Arc 1: Immaterial Bonds
Chapter 5: Icy Waves

Snape stormed down the corridor and soon became out of view. He didn't tell me specifically where his office is, so...

"Uh, McGonagall... Can you show me where Snape's office is please?" I asked embarrassed, though she took it as nothing shameful to ask for help.

She smiled before placing a hand on my arm and saying "I'm happy you two are talking again. Dumbledore will be pleased."

Whatever she meant by that was beyond me.

Snape's office was similar to the Potions classroom in that there were glass bottles everywhere on shelves pressed up against the circular rim of the room's stone walls. Near the centre was a large round wooden table with various potion-making apparatus, books and notes neatly organised on it. The table itself was on top of a rugged square brown mat and two black leather chairs were placed nearby. The lit fireplace gave the room a flaming glow but did little in terms of providing additional warmth unless you stood right next to it.

"Good, you're here. Sit down." Snape commanded a little distressed. Not having any reason to do anything otherwise, I complied and took a space on one of the chairs by the table.

"As a Slytherin has now gone missing, this is a matter that closely involves me. I will help you."

I wanted to ask why he only cared when a member of his own house went missing and not when four other students disappeared but it would only lead to him being snappy. My heart felt conflicted as to if I wanted him around. It's true that I hadn't made any progress in a month but what could he possibly offer?

"Right..." I said unsurely. "So you'll tell me about Genny Roberts now?"

Expertly, Snape pulled some papers out of a nearby drawer and placed them on the table, facing me. It appeared to be a series of OWL grades, most of them being quite good so I'm not sure why he was showing me this.

"Roberts wanted to do NEWT-level Potions. I happen to accept those who receive "Outstanding" into my class. As you can see," he pointed directly to a bold "E" next to the Potions grade. "she received "Exceeds Expectations", meaning she didn't qualify for this subject. Despite her being a Slytherin, I wouldn't make an exception."

"You think that being unable to do NEWT-level Potions is really what made her disappear? I know Jessica Marin had issues with studying but this seems a bit farfetched." I questioned. Surely missing one class wouldn't be enough to make someone disappear, especially when others before her still had not been found.

"There is another reason to it; one I would prefer to have kept to myself but seems necessary for our investigation."

"Our?" I retorted.

Snape looked at me and pretended I hadn't said anything.

"Roberts was quite attached. I don't wish to think she had other intentions behind her actions, but I do anticipate she was doing it to convince me to turnover her grade to an "O" so she could take my class. Of course, I refused each time." He stuck his nose up slightly at that last point.

My stomach felt a bit queasy. Why did the thought of Snape being with someone make me feel uneasy? The idea of Flitwick having a girlfriend didn't bother me one bit.

"I guess you are the teacher. Your class, your rules." I submitted.

"I'm impressed Ms Homeschooled would be able to understand that concept." he berated but there was something about it that seemed less like he wanted to wound me but instead point out an ironic reality.

"Hey, this is me going to school now! I'm starting to understand the notions of what works and what doesn't!" I protested. "But anyway, did Roberts say anything to you before she disappeared?"

Snape walked over to the fireplace and gazed into it as if it would help him to bring back memories. Without a second thought, I stood up from the chair and joined his side. The fire crackled and sent a small wave of warmth to us both. If you told me that I would be here a month ago, I'd have laughed and said it was insanity but here we were. Tolerating each other.

"She mentioned she had been having a strange dream a little over a month ago. They started when she came back to Hogwarts. As her Head of House, I asked her more but she was apprehensive. Thus, I recommended she go speak to Sybill Trelawney instead."

Another student was having strange dreams... That's a link between Beckett and Roberts but there wasn't anything criminal or unusual about having dreams. I explained as much to Snape and he didn't have anything additional to say.

"I should go see her straight away then." Snape watched as I opened the door and left.

But almost instantly after stepping out, I poked my head around the frame.

"And thank you." I said pleasantly, leaving for good this time.

Our meeting had gone much better than I thought it would. When he wasn't being a gigantic ass, he was well-rounded, intelligent and... caring to a degree. He didn't show it but there was an opening in his soul to give to others. How was this the same man I met on the train?

*****
Professor Trelawney taught Divination in the North Tower which meant the agony of climbing a ridiculous amount of stairs to get from one location to the next. I don't know how they would implement an elevator into such an ancient castle but I sure did wish that it had one.

When I did finally make it to the top of the North Tower (completely out of breath), I found the small trapdoor that led to the Divination classroom. All the windows were covered with thick curtains that blocked almost all of the sunlight. Instead, the room was painted a thick crimson from the surrounding lamps. The stuffiness of the room was unbearable from the suffocating stench of conflicting aromas; how could Trelawney teach in here on a day-to-day basis?

"Hello? Is someone there?" a mystical voice called out and a small woman with long, frizzy brown hair and gigantic round glasses appeared out of thin air.

"Sorry to disturb you, Professor Trelawney. I hope you weren't busy." Judging how there was nobody here and I must have only seen her once or twice since coming here, she must spend a lot of her free time in her classroom.

"I was just polishing my crystal ball. They need a good cleaning to have the best visions. Tell me, dear, what do you see?" She shoved the ball right up to my face. There was nothing at all inside apart from a deep white mist. Divination was the one class the Minister did not force me to learn as he considered it a load of nonsense. How can someone predict the future anyway? It's all guesswork and sometimes you may strike truth once but that hardly makes it worthy of the curriculum.

"I don't see anything but this isn't what I'm here to talk to you about, I need to know-"

"Don't worry, you haven't learnt to open your Inner Eye yet. With time and practice, you will be able to understand everything that lies in your future!" She inhaled deeply, absorbing the perfumes that were in the air. "I will teach you."

If I didn't interrupt, this woman would try to convert me into her little universe of absurdity. I don't have time for this, I'm sorry.

"Professor, please, it's urgent. Answer my questions first and I promise I'll come back and you can show me how to read tea leaves or something." I pleaded.

She sat down and the ornaments of her clothes made a strange clicking sound.

"I foresaw as much. You wish to know about the dreams that Genny Roberts asked me about, yes?"

How did she know that- No. It was obvious. She must have heard Roberts went missing and Roberts had spoken to her but McGonagall said that Snape was the first person to know, but-

"Yes, exactly. But did anyone else speak to you about them as well?"

A frown conquered her expression and she looked towards her feet. I'll take that as being a yes.

"There was. A girl called Jessica Marin and a boy named Lionel MacKenna said they had very similar dreams."

Look at that. Guess that makes me a fortune-teller now.

"All three spoke that they began to have dreams telling them to do things. There was a voice in a sort of void that started as an ally but would get more and more aggressive. They felt horribly drained after each dream once it became pugnacious. This doesn't have anything to do with them disappearing, does it? I'd feel horrible if it did."

"Did you know what it meant?"

"My Inner Eye couldn't tell me anything, which was a first. I'm very sorry but that's all I know. They all spoke to me weeks before they disappeared so I didn't get to learn anything else."

She looked guiltily at her hands and she tightened them. There was no way of being able to say if it did mean anything or not and I didn't want to lie to her.

"It's a start. Thank you." I said and proceeded to leave but not before Trelawney made one final stand.

"Miss Juniper, do you have any dogs?"

What a strange question. Father never let me have a pet and I didn't know anyone who owned one.

"No, why?"

"I see something... canine in your future. A black hound signalling doom. You'll be careful, won't you? You're ever so kind coming here to see me." she warned with full seriousness. It seemed that she didn't understand that I thought she was made of a load of hogwash.

"I'll keep that in mind. Goodbye, Professor Trelawney."

*****
"Don't believe what that madwoman says. She practices doomsayings in the mirror when nobody is looking to scare the first years." Snape relayed frustratingly.

"Okay, but that's beside the point. It wasn't just Roberts who was having dreams. So did Marin, Beckett and MacKenna and they were all about the same thing. A void-like substance guiding them to do things and it ended up becoming aggressive for one reason or another. Don't you think that's worth looking into?"

Snape sat down in one of the chairs in his office with mild exhaustion.

"I must admit, it is our best lead. The important thing is it does establish that these are connected cases." he reluctantly admitted, pressing his palm to his chin in contemplation.

"There are spells that can give people specific dreams but it sounds like these had been happening for weeks and it must be incredibly strong to drain them. But... there's nothing I can think of that would work without being detected somehow, either by its magical presence or requiring the user to be continuously near. No potions either."

I sighed and placed my face in my hands. We're so close and yet there are so many pieces missing to this ever-growing puzzle. How much time do we have until victim six occurs?

"There's no use pondering when there isn't enough information. We should conclude for today."

I didn't want to accept he was correct but there wasn't anything to continue building on right now. What Trelawney said replayed in my mind over and over. I knew when starting this job that I could be in danger but having it be spoken in fortunes to me made it appear much more realistic.

"Are you still thinking about what Sybill said?" Snape picked up on my nervous mannerisms. He was annoyingly good at that. Though, it was a bit extraordinary that he learnt them so quickly.

"A little. How am I supposed to deal with it? She made it sound like I was going to die." Why am I telling him all of this? Since when was Snape someone I trusted with my emotions? This investigation made us partners but it did not make us friends.

"As I said, you must ignore her. Every year, she says someone is going to die in her class and not once has it acted faithfully."

"I suppose so. And even if there is something out there, there's no way they'll be able to take out two expert-level wizards." I boasted, puffing out my chest. Seeing my ridiculous look, Snape failed to hide a small grin. Dumb as it was, he did manage to make me feel better.

Urgent circumstances really do change people... Had it not been for Roberts's disappearance, would he continue to treat me as below him? My heart felt panicked at the thought. Why? Why am I suddenly feeling so... close? Why did his caring for me make me feel so special?

The bells chimed their usual song, signalling it was time for dinner. I hope there are noodles. As Snape and I travelled to the Great Hall together, the grey hairs of Filch faded around a corner. How odd.

The Great Hall felt solemn and heavy compared to its usual lighthearted and open nature. The disappearance of Roberts shattered much hope of safety within the castle walls. Instead of students stuffing their faces with food like gluttons or talking as they sampled dish after dish, they gingerly took bites as if worried that it was tainted with poison.

Dumbledore did not seem pleased one bit at this change. Had I sat in my previous chair, I would have been able to hear what he was whispering to McGonagall but there was little chance in my new seat.

"You've hardly touched anything, Cassandra. It's not your fault for what happened to Roberts. You did everything you could." Flitwick spoke as he patted the hand I had rested on the cloth of the table. His words didn't reach me the same way Snape's did.

"Thanks, but it's hard to... well, if I was faster, she would still be here." I didn't want to cry, not here. Flitwick took my reluctance as a sign to not continue his pursuit of comfort lest it upset me more.

Did the students blame me? It felt that none of them wanted to look at me despite there being hundreds of pairs of eyes that were floating about at all times. It was like there was a barrier separating me from them. I hated it.

To everyone's surprise, Dumbledore rose from his seat and gave an authoritative cough to bring what small chatter there was to silence.

"As I am sure you all know, I am deeply saddened to announce that another student has unfortunately gone missing. I assure you, we are still investigating and your protection is our top priority. I urge that if you have any information you tell a teacher immediately."

Dumbledore paused and gave a nod in my direction, putting on his best smile. So he does still believe in me...

"Of course, it is understandable that the morale of Hogwarts has dwindled. However, I am glad to announce that we shall be doing something quite different to remedy these feelings. Tomorrow night, Hogwarts shall be hosting a ball for all fourth years and above in the Great Hall. There will be activities throughout the castle for first to third years but there will be a curfew. I hope you all anticipate the event as much as I certainly do."

A ball? It wasn't the worst idea but it felt more like it was celebrating if anything. All I can say is that I hope it does improve things because if it doesn't, Hogwarts may be facing a much more serious consequence than missing students.

But wait, if there's a ball, that means dancing. And if there's dancing, then does that mean I need... a date? Am I supposed to ask someone or are they supposed to ask me? Who would I ask anyway? Who would ask me?
I spotted Snape in the corner of my eye and my cheeks flushed slightly. Damn it, Cassandra, why are you behaving like such a fool? Remember how only last month you told him you wished he would go to Hell? There's no reason for you to be feeling like this!

Though, there was... He was starting to change. I rather liked that change. The dynamic felt electric. Instead of treating me like royalty, he treated me as an equal. An equal that he had no shame of calling out when necessary... but he knew when it was time to be sensitive.

I smacked my face to snap myself out of my idiocy. Tomorrow is going to be an eventful day...

Sleep was evasive last night. Countless images of potential outcomes spiraled constantly through every crevice of my brain. Wait...

I shot up in bed. I have nothing to wear. None of the clothes I had brought with me was formal enough for a ball of all things. Thanks, Father, for not letting me have a social life where I'd need it. Guess I'll have to go in something more casual and hope that it will be good enough. Does how I look matter if I haven't got anyone to go with anyway?

As I got changed for the regular day ahead, I took another look at my board. Genny Roberts's picture was firmly pressed in the centre. She was a gorgeous girl with bright green eyes and long plaited brown hair that descended further down than her picture allowed one to see. It wouldn't be surprising if she had countless admirers.

So what was it that the void-like being was telling her to do? Snape suspected it was to do with changing her grade so she could take NEWT-level Potions but... I can't get it out of my head that maybe... she was trying to- No. No, that's entirely inappropriate. Besides, why would he have an interest in her? A student, no less? Why am I getting so flustered over this!?

"Four out of five have confirmed to be having the same dream... just what was the voice saying to them? It must be persuasive as it got Beckett to act... but she was a first-year so she was susceptible to it." The clock on my table suddenly rang out, signalling it was time to head over to class. "Guess I don't have time... I swear, I will solve this... just not tonight, probably."

Charms with Flitwick went about as eventful as expected. At first, he tried his best to teach but every student was too excited to pay attention. He ended up letting them do as they wish, including playing games, so long as they weren't too loud. Some of them pulled out copies of Wizard Chess, others gossiped about who they were planning to ask out and what they would wear and I think one even took a nap... One boy had the audacity to send a paper aeroplane across the class to a girl asking her to be his date! Surprisingly, she said yes and the entire class cheered!

Admittedly, it made me feel quite happy seeing everyone shining like they used to. It was like a new life had sparked within. It'll be sad returning to the Ministry if this will be what I'm missing.

"I believe that is check, Cassandra." Flitwick declared, moving his knight within range of my king.

"A cunning move made by the House Leader of Ravenclaw, but you missed one fatal shortcoming." I slyly countered as I sent my rook to take the knight he was so confident would be my downcome. "Checkmate in two moves. You should forfeit."

Flitwick eyed the board as best he could trying to look for any chances of success but came to a dead end. He reached his hand over the board for a surrendering handshake, to which I accepted respectfully.

"A clean victory. Well done, I concede."

And with that, the bell rang. As quickly as they came, every student pooled out until it was just Flitwick and I remaining in silence. The students had made such a mess by leaving bits of paper, broken quills and game pieces everywhere. I grabbed my wand and sorted everything into its appropriate place as Flitwick went out of view.

A moment later, he reappeared holding a beautiful flower bouquet that was almost the size of him. If he wasn't careful, he could well topple over holding them.

"Cassandra, perchance, would you be interested in attending tonight's ball with me?" he asked with a lot of might.

I was worried this could happen. Flitwick is a dear treasure to me but he will only ever be my friend. My heart doesn't feel anything more than friendship for him. I don't know what it wants but... not this.

"Filius... I'm sorry but I just don't feel that way about you." I replied. He tried his best to hide his disappointment but it was clear as day for a second. I felt guilty but I have no obligation to return those feelings. My only hope is that we can still be friends, after all.

"Of course, I understand." He floated the flowers into a vase by the large windows. "They'll give the room some vibrance at least, don't you think?" I nodded and we left the room together. There wasn't anything else left to be said.

Not a great start to the day...

I spent many of my free hours today helping prepare some of the activities for the younger years that were spread around the castle. It felt like a festival with the number of games there were! To my surprise, Dumbledore himself came down and spoke to some of us.

"Ah, Miss Juniper, doing well, are we?"

"Of course. This hardly compares to the things I'd have to do at the Ministry." I laughed confidently.

Dumbledore pressed a hand to my shoulder and guided me away from the other people helping out.

"Tell me, have you found someone to go with you tonight?" he asked sporting a curious smile. Oh Dumbledore, you really are a secret gossiper, aren't you?

"Filius asked me but... I turned him down. Other than that, nobody else has asked me. I'll probably end up going on my own. I don't have anything to wear anyway so it won't be impressive regardless." I admitted with a hefty sigh.

"I wouldn't worry too much about that last thing." Still looking at me, he began to walk away. Arms open, he then said with a much bigger grin: "After all, this school has many mysteries. Helping those who need it will always be one of them."

What did he mean by that? My curiosity got the better of me. I headed to my room and you know what they say...

Curiosity killed the cat...

but on my bed lay a gorgeous sky blue ballgown.

Satisfaction brought it back...

"It's beautiful, oh my god!" I exclaimed, carefully putting it on. It fitted perfectly... The whites and blues merged into a spectacular sight and the accents on the top half gave the dress its well-deserved elegance. Still sitting on the bed was a small piece of parchment. Opening it revealed the same formal handwriting I had seen on my first day here:

You have been doing excellently since coming here, Cassandra. Everyone at Hogwarts is eternally grateful for your service to our school. You have more than earned this gift. Consider it as a sign of our thanks.

-AD

P.S Remember what I told you on your first day: you would do well to not judge those on your first encounter. It is what room you give one to grow that determines how they blossom.

Severus... I want to give him that room to grow. I want to see the sort of person he can truly be. To do that, it would mean abandoning the hatred for him that came from past spite.

Tears welled up in my eyes. I went from being quite excited for tonight to now feeling like a girl on her wedding day. Show me what you're truly capable of, Severus. Just don't let me down.