December 6, 1974 - Hogwarts

"Wonderful to see you both," Professor McGonagall greeted.

Severus and Cassie sat in her office, comfortably spread out on the armchairs. Cassie, at ease in the pleasant warmth of the office, was more… sprawled. A slightly uncomfortable Severus sipped his hot tea, watching McGonagall cautiously as she spoke to them.

"We'll get started quickly, then. Professor Slughorn informed me that you would be leaving for the WInter Holidays, and I would love for you to begin your first step, as it may actually be the longest," the professor explained. "Now, have you given any thought to what your animal may be?"

"Ah-" Severus glanced at Cassie. He'd thought about it, sure, but he did delusional fantasies of gigantic, fire-spewing dragons really count? "–Not… really."

"And you, Cassiopeia?" McGonagall asked, smirking. Severus was sure she had read his mind.

"Hmm, probably something small," Cassie said softly. "I've always wanted to fly so a bird, maybe?"

"I would have considered something similar for you too," McGonagall responded kindly. "For you, Severus, however… I don't think a raven would be too far off."

A raven? Severus turned the idea over in his mind. He'd enjoy flying, definitely, and blending into the night… but ravens weren't really that powerful. Ravens couldn't fight off dogs. "Perhaps."

"Keep the idea in your mind," the professor nodded. "Now, I've asked your head of house to create a potion for you–"

She turned away, opening a wooden drawer at the top of her cabinet. From inside it she pulled out two small vials, filled with a gray potion that misted and frothed slightly at the top. Severus observed it curiously, sure that he had never even heard of a potion such as that.

"–as… well, my bloodline does not guarantee access to such things."

Severus and Cassiopeia exchanged glances. If blood was important to buying the potion, then Black would certainly have no problem obtaining it.

"I believe it's possible to make it yourself, but potions have never been my talent," McGonagall said easily, sitting back down. She placed the vials on the coffee table in front of her, and the two of them leaned closer to examine them. "You may wish to ask Professor Slughorn for the recipe, if you are interested; but I'm unsure if he will allow you to make it. It's quite dangerous, from what I have heard. Now– listen closely. This potion is extremely powerful. Even a sip can cause powerful hallucinations, which is why the dose must be heavily controlled. Three drops on the tongue for you, Severus; and two for you, dear."

She handed the vials to them carefully, the glass cool against their palms.

"I would like you to take your first dose with me. Should you need more attempts, I will allow you to take them yourselves. Well, go on. I've placed a spell on it to dispense it drop-by-drop."

Cassie felt the potions spill onto her tongue, numbness spreading into her entire mouth. Head spinning, she felt the vial slide from her hand onto the floor, slipping through her nerveless fingers. Head falling back against the chair; her vision went white.

What was that?

Cassie came to, her senses slowly coming back to her. She straightened in her chair, rubbing gently at her stiff neck. In front of her, the professor was smiling, pouring some tea into a teacup.

"Have some, Cassiopeia," she said softly, placing the cup into the younger girl's hands. "It's a draining experience. Severus will be awake in a second. Do you remember anything?"

Frowning, Cassie cast her mind back. The overwhelming brightness, and then…

Long fur, covering her entire body. Four legs, definitely. A tail?

"I'm not a bird," she announced, slightly disappointed. Her voice must have awoken Severus, because he stirred, his eyes slowly blinking open as if he'd just been sleeping.

"That was…. weird," he said slowly, rubbing his eyes. "Were we supposed to remember much?"

"The first clues as to your animal. What do you remember, if I may ask, Severus?"

"Paws, I think. I felt kind of big too. Strong."

McGonagall nodded. "A fine start, and certainly enough for our first lesson. The potion you may take on holiday, if you wish, and I believe that will be enough time to discover which specific animal you are."

"Thank you, professor," Cassie replied with a smile, grabbing the two vials and slipping them into her robe pocket. "We're very appreciative."

December 22, 1974 - Spinner's End, Prince Manor

Severus, Cassie, and Eileen sat around the kitchen table, warming their hands over freshly made cups of cocoa. Having arrived from school the day before and discovered that Tobias was currently in jail for physical assault, it had not taken long for the two to decide to stay the night at Spinner's End.

Certainly, Cassie's father hadn't cared where she was staying. In fact, there had not even been need to reapply the spells again. He'd taken one look at Cassie, muttered something to the extent of 'three more years until I get the money' and slammed the door.

Should she have been hurt by that? Probably, and if she admitted it to herself she slightly was. The overwhelming feeling, however, was one of relief - that Henry had not done anything worse.

At least they'd be staying somewhere much better for the holidays, and Eileen might even be able to come for a few days. The instructions for visiting, however, had been vague and very much unclear. Await the morning owl? For all they knew, the Princes lived in the tropics of Panama.

Cassie smiled at thought, enjoying the warmth of the cup against her fingers. It felt like Severus', when he used to hold her hand so long ago… Now, that was a privilege reserved for Lily only - although it wasn't clear whether she took advantage of it. Certainly, Cassie had never seen the two of the holding hands in public.

Opposite her, Severus' thoughts swirled in a similar pattern. He'd been a little disappointed, but ultimately grateful, that Lily was staying at Hogwarts to spend time with her friends. He hadn't told her of his grandparents, yet, or of Cassie's kiss, and the guilt weighed down on him every time he saw her.

But she hadn't said anything about Sirius; and he had no idea how to take that.

Their relationship, so wonderful at the beginning, was slowly unravelling, and Severus could only hope to salvage it before the pieces fell apart before his very eyes.

He didn't enjoy spending all his time with her, he found her rambling slightly annoying, and even thinking of doing anything beyond kissing with her made him uneasy. And that wasn't what one was supposed to feel about their girlfriend, right?

His uncomfortable thoughts were interrupted by the fluttering of wings, as Caius descended into their kitchen through the open window. The majestic owl landed on their table, staring at them with a look of reproach. Had he expected food?

"He's a beauty, isn't he, dears?" Eileen said softly, scratching Caius' head in the way Severus had seen Augustus do many times with Tavian. "It's lovely to see you, Caius. Have you got a letter for us?"

While she spoke, Severus was already untying the message from the owl's leg by himself. Quickly, he unraveled it, glancing only briefly at the text, as his eyes focused in on another object.

"Look at this ring," he exclaimed, holding up the beautiful piece of jewelry. "It's our portkey."

Eileen deftly grabbed the letter from her son's hand, shaking her head at his behaviour. "Don't you think it's important to know what we need to pack, Severus?"

Lots of warm robes, apparently. It seemed they'd better be prepared for it to snow. That seemed… actually kind of nice, to Severus. Certainly, snow seemed a nicer alternative to the heavy rain currently pouring from the English sky.

Eileen swished her wand, commanding her magic to 'pack.' Tumbling down from the attic came two small trunks, into which flew all sorts of clothes from different locations, folding themselves neatly until they filled the entire space.

"Cassie, your things will be with Severus', okay?"

"That's fine, 'Leen," the girl smiled softly, gently taking the portkey from Severus' hand. "There should be an activation phrase, shouldn't it?"

"It's–" Eileen started to say, before shaking her head with a laugh. "I'm not sure whether that won't activate it accidentally. Wait one second, dears."

With a tap of her wand, the now-closed trunks shrunk to the size of model trains, and Eileen slipped them into her pocket. She instructed them to put on their sweaters, and once they were ready, she gathered them around the ring.

"On the count of three, okay? One...two...three. Septimus."

And they were off; whirling through the air as if they'd been picked up by a hurricane. Her vision swimming, Cassie did her best to control her fear, meeting Severus' eyes and holding them until they landed heavily on the ground.

Both teens swayed, Cassie almost falling onto the front porch stairs. Eileen helped steady the two of them with a firm grip, and they stayed there until the two could gather their bearings.

"Okay now?"

"I don't like this," Cassie answered. "But I'm okay."

"That's wonderful, because–"

The door had opened while she'd been speaking; a most impressive figure standing quietly against the entrance. The witch, looking to be around their Transfiguration professor's age, was tall and finely-boned. Her sharp, deep-brown eyes stood out against her rosy skin, and her deeply grey hair was tied in a loose braid flowing down unto her waist.

"Lovely to see you all. Come inside, please."

Slightly in shock, the three of them followed her instructions. Entering the manor, the first sight meeting them was that of an impressive sitting room. Even if slightly smaller than the ones they'd seen at the Malfoys', it sported all that was necessary to suggest a family of good pureblood standing: beige velvet couches, a gold-and-glass coffee table, several beautiful pieces of art displayed on the walls, and ornate lamps and other pieces. All looking straight out of a Victorian story book.

"Cassiopeia and Severus, if you two would get settled upstairs, I would like to speak with– Eileen first," their grandmother said, interrupting their wonderment. "Your rooms are the two on the left."

"Of course," Cassie answered quickly, easily observing the way the two older women were glancing towards each other. "Come on, Severus."

"–What was that about?" Severus asked, once they had made their way into the upstairs hallway. "You didn't need to grab me."

She shook her head at him, pondering briefly on the intricacies on male obliviousness. "They haven't seen each other for years, have they? Don't you think they want privacy?"

"Ah–"

"Which room d'you want?" Cassie asked, cutting off his 'that makes sense now' speech. With a slight trepidation she pushed open both doors at the same time, allowing them to swing open.

"That's beautiful," the two of them uttered together, admiring the two rooms at once. They were very similar, differing only in wall color and basic arrangement, but somehow still managed to look completely original. The room on the left, the forest-green one, sported a large, wooden window right opposite its entrance, causing the room to be filled with light. The giant mahogany bed against the wall seemed to be made of the same wood; and covered in colors that matched the walls. Alongside this, the room also held a desk, a large rug, a filled bookshelf and a–

Door? Where did that lead to?

"It's all connected!" Cassie exclaimed, her voice bouncing off the walls of the bathroom. "I can get into the other room from here."

"That's… weird," Severus commented. "Have you chosen at least, yet? 'Cause if you haven't, I swear to Merlin–"

"The blue one!"

"Of course," Severus nodded. "If only now you'd answer where you got all this energy–"

"I don't know," Cassie shrugged, almost closing the door behind her. "I've been feeling better than I have in weeks, these past two days. Ok, bye, I want to explore my room. I'll come over to yours in a few minutes, 'kay?"

"Sure."

"Severus! There's a whole library in here!"