January 12, 1976 - Hogwarts
"Here they are."
McGonagall handed over a set of fine, dark robes - almost indistinguishable from her typical garb if not for their exceptional weave. Each thread seemed almost to thrum under her fingers, and it was a certainty that some force of magic lay imbued in the cloth.
She glanced at the older witch's face questioningly.
"Apprentice robes are often shielded with some spells," she explained. "It's a difficult practice, as only certain materials are accepting of them, but such robes are often a necessity for more volatile fields of study."
"Such as Potions?" she asked.
"Certainly," McGonagall answered, pulling a velvet box from her desk. "Speaking of, has Mr. Snape spoken with Horace regarding a possible Mastership?"
"I don't think so, but I do believe he discussed it as a possibility with Lucius."
The professor frowned slightly. "And what did Mr. Malfoy say?"
"That he knows many well-respected, foreign Potions Masters, and he'd be delighted to pay for Severus to study with them."
When the topic had been brought up, Lucius had been almost adamant in attempting to convince Severus to take him up on the offer. It would have made little sense to them both, were it not for the odd way he'd fallen silent when the Dark Lord had entered the room.
The older witch's expression softened. "No, Mr. Snape wouldn't go abroad, I'm certain - at least not before he finishes his schooling here. It's a shame, however, that he's reluctant to study with Horace - he may not have the most… altruistic personality, but he's a competent brewer, and well-liked. I daresay an Apprenticeship with him could be beneficial…" she trailed off, shaking her head with a smile, and presented her with the box. "Once you attach it, our agreement will be sealed."
Cassiopeia lifted the soft lid, eyes widening slightly as she took in the meticulously designed pin. It was shining silver - a filigree fox settled beneath a crescent moon, and delicate gleaming stars.
"Thank you," she whispered, reverently affixing the pin to her robes.
A wave of magic raced through her, setting her nerves alight.
"Congratulations, Apprentice Nazyalensky."
January 18, 1976 - Hogwarts
"Add three more daisies," she instructed her partner, watching as his practiced fingers carefully placed the delicate petals on the surface of the brew. "And stir counterclockwise for five."
Severus complied with her instructions perfectly, giving her a small grin as the Invigoration Draught settled into its completed, golden state.
"The extra stirs helped?" she asked quietly, making a note of the changes they'd made on the parchment. Usually, Severus experimented on his own time, but with the increased emphasis that their teachers were placing on OWLs this year, such time seemed to be dwindling rapidly.
"Yes," Severus answered, replacing the stirring rod onto the table. "If next time we add two clockwise, as well as an extra dose of powdered bicorn horn, I think it'd be possible to cut down the stewing time by at least a third."
"Finished already?" Slughorn interrupted them, clearly having noticed their inattention to the cauldron.
She attempted to don her most beguiling, sycophantic smile. "Yes, sir. Just a minute ago."
"Well, well, that is certainly quick. Surely such talents cannot go to waste… I know it's a bit sudden, but how would you two feel about attending this little gathering I'm hosting in a month's time? There'll be some guests I'd love to introduce to you."
Cassiopeia looked to Severus, who had raised his brow at her. "We'd love to, sir."
"How wonderful," Slughorn smiled fulsomely, handing over two cream invitations. "I'll be glad to see you there."
As he wandered off to another desk, Cassiopeia attempted to slip her own missive into her book-bag without drawing attention. Unfortunately, their quiet conversation with the professor had already drawn the attention of their classmates, and one Sirius Black looked about ready to riot.
"That's not fair," his whiny voice rang out over the bubbling of the cauldrons, catching the attention of Slughorn, who looked to him reluctantly.
"What is it, Mr. Black?"
"Why didn't I get invited to... whatever that is? Snivellus is a nobody," he spat with contempt.
Severus flushed with anger, but was saved the need to retaliate by Slughorn. "I will not tolerate name-calling in my classroom, Mr. Black. Perhaps, if you were a more competent brewer, you may have found yourself with an invitation as well. As you are not, I suggest you return your attention to your potion. It is about to become unusable."
Black's face twisted with indignation, but he was unable to do more than throw the both of them a dirty look before busying himself with the brown sludge in his cauldron that looked about ready to boil over.
"He's insufferable," she whispered to her companion, once the class had been sufficiently distracted by their work.
"He is," Severus agreed gratefully, some of the tension visibly leaving his body. "I just wish more people would see it."
She followed his gaze to Lily and Potter, who were both glaring at Slughorn, as if he'd committed an unimaginable crime by chastising their compatriot.
Cassie sighed at his fixation, at the way his eyes were always drawn to her despite all erstwhile events, and his reassurances that Lily had long since stopped holding a place in his heart. "They're idiots too. Don't worry about it," she said, with an easy nonchalance that rang false in her ears.
Several minutes later their class was dismissed, everyone eager to get away from the classroom which had become almost unbearably humid as a result of the fumes. Severus and her trailed behind, uninterested in the dialogue between the group, but were nonetheless made unintentional eavesdroppers on Black's petulant rant.
Although, truth be told, he did not seem too concerned with people overhearing his whiny tirade.
"I still can't believe Snivellus got invited, and I didn't," he complained to his friends. "Slughorn is so biased towards the Slytherins."
"Well - you have to admit, Sirius, he did finish his potion first, and it looked exactly like the textbook said," Remus spoke up.
"Oh, not this again, Remus," he whined. "You're always defending the slimeball - it's so annoying. Besides, if he only cares about how good we are, why on earth is Nazyalensky invited? She just stood by and gave him directions!"
Remus shrugged. "You've seen her brewing before - she's pretty good as well. Besides, it could be that Slughorn wants her for the family name. You know how weird he gets."
"That makes no sense, Remus, 'cause if it were true, he'd invite me."
There was an uncomfortable silence. "He could be reluctant after everything that's happened."
"C'mon, Remus. You know that my family's going to take me back soon - once all these hysterics die down. But... if Slughorn does invite me once I'm the heir again, I should probably turn him down - at least at first. It'll serve him right."
"...Whatever you say, Sirius."
"Mhmm. Well, what about you Lils? Why d'you think he didn't invite you?"
Lily shrugged, clearly attempting to look unbothered. "It's probably because I'm Muggleborn. You know how Slytherins are."
"I'm certain that's it," James Potter spoke up. "He can't acknowledge how good you are - it'd be going against everything he believes."
Lily made an unconvinced sound. "Probably. Still though, I asked Alice - she said it's a social gathering for some very powerful people. It would have been good to be invited."
"Don't be too worried over it," Potter reassured her. "At least nobody from outside Slytherin got invited, so it doesn't look that bad."
"I guess you're right," Lily replied.
As the Gryffindors' conversation died down, Cassiopeia glanced to Severus, who had grown tenser with every insult and barb thrown his way.
"See?" she whispered, squeezing his arm in reassurance. "Severus - she doesn't care about you. About either of us."
Severus looked about ready to wrench his arm away from her at the words, but a few moments later the rigidity bled from him as he seemed to reconsider. "I - I know. I just forget how much it… hurts to see how little she cares."
"It does," she agreed, remembering well the pain, not only emotional, that Lily had caused. "But, she's clearly forgotten about our past friendship. Maybe we should too."
He sighed deeply. "I know… Thanks, Cassiopeia, for still being my friend."
Finally you see it, she thought with a modicum of resentment, though she couldn't help the small smile that overtook her lips. "I'm glad to, Severus. Truly, I am."
January 23, 1976 - Hogwarts
It was only some days after their initial conversation that they were finally able to carve out a few hours when they would not be missed - most of the school having gone off to Hogsmeade for the entirety of the afternoon.
Though they hadn't made plans to stay at the castle beforehand, a simple meeting of their eyes as their Head of House made the announcement for the trip, was enough to convey the message - this was the perfect time.
For this reason, she allowed Severus to lead her to the seventh-floor corridor, and be the first to step through the plain, wooden door that they both knew concealed so much more.
"It's lovely," she commented, stepping onto the soft carpets that decorated the floor. The space was large, yet cosy, and immediately filled her with a deep sense of ease.
"I'm glad we discovered it," Severus replied, kicking off his shoes. She followed his example, and the two of them settled comfortably onto the floor. "Though I guess it's been quite a long time since we've come here."
She hummed noncommittally, running her fingers through the soft, white fur of the rug. She'd read up a little on Occlumency this week, though the library truly was not greatly suited to this need, and -
A book appeared in front of her, causing her to snatch her fingers back. "Occlumency: A Guide," she read aloud for her companion's benefit, then placed the tome to her side.
"Thank you," she told the room, "but - I think we know enough. Well, Severus?" she asked, determination flooding her.
He, on the other hand, looked distinctly uncomfortable. "Are you certain, Cassiopeia? The basics are easy - I'm sure you could master them in a week - but after that you'll need someone to perform Legilimency, so that you can check your defences. If that's me, well…" he trailed off, his hands twisting in his lap. "I could accidentally see something you don't want me to."
This she knew well, and it was the one facet of the study that filled her stomach with dread. Still, the threat of her mind being invaded at any moment without her knowledge or consent had been enough to dispel those last notions of hesitation. Besides, she… trusted Severus. Right? It felt true enough when she spoke the words to herself, so she replied:
"As long as whatever you see doesn't leave this room," she answered levelly, her tone portraying an easy confidence that she did not feel.
"Of course," he replied immediately. "Do you have any other concerns?"
Plenty, but she had agreed to this - she knew it needed to be done. "No."
Severus took a deep, calming breath - his features becoming a mask of composure. "Then we can start. Close your eyes…"
•••
Thank you for reading, and as always to SilentMayhem and Stephanie MRV for their help. Now that it's the summer, I'm hoping to start lengthening my chapters a bit, so we'll see how that goes. Have a lovely week, everyone.