Re: TrickyWoo, this should make the pairing a tad clearer... and as a heads-up, there may be a *few* more moments that you won't like. I promise it's necessary.

Chapter 6: Knots entangled, lives meshed

Screams erupted further down the path. Crashing through the underbrush, barely able to see and hearing the rending cries of a woman, he swept on. Branches caught, slashed at his cloak and trousers as he ran toward the light beyond. Suddenly he came into a clearing to find chaos. What had been a Muggle campsite was in flames, and on one side, tearing and ripping at what looked to have been a man, was Fenrir. He looked up at the sound of someone approaching, his bloody mouth stretched into a grisly leer. Further ahead, on the ground, was Lucius. So intent was he on tearing the woman out of her clothes that he did not even register someone had arrived on the scene. Still she pleaded with him for her life, writhing against him as he sat on her legs.

"God! What are you doing?" he screamed, and found himself bolting straight up in bed. Clutching at his racing heart, Severus took a moment to realize where he was. As his breathing slowly returned to normal he cursed the woman who left the suggestion of coping with nightmares in his head, only to have it fester and return with some of his own memories brought to the surface again after so long. And yet, he also felt the pangs of remorse and regret for the one he could not save and the many others who came after her.

***

The days leading up to start of term were filled with meetings on the extra security precautions, hallway duties, including patrolling during classes and in the evenings, scheduling assignments for classes, and any number of other details to make sure things started off smoothly and continued that way. Over the course of these sessions and Cassie's continued interaction with Severus she could never quite decide how she felt about him or where she stood with him. In fact, she alternated between wanting to ease the tension crease that formed right between his arched eyebrows and wanting to show him where exactly he could stick his wand. Did the man ever smile, she wondered one day during a particularly lengthy discussion of how to handle the changing of the aurors' shifts on castle grounds. Moreover, what did his laugh sound like and did he laugh at all? This seemed to be one of the days when she wanted more to soothe whatever frustrations were creasing his forehead as she watched him sitting, deep in thought on what she was sure had nothing to do with the subject at hand. It was at this point that his reverie was broken and he noticed her staring contemplatively. She shook her head, flushing slightly, and looked away. Lucky he couldn't read her thoughts now, she said to herself. "God, don't let me get fixated," she continued in her inner monologue, "it always happens that I want the ones who don't want me at all. And yet..." she wondered, "he did compare me to Lily of all people. But do I want to be compared to the long-dead love of his life? Those are awfully big shoes to fill."

At that, the meeting was adjourned and everyone rose.

"Professor Pearl, if I might have a word," said Severus just as she reached the door. She stepped back, allowing Professor Flitwick to pass and stood waiting for everyone to clear out.

"You know, you can call me Cassie," she replied, somewhat rankled at the formal address.

"If you'll excuse me, you don't strike me as quite childlike enough for that name," was the curt response.

"Cassandra then?"

"Perhaps."

"Being that we're alone now, what is it that you wanted?"

"I have something of yours in my chamber. I thought you may want to retrieve it as I believe it is supposed to be of value. I'm not quite so sure that it is, however... but if you'll follow me." And on that mysterious note, he swept out the door and downstairs to the dungeons.

Cassie followed him out wondering why in the world he hadn't just brought it to the meeting or why he would even leave something in his quarters as opposed to his office. It felt, well, intimate to be following him back to his rooms, and Cassie tried to ignore the tingle that blossomed in her belly at the thought. She found herself walking double-time to keep up with his long strides, determined this time not to follow like a subordinate. Together they crossed the main hallway of the dungeons, this time turning left instead of right and stopping midway down in front of a portrait of a lethal looking adder. Uttering the password ("Prince"), Severus then proceeded to wave his wand over the face of the portrait, which only then swung inward to reveal the rooms beyond. He stepped in only to be greeted by a very distinct, "woof!"

"Lump?" Cassie couldn't help it; she laughed out loud when she realized what her "valuable" was. "But why did you er...lock him in?"

"It seems this 'lump' as you put it found the utmost joy in rummaging through the bottom shelves of my potions stores," Severus said as he brushed at the drool stains on his knees. "Apparently, being a...somewhat small being with no magical ability the passwords are unnecessary. He can, it seems, pass straight through the doors seeing as how they are not of any real substance."

"He didn't get into anything did he? Was he sick at all or--"

"No, although he knocked over several bottles trying to get into them and was sniffing at a bottle of highly expensive dragon's blood."

Cassie's stomach lurched. "Yeah, I'll bet he was into that. I'm sorry, I just figured he should explore his new home and get to know where he was going to be living. I had no idea he could get himself into trouble like that, but then...how will I keep him from getting into a place he shouldn't be? I can't have someone just put extra shields up at my door and take them down every time I'm going or coming."

"Actually, I had a word with Filch over it and he has taken to dog-proofing the castle as it were. Everything below three feet in height goes up unless it can be chewed, eaten, or...DROOLED ON!" His voice raised as he advanced into the room, having spotted any number of feathers coating his bed, carpet, chair, and side table. Rent fabric was strung everywhere and appeared to be quite wet. With a lazy flick of his wrist the pillow re-made itself, down filling and all. One more flick and it was dry and apparently laundered. Still he advanced, wand aimed at the dog who now backed up whimpering once and giving a hopeful wag.

"No, Severus! Behave!"

"I? Behave?"

"He didn't mean to--he just doesn't do well when he's confined and he was bored."

"Get that bloody dog out of my quarters at once!"

"Oh calm down. It's fixed. And you're scaring him."

"He ruddy well ought to be scared." Severus looked daggers at the dog, who trotted over to his mother and stood looking out from behind her legs.

Hoping to leave on a lighter note Cassie ignored the threat and asked, "what's the band around his waist anyway?"

"Oh yes, in addition to the any number of exploits he's been into, he apparently peed on the auror Dawlish who was posted up on the seventh floor last evening."

"Ah. Well...thanks for looking out for him. I'm sure he'll stay out of your way."

"You just see that he does." At that, Severus stepped back into his room and slammed the door in her face.

"Well done, you big lummox. You got yourself and your mother in trouble," she sighed, "right when I thought he was approaching friendly."