Memory Tainted

by Syra Saleh

When another mysterious Defense teacher comes to Hogwarts, Severus takes it upon himself to monitor her every move. Very soon, he finds this sarcastic and witty teacher to be something other than what he expected... an equal. AN.

10. At the Seams

Author's Note Alright people, cut me some slack. This chapter is 51 pages long, and I've been really busy. It's crazy. But it's over, and I've got free time to spend, writing at your beck and call. Hopefully these things will be out faster.

What can I say? This chapter is, once again, on the border between PG-13 and R, but I'm sure you're used to it by now. It's not my fault, the characters wrote this whole deal.

I would like to dedicate this chapter to my editor because I'm really grateful she didn't kill me for killing off one of her favorite characters. So, with my life spared, this is for her. That and she had to contend with 51 pages of me taking too long to do stuff. You'll like it, just read. Hopefully the length compensates for the amount of time it took to write it. Oh, and as for my Russian in this chapter, Vi mozheteh mne pamoch is 'can you help me?' If you don't get anything out of this fic, you will at least share my knowledge of Russian. Hopefully you like the fic too.

REVIEW! Are you people crazy, or am I really that unpopular? Review, gentle reader, or I might take all summer for the next one! Reviews=motivation.

Chapter 10: At the Seams

Sounds. Thunder? No, less lofty. Footsteps. The footfalls came from outside the room, where the crackling fire roared closer, billowing smoke through the air. Severus Snape forced his eyes open slowly, looking around the blurred and foggy room. He was still in the mansion, laying against the corner of a small storeroom. In his arms he held a pale and blood-smeared girl, Cassandra. She was limp and drenched in her own blood, which had poured onto him, onto the floor. He pulled her close. The footsteps weren't going to take her, of that he was sure.

They came closer. A muffled voice, no, a few of them, came from the hallway outside. Snape strained to listen.

"No, there's just a smashed in door… hang on," said one voice, then a blurred figure peered its face in, looking around. Severus struggled to remain awake, the swirling darkness beginning to intermingle with his already hazy sight. "Oh my god! Dumbledore!" shouted the voice again, sounding panicked.

That name sounds familiar…

A stampede of footsteps was heard, and three people entered the room swiftly. Severus shut his eyes, so very tired. He forced them open again, as a person in blue knelt in front of him.

"Severus, Severus Snape," said the voice firmly. Severus focused his eyes as best he could, but unable to make out the image before him, he gathered Cassi closer. "Severus, you can let go of her now, she's safe." Severus was not sure if this man was as trustworthy as he sounded.

"You can't have her," he answered as firmly as he could.

"I won't hurt her Severus. She needs to get help." Severus glared at the man, not believing him. The man put a hand on his shoulder. "Severus, this is Albus Dumbledore, from Hogwarts, remember? I won't hurt her, but both of you need help." The image of the man became clearer, and it was the friendly old wizard Severus knew. It registered with him that Dumbledore wasn't going to hurt Cassi, and looking down remorsefully into her pale face, he decided.

"You swear she'll be safe?"

"Yes, I swear."

"Then…take her please, save her," he mumbled, offering him Cassandra from his safe, tight grip. Hurriedly, Dumbledore removed her weight from his lap and placed a hand behind her head so it wouldn't loll, immediately handing her over to another person, Sirius, whispering a few low instructions to him in a voice that gave the waning Severus some concern. Sirius stood with her easily, then ran out of the room.

"Can you tell me why you're so pale, Severus?" asked Dumbledore hurriedly. His tone was urgent yet calm, trying to find out the cause of Severus' ailment that made him look like Death itself.

"The bottle," was all Severus managed while he attempted to push himself from the corner and onto his feet. He had scarcely placed his weight on his feet when he toppled back against the wall and slid down it, depending on the wall to keep him propped up in a sitting position, for the room was growing darker, spinning faster, and blurry. Instantly, Dumbledore was looking at the broken bottle on the floor, dipping his finger in it, and smelling the potion.

"Merlin, that's poison! Severus, stay awake," Dumbledore said loudly, gripping his arm.

"No… he's taken her then?" he asked, making perfect sense to himself.

"Yes, Cassi is with Sirius. Severus! Stay awake! Severus!"

~

Dumbledore heard the pop as they Apparated to safety, both supporting Severus' motionless, wilting body. Both him and Mundungus Fletcher were trying to awaken him, but he had not showed one sign of life since they left the house. Their feet hit the gravel heavily, and they immediately began to walk up the path at a fast pace. If Remus did as he was told, Madame Pomfrey should be waiting there.

Sure enough, as soon as they got a bit closer, they could see her at the gate, working quickly over a person on a floating stretcher. The nurse's face was etched in concern as her hands flew over her patient, assessing the damage. They walked faster.

"Oh Lord, him too?" Pomfrey said, looking up in shock.

"Yes," Dumbledore answered urgently. Making it to her finally, they lifted him onto the other stretcher and strapped him in, restraining his thin, limp frame.

Placing a blanket over Cassi's body, the nurse said, "Hurry now, Sirius, take her to the hospital wing, go as a dog. Fletcher will go with you and I'll be there soon." She pushed the stretcher down to Sirius' level as he transformed, then shoved it towards the castle, a black dog now taking a rope off the stretcher and pulling it with him, the other man running to keep up with the dog. Then, she turned her attentions to Severus. "Oh my word boy, what happened?" Her voice was sad as she talked to Severus, then looked up at the Headmaster.

"Poisoned," he answered simply, though with a grim look. Dumbledore watched as she opened a kit on the ground, and delicately emptied a small brown pebble into her hand. Then, standing up, she forced his mouth open, and dropped it in. With her wand, she poured water into his mouth and pressed his throat to make him swallow.

"That should help for now, we'll see what we can do up at the castle," she said. "It might be too late, he's in the last stage."

"And for the girl?"

"She'll be lucky to make it into the castle. She suffers broken ribs, a fractured arm, a burn on her face, a stab wound that punctured her lung but missed a vital artery, bruises, cuts, and who knows what else." The nurse was finishing her check over of Severus with her wand as she spoke. "He's got broken ribs, cuts and bruises, and is poisoned with a Fatal Strength Potion. The blood is hers."

Helping Madame Pomfrey, he grabbed onto the side of the stretcher and ran along side it with her up to the castle.

"There's one more thing, sir," she said uncertainly. "Professor Talin's hair was longer, wasn't it?"

"Yes, yes it was," Dumbledore answered.

"Then why would someone cut it?"

"Games, Poppy. They bear more than physical wounds. Lord knows what Hell they went through." Madame Pomfrey shook her head and ran with her patient, knowing her work would have to be quick.

***

Spring rains had come to the castle. Gray skies swirled above her head, and rain poured forth, warm and drenching, heavy yet refreshing as if breathing life into the land. Cassi was waiting, waiting for Severus, for he said he was coming. It was not like him to be late, and her eyes raked the grounds for his beloved figure. She was soaked through and through, torrents of rain breaking over her shoulders and head as she waited.

A figure clad in black rounded the corner of the castle, the intensity of the beating rain producing a halo of mist around him. A grim look was chiseled into his face, and immediate concern washed over her, but she held her counsel and waited for him to approach.

"Severus," she said, hardly to be heard over the pounding rain. Lightening lit the sky, its bolt like a snake's forked tongue, and a clap of thunder rolled through the sky, the voice of nature deep and mysterious. "You look worried."

"It's nothing," he mused gruffly, lifting a hand to caress her face gently. She closed her eyes at the touch as a faint tingling appeared in her cheek, and leaned up to kiss him, raising a hand to stroke his sopping wet hair. She smiled against his lips within seconds of their kiss, at peace with the world now that he was there, and then leaned back to look at him.

"Why did you choose here? It's a slight bit wet," she whispered, observing him coyly. Water rolled off his black cloak and hair, streaming down his face and making his clothes stick to his thin body. She loved this sight.

"I have my reasons," he answered slyly, looking at her as she had done to him. He wrapped his arm around her waist and drew her close, teasing her mouth with his, soft kisses exchanged with growing hunger. His other hand was occupied with cupping the back of her head, fingers tangled in her hair as he so often loved to do. This was her heaven, her perfect place of no pain and hurt, all suffering magicked away with his touch.

"You grow cold, let's leave," he whispered in her ear.

"I hadn't noticed," she replied softly, "but if you wish." She wove her arm through his and walked with him across the green grass. She soon detected his eagerness to leave this area, and she attributed it to prior look of fear.

Just as they reached the doors of the castle, and were wringing out the hems of their robes while stealing looks at the other, the crunch of gravel was heard behind them. Their eyes snapped to the others, and they drew their wands simultaneously from their sash and belt, whirling around.

To Cassi's shock and horror, Simon Donovan stood before them, a mad look in his dead eyes and a bloodstain on his robe. He was pale with dark eyes though they were glazed over, a half-living look about him that unnerved the couple. "Well, well, how cute this is, two Death Eaters madly in love." He drew his wand without a word and pointed it at Severus.

"Simon, you're dead," she breathed weakly, her wand quivering in her hand.

"Not as dead as you'd like, I'm sure," he answered with suppressed wrath. "Not as dead as you should be!"

At this, Cassi clutched her shoulder where her former wound had been, and stepped closer to Severus, unable to do anything in her creeping fear and paranoia. Severus was glaring dangerously.

"It's time for you to go," Snape said through gritted teeth.

"Likewise," was all Simon said before waving his wand, a green stream of light bursting from the tip, hitting Severus without a hesitation. Immediately, he fell to the stone porch heavily, dead. Cassi dropped to her knees, feeling the explosion of sadness, shock, and infinite torture all burst into her mind at once. She pulled his shoulder so he turned over, then placing his head in her lap as tears blinded her vision. Her love and life were ripped from her body, leaving behind a bloody shell of a girl. She stroked his hair hopelessly and quietly pleaded with him to awaken, as laughter rung in her ears, low and crazed. The laugh transformed as it continued though, and it became high, cold, and mirthless; it became familiar. Knowing what she would see, she looked up not to see Simon, but Voldemort himself.

Cassi returned her eyes to Severus' face, unafraid. "Go on, kill me and end it. You've won. Isn't that what you wanted, for me to beg for death? Well, I'm begging; take me."

"I did want you to beg, but not in this fashion," Voldemort answered, amused.

"Just do it," she spat. Footsteps were heard, then two cold hands grasped her upper arms, forcing her attention from one man to another.

"Not until I'm done," he hissed emphasizing every word. "Your family is dead."

"No…"

"Yes," he started. "Yes. The Virtovs are no more. Severus is dead. You will not join them until I feel like I've finished." With this, he forced a cold and horrible kiss on her, plunging into her mouth with a disgusting control over her, though she panicked. He gripped one arm tighter, but she struggled to get away from its grasp, and escaped his mouth long enough to scream in fear, her voice piercing through the subtle hiss of rain and the rumble of thunder.

~

She sat up, screaming as she had in her dream.

"Hold her still!"

"I'm trying!"

Cassi opened her eyes to find herself in a curtained room with two people pushing her back against the bed, struggling with her gently. Her mind was swimming, and she only knew panic.

"Cassandra Talin, please be still, you'll make yourself worse!" Cassi looked to the speaker wildly, realizing it to be the familiar face of the Hogwarts nurse, the safe and kindly face. Turning quickly, the other person who restrained her on the left was revealed to be Sirius, a face that was quick to smile, though not at the moment. Finally, she breathed with relief; dull aches and a sense of total exhaustion filled the corners and planes of her body, so she relaxed herself until she was lying down, the nurse smoothing the covers over her lovingly now, smiling in relief. Sirius was smiling now too, looking tired but grateful. Rest, rest. The danger has passed.

"Oh dear, oh dear! The Headmaster will be so overjoyed. Sirius, don't let her move, not an inch while I fetch her medicines and the Headmaster. Not an inch, do you hear? She's in an extremely delicate condition. Not an inch!" With this stern lecture which had included finger wagging and a glare, she smiled again and left through a curtain. Hangings surrounded her bed, sectioning it off from the rest of the hospital.

"I- ….I'm alive," she whispered, surprised and tired.

"Barely," said Sirius, sitting down in a chair next to her bed. "Three nights of mixing potions, researching charms and translating Arabic is what it took to keep you with us. You lost a lot of blood and broke several bones, along with other ailments. You're lucky you made it out of the house." He did indeed look tired, well beyond that of the youthful 36 he was known for, but more like that of an aged man who has seen great sorrow in life.

House, running, pain, Voldemort… "Severus!" she cried out suddenly. "Severus! Where's Severus? Is he alright, where is he? Tell me he's alright, Sirius, please!" Her panic was acute, for the last time she had seen him, both had intentions of seeking out the other in another world. The dream of his death was not helping either, causing a dark and hollowing sense of dread to dig at her heart.

"Calm yourself. He's better off than you were, I'm sure he'll be just fine," Sirius said, trying to keep the disdain out of his voice at the mention of Severus.

"I need to see him," she said quickly. His uncertainty hadn't sufficed for her, and even if he had said he was perfectly fine, she would have needed to see it to believe it.

"He's not awake," replied Sirius.

"Sirius, Vi mozheteh mne pamoch?I need to see him." Cassi searched his eyes, begging him with her own, but he gave her a firm look.

"You'll get yourself worried or excited and Madame Pomfrey will have my head. You're really not well, just lie down and rest. Severus will be awake later."

"Sirius," she pleaded. "Sirius this is important to me. You don't know… from what happened… please."

He caved, and made a sound of resignment. "Alright. I'm not doing this for Severus though. I owe you anyway, not that this is enough."

"Owe?" she asked, puzzled.

"For Harry."

"Ohh, yes, you're his godfather, Dumbledore mentioned that, err, earlier. Whatever day it all happened on. You don't owe me anything and neither does Harry. I'm his teacher, it's my job. Not quite in the job description, but… it's a duty." Cassi took up Sirius' hand in her own, trying to comfort him on a subject which brought him surprising amounts of pain, drawing the worried lines on his face. "How is he? Was Harry alright?"

"Not a scratch on him, just a knock to the head," said Sirius, closing his eyes. "It could have been so much worse…" He stopped, not wanting to go on, and shook his head. Cassi squeezed his hand.

"Then Severus took care of him," she said. "By Severus, it was possible to escape. He…" she said, but her voice died in her throat and she turned her face from him. She looked back after a moment of fighting tears.

Sirius sighed heavily. "I'll have to … thank… him then," he said with effort. "Come on, put your arms around my neck and I'll carry you."

Cassi smiled and did so while Sirius bent and scooped her up in his arms from beneath the covers, one arm supporting her back, the other hooked under her bent knees. When she rested her head on his shoulder, he stood and said, "Hullo! You're really light. I'll wager Severus enjoys that."

Cassi blushed and pushed her forehead against his shoulder. "Hush you!" Sirius grinned, then peeked out of the curtains to see if the nurse was coming, then seeing that she wasn't, sneaked across the room where another curtained box sat directly opposite to hers. Sirius slipped into it discreetly, and Cassi's eyes sought Severus. When they found their object, she was forced to stifle a gasp that sprung from her lips by covering her mouth with a hand.

"He's so pale," she choked, her mouth still covered. She indicated to Sirius to lay her down on his bed and he did so, though reluctantly. As she was set down, Cassi examined her Severus with sad eyes; his eyelids were shut, dark shadows lingering around his sockets, his pale lips lacked their normal color, and his cheeks were sunken. His mouth was set in a firm line, but the rest of his face was expressionless. She leaned over him and kissed his lips, laid one arm across his chest, and buried her face into his neck, vainly choking back free-flowing tears. She lay next to him, grateful to have ever touched him again, but broken-hearted from what he did for her and what it did to him. For the longest time, she simply held him.

She felt a hand on her back, so she turned over slightly to look back at Sirius, sitting in a chair next to his bed. "Please don't make yourself ill, he'll be fine."

"I hope so," she sighed, quietly wondering with dread how she would live if he was not fine. The thought was so radical that she found no answer. Perhaps she just could not think about it, or maybe there was no answer because she did not think it possible… A long silence ensued, and she remained where she was, deep in thought, all aches ignored.

"We should go back now, Cassi. Madame Pomfrey will be here soon…"

Cassi smirked as a memory occurred to her. "You know, Severus told me about you and your group of friends at school. Defiance of authority shouldn't be much to you," she said dryly, and rolling over onto her stomach to look between the two easily, propping herself up on her elbows.

"Nice to know you obtain your information from unbiased sources," grumbled Sirius, and she gave a faint smile, then looked back to Severus.

"I don't think the less of you," she said. "We all do stupid things when we are young." Her note was somber and thoughtful, and both took the words to heart. Thick silence fell.

"… I'll bet you didn't blow his projects up, though…" added Sirius, breaking the sincerity of the conversation. He was trying to cheer her up, though it was without knowing exactly what the ailment was.

"Ha, no I didn't," she said, breaking a short smile, then looking at him, sadness blanketing over her again. "How far was the poisoning?" she asked.

"Last stages," Sirius admitted. Cassi closed her eyes hard, fighting back everything inside. He had placed his hand on her arm, rubbing it gently for he knew she ached both inside and out. "Hey now, don't worry. Madame Pomfrey did a good job with him; he'll wake up anytime now and go back to being his- urgh, normal self. Look at me… I don't know what happened at that house the other day, but I know it wasn't good. It caused pain Harry isn't willing to recount until you're both awake. But everyone made it out, and I promise that he'll live, and you won't have to describe your horror alone." She was comforted some, but kept her eyes closed to avoid crying again. However, Sirius' hand was withdrawn suddenly shortly after his speech, and another grip placed itself there.

"Trying to sweet talk her out from beside me, Black?" asked a slightly croaky voice, though the deep voice Cassi longed to here. Her head snapped up and her eyes open, turning to him to peer deeply into coal-black, curious eyes.

He was leaning on his side slightly, looking tired and somewhat groggy, but looking at her with a gaze so intent, it seemed to express his amazement aloud. She cried out quietly, a second before her lips sought his needy ones, both shutting their eyes tight and savoring the others' taste and the feeling of being together when it never seemed possible again. She followed him as he lay back on his pillow, unable to break their kiss until the need for proper air was upon them. Somewhere, off in the distant part of the real world (which was shut out almost entirely), Cassi thought she heard a sound of disgust from Sirius, but didn't bother to dwell on it. His chair scraped across the ground as he stood, and a swoosh of the curtains was heard as the third person in their party left the other two to peace.

Finally, she pulled herself out of the kiss, breathing hard on his lips. Raising her eyes to his, she looked at him firmly and said, somewhere near an angry fury, "You stupid man! You should not have done that! Damn you and your nobility! Damn you for worrying me so! Damn you!" Her furious demeanor resulted in another passionate kiss, her fingers tracing the contours of his face, worshipping them with her feathery touch.

He broke the kiss suddenly and replied in an equally irritated tone, "I wasn't the one who foolishly went after the Crystal and started the uncalled for business!"

"I had a good reason."

"So did I." He held her gaze meaningfully now, and she closed her eyes and rested her forehead on his, then pulled back his covers and slipped under them, pressing herself against him. Their expressive silence was broken by the sound of multiple footsteps pattering along the floor and a giant door being pulled shut, echoing through the hall.

"Sirius Black! I thought I told you to be watching her!" called Madame Pomfrey's voice as she discovered that Cassi was not in her correct bed. Severus looked down at Cassi, and she smiled.

"What, you expect me to be a good girl and stay in bed?" she whispered to him. He smirked, obviously humored by her inability to do as she is told.

"I was," Sirius replied to the nurse. There was a suspicious silence.

"Sirius! Did you put her in with Snape?! If you did…"

"Yup. He's awake now, too."

There came a flustered clucking sound. "My word- I never – inappropriate… two ill patients! Not saying that I'm not thankful he's awake, but… I never!"

"…Poppy, if I may intervene," said an older, wiser voice, the now unmistakable voice of Albus Dumbledore. "Perhaps it's best to give them some time alone after what has happened."

There was a livid silence, then the nurse answered, "Oh, I suppose you're right. Fine. But they'll take their medicines on time or they get separated. Do you both hear that? Honestly. At this rate it might as well be renamed Dumbledore Wing! Hmph!" Her feet stomped off, followed by the steady sounds of Dumbledore's walk, along with his low chuckle.

Severus looked at the curtains where the argument had taken place, then looked back to Cassi. "Extremely amiable, isn't she?" Cassi laughed gently, studying his weary face.

"You look awful," he said quietly, cupping her jaw and running his thumb over her cheekbone.

"Oh, that's nice of you to notice."

"You know what I meant."

"Yes I do… and you don't look much better. You're pale."

"Even more so than usual? You're actually pale yourself… blood loss, I suspect…" he said, trailing off. His curiosity and need to be ensured of her health drove his hand from her face down to the neckline of her robes, which he swept off her left shoulder. Below her shoulder was a deep purple-green bruise on her light bare skin, with a small, thin scar in the center. She watched his hand, his fingers ever so lightly caressing the wound as if to heal it, then she closed her own hand over his softly, and brought it to her lips.

"It's just a scar, my love," she whispered. She saw his eyes flicker at 'my love', and knew he liked the security of the phrase.

"You bear too many scars as it is," he replied simply, though with a definite tone.

"Then what is another?"

"One too many. And you know yours are not simply skin deep."

"Same as yours," she replied, stroking his hair. "You would be surprised how much loving someone heals such wounds."

His eyes met hers. "…I think I know."

She looked at him in awe. In his rare moments of expressiveness, he seemed to enchant her with the power in his words and tone. Though he usually hid his emotions behind a well-refined mask, one look into his eyes told her he was being perfectly honest. With barely any time to wonder at his deep affections, she found her lips pressed lovingly to his own, soon tasting his surprise and eagerness. It wasn't long before she withdrew a short moan from his sore throat, his arms wrapping protectively around her.

It was about the time that she felt his hand seeking a way to find the hem of her robes that she smiled and pulled back from him. "Now now, none of that. I need my robes, it's frightfully cold in here, even if they are… pink. She dressed me for torment, I'm certain. Look!" She lifted an arm from his chest from beneath the covers to show her violently pink sleeve.

He wrinkled his nose in distaste. "How very attractive. At least you're dressed properly, I don't have a shirt." He now looked at her suspiciously.

"It was not my doing, it's the nurse!" she said defensively. "Not that I mind." Her hands ran down his chest, delighting in the feel of his skin.

"Well then, the score ought to be evened. I'll settle for the removal of the horrendous pink thing." His hand returned to its search.

"You wish, you hopeful b- Severus! You're not well anyway, go to sleep," she said, nudging her forehead to his, pressing him against the pillow. She removed his hand from the back of her leg and put it on her back, while he grumbled but relaxed. To give both of them more room, she slipped off his chest and to his side. He put an arm around her waist, still grumbling, and pulled her back until both were on their sides, his chest pressed to her back, spooning into her.

"…Nurse Talin," he taunted, and she gently elbowed him, then cuddled back against him. "Are you burrowing? It's not that cold."

"Just shut up and enjoy it."

"I am." He kissed her neck softly, then laid back with exhaustion.

~

Cassi opened her eyes slowly, wondering where she was. She was in a hospital bed, certainly, but not Severus' or her first bed, for there was a window above her head, though no sun shone through it. Night had fallen, and she had no idea what the date or time was. Carefully, she sat up in bed, and soon heard voices outside of her curtained room.

"I'm not taking that, Poppy." That was her Severus, and she grinned at the evident annoyance in his voice. He sounded like he was simply one bed over to her left. With pleasure, she pictured the aggravated look on his face.

"Oh yes you are, Professor, and if you don't, I'll IV it into you."

"You will do no such thing. Let me have a Soothing Solution in the Anti-Ache Concoction's stead."

"Why?"

"… Undesirable side effects."

"Oh. I'll see if I have any as soon as I finish with the both of you. Now don't fidget so or I'll miss with the needle."

"What is it?"

"Oh Severus, just take it!" Cassi called spitefully, grinning at the stern look she knew she was being given through the curtains.

"I'd like to know what she's jabbing me with prior to the shot!"

The nurse sighed loudly. "I believe I am the nurse here. You put up a bigger fuss than she does. There, that wasn't so bad, was it? Now lie back and go to sleep. Quietly." She stepped through the curtain, and soon entered Cassi's space.

"Imagine that, a full grown man putting up such a fight," she whispered as she busied herself. "You should have seen him earlier…"

"Why, what did he do?" she asked in a low voice.

"He woke up about an hour ago when Sirius disturbed his bed to take you out of it, on my orders, and was quite grumpy about the entire matter," she said stiffly.

"Poor Sirius," Cassi mused.

"I think he had fun with the situation, but that's Sirius for you. Alright, swallow this while I give you a shot," she answered, then forced a cup into one of Cassi's hands while arresting her other wrist. She drank the potion, sickeningly sweet, and felt a small, sharp pain in her arm. The nurse grabbed the cup from her when she was done, and Cassi sat back, settling down some, though fidgeting restlessly.

"When do we check out of here?" she inquired softly.

"Tomorrow night," answered Madame Pomfrey curtly. "Dumbledore wants you both free by then."

"Alright," she replied. "What day is it?"

"Saturday, soon to be Sunday. You were out for three nights. It's near midnight now, you should try to go back to sleep," the nurse said in an official tone. As if reading Cassi's mind, she added, "And you can see Severus in the morning! Goodnight." She shuffled out of the curtained room, across the Wing, then into her office, shutting the door behind her with a click.

Cassi heard the curtain rings slide across the bar in Severus' pace, and grinned. Following suit, she reached out and opened her curtain, just enough to see him.

"You two were talking about me, weren't you?" he said in a loud whisper.

"Yes," she said, trying to suppress a smile.

"What did she say?"

"Nothing really, she was just telling me that you had words with Sirius earlier," Cassi said, and Severus' mouth thinned in displeasure from the sound of that name. She shook her head, then motioned for Severus to come to her.

"What? No, you go to sleep. I'm not going to go over there and get beat severely by the nurse," he said with resentment, sitting up in bed, looking absolutely tempting to her. Luckily, both paused as they heard Madame Pomfrey come back to give Severus the potion he requested. He took it without a word, and the nurse bid them both goodnight and walked out, the lamps dimming as she left.

"Fine then," Cassi stated as soon as the nurse was gone, and she swung her legs over the side of the bed. Severus hissed his concern about her walking immediately, but she shrugged and stood shakily, then stumbled barefoot over to his space, shutting the curtain behind her, turning to flash a sly smile at him.

"Agh, teasing sprite!" he murmured as she crawled onto his bed, sitting straddle across his lap atop the covers. She took his face gently into her hands and kissed him softly, simply. Searching his eyes, she found her reflection in them, and sighed, kissing his forehead and then nuzzling her nose against his, playing kisses on his lips. How she would have missed this… She felt the need to bare her soul and remove the heaviness that lingered around her heart. The 'what ifs' were suffocating her, creeping into her mind and scaring her more and more. Her arms flew around him, hugging him tight as she thought what she had nearly lost, and how lucky she was to be able to do this.

"Severus," she whispered to him softly, returning her lips to his and unwinding her arms. The thrill from touching him soothed her to further convince herself he was fine, but she found herself unable to move her mouth an inch from his. She searched for his hands, and clasped each individually in her own hand, ready to speak after a deep breath. "I love you. You mean everything to me, you make me feel …like I don't have to hurt anymore, and that I wasn't supposed to be alone in the shadows. When you took the poison in that house, I wanted to die quickly so that I never had to see the pain I caused you. Even in the unconscious world, I dreamt you died. I couldn't handle it, the pain it caused… I can't… the images are…" Her voice cracked. His eyes had bored into hers, searching through them as if looking for something, but by the end of the speech, she was unable to make eye contact, trying to control her sadness.

"Quiet, quiet," he said soothingly, pulling her close so she could rest her head on his shoulder. He let the silence reassure her, stroking her hair as he thought about her words. "May I say something?" he asked her.

"Not if it's going to make me cry," she choked. "Go ahead anyway."

"Hmm," he hummed quietly, lost in a thought, still stroking her hair. Slipping the robes off her shoulder again, he looked at the scar and bruise, frowning at it. "Cassi… As I watched him stab you, I watched my world end. When he took you up in his arms, and I was sure those were your last breaths, I could not stand that he should be the last person you felt. And I could not have left you there to die. Not again. There would have been no way to forgive myself if I had done that. If I had lost you again…" He shook his head slightly, as if to dismiss the thought. She sobbed once, shuddering slightly, and he held her tighter. "But it's over, and we're both here, somehow. It's over, my Cassi." He knew it wasn't really over, and that it wouldn't be until every last one of the Death Eaters were gone and their master was destroyed permanently, but they were out, and alive. It would be a long while though before he stopped dreaming of her pinned to the floor, impaled on a blade, or of hiding in a misty forest with Death Eaters scarcely a meter away, and he knew it would be the same for her.

She sighed after awhile and leaned back to look at him, wiping her eyes quickly with her hands. "God bless it, Severus. Every single time I've cried this year, it's because of you. I used to be perfectly emotionless before I came to work here, and now look at me. I'm a girlish –ugh- wreck!"

"You're beautiful, even when you cry," he said, running a finger along her cheek. Her eyes widened at his words.

"Why must you be so sweet to me at the worst times?"

"Because now is not the time to taunt you about your repulsive pink robes."

Finally, she grinned, closing her eyes. "There, I knew you still had it in you." She leaned forward and kissed him, prolonging it as much as she could, loving the feel of his hands splayed across her back. Smirking mischievously to herself as she remembered something, she ran her fingers through his hair one last time, patted his chest with two small taps, and then quickly slid off his lap. He made an indignant sound in his throat, and scowled, muttering something distinctly about baring his heart and soul and getting nothing in return.

"…every other night my bed is perfectly fine for you, but yet tonight is somehow different?"

"It isn't different, goodnight!" she said, backing out of the little room, loving his frustration. She blew him a kiss then shut the curtain, scampering off into her own bed and trying not to giggle. Just as she was settling down to sleep, he spoke out.

"Cassi?"

"Yes?"

"You vex me greatly. Wench."

"I love you too. Goodnight, you vile, cold-hearted automaton."

She heard him chuckle quietly to himself.

~

The sun was bright as morning peered into the Hospital Wing, rousing its two patients from their sleep. Almost immediately after waking, the nurse pattered over to their rooms with her clopping heels to inspect her patients. Finding them satisfactorily apart, and in improved health, she allowed Cassi to go over and sit with Severus for the morning, under strict orders that if anything 'funny' happened, she'd use their blood to thicken potions.

Therefore, she spent the morning sitting next to him, just talking with him. Not often did they get time to just talk; one was always busy grading or looking something up. Madame Pomfrey brought them breakfast, and they ate together. He picked on her habitual way of pushing the ham to one side, and she pointed out lovingly that his slaughtered animal was getting cold. Eventually, this conversation turned to the more serious matter of the meeting that was to be held that night (the only reason Dumbledore would want them free so soon), and in hushed voices they decided what needed to be left out for the general public. There were some things, they knew, that they would infinitely keep to themselves, personal scenes that bore no importance to the others. Other things, like the fact that Cassi was an ex-Death Eater, would be inevitably shared.

By lunchtime, Cassi had woven herself into Severus' arms and was combating sleep, as he was. Both figured out very quickly that Madame Pomfrey had skillfully planned this more than likely with a slow acting sleep potion, but they were too tired to argue with it, and fell asleep before lunch was served, pressed tightly to the other.

Cassi started awake suddenly, listening to the regular breathing of the person lying next to her, then relaxing. She lifted her eyes to his face and smiled serenely at his clear expression, the evening sunlight from around the room illuminating his features. No concern or guilt dwelt on his face, he looked peaceful. The lines that usually carved into his face, making him look ten years older than he was, disappeared when he slept, leaving him looking at ease and youthful. The need to touch him overwhelmed her. Carefully lifting her hand, she pushed a lock of hair out of his face and behind his ear, but she somehow stirred his slumber, causing him to sigh and absently pull her closer with the arm around her waist. A small smirk formed on her lips, and she entertained herself by drawing designs on his bare chest with her fingertip, sometimes punctuating them with kisses. She saw a small smile flit across his lips at this, and amused herself by trying to procure these small expressions of contentment with further kisses, now trailing slowly up his neck (where she found a sensitive spot and noted it), along his jaw line, then brushing her lips against his lightly, undecided as to whether she should awaken him or not. Making her mind up that she'd deal with a grumpy Snape if need be, she propped herself up on one elbow and pressed her lips to his, gently working his mouth open until she heard him intake a sharp breath. His arm was now animated and undoing a short sash she wore with the robes, while the other hand ran down her side.

"A man can't even sleep for a few hours without being disturbed," he mumbled, opening his eyes slowly and looking up at her with interest.

"And what remarkable subconscious reflexes you have to show your resentment," she breathed, taking her sash from his hands and tucking it under his pillow, then settling down next to him. He looked at her with irritation, but then cupped the back of her head in his palm to have her look into his eyes properly.

"Have you been up long, wreaking havoc on my body without permission?"

"Only a few minutes." He nodded at this, and she grinned. "Why?"

Severus looked away by rolling his eyes and mumbled something about an odd sort of dream, and Cassi couldn't stop herself from snickering softly.

"I hope I was the one in it," she giggled, but he looked back at her seriously.

"Of course you were," he said, sounding slightly wounded.

"It was jesting, dear."

"As if I have others to dr-"

"Don't give me that, Severus Snape. I've gotten the impression that I'm not your first lover, and dreams cannot be helped. My question was legitimate, but still a joke!" She poked him on a sore muscle, and he flinched while she smiled, satisfied. He narrowed his eyes at her. With defeat, he exhaled loudly in defeat and tucked his head under her chin, making her reaction to embrace his shoulders with one arm, and the other hand to stroke his hair. She found this gesture cute, if somewhat obvious.

"You're incredibly difficult, and will continue to be so, won't you?" he asked flatly, and she laughed again.

"Yes. It's entertaining to annoy you, especially when you want to artfully avoid the subject, as you just did."

"Imp, would you actually like to hear the response?"

"I'm curious now that you're dodging it."

"…Fine. I've had three, erm, girlfriends, I suppose, when I was much younger. To sum them collectively up, they were short, pointless, and enough to make me turn from dating for as long as I could escape it, which to me was until I was nailed into my coffin."

Cassi smiled, even though he couldn't see it as he was still listening to her voice through her chest. "They sound lovely."

"Don't think that you can escape the topic either."

"I don't have to, I didn't date. I was always to busy, and entirely less than interested. A few aggressive men made passes at me, but most ended up with a black eye. That's why you scared me half to death; I had no desire to injure you."

"Did I really frighten you?"

"Yes."

"Knowing you, I'm sure that upset you greatly," he said, almost laughingly, and she feigned indignation.

"Yes, it did… what are you so thrilled about? Happy you instilled fear into me?"

"I find it amusing."

"Damn you. Well, as much as I was afraid, I'm sure you were furious."

He pulled himself out of her arms, then propped himself up on his elbows on either side of her shoulders to look at her. "That, madam, is not anything you need to know." He leaned down and kissed her.

"Which means I'm right."

"No it does not."

"Yes, yes it does."

"No it does not."

"Yes it does."

"No."

"Do I have permission to kiss you?"

Severus smirked, then said in an exasperated voice, "I suppose so." She ran a hand through his hair and kissed him, only to feel the familiar yet thrilling sensation sweep through her body as she touched him, and he reacted by pressing into the kiss harder, almost crushingly. He had mastery over her reactions, and she knew it when he drew a line from the back of her jaw down to her neckline, tracing it with his fingertips, causing her to slip her arm over his back and dig her nails into his skin. He was about to draw her closer with another kiss when the main doors to the wing opened loudly and a pair of feet walked in.

"Madame Pomfrey? Do you know if the professors are awake?" said an elderly, wizened voice. Severus mouthed a string of cursing, then rolled off her and sat up in bed, now muttering about wanting his shirt the nurse had kidnapped. Cassi sat up as well and took her sash from beneath the pillow, tying it quickly around her waist and running a hand through her hair.

"You've got a nice physique Severus, I don't think you desperately need a shirt," she said innocently, but shot him a sly look.

"Yes, I believe I heard them talking a few minutes ago, Headmaster. You can go see them if you wish, but don't excite them too much," came the nurse's reply.

"Of course you don't. I'd like to be dressed when I talk to my superiors, though!" Severus admonished quickly to her in a low voice. The click of boots across a stone floor grew louder, and the curtain slid open a few seconds later to reveal a smiling old man.

"Cassandra, Severus, so nice to see you awake. You look infinitely better," he said approvingly, shutting the curtain behind himself. They quietly chorused their thanks, Cassi clasping her hands atop the bedspread, Severus folding his arms. "Has Madame Pomfrey told you that there is to be a meeting tonight?"

"She said you wanted to see us tonight," answered Severus.

"Very good. Well, we're holding a meeting tonight at nine, early this month, but necessary. I believe the others of the group need to hear the details of the adventure, though I'm sure there are parts you would like to keep to yourself. I'd also like to ask you if there are things you would like to share with me, but perhaps not of concern to the group." Dumbledore sat at the chair by Severus' bedside close to the foot of the bed, as Severus glanced at Cassi quickly.

"I don't think so… but, ah, how much of Anya are we going to discuss?" Severus asked.

Dumbledore held Severus' gaze for an undecided moment, then looked to Cassi. "Would it stress you considerably if we told them the whole truth?"

"Dumbledore, don't you think that's a bit much? As reasonable as these people are, they are rather zealous about ending Dark matters," interrupted Severus quickly.

"I think that as much that needs to be told, should be told," Cassi said shortly after Severus, who shot her a hard glare.

"If I thought she was in danger, Severus, I would resist revealing her. However, if you are still concerned, I will talk instead of her. They trust my judgement. I'll talk before you begin with your explanations, with your permission," Dumbledore calmly stated, nodding at Cassi.

"Of course," she replied.

"That reminds me, Harry will also be attending out meeting tonight," said Dumbledore. "Each of you have different stories, we might as well hear them as well. Harry has already agreed to the invitation. I also think he will be coming by here today; he expressed an interest when I said you were both awake and well."

Severus murmured something darkly, and Cassi nudged him with her elbow. "Thank you," she said for him.

Dumbledore smiled, eyes twinkling. "I owe you both my gratitude for bringing him back, and for the sacrifice you made to destroy the Crystal. Merlin knows I won't forget that moment, when Severus' voice rung out from a window. It was brave of you, if not a bit nerve wracking. However, we have an advantage now, at least for the time being. Alright, I just wanted to briefly talk with you both before the meeting." He stood from his chair, but just before he left, he turned back to them. "Oh, and you're both taking next week off."

"What?!" they exclaimed.

"I'm going to have to demand that both of you take some time off, and a week should be enough," he said again simply.

"It's too long-"

"-an entire week?"

"Plenty of time to rest, I'm sure you'll both find things do to without the students… like reading." He bowed, and left, while they gawked after him, blinking hard.

"Was he just making fun of us?" asked Cassi after a moment.

"I'm going to assume he simply meant reading and leave it at that," answered Severus, looking at the curtain still.

"I don't assume anything with him anymore… And Severus, you needn't worry about me so much," Cassi said. "What do you expect, they'll mob me in some last attempt to finish off a dormant killer?"

"I'm not worried. And don't talk like that."

Cassi grinned at him evilly. "Aww, you're so cute when you become concerned."

"No I'm not! I forbid you from using that word as a description of me-"

"How about adorable?"

"-or any likeness of the word."

"Cranky, horrid old prat?"

"Better," he said while smirking. Severus leaned over to kiss her, but the curtains opened at that moment, and he pulled away in dismay.

"What did I tell you both?!" squawked Madame Pomfrey. "I can't leave you alone for any amount of time. Look, I brought you both a change of clothes from your room; there are showers across the Wing through wooden doors. Take them separately, dress separately. Professor Talin first." The nurse laid the stack of clothes on the foot of the bed, and stomped off.

"She's so sweet-tempered," Cassi said, rolling her eyes, then slipped out of bed and scooped up her clothes. Severus scowled and watched her leave longingly.

He took this time to quietly recap what had happened after being kidnapped. The forest, the house, the basement, hallways and doors, another forest… it all spilled back into his mind in horrible detail. He allowed images he had repressed to surface again, becoming hardened to the pain they caused. Quickly, he became lost in thought, losing track of time, so that when Cassi called out that he could get ready, he was startled out of his reverie.

Cassi played with her robes, fixing her flared sleeves so they weren't so twisted, then readjusting her sash so it fell to her left side, the tails trailing down to her ankles. She then ran her fingers through her hair, which was nearly dry. Satisfied with her perfecting, she sat down on her bed to eat the dinner Madame Pomfrey had brought her, placing the plate in her lap. There was, of course, a piece of chicken sitting in the very middle, but Cassi prodded it to the right with her fork and ate the side dishes around it. When she had finished, she set the plate on her nightstand and leaned back on her bed, listening to Severus walk around his space, pacing by the sound of his steady steps. She knew what he was thinking about, but she refused to think about it until she absolutely had to. They had about an hour before the meeting, but already the troubling matter was on his mind. By letting him alone, she knew he would deeper disturb himself, so she resolved to give him a few more minutes, then go and pester him.

Unconsciously, she smiled as she thought about him. At the beginning of the school year, she fumed when she thought of him, but now it was all she could do not to smile and sigh. She had changed, she realized, without changing. She was the same person, but now without the secret pains and addictions. And now, she had something to live for, someone to live for. Now she was restless. Rolling over, she tried to rest on her stomach, but realized that she was staring at the curtain towards him, then gave up her struggle and stood. Smoothing her robes and hair, she parted her curtain and crossed into his space.

"Severus, are you trying to wear a path in the floor?" she asked maliciously, smirking at him and leaning against the wall by his bed.

"Not intentionally. I was thinking," he responded, stopping a few steps short of her.

"Do you always pace when you think?"

"Not always."

She looked at her nails, pretending to be uninterested, then put her hands behind her back, leaning back on them. And she knew her lack of attention had caught his.

"Did you come here to bother me?" he asked, taking a step forward.

"No, I actually came here so you'd stop troubling yourself," she replied, and he folded his arms. Now free to look at him, she studied his clothes, and forced her jaw to remain shut. He wasn't wearing his normal black, billowing robes; he was wearing long black slacks, and a gray cotton, collared shirt which he tucked in for formality's sake, with the sleeves rolled up to just below his elbows. The top button was undone, almost forcing her to look away quickly to suppress her sigh, and his hair fell around his collar and tucked behind his ears, actually neat for the time being. Soon, she realized that he was looking at her in about the same manner, and blushed. She was wearing nice black robes that fit her properly, perhaps setting off her form a little more than she would like.

"You look very handsome," she said.

Severus closed his eyes briefly and brought himself back from a thousand miles off. "Oh. It's too casual for this meeting-"

"I still like it," she said, walking towards him slowly, then placing her hands on his chest, leaning back slightly to study his shirt. She nodded slowly. "Yes, very nice indeed."

"You look nice as well," he said, swaying back and forth with her, now wrapping his arms around her. Cassi grinned evilly to herself; her plan was carrying out quite nicely.

She placed a kiss between his collarbones at the base of his neck, then pushed him slightly so he'd sit back on the bed, but he resisted slightly until she made it quite clear that she wanted him to sit. Leering at her slightly, he pulled her down with him, and both fell back on his bed. She grinned, hovering over him slightly, while he claimed her mouth with as many soft passionate kisses as he could have before she pulled away and worked the side of his neck over with kisses, until she struck the spot that made his fidget, and placed open-mouthed kisses on it. His mind reeled, and he bit his lip hard to fight a moan.

"What are you doing, Cassi?" he gasped quietly.

She looked up. "Should I stop?"

"God no. But be careful, you'll leave a mark."

She bit him gently, and he tightened his grip on her. "That's the point, I swore I'd repay you for the one you gave me just before a meeting earlier this year."

"Oh you wench!" he said, still obviously not fighting her, and she giggled and stopped a short while later.

"There. Now we're even."

He felt his neck. "Does my collar cover it?"

"Just the bottom half," she snickered, while he closed his eyes and grumbled to himself. She kissed him to make up for it, and just when he wove his fingers into her hair intently, they heard the doors open.

"Are the professors here?" came Harry's voice. The nurse replied and they chatted for a bit.

"Damn it! Why can't people let us alone?!" Severus hissed venomously. "You're staying with me tonight, I don't care what the nurse advised."

"Did she say for me not to?" asked Cassi as she sat up and on the edge of the bed and ran her fingers through her hair.

Severus did the same, looking extremely irritated. "Yes, yes she did." Cassi patted his shoulder innocently, just as Harry entered Severus' small room.

"Uh, hello professors," he said nervously.

"Hello Harry," said Cassi in a happy voice. "How are you?"

"Oh, um, very good, thanks. Well, I just wanted to thank both of you before the meeting started, because I don't think there will be much time for that. So, thank you, you saved me. I'd probably still be back there if you hadn't… right. Thank you, Professor Talin, for helping me through the house, and," Harry swallowed, already fidgeting through his entire speech, now looking most obligated while he said through gritted teeth, "and thank you, Professor Snape."

Cassi smiled at him. "It's our job, Harry. You're welcome, though." She elbowed Severus, who couldn't force himself to do anything but nod, which was good enough for Harry. "Harry, are you sure you'll be alright to talk about what happened in front of all those strangers?"

Harry flattened his wild bangs, as it was now one of his nervous habits. "Oh, yeah, I reckon so. I didn't want to say anything before this because I was knocked out for some of the time, and dazed for most of the rest. Might as well have it all out in one night."

Cassi nodded stiffly. "You're going to hear some things in there Harry that a lot of students aren't going to want to know."

"I know. Dumbledore said I'd only have to go to the first hour or so of it."

"Very well then, we'll see you there."

Harry looked slightly relieved. "Alright, thank you." He nodded at her, shot a glance at Severus (who was glaring at him intensely), then left quickly. Cassi smacked Severus on the arm as soon as he was gone.

"Be nice, he's just a boy," she said severely.

"A boy with publicity issues."

"That's not his fault."

"It is when he uses it to his advantage to gallivant around the school-"

"Hush you. I have yet to see any gallivanting. You just don't like him because he's your enemy's son, and it doesn't help the poor boy that Sirius is his godfather. Honestly, your rivalry with him is entirely idiotic."

"Rival? Rival over what? There's nothing to be a rival about, if anything, he should be jealous of me."

"Then why are you jealous of him?"

Severus scowled at her as she moved to sit on his lap. "I'm not jealous."

"Mmm hmm. Right. Tell me that when Sirius is talking to me in Russian."

"You don't need to stand so close to him when you speak."

Cassi rolled her eyes. "Not jealous. Right." She kissed him on the cheek. "Don't envy him, you've got a firm hold on me."

He was delighted, but kept a straight face, though a gentle expression.

~

They walked to the meeting later together, Cassi careful to keep a reasonable distance between them so as not to attract attention to them. As a rule, most of the students were in their Common rooms after dinner, so they met very few students along the way, but those they did pass shot them strange glances, not knowing exactly why their professors had been out of class for the past four days. Cassi was grateful just to be out of the Wing though, so she ignored the stares gracefully, and wondered if Severus even noticed them.

Dumbledore's gargoyle sat just as it always had, a stone feathered bird in an archway, waiting and listening for the password. Severus stopped before it, looking at it absently, then said "Acid Pops" in a clear voice. The gargoyle swung open, and they stepped through the archway. After walking up a few steps, Severus stopped suddenly and turned to Cassi, who was following behind him.

"Are you alright?" he asked, face blank and mysterious.

"Hmm? Yes, I'm fine."

"You're pale as parchment."

"So nice of you to warn me that I don't fit your color standards. Now, please, I'm fine, let's walk," she said tartly, but stepped up to kiss him quickly. He blinked, raised an eyebrow, then continued on, now following her.

When she pushed the door open, the first thing she saw was Sirius standing over a chair, talking with a sitting Harry. Cassi smiled quickly at both, and walked to the chairs next to them, gesturing to Severus to follow. Rolling his eyes and now crossing his arms, he followed and sat, not looking at Sirius as he came over to Cassi and embraced her. He couldn't help stealing glances when they chattered concernedly for a minute in Russian, but he felt relieved when she took her seat next to him finally, though between himself and Black.

"I'm going to learn that language one day, you know, and then you won't be having secret conversations with him anymore," Severus muttered darkly.

"I'm sitting right here, Snape," Sirius said, irritated.

"Which is why you heard what I said, Black," Snape started tersely.

"Men," was all Cassi had to say, and she sat back and folded her arms, waiting to watch them, but both gave the other a hard glare and turned away. Cassi crossed her legs, her top foot bouncing slightly, beginning to feel nervous. More people filed into the room, and she noticed the room was fuller than usual. She suspected that everyone was attending this time, which only made her foot bounce more.

No one was really talking to Severus or herself, they seemed to be avoiding them as if they were emotionally fragile and therefore not worth risking a conversation with. Shrugging, Cassi remained seated, watching for Dumbledore to arrive, not listening to the conversations floating around her.

After what seemed like an eternity, Dumbledore finally pushed open his door, and two people followed him in and took their seats, as Dumbledore walked to the head of the table and remained standing.

He stood without a word, even though the entire table had fallen silent as soon as he had entered. Finally, he started. "I don't believe we need an introduction, I'm sure you all read the papers about how our two professors and young Harry Potter went missing for nearly a day, and Rubeus Hagrid was found dead at the edge of the forest. However, you are going to hear the truth, and not what the papers concocted to fit the situation. The truth includes Lord Voldemort, unlike the papers led you to believe. I'm sure by now you know what is written in the news is first approved by the government, so nothing is to be believed from there. In order to understand the story though, you have to understand why it occurred. Voldemort wanted revenge on Harry, Professor Snape, and Professor Talin. Harry for the downfall from power he caused years ago, and the professors due to turning from his service." There was a collective murmur that ran through the table.

"She's not a Death Eater though," someone from the other side said.

"Not anymore. She was however, years ago when she was-"

"-when I was Anya Virtov." Cassi stood now. "Thank you Dumbledore, but I think I should to tell them. I was Anya the Assasin. I joined him when I was eighteen, and did his bidding for nearly a year before I was found guilty of disloyalty to him. Therefore, I was beaten with the scepter Voldemort carries, and then my throat was slit. When he left me to die, a forest hermit took me in and healed me, but I had forgotten nearly everything until this year. Amnesia, if you will, but more similar to repression."

A disbelieving silence ensued. "Preposterous, what sort of joke is this?" a man near Dumbledore said, laughing. Cassi rolled up her sleeve and showed him the faint Dark Mark, from which he recoiled.

"It's not a joke at all, her story is quite true, there are witnesses to it," Dumbledore said, his voice steely.

"Then why is she still here? Do you know how many people she killed? That Death Eater is responsible for who knows how much terror!"

"And that Death Eater," said Severus without missing a beat, glaring at the man, "is the reason Harry is with us today, and she is also the reason why the Dark side's progress has regressed, so sit down Pierre."

"You're not any better!" Pierre said tensely back.

About seven other people, including Severus, bounced to their feet, angrily shouting at him until Dumbledore hushed everyone, and gestured that they sit. "You are all here on my invitation, I'd like to remind you, and I trust everyone in this room implicitly. Both have repaid their debt to society a thousand times over, and neither have connections with the Dark side anymore. None of you have led perfect lives, so I ask that you respect each other. If you are not with us, you are against us, now is the time to choose sides." He paused, and no one said a word. "Alright, now that our background is up to date, let's let Harry and the professors tell their story so we can all go to bed while it is still night. Harry, we'll start with you."

Harry had been regarding Pierre with a distrustful look, but now nodded at Dumbledore. "I don't have to stand, do I?" he asked.

"No no, you can remain seated," Dumbledore said kindly, and Harry nodded again and gripped the edge of the chair as all eyes turned to him.

"Well, um, last Wednesday I woke up early because my scar was hurting, and I thought I'd take a walk because it seemed nice outside. I prefer to take my walks alone, so I went outside and just decided I'd walk around near the forest a bit, then head back for breakfast. I guess I walked too close because a man came up behind me and grabbed my mouth and wand hand, so I struggled with him until he won. My Gryffindor badge got torn off, so I hoped someone might find it, but he hit me on the head with something and I don't remember much more. Well, until a big doorway, but when I woke up Professor Talin and Professor Snape were being taken down the steps and to their cells in my dungeon. Then some people came in to talk to them, Mr. Malfoy I think, and some other guy I don't know …and then Voldemort. He told me that Professor Talin was a Death Eater and Hagrid was dead, and he put the Cruciatus Curse on Professor Snape, but when he left, the professors unlocked themselves and we escaped…." Harry wasn't being very articulate, mainly because he didn't understand what was happening at the time when it seemed they all knew something he didn't when they spoke.

Dumbledore thanked him, and Cassi and Severus proceeded to tell their side of the story in greater detail, leaving out a few lines here and there about what they said to each other, Harry sometimes chipping in with what came back to him. The audience sat shocked and horrified as they talked, but some scribbled down important details as they went through it, their faced scrunched in concern. Several times, one would fall silent through the story, and the other would quickly step in, but by the end, it was Severus who was talking in his factual, upright manner. When he was finally silent, he sat back in his chair and folded his arms, their story complete. Dumbledore stood again.

"And you're sure it was Octavian in the chair?" asked Dumbledore, and Cassi repeated that that was the name Voldemort had said, but it was impossible to identify the body. "Well, that's another Ministry official killed because he did not believe in Voldemort's return. Thank you all for sharing that, and Harry, you may go back to your dormitory now."

Harry stood from his chair, waving slightly to everyone who nodded back, and then left the room with a grateful expression.

"And you stressed the importance of the secrecy of this meeting?" a man asked.

"Yes, he's very aware of our desire to keep it a secret, there's no need to worry. Does anyone have any questions or comments?" asked Dumbledore, but no one would speak, so he continued. "Just to follow up, we found the house to be in the north of England, just west of Sableshire, a small magical village. Dark movements have withdrawn from the house and virtually died from our map, so it we have been bought some time. Alright, now I would like to hear how the Ministry is taking this and what has been rumored there, because I sent Cornelius a full report of what we knew up until this evening, but he has yet to reply. Anything, Ither?"

"Well, Fudge was acting skittish all morning, but he hasn't mentioned it. We usually have a plan of action for such things, where we give the press what they want to hear according to the wizarding world's overall…"

Cassi stopped paying attention, she had had her input and she was now tired. She turned herself slightly in her chair towards Dumbledore, but at this angle she had a better view of Severus, and her mind wandered. He looked tired despite four days of rest, but he was listening raptly, though with a look of distaste. She smiled to herself when she saw he had covered the mark with his hair. He felt her eyes on him and glanced over at her, and she smirked and bounced her foot more, turning her eyes away. He looked away too, but kept giving her quick glances to make sure she wasn't looking at him, which she never was. Amused in her new game of distracting Severus, she was suddenly struck with an idea, and slipped her shoe off easily beneath the table. Then, very gently, she nudged his ankle with her foot, and he gave her a sharp, incredulous look, and averted his eyes.

Slyly, she traced along his foot, then along his ankle and slightly up his pant leg until he was shooting her withering looks, mingled with a sort of furious desire. Grinning at her irritated byproduct, she slipped her shoe back on her foot and sat up in her chair, feigning attentiveness. A few people were taking turns talking about some budget proposal the Ministry had in case of economic depression due to Dark activity. Some people stirred in their seat, and quite a few were writing things down, quills plinking in inkwells and scratching across dry parchment.

For revenge, Severus discreetly placed his hand on the top of her thigh beneath the table, and shot her a superior look. He lightly scratched her leg, and she very quickly slapped a hand over his to stop him from relocating it, and glared. Amused, he let go, and she picked up her quill and dipped it shortly into the well, then wrote in shining black letters on her piece of parchment, then shoved it towards him.

"I want to leave," it read in tiny script. He dipped his quill into the well and wrote back to her in his evenly spaced, neat handwriting.

"I don't think it would be acceptable to leave together in the middle of the meeting. Your boy toy would make the connection," he wrote back. She smirked when she saw it and lifted her quill.

"Now who did you say was not jealous?" she wrote, slipping the paper to him, and touching her foot to his leg.

"I'm not jealous… And would you stop with this foot thing?"

"No, because you'd be disappointed if I did stop."

"Why would I?"

"Because you like it… Severus, your handwriting has become shaky."

"No it hasn't and if it had it would be your fault, now sit there quietly until this is over." Cassi read his message and grinned, then tucked the note into her pocket and waited. The voices were becoming less interested and frequent glances up at the clock told her it was half past eleven, too far past their attention span. She finally began to listen as the meeting wrapped up.

"… I think that's about it for tonight. If you have further things to discuss with me, my window is always open to owls. Please keep me updated. Alright, I think the staff has had enough for now. Goodnight everyone." Dumbledore settled back in his chair as everyone stood, milling around. Severus stood near Cassi in the crowd, but pulled her back by her sleeve when Pierre passed, his eyes slits of hatred. When he was gone, both inched towards the door, and exited, slipping quickly down the hallways and then out of the gargoyle.

As soon as the stone archway was shut, Cassi yanked Severus closer and kissed him roughly, rejoicing that they were out of the crowded, lamp lit room.

"Eager much?" he asked in a whisper. She looked indignant and stepped away, folding her arms in retribution and tilting her head away. He wouldn't stand for that though, and gently placed his hands just under her jaw line then kissed her, delicate, slow, and soft, growing deeper and more intimate with each passing second. It was therefore only natural that Cassi jumped back suddenly, quite startled, and ran down the hall to the stairs, disappearing from sight just as the archway opened and a few members of the meeting walked out, talking amongst themselves without suspecting a thing. Calmly, Severus began walking to the stairs, a few steps ahead of the chattering group. When he finally did reach the stairs, he started unceremoniously down them while the group stopped at the top to discuss something, so he reached the bottom well before them. There, he smirked to himself and looked down the dark vacant hallway past the Great Hall.

Shrugging slightly, he continued down the hall, heading for his dungeons. Each window shone silver moonlight into the hall, washing over the floor and lower wall like a white veil. He watched each as they passed under him, his shoes padding over them quietly as he listened to all sounds with interest. Finally, he heard light breathing and smelled faint peppermint as he neared the end of the hall near where he would turn to go down the steps into his dungeons.

"Severus." She stepped out from a shadow and allowed herself to be taken into his arms, her hands resting on his chest. "Are they gone?"

"No, but they won't come down this way," he answered. She nodded against his chest, and he ran his fingers through her hair. "You know, your hair isn't so bad shorter," he commented.

"You think so? You just like playing with my hair, which is nearly the same length as yours."

"Yours is longer, but this way it doesn't get so tangled," he looked down at her with his own form of playfulness; a curious, amused look, though it feigned sternness.

"Do you want to test your hypothesis, Professor?" she asked slyly, reaching up to slide a hand to the back of his neck, the other wrapped around his waist, now mimicking the placement of his hands. She didn't really give him time to answer though, because her lips were pressed hungrily to his, tired of hiding desire. He pulled her closer against his body, mindful not to touch her sore shoulder. Nudging her jaw, he indicated for her to relax. Immediately, the feeling of his tongue against hers thrilled her beyond normal sensation, and she moaned and pulled him closer. They broke their kisses only to steal quick breaths or to let their kisses wander down the others neck and return to their lips.

"Severus," she sighed when he kissed her temple. He looked down at her, seeing fragility and independence, innocence and lust. An overwhelming feeling washed over him, but he pushed it away for when he had more time and when it was safe to analyze it. Her head was tilted back to gaze up at him, but she dropped her gaze quickly and tugged at his sleeve, beckoning him to follow her. She lead him down a hallway and then down a flight of stairs into the dungeons, only stopping twice to steal a kiss.

Once down the stairs and descended into the frigid dungeons, she flung her arms around his neck, capturing him in a fit of passion in disregard to their location. Their balance was off and they threatened to tip over, so he picked her up (not so difficult for she wrapped her legs around his waist) and backed her against a smooth stone wall. He decreased their pace, kissing her painfully slowly until she whimpered and tried to sway him to go faster, but she eventually succumbed to his firm, unhurried movements. Unconsciously, her hands moved to his shirt pulled the bottom out of his trousers, then began unbuttoning it, glorifying in the feel of his skin on hers. However, she was in the middle of this task when Severus pulled away from the wall, forcing her to stand on her own and interrupting their actions.

"What?" she asked breathlessly, leaning back on the wall with her cheeks pink in blush and her hair teased out of its normal perfection from fingers tangling themselves in it too many times. This sight alone was tempting enough to forget why he had stopped her, but he persisted.

"I think the Slytherins need checking on," he said as he buttoned his shirt up and tucked it back in.

Her jaw dropped. "You're jesting."

"No, Merlin knows what they've been doing at night while I've been away, you just reminded me," he said stiffly, now straightening his clothes and running a hand through his hair. She scowled at him, knowing full and well that he had planned this from the beginning.

"Go then, Severus Snape, but don't expect anything more from me, I'm going to bed," she said in a cold voice, and tried to walk off, but he grabbed her around the waist and dragged her back.

"Hardly," he said, amused. "Go to bed then, I'll be back later." He kissed her roughly, and she caressed his cheek, pulled suddenly away and slapped him, then stormed off to his classroom. He allowed himself a very smug looking smirk while he rubbed his stinging cheek, then walked to a hallway on his right.

At the end of the hall stood a blank wall, to which he said "Serpentine" in a clear voice. A door swung open that was concealed in the wall, and he stepped through it, immediately hearing about four sets of feet scatter.

Looking around, he observed his familiar scenery. Green lamps hung from the ceiling, giving an eerie glow to the rough stone walls and overstuffed furniture. The green light mingled with the yellow from the elaborate fireplace, the green steady and dim, the yellow flickering and strong. The chairs closest to the fireplace were empty, as was the sofa, and the sound of several doors shutting and feet hurrying off were heard. He smirked proudly and was about to turn to go when a small voice piped up by his side.

"Hello," said a small girl with blonde hair pulled up into a ponytail and curious gray eyes, and he recognized it as Agatha Smith. She was accepted to school early this year at the age of nine because her parents were moving away to avoid the Dark uprising, or so they said. Although young, she was as smart as any first year and had a special flare for Herbology. On top of that, she had no fear of him.

"Hello," he returned. "Why are you out of bed? It's late."

She rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet, her night robe dragging on the ground. "The other students said you came out of hospital today, so we were talking about it, and then you came in, so I hid, but I wanted to say hi."

The little girl hung on his pant leg slightly, barely any taller than his waist. "Well you've said your hello. Was there something else you wanted?"

Agatha motioned for him to kneel, which he did after looking around, so she cupped her hand and whispered in his ear, "Was it scary?"

His face softened, and he looked over at her. "It was scary, but it could have been scarier if I had stayed," he answered in a low voice. She looked relieved.

"Junie said I wasn't s'posed to ask you that," she said in her child's lisp, "but I was afraid if it was real scary you'd move away and we'd have a new teacher, and he'd be mean."

"Am I not mean enough for you?"

"No!" she giggled.

"Hmph. Don't you worry yourself, at any rate. I'm not moving away, where would I go that's safer?" he said, subliminally reminding her that she was sent here because of her parents' concern.

"I dunno. So you're ok then?" she asked. "And, and Professor Talin too?"

"Yes, we're both alright," he said as he stood again.

"Millicent said she's your girlfriend!" Agatha said with a high-pitched, frightened giggle at such a racy topic.

"Miss Smith, that is private. Now then, it's time for you to go on to bed, your roommates will wonder where you are," he said, and the little girl nodded as he patted her head shortly.

"Ok, g'night!" she said, and raced off up the stairs in the back of the room. He watched her, then shook his head at the strange student, and turned to leave, the stone doorway still open, but closing behind him quickly. In all his years as a teacher, he had learned one thing: if their own Head of House did not show Slytherins kindness, no one would. Their parents most certainly wouldn't, the other teachers were prejudice against them, Dumbledore was just one man, and when they graduated, they were thrown into hostile circles of society. Therefore, he favored them above the other students, and disciplined them himself, but was gentle when need be. While thinking this, his brain automatically led him through the maze of hallways, eventually emptying him out in front of his own classroom door.

He entered his classroom, the torches lighting up at his presence. Locking his door and sealing it as he did every night, he looked around quickly, grateful to be back in his sanctuary. His potions jars still sat evenly on the shelves, holding brightly colored potions and objects floating in various liquids. The desks lined up neatly, and his desk was the same except for the substitute's binder, which sat off to one side. The room had his approval, so he moved on and entered his office, shutting the door behind him, and then entering through another door and down a short hallway. Once he reached that door, he paused before going in, wondering if his presence will warrant another slap in the face. Having no choice, he entered, only to find Cassi sitting at the writing desk in her long white nightrobes, deeply immersed in a book.

"I thought you were going to bed," he said cautiously as he shut and locked the door behind him.

"I was going to, but I decided to look at this book before I did so. It's interesting," she said, and he stood behind her chair and looked at what she was reading.

"Don't even bother with that trash," he said, disgusted as he read "Emerson Bloodstone's Potion Collections" at the top of the page. She smirked and flipped the page, having yet to make eye contact with him. Curiously, he stroked her hair with his right hand, looking down at her as she read, sometimes slipping his hand under her hair to stroke her neck, but none of this spawned any reaction. Her ignoring him was worse than any anger she could have had for him, so he turned away suddenly and strode off to the bathroom to get dressed and retrieve his bathrobe for in the morning. The second he shut the bathroom door behind him, Cassi turned around and stared at the door, grinning. She turned back around, returning to her reading, but listened as he clattered around in the bathroom. Finally he emerged with a grumpy expression, tying the belt of his bathrobe in a hasty knot and sitting on the bed.

"It's midnight, Cassi," he said firmly.

"Not only will he leave you at inopportune moments, he can tell time too!" she replied automatically.

"I mean that it's late and you need to go to sleep," he said, mostly ignoring her comment about his sudden departure.

She turned around finally, looking at him with amusement. "Ah, here's where the real truth lies. Now is it that you want me to go to bed because I've been in the Hospital Wing for four days and I've been medicated and unwell, or because you want me to be in bed with you?"

Severus opened and shut his mouth, narrowing his eyes.

"Say it," she taunted.

"Why do you do this to me, apart from taking pleasure in my verbal difficulties?"

"Because," she started, now walking over to him, straddling his lap but keeping herself just far enough away so she could dodge his kisses. "Because you've kept me waiting all day, and I think it's funny when you have trouble expressing what you really want to say, especially because you're always displaying your opinions in class."

He glared. "You're a teasing, teasing imp."

"And when translated from Severusese to normal conversation, it means….?"

"It means I want you to come to bed so I can …make love to you."

Cassi smiled and kissed him. "That's all I wanted." She pulled her wand from her pocket, waved it once, and the torchlight lowered considerably.

***

The dungeon was as dark in daytime as it was at night, due to the lack of windows. This served both Cassi and Severus well the following morning, for they slept in past their normal dawn arising. However, a loud knock at the door that morning did not do them well.

"Severus," Cassi murmured, pulling herself off his chest and rolling away. "Severus there's someone at your door."

He sat up blearily, fumbled for his wand and lit the torches. Then, he stood and collected his bathrobe off the floor and wrapped it around his thin frame modestly. Cassi slipped out of bed, straightened her nightrobe, and stood next to the door so that when it opened, it blocked the view of her, but she could still listen.

Shaking his head, Severus opened the door to find Dumbledore standing outside it.

"Good morning, Severus," Dumbledore said in a manner that alarmed Cassi as she listened.

"Good morning," Severus replied roughly, trying to sound as professional as possible.

"I know this is an inconvenient time for you, but I know you needed to hear this. We've got Hagrid's body back from the morgue at the Ministry, so we're having his funeral this evening by the forest's edge near his house. The students have the day off, and will attend the funeral after dinner," Dumbledore said gravely.

"Oh, thank you. Yes, I did need to know when that was. We'll both be there," he said when Cassi nodded to him.

"I knew you'd want to go, being as close to him as you were. Try not to dwell on it Severus, he wouldn't want you to," Dumbledore reassured.

"I won't," Severus complied readily.

"And do try to eat something while you're both on break. Starvation did not suit anyone well. If you need anything, you know where to find me." Dumbledore paused (Cassi assumed he had taken his small bow) and Severus shut the door slowly.

Without a word, Cassi wrapped her arms around him, swaying side to side with him as if to rock him like a child. He let her hold him, knowing it was a loss for her as well.

After a long time, Cassi spoke. "He was a great man with a big heart. I will always remember that."

"As will I," he whispered very softly back. "He was my only friend who wasn't Dark when I went to school here."

"I'm very sorry Severus." He nodded, then paused.

"Let's go get something to eat, it's a quarter 'til ten."

As Severus and Cassi walked back from breakfast, she veered them off course so she could get something from her classroom. Severus, having nothing better to do (and he noted this loudly), followed her. By the time both had woven through the hallways to her classroom, most of the students had gone outside to enjoy the day, a majority of them to sit in tight circles and talk about the mysterious kidnapping. Stepping into the classroom for the first time in days, Cassi looked around, a faint smile playing on her lips as she saw her classroom again.

"They moved my desks," she commented quietly, noticing that they were in groups now instead of in rows. Making a mental note to move them as soon as her seven days were up, she walked over to her desk and began sifting through papers.

"What are you looking for?" Severus asked, tapping his foot and folding his arms.

"I thought you didn't have anything better to do," she retorted, still rifling through stacks of scrolls.

"I don't, but I'm sure I can find something productive to do in the time it takes you to sort through that mess," he replied, looking around. He missed the fact that she slipped a small piece of parchment into her pocket. Gathering her scrolls in her arms, she sighed loudly at him and walked past him, now ready to leave, but not before she prodded him with a rolled up assignment. He scowled and followed her, shutting the door to the classroom as she walked off at a fast pace. Fortunately for him, his legs were much longer than hers, and he was able to catch up with her, looking at the floor darkly.

It was not until they reached the dungeon that she spoke again, her voice riddled with amusement. "Why Severus Snape, I do believe you are swaggering."

He stopped dead in his tracks, and turned to face her. "I do no such thing."

She walked around him now, circling him with glee. "It was rather obvious too. Tell me, do you walk like that everywhere like you own the place, or just when you're trying to show off?" A few straggling students stopped to gawk, then hurried away.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he seethed, rolling his eyes. She shrugged and took up her spot next to him, walking through the maze of passages. He shot her glares as she suppressed giggles, biting her lip and looking away. When they reached the room, she was full out laughing. Irritated, he shut the classroom door hard and watched her as she disappeared through his office door, then followed after her.

The scene he came upon in the room was symbolic of her humorous findings. The scrolls had been dumped into a basket next to the desk, some not quite making it into their target, and she was on the bed, curled into a little ball and laughing hysterically.

Severus sighed, annoyed, and sat on the bed next to his little ball. "Is it really that funny?" he asked.

She grinned up at him. "You- you swaggered all the way here!" Another fit of laughter overtook her.

"I do not swagger. End of story. I'm wondering if you're right in the mind," he said, reclining back on the bed and putting his feet up and his hands behind his head.

"Of course you don't think so, you probably strut about as if you own the place on a regular basis! 'This is my dungeon, dammit! Bow!'" she said, imitating his voice for the last. He couldn't help but smile somewhat at her impersonation, but soon recovered and pressed his mouth into a firm line.

She curled up next to him and sighed, patting his chest with one hand, then yawned.

"Is the walking judge tired?" he asked sardonically.

"Severus, we got half a night's worth of sleep, what do you think?" she replied simply, forcing her eyes to remain open. He enclosed her in his arms by rolling over slightly, and she nestled under his chin.

"Go to sleep then," he whispered, and kissed the top of her head.

~

Cassi awoke to the feeling of a hand soothingly running along her back, and opened her eyes slowly. Severus was lying next to her with a peculiar expression on his face.

"Did you sleep?" she asked, clearing her throat.

"Yes I did, for a bit. I woke up about half an hour ago," he answered, still rubbing her back.

"Then why are you still laying here?"

He frowned. "You were shaking in your sleep."

Embarrassed, Cassi looked away. She didn't even notice when she did that anymore, and it had almost faded entirely when she moved in with Severus, but every now and then, he would wake her up or hold her tight, telling her it was fine, and she assumed she was flinching or shaking again. She knew this would not be the last time either. "Sorry," she mumbled, looking up at the ceiling and moving away from him slightly. He frowned more and stared off pensively, and after a moment, took a heavy breath.

She turned her head to look at him, and seeing the distant look on his face, she carefully placed a hand on his chest and moved back to him. "Severus…"

"What?"

"What's troubling you?"

"I'm not troubled."

"Liar."

He absent-mindedly stroked her hair with his right hand now. "Mm, just thinking."

"About?"

"Things. Hagrid, the Ministry, Dumbledore… just things." Slowly, she moved her head to his chest and held him tight, stroking his arm for comfort. He was somewhat startled by this gesture, but accepted it quietly. Both lay just as they were for a good half-hour, simply being together, still attempting to come to grips with reality. It was too soon to think about everything, and yet unavoidable. She pressed her cheek to his chest. He had his own private way of mourning and mulling, and she wished he wouldn't be so uptight when he did this, but let him have his healing process.

After awhile, Cassi lifted her head and leaned over to kiss him. "Want to come criticize me while I grade papers? It will keep you busy until dinner, then we can talk afterwards." He nodded and sat up with her.

"I'll start with Mister Longbottom's," she as she shifted her papers in the basket and pulled on out.

"I'm ecstatic," he replied flatly, but stood over her shoulder and watched.

~

It was during dinner that Cassi noticed the return of the thoughtful look on his face. He had put his fork down halfway through dinner and did not pick it up for the rest of the meal. She finished her roll quietly, and when the rest of the staff (who all looked tired and distracted, minus Dumbledore who was not there) finished, they looked around, and stood in unison. The students followed suit and followed their teachers out of the Great Hall, the Houses remaining together as if for protection.

The mass flowed out of the giant doors at the front of the school as a Prefect held them, and continued their trip out to Hagrid's hut. The grass was greening up now, and everything showed signs of a warm spring. The evening sun half peaked over the trees of the forest, their green tips spiking up against the round orange orb, which spread its fiery array of colors across the ever-changing sky. Night was beginning to fall to one side of them, while the other side was a chaotic blend of orange, pink, and yellow. It was a beautiful, clear evening, sadly perfect for the occasion as if trying to compensate for the loss of their teacher. After much walking, the staff finally arrived at a place near his hut where the forest meets the rolling green grounds, and looked upon a large, square hole in the ground with a slate gray rectangular box levitating over it. Without a word, they formed a line and walked to an area behind the coffin, forming a semi-circle around it, while the students stood in a low murmuring crowd on the other side, about five meters back. Everyone looked at the closed coffin, but their expressions varied. Some looked at it with fear and avoidance, others were already crying, some were blank, and still others looked careless and impatient (mostly the Slytherins). The teachers though all had one expression as they stood shoulder to shoulder, and that was a silent, strong reverence for their lost colleague.

It came to Cassi's attention that Dumbledore had been standing beside Severus the entire time since they had arrived, but was now moving forward to stand at the edge of the hole, and just in front of the coffin. The crowd quieted immediately, and there was a silence that held in the air for a few minutes while each considered what was happening. Finally, Dumbledore spoke in his gentle yet powerful voice.

"My dear staff and students, you know why you are here today. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has suffered a great loss in the past week, as our gamekeeper, professor, and friend died at the hands of evil. Rubeus Hagrid led a remarkable life, and left a remarkable impact on our lives.

"Both of his parents had passed from his life before his second year as a student here, before he was wrongly expelled. He came to be the groundskeeper of the school that way, and was more dedicated to this school than I know some professors and headmasters alike had been, because he loved this school more than some love their homes. This was his home, and it will be his home.

"More than anything at this school, he loved to care for living creatures inside and outside the grounds. He was most taken with animals that magical people had long forsaken, because he found the good in everything. He had a special way with animals, and always treated them with kindness and love, because he thought that was the way everything that had been breathed life into ought to be treated. Even though he was often not treated as he treated others, this never stopped him from being kindly. He cared about his students because he could identify with every one of them. He made friends every year, and kept in touch with as many as he could after they had passed from the school. If anyone had a problem, Hagrid would be there to pat them on the back and encourage them, and if they needed help, he was there to try to guide them. If they needed defending, Hagrid was their loyal hero.

"The amount of love and kindness Hagrid had could hardly fit into his body. His lesson that he passed on to everyone was one of faith and hope. He was convinced that everyone had the potential to be good, and everyone had the ability to be the happiest person if they worked hard and had faith. It was through friendship, he believed, that all things could be achieved.

"I know some of you are asking why, why should a man so kind be taken so swiftly from our midst? The answer is that there is no reason why, because Hagrid's death was the byproduct of evil and ambition. While the beginning events of last week unfolded, Hagrid walked on the forests' edge, and was killed as servants of the Dark Lord carried out their duties. There is no one here to blame for his death. The only blame that can be placed is traced back to Voldemort himself. Our world does not want to believe he has returned, because it means accepting something very hard and very frightening to some people. The fear will only continue if we hide the truth. The death of Hagrid is like the death of Cedric Diggory; both died in the fight for truth and right, and both were taken away from us because Evil had other plans.

"But in truth, they are not gone. A person is only truly gone when they are forgotten and unloved, and we will never forget Hagrid and his kindness, and we will love our memories of him for as long as we have them. He is not as lost as the Dark side would hope, because his lessons, life, and compassion are hard to forget.

"I do not believe he would want you to mourn his death with sadness, loss, and tears, but rather he would want to celebrate his life. He wanted life to be enjoyed, and he would never be satisfied if he made life hard. Therefore, in our last respects to Hagrid, let your somber emotions remain here at his grave, and walk away with only fond memories and his touching morals. I will wait for the next quarter of an hour while you quietly say your good-byes to his body, and then he will be buried." Dumbledore's speech had been slow and purposeful, with pauses after each sentence so everyone could understand. About halfway through his speech, nearly everyone was crying or hanging their head, and many sniffles could be heard. Indeed, nearly all the staff had shed silent tears as their eyes remained trained on the gray stone coffin. Cassi had two quiet tears slip from her eyes, and she quickly wiped them away when the pause began. She looked up at Severus, who was concentrating hard on the crowd. He had no tears, but the blankness of his face told her that he was once again hiding everything, mourning in his mind where many a painful thought was held.

A loud shriek resonated through the forest, followed by the cry of a thousand shrill voices, then a chorus of strange noises. Every head turned to the forest with concern, until Dumbledore said, "The animals grieve for their friend." Everyone then returned to their thoughts, sorting through memories of Hagrid, and some silently mouthing words as they seemed to talk to him, wishing him luck in the other world. When the sad silence had grown too heavy, Dumbledore straightened up again to speak.

"The time has come for us to say goodbye to the body of Hagrid. He will rest here forever, and he will be right here if you need to visit him. We bury his body tonight, but this coffin does not contain his spirit or the memories he has given you; those are yours to keep. Now, we say goodbye to Rubeus Hagrid, our fellow colleague and most of all, friend." Dumbledore whispered a few words of goodbye on his own, and it seemed that most everyone else was whispering goodbye as well. He then pulled out his wand from his pocket, and waved it once. The casket lowered into the hole until it could not be seen from where the crowd stood. Dumbledore then waved his wand once more, and clasped his hands together. A rumble could be heard as the earth shifted and groaned as it moved over the casket and covered the hole seamlessly with the dirt and grass until only a slight hill and a stone remained. The stone was a small rectangle engraved with his name, the date of birth and death, and a picture of a reared dragon, wings spread and clawing the air as it looked towards the sky.

Everyone stared at the hole, the crowd swaying some from standing too long. Sniffling and quiet whispers filled the air. The sun had fallen behind the trees now and their light was wanting as the dark purple velvet of the sky invaded into the smooth orange, stars beginning to twinkle.

"It is done. Prefects, please lead your students back to the dormitories, and will the Head Boy and Girl please follow behind the crowd? Thank you. The staff will remain here as you go. School resumes tomorrow as usual, and I will see you all tomorrow at breakfast, rested and hopefully more cheery. Goodnight my students!" he said, and the crowd began to shift and talk as the groups reassembled and began to trudge away. The mass of students thinned and thinned until eventually, one person was left standing as the Head Girl tried to usher him along.

"Alice, yes, that won't be necessary, I'll take Harry inside, thank you," Dumbledore said, and the Head Girl bowed slightly and rushed off to join the others. Harry Potter came forward, stopping shortly before the grave. Then, wordlessly, he pulled something out of his pocket and laid it next to the stone. It became clear that it was in fact a flute, a crude wooden flute whittled from a light brown wood. He looked after it for a moment, then looked up at everyone, realizing they were watching him.

"I was returning it," he explained and Dumbledore smiled, walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. They walked together to the castle, and most of the staff followed behind him, talking amongst themselves. Only Cassi and Severus remained behind.

She leaned her head on his upper arm when the people had gone and grasped his hand. "Do you need more time?" she asked in a quiet voice.

He tore his gaze from the headstone to her eyes, considering something. "No no, I'm ready to go back inside if you are," he replied steadily, sounding just as he always did.

"I am," she said, and she began to walk to the castle, but before she took her second step, Severus stopped her. He leaned down and kissed her gently, quickly placing a hand on the back of her neck and persuading her into the kiss. She touched the side of his face and traced his jaw line, then dropped her hand and stood back, shaking her head at him.

"Strange, strange," was all she said, taking up his hand to walk with him closely until they reached the castle. As Severus took a step forward though, a loud barking could be heard, and the sound of fast, light steps from behind them made Cassi turn around. "A dog on the grounds? It's certainly not Fang." She looked at it, confused.

"No," replied Severus, on the verge of misery and anger. "It is not. Just leave it be, it's a street mutt." Cassi looked harder at the dog. It was giant and black as night, but its eyes… they were a familiar shade of blue. It came to a stop in front of her, and sat obediently down, looking up at her pitifully and pawing her skirt hem. Panting slightly, the dog whined. "It's a stray, and it will go away if it knows what's good for it."

"Severus," she said, amused and now very cautiously petting the dog's head, "You act like the dog has wronged you in a horrible manner!" The dog closed its eyes, enjoying the pat, and licked her hand.

"It has. Trust me, it's not worth your time," he replied, pulling slightly at her hand to get her to come. The dog, however, growled at him, baring white angry teeth, and transformed very rapidly into a tall, thin man.

"My family is just as old as yours, Severus Snape, I'm no street mutt," growled Sirius Black to him. Cassi shook her head.

"You're worse than my students, both of you. Hello Sirius," she said, first disciplining coldly, but embracing him and kissing him on either cheek. Severus scowled venomously as she dropped his hand to seemingly shower Black in affection. "Animagus, too? Impressive."

"Yes, ladies love me, human or not," he said winningly, and grinned. "Now, not to have interrupted you in that touching display of affection, but I barely had a chance to say goodbye when you both rushed out of the room last night. Can't imagine what was so important. Anyway, I won't be at the next few summer meetings, Dumbledore's got a trip for me to go on. I shall see you Cassandra." He bowed elaborately, and she just smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Then we'll talk again come the end of summer, Sirius," she replied. He hugged her again and made a motion to leave without a word to Severus, but then turned back.

"And Snape?"

"What do you want, Black?" Severus said through gritted teeth.

"Take care of her for me, will you? I won't be gone too long." And with that, he transformed back into a dog, and scampered back into the forest. If dogs laugh, it was certainly what he was doing then.

Cassi grasped Severus' hand and entwined her fingers in his. "You know," she said as they walked, "There's always someone watching us to make sure you never love me in public."

"What do you think I was trying to do when I kissed you? I wanted to get rid of him!" he grunted sorely. She pushed his arm, but rest her head against his arm lovingly thereafter.

When they got up to the castle steps, she looked at him wistfully, then released his hand. He continued through the door and she followed, shutting it behind her, then walked with him silently down the corridor, down the stairs, and to his room. He, of course, waited for her at his door so he could seal it and lock up, but she walked with him as he habitually made his rounds.

Wordlessly, they left his classroom and went to their chambers, getting their nightclothes on with a pensive silence. As Cassi walked out of the bathroom while brushing her hair (a much easier task now), she spied the back of Severus, sitting near the corner of the bed and facing the wall in front of him. His proud shoulders seemed slumped slightly, and he ran his fingers through his hair every so often. She set her brush back on the bathroom counter and moved silently across the floor, climbing onto the bed and embracing him from behind.

He felt her warm arms wrap around his waist and her face press into the back of his neck with tenderness. He straightened slightly, and he felt her shake her head. Her hands loosened their tight grip and moved to his shoulders, now pressing and kneading firmly. The tense and sore muscles in his shoulders relaxed, and he sensed a security and easiness in her touch, and closed his eyes. "What are you thinking about?" she whispered.

"The same as I was before."

"Hagrid, the Ministry, and Dumbledore? I believe only one of those three is troubling you at the moment, love." There was a pause.

"Maybe."

"Severus… there wasn't anything we could do. If we hadn't been captured then, it would have been later, and it would have been a different casualty. You'd still be sitting here, at this bed, blaming yourself for everything that happened. And I'd still be here, trying to drag what you mean out of one word answers and convince you that it wasn't your fault," she whispered to him in his ear, as if he could only hear her if she was quiet. Her hands moved down to the muscles near his bony spine and across his shoulder blades, pressing in small circles up and down his back.

He shook his head. "I could have easily told him to run straight off-"

"He wouldn't have listened, you know that. You'd blame yourself if a pillar in this school chipped."

"… I know. I… this is just how I… am." He finished his sentence weakly, and looked around the room.

"I love you for it," she sighed, and continued rubbing his back in silence. After he had stopped running through his pattern of nervous habits, she ceased her rhythmic movements and hugged his shoulders. "Let's go to sleep, you look tired." She took his hand from his knee and led him under the covers. He kissed her goodnight deeply once they had settled, snaked an arm around her narrow shoulders, and pulled her close.

"What would you do without me?" she murmured sleepily, smiling as he pressed his mouth to her neck.

"Pace. Quite a bit, I'd imagine," he replied in his deep rich voice, whispering against her skin. She fell asleep smiling.

~

The next week, the week the two professors had off, was surprisingly pleasant. Mornings were spent walking out on the grounds after breakfast, afternoons with grading papers, and evenings with reading. They stayed together for most of the time, never tiring of the other's company. Often, arguments or debates arose between then, giving their minds an exercise from the daily mix of things as everything from potions to the Ministry was heatedly discussed in hours-long conversations. Other times, they simply read in the presence of the other, or one would busy themselves while the other read. Even though both hated time off, they admitted it was not as hard as they thought it could have been had they been alone. It was the last week of bliss Severus had for a long, long time.

The week after their quiet paradise was hectic. The students were becoming excitable with the coming of warmer weather, and school was less than two months from being out. The classes were becoming hard to control, but sobered immediately when the teachers brought up their exams. Cassi was continuing her lessons on the history of the Dark Lord, in spite of recent events. Her classes watched her with a nervous expectation, waiting for the day she would have some sort of emotional breakdown in the middle of her lessons due to horrible memories of her kidnapping. No such breakdown happened though, but everyone remained very sensitive to the topic until it was beginning to aggravate her.

"…And, thus was his rise to power. Now, does anyone have any questions before the bell rings?" she said as one class came to a close. Everyone shook their heads. "So you understand everything I just said then? No questions?" They shook their heads again, somewhat hesitantly. Cassi hopped off her stool with her gradebook in hand, her aire disinterested and cold. "Perfect, quiz next class then. It should be no problem for you experts."

"Oh no," was the general grumble of the class. The bell rang at that minute, and they collected their things and filed out of class in a gloom. Cassi watched them leave, and as soon as the last student was gone, she set her book down on the desk a little harder than she would have liked, and collapsed into her chair, feeling quite nauseous for the second time that day.

"And a flu too, how lovely," she murmured bitterly to herself. She pulled out a stack of papers for her next class to work on, and began searching for her paperweight, wishing her next three classes would simply teach themselves so she could either curl up in bed and sleep. Unfortunately, Time has never made exceptions to its steady count, and the classes passed slowly. By dinner, she was feeling better, but still wanted out.

Locking up as quickly as possible, she shoved her keys into her pocket and raced down the hall, now late. When she came to the Great Hall, she felt ill again and walked up to the table with apprehension. Severus didn't acknowledge her presence for most of the meal (it kept rumors to a bare minimum), but when he noticed she had only eaten a few bites, he turned to her briefly and said, "You'll want to eat more than that if you want to keep your soul in your body."

"Thank you, Health Instructor Snape, I'll keep that in mind. I don't feel well, for your information. Back off," she replied tartly, crossing her arms and pushing her chair back. She was stunned with how sharp she sounded. He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing for the rest of the meal. The Hall was buzzing with people talking and eating, a light clatter accompanying the sound. Severus put his fork down and backed his chair away from the table, rising and walking away from the table, Cassi following. Neither said a word until both were in the hallway and away from prying ears, which was not until they had reached the dank dungeons.

"Well," he said in an amused and menacing tone, "you seem in the brightest of moods."

She shook her head. "And yet you still comment."

"I always have a smart comment, according to you."

"You're digging a hole, Snape."

"Where does it lead?"

She turned to him. "A permanently empty bed if you don't watch yourself professor!" she hissed.

"Sleeping on the floor hurts my back, actually."

"Severus!" she said sharply as he opened his classroom door for her, and he smirked evilly.

"I should write books; How to Annoy Women in Less Than Five Minutes." He locked the door and moved to his potion's cabinet automatically, rearranging three bottles that seemed out of order.

"You most certainly could," she spat. He looked over to her, curious, and shut the cabinet doors slowly. He approached her and placed a hand on her forehead and on the back of her neck, checking her temperature, then gently pulled her forward and kissed her neck softly.

"You don't have a fever," he said quietly. "You could be getting sick though. I can give you something a preventing potion you want." His glance studied her eyes and expression, weighing her reaction.

She sighed. "No... I'll just go to bed, it will go away soon," she said apologetically, but he rolled his eyes when he heard her mention mysteriously vanishing symptoms. "What? It might."

"And if it doesn't, you have to go see Madame Pomfrey," he said, standing upright to seem imposing and now walking with a hand on her back.

"Ha. Fine, if it will make you happy."

"It will. I don't know how long I would remain alive if the mood you're in now continues," he said as they stepped through his office and down the hallway.

She rested her head against his chest. "I'm sorry about that, I didn't mean to come off as irritable," she replied.

"I found it amusing."

"I noticed."

"A How-to and Novel by Professor Severus R. Snape," he dictated thoughtfully.

She laughed. "What does the R stand for?" she asked as they stepped into their room. A distasteful look flitted across his face.

"I'll tell you some other time..." She laughed again.

She didn't feel better when a week had passed though, so after much force and threats, Severus pushed her into a visit with the nurse, who gave her some pills that made the sick feeling fade. After that, she seemed fine, and had perked up considerably, so much that everything was back to normal… but that lasted only a few days. Three days later, Severus walked into their room late at night (he was grading a pop test he had given his unsuspecting and unprepared students) when he found Cassi lying on the bed cover, her eyes red rimmed and her face lightly blotchy. The lights were dimmed, but brightened as he walked into the room, casting a wave of light over her thin frame. Her mind seemed to be a thousand miles off as she stared blankly at him for a split-second.

"Severus!" she started, frightened considerably by the sight of him. "I-I didn't know you were done!" She sat up, covering her face with her hands briefly in a motion of distress.

"I just finished. Are you alright?" he asked, highly suspicious and concerned.

"Yes, of course I'm alright," she snapped, fidgeting with her robes, a sure sign she was not as fine as she said. "I'm just tired."

"I've yet to notice you so blotchy when you're tired," he said, sitting by her on the bed. She scowled, and stood to pace almost as he did when he had something particular on his mind.

"I'm not blotchy, and if I am then it's through no fault of my own," she said hurriedly.

"How convenient. What is this about?" he asked firmly. "Hagrid? Voldemort? The children? Or someone else?"

She looked up at him with a quick, curious look, then shook her head. He returned the look with a stern, set face as she walked back to him, sighing as she sat on his lap and buried her face in his shoulder.

"I told you that I'm alright. I can handle myself, thank you very minutely," she said, now sounding more like her normal self instead of an angry witch. He put a hand on her back to comfort her, but she shook her head and stood up to get dressed for bed, stealing a quick kiss from him. He simply sat there as she walked off, slightly befuddled by what he had just witnessed, and wondering who he had just kissed.

After what had seemed to be some sort of emotional breakdown, a wall had been built between them. Cassi talked less, ate less, and spent less time with him. When he directed any conversation towards her, she grew nervous and flighty, often fidgeting and answering only what he wanted to hear. Often she would flinch when he made sudden movements, which only served to put him in a foul mood. This meekness grew into intolerance, and fights began to break out. It started as simple picking at a habit or opinion he had, and evolved into full out arguments, which left Severus thoroughly confused as to what they were fighting about. She spent her spare time in her classroom, and he rarely left his dungeons, so even breaks, which used to be savored with each other, were now working periods. Days would pass where they simply would not speak to each other, even though they shared the same bed at night. It was not always guaranteed she would be there when he woke up; she claimed she was going on walks in the mornings.

For awhile, he thought she was having some sort of post-traumatic stress problems, not able to cope with the events of her kidnapping. Then he wondered if she had fallen back on potion addiction, for her eyes seemed so lost and so dark. Indeed, her clothes were beginning to hang on her again, and she acted so oddly. A thousand other theories surfaced in his mind every time something was off-balance, but there was one theory he avoided… the one that nagged at him the most, and the one that hurt the most.

Things became over the top. They were fighting every day now. Cassi seemed cold and distant, as if he were holding her back from something. Severus had become increasingly bitter, as he so often did when he was trapped in situations he couldn't control or fix. It was hard to tell whether the fights or the ignoring was worse, but both were like sour injections into his body. She was gaunt and uncaring, and he was tired and cold. It had to stop.

Even some of the students had begun to notice a change in their teacher. There was one day in particular that stood out in Harry Potter's mind when he reflected on that month. It was towards the end of May, when lessons had begun to speed up quickly in hopes of cramming a little more into students' minds before the final exams. He had come to his first class of the day, Defense Against the Dark Arts, in hopes that it would be little more merciful than his irritable Potions class was, but instead found it a bit disturbing.

Since the seventh years were taking practice exams this afternoon, the rest of the school was having a mixed day, which Dumbledore said would be good for them. All Houses had classes with each other, and everyone's normal schedule was changed. As Harry took his normal seat, he noticed a few familiar Gryffindor faces in the room, a few ok Hufflepuffs, and an assortment of Slytherins and Ravenclaws who did not look happy with this arrangement. And, upon further inspection, it was Draco Malfoy sitting in the middle of the table with Slytherins on both sides of him, looking around the room as if he owned it, and then glaring at Harry who sat directly in front of him. Thankfully, Hermione walked in a moment later than Harry, so he wasn't alone in class.

"Harry! I didn't know we had a class together," she said as she threw her bag onto the table and began digging through it for her quill and parchment.

"Yeah, but I didn't know I'd be having Defense class with Draco either, so there you go," muttered Harry dryly.

Hermione looked up, her mouth a thin line. "Don't worry about him, he wouldn't dare speak out of turn in here." She procured her quill, inkwell, and parchment from the bag, then took her seat and waited patiently. Harry pulled out his notes from last time to scribble down a few things she said that were important. The bell sounded, but their teacher did not appear. The quiet whispers of the class got louder as their teacher became more tardy.

Five minutes after the bell, Cassi stormed into the room through her office door and immediately busied herself with trying to find the roll for today. Hermione prodded him.

"Harry, is it just me or does she look sort of… tired?" she asked in a low voice. Harry nodded. "She's been looking that way for awhile."

"Preparing exams probably," he speculated with a careless aire, but Hermione knew he didn't really think that. She shrugged slightly, and turned her attention to listen to the new roll being called out.

"…and Zimmerman? Good. Now, settle down, we're going to start the lesson then I'll have you outline a scroll from the library that I duplicated for you. Don't groan, it will be on your exam. Where did we leave off again?" she asked, looking slightly uneasy.

"Muggle poisoning?" Hermione called out. She nodded.

"Right right. I'm going to cover Ministry action then," she moved to the board, and took up her chalk. Giving her notes a title, she scribbled a few things onto the blackboard and then turned around briskly. "With the first Muggle attacks, the Ministry was forced to declare a state of emergency, for the Dark community had jeopardized the secret of the wizards. If you'll recall, that was one of their objectives: that Muggles know of our existence and submit to us as inferior beings. With the declaration of the state of emergency, society was forced to accept the fact that there was an impending war and possibly a state of depression in our economy. However, once they had accepted this fact, the Ministry passed a series of Acts… what is it, Mr. Malfoy?" She crossed her arms, chalk still in hand, and the class turned their attention to Draco, who put his arm down (which he had been waving in the air in a cruel impression of Hermione) and leaned back in his chair.

"I was wondering when we'd get to the good stuff," the boy said, drawling his words out in a whining manner.

"Good stuff? Of which event are you referring to as good?" she asked incredulously.

"The part where Harry Potter saves the day, of course!" he said with enthusiasm, and all the Slytherins and Ravenclaws burst out laughing.

Cassi glared and the class quieted. "First off, the end of his reign won't be covered for another 2 weeks. Secondly, five points from Slytherin for disrespect," she said in a voice that seemed to yell but was barely above a whisper.

"You know, you sure do know a lot about Dark happenings," he called out, and the class went dead silent instantly. "Did Voldemort review you while you were gone?" No one was laughing now, it was a battle of the wills between Cassi and Draco.

"I was alive during most of this time period. I've also done extensive studies on this subject, and it is my business to know, as it is my business to teach you. Mr. Malfoy, sit quietly and see me after class," she said, and turned back the board.

"Or maybe you didn't need reviewing-"

"I will be taking this up with your Head of House," she said, her back still turned as she wrote a few more things on the board.

"Oh please, you won't even talk to him anymore, what happened, you break up with him or something?"

"Draco Malfoy, leave my classroom immedietly. I believe you and the Headmaster need to have a talk," she thundered, looking hurt only for a second before her steely demeanor overtook her.

"Make me," he called out, standing.

"As you wish, ambulo itio Dumbledore! Goodbye Mr. Malfoy," she said, drawing her wand and hitting him with a spell. Immediately, his feet began shuffling him to the door, and he scowled as he was lead out of the classroom.

The moment after his quick departure was tense. Cassi put her wand back in her sash and turned back to the chalkboard, not writing anything, simply standing with the chalk in her hand, staring at the board. The class fidgeted. Finally, she brought a hand to her face to pinch the highest point of the bridge of her nose with her index finger and thumb, then turned back to the class, sterner and colder than ever. "The Walking Curse; it takes them anywhere they need to be. Maybe a little too advanced for this age level, but with practice it's not too hard to master… we'll save these notes for another day. Outline the following handout," she said monotonely, and she took up a stack of papers from her desk and passed them out. After everyone had their copy, she sat down at her desk and busied herself in her gradebook.

Harry, who was avoiding her glance during the entire episode, immediately began taking quick notes from the parchment, writing down dates, names, and a few important underlined lines from the passages. A few people began whispering again, until there was a quiet murmur as they worked. In the middle of his task though, Hermione prodded him again, then glanced at their professor so he would follow her gaze. Professor Talin was staring blankly at her gradebook, sometimes covering her eyes with her hands.

"Malfoy's a jerk," he said to Hermione.

"I know he is, Harry… but what he said had truth to it. Look at how she reacted. Haven't you seen Professor Snape and Professor Talin in public lately?" she whispered.

"Hermione, they don't mean it when they fight," he replied.

"They don't fight anymore. They don't talk, and she'll walk through long halls to avoid passing him," she whispered fervently. "If you ask me, it sounds like something's not right."

Harry shrugged. "I dunno, I really don't. If you-" But he stopped midsentence as a third year walking into the classroom, carrying a note which she handed to their teacher dutifully. Talin read the letter, as color drain from her face.

"Tell the professor not to bother with coming upstairs, and that I have dealt with it accordingly," she told the third year, who nodded and scampered out of the room. Cassi leaned back in her chair now, looking most ill.

"You might be right, Hermione," Harry said. "Yeah. Definitely."

And she was, for Harry witnessed almost exactly what Hermione had described later that afternoon, and again at dinner. Now the students sometimes brought this up with their closest friends, designing theories as to what went wrong in the relationship between a cruel Potions teacher and a cold Defense professor.

***

The month of May had passed in an increasing worse fashion, and finally, Severus had had enough. After enduring a month of weird behavior, he finally had reached the limit of being pushed away. Therefore, knowing she would come to his rooms for a stack of homework papers during break, he planned a confrontation. Grumpy and in a foul mood, he harassed his students over their poor Coloring Concoctions until the bell rang.

"Don't think that that slipshod work will get you through the exam, Baker. And you, Miss Gardner, come prepared for class once in your life!" he called out as his students quickly fled out the door and down the hall. Tired, he walked over to his desk, threw down his gradebook, and seated himself at his desk, waiting for Cassi to walk through the door. He felt pensive and nervous, and the realization of these vulnerable feelings created dark thoughts in his mind.

Exactly on cue, she slipped through the door and avoided his glance. He waited for her to get to his rooms, then started after her quickly and burst through his doors and down the short hallway.

"Cassandra," he said firmly when he entered his bedroom. She looked up at him almost knowingly.

"Severus?"

"Let's talk."

"What about?"

"Don't play those games with me, Cassi. I'm not even sure where to begin. In the past month, your behavior has been alarming sporadic. You do not talk to me, you barely eat, you avoid me at all costs, and we fight incessantly. This morning it was about a scroll. One single, solitary scroll. Yesterday it was Harry Potter. The day before, it was Longbottom. In the mornings you're off somewhere, and in the evenings, you escape to the library. Take your pick as to where you'd like to start." He crossed his arms across his chest, and she, standing beside the desk, collapsed back into the wooden chair, the color draining from her face.

"Severus, I…" She was at a loss for words, shaking her head at something. Silence hung so thickly in the air as the events of the past month replayed themselves in their minds. He walked over to her and knelt down in front of her, gripping her chair.

"You're hiding something, just tell me what it is," he asked searchingly.

"I can't," she murmured coldly. "I can't… I've tried. I can't."

"I don't see why you can't, and this is the problem. You're not the same person you were at the beginning of the month."

"Yes, I am."

"I swear you are not! You act like you can not stand me! I've gotten more positive attention from Aurors than you!"

"Severus! That's not true-"

"It is!"

Before even realizing what was taking place, she had flung her arms around his neck and was kissing him furiously, running her hands through his hair. Somewhere between confusion and relief, he wrapped his arms around her gently and held her close as familiar feelings crept back into his icy heart. The next instant, she tore herself off him, apologizing and half-frightened, her eyes darting to the door and then to her hands, which she wrung nervously. He gripped her arms tightly before she could run off and held her still, his frustration peaked.

"This is what I mean! What is happening to you?" he thundered.

"Nothing!" she snapped back, her anger matching his in no time. "Nothing at all! Nothing you'd care to know about, lest you cast me out! You don't even know what's going on, when it's so obvious! You don't care enough to know!"

"Know what? What are you talking about?" he yelled. "You speak of things I don't understand!"

"You wouldn't understand, even if I told you! If you did know, you'd kill us both!" She gasped at what she had said. Struggling with him to free herself, tears began to pour down her cheeks, and she refused to look at him.

"What did you say?" he asked incredulously, unable to comprehend the meaning of her words. He wondered faintly if he sounded as crazy as he felt. "What did you say? Who is 'us'?"

"I said nothing, let me go! Damn you, let me go! Ow, let go!" she said sharply as his grip on her arms tightened. He released her, startled at her anger towards him and at his bruising grip on her and she stood up blearily, shoulders shaking. Furiously, she glanced back at him, then started off running down the corridor, slamming doors behind her and scrolls abandoned.

Shocked, he looked around the still room for several seconds after the confrontation. The chair she had sat in was overturned, but everything else seemed normal, too normal for this to be some horrible nightmare. He pulled himself to his feet and walked to the bed, sitting on the edge and turning things over in his mind. 'If you did know, you would kill us both!' Both? Her and I?… or her and someone else? Someone… who has replaced me in her eyes. There is another. Of course. The walks, the fights, the avoidance… why couldn't I see it before? How ignorant am I? Of course. Of course.

"Oh God no," he murmured desperately, looking around. "God, please don't let it be."

~

This is the part where you review. With the review button. Go on, tell me how much you despise/love my cliffhangers, and how much you'll all chop me up into little pieces if I mess with my characters. Hey, don't laugh, someone has told me that. Review.