บท 24: The Neighbors
Weeks had gone by, and Snape and Cassie had fallen into an effortless, amiable routine. They spent much of their time in the solitude of the small home together, locked away from the rest of the world, both fully aware that this small era of peace would be fleeting. There were plenty of times that Cassie willed the summer to never end. She'd just rather stay in this house with Snape forever, never having to deal with the burdens of her overseas training, or have him go back to Hogwarts, or react to the Ministry's next discriminatory ploy against her. But of course, she knew even while wishing for those things, that that it was highly unrealistic.
On the rare occasion that she did emerge from the brick homestead to see someone other than Snape, Cassie would go back to the Burrow to visit the Weasleys. Sometimes he would accompany her, if he knew that the trip would be a particularly brief one. But now that the Potter boy was staying with the large family for the remainder of the holiday, the Head of Slytherin wasn't all that interested in spending more time with yet another Hogwarts student that he despised. The last time he had escorted Cassie there for a good-natured dinner, Fred and George had kept it no secret that they were trying to develop a salve that would instantly induce diarrhea, and were looking for a large-nosed subject to test it on. Cassie and Snape had left right after dessert was served, careful not to touch anything in the house on their way out.
On one particularly beautiful evening, they had decided to leisurely make their way to a restaurant that was within walking distance from their home. Certainly, the couple could have just Apparated anywhere they pleased to get dinner. But for Cassie, it was so peaceful to be able to casually walk down the street, arm in arm with her beau, and be assured that it was unlikely that anyone would disturb them. In Cokeworth, she was still unknown, the only people recognizing her now the ones that knew Snape and associated her with him. Even then, it was only a select few.
Their destination was called the Workshop, a quaint but surprisingly lively restaurant. Mirroring the residential area of the town, the small building was composed of brown brick, its windows dulled and hazed. When they entered, many of Cokeworth's inhabitants were inside, dining on local cuisine, which consisted of meat pies and fish. There was nothing even remotely pretentious on the menu, nor in decor, nor the patrons that were enjoying their meals.
Cassie and Snape were seated across from each other at a booth, and their drinks were served to them rather quickly. The ambiance of the eatery was laid back, and Cassie couldn't help but watch the people seated around them as they went about their evenings, and wonder what their stories were. They paid no attention to her whatsoever. She loved it.
In their anonymity, Cassie started to loosen up, and the whiskey sours she was nursing throughout their meal were making her feel a bit more whimsical than usual. While she and her companion talked, she started to slowly drag her foot up his leg, suggestively waggling her eyebrows at him when he shot her a curious look across the table.
"What's on your mind?" he drawled, taking a sip of his liquor, and she flashed him a coy smile.
"I'm just admiring my view," she said, leaning forward and balancing her chin on her palm as she gazed upon him. "You're pretty!" Just as she said it, the waitress had just dropped off their slip, and smirked as she turned to walk away.
"And on that note," Snape said, throwing some bills onto the table, "I think I'd better get you home."
"Not yet, Sev," she said, pushing out her bottom lip, pretending to pout at him. "I'm having fun. Let's find a pub!"
He sighed as they stood to leave, not answering her as he held her hand, leading her out of the restaurant. Just as they reached the door, she gave his bottom a sharp pinch. He didn't react until they had stepped outside, and then he suddenly turned on her, one hand on the side of her face, the other on her collarbone as he pushed her up against the side of the building.
"Miss Black, you are being exceptionally devilish tonight," he growled, his face so close to hers that she could detect the hint of bourbon on his breath. He had his body pressed up against her, keeping her snug against the cold wall, but he refrained from kissing her just then, as a group of prattling girls were going past them and through the door to the restaurant. Even being slightly buzzed, he was discreet, used to having to be surreptitious.
"'Miss Black'?" she uttered, her words smooth and taunting as she reached down to his groin, cupping him through his black trousers. "Am I in trouble?"
He inhaled sharply at her gallant contact, and she simpered at him, quite proud of the response she could draw from the indomitable man. He suddenly moved away from her, and she knew that he had caught on to her scheme, that she was coyly attempting to pull this type of fevered reaction from him. Two could play at this game. "You will be, if you keep this ridiculousness up," he muttered in reply. He started to walk away from her, moving down the pavement, and he didn't turn around to observe the sullen look that adorned her face now.
"Severus, this isn't the way home, is it?" Cassie asked after they were walking for a short time. He was moving at a hurried pace, his long strides keeping him a few steps ahead of her.
"You wanted to go to a pub," he replied, "That's where we're headed." She matched his step then, catching his hand in hers once again. The man deserved credit, going places with her that he despised, solely because it made her happy.
"Thank, you, Sev," she said, catching his eye as they walked, and the look he gave her told her that he was feeling devious just then. It nearly took her breath away.
"I know how you can thank me, silly girl," he purred. Just the words reaching her ears made her jittery, and she was feeling quite eager for whatever he had planned.
The intended pub hadn't been far, and Cassie could hear the thumping of the music long before her eyes fell upon its flashing sign that read, 'Cuckworth'. She was a bit confused, however, when Snape pulled her past the door and into the adjacent alley. Within seconds, he had her pressed up against the side of the building, now wasting no time in grabbing her face in his hands and kissing her with vehemence.
"Sev," she said, gasping for air when he broke his vigorous bombardment of her lips, "You brought me here so no one would see us making out?"
He raised a single eyebrow at her as his hand went into his pocket, withdrawing his wand from his pants. The music from the tavern continued to thud emphatically, but now its tempo had significantly slowed. As he started to cast non-verbal invisibility charms around them, Cassie was catching on to the wizard's lewd intentions. "I was assuming we could partake in more than that."
With his wand stuffed safely back in his pocket, Snape made swift work of unbuttoning Cassie's jeans and unceremoniously pushing them, along with her panties, down and out of the way. It wasn't long before he had her braced up against the side of the building, his hands under her buttocks as he fervently thrust into her. The pedestrians on the bordering sidewalk were completely ignorant to what was going on mere feet from them. When they were done and straightening their clothing out, Cassie was glad that the music had been so loud, as they hadn't bothered to cast the quietus charm.
Cassie knew she was flushed and giggling a bit too much when they finally entered the pub. But once again, none of the patrons seemed to really notice them, or care what they were up to, and she settled back into people watching, and sipping on a cocktail. She set out to make sure her buzz was resumed in full force. There was a group of girls around her age huddled around a small table, eyeing two young men that were saddled up by the bar. No doubt, they were discussing if they were worth approaching, if they were cute enough, or if they should wait to see if anyone better came in. And there were a few middle aged couples, sitting together but not really interacting, minding their own business. Everyone in the place mainly kept to themselves, not causing a ruckus.
"I think those two over there are trying to figure out if you're with me or not," Snape mused some time later, nodding his head towards the boys. She hadn't noticed until he said so, but they were looking their way now.
"Well, I know how to solve that," she replied, and she leaned over, placing a hand on his thigh, and starting to slowly, tenderly, kiss his neck. She could feel him tense under her ministrations, but she kept going for a few moments in order to get her point across to their onlookers. When she pulled away, settling back onto her bar stool, she saw that the two young men looked rather abhorred. "Severus, you don't have to be so rigid. We don't have to keep us a secret anymore, remember?"
"It's just going to take some getting used to," he muttered. "Sometimes it still feels like Peeves is going to jump out and start singing about it."
Cassie snorted. "We just banged in an alley, Sev. You're worried about your colleagues finding out?"
He looked rather alarmed at her statement then, his eyes shooting daggers at her. "Not so loud, you daft girl!"
"You're nonsensical at times, my love," she said, shaking her head, and then she slid off of her stool. "I have to pee," she announced then, leaving him alone to find the bathroom. Being upright and walking a bit, she realized that she was a bit more drunk than buzzed, the room around her starting to shift a little. She found the loo without issue, luckily, as it was down a narrow hallway that jutted around a few corners, going past the small kitchen that wafted odors of deep fryer grease and spoiled meat.
As she was coming out of the toilet and entering the dark, dingy hall again, she was taken aback when a tall body suddenly banged into hers. "Excuse me," she muttered, assuming that her inebriated state likely contributed to her accidentally running into one of the workers. The lanky form suddenly in her vicinity was wearing an apron that was probably supposed to be white, but was covered in a large amount of tan stains. What really surprised her, then, was when an unkempt, long-fingered hand suddenly went to her throat, pressing her into the corner of the tiny passageway.
"Whatchya doing, pretty thing," a gravelly voice said, and a thin face with beady brown eyes and a large amount of grey stubble was suddenly bearing down on her, "hanging around a wanker like that?"
"Get off me," she warned. She might be intoxicated, but helpless, she was not. The only decision she had to make was whether to curse him or not.
"Whatever he's paying you, I'll give ya double," he said then, and he grinned at her, his yellow, crooked teeth inches from her face. Her hand was in her pocket, securely around her wand in case she needed it, but she decided to go the conservative route first, and swiftly kneed him in the groin. He howled in pain, his hand promptly leaving her throat, and she ducked away from him and out of the corner.
She debated leaving it be then, because if he sincerely thought she was a prostitute, then maybe he was harmless...or as harmless as someone who lurked in dark corners and grabbed women by their necks could be. But then he turned towards her, as she moved to go back out towards the bar, and he spat at her. "Bitch! If I see you here again, I'll bust that pretty little face in!" he seethed at her. Loud enough so she could hear him over the guitar riffs that were blaring through the bar, not loud enough to attract unwanted attention from the rest of the people in the building.
"Loud and clear," she said, and he stormed into the kitchen. She stayed in the hallway then, just long enough to pull out her wand and keep it discreetly at her side. Giving it a little flick, she inflicted upon the man a happy little hex, the very same that she had bestowed upon Harrison Babbs' genitals months ago when he had made crude remarks. Babbs had recovered in two days, with the help of Madam Pomfrey and the elixirs that were contained within Hogwarts. But for this predator of a man, there was no magical school nurse to help him.
Snape was still on his bar stool, and she pointed towards the door as soon as they made eye contact. "We should go," she said quickly. He opened his mouth to question her, but he was somewhat answered when bellowing was heard from the tavern's kitchen. It was so loud that it was audible even over the beating speakers, and the others in the bar started to look around for the source of the noise.
"What happened?" he asked as soon as they were outside, and she filled him in as they started to walk back home. He seemed increasingly angry as she recounted her experience, but his response was not exactly what she had expected. "You can't just go around hexing Muggles, Cassie!"
"I can, and I did," she replied coolly.
"Cassie - "
"Think of those other girls in that bar!" she countered. "What's to stop him from trying the same thing with them? At least now he won't be eager to use his dick!" She knew that her reasoning was solid, that what she had done was warranted. Still, Snape was irked with her, and they continued to argue as they made their way home.
"There's a reason why we don't get involved with Muggle affairs," he was saying. "If we tried to solve everything with magic, there would be no end in sight."
"Fine, then next time I'll just conjure a blade and castrate him like a pig," she replied with an air of a finality. "I won't apologize for what I did, Severus."
"No, you've never hesitated to dispense retribution," he observed, although his words were pungent.
"Is that a bad thing?" she asked. "Would you rather I sit back and let him prey on someone else?"
"I just don't want it getting to your head," Snape replied. They had reached their homestead now, and were going into the entryway. The entire house had been dark upon their arrival, and he waved his wand with indifference. The room around them started to glow, bathing their surroundings in a soft yellow light.
"What is that supposed to mean? What getting to my head?" They were in the sitting room now, and he looked quite sober as his black eyes fell upon her, contemplating what he was going to say next to the increasingly agitated woman before him.
"You are immensely powerful," he began tentatively. "I fear that in the future, in the event that you obtain a leadership role, you may grow to believe that you should be, unquestionably, the authority of everyone else's fate."
She stared at him in disbelief as what he was saying registered with her. "So you're afraid that I'll turn into my father."
"Cassie, that's not what I said," Snape said lowly, "At all."
"But that's what you're alluding to!" she snapped.
"I just don't want you to think you are entitled to hand out discipline to anyone you see fit, solely because you are capable - "
"When have I ever said I had the right to, Severus?" she fumed. "Was that man tonight not deserving of what he got? Was what I did to him unfair, somehow?"
"The prat deserved much more than what you gave him. That's not the point!"
"Then what is the point? Should I have let him beat me to a pulp, or throw some other girl against the wall and do something atrocious to her, instead?"
Snape sighed, looking rather defeated, as though he knew he was skating on thin ice. Cassie was angry at this point, but she was not out of control; more than anything, she was inquisitive of her lover's viewpoint of her now, because she didn't know he had been harboring these concerns. It was jarring, to find out that he seemed to dread her potential like this. "There is a fine line between doing what you feel is justified, and doing what you please because no one can stop you," he said softly.
"I didn't do anything worse than I've done to my idiotic classmates in the past. You've said nothing of the sort until now!"
"This is different, Cassie! You aren't at Hogwarts, living in an enchanted castle and under Dumbledore's protection when you make foolish choices. You're an adult, and soon you'll be on another continent doing dangerous things, too far away from where can I watch over you!" he said, sounding exasperated. "If you start going down the wrong path, it's going to be that much harder for me to guide you!"
"Then you're just going to have to let me use my own judgment!" Cassie countered. "Severus, don't you trust me to make my own decisions by now?" She knew that his unease was stemming from something much more than the hex she had used on the creepy pub cook that night. He was questioning her ability to stay in control, that someday she might snap and start punishing anyone that crossed her.
"I trust your intentions," he said. "But I don't know what provocations will come your way when you're at your training."
"Neither do I," Cassie said, shaking her head. "It's scary, and it makes me not want to go. But you and Dumbledore spent all this time convincing me that the best plan is for me to attend, so I'm trying my hardest not to change my mind. So I need you to be supportive." He glanced at her then, looking suddenly repentant.
"Cassie, I'm sorry - "
"Don't," she said swiftly. "I don't want your apology, Severus. What I want, is for you to understand something." He gave her a slight nod, indicating that he was attentive to whatever she had to say next. She took a step forward, her face inches from his, a harrowing presence radiating from her. "You need to understand, that I am powerful, I am capable. And if I come across some disgusting, good-for-nothing scumbag that needs to be taught a lesson so he doesn't hurt me or anyone else, then you bet your ass that I'm going to do whatever it is I want, Muggle or not." Her words came out with a subdued, glossy resonance, and she felt very much like she had gotten her point across effectively, without having to raise her voice. Snape was seemingly at a loss, and remained silent.
It was quite satisfying to Cassie, to go up the staircase in the quiet then, knowing that she had closed that argument. A small part of her felt bad for being so contentious with Snape, especially when he had been willing to communicate and express his concerns with her. But that night, she really didn't care, as a realization had come to light: she was growing quite tired of others trying to be her conscience.
Receiving the post via owl was one of the few connections to the magical world that Snape and Cassie continued while living on Spinner's End. It was something that he had always carried on with during the summer holiday, and as the neighbors had yet to make any remarks about noticing nocturnal birds visiting his house in the mornings every now and then, he presumed it to be safe.
One morning in late July, Snape had gone to fetch the small wad of envelopes that had come, returning to the kitchen to resume eating breakfast. They had a rather uneventful morning before them, which was how both of them preferred it. "Note from the Weasleys," Snape muttered, tossing a letter into Cassie's lap. She eagerly started to rip it open as he kept going through the rest of the post. "You have a letter from Brazil," he said then, and Cassie looked up from Arthur's invite to go to a Muggle movie theater with the kids and Harry later in the week. There was no way she would be missing that; the last time they had gone, Arthur had been so tickled by every aspect of the experience, she had been laughing so hard she had barely watched any of the actual movie.
But the mention of Brazil instantly dampened her excitement. She gingerly took the letter from Snape, and 'Academia de Luta' in large, shiny gold letters gleamed up at her.
"What does it say?" Snape asked after Cassie had been looking over it for a few minutes.
"Just that term starts on August twenty-fourth," she said, "and what belongings to bring. Wand, comfortable clothing. That's really it. But I haven't heard from Dumbledore yet, how he's planning on getting us there." She knew the Hogwarts Headmaster was planning on accompanying her, mentioning that he was looking forward to seeing his dear old friend, Martese Machado, who headed the academy.
"No doubt by Portkey, assuming the Ministry doesn't stick their noses in it," Snape told her. It was meant to be a half-hearted joke on his part, but he and Cassie both knew that Fudge catching wind of her inquiry to travel across continents and then interfering was a possibility. "Speaking of the Ministry," he said then, and then he tossed yet another stack of papers on her lap.
"I don't want it," Cassie said instantly, and she picked up the newest bunch, shoving them across the table at him.
"You don't want to know what you earned on your NEWTs?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow at her.
"I don't care," she said bluntly. "Have a look if it tickles your pickle. But the way the examiners were treating me, they probably doctored the results, anyway. And the academy's already accepted me."
Snape was unable to help himself, and he started looking through her results. Cassie let her eyes drift back to Arthur's letter, willing his kind words to put her in a better mood after being reminded of her impending training abroad, and her unfavorable relationship with Fudge. She was just wondering if she would somehow be able to convince Snape to come with her and the Weasleys to the cinema, when he spoke.
"They must have tampered with your results, after all," he said, looking up at her.
"Why? What makes you say that?" she asked, a little too quickly, and she detected the smallest upturn of the corner of his mouth.
"You received an 'Exceeds Expectations' in Potions," he told her then, "There's no way you did that on your own."
Her mouth fell open in mock astonishment at his jab. "Professor Snape," she gasped dramatically, "Will you always have such little faith in my potions skills?"
"Miss Black, shall we count how many of my cauldrons you've melted in your school career?" he retorted. "Or how many fires I had to extinguish on your behalf?"
"Hey, I got better in the later years," she said, smirking. "Shall we go down to the cellar? I can whip up whatever you'd like and prove you wrong," she said, referring to the cauldron and basic potions lab he had set up down there.
Snape had moved over to where she was sitting, and bent down to plant a kiss on her lips. "Now that you've said the word 'whip', my dear, I think I'd rather head upstairs instead."
Their laid back morning rapidly transformed into a zesty one, but neither of them were about to grumble about it, considering they didn't have concrete plans to attend to, anyway. Much to Cassie's delight, the Potions Master had the desire to dominate her a little during their frolic in the bedroom. Mirroring their Valentine's experience, he produced a ribbon from his wand to tie her wrists with, and then he did the same with her ankles, splaying her legs apart and securing them so she could barely move. Then, true to what he had uttered in the kitchen not minutes earlier, he summoned a black riding crop. Cassie's breath caught in her throat at the very sight of him holding it in his nimble hands.
"Should have cast a few quietus charms," Cassie mused when they were finished much later on, as she was once again getting dressed for the day. "What will the neighbors think if they heard?" Snape didn't answer her, but looked rather pleased with himself as he pulled on an oversized black t-shirt.
They went to the small front yard then, as Cassie had a collection of plants that she was determined to keep alive. Snape usually went with her when she went outside to water and weed, but it wasn't to help her; the two of them had a little bet going to see if she was capable of doing it without magic, and he was merely keeping an eye out and making sure she wasn't reaching for her wand.
Usually, this was when the neighbor boy Todd would find his way over to them, to talk about toys and food and his sister Mary, so they would make sure that they would have candy or a treat to give him. It was delightful, to see the boy's face light up when they gave him something, and had become a sort of routine. On a normal day, it took about ten minutes for Todd to realize that they were outside, and then he would make his way down the street. Today, however, he came bursting out of the house right next to theirs, much to their astonishment.
"Morning Mister Snape! Morning Miss Cassie!" he shouted. Cassie, although not expecting him to come out of that particular house, was happy to see that he had recently gotten a bath, at least.
"Good morning, Todd," Snape replied. "You are spending time with Miss Thompson today?"
The elderly neighbor to which Snape just referred had now appeared in the doorway, and she was holding a sniffling toddler girl on her hip. Cassie hadn't met little Mary yet, but she assumed that this must be her. "Todd, come back inside, boy!" Miss Thompson called irritably.
"Mum brought us here last night," Todd told them, suddenly looking quite churlish. "Pop was at the pub too long."
"Boy, come here!" Miss Thompson called again, and then Todd turned obediently towards her.
"He's not disturbing anyone," Cassie said lightly, and she started to fish in her pocket for the fruit gummies she had stuffed there specifically for the child. He had started to go back towards the surly looking sitter, but Cassie tugged on his sleeve, getting a small smile out of him before he took the treat from her.
Miss Thompson eyed her suspiciously, placing a protective hand on the boy's head as he entered the house again. "I suggest you mind your own business, little harlot," she sneered, before turning and going into the house, and she closed he door with a loud bang.
"Well, she seems nice," Cassie quipped, looking up at Snape, but she saw that his attention was drawn elsewhere. There was a woman walking down the street, coming towards them, and his eyes were fixed on her. She looked to be approximately in her thirties with long, curly blonde hair, and Cassie could tell even from a block away that she was quite beautiful. But she knew, even without him speaking, that the reason for his preoccupation was not her beauty, nor her sudden appearance. By the way she walked, and the way she had her arms folded around her chest, like she was hugging herself, she looked desolate.
"Hello, Severus," the woman greeted when she neared Miss Thompson's house, her soft voice barely audible. Cassie had to stifle a gasp, because as soon as she looked at the woman's face, she noticed that she was sporting a rather large, painful looking black eye, and her bottom lip was split open. She looked rather sheepish as she looked at Snape and Cassie, very much like she was ashamed to be seen by them.
"Andrea," Snape said, nodding slightly. "You're coming to get the children?"
"Yeah," she replied, barely above a whisper. "Benjamin wasn't feeling well last night, just needed a good night's rest, is all."
Snape studied her silently for a few moments, and the woman seemed to visibly shrink beneath his calculating gaze. Cassie wanted to butt in, to demand more information from this timid woman, but for some reason, she knew that for now it was best to let Snape take the lead, or risk Andrea avoiding them forever. "Is there anything I can do for you, Andrea?" he asked softly.
"No, no," she said, trying to flash him a strained smile, and then her green eyes flitted over to Cassie. "Todd talks about you all the time. Says you're real nice," she said, and Cassie tried to return the fabricated grin.
Snape ushered Cassie back into the house when Andrea went to get her children from Miss Thompson then. At that point, Cassie was done holding her tongue. "What the hell is going on?" she questioned him immediately. "Benjamin's her husband, right? He's beating the shit out of her?"
"Benjamin is her husband, yes," Snape confirmed. "I've never known him to lay a hand on her before, however."
"Doesn't mean he hasn't started," Cassie said darkly. "Did you see her face?"
"I haven't suddenly been struck blind," he snapped.
"So what are we going to do about it?" Cassie asked, and he stared at her.
"What do you mean, what are we going to do about it?"
Cassie barked out a laugh. "Severus, you can't tell me you just want to stand by and let this fucker hit his wife, especially when you know her, that's absurd!"
"She's perfectly capable of leaving him," Snape replied curtly. "I have little sympathy for a grown woman who would keep herself in that situation."
"Severus - "
"Enough!" he barked, turning on her, and she was startled by the enraged look in his eyes that had suddenly formed. "I am not having this argument with you, again, Cassie!"
"What, that we shouldn't get involved in Muggle affairs?" she asked, and he started to storm up the staircase, but she followed right after him. "This has nothing to do with them being Muggles! It has to do with someone being harmed, right and wrong! And those kids! What if he takes to harming those kids?"
"And where was my gallant defender when I was growing up in this house?" he seethed. They were in the bedroom now, Snape clearly wanting to get away from her, to run from this argument, but he had nowhere else to go. "Where was someone looking to so courageously interfere when my drunkard, piece of shit father was beating on my mother every night?" He looked infuriated, and Cassie was at a complete loss for a moment, because his wild eyes were very much looking upon her like they were expecting an answer. But she didn't have one.
"All the more reason," she said slowly, stepping towards him and placing what she hoped was a calming hand on his arm, "to make sure Todd and Mary don't have to go through what you did, Severus."
Whether or not he was going to agree to getting involved with Andrea's predicament, Cassie knew they weren't going to come to an understanding that day. Seeing the woman in her battered state had drawn forth awful memories for him. They spent some of the afternoon talking about them, but in the evening, all he wanted to do was sip wine in front of the fire and be in her presence in silence. But in Cassie's mind, one thing was for certain: there was no way she was going to let those kids have to live through the same traumas that the broken man before her did, and no one was going to tell her otherwise.
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