章節 69: The Fourth Dragon
The Potions Master's pale features brightened as the cauldron below him illuminated the room in an ethereal glow. He grasped the handle of the silver ladle that penetrated the cardinal concoction and stirred once, slowly, so he could examine the way the liquid flowed under direct agitation. It was glossy and thick, exactly like the text had described it should be.
"It is finished." The triumph in his was voice barely detectable, but Kalina had learned the subtle nuances of her master's expressions by now. She heard his declaration, but she would be ashamed to admit that she had almost missed his words. She had been distracted by the dark strands of hair that had fallen into his eyes as he scrutinized their work. She longed to reach across the cauldron and push them behind his ear, anything just to touch him.
"Congratulations, Master Snape," she said, unable to hide her small smile as she studied his face. "Many weeks' worth of hard work has paid off. You must be very proud."
He glanced up at her, only for a moment, as he used his wand to siphon the red liquid into a glass vial. She was glad that he was focusing on the task at hand, or he might have seen the blush that a small amount of eye contact had caused.
"There is little room for pride in completing this particular potion," he answered her.
"Of course," said Kalina complacently. "Will you give it to her straight away?"
"Yes."
"If you would like, I can retrieve her for you, Master Snape."
"There is no need." He tucked the precious elixir into the pocket of his robes, the place he considered to be the safest. "She will be returning to the dungeons as soon as her tutoring hours are finished."
As always, Kalina's master was correct. A few minutes after nine o'clock, the subject of their long-standing potions project crossed the threshold. She was not empty-handed. She was carrying a large bottle of unlabeled white wine while three goblets were charmed to float along beside her.
"Have you done it?" asked Cassiopeia, her eyes wide with anticipation as she set the wine on Master Snape's desk. Kalina eyed it apprehensively. It was dangerously close to a vial of expensive tiger beetle antennae.
Severus pulled the potion from his robes and his fiancee squealed in delight as she threw her arms around his neck. Kalina kept an appeasing expression on her face as she watched Cassiopeia cover the object of her secret crush with kisses.
"I would like you to drink it," said Severus, unmoved by Cassiopeia's excitement. Kalina knew he wanted her to have this potion as soon as possible, to protect her if the Dark Lord rose again. They had spent so many late nights going over the recipe, repeating steps, and making sure they didn't waste the limited heirlooms they had in their possession. It had been a painstakingly detailed process, and yet Kalina wouldn't have traded the lessons for anything.
Kalina watched as Cassiopeia drank the product of their efforts in a matter of seconds. She might have been peeved had it not been for the gratified look on her master's face. Her thoughts were disrupted when she realized that Cassiopeia had addressed her.
"You have to celebrate with us!" the raven-haired witch insisted, brandishing a goblet full of wine at her. Kalina obliged, accepting it with a small nod.
The three of them chatted for a while, speaking of the potions that Master Snape would be teaching her next. By the time Cassiopeia was telling them stories about her day assisting the Transfiguration professor, Kalina had finished her wine. She felt rather buzzed as she left the potions classroom and made her way to her borrowed quarters.
Unbridled jealousy coursed through Kalina as she stepped into Cassiopeia's rooms once again. As she stepped into the bathroom and brushed out her mane of blonde hair, all she could think about was how she was alone while her magnificent master lay in the arms of another witch. A witch who didn't care for brewing potions, who would never understand her master's brilliance.
Kalina sighed as she flopped onto Cassiopeia's bed. She wanted to hate her. She spent many sleepless nights listing reasons to, and yet she found that she couldn't fully. As misfortune would have it, Cassiopeia really was a lovely witch. She doubted she could convince Master Snape to see otherwise, the way he doted on her.
Kalina tugged on a piece of thick, fuzzy fabric that she kept hidden under her pillow. It was a dressing robe, Slytherin green in color. She had discovered it the first night she had slept in Cassiopeia's quarters. She assumed it was one of her master's, the way it smelled so strongly of him. She had immediately placed a stasis charm on the garment and so far, the scent had not faded. Like she did almost every night, she buried her face in it as she touched herself to the thought of him.
Her misery grew tenfold at breakfast. The morning started out fine when she and Master Snape had agreed they would brew Felix Felicis next. Kalina was looking forward to tackling the complicated potion, as her previous master was nowhere near skilled enough to teach her something so intricate. It wasn't until the owl post arrived that her mood deflated.
"Cassiopeia Black!" Professor Sprout shouted at the top of her lungs, snatching something from the younger witch's hands, "Is that a wedding dress catalog?" In the seconds that followed, the booklet traveled from her hands to Professor Flitwick's, finally landing in the Deputy Headmistress's.
Beside Kalina, Master Snape nearly choked on the bite of bacon he had been chewing. On his other side, Cassiopeia stood, glaring at her colleagues, gesturing for her mail to be returned to her. "It was sent to me! Now I'd like it back - "
"By who? Madam Malkin?" Sprout teased. By now, the majority of the student body was staring up at the head table. Dumbledore continued ladling oatmeal into his mouth, seemingly engrossed by the song he was humming to himself.
Kalina left the breakfast table shortly after that. She blinked back tears as she hurried along the edge of the Great Hall, wondering why she was allowing her feelings to control her like this. She knew her master was going to be married. That had been the reality from the moment she had met him.
A figure stepped into her path as soon as she reached the entrance hall and she gasped in surprise.
"What's the matter, Karkaroff? Weddings make you emotional?" Moody mused.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she said softly.
The gnarled professor seemed to stare right through her. That magical eye that endlessly whirred around, it always creeped her out, and now it was trained on her -
She gasped again when a large hand clamped onto her shoulder. She had never been so grateful to see her uncle.
"Severus said you have a free hour," Igor said as he and Moody eyed each other. "Why don't you join me on the ship for tea?"
"Of course," Kalina said, and he steered her away from the professor's stare. She couldn't shake the feeling that the magical eye was still fixed on her even as they were in the imagined privacy of the grounds.
Back in the Great Hall, the commotion about the dress catalog had settled. Cassie had gotten it back from McGonagall and most of the students had returned to their conversations at their house tables. The first task was days away and little else was on their minds. Cedric Diggory had become the hero of Hogwarts, and even the Slytherins had adorned their robes with buttons featuring his name or face.
"Who sent it?" Severus asked under his breath as he and Cassie exited the hall.
"Aunt Dromeda," said Cassie, "although I don't know why. I'm sure she knows Molly is planning on making my dress."
"We have yet to set a date for the wedding."
"A fact I am well aware of," Cassie snapped back.
"Then why feel the need to send everyone into such a frenzy - "
"She did nothing of the sort," she interjected. "She's excited, that's all."
Her fiance had nothing to say. It had become a noticeable pattern, that Severus would suddenly become mute or swiftly change the topic of conversation whenever their theoretical wedding was brought up.
She also noticed when his black eyes flitted down to her engagement ring. The conflicted look on his face did nothing to reassure her.
"Sev - " she started. Something about her voice, the way she said his name must have tipped him off because once again, he found a reason to avoid the subject.
"I need to prepare for my next lesson," he announced, his voice devoid of any emotion like he was announcing this to Filch. He turned away from her in a whirl of black robes and disappeared down the dungeon staircase.
Cassie did her best to hide her anger as she assisted in Transfiguration. She knew she was doing a piss poor job by the way the Deputy Headmistress kept throwing her stern glances. McGonagall shot her harshest glare as Cassie impatiently guided a well-meaning Hufflepuff through turning an avocado pit into a coconut crab instead of the coconut it was intended to be.
"Black," McGonagall hissed after turning the giant crustacean back into a harmless seed, "Do you need a break?"
"My apologies, Minerva," Cassie whispered back. It had been a long time since McGonagall had made her feel like a chided student. She half expected the Head of Gryffindor to threaten her with detention if she didn't shape up.
It wasn't until the next class that she recognized that her tangled mess of nerves wasn't coming from Severus's lack of communication. The first task was looming. They had days until they knew for sure if their plan to help Harry had worked.
She had days until a vampire would be draining her blood again.
The hours dragged as she longed to see Severus again. By the time her tutoring hours were upon her, she wondered if she should cancel them and head down to the dungeons to see him. Would the students really be worrying about their studies this close to the first task anyway? Shame on the professors if they assigned them any homework.
She stood from her desk, intending to lock up and leave a note on her classroom door, when Draco strutted in.
"Cousin," he greeted her. He came to stand in front of the desk he always chose, the one closest to hers. He dropped his heavy book bag on the floor.
As if on cue, Hermione Granger entered. She looked drained, likely not sleeping from worrying about Harry. Cassie made a mental note to ask her if she needed a sleeping draught.
"Let me guess," said Cassie, holding back the disappointed sigh that wanted to erupt from her chest. Seeing Severus would have to wait. "Arithmancy?"
"Yes," said Draco and Hermione in unison. They exchanged supercilious glances before settling into their work.
In the next two hours, a few more students trickled in. It seemed several third years were having trouble mastering the Levitation Charm and so Cassie spent time showing them the proper wand work. Every now and then she glanced over at Draco and Hermione, who had pushed their desks together and were working through their toiling assignment together. It was only the second time Cassie had ever seen them pair up without being forced to.
The third years were giggling as one boy hovered above Cassie's desk with a properly cast Levitation Charm. Hermione stood up, clearly at her breaking point.
"Must you make all that noise?" she demanded.
"If you want silence, go to the library," Milton Hart, who forgot he was levitating his friend, shot back. The hovering boy landed on Cassie's desk bum first with a loud thud and a grunt of pain.
Hermione snorted. "It's just as distracting there, what with Krum and all his fan base running around!"
"Settle down," said Cassie, exchanging an amused smile with Draco. "I'll cast a sound barrier."
And so she did. She stayed busy while helping the younger students and grading a few Astronomy essays, but she couldn't help herself from continuing to look over at the Slytherin and Gryffindor fourth years as they worked on their Arithmancy. With the sound barrier cast, Cassie couldn't hear any of their bickering, but by their expressions, it seemed that was no longer the case. In fact, Draco had a telling smirk on his face as he spoke and Hermione even laughed at what he said -
"Told you she'd be here or in the library," Ron announced loudly as he and Harry entered the classroom. A second later he noticed who his friend was sitting with, and he wrinkled his freckled nose in disgust. "Hermione, what're you doing?"
"She can't hear you," Cassie told him. Hermione's laughter died on her face when she saw her Gryffindor friends over Draco's shoulder. Draco turned and spotted them, his expression nearly matching Ron's as he stood.
Cassie removed the barrier that surrounded Hermione and Draco and readied for the row that was likely to follow.
"Boys, not in here - " Cassie warned them.
"What's going on, Hermione?" asked Harry.
"Are you really that dense, Potter? Can you not deduce that she's working on homework?"
"I can see that. I just don't get why she's with you," Harry spat.
"Boys - " Cassie tried to interject.
"Perhaps if you two didn't have troll dung for brains, she wouldn't have to work with me," Draco said coolly.
"Watch it, Malfoy!" Ron said. His fingers flexed on his wand hand.
"Ron, Harry, please - " Hermione tried.
"Oh, very witty comeback Weasley. A prime example of the intellect that I was just referring to."
Ron pulled his wand from his pocket and pointed it at Draco. Cassie disarmed him before he could even think of casting a hex, but not before Hermione shrieked in alarm. Now the entire classroom had erupted into chaos. Startled, the Ravenclaw witch that had been practicing her Levitation Charm swiped too hard to the left and sent her classmate zooming across the room. He hit the stone wall at breakneck speed and everyone winced in unison when his humerus crunched from the impact.
Cassie helped the whimpering Ravenclaw to his feet, intending to bring him to the hospital wing. "All of you, back to your common rooms!" she commanded. "You'll be hearing from me regarding detention," she added with a snarl, shooting a passing glare where Ron, Harry, and Draco still stood. For once, all three boys remained silent.
She stayed with her injured student until he was settled in bed. It was no use for her to remain while Poppy flitted around the ward, fetching various elixirs and herbs. As the school nurse all but forced an analgesic potion down the Ravenclaw's throat, Cassie trudged her way back.
Her classroom was nearly empty when she returned. Her younger cousin was the only one who disobeyed her direction, and he was seated at the same desk he had been.
"Draco," Cassie said wearily as she approached her desk, "I thought I told you to go back to the dungeons."
"You did," he answered, not looking up at her as he wrote on the parchment in front of him.
"Do you think this will help your case?" she asked, plopping into her chair and leaning her face into her hands.
"You already said I'll be receiving detention. What use is there?" he mused.
Cassie watched him for a few minutes. She realized she hadn't taken the time to really observe him since the term had started, not with everything going on, and he seemed so much older. She wasn't sure how she had missed it.
"Draco, you would come to me if something was the matter, wouldn't you?"
"What makes you think something is the matter?"
Cassie sighed. "I don't think - that's not what I'm saying. I just mean, if you need to talk, you can come to me. I hope you know that."
He still wouldn't look at her. His steel grey eyes were on the Arithmancy text on his desk, but they were fixed in one place. "I'm fine."
"Okay."
It was getting late, but Cassie couldn't bring herself to dismiss him. She had a few more essays to grade and then it would be close to curfew anyway, but would anyone on the staff really care if he was out late under her supervision?
Severus and wedding discussions would have to wait.
"Things are different," Draco said after so many minutes of silence between them. Cassie set down her quill and looked up at the blond Slytherin.
"Go on."
"I can't be around them - the kids that think themselves Death Eater sympathizers. They don't understand. What their fathers - my father - what they did..."
The desolate look on Draco's face tore at Cassie's heart. She stood from her desk to approach him. "Draco, I'm so sorry."
"Don't," he said sharply. He pulled away from her outstretched hands, a look of disgust adorning his pale features. She blinked away the tears that were forming in her eyes. When she had taken Draco to the Celebration House, she had hoped that the whispers of the misery inside would have a profound effect on him, and clearly she had gotten her wish. But now that she saw the internal agony that he was wrestling with, she wanted nothing more than to relieve it.
"If you want to spend more time here so you can be away from the Slytherin common room, that's fine, Draco. Even if I'm not present."
His nose wrinkled in aversion at the idea, but his features softened as he considered her offer. Without waiting for an answer, Cassie drew her wand.
"Your hand," she demanded. When he complied, she dragged the tip of her wand from the center of his wrist down to the end of his middle finger.
Draco yanked his hand away as a white light glowed and then disappeared into his skin. "What was that for?"
"So you can open the classroom door at any time," she said. "I expect you not to abuse the privilege."
He rolled his eyes. "No wild parties in the tutoring room. Got it."
"And don't use the room for snogging, please."
He attempted to look unimpressed, but she caught the knowing smirk on his lips. After a glance at the clock, he began to pack up his belongings. "Cass?"
"Yes?"
"Does anyone else have this privilege?"
"Kalina so she can enter the living quarters. And Severus, of course."
"That's it?"
"Why?"
Draco shrugged. "Just thought you might have done the same for Saint Potter and his minions."
Cassie looked up at him in surprise. "I haven't."
They made their way to the dungeons together, parting ways when they reached the hidden entrance to the Slytherin common room. For the first time in a while, Draco said goodnight to Cassie, and she didn't have to question if his words were sincere.
____________________________
Cassie lay under the thick grey coverlet, warm and safe in Severus's arms. Her plan had been to stay up in the sitting room, perhaps reading under the glow of the fireplace as midnight approached, but her fiance had other ideas. It didn't take much convincing for her to disrobe and climb into bed with him, and after an enthusiastic lovemaking session, all energy had left her. She wanted nothing more than to remain wrapped in the Potions Master's wiry frame so she could inhale his familiar scent and drift off into a serotonin-induced dream.
Severus groaned as she shifted away from him. "I did not grant you permission to leave this bed," he muttered with closed eyes.
"I'm going to put some coffee on. Would you like a cup?"
"Mhmph," he grunted in response.
When Cassie was dressed and pouring freshly brewed coffee, Severus appeared from the bedroom. They sipped in near silence, letting the hot liquid warm their chilled bodies.
As the caffeine hit her veins, excitement reignited in Cassie's belly. She shot Severus an eager smile as they journeyed from the dungeons to the entrance hall, hooking her arm into his as soon as the veil of the dark grounds hid their affectionate display from any passersby. It wasn't until they reached Hagrid's hut that Cassie heard the first low growl in the distance.
The half-giant was wearing that awful, hairy suit Cassie had only seen a handful of times over the years and he had attempted to slick his bushy hair into something manageable. It wasn't until he announced that Madame Maxime would be joining them in the Forbidden Forest that she realized why he was fussing over his appearance.
"Lighten up, Sev," Cassie said in a hushed tone as the massive couple chatted several yards ahead of them. "It's not every day we get to see dragons up close!"
"Maxime's champion will now have an unfair advantage," Severus hissed back at her. She wasn't surprised at his perturbed take on the situation. Even though Cedric was a Hufflepuff, Severus would back the Hogwarts champion until the very end. She had witnessed the Head of Slytherin's unending support of his house's Quidditch team even though he found the sport vapid and pointless.
"We'll deal with that later - " she whispered back, nearly tripping on a twisted root. Severus caught her in his arms just as a loud, anguished roar filled the forest around them.
Hagrid looked back at them, the excitement apparent on his face. "No need ter be frightened! Charlie and his friends have 'em under control!" The foursome reached the temporary corral just as the Chinese Fireball launched a mushroom-shaped blast of fire at its handlers.
"Keep back there, Hagrid!" yelled Charlie, correctly sensing that the half-giant was readying to take a few steps toward the black Hungarian Horntail. "They can shoot fire at a range of twenty feet, you know! I've seen this Horntail do forty!"
"Is'n' it beautiful?" said Hagrid softly.
Pulling on the extra large chains was doing nothing to soothe the enraged animals. On Charlie's count, each of the handlers fired a stunning spell. The forest shook beneath their feet as four dragons fell to the ground in unconscious, scaly, fire-breathing heaps.
Severus whipped his head around as something besides the sleeping dragons caught his attention. "What is it?" Cassie asked.
He shook his head, deciding it was nothing.
"Severus," Charlie called, panting as he jogged up to the couple. "I have vials of dragon blood for you - here." He shoved a small cloth bag into the Potions Master's hands.
"I - thank you," said Severus, clearly unprepared for the younger wizard's kind gesture.
"If you want anything else, now is the time," Charlie added with a lopsided grin.
"I suppose that is the most sensible way of harvesting from a dragon," Severus deadpanned.
"What'll it be? Scales? Claw shavings? Saliva?" Charlie asked as if he was a waiter taking a food order.
As Severus verbalized how low his stock of dragon scale was, the two wizards made their way to the snoring Common Welsh Green. Cassie took the opportunity to examine the Hungarian Horntail on her own. The nesting mother was massive and her spiked tail looked like it could impale through human bone with one well-aimed swipe, but the animal had a grace about her as she slept on the forest floor.
Five handlers placed the dragon's granite-gray eggs near her on a blanket. Cassie wondered why on earth Bagman and Crouch had chosen protective mothers for the champions to go up against. Surely they had to be the most dangerous creatures on the planet.
Severus and Charlie found Cassie when they were finished collecting potion ingredients. Charlie was chattering excitedly, eager to share tales of his career with his former teacher. The two had always seemed to get along just fine, even after Charlie had learned that the Potions Master was dating his ex.
The wonder of having a slumbering Horntail near her shattered when a realization hit her. "Charlie?" Cassie asked when there was a pause in the wizards' conversation.
"Yes, Green Pea?"
"Why are there four dragons?"
Charlie looked to Severus as if he would help him provide an answer. Instead, the Head of Slytherin looked as equally inquisitive. "There are four champions," said Charlie.
Not missing a beat, Severus snarled, "Potter is not competing!"
"Yes, of course, but we were instructed to provide a fourth in case - "
"In case of what?" demanded Severus.
Charlie's excitement deflated as both Cassie and Severus stared him down. "We just did as we were instructed."
"Of course," Cassie said with an irritated sigh. "Of course you did." Severus didn't stay put long enough to offer Charlie an apology. In a flurry of black robes, he spun on his heel and stormed toward the castle. After thanking Charlie and giving him a tight hug, Cassie hurried after him.
"Consider the dragon bits your wedding present!" Charlie called after her.
She flashed him a quick smile but kept moving. With Severus's long stride, she nearly had to run to catch up to him.
The betrothed couple was greeted by a pajama-wearing Dumbledore when he finally allowed them to enter his office. Severus was less than thrilled to find that the headmaster seemed to expect their late-night visit.
"At what point were you going to inform us that your backup plan is to have Potter face a dragon unprepared?" Severus snarled as he paced the headmaster's office.
"When I found it necessary. Had I known Hagrid would invite you to see the dragons, I would have told you sooner."
"Cassie is risking her life!"
"A fact I have not forgotten."
"Then you do not appreciate the severity!" Severus sneered, slamming his hands on the desk. "Do you not think our current plan will suffice, Dumbledore?"
"I have faith in our current intentions. However, I did feel the need to ensure that Harry would have the means to compete in the first task if something went wrong with the ritual, or if something happened to Stellan - "
"You said yourself he is on his way from Akureyri!" countered Severus.
"Yes, but until he is safely secured in the castle..."
Cassie was trying to listen to the wizards argue, but her anger had long since turned to a sense of foreboding. A warm, heavy, tingling sensation had washed over her entire body minutes ago and she sat staring at Dumbledore's bowl of chocolate pebbles as she tried to make sense of it. As she took a few deep breaths, unnoticed as Severus leaned in to rant at Dumbledore some more, the feeling only intensified.
"Stop it," she said to the two men that didn't hear her. The Potions Master and headmaster's voices blended together as they argued, and she knew she would have to be louder. "STOP IT!"
The men stopped and stared at her. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply once more. "Stellan is here."
Dumbledore's face was pale and grim. Severus looked dumbfounded. "Cassie, how do you - ?"
A knock interrupted his question. Dumbledore beckoned Stellan into the office. The vampire was flanked by Diolinda and Dashiell as he swayed into the room with a triumphant smile on his face.
"Cassiopeia," he purred, sliding into the chair next to hers. He cocked his head, trying to look directly at her as she avoided his eyes. "How sweet of you to greet me upon my arrival."
"An unhappy coincidence, I assure you," she grumbled, clambering out of her chair to stand at Severus's side. He instinctively placed his arm across her torso and stepped forward, all while staring the vampire down.
"Severus, no need to look so sour," Stellan said. His smile had faded into a one-sided grin, just enough to reveal a long, sharp fang. "It won't help the fact that she'll be in my arms in a few hours."
An aggravated growl left Severus's throat. His large hand encircled Cassie's wrist and he pulled her to the door. The last thing they heard as it slammed shut behind them was Stellan's amused chuckle and Diolinda's shrill voice as she scolded him.
Time seemed to move at a rapid pace as Cassie lay in bed and dreaded what was to come. Insomnia plagued her fiance as well, enough that he finally gave in to the sleeplessness and went to the sitting room to read. In the morning, Cassie summoned a house-elf to their rooms and asked for the strongest coffee the kitchens had.
They were about to leave for the Great Hall when Severus visibly flinched. Cassie didn't need to ask what had happened, but she couldn't help but shoot him a questioning look. Silently, he shook his head at her. He couldn't handle another discussion about it, not today.
She sat in History of Magic that morning. Had she not guzzled several cups of coffee that morning, she might have dozed off during Professor Binns' lecture. She had never assisted the ghost in his lessons before, and she was doing nothing to aid him now. She wanted to keep an eye on Harry.
The Gryffindor fourth year was understandably on edge. While his peers whispered and floated notes to each other, he sat up pin straight and stared at the chalkboard.
"Harry," called Cassie as the lesson ended, waving him toward her. "Walk with me?"
He was silent and pale as Cassie tried to start several conversations on their journey. When they neared her classroom, he gripped the sleeve of her dress and nearly yanked her inside.
"Harry, what is it?"
"Dragons!"
Cassie's brain nearly froze. "Huh?" she said stupidly.
"Dragons, I saw them - "
"How?"
"Never mind how," Harry countered. "Was anyone going to tell me?"
"Harry, I didn't know until last night! Besides, you don't need to worry about them - "
"We hope I don't have to worry about them!"
"You have to trust me, trust us - "
"This is nuts!" said Harry, and Cassie couldn't do anything but agree. Could they really ask him to trust that their dark ritual would work or take on a nesting mother dragon? "I told Cedric - "
"Harry!" Cassie hissed, double-checking that the room was soundproof. "That's totally unfair to give him an advantage over the others."
"He was the only one that didn't know!"
Cassie stared at him in bewilderment. "How do you know that?" Her inquiry was interrupted when someone jostled the locked doorknob. She only unlocked it when it was followed by a loud pounding at the door.
"Sirius!" cried Harry as his Godfather crossed the threshold. He flung himself into Sirius's open arms, laughing in delight as the older wizard lifted him into the air. Remus entered as Sirius put Harry back down on the floor. He had a contented smile on his face that faltered as he turned toward Cassie.
After the initial greeting, the three wizards went to the Great Hall for lunch. Harry was in much better spirits having Sirius and Remus by his side, much to Cassie's relief. She would have loved to be able to accompany them and join in a relaxing meal before the first task started. To see the rest of the students chatter about what they thought might happen. To make quiet bets with the other staff about which champion might win. Hell, she would even settle for having to sit through a long-winded conversation with Karkaroff at this point. Anything would be better than what she was about to do.
The hospital wing's windows had been covered and magically sealed to prevent sunlight from entering. Any light in the ward was currently provided by candlelight, and Cassie could barely make out Izzy and Romily's bowing figures as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. A low, sinister chuckle seemed to come from all corners of the room. Cassie resisted the urge to draw her wand and closed her eyes as the voice seemed to intensify in the shadows.
"Cassiopeia," Stellan murmured into her ear. "The time has come, at last." He didn't touch her, yet the close proximity as he stood behind her was setting her nerves on fire. The shudder that ran through her was not one of pleasure. It was an attempt to rid herself of the burning but it did nothing to relieve her discomfort.
She swallowed hard, her throat coarse like sand. "Not until Severus arrives."
"The first task will begin in an hour. I require blood." His long fingers clenched her upper arm and the burning was quelled where he touched her flesh.
"You heard her," said Romily. Her eyes were burning with ferocity, but she did not draw her wand. "You will not take her blood until Severus is here."
"Hmm," hummed Stellen. He placed a finger and thumb on her jaw, forcing her to turn her face toward him. Still, she refused to open her eyes. "I suppose there are other things we can do in the meantime."
"Stellan - " Romily warned to no avail. Stellan let out a low growl of warning before turning back to Cassie.
"Look at me, Cassiopeia," he whispered. She didn't comply when he dug his fingers harder into her arm. "Look at me."
"Unhand her at once!" Severus's baritone voice demanded. Cassie's eyes fluttered open in time to see her fiance glide into the room, his pale face twisted in fury at the sight that greeted him.
Stellan's fingers left Cassie's face, but he did not loosen the grip on her arm. "You are late, boy."
"You do not dictate when any of this happens," Severus snarled back.
"You are right," said Stellan, pulling Cassie's backside into him. His fingers dug into her harder as she tried to step away from him. "Albus does. But where is he? More important matters to attend to?"
Unable to deliver a satisfactory answer, Severus was livid. Dumbledore was, it seems, where he thought he was needed. That was in the Great Hall with the students. The completion of Harry's ritual was up to them.
"Let's just get this over with," Cassie snapped.
"Ah, she speaks," Stellan mused. "I knew you were in there somewhere." The fingers of his free hand were in her hair, stroking it gently before pushing it away from the right side of her neck. "Someone did a magnificent job healing all traces of me. Severus, I presume?"
The Potions Master's lip curled in his signature sneer. "You will bite her wrist and her wrist only."
Much to Cassie's surprise, Stellan released the iron grip on her arm. His touch was much gentler as his hand slid down her forearm, coming to rest on the outside of her wrist. To her dismay, he was now crouched directly in front of her.
"On one condition," said Stellan. "I want her to look at me."
The minutes were ticking by and the first task grew closer. They needed Stellan at full strength to survive the ritual, and so she finally decided she would play along with his games.
His eyes were a stunning shade of ice blue with little flecks of silver near the iris. She was drawn into his hypnotic gaze the moment she allowed her eyes to land on his. She chided herself for falling for it. She knew the moment she had felt his presence in the castle that anything this intimate would be a death sentence, and here she had obliged like a randy schoolgirl.
She was so entranced that she barely registered his fangs sinking into the flesh of her wrist. The sight of his plump lips sucking her bright red blood straight from the source was almost erotic and her eyes flitted between his mouth and his eyes.
She wavered on her feet as her strength left her. Severus's strong arms wrapped around her from behind and she leaned into him, unaware of the fact that she had broken eye contact with Stellan. She felt the vampire's tongue lap up stray drops of blood that were threatening to drip to the floor. A moan escaped her lips.
Her head felt heavy. People were helping her to one of the empty beds, and then Severus was coaxing a replenishing potion into her mouth as Romily bandaged her wrist.
She drifted off to sleep, only waking when Severus made her drink another potion. He was being so demanding, something about needing to make more blood quickly. She was too tired to care.
An unknown amount of time later, she was awakened by a deafening scream. Above the bed beside her, a bolt of black lightning appeared out of nowhere and engulfed the ancient vampire. Izzy hurried to lock the hospital wing doors and set soundproofing charms. Cassie, startled by the sudden violence, scrambled out of bed and fell to the floor on her hands and knees. Severus wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her further from the bed, desperate to put distance between her and the dark creature being tortured by simple binding magic.
Stellan's wails grew louder as he thrashed upon the bed in agony. Blood began to pour from his nose and ears, dyeing the white sheets beneath him bright red.
"Check on Potter!" Severus commanded Romily. Harry, Sirius, and Remus were holed up in Dumbledore's office while all of this was taking place. They were probably eating Muggle candy and playing with Fawkes while hell itself had materialized in Hogwarts's hospital wing.
Cassie smelled burning flesh as Stellan's skin melted away. Surely, this had to be over soon, she wished desperately. Wasn't this only supposed to be enough magic to kill someone?
The black lightning disappeared as quickly as it came. Stellan lay on the bed, a groaning lifeless corpse as his charred body smoked and crackled.
"Fuck," Cassie gasped, trying to pull herself from the safety of Severus's arms.
"We don't know if it's over!" he protested.
"It's over," she croaked. He chose to believe her, releasing his hold and steadying her as she shambled over to where Stellan lay.
She dropped to her knees beside the blood-covered bed, relieved to see that Stellan was still alert. Somehow, he had survived. "Can you drink?" she whispered.
His ice-blue eyes locked onto hers, telling her that he heard her. She still had enough strength to conjure a dagger. After ripping off her bandage, she sliced her flesh open. As the blood began to pour, she placed her wrist over his lips.
His fangs were the first body part to heal. This time when he penetrated her flesh, the pain made her wince.
It didn't take long for her to lose consciousness again. After Madam Pomfrey returned from the grounds with the news that Viktor Krum had placed first, she helped Severus tend to Cassie and Stellan. It wasn't until the next afternoon that Cassie woke up enough to remember what had happened.
She sat up with a start. She looked over at the bed beside her and examined its sleeping occupant. Stellan looked ragged, but at least he had skin.
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