Warning: minor animal death

December 14, 1973 - Hogwarts

"Why aren't you going back for Yule, Miss Nazyalensky?" Davies taunted, his face twisted and hateful. Cassie sat in front of his desk, fists clenched at her sides. She fought to control the reactions he desired from her; fear and anger. "Scared your daddy will beat you?"

She answered as calmly as she could. "I wanted to stay with Severus."

"Does he get beaten too?" he asked, his tone childish and mocking. "Is his mummy dead?"

"No."

"No, sir," he corrected.

"Sir," Cassiopeia said curtly, just wanting this to end so she could get away. Something similar had happened a couple of times before, but they had always been interrupted by another teacher or student. It was Sunday night, so late that she didn't think anyone would be coming.

"Are you talking back to me?" the Professor snarled, rising out of his chair. Bewildered, Cassie leaned back in fear, resisting the urge to shield her face.

"No, s-sir."

Davies snorted, sitting back down. "You think you're so high and mighty? Not deigning to answer me?"

"What do you mean?"

"I asked if you're scared your daddy will beat you."

"No, sir," she answered calmly.

"Fucking uptight bitch!" Davies roared, sending spittle flying into Cassie's face. "Get. Out!"

Cassie bolted.

January 30, 1974 - Hogwarts

"Sev! Cassie! Look what Mum sent me," Lily exclaimed, untying a red box from Iris' claws. The owl hooted softly, nipping Lily's fingers affectionately before flying out of the library window and back to the owlery.

"To our dearest Lily, this is our gift to you on this special day," Lily readout, smiling happily. "We hope you enjoy it. We've also included a little something…" she trailed off, blushing. She set down the letter, nimble fingers untying the pink ribbon surrounding her gift.

"Oh," she exclaimed softly as she lifted the lid. Inside were two items, a glass butterfly and a beautifully decorated vial. As Lily lifted the butterfly out of the box, it sprung to life, flapping its wings gracefully as it stood in the palm of her hand. "Wow. I wonder– they must have gone to Diagon Alley."

"It's beautiful, Lily," Cassie said, truly awed. Was this what normal people bought their children? "I like it."

Lily smiled proudly, before she glanced down, seeing the second gift. "Sev– this is for you."

"Really?" Severus asked, taken aback. "Thank you, Lily."

"Of course," she answered shyly, presenting it to him. "I wrote to them about you. About my boyfriend."

"O-Oh," Severus replied, blushing madly. She had told someone about him? About him as her boyfriend? "I–"

Unnoticed by the two of them, Cassie fled the library, hating herself for being so weak.

February 6, 1974 - Hogwarts

"Did you hear the rumor?"

"What do you mean?" Cassie asked, confused. She'd been cornered by Davies again, as she'd been making her way to the library to meet up with Severus and Lily. Out of nowhere, he'd appeared from behind a tapestry, starting to taunt her.

"That you've been sleeping around," Davies said, smirking as he watched Cassie pale.

"What did you do?" she asked angrily, trying not to panic.

"Me?" Davies asked, smiling. "Nothing."

Cassie's was not amused by his tone. "What. Did. You. Do?"

"Don't talk back to me, bitch," Davies shot back, the smile gone. "Why… I simply gave your little friend an anonymous tip."

"Who? Aurora?" Cassie asked, tears starting to fill her eyes as the fear and shame started to set in. Merlin, what would Severus think of her if he heard? Which of her friends–

"No. Not at all," the Professor said. "The Evans girl."

"Lily?"

"Of course. She's jealous of you."

No, Cassie thought desperately. Lily wouldn't hurt me like that! She knows Severus only likes her. She knows– Why am I trusting him? He's lied to me before–

"I don't believe you."

The Professor laughed a full-throated laugh, pushing himself away from the wall. "Of course it's not true. Took you long enough, you stupid cunt."

Frustrated tears streaked her cheeks, and she ran from him, confused and scared. She didn't even know what was real anymore.

February 7, 1974 - Hogwarts

"Cassie?" Narcissa's soft voice rang out as she knocked on the younger girl's door. "Can I come in?"

"Of course," Cassie answered from her spot on the bed, where she was currently studying a thick tome on Transfiguration; her friends having gone to see the final Slytherin/ Ravenclaw match for the year. "Do you need something, Cissa?"

"Cissa?"

The older girl's face was serious as she sat down next to Cassie on the bed, a slight frown marring her face. With one hand, she delicately closed the book, marking the chapter and setting it on the floor; and the other she placed on Cassie's shoulder.

"What's wrong?"

Narcissa sighed, seeming conflicted. "There's something important I need to talk to you about, love. I'm not judging you, I just want what's best for you."

What in Merlin's name was Cissa talking about? Cassie's confusion made her anxious and tongue-tied. "What?"

Wonderful, Cassie. How articulate. "What are you– what do you mean?"

"Cassie… Do you have something to tell me?" Narcissa said. "If you don't, that's fine, but–"

"I'm– please just tell me, Narcissa," Cassie said frustratedly.

Narcissa cheeks filled with color, and her eyes trailed downward Cassie's body, filling the younger girl with a chilling realization.

"Evan asked me to speak to you. He told me that you– Cassie–"

"It's true?" Cassie muttered to herself, horrified. The rumor was true? Had Lily actually done that?

"That's okay," Narcissa said gently. "I just wanted to make sure you're–"

"No, no," Cassie interrupted, shaking her head. "No, it's not true."

"It's not? I must say I'm a little glad," Narcissa answered, smiling, then paused. "Why, then, would somebody say that? Do you know?"

Out of sorts from the realization, Cassie barely registered the question, almost forgetting to lie. "N-No. Oh, Merlin, Cissa–" she cried, hurling herself into the older girl's arms; all of the ramifications hitting her.

Narcissa's arms wrapped around her torso, holding Cassie's small frame to her body. She rocked her back and forth like a child, whispering softly into her ear. "I'm so sorry, Cassie. Don't worry– don't worry. We're going to fix this."

"I–Cissa. What are people going to think of me?"

"Hush, child," Narcissa scolded. "People should not think less of you even if you had lain with somebody. Two days from now, Kimani and Emma will break up for the twentieth time in the middle of the Great Hall and that's what people will talk about."

Cassie looked unconvinced, so Narcissa held her tighter, kissing her pale forehead comfortingly. "Rumors die down Cassie. And your friends will believe you. That's what matters most - not the opinions of those mindless idiots."

February 12, 1974 - Hogwarts

Several days later, the rumors had indeed died down. Kimani Shafiq and Emma had broken up in a spectacular fight during breakfast, resulting in the overturning of tables, and thirty points deducted from Slytherin. Cassie would have almost believed it to be a coincidence if not for Narcissa's wink, and the two's relationship being back to normal that very day.

Grateful, Cassie had made a small gift for all three girls, profoundly relieved at the effectiveness of their strategy.

Unfortunately, there were two notable exceptions to this overall-success. Sirius Black and Marlene McKinnon - not counting teachers, the banes of Cassie's existence at Hogwarts.

Marlene, in typical fashion, had latched onto the idea of Cassie being 'impure', never mind that she'd been caught on her knees herself, several months prior. Unfortunately, she and Sirius fed on each other, caught up in their cycle of hatred for all things Slytherin.

Worse, James Potter was either oblivious to his best friend's bullying, or impassive. While neither Cassie nor Severus were particularly good friends with him, their friendship with Remus made them friendly. It would hurt the two of them to find out that he didn't care at all.

Speaking of Sirius, he had just entered the library, walking up to their study group.

"What do you want, Sirius?" Remus asked, not even lifting his head from his book. He and Cassiopeia were working on the same extra-credit essay for McGonagall, and didn't want any distractions. Lily, who seemed to have no shame about what she had done, and indeed did not even try to speak with Cassie about it, was looking for a book on Charms in another aisle. While Cassie didn't want to confront Lily, she didn't understand how the girl thought their friendship could just… continue as it did. For now, she was being summarily ignored – as Cassie thought she deserved.

"Remus," Sirius replied angrily, frowning at the closeness between the two of them. "Why are you hanging with the slimy Slytherins?"

Remus sighed deeply, while Cassie glanced up. Unfortunately for her, she had just caught the words that Sirius had whispered at the very end. And the slut. Hurt and angered, she put her head down, determined not to show him the effect of his words.

"Remus! They're only pretending to be your friend so that they can use you," Sirius insisted.

"What are you talking about Sirius? We collaborate, and I certainly don't give anybody answers."

Disgusted, Sirius turned away. "You'll regret being friends with them, mark my words. Come back to your real friends once you see it for yourself."

With these parting words, Sirius flounced his way out of their library corner, messy hair swinging behind him.

"Why did you even come here in the first place?" Remus called out, confused by their interaction.

"I wanted help with my homework," Sirius called back, and then he was gone.

Severus shook his head in exasperation. "I don't even understand why you keep being friends with that moron."

"Hey," Remus defended Sirius. "He's not dumb, just not… academically inclined."

"Mmhmm. But even if he was the smartest man on earth, I think his shit personality would kind of negate it."

"Severus," the werewolf warned, his body tensing. "There's a good– No. I don't want to talk about Sirius anymore."

Unnoticing or perhaps uncaring of the weird phrasing, Severus shrugged, going back to his texts. Indeed, the concept of developing a new potion was a much more enticing one than discussing Sirius Black.

March 3, 1974 - Hogwarts

"Did you know that your little boyfriend is practicing the Dark Arts?" Davies whispered as he passed her by in the hallway. She shivered in fear of his voice, but inside she laughed in the absurdity of the lies the professor was now trying to feed her. They'd gotten a little ridiculous these past weeks, but this was a whole new level. Severus? The Dark Arts? Absurd.

March 15, 1974 - Hogwarts

Severus swirled his wand towards the floor, making sure to aim away from his body. This spell was one of the darkest ones he'd tried yet, and the possibility of danger made his heart beat faster.

"Calor sanguinis," he called softly and watched in fascination as a bolt of red flowed from his wand, encircling the mouse trapped on the floorboards. The tiny animal gave a final squeak of terror before falling over – dead.

"Wow," Severus muttered to himself, impressed. He brushed a finger over the soft fur, feeling the extreme heat radiating from its still body. He picked up the mouse, vanishing it from his palm effortlessly. It was a bit of a shame, he thought, but such spells could not be practiced on inanimate objects.

What should he try next? What spell would help protect them best?

An unwanted thought snuck into his head, brought on by the high of Dark Magic. The killing curse. The Unforgivable.

Unwittingly, his hand had already risen, pointing towards a spider in the ceiling. "Avada Ked–"

"Severus!"

Startled out of his mind, Severus stopped the words coming out of his mouth, his mouth clattering to the floor. Terrified at what he had been about to do, it took a few seconds for Severus to register what he had just heard.

"C–Cassie?" he asked. Why was Cassie here? Why the hell was she here?

His friend stood up from behind a desk in the corner, the disillusionment spell fading. Her face was pale and she looked at him as though he was a monster.

"I could have killed you!" he growled, grabbing her forearm. "Why did you come here?"

As he looked into her eyes, he saw nothing but complete and utter fear. Why–

"Don't hurt me," Cassie whispered, "Please. I'm sorry."

No, no! He let go of Cassie's arm, watching in silence as she scrambled away from him. Her back pressed against the wall, and one hand covered the place where he had grabbed her, red finger marks against pale skin. He hadn't grabbed that hard, had he?

"I'm sorry, Cassie," he whispered. "I was scared that the spell could have hit you."

She shook her head, her eyes hazy and unfocused as she looked towards him, her lips moving in a litany of silent words. Merlin, what had he done?

"Cassie?" he asked fearfully, walking towards her. "Cassie. What's wrong?"

He grasped her hand hesitantly, and felt a wave of disgust wash over him as she flinched from his touch. Her eyes snapped to him, finally seeming to see him.

"Get away from me."

Hurt and angry, he refused to move. "I'm sorry, Cassie."

"Get away from me!" she screamed, pushing him away. Shocked, he stumbled back and fell onto the floor. "I should have known he wouldn't lie. I should've– You're a monster. This– This is what the Dark Lord would do."

"What? No. I'm learning these so that I can protect you!" Severus tried to convince her.

"You think that makes it okay?" Cassie said, her eyes tearful as she shook her head. "I– I have to go. Don't try to talk to me."

"Cassie. Please," he said, standing up. "Don't go. I can explain. I'm sorry."

"Leave me alone," she said, turning towards the door.

"No."

"What?"

"No."

Cassie swallowed hard, turning towards him. "Severus. I'm going to go and you will not stop me. If you try to, I promise that we will never be friends again. I need– I need to be alone."

Dumbly, Severus nodded, watching as Cassie disappeared. How had this gone so horribly wrong? Why had he grabbed her? Why had he even tried to cast the killing curse?

He didn't understand. This wasn't him. He wouldn't do that– he wasn't like the Dark Lord. Was he?

You fucking idiot. You've just lost your best friend. Almost killed her. You grabbed her so hard, she's going to have bruises. She begged you not to hurt her. You're just as bad as him, if not worse. If she ever talks to you again, it will be a miracle. You certainly don't deserve it.

Hating himself more every minute, Severus picked up his wand, looking at it disgustedly. He didn't want to touch it, the memory of the green spell all-too-clear in his eyes.

Stop blaming the fucking wand. It's you who cast the spell. It's your fault.

Feeling tears burning his eyes, he walked despondently through the dark corridor towards the Slytherin dorms, wondering how his day had gone so wrong.

A pair of feline-yellow eyes watched his journey through the darkness; knowing that something was very, very wrong, but not what she could do.

March 19, 1974 - Hogwarts

Cassie slipped away as soon as the class ended, doing everything she could to avoid Severus' eyes. It was bad enough to see Davies's victorious smirk, but looking at Severus hurt her heart. She wanted to forgive him, so badly, but he needed to understand how badly he had scared and hurt her. She'd been terrified, and he's only made it worse. Severus needed to learn.

The corridor she took would take much longer, but at least Severus wouldn't try to talk to her, like he had before. Unfortunately, she had not counted on anybody else following her.

"Miss Nazyalensky," Davies purred, slamming her body against the wall. "Do you see now? Do you see the truth of your little friend? You thought he wouldn't betray you."

"He didn't," Cassie fought back bravely. Her head throbbed painfully, and she felt blood trickling down her neck. "Stop."

"Why you bitch!" the Professor screamed, backhanding her across the face. "You–"

Suddenly, he was thrown away from her, bound and gagged on the floor. Professor McGonagall hurried towards Cassie, her wand out.

"What happened?" she asked, kneeling down next to Cassie, who had slid to the floor. "What did he do, Miss– Cassiopeia?"

"Hit me," she answered, touching the back of her head gingerly. "I don't know why."

The Professor shook her head, casting a Featherweight charm on Cassie and picking her up like a child. "I must say I'm not sure I believe you. But we'll talk later– right now you need to go to the Hospital Wing."

She shot another Petrificus Totalus at Davies, and disarmed him, pocketing his wand. "As for him, he's getting fired - don't worry. Professor Dumbledore had informed me of his curse, but even he hadn't thought he would be so–" she shook her head. "It doesn't matter. Let's go."

"Cassie?" Severus asked, cautiously, stepping in front of the black-haired girl's hospital bed. "Can I talk to you?"

Cassiopeia sighed, patting the mattress next to her. "Sit."

Relief coursing through his body, Severus collapsed next to her, cautiously wrapping his thin arms around her body, and laying his head on her chest. "I'm so sorry, Cassie. I'm so, so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. Please believe me."

Blushing lightly, Cassie placed a hand on Severus' head. "I do, Severus. I just don't understand why you would ever, ever practice those kinds of spells. That is what the Dark Lord would do. I won't take that back."

"Cassie. I need to be good at those spells. The Dark Lord has plans - plans for inside Hogwarts. I need to protect you."

"Who told you that?"

"Lucius, Lucius has been helping me. But don't be mad at him, Cassie, please. He's scared, and he didn't want me to be a target. You know that he doesn't like halfbloods– wait. How do you know about him? Lucius promised me he wouldn't tell you."

Cassie smiled. "Narcissa told me, and I made her promise that she wouldn't tell you."

Severus snorted in amusement, gripping her harder. "So you forgive me, then?"

"I do, Severus, but please don't keep secrets anymore."

"I won't. I promise. But– will you tell me then why Davies attacked you?"

She sighed. "It's a long story."

March 20, 1972 - Hogwarts

"His wand has been checked," Dumbledore announced to the ministry official. "Most of his spells have been normal, but it's clear that he has cast the Imperius several times, as well as the Obliviate."

"Life in Azkaban, then," the tall, dark man said matter-of-factly. "Very well. We'll have a trial, but it's clear-cut. And that girl he attacked? Do her parents want to press charges?"

Dumbledore hummed, "No, I do not believe so. The young lady also seems uninterested."

"Fine," he nodded. "I guess this means you'll need to find yourself a new Professor, Albus. Merlin knows who'll want that cursed job, though."

"Oh, I'm sure we'll find them," the Professor exclaimed merrily.