Disclaimer: All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine.

Updated as of 7/23/2019.

Chapter Eighteen

The Challenge

Winter had Hogwarts clutched firmly in its jaws now. The late autumn weather that had been struggling to stay had finally been quashed, and every morning leading up to the holidays was seen laden with snow and burdened by chilly grey clouds. The arrival of the holidays also brought upon the students a sense of wariness, as it was not uncommon for someone to be pelted with enchanted snowballs by people from other Houses whilst walking across the grounds, and Peeves had taken it upon himself to knock loose icicles from the bannisters outside in an attempt to impale any who hadn't the sense to watch out for the poltergeist.

In the week leading up to the last Hogsmeade trip before the holidays, an eerie hush had fallen over the castle, the kind of stifling silence only observed during the time of exams while all years had to take their midterm tests. House common rooms became refuges for students unable to snag a seat in the overcrowded library, which forced many other students to seek out random spots around the castle to host their games of Exploding Snap or to simply escape the confines of studying as James, Sirius, and Peter had taken to doing, which unfortunately meant that Remus and Cassie were to be dragged along, as well.

A small explosion that nearly singed off her eyebrows made Cassie look up from her Herbology notes with a scowl, seeing Peter doing some sort of victory jig as he collected quite a few Knuts from both Sirius and James, whose faces were covered in a fine layer of soot and most of the hair on their forearms was smoking.

"All right, I'm going back to the common room," she announced, stuffing her notes back into her bag and nudging Remus's knee with her foot. "You coming?"

"I thought you'd never ask," he said, sliding his thumb in the place he had left off in his Ancient Runes book before closing it and accepting her proffered hand to be helped up.

"Nerds," James jeered when they made to walk out of the secret passageway they had been holed up in on the third floor, hidden behind a tapestry of thirteen witches dancing around a sacrificial fire. The Marauders had proudly told her that they had found it their first year, and she had only shaken her head, not even bothering asking how they'd managed that.

"Sorry that I'd rather pass my exams than continue to watch Peter rob you of all your money," she retorted. Peter snickered, shooting her a thumbs-up as James rolled his eyes.

"We only have one more exam tomorrow," he pointed out. "Then the day after that is Hogsmeade, baby!"

"Yes, only one more exam that I have to pass still." She sniffed. "My parents would ground me until graduation if I got anything lower than an A." She frowned then. "Not that I've ever really gotten a lot of O's before, or even E's…"

"I say blow the whole thing off just to knot their knickers," Sirius said, leaning back against the wall and stretching his legs out before him. "Then they'll have zero expectations the next time you do anything stupid."

"That sounds like a lovely idea, if only I had a death wish," she deadpanned. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I really need to finish looking over these Herbology notes."

She marched out from behind the tapestry with Remus in tow, slightly abashed at her shortness. The past two weeks had been strange in terms of her friendship with Sirius, and it wasn't sitting well with her at all. He and Marlene had gone public with their "dating" (a loosely applied term, in their case), and ever since, she had barely gotten a chance to talk to him beyond the occasional greeting, for it seemed Marlene was always glued to his side.

The blonde witch had been ecstatic when she'd announced that she and Sirius were official, and it seemed that all she ever did anymore was talk about the handsome Marauder. She had even taken to sitting with the boys at meals now, coaxing the other girls into joining even though she always seemed to pay more attention to her boyfriend than them.

Cassie didn't really mind the seating arrangement, as she had been sitting with them for weeks already, but she could tell Lily was quite uncomfortable, since James seemed incapable of not acting like a git in front of her. Alice wasn't happy about it either, as she always cast longing looks down the table to where Frank Longbottom usually sat. The only thing she did mind was Marlene and Sirius showing some disgusting display of affection right across from her, whether they would be feeding each other food or just simply snogging for everyone to see, and there had been more than one occasion when she had lost her appetite after seeing some tongue thrown in, as well.

And when the two weren't snogging at the table, or in the common room, or in the corridors between classes, they were mysteriously absent on some nights. Cassie would hear Marlene stumble into the dormitory at odd hours of the morning, and she shuddered as unbidden images of that horrible night flooded her brain once more, only being able to imagine the kind of stuff they would be doing now that they were an item.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when Remus bumped his elbow against her own. She looked up to see him gazing down at her, half-smiling, but with a touch of concern in his green gaze. "Hey, you all right?"

She gave him a small smile of her own, hoisting her bag higher on her shoulder. "Yeah, good. Why?"

"Dunno, you're just really quiet today," he said, shrugging. "Usually you're rambling on about some weird thing at this point."

She gasped, mock offended. "That hurts, Remus."

He chuckled, and they walked along amiably for a few more moments before he spoke again. "Y'know, come to think of it…you've been quiet a lot recently. Are you sure nothing's the matter?"

She sighed, her hand reaching up subconsciously to rub at the chain around her neck, not even realizing Remus's eyes had followed the movement until he grabbed her hand in alarm, startling her.

"Cassie," he said, his eyes fixed on the chain, "please don't tell me that that is what I think it is."

She blinked, suddenly nervous as she tugged on the chain and brought the locket out from under her shirt. Remus looked from the locket to her rapidly, his pupils dilating.

"That's the locket," he said, quite unnecessarily. "Cassie, can I please ask you why you are wearing the locket your Death Eater brother gave to you?"

"It's not cursed or anything," she said hastily, stowing it away after she noticed how white his face had gone. He shook his head.

"You don't know that," he said, meeting her eyes gravely. "Magic is powerful, Cassie, and sometimes the greatest powers are the ones that can't be seen or felt physically."

"Look, I can't explain it, okay?" she said, shaking her head. "But something is telling me that I should wear it. I need to have it on me at all times. It's just this…gut feeling, like something could go horribly wrong if I don't."

Remus looked panicked at her admission. "Cassie, this is vitally important. When did you start feeling like you needed to wear it?"

"I…dunno," she said haltingly, not wanting to tell him about her dream, about the lovers and the locket. She would probably sound crazy. "I just wanted to."

He ran his hands through his hair, his scars showing stark against his skin as he released a heavy breath, muttering to himself, "Could be some form of the Imperius Curse…"

"Will isn't out to kill me, or whatever else you lot think he's doing," she said, her temper rising. "He's my brother. He wouldn't hurt me."

Remus gazed at her for a long while, not saying anything, and she placed her forehead on the window they had stopped at, the cold glass numbing her skin. "I have to believe that," she said, and her voice came out in a small whisper. "I have to believe that he still cares, deep down."

She shut her eyes tightly, struggling to fight off the tears as Remus heaved a large sigh in front of her.

"Cassie, you know I just want you to be safe," he said. She opened her eyes, seeing him looking at her with such tender concern she felt her heart swell.

"I know," she said before reaching out and wrapping her arms around him. He stiffened, as if startled by the contact, before his own hands came to rest on her back, and he gave a little rub between her shoulder blades that seemed to take weeks of strain off her.

"Cassie, Remus! Hey!"

They broke apart to see Marlene striding toward them, her blonde hair pulled into a high ponytail that swung like a pendulum as she walked. She waved to them as she neared, smiling brightly.

"Hey, Mar," Cassie said, and Remus nodded to her, saying, "Hi, Marlene."

"Have you two seen Sirius?" she asked, cutting right to the point. Cassie was about to point out the direction of the passageway they had just come from before Remus elbowed her sharply in the ribs.

"Nope, can't say we have," he said casually while Cassie began fake coughing to hide the grunt of pain she had released at his jab. "Have you tried the library?"

Marlene frowned. "No, I haven't looked there yet," she said. "I didn't think he'd be the studying type."

"Are you kidding? That boy is one of the hardest workers I have ever seen," Remus said, his eyes wide. Cassie watched in confusion while Marlene just smiled, bemused. "Dunno how he's not top of the class, really."

"Okay…" Marlene said slowly. "Er, I'm going to try the library, then. See you two later!"

She sashayed around the corner, and as soon as she was out of earshot Remus began to snigger heartily, causing Cassie to punch him in the shoulder.

"Ow, Cassie, hey! What was that for?" he asked, rubbing his arm. She glared at him.

"I could ask you the same thing," she said, arching a brow. "That was rude what you just did to her!"

"Only the Marauders know about that passageway, and I know Sirius would want it to stay that way," he said. "Sheesh, you have a really solid arm, y'know that?"

"That's one of the lamest excuses I have ever heard," she said, ignoring his comment. "And I'm not a Marauder; how come I'm allowed to know where it is?"

"Because you're as good as," he said, rolling up his sleeve to check for damage and luckily not noticing the blush of surprise and pleasure that had flared across her cheeks. "Seriously, I think I'm gonna have a bruise now."

"And I'll give you a matching one on your other arm if you don't tell me the truth about why you just lied to my friend," she said, raising a fist threateningly. His eyes flickered to her knuckles before going back to hers.

"Sirius is just…a little tired of her at the moment," he admitted reluctantly.

"They've been dating for two weeks!" she exclaimed. "How can he be tired of her already?"

They shared a look, and at the same time they said, "Player."

Cassie sighed, shaking her head. "This is bad. Really, really bad."

"She's attached, isn't she?" he asked, and winced when she nodded. "Yikes."

"She was talking about buying them promise rings for Christmas," she said, making a face. "I'm not that surprised, though; she's like this with every bloke she dates."

"Yeah, she cornered me the other day and asked me what I thought he'd like for a present," he said, grimacing. "It was rather frightening."

Cassie snorted. "What'd you tell her?"

"I told her to buy him a pet rock. Y'know, something permanent that would always be there to support him."

She laughed at this and he grinned, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. "We should really get back and study."

"Agreed."

They walked back to the common room, chattering on about the Hogsmeade trip, but Cassie couldn't help her fingers straying back to the chain of the locket, a seedling of doubt taking root in her gut as she wondered if Remus was right in believing that her brother had done something wrong to it.

Despite nearly being sucked into a mass of writhing venomous tentacula vines, the Herbology exam went off without a hitch, which Cassie was relieved and quite proud of as the fifth-years trudged out of the greenhouses, covered in dragon dung and sweat, with some nursing only minor wounds from several of the more violent plants.

"Ugh, I'm starving," Alice said, smoothing down the back of her head from when a screechsnap had flung dragon dung at her for watering it too much. "Can we please go eat?"

"I'll meet up with you there," Cassie said. "I'm going to visit Little Leaf for a few minutes. I haven't seen him since last Tuesday."

Alice simply shrugged, already acclimated to her friend's strange bond with the woodland creature. "Suit yourself. I'll save you a seat."

Cassie waved before trekking down the path that led to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, past the gamekeeper's hut where smoke curled from the chimney of the small home. She saw Professor Kettleburn hobbling around the patch of forest reserved for his Care of Magical Creatures classes while some younger students were finishing up their exam by trying to herd a group of diricawls into something that resembled a large chicken coop. This was proving to be extremely difficult, however, as the dodo-like birds kept vanishing and then reappearing several yards away, resulting in a mad chase around the pen between the creatures and the students.

She approached her meeting spot with Little Leaf, pulling out a bag of wood lice and giving it a nice shake, calling out the bowtruckle's name and waiting for him to appear. She sat down and waited when he didn't immediately show, huddling deep into her cloak to escape the chill, but after a few more minutes of waiting she began to get worried, wondering where he was.

"Little Leaf!" she tried calling again, but there was still no sign of the little tree-man. The wind whistled through the trees bordering the edge of the forest, the bare branches creaking in the breeze, and the hair on the back of her neck began to rise as she wondered what could have happened to the bowtruckle.

"I wouldn' be surprised if yer little friend moved on," a gruff voice said behind her. She jumped, whirling around to see Hagrid looming over her, a few rabbits strung from his belt and a giant crossbow slung over his shoulder.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "Moved on as in…dead?"

"Nah, not dead," the giant man said, shaking his great hairy head. "I've been talkin' to some of the centaurs in there—they say there's a great migration or summat like that goin' on. All the creatures are movin' on, clearin' outta here and goin' in deeper."

Cassie frowned, her brows furrowed. "Why would they do that?"

Hagrid shrugged his huge shoulders, reaching up and scratching at his wild beard with a hand the size of a rubbish bin lid.

"Who knows? The forest is a strange place."

Cassie had to agree with that, but she couldn't help turning back and staring at the spot Little Leaf usually emerged from, a sense of unease creeping over her.

"Yer name's Alderfair, righ'?" Hagrid asked her. She winced before turning to him and nodding. He studied her with beetle-black eyes, though the gaze wasn't lingering or scornful. He just seemed to be looking at her, a quiet gentleness to his eyes that put her at ease in his presence.

"Yeah, ol' Silvanus told me about yer bond with tha' bowtruckle," he said, gesturing his head to where Professor Kettleburn was shouting at the students to do better at catching the vanishing birds. "Little Leaf, was it?"

She nodded, blowing out her cheeks as she sighed. "That's him," she said. "Or, was."

"Ah, well, I wouldn' be too let down by it," he said kindly. "Bowtruckles don' usually bond with humans all tha' well, anyway. It was probably his time to go."

"You're probably right," she admitted, biting her lip and scooping up the wood lice bag from the ground. "Thanks, Hagrid."

"No need ter thank me, missy," he said, waving her off. "Jus' keep doin' well in class, ya hear? Silvanus raves about yer grades and yer interest in the subject. He might offer ye a job outta school if ye pass all his N.E.W.T. courses."

Cassie looked up in astonishment. "You mean…Professor Kettleburn likes me?"

Hagrid snorted. "Starkers, more like. But yer a bright witch; I think ye could do anything ye wanted to if ye tried hard enough."

"Th-thank you," she stammered, stunned at the praise. "And, er, please call me Cassie. For future reference."

She could see his smile behind his bushy beard. "Cassie. Pretty name. Well, I'd best be off if I wanna have supper anytime soon." He gestured to the rabbits on his belt before lumbering away, giving her a last wave. "Ye take care, Cassie, hear?"

After assuring the groundskeeper that she would, she started back to the castle just as Professor Kettleburn released his students from their exam, the diricawls apparently having all been caught by the sweaty and exhausted fourth years.

She had just reached the stone steps that twisted their way to the castle doors when she felt someone slip into a space nearby on her right; not close enough to be considered a walking companion, but near enough for the person to speak out of the corner of their mouth to her.

"Evening, Gryffindor," Regulus Black greeted her. Though she could feel his grey eyes slide to her, she stared resolutely ahead, quickening her pace without responding.

He let out a small chuckle at her reaction. "Heard about what happened with Sloane and her cronies. At least you have Moaning Myrtle on your side in case anyone tries something again."

"Piss off, Black," she hissed, walking still quicker, though the boy seemed to keep even pace with her despite never once breaking his stride.

"Hm. You seem to have a lot of practice saying that. How fares my brother, anyhow?"

"Ask his girlfriend," she shot back before biting her tongue when she realized how petty she sounded—something Regulus hadn't missed.

"Ah, a jealous Gryffindor," he mused. "Hell hath no fury like a scorned lion. Or, in this case, a lioness."

"It's a wonder you two don't get along more," she said. "You're both the most insufferable gits I have ever met."

"Don't ever compare me to him!" Regulus snapped. Cassie cast him a sidelong glance, seeing that she had struck a nerve as she noticed his tight jaw and clenched fists.

"Sorry," she said without really meaning it. Her half-hearted apology seemed to work, for he'd calmed down by the time they reached the courtyard.

They reached the front doors of the castle and entered, but before Cassie continued into the Great Hall, she heard Regulus whisper in her ear, "Remember what I said at Slughorn's party."

She shivered at his sudden proximity, but he was already moving away, twisting between the bodies of students going to dinner before disappearing into the dungeons toward his common room, leaving her standing alone and feeling quite cold.

Her sudden dread was quelled by a voice calling her name, and she turned to see Sirius bounding down the marble staircase toward her, a grin lighting his face and his dark hair flopping with each step. She felt an odd twist in her gut as he approached but brushed it off as a hunger pang.

"Hey, Sirius," she said when he had pushed his way over to her, but instead of responding, he instead let out a loud bark of laughter, slinging his arm around her shoulders as if she had just told the funniest joke in the world.

"Oh, Cassie, you're so inappropriate, it's hilarious!" he said, loudly enough to where everyone in their vicinity cast them odd looks.

"What the hell are you doing?" she asked between gritted teeth, but he only laughed louder, clutching his stomach.

"I can't believe you actually ate a snargaluff pod!" he shouted, and she saw people look to her judgmentally, beginning to murmur behind their hands. "Truly disgusting!"

"Sirius—" she growled, stopping when she caught the steely glint in his eye as he gazed at someone amongst the crowd.

Her eyes landed on Bertram Aubrey, who had halted a few steps away, his green eyes darting back and forth between her crimson face and Sirius's smug one before he glanced at Sirius's arm around her, his cheeks coloring a faint pink hue when Sirius waggled his brows at him.

Without even acknowledging her presence, Aubrey turned and walked away, hurrying into the Great Hall. She shoved Sirius away from her, suddenly furious.

"You absolute arse, Sirius Black!" she yelled. "You knew Aubrey was going to ask me to Hogsmeade tonight! You just ruined everything!"

"Sorry, Princess, but I play dirty," he said, grinning at her smugly and completely oblivious to her anger and mortification. "Looks like I'm going to be winning that deal."

"You are such a prat," she said, not even caring how many people had stopped to stare at them. "Congratulations on cheating, Black. You're the bloody winner." Her every word dripped with sarcasm, but he didn't seem to notice, only shrugging.

"Oh, c'mon, Alderfair, like you would've said yes to him, anyway," he said, sticking his hands in his pockets and giving her his signature smirk.

"With the way you're acting right now, I would choose him over you any day," she retorted, and that wiped the grin off his face. He stared at her, his mouth opening slightly.

"Cassie—" he started to say, but she shook her head.

"Go away, Sirius," she muttered before turning on her heel and storming into the Great Hall. She bypassed the Marauders and the girls where Marlene had dragged them to sit so she could eat with Sirius again, seating herself in a spot next to some first years that looked to her fearfully as she took an angry bite out of a dinner roll, her stomach roiling too much for anything else.

She had never felt as humiliated as she did within that moment. Despite Aubrey asking her out being the foundation of their challenge, the more she'd mulled it over, a tiny part of her had wanted to go to Hogsmeade with him. He was a good-looking bloke, and quite funny and easygoing. But now Sirius had ruined her chance of ever getting asked out by him all for the sake of winning. Her first chance of going on an actual date had just backfired tremendously, though she would never admit that fact to him. He would lord it over her forever if he found out she had never been asked to Hogsmeade before, and the thought quickly made her lose her appetite as she set down the roll, trying to keep the tears at bay.

She barely registered when two bodies slid in on either side of her, and she kept her head down, even when she felt Alice smooth her hair away from her face and Lily take her hand in her own.

"Want to talk about it?" she asked. Cassie shook her head.

"Not yet," she said, and that was all they needed before they began to eat beside her, coaxing her into drinking some pumpkin juice and swallowing a couple more rolls.

She never looked once to where the Marauders were sitting, unable to bear seeing Sirius snogging Marlene again as if he hadn't just done anything to her. She didn't look to the Ravenclaw table, either, even though she felt more than one pairs of eyes boring into the back of her head all night before she finally decided to retire to bed.

As she left the Great Hall, she thought she heard someone say her name softly, but she marched resolutely forward, trying to pretend as if her heart hadn't lifted slightly in hope at the sound.

Snow was falling heavily the next morning as the girls prepared for Hogsmeade, stuffing themselves into layers of clothes and scarves before daring to set foot outside of the castle.

Cassie dressed in silence, her anger from the night before still clinging to her like an annoying bramble she couldn't shake. Luckily, the other girls seemed to sense her mood and didn't try too hard to include her in their conversations. She'd told them about what Sirius had done to her, and they had all been shocked and angry, even Marlene threatening to talk some sense into him that day about his practical joke, but she had a hard time believing it.

"Cass, you ready?" Alice said from the doorway. Cassie nodded, getting up from where she had been putting her boots on and following the other girls into the common room before they set off for the Entrance Hall.

Cassie walked along at Alice's shoulder, keeping her head down and her hands shoved deep into her pockets. Hogsmeade trips had always been a source of fun and excitement for her, but now she just felt tired and drained, as if Sirius's sabotage had sucked everything right out of her. She had gone straight to bed after dinner, so she hadn't seen him at all since the night before, but she didn't really consider it a loss as she trudged after the girls.

They reached the marble staircase, but Cassie stopped dead when she lifted her head and saw Bertram Aubrey approaching from the direction of Ravenclaw Tower, he too coming to an abrupt halt when he saw her.

Her face flared with mortification, but after a few tense moments, he gave her a jerky nod before practically running down the steps, a few of his friends in tow who cast her scornful looks as they passed, making her face heat more.

"If anyone needs me, I'll be sleeping for the next century," she said, turning back in the direction of Gryffindor Tower and silently groaning when she felt hands grabbing onto the back of her coat.

"Oh, no, you don't," Alice said sharply, yanking her back around and putting a secure arm around her shoulders. "You're going to hang out with us girls today, and you're not going to worry about any boys, because all of them are daft dolts anyway. Got it?"

Cassie grumbled indistinctly as she was dragged down the staircase, still pinned beneath Alice's arm even after they got their names checked off by Filch and began to head down the path to the gates.

They were only a few steps down the road to the village when they heard shouts behind them, and they turned to see the Marauders trekking toward them, laughing and pushing each other around like idiots. Cassie rolled her eyes, her gaze never once straying to Sirius.

"Babe!" Marlene said happily, bouncing up to the blur in her peripheral that was Sirius and not hesitating to envelop him in a long, passionate kiss.

James mimed throwing up behind them, which caused everyone to snicker; even Lily cracked a small grin. James straightened immediately upon this realization, giving her a brilliant smile that she did not return, only turning away and joining Cassie and Alice again.

"Let's leave them to it, shall we?" she said, and the other two nodded, starting back down the road before the boys caught up to them again.

"If I ever get a girlfriend and we start snogging instead of talking to each other, will one of you please punch me in the face?" Peter asked seriously, and Cassie and Remus both raised their hands.

"I volunteer myself for when that day comes," she said.

Remus nodded in agreement. "I second that."

"D'you think they'd notice if I put a Lip-Locking Charm on them?" James mused, twirling his wand.

Lily looked at him warily. "You know how to do a Lip-Locking Charm?"

James seemed startled by the fact that she was speaking directly to him without an insult or yelling, but he nodded slowly. "Er, yeah. Learned it in third year."

Lily's face twitched, and Cassie could tell she was trying hard to not look impressed. "Oh. Interesting."

James stared at her, slack-jawed, before Remus took pity on him and asked about Quidditch practice to distract him from looking like a freak as they enjoyed their walk to Hogsmeade, debating all the places they should go.

When they reached the village, the boys broke off to go to Spintwitches to look at Quidditch gear, while Lily dragged Cassie and Alice to Tomes and Scrolls so she could buy more books.

The two girls found some shabby armchairs by the front door and promptly took seats, knowing how long Lily spent in the bookshop as they watched witches and wizards of all kinds tramp in and out. They recognized a few of the Hogwarts students who came in, as well, and Alice waved to some of them while Cassie stared out at the rows of books on their shelves, thinking about The Hobbit book she had just finished.

The ending had almost made her cry, and she had been shocked to learn that Thorin hadn't made it out of the battle alive. She thought about how sad it was, for the dwarf to come so far to reclaim his kingdom, only to fail in the end. She wondered if the author had intentionally done that, not only to warn of the trappings of greed, but also to provide an example of just how unfair life could be. Thinking about the book only led her thoughts back to Sirius, however, so she quickly engaged Alice in conversation, grateful for the distraction she provided as Lily came back over to them, carrying a large bag stuffed to the brim with books.

They visited a few more shops they often frequented, each girl emerging from Honeydukes with a bag of sweets, and Alice dropping a fistful of Sickles on some fancy quills from Scrivenshaft's. Cassie had had to be dragged away from Dominic Maestro's after she'd found a small corner filled with Muggle records and threatened to sit there all day and listen to them, and she was still pouting by the time they reached the main street and bumped into Marlene walking alone.

"Oh, there you are!" she said brightly, her cheeks flushed pink, though Cassie assumed not just from the cold. "Sirius and I just got done with lunch at Madam Puddifoot's, but he said he was going to meet the other boys at The Three Broomsticks. Have you been to Gladrags yet? I really wanted to look at some new dress robes."

"Nope, we were just on our way there," Lily said, casting Cassie a surreptitious look she couldn't read, but she wasn't really paying attention.

She was staring off in the direction of The Three Broomsticks, a sudden ball of hot anger churning in her gut as she thought back to the deal she had struck with Sirius, and the challenge he had given her if Aubrey didn't ask her to Hogsmeade. Even though he had cheated her out of winning, she wasn't about to back down and appear weak. She set her jaw determinedly, knowing what she had to do.

"You three go ahead," she said, waving the other girls off and marching toward the direction of the pub. "There's something I have to do."

She didn't wait for their response, making her way up the street and into the packed pub. Warmth and the smells of roasted meat and butterbeer washed over her as she entered, and she squeezed in between a set of warlocks speaking in fluid Dutch to each other, her eyes skimming the crowded room.

The place was packed with Hogwarts students, locals, and travelers alike. She thought she would never be able to find the Marauders until she saw a flash of untidy black hair and her gaze locked onto James expertly weaving through the patrons, holding four mugs of butterbeer in his hands and heading to a booth in the back where she could see Sirius, Remus, and Peter sitting. Raising her chin, she started after him.

James had just set down the drinks and slid into the seat next to Peter when she plopped herself into the space beside him, causing him to start in surprise before he realized who she was.

"Sheesh, Princess, don't sneak up on me like that!" he said.

She ignored him, looking to Sirius across from her and settling her face into the iciest expression she could conjure. From the way he attempted to muster a sheepish smile and failed, only shifting guiltily, she had a feeling it came off pretty well, and she silently thanked her Pure-blood ancestors for giving her such a dangerous face for when she needed it.

"When you grow up as an Alderfair, everything has meaning," she said, never once breaking her stare from Sirius's. "Every word is a promise; every gesture is calculated; and from an early age I was disciplined in the lessons of honor, intention, and what to do if someone should ever cross me in life."

She lifted her chin, Sirius's wide grey eyes fixed upon her face as she continued. "You cheated me out of a deal we both agreed on, and besides being a very dishonorable thing to do, it was an insult to me and the values I hold dear. You went up against an Alderfair, and let me just tell you that that was a very stupid thing to do."

The booth was silent, and she found she was quite enjoying herself as she leaned forward, lacing her fingers together on the table. Sirius hadn't moved a muscle since she'd sat down, staring at her as if he had never seen her before as she gave him a thin smile.

"Don't ever cross me again," she said darkly, and she swore he actually gulped before that sliver of Black arrogance reentered his expression.

"Is that a challenge, Princess?" he said, a grin widening his mouth and giving him a predatory look. She leaned back, arching a brow haughtily.

"Think of it more as a promise the next time you decide to be a moronic git," she said sweetly, and he smirked, the arrogant expression making something in her stomach swoop.

"Challenge accepted," he murmured, and after a few more seconds of intense staring, James finally broke the tension.

"Sweet Merlin above, you two are scary," he said, and Peter nodded in agreement, actually looking pale in the face.

"Are you both quite done, then?" Remus asked in exasperation. "Because I'd like to get on with it and enjoy a drink with all my mates now."

"Almost," Cassie said, holding up her hand before turning to Sirius again. "As an Alderfair, it is also my honor to uphold my end of the deal, despite the underhanded methods used against me." She pointed her finger at him. "Shoe. Sock. Off."

He looked confused before realization dawned on his face and his eyes lit up with glee. "I thought this day would never come," he said as he bent to do what she said. "Oh, this is going to be good."

"I have a very bad feeling about this," Remus said, his eyes darting back and forth between the two as Cassie tied her hair back from her face.

"Do I even wanna know what this is about?" James asked in a pained voice, and Peter nodded again.

"Something tells me you definitely don't want to miss this," the blond boy answered, and James grimaced, though continued to watch them cautiously.

"Ready whenever you are, Princess," Sirius said, leaning back in his seat and putting his arms over his head leisurely. "Heel to toe. The whole length."

Remus groaned, putting his head in his hands. "I can't believe you two are some of the friends I choose to spend my time with."

Cassie shot him a grin. "Oh, hush, Remus. You know you love us."

"After this, I don't think that's going to be possible anymore," he said, and she chuckled before inhaling deeply, steeling herself.

"Any day now, Princess," Sirius said, wagging his brows, and she shot him a glare before sliding underneath the table, his bare foot practically thrust into her face already.

Why do I do these things to myself? she asked silently, flinching back when Sirius wiggled his toes in her face expectantly. Okay, no big deal. Just close your eyes and get it over with.

With a silent prayer to Merlin that he had showered that morning, she stuck her tongue out and dragged it up the length of his foot, feeling the boy shaking with laughter above as the others rolled in their seats, practically screaming at the happenings proceeding under the table. She finished, spitting a few times onto the floor to get the taste out of her mouth. It wasn't a bad taste, per se—the only way she could describe it was distinctly foot.

She emerged from underneath the table, immediately reaching for James's butterbeer and chugging a good portion of it while the boys roared with laughter around her.

"Cassie," James wheezed, pushing his glasses back up his nose and clapping her on the shoulder like a proud father, "you are something else."

"I'm going to go get myself a drink," she said, making a face before getting up and heading to the bar.

She hopped onto a stool and slid Madam Rosmerta a few coins when she brought her a butterbeer, and the young witch gave her a dazzling smile when she saw the few extra Cassie had slipped in there for her. She remembered Rosmerta from school when she was a lot younger, as she had been casual friends with her brother—something Rosmerta seemed to think of in that moment, as well, for she gave her a wink and handed her a sweet roll with no extra charge before whisking away.

Cassie happily munched on the roll and sipped from her butterbeer, content in her seat at the bar as she listened to other people's random conversations, only looking up when someone perched on the stool next to her.

"Is it wrong to say that I might be slightly aroused from you licking my foot?" Sirius said, stealing a piece of her roll as she gave him a disgusted look, though that odd swoop in her stomach happened again when he smirked at her.

"Very wrong, especially because you are dating Marlene," she pointed out, and she thought his expression flickered before it was back in place.

"Good point," he agreed, winking and handing Rosmerta a few coins when she brought him another butterbeer. They drank in silence for a while before Sirius spoke up again, and what he said surprised her.

"You're a really good mate to me, Cassie," he said, tracing his finger down the side of his mug and catching the condensation that was forming on the glass. "I didn't think we would ever get along, but, well, I enjoy having you as a friend. And I'm very protective of that. I can't really explain why but… I thought Aubrey was going to mess that up. That's why I sabotaged him asking you out, because… I guess I didn't want to lose you to someone else."

"Sirius, you're not going to lose me just because someone asks me out," she said, shaking her head in bafflement. "You're my mate, too, and I don't let small things like that worry me. So, you don't have to worry about that, either."

They shared a small smile, and something seemed to pass between them, a faint flicker that Cassie felt in her fingertips before she dropped her gaze awkwardly, fiddling with the rest of her sweet roll.

Sirius suddenly held up his mug, and she eyed it questioningly as he grinned, meeting her eyes again. "To friendship," he said, and Cassie smiled as she clinked her own glass to his.

"To friendship," she echoed.

They both drank deeply before setting down their mugs, and she attributed the warmth glowing in her gut to the aftereffects of the butterbeer, and not to the feeling she had gotten whenever Sirius's eyes had met hers.

I loved writing Cassie's Pure-blood side. It makes sense to me that even though she doesn't act like it, she was still raised a certain way and those traits can still come out in her. Just some food for thought.

Next Chapter: The Family

xx