to make sense of what was happening.
"Stay AWAY from her!" the werewolf shouted. His wand was still pointed at Severus's chest, keeping him restrained invisibly to the wall.
"Remus!" Cassie yelled. "Unhand him!" She aimed her wand at Lupin. She could curse him, but in the off chance she wasn't fast enough, Lupin could harm Severus even further. And she had no sense of why he was doing this, but the only thing going through her mind was that she needed to keep Severus safe -
"Idiot mutt," Severus hissed.
"Be quiet!" Lupin demanded. His brown eyes stayed locked on the Potions Master for a few more moments. Then, he turned his head slightly to look at Cassie. "Are you alright, Cassie?"
"Alright?" she said stupidly, her wand aimed at his heart. Then she realized what must have happened. "Of course I'm alright, we were just training!"
Lupin lowered his wand, and Severus slid to the floor. Cassie pushed past the werewolf to her husband's side. She wrapped her arms around his torso as he coughed. Besides the drops of blood coming from his nose, he seemed okay. "But - but - " Lupin started, his wand no longer pointed at Severus but nonetheless still in his grip. "I could sense that you were in danger!"
"Well, you are obviously mistaken!" Cassie shot back.
"But I could smell you! The stress - and I heard something fall to the floor!"
Cassie noted the sideways chair mere feet away. No doubt it had made noise when it fell, but it was likely something only a werewolf would hear while out in the corridor.
"You could smell that she was in danger?" Severus interjected icily. He rose to his full height now, a dangerous sneer adorning his pale face. "And in what lifetime did you ever think I, of all people, would harm her?"
Lupin's eyes were flitting between Severus and Cassie. Then his gaze landed on Severus. "I was wrong."
Severus's lips peeled away from his mouth, his crooked teeth bared as he neared the werewolf. He snatched the top of Lupin's robes. "Get out," he said, his voice low and soft, "before you see what true danger is."
"I'm sorry," Lupin said, his shoulders slumping in defeat. As angry as Cassie was, a part of her felt sorry for him. As she always did.
As the werewolf turned away without another word, Cassie took a step as if to go after him. Then the logical side of her stopped her in her tracks. It would be a betrayal of the wizard standing beside her. The intelligent, handsome, loyal wizard who had committed himself to her for life.
Lupin would have to face the consequences of irrational actions on his own. Cassie wondered how Dumbledore would handle it. If no punishment was handed down, it would be a further insult to Severus.
"Why did he do that?" Cassie asked softly. Severus turned to look at her. For a moment, he could not tell whether she understood fully.
"Is it not obvious?" he replied coolly. "The werewolf is in love with you."
Cassie searched his face for the familiar sarcasm, expecting a curl of a sneer that would reveal another cutting joke. None came. His expression remained perfectly still. She had known about Lupin's feelings long ago, but being caught up in her own life, she had failed to realize he still had them. Sirius had only mentioned it while drunk, after all. She had never taken that statement seriously.
The awkward glances. The way Remus had always lingered when she left rooms. The pieces fell together with uncomfortable clarity.
Within hours, Cassie and Severus no longer had to contemplate what might happen to Lupin. Back in their dungeon quarters, while cuddled up in the living room, the fireplace flames transformed to emerald green. It was a note from the Headmaster.
Cassie stared at the parchment a moment longer than she should have. She read the note twice, as though the words might rearrange themselves into something less final. They did not. Severus said nothing, but she felt the quiet tension in him all the same.
Cassie handed it to him. Severus read it once, expression unreadable. Then he folded the parchment with deliberate precision and set it aside as though it were already irrelevant.
"Predictable," he said quietly.
Remus Lupin had resigned his post.