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

Updated as of 3/19/2020.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The Deadly Valentine

"How…to…kill…a…vampire…by…James…Potter."

The bespectacled boy looked up only to find Remus giving him a judgmental look. "What? It's a brilliant essay title!"

"For a First Year," Remus said drily. "Are you really going to write something like that on your O.W.L.?"

"They're not going to care about the title," James said defensively. "It's what's in the essay that they're going to be grading. As long as I have all the information, it's practically 'Outstanding' quality already!"

Remus still looked dubious, and James sighed. "Fine. I'll change it, but just for you, Moony."

"I knew I was wrong to think I was the only one special to you, James," Cassie said, grinning teasingly as she glanced up from her own essay. In response, James wadded up his parchment and tossed it at her. Cassie stuck out her tongue at him.

"Behave, you two," Remus warned, nudging the inkpot he shared with Cassie away from her as she eyed it deviously. "We're in the library; Pince could see anything and throw us out."

"So?" the dark-haired witch said. Sirius flicked his eyes up briefly from where he was writing to see her grinning at Remus, and something twinged in his chest at the sight. "Let her toss us out; I hate being cooped up in here as it is."

Peter snorted, taking his quill out of his mouth and halting his nervous chewing. "I'm not going back to the common room until all those girls have gone to bed. It's a bloody nightmare in there!"

Cassie laughed. "It's the night before Valentine's, Pete! They're just doing a bit of decorating."

The mousy boy made a face. "There's pink everywhere! And don't forget those stupid little Cupids they've put up!"

"Well, I think they're cute," she said matter-of-factly, as if her opinion was the end of the conversation. Peter made another face at her back.

"I thought you hated Valentine's?" James asked her.

"Where do you get off on that idea?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. I've seen you with Lily all these years; you never seemed to like it much."

"I don't like the craze behind it," she said, "or all the cheesy gifts and terrible poems. But I love the chocolate." They all shared a grin, and she scratched her arm awkwardly. "It's just hard to get into it when you've never had a Valentine."

James gaped at her. "You what?"

She frowned when all the boys stared at her. "Er, I've never had a Valentine." Her frown deepened when no one said anything. "What? Is it really that surprising?"

"Honestly? A little bit," Remus said. "I always figured since you ran with Lily and Marlene…"

She laughed. "You figured that since I ran with two of the prettiest girls in Hogwarts that I would get a Valentine by default?" She shook her head, though Sirius noticed that she wasn't bothered by the assumption. "It doesn't really work like that."

"Sure it does," James said. "It's how Wormtail's gotten one every year."

Peter looked indignant. "Oi!"

Cassie laughed again. "Don't look so bothered on my behalf! I'm quite used to it by now."

"You shouldn't be," Sirius said, speaking up for the first time since they had sat down to write their essays a half-hour ago. He didn't know why this conversation annoyed him so much, but watching Cassie laugh it off just made him more irritable. "You're just as pretty as Evans or Marlene, and you're funny, and smart…"

He trailed off when everyone's eyes turned to him, their expressions ranging from incredulous to embarrassed, the latter on Cassie's part.

"Er, thanks, Sirius," she said, her face pink, and they stared at each other for a long moment until Remus cleared his throat.

"Pince is coming," he said, lowering his voice. "Pretend to work."

Sirius dropped his eyes back to his essay, feigning reading it over for mistakes, but his eyes didn't move. It took him a few moments to realize why he was so irritated, but it wasn't at Cassie's lack of Valentines—it was at himself. He had thrown himself into Quidditch and schoolwork since coming back to Hogwarts, and with the mystery of the locket and thoughts of the future constantly plaguing his mind, Valentine's Day had entirely slipped through his consciousness. It had always been a dreadful holiday for him, with his voracious horde of admirers, but he hadn't even thought to give Cassie anything. If she even wanted anything from him.

He'd been trying to figure her out for weeks now, but he wasn't getting anywhere. One minute she was cool as ice toward him, and the next she was kissing him on the cheek for good luck. He was smart enough to realize that perhaps his timing had been off, but could he blame himself for not realizing his feelings sooner? That interest for her had always been there, and only later came the desire… But was that all he wanted? Or was there something more to what he wanted?

He couldn't ponder further, for just then he felt something tickling the inside of his ear. He yelped, slapping the offending object away, which happened to be Peter and his damned quill.

The blond boy doubled over in silent laughter, tears making his eyes more watery than normal, and Sirius scowled.

"Why can't you act your age instead of being a child?" he snapped. "Grow up, Wormtail."

Peter stopped laughing instantly, his face falling while Sirius stood abruptly, shoving his things into his bag.

"Sirius, mate—" James said, but he was already striding for the door, Madam Pince glaring at his back the whole way.

He stalked out of the library and down the corridor, his blood boiling. What was wrong with him lately? It was like every tiny thing would set him off without warning, and he'd been like that for weeks, ever since returning to school. The drama with Jennifer Flynn and Marlene had only made it worse, but he had tried his best not to show his frustration in front of his friends. The only person who had seen him crack had been Cassie after that one day in the broom cupboard, and he wasn't keen on slipping up again. He had to get control of himself.

"Sirius. Sirius!"

He stopped walking, only because it was Cassie's voice that shouted after him. She marched up to him, exasperated.

"What was that?" she demanded. "You really upset Peter."

"Sorry," he said gruffly. "I dunno what's gotten into me lately; perhaps it's the weather."

"Don't give me that," she said, rolling her eyes. "Seriously, what's bothering you?"

"Everything and everyone in this bloody school," he mumbled, starting down the corridor again and being only marginally surprised when she fell into step beside him.

"But you love Hogwarts," she said. He only grunted. She was silent for a moment, then: "You're restless. You're thinking about the war; about fighting. Aren't you?"

He stared at her, only managing to give a tight nod of affirmation. Since when did she know him so well? It was like she could search through his head with those dark eyes of hers, picking apart his brain until she found exactly what she was looking for. He couldn't help but scoff to himself; try as she might to hide her pure-blood roots, there was no escaping them. Her perception was sharp and razor-like, the way all pure-bloods were taught to navigate the world—the way he was taught to navigate the world.

"Of course I'm thinking it," he said. "You saw the paper this morning."

In fact, the whole school had seen that morning's Daily Prophet, the front page splayed with a blaring headline that reported the murder of another Muggle family in Ireland—executed by the Death Eaters, by Cassie's brother, though they hadn't named him. Sirius tried hard for her sake not to rope her brother in with the rest of them, but after what had happened the year before and the reports of more and more attacks, it was hard to keep his opinion of the git unbiased.

"I did," she said, her expression sad. "But we're not soldiers, Sirius; we're still students! What good would we do on a battlefield at our age?" She sighed, raking her hair from her face. "Who knows? Maybe by the time we graduate this war will be over. But we can't do anything about it right now."

He clenched his teeth, knowing she would say that.

"But what if we could?" he demanded. "What if we left, and just went to fight? At least then I'd feel like I was doing something instead of sitting behind a desk twiddling my thumbs and ignoring what's happening." He growled in frustration. "You're the only one who understands, Cass—we're pure-bloods, with families that are supporting this war! Wouldn't you want to make a difference, to show everyone that you weren't like the rest of your ruddy family?"

"Having your actions define you and charging into a war unprepared are two very different things, Sirius," she said. "You can be your own person without having to prove yourself constantly. As long as you know who you are, other people will know, too."

He scrubbed his hands through his hair and over his face, having the strong desire to punch something within that moment.

"That's not all," she said, studying him carefully. "There's something else going on, Sirius, I can tell."

"Tomorrow's Valentine's Day."

He said the words in a rush, sagging against the wall in defeat. His book bag clinked against the stone where it hit, but other than that small noise, the corridor was silent for several heartbeats.

"What?" Cassie blinked at him owlishly. "I mean, yes, it is, but you're…worried about Valentine's Day?"

"No," he said. "Wait, yes—no, only like, one aspect of it—" He looked to her helplessly. "I'm losing it, Cass. I'm literally going mad."

"No, you're not," she said with a slight grin. "You're just stressed, and it's making you restless. No one can fault you for that."

"How are you handling everything so well?" he asked. "You're the one who should be the most stressed of all of us."

Her face darkened at his question, and he suddenly felt like a berk for asking.

"Trust me, I'm barely holding on," she said. She opened her mouth as if to say more, but she closed it again, frowning into the distance.

"I didn't get you anything for Valentine's," he blurted out, if only to get that wretched look off her face; he couldn't stand it—he couldn't stand her looking so worn and sad. "That's the other reason why I was mad."

She stared blankly at him. "Why would you get me something for Valentine's?"

"I think you know why."

He watched her mask slide into place; the one she always wore whenever she didn't want anyone to see her emotions.

"Oh," was all she said.

His eyes narrowed. Fine. If she won't say anything, then I won't.

"Just answer one thing for me, Cassie," he said, hiding his amusement when she began to fidget. "It's a simple question," he assured, and she nodded warily. "Would you snog me?"

There was a pregnant pause.

"Would I…?" She trailed off, shocked, and Sirius couldn't hide his smirk any longer. She opened and closed her mouth several times, gaping and face burning red, but after a few moments he decided to take pity on her.

He pushed off the wall, leaning closer to her, and though she tensed, she did not move away, keeping her dark eyes locked on him.

"Tomorrow, after Slughorn's party," he said. "Sneak out at midnight and come find me at the top of the Astronomy Tower."

"For what?" Her voice was pleasantly airy, and he had to fight the urge to close the gap between them right then.

He winked at her. "You'll find out."

He began to make his way down the corridor at a leisurely pace, sliding his hands into his pockets and enjoying the image of a truly speechless Cassie Alderfair in his head.

Valentine's Day was a nightmare dressed as a gauzy pink-and-red daydream as Cassie saw it. She tried not to vomit when she walked into the common room with the girls the next morning after being overpowered by a floral scent so indistinct, she couldn't even tell what flower it was supposed to smell like.

"Merlin, this is almost worse than a Dungbomb," Alice wheezed, her eyes watering. "I might have to get my nose replaced after this."

"Ugh, boys," Lily said, ripping a floating Cupid decoration out of the air that someone had pinned an engorged body part onto. "Why do they have to make everything so barbaric?"

"Obviously, Valentine's is too damaging to their masculinity," Marlene said, assisting Lily as they began to pull inappropriate decorations out of the air.

"Honestly, who would draw breasts on a Cupid?" Lily cried in anguish, staring in horror at the cherub she had just plucked off the couch.

No one answered, for just then the Marauders emerged from the boys' staircase, laughing uproariously at some joke.

"Nice knockers, Evans!" James called as they made for the portrait hole. Lily's face flamed crimson, and she quickly whisked the busty Cupid decoration behind her back.

Cassie smirked at the murderous expression on her friend's face, her eyes following the Marauders out of the common room. She tried not to feel too disappointed when Sirius didn't meet her gaze before scolding herself for wanting to lock eyes with him, anyway. She wasn't some silly First Year, for Merlin's sake!

As she helped the girls clear out the rest of the defaced decorations, her mind drifted back to what had happened yesterday in the corridor with Sirius. She had sensed his moodiness for quite some time, and after everything that had happened over the holiday and since arriving back to the castle, it wasn't hard to figure out why he was behaving so strangely. And then his offer to meet him…

Cassie's cheeks burned unconsciously, her heart fluttering. What did he possibly want to meet her for? And why at the top of the Astronomy Tower? She wasn't stupid; she knew that the tower was used for couples all over Hogwarts for a private place to snog, but was that all he wanted from her? Just to snog her? For some reason, the notion made her feel disenchanted.

"That's the last of them," Alice said, tossing a sizeable collection of Cupids into the bin. "Let's go down before we miss breakfast."

They entered the Great Hall a short while later, taking their places at the table and beginning to eat. Cassie and Lily kept their focus on their plates, not having much interest in the conversation Marlene and Alice were having about who was getting Valentine's from whom.

"Kurt Stebbins just gave Rosalie Dupont a bouquet of roses."

"Seriously? I can smell the fakeness coming off those from over here."

"Look at Emma Vanity; she's practically preening."

"Ugh, why would anyone give the Slytherins Valentines?"

Marlene huffed out a breath. "Here we go. The Marauders' fan club has arrived."

Cassie looked up despite herself, indeed seeing a horde of girls—both younger and older—crowding the four boys with trilling laughter and squealing, each one holding some extravagant Valentine in their hands.

The boys were polite enough, from what she could tell, accepting the Valentines graciously and with charm. James grinned at a Third Year Hufflepuff who had just given him a lifetime supply of Chocolate Frogs, and Cassie swore the girl nearly fainted. Remus and Peter were getting their own Valentines as well, and the sight made her snort, especially when she overheard a Sixth Year Ravenclaw asking if Remus would go on a date with her.

She didn't hear his answer, for just then she managed to get a glimpse of Sirius amidst his throng of admirers, noticing that his pile of Valentines was significantly larger than the others'. Her amused smile twisted into a scowl when she saw Zella Knightley amongst the flocking girls, and she watched as she handed Sirius a large box of Cauldron Cakes, tossing her platinum hair the whole time.

To his credit, Sirius seemed to recognize her, and he only gave her a cold nod in return, saying something that made her eyes widen and her face flush with anger and mortification. Cassie watched her storm out of the Great Hall, several of her friends reluctantly hurrying after her and casting furtive glances back over their shoulders to Sirius, who paid no attention.

"Er, excuse me, but I'm supposed to deliver these to a Lily Evans and a Marlene McKinnon?"

A nervous Second Year had approached them, his arms stuffed with several bouquets and parcels, and he handed them over in relief as Lily and Marlene accepted their usual Valentine's hauls.

"I would hate to have that job," Alice said as the boy continued on, handing out more Valentines. "Why can't people just give their Valentines in person anymore?"

"Don't look a gift unicorn in the mouth," was Cassie's only reply, as she had already begun rifling through Lily's and Marlene's sweets and selecting what she wanted.

"Where's Frank, Alice?" Marlene said, looking up from reading one of her cards. "Didn't he get you anything?"

Alice nodded. "Yeah, but he gave it to me last night when we were alone. Said it was much more romantic."

"That is romantic," Lily agreed, setting aside her fifth bouquet of lilies with a grimace.

"What'd Snape get you?" Cassie said, nodding to Lily's pile.

She winced. "Lilies, of course," she said, gesturing to the flowers wrapped in silver and green paper. "They're the only ones unsigned, but it's always been that way."

"You need to let him down sooner rather than later, Lils," Alice said, shaking her head. "He's always going to think he has a chance otherwise."

Lily looked troubled, her forehead creasing. "I know, I know."

"I'll be back," Cassie announced, standing up. "I'm going to see if the blokes have any Sugar Quills."

She left her friends to divvy up their remaining Valentines and walked over to the Marauders, squeezing onto the bench next to Remus.

"All right, cough up," she said. "This witch needs some Sugar Quills in her life."

"Here, take mine," Peter said, tossing her a variety box. "I hate them."

Cassie immediately took one out and stuck it into her mouth, sighing at the wonderful taste. She gestured to their piles. "Anything you don't want, give to me."

She began creating her own pathetically small pile from whatever they tossed her way, and only when she was satisfied with the number of Pumpkin Pasties and Sugar Quills did she tell them to stop.

"No Valentines, then?" James asked. She shook her head, continuing to suck on her quill.

"Well, good thing we're changing that," Remus said, and she looked at him quizzically when he waved his wand. The tip sprouted a lavish bouquet of white flowers, from which he took them and handed them to her.

"Happy Valentine's, Cass," he said as she stared at him in awe. "It's from all of us."

"How did you do that?" she asked, marveling at the stunning bouquet.

He shrugged. "Basic spell I taught myself a few weeks ago. Nothing too fancy."

She took the flowers and inhaled their sweet scent. "What are they?"

"White chrysanthemums," he said. "My mum told me about them; they're supposed to resemble truth and loyal love."

"And also, roses were too cliché," James added.

She laughed, wrapping Remus in a hug. "Thank you," she said. "I love them."

After thanking the rest, they went back to eating, but Cassie glanced to Sirius when she felt his eyes on her.

"I saw that Zella girl run out of here," she said, quirking an eyebrow. "Looked a right mess, too. What'd you say to her?"

Sirius smirked, taking a swig of pumpkin juice before answering. "She asked me if I would escort her to Slughorn's party tonight."

Cassie choked on her quill. "She what?"

"Terrible, isn't it?" He grinned. "I told her that I'd rather take Hagrid than her. Guess she didn't like that too much."

"That's horrible, Sirius," she said, though her pleased smile ruined the effect.

He shrugged. "She jinxed you and never apologized. She should be glad that I didn't just hex her instead."

Cassie grinned into her goblet, contributing the warmth spreading through her chest to the coffee she had drank and not Sirius's dazzling smile.

Ten minutes later they were walking to their first lesson, chatting lightheartedly, but they had barely set foot out of the Great Hall before someone said, "Oi! Cassiopeia Alderfair!"

Cassie halted in her tracks, swinging around to see the same boy who had delivered Lily's and Marlene's Valentines scampering up to her, nearly weighed down by the number of parcels he carried.

"I forgot to give you this along with the others," he said, handing her a bouquet of startlingly blue irises that she accepted in bewilderment.

"I think there must be a mistake," she said, baffled. "These aren't mine."

"It has your name on it," he said. Before she could argue further, he scuttled away to hand out more Valentines.

Cassie looked to the boys, confused. "I don't understand. I never get Valentines."

"First time for everything," James said cheerfully. "Ooh, look, there's a card."

He plucked out a small envelope from within the bouquet and handed it to her. She didn't open it, wanting to wait until she was alone before figuring out who could have sent her something so thoughtful.

She had never been a flower person, but the irises were beautiful, an elegant and lovely color that was as nice as their scent. She Vanished the bouquet back to her dormitory before entering the Charms classroom but kept the card, flipping it over in her hands as she took her seat.

She was alone, as Alice had yet to arrive from breakfast, and she figured that then would be the best time to open it without prying eyes. She slid her finger under the seal and extracted a folded piece of parchment from within, only to find two words printed: To hope.

She turned the parchment over, but that was all that was written. The message was in black ink, and she stared blankly at the fine script. The handwriting looked vaguely familiar, but for the life of her she couldn't figure out whose hand it might belong to. There was no name.

She shoved the card into her bag, pulling out parchment and a quill, but huffed when the card fell out again underneath her chair.

"Oh, for Godric's sake," she sighed, grabbing up the card. She prepared to put it back into her bag when she realized that it wasn't the card, but another piece of parchment that looked as if it had been ripped from the corner of a larger piece.

Checking to see if anyone had noticed her, she unfolded the paper and found an entirely new message, scrawled in a hasty but elegant script.

Don't trust anyone tonight. – A

Cassie swallowed nervously, calmly placing the paper back into her bag and trying to act as normal as she could. Avery had slipped that message into her bag, but why? Could someone be on to them already? They had just agreed to start working together!

That meant either one of two things: either someone was a traitor, or someone had seen her meeting with Avery and Regulus Black. And she had a gut feeling that she knew which one it was.

"I'm going to throw up."

Lily rolled her eyes from where she stood behind Cassie, curling her hair with her wand. "Because you're wearing a dress?"

Cassie prodded the chiffon skirt uncertainly as if afraid it would bite her finger off. "Because I'm wearing a pink dress."

"Stop being overdramatic," Lily said. "It's a Valentine's party; pink is kind of the staple color."

"Or red," Marlene said, breezing in from the bathroom and wearing a scarlet dress so tight Cassie had to wonder if she could breathe.

"Or red," Lily agreed. She was already dressed in mauve, her hair flowing gracefully down her back and complementing her dress.

"You know, as much as I dislike Slughorn, I have to say that I'm happy he opened this party up to students who aren't in his little club," Alice said, giving Cassie and Lily pointed looks.

"Don't look at me!" Cassie said, holding up her hands. "I never wanted to join in the first place!"

"Stop moving," Lily said. "I'm almost done."

Cassie obeyed her orders, sitting still while Lily put the finishing touches on her hair and makeup. "All right, done. What do you think?"

Cassie focused on herself in the handheld mirror Marlene had lent them, examining her face. She had asked Lily to do only minimal makeup on her, and she was surprised to see that she had done just that. Her eyes had been accented by a soft pink shadow and some mascara, making them appear bigger and brighter, and her cheekbones shimmered with a touch of blush that matched the shade of her lipstick. With her hair no longer resembling straw, the dark brown curls framed her narrow face nicely, and she beamed at Lily.

"Perfect," she said, standing up and hugging her friend. "I could do without the pink, but you did great, Lils. Thanks."

"You're welcome, Cass," she said, squeezing her tightly. "You look amazing, if I do say so myself."

"Hogwarts isn't gonna know what hit them," Marlene said, fluffing her blonde hair. "We'll be the hottest ones there."

Alice snorted as she applied her eyeliner, her burgundy dress splayed out around her on the floor. "Cocky, Mar. I like it."

"We should get going," Lily said, checking her watch. "The party started almost twenty minutes ago."

"It's called being fashionably late, Lils," Marlene said, leading them out of the dormitory. "Besides, who shows up early to a party? It's just awkward."

"I do," Lily mumbled under her breath self-consciously.

Cassie could feel the beat of the music as they walked down the corridor to Slughorn's office, and she silently thanked Morgana that he at least had the sense to play good music rather than the fancy classical rubbish he'd had last time. They entered the office and were greeted by more pink than Cassie had ever wished to see in one sitting. The dimensions of the room had been magically altered to accommodate all the students as they milled about, some of them dancing, but most staying to the sides and chatting.

They dodged a group of boys attacking each other with the crepe paper streamers and balloons, heading for the refreshments table. No sooner had they gotten there then they were intercepted by James, leading a reluctant Remus and a disgusted Peter.

"Evans!" he shouted over the music, and Cassie saw Lily roll her eyes so far back she could see the whites as he came to a stop before them. "You're looking good tonight."

"Thanks," she said drily, accepting a glass of punch from Marlene and doing her best to ignore him. Cassie waved to Remus.

"I'm surprised you came," she said when he neared. "I thought parties weren't really your thing?"

"I like parties; just not these ones," he said, disgruntled.

"Then why'd you come?" she asked, not rudely.

He shrugged. "James made a bet with us that if Sirius came, we'd have to come, too."

Cassie frowned. "Sirius is here?"

He nodded, taking a sip from his punch and making a face. "Yeah, he got cornered off by some Hufflepuffs, though. James said he could fend for himself."

"Yeah," she muttered, wondering why that answer annoyed her so much. She looked out to the dance floor, her eyes roving over the students before snagging on a familiar face. She locked gazes with Regulus Black across the teeming mass of dancers before he turned and disappeared into the crowd. She started after him before Remus grabbed her arm.

"Where are you going?" He had to shout to be heard over the music, but Cassie just shook her head.

"I have to take care of some things first," she said, already beginning to wade into the crowd. "Save me a dance?"

He balked at the mere mention of a dance, but he nodded nonetheless, and she shot him a wink before slipping into the crowd.

She kept her eyes peeled for black hair and broad shoulders, but it was almost useless considering how many people there were. She was just about to dive through another gap in the crowd when she knocked into someone, hard, and reeled back, her heels making her unsteady.

"Watch it—" she snapped, only to realize that she had run right into Professor Carlisle.

She was still in her black robes with her blonde hair pulled back from her bony face. Her crimson lips twisted into a sneer when she saw Cassie.

"Well, well, well," she purred. "Cassie Alderfair. Just the student I wanted to see."

"No offense, Professor, but you saw me in class yesterday," she replied coldly. "Excuse me."

She attempted to duck back into the crowd, but Carlisle placed a firm hand on her shoulder, her fingernails digging into her flesh and causing her to wince.

"Not so fast, Miss Alderfair," she said. "You and I need to have a little chat first."

She snapped her fingers at a house-elf walking by, a tray filled with drinks balanced precariously atop its head. It immediately stopped, allowing her to grab two goblets before sending it off with a wave of her hand.

Cassie reluctantly took the goblet she was offered but didn't drink, Avery's warning echoing in her head. Don't trust anyone tonight.

"All right, speak," Cassie said. "What do you want?"

"I was wondering if you had enjoyed reading your ancestor's story," she said, swirling the contents of her goblet thoughtfully. "After all, you did steal my copy of it."

"I found it very unenlightening," Cassie said, figuring there was no use denying it anymore. Carlisle would have gone to Dumbledore by now if she'd wanted to punish her. "A bit of a bore, honestly."

"Indeed." Carlisle's eyes drifted to the locket. Cassie covered it up discreetly, pretending to toy with it as she smiled at the professor. Carlisle smirked. "I never fancied legends much when I was a child myself. They doted on the hero too much, in my opinion, and the heroes were bland, anyway. They could never do what it took to defeat the villain until they found a way much more…moral."

"Is there anything you want to say, Professor, or may I join my friends once more?" she asked, and though Carlisle's eye twitched, she kept smiling.

"Just one more question, if you don't mind me asking." Cassie waited, her unease growing by the second, and Carlisle smiled sweetly. "How is dear William doing? I imagine after last night he's not in his right mind."

Cassie's heart dropped. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, I suppose you haven't heard yet," she said airily, taking a sip from her wine. "It makes sense, of course; the Ministry is being so hush-hush about it, but I would have guessed that your father had told you. He is a member of the Wizengamot, is he not?"

"What are you talking about?" Cassie repeated, beginning to tremble.

Carlisle feigned a look of concern. "Oh, dear," she said with false sympathy. "You really don't know?"

"I swear by Morgana and all her stars, if you don't tell me—"

"No need to get angry, dear," Carlisle said. "It's nothing you need to worry about." Carlisle sighed. "But if you must know, the Dark Lord has figured out William's plan. Tortured all of it right out of his mouth and threatened to kill you if sweet William didn't pledge himself to the Dark Lord and his cause again. He even made your brother seal the deal by going to some poor Muggle home and ripping the hearts out of all of them, including the children." Carlisle heaved another dramatic sigh. "A shame. I thought it would have been better to kill the both of you; but the Dark Lord has his schemes, and he hasn't failed yet. I'm sure he still has some use for you and your brother."

Cassie couldn't breathe, her blood chilled in her veins. You-Know-Who knew. He knew.

Carlisle leaned in close, her red lips the only thing Cassie could focus on.

"Stop meddling, little girl," she hissed. "Unless you want to seal your brother's fate, stop getting in my way, or I will put an end to you, permanently."

She straightened, finishing her wine and smiling pleasantly as if they had just discussed the weather.

"Enjoy the rest of the party," she said before sweeping away, leaving Cassie alone in the crowd.

She clutched the goblet in her hand so tightly her fingers began to ache, her world spinning with a sickening lurch. Just when things had started to make sense, when she was getting somewhere with the riddle, You-Know-Who had found out about it all. He had tortured Will and then made him kill that family, had forced him to rip their hearts out…

Cassie thought she was going to be sick. She forced herself to calm down before she began to hyperventilate, but when that didn't work she brought the goblet to her lips and began to drink, draining the wine in one gulp. She relaxed slightly, her head going light, and she began to push her way through the writhing mass of people, needing to find—

She paused, puzzled. Who did she need to find? She couldn't remember. Was it Lily? James? Sirius? Sirius…

His name sent a jolt through Cassie. He had wanted to meet her tonight, hadn't he? He had wanted to meet her…so they could snog. He had asked her if she wanted to snog him. That was it.

She drifted through the crowd as if someone led her on a string, tugging insistently whenever she stumbled. She was almost to the door when someone shouted her name.

"Hey!" Alice said, flouncing over to her. "Where are you going? Are you leaving? We just got here!"

"I need to find Sirius," she said, the words foreign on her tongue. It was like someone else was speaking, but it used her voice.

"What? Why?" Alice asked.

"I want to snog him," she said honestly.

"I'm sorry, what?" Alice looked at her as if she had gone mad. "Since when do you want to snog Sirius?"

"Since the day he helped me with my trunk on the train," she replied easily; like she had known this answer all along and was just now realizing it.

Alice's mouth was an 'o.'

"Good Godric, Cassie," she said, checking to make sure no one was listening to them. "What has gotten into you? Are you drunk?"

The string tugged at Cassie again.

"I need to go," she said, turning away from Alice. "I'll see you later."

Alice stared after her in amazement as she rushed toward the Astronomy Tower, her blood singing. She reached the base of the stairs that would take her to the top of the tower, but had only set one foot on the first step before someone grabbed her from behind.

"What are you doing?" Avery hissed when she whirled around. "I've been looking for you all night!"

"I'm going to the top of the Astronomy Tower," she said.

He glanced briefly to the stairs behind her before shaking his head. "Did you get my warning?" he asked. "I overheard Carlisle speaking to someone via Floo. She's getting suspicious of you and Will, and I think Regulus and me, too."

"I know," she said. "She talked to me."

"What?" He looked shocked. "What did she say?"

"That You-Know-Who knows everything," she said. His mouth fell open. "He tortured it out of my brother and threatened to kill me if Will didn't stay loyal to the cause. It's over. It ended before it even began."

Avery seemed as if he had taken a blow to the gut. "No. That's not possible. It can't be." He was stricken, but he stared at her when she said nothing. "You're not even upset?"

"I don't feel much of anything right now," she said honestly.

He narrowed his eyes, studying her carefully.

"Cassie," he said slowly, "did you have anything to drink tonight?"

"Yes," she said. "I had one glass of wine."

His gaze turned suspicious. "Who gave it to you?"

"Carlisle," she replied simply, and he swore under his breath.

"Cassie, listen to me—" he said, but the sound of approaching footsteps halted his words.

In the next second, Cassie felt herself flattened against the wall behind her as Avery's lips crashed into hers. She protested as he pulled them closer together, deepening the kiss, but he squeezed her waist in silent warning. He was doing it to protect them, she realized.

"Cassie?"

She wrenched herself from Avery at the sound of her name. Sirius stood in the entrance to the staircase, his grey eyes flickering between anger, hurt, confusion, and suspicion.

Cassie panted, out of breath, but Avery merely stared at Sirius with a flat gaze and a faint smirk. Sirius's expression turned cold as he faced Avery, his eyes glittering dangerously.

"What the hell were you doing to her?" he growled.

Avery chuckled. "Don't look so shocked, Black," he sneered. "It's not uncommon for women to find me attractive."

"What were you doing to her?" Sirius repeated.

"We were snogging, in case your eyesight failed you," Avery said coolly. "Now, run along and leave us alone."

Cassie was having a hard time focusing on their conversation. Her head swam and her mouth was suddenly too dry, her lungs unable to draw enough air for breath.

"I'm not leaving you alone with her," Sirius said furiously. "Cassie, let's go."

He looked to her when she didn't move, but she only shook her head, clutching at her too-tight chest. "I can't."

Sirius looked enraged. "Yes, you can. He's not going to do anything."

"No, Sirius," she said, her voice wheezing slightly. "I can't. I-I can't breathe."

Sirius shoved Avery aside and came to her, but the Slytherin was on his heels, and now both of them looked worried.

"What did you do to her?" Sirius roared, whirling on Avery, but the Slytherin's eyes were wide.

"Carlisle gave her something to drink," he said. "Cassie told me. There must have been something in the wine."

Cassie began to cough, her throat constricting. She tried to gulp for air, but nothing entered her lungs. Blackness huddled at the edges of her vision, and she choked in earnest.

"Cassie? Cassie!" Sirius shouted. He reached for her, but it was too late.

The blackness took her.

Next Chapter: The Enemy

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