Chapter five
Twelve years had passed since Lily and James were killed and Sirius Black was taken to Azkaban. Twelve years for Casalameer to get her life back on track and refocus her energy on her work. Voldemort was gone but she often felt a fear she only recognized in the past during the dark years. As an Auror working for the Ministry of Magic, Cas still confronted evil. But lately her assignments were to track down muggle baiters and go on rescue missions on the behalf of people being terrorized by witches and wizards gone bad. Her next job was going to be much more relaxing. She was to be the new Muggle Studies teacher. She needed a rest from the terrifying jobs she'd had in the past. Her last job was to track down a wizard who was rumoured to be a Death Eater of old. She had caught him with the intent to turn him in to be questioned… but he fought back. And HIS intention was to kill her. Cas had no choice but to perform the Cruciatus curse on him. She would never utter the words, "Avada Kedavra" but to torture someone was almost worse in her mind. She took it incredibly to heart since she had known Alice Longbottom quite well in her youth. It had stopped the rogue Death Eater but she never forgot it. She earned the Order of Merlin Second Class for it and she threw it away.
Now, she was back at her cottage. Alone. She had never fallen in love and she had never forgotten Sirius Black no matter what. She walked along the water like she always did and breathed the fresh air. It was a crisp late summer day and the air was getting cooler every day. She heard the waves greet her in every turn and she felt the ground beneath her feet smush with every step. Another sound was interfering. Looking to see where it came from, Casalameer saw a large black shaggy dog wash up on shore. She ran towards it, half meaning to push it back in if it was dead. She didn't want anything dead near her. She was a foot away when it raised its head and panted. Relieved, Cas bent over and pulled the dog out of the water. He was exhausted. He was also very heavy. Buckling under the weight, Cas laid him down on the dry sand. She was panting quite like the dog. Finally remembering she was a witch, Cas took out her wand and floated the poor dog to her cottage where it was warm. She conjured up a cozy little bed for the dog and laid him on it. He immediately fell asleep as if he'd been awake for years.
Later in the evening, Cas felt something cold and wet touch her hand. She looked down and the dog was snuffling around, smelling and nudging her. She bent down and scratched his ears. "Well look who's finally awake!" She said. She waved her wand and a plate of raw steak appeared along with a large bowl of water. "I bet you're hungry, huh pup?" she asked him. He immediately went for the steak, devouring it within minutes. He took a long gulp of the water and looked up at her almost gratefully. "You know, I don't need a pet. I don't want a dog bugging me all the time." She couldn't help smiling. He was so cute. He placed his large head on her knee. "But…" she continued, her resistance failing, "everyone needs a friend." She patted his head and gave him a little kiss. He followed her to her large sofa and hopped on. "No no no! Get down!" He looked at her innocently and snuffed his nose in an almost sneeze. Defeated, Casalameer sat next to him and fussed over his tangled fur. "Yeah go one snuffing at me, silly pup." He looked up at her. "Snuffles." She liked that name. "Mind if I call you Snuffles?" she asked. He panted with contentment. "Snuffles it is!" She hugged him as much as the couch would allow.