August 12, 1975 - Malfoy Manor

Cassiopeia traced the thin, unvarnished band with her fingers, her throat tight with emotion. She had almost missed it. Tucked between the final pages of the fifth journal, it had been almost invisible, save for the glint of gold that had given it away.

Her mother's wedding ring. A family heirloom; the only one that had been saved from the fire.

Carefully, she slipped the band onto her finger, biting her lip harshly when she realized it didn't fit. Disappointment filling her, she removed it, glancing around the room in an effort to find a place to store it.

It was seconds later that she remembered.

Setting the ring down carefully on her nightstand, Cassiopeia brushed her hair carefully over one shoulder. It took some time, but the necklace around her throat finally clicked open, and she slipped the band onto the chain. It settled perfectly around the vial of unicorn blood, and she smiled before closing it again.

Sighing deeply, she sank back onto the opulent pillows of her bed. It had been an exhausting few hours; reading interspersed with bouts of crying, the desire to scream at her mother for being so oblivious, and feeling horrifyingly guilty for that last one.

Moreover, now that she was finished, she desperately just wanted the information to settle in her mind. Instead, her thoughts were jumbled; swirling around her head, and leaving her spent, both emotionally and physically.

Drawing back heavy gray curtains, she allowed the last rays of sunlight to fall into the room. The view outside, even darkened, was breathtaking. Rolling hills covered by sprawling forests, and right against the walls a row of blooming red roses –

Her breath hitched, and she quickly pulled the curtains closed. She'd almost forgotten, before she saw the balcony, that Severus' room was just next door.

Glancing apprehensively at the wall, she hoped desperately that he hadn't been there to hear. It was undignified enough that he had felt the need to rescue her; she didn't need him to see her as any more of a child.

Breathing deeply, she resolved to do her best to ignore the situation. Wandering over to her dresser, she took out Narcissa's transfigured chemise, and quickly threw it over her head.

With a single blow, her room was plunged into semi-darkness, and Cassie slipped into the bed. Though she had spent the last night here as well, the bed still felt strange to her, bigger and softer than any other she was used to.

It took some time, but soon enough she fell asleep.

Flames. She was surrounded in flames. Somewhere off to her side a boy was screaming, but it was only seconds before the sound was engulfed in the roaring of the flames. Purple-red flames.

She ran forward blindly, the cloying air choking her, causing her to stumble and fall. Her knees hit the floor, and she glanced up, meeting a familiar face.

There was no fire anymore, no smoke. Instead, the room around her was filled with sunlight, fresh if it were not for the lingering smell of alcohol in the air.

'Stop nagging me,' the man said, half-teasing half-not. 'I can do what I want.'

Her surroundings changed, the room around her gaining furniture, toys. A young girl appeared, no more than three, clutching her father's trousers in her fists, and begging to be picked up.

'Good god, shouldn't you be the one taking care of her?' the man snarled, pushing the child away before stalking from the room. The girl ran up to her, her blue eyes watery.

'Is Daddy having a bad day?'

Before she could answer, she was in the kitchen, the young girl still beside her looking considerably older. Face scrunched up in pain, the girl presented a bleeding cut, staring as she gently cleaned it, and covered it with gauze. Her heart panged, as she watched the child run off to play. She'd always wanted to be a healer, before...

She blinked, swallowing in fear as she found herself again face to face with the man. He crowded her against their bed, walking forward until her knees hit the mattress, and she was forced to lie on it, his body pressing down heavily against hers.

His whiskey-laden breath was hot against her skin, and she shuddered in fear and revulsion as his face came into her view, lips curled into a malicious smirk.

Cassie's eyes flew open, her breath short and panicked as she took in her surroundings. It had been a note, only a note, hastily scrawled on the bottom of the page, as if it didn't bear mentioning. Her eyes burned fiercely, and her heart pounded against her chest.

"Are you okay, Cassie?"

Narcissa's soft voice startled her, and it was a few seconds before she could respond. "I–I'm fine, Cissa. I didn't mean to wake you."

"Nonsense," she replied, voice muffled by the wooden door. "May I come in?"

Hearing her hesitant agreement, Narcissa entered the room, holding up a wand-light. Her face was drawn and pale, and her grey eyes widened as she looked upon the bed. Cassiopeia flushed in shame; she knew she must look horrid.

"May I sit?" she asked, quietly, her voice sounding odd. Nodding, Cassie moved over, making space for her to settle on the bed.

For a second they were silent, before Narcissa raised her hand, slowly allowing it to rest against the younger girl's collarbone. Cassiopeia winced in pain, her heart dropping into her stomach as seconds later she saw what'd caused the look of horror on Narcissa's face.

She bit her lip, almost hard enough to draw blood. "It's – It wasn't as bad as it looks like."

"Why didn't you tell me that he beat you?" Narcissa asked instead, her hand falling into her lap. "We – Merlin, Cassiopeia, we could have gotten you out weeks sooner."

Cassie drew the covers back over her, hiding the yellowish bruise from view as she settled onto her side. "I thought you were entertaining the Dark Lord."

"We were – ," Narcissa sighed, " – before he left for an extended trip nearly three weeks ago."

"Ah."

There was a beat of silence.

"How did you find out?" Cassie asked, finding her answer when Narcissa glanced towards the left-facing wall. Perfect. Exactly the opposite of what she'd wanted.

"You screamed… fairly loudly."

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

Cassiopeia hesitated, feeling childish. "Could you stay with me for a little while? Just until I fall asleep."

"Of course," Narcissa smiled easily, extinguishing the light. She drew the younger girls hand into her own, warming it until it became almost limp in her grasp.

"D'you know wha'?" Cassie murmured some time later, her voice laden with sleep, and her eyes closed.

"Hmm?"

"I though' – I thought I was t'one who ruined him."

Narcissa's brow furrowed. "Ruined who?" she asked softly.

"My da," Cassiopeia muttered into the pillows. And moments later, she was asleep.

August 15, 1975 - Malfoy Manor

The atmosphere in the manor was… fraught, to say the least.

Severus lay sprawled atop his bed, practicing the meditation exercises that supposedly strengthened his Occlumency barriers. Truth be told, he wasn't sure exactly how helpful they were, yet on barely his seventh day at Malfoy Manor, he was already clinging to straws in an effort to get his mind off of… her.

He sighed, his concentration already broken.

If it hadn't been clear on the first day, he was completely certain of it now: Cassiopeia was avoiding him. Not even simply ignoring him; no, she would go to great lengths in an effort to make certain they never met.

It was… disappointing. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting from a stay together, but it was certainly getting to see her more than maybe twice a day.

Isn't this how she felt all last year?

Severus sighed in annoyance, knowing his subconscious was right, and hating himself for it. Looking back, he felt like a Merlin-forsaken idiot for the way he had treated her. Worse than an idiot.

Severus swallowed, his resentment suddenly gone. What right did he have, what authority, to be annoyed, after all that he had done?

She had every right to ignore him. Hate him, even. Merlin knew how he'd be acting in her position. The best he could do now, if he hoped to salvage what was left of their friendship, would be to give her time, and hopefully apologize as soon as he could. Irritation had no place in that.

"Severus?"

His chest tightened as he recognized the voice. Ever since their confrontation, Lucius had done his best to ignore him too. Was that to come to an end today?

"Come in."

The door swung open, and Lucius entered his room, looking decidedly unsure. His grey eyes swept across the room, before finally meeting his own. His hands hung uncertainly at his side.

"Severus."

"Yes, Lucius?" he asked hesitantly, and Lucius paused.

"I – apologize for what I did," he replied softly. "I did not mean to assail you."

"It's fine. I deserved it," he replied despondently, turning from him, and allowing his hair to fall across his face.

He startled, then, when two arms suddenly wrapped around him, pressing his head tightly against Lucius' chest and hearing his shaky breathing.

"No, you didn't," he whispered harshly, and Severus was discomforted to hear the remorse in his voice. "What you did was awful, and idiotic, but nobody deserves to be hurt like that - no matter what they do. I was just so– no, there is no excuse. And – Cassie will forgive you. She's so, so many things, but she's not vengeful; give her time, show her how you feel. You do deserve to be forgiven; I – I did not mean what I said."

•••

And, I'm back. I hope you liked the chapter. As always, thank you to SilentMayhem, and to everyone here. I really appreciate you, and I hope you have a wonderful week.