Author's Notes: This story is about half over so don't be worried about it ending anytime soon. :-) This is a chapter I've had written for a while, it's been planned since the very early stages of Cassius' character development. I totally want to hear what you all think about this so please, please let me know what you think in your reviews! :-)

Disclaimers: JK Rowling created Harry Potter and his universe. I am not making any money from this. I only lay claim to the characters of Cassius Malfoy, Stevens, Tabby and Clara and the properties of the werewolf bond and separation illness as described in this story.

Chapter 21 - Sleepless

Over a month later, feeling achier, and more tired and forgetful, Cassius felt the need to see his brother, Lucius. He really wanted to see Poppy, the nurse at Hogwarts, but he knew he couldn't go there, so Lucius was the next best thing. He went into his room to get changed. He was in a foul mood, Tabby was always trying to get him to eat or drink and he had figured out she was slipping him sleeping potions. Stevens had started staying over, he was looking for a new place to live, and was constantly asking him how he was sleeping and eating.

Stevens had been one of Cassius' best friends since Hogwarts. He was two years ahead of Cassius in school but they had been in Ravenclaw and on the house Quidditch team. They had remained in touch after school and Stevens was part of Cassius' family now, along with Remus, Tabby and Moody. Stevens was on the Chudley Cannons Quidditch team but it was the off-season so he was around all the time. Cassius wished Quidditch would start up again. He slept better when Stevens was over but he hated Stevens hovering around treating him like a child so recently he had taken to avoiding him.

After tying his boots, he Apparated and a moment later was standing outside the front door of Malfoy Manor. He lifted the heavy knocker and banged it on the door three times. After another moment, Narcissa answered the door. He was surprised to see her, Dobby usually opened the door, Cassius wondered where he was.

"Cassius! This is a pleasant surprise." She stood back and waved him inside where she gave him a warm hug. Cassius forced a polite smile to his face. His left temple throbbed and he felt a cold sweat break out all over his body.

"Is Luke home?"

"Yes, he's in his study. Is everything all right?" Narcissa looked at him with concern. She was very fond of her husband's brother, she wondered if something had gone wrong with his secret lover.

"Fine." Cassius answered coolly. Narcissa knew better than to push a Malfoy man into giving confidences. She hoped that her husband would be able to help, she sensed this was more than a social visit. They walked silently down the hall to the study door. She knocked once on the door.

"Yes?" Lucius voice called from inside.

"Lucius, your brother is here to see you." Narcissa opened the door. Lucius stood up from his desk quickly.

"Cass! This is a surprise." A smile lightened Lucius' usually stern features.

"She said the same." Cassius smiled back.

"Well, it's been a while since you've visited." Lucius surveyed his younger brother. He looked ill and he was thinner than the last time they had visited. Narcissa stepped back through the doorway and shut the door behind her quietly.

"I…has it?" Cassius answered.

"Yes, you haven't visited since Draco's birthday, back in June." Lucius tilted his head questioningly.

"Oh." Cassius' hand rubbed his forehead. With a sinking feeling, Lucius recognized that gesture, although he hadn't seen it in years.

"You're not sleeping well." Lucius turned towards the drink cabinet, he felt tears prick at his eyes. 'Malfoys don't cry.' He could hear his father's voice echoing in his head and blinked the tears back quickly.

"I..I am too." Cassius sounded like a chastised 5 year old.

"You're not. Don't lie to me, I can tell, I'm your brother." Lucius answered smoothly.

"I know, it's not like I'd forget." Cassius said petulantly as he sat down in a chair in front of the fire. Lucius poured a glass of sherry for himself and for his brother. As he did, he remembered a day years ago when he had come home and his brother had indeed forgotten that very fact.

"So, what's going on?" Lucius asked casually as he crossed the room and handed one of the glasses to Cassius before sitting down opposite of him.

"Nothing. I just can't you visit?" Cassius looked at the glass in his hand before taking a sip.

Lucius took a sip of his sherry. It was a muggle drink, but he was rather fond of it. "Of course. I'm always glad to see you."

"I…I wanted to see you." Suddenly, Lucius remembered the old spell that had been put on Cassius. It was a failsafe, in case his memory got too bad. It would trigger the impulse to come to Lucius for help. Lucius had forgotten about it, he smiled slightly at the irony.

"Cassius Malfoy, tell me what's wrong." He spoke firmly, the command would trigger a truthful answer.

"I'm not sleeping well." Cassius muttered. He felt silly admitting it, having just denied it a moment ago, but he suddenly felt he had to tell Lucius the truth.

"Ah." Lucius waited to hear if Cassius would say why.

"My…um…you know…he's not home."

"He left you?" Lucius asked quickly, surprised. This lover had been with Cassius for 9 years, Lucius thought everything was going well.

"No – no, he got a job…away…and he's gone…a while, I think."

"Ah." Lucius waited for Cassius to continue.

"I can't sleep without him." Cassius stopped short of telling Lucius about the separation illness that was affecting him because his lover was a werewolf – he didn't think Lucius would take that news well and in his present condition Cassius didn't want a confrontation.

"And how's work?" Lucius asked.

"Black is still escaping us." Lucius noted how his brother started chewing his fingers when he thought about Sirius. He always got agitated when Sirius was discussed.

"Well, stay here tonight. We'll have dinner – I notice you haven't been eating well either?" Cassius nodded his head. "After dinner, I'll give you my special sleeping potion so you can get some rest." Lucius smiled fondly at his brother's scowl. "I know you don't like it, but I insist, you need it."

At breakfast, while Cassius was still sleeping from the powerful sleeping potion, Lucius and Narcissa talked about how tired Cassius had looked. Lucius decided he needed to tell Cassius' lover the truth about Cassius' memory problem. The lover needed to know that Cassius not sleeping was more serious than just being tired. He went back to his study and pulled out a plain piece of scroll. He decided he would send the letter to Alastor Moody – Cassius regarded him as a surrogate father – certainly Moody would know who Cassius' lover was.

Swallowing a large amount of Malfoy pride, he wrote a quick note to Moody – asking him to deliver the enclosed letter and then started on the letter. It took him several hours to get it all down. He called to a house-elf who scampered off to have the letter owled to Moody.

Four days later at Hogwarts, Remus received an owl. He recognized Moody's scrawling writing.

This letter came to me to give to you – you will see who it is from. I received it a few days ago, but I wanted to make sure there was not a hex on it before sending it on to you.

Remus got up from the staff table in the Great Hall and walked quickly to his office. Once inside, he did a locking spell on the door. He paced back and forth a few minutes…he knew this had to be from Lucius…but why was Lucius writing to him? He took a deep breath, sat down, and opened the letter.

Dear Brother-In-Law,

I don't know what name to call you – Cassius has never mentioned your name. For years, I have debated about telling you the truth about my brother's memory problems…and today, I think it is time you know. You were probably told that it was a memory charm that went badly...it was much more than that.

When Cassie was twelve, the summer before his second year at Hogwarts, he and my father visited our Aunt and Uncle Black at their house in London. Our cousin, Sirius Black, pulled a prank on his brother, he often did things like that and usually no one was badly hurt. This time was the exception – Regulus was knocked unconscious and badly burned. Knowing he would get in real trouble, Sirius blamed Cassie. Our father was furious. Cassie denied he had done anything. When they returned home, Father punished him for the prank and for lying about doing it. He used the Cruciatus Curse.

Remus gasped. He knew Julius Malfoy had physically beaten both his sons, but Remus was shocked Cassius' father had used an Unforgivable on him.

After a while, Father believed Cassie that he hadn't done it. He left Cassie in the basement and returned to Grimmauld Place to tell Aunt and Uncle Black. They were going to punish Sirius, but he ran away before they could do anything.

Remus remembered when Sirius had run away from home, he had never learned the whole story. Sirius always said he just couldn't take his family anymore. Now Remus wondered if Sirius had known what had happened to his cousin. He swallowed hard, his stomach was churning now, and looked back down at the letter.

I was away on my honeymoon - I returned the following day. Father was drunk and Cassie was still in the basement, he had been left there alone for almost a full day. I am still haunted by the sight of his vacant eyes and bloody hands. (there was a dark ink spot where Lucius had let the quill sit.) He didn't recognize me. He didn't know his own name. I took him to Saint Mungo's. The healers had found a potion to help brain and memory damage when they were trying to cure the Longbottoms – they were too damaged for it to help them. Thank Merlin, it was able to help Cassius.

He doesn't remember the day of the punishment, or the weeks that followed in hospital. I think that is for the best. When he was released, right before school started, I wrote Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey so they would continue to give Cassius the potion when he returned to school. The healers told me he would have to take it daily for at least a year to allow his brain to heal as completely as possible. It took him almost two years to recover. But he never returned to the way he was before. His memory had been so sharp – he'd remember things after seeing or hearing them just once.

Since you and Cassius have been together, Cassius' memory has gotten better and better and so you may wonder why I am writing you all this now. I saw Cassius last night. He is thinner than the last time I saw him (in June) and very tired. He had trouble remembering things and was rubbing his forehead a lot. It's something he does when he can't remember.

Remus had a vision of Cassius rubbing his forehead, he had seen that gesture in the early days of their dating, and then when he would go on long assignments for work, being gone from Remus for four or more days. It had started happening more often after Sirius escaped.

I am worried about him. There was an spell put on him when he was 13, that he would come to either Madam Pomfrey or me if his memory got bad enough so we could take the needed action. That spell was activated last night. He told me you are away for your job. I hope you will be able to return home to him – if only for a little while – to help him get some sleep or insist he take sleeping potions nightly. When he doesn't have enough sleep, his memory gets bad again. The healers told me that extended periods of not sleeping cause strain on his memory and could result in re-damaging his brain.

Cassius thinks he is being treated like a child when he has to take sleeping potions, and he hates that. I hope you can convince him otherwise. I think you will be able to do it because he loves you.

Although we've never met, I know we have one thing in common – our love for Cassius. I hope someday we will be able to meet, I would very much like to meet the man my brother loves so much.

Lucius Malfoy

Remus took a deep breath. He was glad Lucius had written to tell him this information. Lucius was indeed a good brother. While Remus still wasn't sure if Lucius was a good person, he did love Cassius…and so did Remus. He stood and started towards Dumbledore's office.