November 14, 1970 - Hogwarts
Cassie leant over the sink, her hands clammy and shaking. Behind her, Narcissa Black was holding her hair from her face, and tenderly brushing it back with gentle, soothing motions.
"You're okay, love," the fifth-year prefect comforted. Her beautiful face twisted in sympathy for the tiny first-year in front of her - and she flicked her wand to vanish the mess in the basin.
"I think I'm okay now," Cassie said quietly, rinsing her mouth with water. She had started feeling unwell an hour or so after dinnertime, and had left the common room to lay down. Severus had seemed anxious to leave her alone, but she had insisted that she would be fine after a nap. Regardless of this, Severus had asked Aurora to watch over her, and tell a prefect if she started to feel worse. Which led her to this.
"I'm glad," the older girl sighed, letting Cassie's hair fall back down. "Come on, let's get you to bed."
The two of them walked to her four-poster; as Aurora - or Rory, as she liked to be called - eyed them worriedly. The brown-eyed girl was only slightly mollified when Narcissa informed her that Cassie was feeling better, and asked to leave the two of them alone.
When the door had clicked closed behind Rory, Narcissa helped her get into bed. She tucked the black-haired girl's frame in, the large bed making her seem minuscule in comparison. She looked paler than normal, and bringing a hand to her forehead revealed a slight fever.
"You're quite ill, Cassiopeia. I'm going to ask Lucius to go to Madame Pomfrey for a pepper-up, hmm?"
"Alrigh'," Cassie whispered. While vomiting had actually helped her nausea, she still felt cold and weak, and all around uncomfortable. "Sev'rus?"
Narcissa smiled gently, making Cassie's heart squeeze uncomfortably. The elder girl had always been kind to her, but this was the first time they had interacted at length, and she could see now why Narcissa was so well-liked by everybody. The blonde had a similar energy to Eileen, a sense of motherly comfort and support emanating from her body. "I'll tell him how you're feeling."
With a quiet incantation, Narcissa summoned a piece of parchment, ink, and a quill from Cassie's bedside table. She quickly penned down a note, folding the parchment into the shape of a bird with several quick movements. Then with a flick of her wand, she charmed the bird's wings to move, and opened the door to allow it to sail to its intended recipient.
"Wow," Cassie said quietly, as Narcissa sat back down next to her. The prefect squeezed her hand softly, and smiled.
"Thank you, Cassiopeia. Charms have always been a favorite of mine."
"Cassie," she corrected gently. Cassiopeia felt too...formal, for the situation she was in. "I've hear' you're also good at Herbology."
"Thank you, love," Narcissa replied, a faraway look in her eyes. "It'll be nice to renew the gardens at Malfoy Manor."
"Oh," Cassie said softly, her brow furrowing. "Do you really not wan' to do something more wit' your life?" she asked, suddenly very serious.
Narcissa frowned, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.
"Cassie…" she seemed to come to a decision, taking a deep breath. "My entire life has been spent preparing for my marriage to Lucius; it is how things are done. While, at one point, I may have entertained notions of another life, it has never been anything more than a fantasy," she paused for a second.
"At least it is Lucius," she stressed, staring intently into the younger girl's eyes. "At least it is someone I love, that I know will never hurt me. Most arranged marriages do not have even that. I am grateful."
"Okay," Cassie whispered, a little scared by her intensity. "I understan'."
Narcissa's countenance gentled, and she looked at Cassie sadly. "You would, wouldn't you?"
Cassie felt her heart jump in her throat, making her nauseous again.
"Oh, I'm sorry, love," Narcissa gentled, placing a calming hand on her shoulder. "We can talk once you're feeling better. I didn't mean to make you feel worse."
"What di' you mean?" she asked urgently. No, no, no –
There was a knock at the door.
"Come in, Lucius."
Panic clawed at her throat, making her heart beat rapidly against its cage. Only Severus and Lily – only Severus.
The potion slid down her throat, leaving behind the metallic tinge of blood. She coughed, the taste making her gag. Seconds later her head cleared and the shivering finally left her limbs.
"Thank you," she croaked, collapsing back against the pillows. Morgana, she felt better, but the exhaustion was settling in. She eyed Lucius warily, unsure why the boy was still in the room. She was unfamiliar with him, and that made her uncomfortable.
"Why don't we send in Snape and Sinistra, hmm?" Lucius asked, smiling at his betrothed, and at Cassie. "I'm sure they'll appreciate getting to see their friend."
"Aurora isn' my frien'," she protested. Friendly acquaintance, more like. Classmate.
Lucius smiled knowingly, taking Narcissa's hand, and helping her stand. "She seemed quite worried for you. I'll send them in."
As the two older students left, Severus and Aurora ran into the room, both with worried and anxious expressions on their faces. Cassie sent a glance, we need to talk, at Severus, and he nodded in response.
"Are you feeling better, Cassiopeia?" Aurora asked, sitting down on her bed. She folded her dark hands gracefully in her lap, appearing to try to cover her nerves.
"I am, A–Rory," she answered, stumbling over the girl's name, and blushing. "Much better now."
Aurora smiled brilliantly. "I was wondering when you would finally cave and call me that. Does that mean you'd like to be my friend?" she asked, this time much more nervously, brushing her wavy hair out of her face.
"I'd like tha'," Cassie answered, biting the inside of her mouth nervously.
Aurora, perceptive as usual, noticed the quick flick of her eyes to Severus'. "I'll leave you two to it."
"Thanks," she nodded gratefully, releasing a tension-filled sigh when the door closed. Morgana, this friendship thing was stressful.
"What's wrong, Cassie?" Severus asked, sitting down on the bed in the same spot as Aurora. His brow was furrowed in question, and his dark eyes shone with sincerity. She felt a familiar wave of calm wash over her, a feeling that was only associated with Severus, in her mind.
"Narcissa foun' out."
"What did she–?"
"She knows 'bout my da."
Severus' face spasmed, and he reached out his hands to her. "I'm sorry."
With unsure movements, Cassie drew back the covers and gestured for Severus to climb in. She just needed somebody to be close to her, right now.
Severus stared at her with wide eyes, his face flushing red. Merlin, he was eleven but you didn't grow up in Cokeworth without at least some knowledge of–
"Please, Sev'rus?"
His countenance softened, and he allowed himself to burrow under the covers, holding her slight frame to his chest when she took his hand and moved it to her stomach. Her hair tickled his nose slightly, and he felt her sigh deeply, her limbs relaxing.
He felt a surge of protectiveness for the small girl in his arms – a need to keep her safe from the entire world. How bleak his existence had been before this light had appeared in his life. He almost couldn't remember how bad it had been before they had met, before they had spent entire joyful, peaceful days together. Hogwarts was amazing, of course, but sometimes he missed the still and quiet of sitting in the fields and simply reading with his friend. Here, life seemed to move a little too fast for his own liking.
He knew that Cassie needed to find friends other than him - however much he would like to keep her for himself. His friend had attached herself fiercely to him, seeming completely unwilling to let go, even for the tiniest of moments. She followed him around like a baby duck, always looking up to him and asking what to do. He felt...proud, in a way, that he was such an important part of her life, but he knew that one day he might not be able to be there for her.
Her breaths evened out beneath his fingers, and though he was nervous of what would happen in the morning - because Augustus would surely notice him missing - his eyes closed of their own accord.
January 1, 1971 - Hogwarts
Cassie's birthday, and subsequently the Yule Holidays, passed by quietly at the castle. Wizarding families oftentimes held balls and other social functions around that time, and most of their House had been invited to attend - their year included. It had left him, Cassie, and Aurora with the entire common room almost to themselves, shared only with three elder Slytherins. He was unsure why the five of them had been singled out to not receive invitations. Cassie herself had received several, but had declined them all favor of spending time with her two friends - Lily having come back home for the break.
"Want to come to the Astronomy Tower with me?" Aurora asked. Their soft-spoken friend had at first been hesitant around them, but as time went on she had gained confidence and daring, growing bolder with her actions.
"Sure," the two of them answered. It was almost the new year, and they hadn't broken any rules as of yet - preferring to stay well-behaved, and on the good side of their teachers. As a result, most of their professors saw them as angelic god-sends – a nice break from the rowdy Gryffindors who seemed to cause havoc everywhere they went.
They snuck out of the common room quietly, Serene sending them an approving look. While the serpent-woman was a strict and fierce guardian, she encouraged them to always test the limits - and to question the authority of their superiors. Certainly, she had helped them realize that Slughorn was unfit for the role of Head of House, especially of Slytherin. While unquestionably ambitious, and skilled at politicking - evidenced by his Slug Club dinners - he was also lazy and entitled, traits decidedly un-Slytherin.
Preferring to purchase your potions rather than making them by hand was the sign of an indolent snob, in Severus' eyes.
The corridors were quiet at this time of night; teachers having long since finished their patrols, and most students unwilling to be out in such chilly weather. The silence did not unnerve them, as it might have others, but rather allowed the trio to decompress, and walk freely.
A cool draft blew against them but was almost unfelt underneath their robes and cloaks. The brand-new winter attire had been an early Yule gift from Lucius and Narcissa, who had taken the two of them under their wing in late November. The grey-eyed prefect – fretful mother-hen that she was – had worried greatly for Cassie's health after she had fallen ill, and had taken it upon herself to teach them warming charms before their garments had arrived.
Narcissa had also insisted on tutoring Cassiopeia in her speech, declaring that no lady should converse with such a strong accent. The younger girl had been hurt, at first, but was conscious of how difficult her dialect made her to understand, and how severely it affected her spellcasting ability. Latin words were horrendous to pronounce.
Certainly, the lessons had certainly paid off, with Severus' friend speaking much more properly even after only one month. He himself had sat in on several sessions and tried to mimic Narcissa's elegant speech, oftentimes with mixed results. Still, Aurora had recently told him that he was speaking better, so he must have been doing something right.
"Wow," Rory whispered, the night sky coming into view as they climbed the final steps. The moon shone brightly, illuminating the Hogwarts grounds almost as if it were day, while the stars shimmered lustrously. Severus and Cassie neared the railing, the elder staying a bit further away from the edge.
"Do you see that?" Severus asked after a moment, staring with a confused expression towards the ground. There, walking towards the school was the medi-witch, Pomfrey, seemingly coming back from a stroll in the moonlight. "What is she doing?"
"I...have no idea," Cassie replied, perplexed as well. "Maybe she's harvesting potions ingredien's? Hmm, Sev'rus?"
His face relaxed. "Oh, tha' must be it. Lots of things are suppose' to be picked in the light of the full moon."
Cassie hummed, seeming to dismiss the occurrence. Instead, she pulled Severus down to sit on the stone floor; leaning her head against his shoulder while Rory perched against the wall with her head tilted up.
They observed the stars for a long time, only leaving once they grew too tired to keep their eyes open.
"That was wonderful, Sev'rus," Cassie said, kissing his cheek. "I'd love to do it again."
So exhausted was he, that it was only the next morning that he registered what had transpired between them.