"You did what?!"

Cassi was sitting across the table from Fred and George at breakfast the next morning, telling them about her encounter with Draco. She looked from one to the other, surprised at their reaction. Not sure what to say, she waited in silence for them to continue, which they soon did.

"He actually...and you...but he's...how did..." Fred sputtered at her. George leaned toward her seriously. "Did he force you to say yes?" he asked in a sad voice.

Cassi gave him a look. "Is Draco Malfoy so bad that any girl who says yes to him must have been under coercion?" she asked disapprovingly. "Yes," spat Fred. "That dirty, low, conniving little-"

"Guys," she cut him off, laying one hand on his arm and the other on George's. She understood their concern, but they really were overreacting. "I realize you're trying to look after me, and I appreciate it. But you've got to trust me on this." She heard Fred mutter under his breath, "Wouldn't let my own sister within ten feet of him." She smiled at both of them. "If this turns out to be the biggest mistake of my life, then I'll know I was wrong-"

"No one's saying you're wrong, Whisper," George suddenly said, looking at the table. Fred whirled to him. "We are!" he nearly yelled. "We can't let her go running around with that half-grown son of a-"

"We've got to, mate," George said, still staring at the table. Then he looked up at his twin. "Like it or not, our Whisper's old enough to make her own choices. If she wants to go to the Ball with...with Draco, then that's her choice. Our job is to stand behind her, whether we like the choice or not, and be ready to catch her if it falls through. Which we will, always, every time."

Fred and George held eye contact for a long moment. Then Fred turned to Cassi, and his eyes could have melted steel. "If Malfoy hurts you, on purpose or not, I will personally torture him to death. Then I'm kidnapping you and locking you away somewhere in Asia and you'll be guarded by Hungarian Horntails and Norwegian Ridgebacks, and I'm never letting you out of my sight again."

Geoge leaned over. "I stood up for you this one time, but if Malfoy does hurt you, I'm with Fred." Cassi felt rather than saw them fist bump under the table. She smiled. "Are you kidding? If Malfoy hurts me, I think I get first shot at him. And when I'm done, there won't be much left for you to torture."

For a split second, they stared at her with identical blank expressions. Then Fred said with a shrug, "That's fair." The meal-consumption that followed would never had led anyone to believe that Cassi and her two best friends had had any kind of deep conversation that morning. Jokes were held, taunts were exchanged, ham was thrown, and life was shared. Cassi knew she was lucky to have friends like the twins, and she smiled as she silently but fervently thanked whatever fate had brought them together.

Snape was pacing in his office that Sunday evening. He had missed dinner, but he didn't care. He couldn't think of food right now. He could only think of his strange, horrible predicament.

He stopped pacing and covered his eyes with one hand. "What has come over me?" he said out loud to the empty room. What on earth possessed me to reach out to her like that? Of all the ways you could have comforted her, Snape, you chose to hug her. Because that will help. Yes, a hug from the cruel, terrifying Potions professor, the bane of all first-years and seventh-years alike, will make everything better. His conscience and his heart often engaged each other in battle, fighting for the right to control Snape's life. For the past 15 years his conscience had been the sole victor and sometimes the sole survivor of these encounters; he did what he felt he had to, not what he wanted to. Last night, his heart had finally scrounged a victory by letting him hug Cassandra. Tonight, his conscience was beating up on his heart, and like usual his heart wasn't defending its actions.

Why did the girl...this young girl, his student...why did she affect him like that? Why did Snape feel the need to look out for her, to make sure she was alright, even to comfort her? It's probably because she reminds me of Lily, he told himself as he slowly walked over and sat at his desk. She just makes me think of someone I once knew... Snape leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He knew his conscience was feeding his heart lies, but his heart wasn't buying it. He knew the truth.

He knew, no matter how awkward or how impossible it was, that he was falling in love with Cassandra Renner.

Being the person that he was, his first instinct was to justify and rationalize himself. He opened his eyes but stared unseeingly at the ceiling. Why? he asked again. If I really do...love...her, I must have a reason. Probably. He tried to think. What would make an old Slytherin Potions master fall in love with an ambitious young Gryffindor?

He stood up abruptly. "This is ridiculous," he told his heart sternly. "It matters not in the least what you feel for her, because even if she could return your feelings, she wouldn't. Who would?" He stormed out of his office, locking his door as a precaution against the Weasley twins and any other would-be troublemakers, and headed toward his chambers.

As he prepared for bed, he realized it did matter what he felt for Cassandra, because if he loved her, he would have to be more careful about setting up private lessons together. He didn't want her to feel that she was being pressured into returning his feeling. And if he didn't love her - well, he'd have to be more careful with the lessons anyway. He didn't want to encourage feelings that he had no intention of returning. So many decisions to make, so many things to consider, so many emotions to try to interpret. Snape's head ached just thinking about all the thinking and analyzing and reconnaissance he'd have to do now that this girl wouldn't leave him alone.

Curse the girl, anyway, for causing so many problems.