บท 12: Halloween
Cassie and Snape were lying on the office floor, trying to catch their breath after their spur of the moment activities, when Cassie started to recount what had happened with Quirrell. Snape, who was on his back with Cassie on top of him, started to sit up.
"Severus, what are you doing?" Cassie was bewildered at his sudden movements, and she didn't want to move from her spot on his chest.
"I'm going to have a little chat with Quirrell!" he snarled, finally pushing her aside and reaching for his discarded clothing.
"Let's just hold on for a second," Cassie protested, yanking his shirt out of his grasp so he couldn't put it on, earning a menacing scowl from him. "He's already out of sorts from my confrontation with him, don't you think you barging in to yell at him is just going to make things worse?"
"The cockiness that phony little twit has, to have you in his office alone and try to invade your mind! " Snape was thundering, and he heaved himself off the floor, grabbing his wand. "I'm going to do more than yell, I'm going to curse that turban-wearing head right off his shoulders - "
"Severus!" Cassie shouted, placing her hands on his face and forcing him to look at her. He blinked a few times, and she softened her tone when she spoke next. "Listen to yourself. What if he does work for the Ministry? Hasn't what I've said to him tonight already done enough damage?"
"If he ever does anything like that to you again - "
"I can handle myself!" she said. Snape pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing. "And you're the one who said the less he thinks we're on to him, the less dangerous he'll be. Well, maybe if he thinks it's just me, we can still just let things play out and he won't do anything drastic."
"There's more to it than him potentially spying for Fudge, Cassie," Snape said darkly. "That might be part of it, but with all of these other things going on - "
"I know, Severus. I sense it, too," she muttered.
She wanted to stay in his apartments again, but Snape wouldn't risk other students noticing her missing during the night, so after another brief argument, he sent her back to the Slytherin common room. Cassie, who was dreading being isolated during the coming days, hated having to be alone in her bed that night too.
As part of her professors' plan to ease her back into a normal routine with the other students, Cassie would not be having her meals in the Great Hall. She had breakfast delivered to her in the common room, and then not having anywhere else to go for the rest of the morning, started on the course work she had gotten rather behind on. She tried to ignore the fact that everyone else was heading out to start their day while she sat there, acting like she didn't exist.
She was almost done writing her Astronomy essay when a house-elf brought in a letter for her, along with her course work from her professors. Thrilled to see that Tonks had found a few minutes to write her, she opened the letter, eager to hear from her beloved cousin.
Cass,
I am still sporting all four limbs, although I almost lost a toe. Pray it remains intact, you know how important it is to me that I remain symmetrical.
Auror training is rather difficult. Although if I haven't died yet, you can probably handle it.
Moody has been talking about you nonstop since we saw you, he has your back. But in all seriousness, be on the lookout for our dear Minister.
Keep your chin up.
Love always,
Dora
Cassie groaned. Not that she was surprised to get such an ominous warning from someone so close to the Ministry, but it wasn't something she wanted to be thinking about, not when she was making so much progress on her homework. What a silly thing, she thought to herself, to be worrying about the orbital paths of Jupiter's moons, when the government was out for your blood.
She folded up the letter and pushed on, then had lunch in the same chair. In the afternoon she was allowed to move about the castle to meet with her professors. She spent a few minutes with each of them to discuss what had been in their written lessons, to perform wand work, and to answer any questions she might have. It was a brutally efficient way to educate her, and almost all of them seemed repentant as they sent her on her way, as they had actual classes full of students to teach. By the time the late afternoon was upon her, Cassie only had Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts to deal with, and she was waiting in the entrance hall for Snape. She would have preferred to just meet with Quirrell and then have the rest of the evening with the Potions Master, but he had forbidden her from going to see the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor alone, something that made her feel silly and at the same time protected.
He appeared at the top of the staircase, and together they started to make their way to Quirrell's classroom.
"I am more than capable of going there alone - "
"Not another word," he growled, and two first-years who had been walking past them jumped out of the way at hearing his tone. Cassie had to stifle a giggle. His aura as radiating animosity and Cassie couldn't blame any of the students that turned and went the other direction when they saw him coming.
Cassie was going to knock before going into the classroom, but Snape barged right in without an announcement. She followed closely.
"Quirrell," he snapped, and the other professor, who had been seated at his desk, suddenly jumped up, looking rather alarmed.
"P-professor S-s-snape, I-I wasn't ex-expecting y-you - " he sputtered, wringing his hands. Snape strode right up to his desk.
"Miss Black is here for her lesson, and as she is due for mine in less than ten minutes, I suggest you start," he hissed lowly, bending forward and placing his hands on the desk, daring the other wizard to challenge him.
"Y-yes, P-P-professor Snape, r-r-right a-away," Quirrell said, and the Head of Slytherin turned on his heel swiftly, going to stand by one of the other desks. He wouldn't sit, choosing instead to keep his intimidating stance, staring as Cassie performed a few spells for Quirrell and went over a few things from the textbook. The lesson was over within the allotted ten minutes, and then the two were on their way back out of the classroom.
"W-wait!" came Quirrell's voice, and Snape and Cassie exchanged a glance before turning back around. "The R-runespoor e-eggs, Professor," Quirrell said and gestured towards the open crate, the one that Cassie had opened using Parseltongue the night before.
"What about them, Quirrell?" Snape asked, raising an eyebrow. Cassie looked at him in surprise, as she knew the eggs were a rare, prized ingredient in potion-making. She had almost felt bad leaving them last night and had even considered going back for them even after everything that had happened with Quirrell.
"D-d-don't you w-want them?" Quirrell asked, smiling timidly. "I have no u-use f-for them, a-after all."
"Neither do I, considering they are only available on the black market," Snape replied coolly. "I suggest you destroy them immediately."
There was a heavy silence after that, and once again, Cassie could have sworn she saw something else, something sinister flash across Quirrell's features.
"Y-your loss then, S-severus," he said, and then Snape grabbed Cassie's elbow, guiding her out of the classroom.
"Severus," she said when they were safe to speak again, "What was that about?"
"I'm not entirely sure," he admitted, "But it was some sort of test, to see if either one of was tempted."
"Well, I was tempted," Cassie said. "I know how valuable they are for potions, I almost took them for you last night - "
They were in the dungeons now, and thankfully the corridor was completely deserted, because Snape suddenly pushed her into the wall, his snarling face an inch from hers. "You daft, stupid girl!"
"Get out of my face!" she hissed, not warming to his insults and the furious expression he wore.
"I don't ever want to hear that again, that you'd put yourself in such an idiotic situation for me!" he spat, and Cassie grew angry at his reaction. But she also felt a familiar pulsing between her legs, and she was very aware of the fact that his face was so close to hers, and the hand on her chest that was keeping her pressed into the cold stone wall.
"I can't promise that!" she whispered back, "because sometimes, irrational things happen when two people - "
And then they heard the laughter of approaching students. Snape let go of her, immediately straightening up. He glared at the gaggle of Slytherins as they passed by, but Cassie couldn't help but gaze at the older wizard. She wanted to drink in the sight of him because even though he aggravated her, she wanted him.
Without speaking, they headed towards the Potions classroom, and Cassie took off her knapsack. Assuming he was still angry, she was ready to get whatever lesson he had in store for her over with.
"Okay, Professor," she said sarcastically, "What potion am I making for you tonight?" She turned around, just in time for him to scoop her up into his arms and kiss her. It was needy and passionate, and he had bowled into her with so much force that he nearly lost his balance, using a nearby bookshelf to steady the two of them as they pawed at one another.
Almost as swiftly as he had slammed her into the bookshelf, Snape was lifting her and moving them to his desk, pushing anything in the nearby vicinity onto the floor. She couldn't know what had suddenly gotten into him, nor did she care at the moment, but his assertiveness alone was enough to drive her near the edge. Without warning, he gripped the top of her shirt and tore it in two. Buttons flew everywhere, her skin now exposed and vulnerable to the cool air of the dungeons. He pushed her bra aside roughly, and his mouth was on her, sucking at her nipples. Cassie reached toward the obvious bulge in his pants, but he quickly snatched both of her wrists in his hand and put them up over her head.
"Not yet," he purred, and the deep command reaching her ears made her shudder. He continued his attentions on her heaving breasts for a few more tantalizing minutes, and his lips started to move down to her stomach. Reaching under her green plaid skirt, he hooked his fingers in the top of her panties and pulled them down in one swift movement, tossing them aside. They laid forgotten on the floor with the strewn contents of his desk.
She felt the heat rise to her cheeks as the Potions Master's face continued to descend, and then she felt his hands on her thighs, gently urging her legs further apart until she was completely exposed to him. She felt his tongue on her folds, and she cried out.
He lifted his face from between her legs momentarily, and confused, she lifted her head to see what was going on. He had grabbed his wand, starting to place sound-shielding charms around the classroom.
"Oh, I'm sorry - " she started to say, and he gave her a sly look, before slow inserting a digit inside of her, making her gasp as he finished casting the charms.
"No need to apologize," he said silkily. "I'll just need to remember to place them before we get started in the classroom."
She would have giggled, except now she was enjoying the ministrations of his finger and was quite distracted. Then his face was going back down between her legs. Knowing that she could be as loud as she wanted to be, Cassie let her enthusiasm for the professor's attentions be well known. His tongue moving expertly on her sensitive nub, she was screaming his name in no time, and then he was standing up to grasp her torso and flip her over. He entered her from behind, grasping her hips with so much force that she was sure he was going to leave bruises.
When they were done, Cassie looked around at the disordered classroom, giggling. "I hope we didn't break anything!" she said, waving her wand, returning his stacks of parchment and quills to their respective places.
"If we did, it can be repaired," he mumbled, and she heard him zip up the fly on his pants, making her laugh even harder.
"Back to my original question," Cassie said, clearing her throat and trying her best to smooth her rumpled hair with her hands, which didn't help at all, "what potion are you having me make?"
"Forget it," he said, and Cassie let her jaw drop open for dramatic effect.
"Excuse me? Is Professor Snape letting me get away with not doing any homework?" she asked sweetly, batting her eyes at him.
"Don't push your luck," he growled, "Or I'll keep you here all night!"
"Fine by me," Cassie said without missing a beat. It took a moment for Snape to catch on to the innuendo. When he did, he took a few strides towards her, pinching her backside, making her shriek in laughter again. She took off for his office, and he chased her, slamming the door shut and locking it.
Cassie continued with her isolated way of schooling, sometimes completing her work in the Slytherin common room, other times doing it in the library for a change of scenery. She was growing used to having much of the day to herself, and although she didn't want to admit it, she was liking not having to deal with her immature classmates for the majority of the time. What she was missing more than anything was hearing more extensive lectures from her professors, as she was feeling like she was being ushered in and out of her visits with them too quickly. She could hardly blame them, as they had to keep their normal schedules on top of meeting with her, so she tried to stay patient.
Snape insisted on going with to every meeting with Quirrell, and they weren't getting any less awkward. If anything, her 'lessons' with him were becoming shortened with each visit, her most recent one lasting all of two minutes.
Her longest lessons were Potions now, and while Snape had let her skip her first one, he was making sure she completed every session after that to the highest standard. Of course, that was hard to do, since they were usually alone in the classroom, and they had grown very good at distracting each other. Cassie had come close to melting several of his cauldrons, as forgotten elixirs were left bubbling on the fire while the two of them groped on his desk or in some far corner of the room.
The end of October was fast approaching, and Cassie was informed by her professors that the hysteria outside the school seemed to be dwindling. This seemed to be confirmed by letters she had been receiving from Andromeda and Molly, who said they were talking her up to anyone who would listen.
The day before Halloween, Theodore Quartermaine approached her while she sat in the library. It was the first time he had done so since the attack. She assumed he felt guilty for running away that day in Hogsmeade, but she had been so wrapped in her drama that she had pretty much forgotten about his feelings. Now that he was walking up to her with a somber look on his face, she felt like a jerk for not seeking him out sooner.
"Hello, Cass," he said, sitting down next to her.
"Hi, Theodore," she said, giving him a small smile. He had a newspaper in his hand, and she assumed it was a Daily Prophet, something she had intentionally avoided since the Hogsmeade attack.
"How are you?"
"I'm better than I was, thanks," she said truthfully.
"Glad to hear it," he said. "I don't know if you've heard, Cass, but some of the students that got pulled out, their parents have let them back."
"Oh," Cassie said, surprised to hear the news. "That's great!"
"Yeah, I think people are starting to realize that everything's just been a big overreaction, but anyway...I brought this here to show you," he said, and handed her the paper. On the front page was an announcement that the four patients from St. Mungo's that were involved in the Hogsmeade attack were all sentenced to Azkaban. Cassie had to read over it twice to make sure it was real, and then she let out a huge sigh of relief.
"If that doesn't convince people that you weren't guilty, I don't know what will," Theodore said, smiling. "And then the other thing I wanted to show you," he said slowly, and he flipped the paper over a page, pointing to another article. There was a large, smiling portrait of Harry Potter grinning up at her, and then below it, a rather small picture of herself, a small school picture from a few years ago.
"What is this?" she asked quietly, starting to scan it over. The title read, 'The Boy Who Lived Defends the Dark Lord's Daughter'.
"Well, remember how I told you that someday, I'd like to write for the Prophet?" Theodore explained. "After getting permission from Dumbledore, I interviewed some of the students. After bombarding the staff at the Prophet and talking to your uncle, he made them print this."
"You talked to Lucius Malfoy?" Cassie asked in disbelief.
"Yeah, he actually thought it was a good idea."
Cassie shook her head. Of course, he did. Anything to make her look better right now would make him look better.
As Cassie read the article, tears started to form in her eyes, and she had to keep blinking them away. It had quotes from her classmates, about how studious and fair she was, and about how helpful she was to other students. Some of the quotes were ridiculous and had her laughing, as one third-year Hufflepuff stated, 'She's never even tried to kill me, not once!'; how it had made it in there, she didn't know. Madam Pince was starting to frown in their direction, but she didn't care, she was so overjoyed.
She spotted Harry's quote, which said, 'Well, my best mate Ron and his family adore her, so that's good enough for me!' She made a mental note to make sure she thanked that boy, and all of the Weasleys profusely. She would have done anything for a hug from Molly right then.
"Thank you, Theodore," she said sincerely, wiping away tears, "So much."
"Don't mention it. It would just be nice to have you back in class and back to tutoring, is all," he said. After giving her a reassuring pat on the hand, he left her to herself.
After gathering her thoughts, she got up and made her way to the Great Hall, a place she hadn't been to in far too long. Lunch was in session, and she was determined to find a certain group of Gryffindors. She burst through the doors, ignoring the looks that came her way, and she marched right up to where she saw the family of redheads.
"Hey, Cassie!" Ron greeted her, standing up immediately, and Cassie wrapped her arms around him in a big hug. Fred and George joined them, and then ever so tentatively, Percy hugged her as well.
"So you're not banished anymore?" Fred asked as they stayed squeezed together.
"I don't know," Cassie said, laughing. "I mean, not officially, I guess."
"It's about damn time," George added, "We missed you!"
"I missed you guys, too," Cassie said, and they pulled out of the hug. She saw that Harry was watching them, smiling slightly, but looking rather unsure of himself.
"Harry, thank you, for what you said," she said quietly.
"It's nothing," he said sheepishly. "You didn't even do anything, I don't even know what the fuss was about."
"Well, just know, that your word comes with a lot of impact," Cassie said. "Maybe now the Ministry will stop looking at me like I'm the devil's child."
"Are they really that stupid?" came Granger's voice, and it was clear that the girl had been eavesdropping because she was staring pointedly at them all.
"Yes, Hermione, they are," Cassie said.
Cassie was allowed to return to her classes the next day, and they were gloriously uneventful. No one gave her any grief or mentioned anything about the attacks. Even Quirrell's lecture seemed somewhat normal, and when he called on her during class, he addressed her as if they had a normal student-teacher dynamic. She hoped that the rest of the school year could continue like that.
The Great Hall looked positively grand for the Halloween feast, adorned with candles and bats and pumpkins. Cassie, who was so happy to be in that environment again, was even enthralled in her conversation about broomsticks with Harrison Babbs. But she was also stealing glances at Snape. He was surveying the room, doing his duty, and occasionally letting his gaze fall on the Slytherin seventh-year. They had made plans to meet up after the feast, as Snape didn't have to patrol the corridors until two in the morning, leaving them several precious hours to do as they pleased.
Cassie was considering picking up a phallic-shaped lollipop and trying to catch her Head of House's eye when it was in her mouth when Quirrell burst into the Great Hall. He announced feebly that there was a troll in the dungeons. Panic ensued, and Dumbledore had to restore order by shooting purple firecrackers from the end of his wand.
"Shit," she muttered under her breath because she knew she had a decision to make: be a good little Slytherin and go down to the common room like her Headmaster just commanded, or go to the third-floor corridor, because she knew that's where Snape was going to be headed because he didn't trust Quirrell.
Cassie stood rooted to her spot, looking around the Great Hall for a few moments. Quirrell was nowhere to be found, and Snape was already heading for a side door.
Snape was a big boy, he could handle himself. She couldn't risk getting into trouble, not when she just got reintroduced to her routine. Then she remembered Quirrell from the other night, when he spoke to her in that clear, commanding voice, free of any stutter. It sent shivers down her spine, knowing he was hiding something.
She joined the Slytherins heading for the dungeons, and then broke away from the group, flicking her wand that was stashed in her robes, instantly changing her uniform colors from green to yellow so she could discreetly merge in with the Hufflepuffs. Once she needed to break away from them, she just made a run for it. If any professor stopped her now, she would just have to play stupid, because she didn't feel clever enough to come up with anything else at the moment, and she wasn't willing to hex any of them.
Cassie didn't have to wonder for very long if Snape or Quirrell were already there when she was approaching the third-floor corridor. As her legs carried her there, she heard thunderous growling, and then barking, and then cries of pain, and she could have sworn that it was coming from a familiar voice -
She skidded through the open door and into the corridor and was greeted by the sight of a huge, nightmarish looking dog with three heads. Quirrell, instead of looking pathetic and on the verge of passing out like usual, was off to the side, merely watching with interest as the one of the heads had its jaws locked on Snape's leg. Without hesitation, Cassie whipped out her wand and shot a stunning hex at the beast. It yelped, the hex merely catching it off guard and startling it, but not even close to stunning it as she hoped. Without thinking, she dove towards Snape, grabbing under his shoulders and yanking him backward. The dog's three heads were coming at them again, and Snape threw up a large shield charm in front of them, halting its advances momentarily. With another heave, she pulled them through the door, and Quirrell followed right after, slamming the door shut. She could hear the angered beast's barks and growl's from the other side of the door, but for now, they were safe.
"What the fuck!" Cassie panted, sliding around to Snape's leg to look at his wounds, but he was glaring up at Quirrell.
"Get a good look, did you!" he seethed. "I suppose you would have gone right through the trap door if the thing had taken the time to eat me!"
"P-Professor S-s-nape!" Quirrell stuttered, his hand clasped over his heart, and Cassie wanted to punch him in the face, "I was m-merely g-g-going to m-make s-sure n-no one was g-g-going after the S-s-stone, as you w-w-ere - "
"Like hell you were!" Snape snarled.
"A-and wh-what w-were you d-doing here, Miss B-black?" Quirrell asked then. "F-funny, th-that the f-first d-day you're l-let out of c-c-confinement, a t-t-troll makes it's w-w-way in, and I f-f-find you h-h-here?"
Cassie was going to retort when they heard roars that sounded suspiciously like a large mountain troll, followed by the screams of children. Cassie helped Snape to his feet, and he cast a charm to make a splint around his injured leg. She saw Quirrell look back at the door to the forbidden corridor once, and Snape reached his hand out, grabbing Quirrell roughly by the back of the neck to point him in the right direction. He didn't have to say anything to threaten the man further, and they headed towards the commotion together.
They met up with McGonagall just as they were about to enter the bathroom containing the now unconscious troll and the trio of Gryffindors. Seeing that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were safe, Cassie stepped out into the hallway, letting the professors to their business, hoping she wouldn't be questioned by McGonagall for not being in the Slytherin common room.
She saw the first-years step out of the bathroom first, and Cassie couldn't help herself; she flung herself towards them, hugging all three of them at once. "Thank Merlin you're all okay!"
"Oi, what are you doing here?" Ron asked, obviously flustered by the whole ordeal.
"Never mind," Cassie said. "Just don't go chasing mountain trolls next time, yeah?"
The trio went on their way to the Gryffindor common room, and then McGonagall and Snape came out next. McGonagall, rather than questioning Cassie, breathed a sigh of relief.
"Black, get Professor Snape to the hospital wing, will you? I have to get Hagrid here so we can get rid of this damn thing!" she was saying, more to herself than to anyone else, and she started down the corridor. Cassie watched her go, then turned towards Snape.
"Quirrell's in there with it?"
"It's unconscious. He'll be fine." He took a step, and then his leg nearly buckled. Cassie reached out to steady him.
"I didn't realize the bite was that bad!" she said, growing concerned. "You weren't limping that much when we came down here."
"The bite is poisonous," Snape said, wincing as he took another step. "I have the antidote in my stores, I made a supply when I knew we'd be using a cerberus to guard the Stone."
"Okay, I'll get you to the hospital wing and then I'll go to your office - "
"No! No hospital wing," he said sharply, wincing as he continued to limp along. "The fewer people that know what's behind the door, the better."
"But Severus, your leg looks pretty bad - "
"No!" he barked at her. Cassie was thinking that he was just being prideful, that he didn't want Madam Pomfrey seeing him in this state, but she didn't want to argue. So she helped him make the slow, painful journey down to the dungeons, and she got him settled into his bed right away. Once she had his pants and the makeshift splint off, Cassie hurried to find the antidote in his stores.
He drank it without issue, and then she cleaned out the wound the best she could, before settling in beside him. She knew he needed to sleep, but when she looked at him, he looked like he was far from tired.
"So much for patrolling," she said lightly, and he snorted.
"You know what this means, don't you?" he said quietly. "He's after the Stone."
"Yeah," she said, resting her chin on his chest. "Can't say I'm surprised."
"Me either."
"What do you think he meant when he referenced it being my first day 'out of confinement', and a troll gets in?" she asked, but she wasn't sure she wanted to hear the answer. Snape looked at her silently for a few moments.
"Do you really want me to tell you?"
"Yes."
"That whatever he's got planned, he's going to frame you for it."
"Well, shit," she said quietly. "That's what I was afraid of."
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