A few days passed. The Weasley clan had not given Cassi any kind of a break about her romantic encounter with Snape (the twins had ruthlessly kidnapped her when she came back inside, and as soon as they knew, so did Harry, Ron, and Hermione). Hermione and Harry tried to stick up for her, but she hated going to meals now. Snape was always there, and she could have sworn that whenever he looked at her, her face turned such a bright red it could have lit the Great Hall by itself. And of course, Fred and George noticed every single time.
Snape took pity on her, though, and didn't pay more attention to her than was necessary. She thought maybe she was called on a little more often in Potions than before, and occasionally she caught him watching her with a thoughtful gaze. But for the most part, life just continued.
One day, though, things went a little differently. Cassi sat down to dinner and found a folded paper flower at her place. Glancing around, she picked it up curiously and watched in awe as it magically unfolded in her hands. When it was a smooth piece of paper again, she could see a few short words written on it in a long, thin hand. It read, "At our place, when you're done". Cassi stared at it in dismay when she realized it wasn't signed. Who would leave something like this? she thought. And what does it mean?
She looked around the room again, hoping a lightbulb would go off. No such luck. She sighed and began to think. She vaguely recognized the handwriting, but she couldn't think who might want to see her, beyond the people sitting at the table with her. None of them would bother being cryptic. As had become habit, Cassi glanced mechanically toward the teachers' table. Her eyes seemed to involuntarily flit to Snape at least eight times per meal (she knew because the twins told her so every time), and even with this new puzzle on her mind, she routinely glanced his way.
About ten minutes into the meal her fork clattered to her plate as she dropped her head into her hands. Her friends stopped talking and looked to her in surprise and concern, but Cassi didn't notice. She was too busy mentally kicking herself. Cassi, you're so dumb sometimes. It was Snape that sent you the flower-note. There was no doubt whatsoever in her mind as the pieces fell together. Snape sent it, and he wants to meet me tonight at our place. By the Black Lake, where I kissed him.
Amazingly, the memory of the kiss didn't make her blush like it usually did. It made her tingle all over, though, which caused her to raise her head and notice the five people staring at her.
"Alright there, Whisper?" George spoke up. Cassi broke into a smile. "You know what, I think I am," she said. The twins traded glances, then Fred said dubiously, "If you say so." Cassi winked at him, then let her eyes drift back to Snape. "Trust me, I'm perfect," she said softly.
The next thing she knew, she was standing outside staring at the castle, shivering with the cold and wondering why she was alone. Who else could it have been but Snape? she thought desperately. And where else could he have meant but here? Deciding that she didn't want to meet the sender anyway if he wasn't Snape, she shuffled her feet in the dusky gloom of late evening and hoped he was just late.
She was in the middle of counting Hogwarts' towers for the third time when a pair of arms grabbed her from behind, one pinning her arms to her sides and the other muffling her scream to nothing more than a strangled whimper. For a moment Cassi was frozen in her panic. Then a deep, quiet voice murmured into her ear, "Did you miss me?" Incredulously, she looked up to try to see the mystery man's face and found her head resting on Severus Snape's shoulder. Cassi wilted with relief and would have fallen to the ground if Snape hadn't supported her.
"I didn't startle you too badly, did I?" he asked her teasingly, a triumphant smirk on his face. Cassi gave him a weak smile. "Well, I thought for a moment that you were a werewolf or something and I nearly had a heart attack, but you're not, so it's fine now." Snape's smirk faded to a gentle smile when Cassi added softly, "And I did miss you." He slipped an arm around her waist as they stood on the bank of the Lake, watching the stars appear.
Neither of them moved for a long time, except when Cassi began to shiver again from the cold and Snape forced her to wear his cloak. The silence of the night was peaceful and the soft glow emanating from the castle made the air seem warmer somehow. The longer they stood, though, the more troubled Cassi became. Something had been bothering her ever since Hermione first suggested that Snape had feelings for her, and now it wouldn't leave her alone. It haunted her all the time, and she couldn't resolve this by herself. But...she wasn't sure she ought to bring this up again...and yet she had to know. She kept her silence as long as she could, but finally she couldn't take it any more. In a voice cracking from disuse and distress, she asked softly, "Do you love me?"