Cassie doubled over laughing, nearly falling off her broom as Jerriko related yet another hilarious tale about what he'd done the last time he'd come home from an expedition. Everyone had plans for the coming weeks, including Cassie--she was looking forward to spending time with her cousin Benjy.
As theorists on the dark arts, Cassie and the rest of her team regularly did fieldwork for moths at a time. It wasn't often dangerous, but each and every one of them recognized the possibility that a moment's carelessness could kill them, even in simple observations. Not that it kept them all from goofing off, especially Cassie and Jerriko. The way they figured, this was their time: ministry work it may be, but if they could be zapped by dark wizards or roasted by evil critters at the drop of a hat, they might as well live life like there was no tomorrow.
Cassie's cousin Benjy was a little different: he was an Auror, and there was no room for mistakes in his job...particularly when he had an expecting wife at home. But he always had time to look out for Cassie. Oh, she was responsible enough, and certainly a capable adult--at least, she ought to be, at twenty-nine. Benjy and Cassie had grown up closer than brother and sister, a unique bond between them that not even their parents could quite fathom. However, as it became clearer and clearer that the two were not to be separated, their parents learned to accept it. After all, it would be handy if they were going away to Hogwarts together.
Cassie was pulled out of reminiscing as the team landed. Heading up to the ministry building, Cassie, as the group's acknowledged leader, had only to report to Fudge before she was free and clear for vacation. Smoothing the grin from her face, she tapped on the door to the Minister of Magic's office, and at a muffled affirmation, stepped in.
Blinking in surprise, Cassie was slightly more hesitant as she came to stand before Fudge's desk. Professor Dumbledore himself was seated there, but without the usual twinkle in his eyes. Cassie had practically grown up at Hogwarts, and if she'd learned one thing about Dumbledore, it was that when he couldn't smile, something was seriously wrong.
"Sir?" Cassie inquired, looking at Fudge with barely veiled curiosity.
Fudge shifted in his chair. Something was definitely up.
"Cassie, I'm afraid we have some...disturbing news. Yes, indeed...very
upsetting."
Cassie folded her hands behind her back, forcing herself not to look to Dumbledore--even if he was an idiot, Fudge deserved to be shown the respect due his office. "Nothing to do with my team's work, I hope?"
Fudge cleared his throat. "Well...ah...not quite, no....perhaps you've been a little separate from events here in England? Yes, I thought so. Well, apparently..." he stopped, and shifted again. "Apparently You-Know-Who is...back."
Cassie stared. "I...see. Not exactly a good time to be studying Dark Arts in the field, is it?"
Dumbledore spoke. "Indeed, it would hardly seem prudent...however, there is more." he gave Fudge as close as he ever got to a glare, which made Cassie wonder what else was going on that Fudge didn't want to tell her.
The Minister of Magic seemed to be looking for a way out. "Cassie...I'm afraid...there was an incident, a few weeks ago." another unnecessary throat clearing. "Your cousin...and his wife...were attacked, in their
home. By Death Eaters."
Cassie stood very still, giving no sign of her pounding heart, rapid pulse, or clenching hands. "What happened?" was that her voice, so tight and strained?
Fudge seemed unable to speak, perhaps fearing an eruption of Cassie's rare but fiery temper. It was Dumbledore, in a soft, sad, and sympathetic voice, who spoke next.
"Cassie...your cousin and his wife didn't survive."
She heard no condolences. She was unaware of anything, even leaving the building and pushing past her bewildered team and mounting her broom. She flew almost blindly--almost, because despite her oblivion, she had a single purpose: Benjy's house.
It was a pile of ashes. Stumbling through the wreckage, Cassie saw little or nothing that she could identify. Finally halting, she fell to her knees at a less destroyed portion of the lawn.
/I should have been here/. The thought wouldn't leave her alone. What in the name of God had she been doing, gallivanting off somewhere, when she should have been here, defending her brother of choice, her cousin by blood, and her best friend forever? This, she knew, was something she could never forget...or forgive herself for.
It was a sign of her detachment that Cassie made no effort that morning to pull a brush through the tangled mess her hair had become. Actually, she didn't make an effort for much of anything, these days...except hunting. It was a hunt without purpose, a hunt in which she could easily become prey at any time, and a hunt which she was only half aware of continuing: she was hunting Dark Wizards.
A few of Benjy's friends--mostly Aurors--had warned her at the funeral "not to do anything stupid". She'd ignored them, even though they'd pretty much hit the nail on the head: Cassie had a definite tendency to think she was immortal, and as a result to do crazy things at the drop of a hat.
Right now though, she couldn't care less. A need for vengeance seared itself across her mind and thoughts, practically blocking out anything but basic survival functions. Hence, the uncombed hair, tattered robes, dirty face, and a haunted look in her eyes that made anyone she came across step back. Even if she'd known what was coming, she wouldn't have tried to avoid it--rather, she would have hurried onwards in fear of missing it, so unaware of her own mortality.
All day she hiked the wild English countryside, over moor and dale, avoiding people as much as possible. When night fell, she took to the air, mounting her broomstick and cruising through the skies, sometimes riding till dawn if the now-familiar insomnia overtook her. She never spotted anything...until one night.
The green sparks could have been anything, but Cassie was curious. Gliding down silently, she made sure not to land too close. Walking slowly towards the crackling green lights, she halted when she came within voice range.
"...completely pointless. We could have gone directly there and been back in London by now."
The first voice was cultured, haughty, and not one that Cassie recognized. Nor was the second, which was not quite as sophisticated as the former.
"It doesn't do to question the Dark Lord's orders. If he wants us to hike across a moor to get there, then we hike across a moor. Don't forget what happened to Carrington."
"I haven't."
That was all Cassie needed to hear. Raising her wand, she squinted at the two wizards through the dim light of the magical fire--for that was what the green sparks were--and shouted out: "Stupefy!"
It was a mistake; and probably not one Cassie would have made, had her mind been clearer. The stunning spell hit someone, but the second form moved to fast for her.
"Impedimenta!" he snarled. The disabling spell hit Cassie squarely, and as she fell backwards, she cracked her head on a stone. Dizzy but still conscious, she attempted to raise her wand, but again, she was too slow. Another hex hit her--Cassie felt another wash of dizziness from the spell-induced fever. A third spell, and Cassie heard a sickening crack--her leg was broken.
Suddenly, a low growl erupted from behind a nearby bush, and a monstrous black dog leapt out at Cassie's attacker. The man went down with a yell, and suddenly a third voice spoke out a spell. Too dazed with pain and fever, Cassie didn't recognize the spell. But in the back of her mind as she finally succumbed to unconsciousness, she got the odd feeling that she knew the third voice.
Cassie came around slowly, groaning. Her first waking sensation was a dull, pounding throb in her temples, although as she lay still for a moment with her eyes still closed, she felt something around her broken leg--a splint? Carefully levering herself up and fighting off the wave of nausea that resulted, Cassie took stock of her surroundings. She was in a small, domed stone hut--probably one of the more intact ruins that were scattered liberally about the moor. She was lying on what appeared to be the only bedding in the hut; to one side of a small fire pit on the middle. Otherwise, the 8-foot by 8-foot room was deserted.
A closer inspection of her leg revealed that someone had indeed put a splint on; a rough job with two sticks of wood and some torn cloth strips. Whoever they were, Cassie was grateful: it was a fairly serious fracture, which without magical attention would take some time to heal. Just as she was pondering this, she spotted her wand.
It was lying on the other side of the fire pit, with a little dirt scuffled over it. Turning carefully on her side, Cassie reached out towards it, only to find it about a foot out of reach. Still moving slowly, so as not to disturb her leg, she maneuvered a little closer...and froze at the sound of footsteps, followed an instant later by a figure ducking into the small opening of the hut.
It was a man, tall and thin, with dark matted hair and coal black eyes. He straightened as he entered, seeming surprised to find Cassie awake, much less reaching for her wand. Surprised, and.afraid? Cassie couldn't be sure, because all expression flickered over his face in a flash so quick that it might as well not have been there. In one smooth motion, he had the wand in his hands, and was squatting down calmly across the fire pit from Cassie, who had pulled herself back as quickly as she dared. Pain and loss still dulled her emotions, but not her senses: for she recognized this man. Feeling as close to fear as she had since her cousin died, Cassie stared mutely back at the man across from her--Sirius Black.
After long moments of silence, Sirius finally spoke. When he did, it was in an unexpectedly soft, grave tone.
"You can relax, you know--I'm not going to kill you."
Cassie was surprised at the lack of bitterness in her voice as she replied. "So what are you going to do with me?"
Sirius seemed to consider that. "Nothing, yet. I was looking for you, but I hadn't expected to run into you last night."
"Looking for me?" Cassie asked in confusion.
Sirius nodded. "You've been missing for 3 weeks--no note, no message, not a word. The Ministry's been searching for about 2 of those."
Cassie's brows furrowed. "Yeah, but you aren't exactly working for the Ministry, are you?"
"Dumbledore sent me."
She couldn't help but laugh a little, although it was a bitter laugh at best. "Oh really." She didn't say anything else, because she got the distinct impression that whatever she tried to say would come out in a scream or a torrent of tears. How dare he….after all these years, how dare he show up like this…
Glaring, his voice a calm edged with weary anger, he said flatly, "I'm not a murderer."
Cassie shrugged. "Maybe." Such a simple word, maybe…Cassie'd had no idea it would rip her heart to pieces the way it just had.
The next week was a trial for both of them, but it wasn't as bad as either had, at first, expected. It had been agreed that Cassie was to remain where she was until she could leave on her own, so as not to risk Sirius being captured. Cassie spoke as little as possible, her mind still bent in part on revenge. Sirius sensed this, and for the most part left her to herself...which isn't to say they didn't argue. They squabbled quite a bit, both of them having fiery tempers and stubborn attitudes to match. Gradually, though, even through the arguments, each began to notice that the other was watching them. Not just looking at them, or glaring at them, as the case might be: there were certain, definite instances when both Cassie and Sirius would cast each other considering, sidelong looks, only to quickly turn away before they could be caught.
In Cassie's case, it was easily explained. She and Sirius had never been an item, but there had always been a definite attraction—even more so now, to her surprise. The fire was still evident, but it was tempered with a certain wisdom.
On the other hand, Sirius found his own motivations to be a tad harder to explain. He and Cassie had always been tight, and he'd heard something of her through public lines since his escape--she'd managed to become quite an expert in her field at the Ministry. Still, he'd never felt this attracted to her, as a woman...or perhaps that was the point. He hadn't known any woman personally for quite some time, and Cassie had her fair share of physical attraction, not to mention her intelligence and spirit. At least now she wasn't doing flight stunts over the Whomping Willow, he thought wryly—Cassie had always been known for her dare-devilry.
So the first week plowed on into the next, and the arguments gradually faded. There was now no doubt in Cassie's mind about Sirius' innocence, but she just couldn't say it aloud. Maybe she was trying to keep from getting close to someone, Benjy's loss still an open wound. Maybe she was still too hurt by his arrest. Whatever it was, it was the final barrier between them--a barrier that was unexpectedly and suddenly broken.
Sirius, being an honorable man, had refrained from making even the slightest of moves on Cassie, even though his resolve was starting to deteriorate faster than iron in salt water. It was the morning of their second week together, and Cassie had suggested that now might be a good time to remove the makeshift splint--which had been helped along with what little magical aid they could give it.
"Hold still; I'll cut it loose," Sirius said as he grasped Cassie's wand. Cassie looked ready to argue, but managed through some grace or other to hold her tongue and her leg still.
A muttered charm and an instant later, it was done. Cassie carefully stretched her newly healed limb, and remarked, "Is there some place I could wash around here? I've got to be pretty unbearable after two weeks," she added with a grin.
Sirius chuckled. "Oh, I try to hold my nose and bear it--" here he paused to duck a swat from Cassie. "But yes, there is a place, about 15 minutes west of here--nice little freshwater stream."
Needing no further bidding, she took off, wand in hand. Sure enough, it was a pleasantly refreshing stream, and Cassie returned to the hut an hour later looking damp-haired but happy. Sirius couldn't help but stare a little more than usual; at the way she moved, the way her eyes sparkled, the way the sun shone on her wet hair...
And then she stumbled. Pitched straight forwards, arms out to break the fall--except her fall was already broken almost as soon as it began, for Sirius had moved to catch her. Their eyes met. A long time, they stood there in each other's arms, silent but tense…until Cassie broke the moment by stretching up and kissing him.
On and on it seemed to go, and Sirius felt his heart hammering harder with every breath he took--or rather, every breath he didn't take. Finally, with an effort, he pulled back.
"Cassie...are you sure you want to do this?"
She gazed bemusedly up at him. "Sirius..." she contented herself with shaking her head. "Just shut up and kiss me again, already."
He complied enthusiastically.
It had been an uncountable eternity before they'd broken the embrace, which had come dangerously close to crossing the lines of passion.