Ed note: Trickie, be warned, there be schmaltz ahead...
Chapter 15: Binding together, casting off
The very next day as Severus swept into the staff room for their weekly meeting, he stood aghast, whipping out his wand purely on reflex as several voices yelled, "surprise!" He lowered it slowly, still tempted to fire off a hex as confetti showered the room, getting caught in his hair and dusting his robes. He stifled the urge to curl his lip into a sneer as Flitwick pulled a cracker that exploded to reveal a dozen faux galleons. Cassie laughed, clapping as she came forward and said, "happy birthday, Severus!" "
"Since you were just getting back to us on Thursday," she said, her eyes twinkling for all the world like Dumbledore's, "I decided this would probably be the best time."
"You decided?" He raised an eyebrow, as her smile widened.
"Keep yer chin up, there, Snape," chuckled Hagrid, clapping him on the back and nearly buckling his knees. "At leas' yer still in yer thirties yet!"
"Thank you, indeed, all of you," Severus said somewhat awkwardly, glancing around at everyone.
"Now Severus, let's have some of that scrumptious looking cake, shall we!" Dumbledore exclaimed, waving him to the table. "Make a wish, why don't you?"
Severus leaned in, blowing out nearly all thirty-seven little candles as everyone broke into a rousing chorus of "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow." He smiled a little as he began cutting slices and passing them around, thanking everyone as they stepped up for a slice. A few of them had even gotten him gifts; from Minerva, a pair of buttery black leather gloves, a revised edition of Most Potent Potions from Flitwick, a bottle of amber ale from Hagrid, and a mixed set of mint humbugs and acid pops from Dumbledore. Cassie's gift, a his and hers matching green silk pajama set, would have to wait until later. For now she was glad to see that the stiffness he'd had when he first entered was rapidly dissolving and that he really seemed to be enjoying himself at last.
"Oh! It's truly excellent cake, Cassandra," Minerva slurred around a mouthful, "was this something the elves cooked up on their own or do you have a recipe?"
"Actually, I had it sent up from Honeydukes. It's just a really big chocolate gateau made with firewhiskey. I wanted to make sure we had enough for all the staff."
Later that night, when they did finally get a chance to try on their sleepwear, Cassie looked up to him as she was cradled in his arms and grazed a finger over his lips. "I'm glad you liked the party. I wasn't sure if you'd actually appreciate it, seeing as you're not that much of a social animal, but I figured since not everyone could make it to the meeting--at least not on time--that you would like it better just being a few people you know rather than the entire staff or, you know, having it done in the great hall in front of the whole school."
She grinned wickedly at the thought of the latter. But he shocked Cassie speechless with his answer. "Truly I liked it much better, and may well have hexed someone had it been done in the great hall. But for my first birthday party, I believe I did quite well, given that it was a complete surprise.."
Severus' biggest surprise yet though came in February, shortly before Valentine's Day, when he flued into Cassie's room to find her waiting wearing nothing but a feathered mask and colored beads. It was then that he learned the true meaning of "laissez les bon temps roult!" Having taught the house elves her mother's own recipes for shrimp touffe, gumbo, and jambalaya, Cassie was highly entertained at Severus' first experience with spicy Cajun food as he gasped and choked, waving and motioning for water. Sadly, she thought, English sausages were entirely to tame compared to her mama's jalapeo boudain. Of course, after he had taken one look at her after coming into her room, everything had had to wait until the next morning, which meant the peppers marinated even longer than usual.
Not to be outdone, the Slytherin schemer set his mind to sweep Cassie right off her feet. What with Valentine's day falling on a Friday, Severus had a special tea sent up that evening from Madam Puddifoot's and had it waiting, not in his quarters as she would have guessed, but in the Room of Requirement. He led her through the door, one hand covering her eyes, and was utterly pleased when he removed it to see her enraptured face taking in the scene of a candlelit tea for two as the sounds of string music floated on the air. As she met his gaze over the slim tapers flickering on the table, she wondered how in the world a man with such a harsh facade could be capable of doing the any number of kind, thoughtful, and romantic things he had for her. Secretly, she was glad everyone else had missed it. There were times she felt she wanted to selfishly, jealously guard it, while most of the time she felt the strongest urge to shout it to the world how wonderful the man really was. For the time being, she did guard her love as a secret, more practically for fear of what could happen if the wrong people found out. It was a constant worry, knowing that by the end of term her condition would surely be obvious. She felt no small amount of fear that someone would figure out who the father was, simply by putting two and two together. Severus was the only faculty member even remotely close to her age.
Yet here, now, it was impossible for her thoughts to stray to worry for long. Not when he was looking at her as he was, linking his fingers with hers on the table as he regaled her with stories from his childhood of the first inklings of his magic. The funniest by far was when he found himself chased by neighborhood bullies, only to wind up crouching under a tree full of ravens that suddenly swooped down upon the boys and attacked, driving them away from Severus. Certain these were the same birds from the Alfred Hitchcock movie, they had all run screaming home.
She was still laughing heartily at the idea of a bunch of neighborhood punks wetting themselves and running home when he moved around the table in front of her and kneeled down. "Surely he's not," she thought, "is he?" Grasping her hand, he took a minute before he spoke, just looking into her eyes. "Cassandra, when first I met you, there was something about you that stirred me. I did, after any number of years' training, think myself impenetrable and yet you have proven me wrong. Time and again, your strength and resiliency, strangely married with a certain, if I may, softness and depth have been my great undoing. I spoke before of your audacity of hope. It is your never ending cheer and humor that warm any room, and by this point I feel, truly, that you have brought this warmth into me. I can no longer claim to be the same person I was when we first met. And now, what's more, I find that when once I felt that I would never long to have a family, it is a most ardent wish that you have also granted me. For that and more, love, I pledge my life to you, if you'll have me."
Cassie sat, digesting his words. Her mouth was open, yet she could not make a sound come out. He shook her fingers and gazed up at her, then reached into his robes and pulled out the most beautiful, intricate ring she had ever seen. It was fashioned of the same, shimmering wrought gold as her necklace, and in the center of a setting that curved around it sat a twinkling diamond that caught the light just so. On either side sat a deep green emerald, around each of which curved the upper loop of an engraved P.
"It was my grandmother's. When my mother died it came to me, and it's quite a lucky thing I did not sell it almost straight away. By the time you came along, I had quite nearly forgotten it. It is yours, Cassandra, if you want it. Will you give me your hand?"
"Yes," she finally gasped, utterly undone. Her eyes were swimming as he slipped it on her right hand, as he said, for the time being. Taking a good look at the diamond winking on her finger, she linked her arms around his neck and leaned in for a gentle kiss. He pulled her up with him, sliding arms around her waist and placing a kiss on the tender curve of her neck before he spoke again.
"I have already spoken to Dumbledore about performing a ceremony later this summer. Unsurprisingly, he was not even remotely taken off guard by the request."
Cassie laughed at that, "I doubt he was, considering he's the one who sent the house elves to my quarters with your robes the other day. But can he perform weddings?"
"Of course. He is a member of the Wizengamot, and as such, can officiate at any number of occasions."
"Did you give him a date?"
"I told him our best chance was for perhaps the middle of August, after the Dark Lord's defeat and, of course, before the start of next term."
"Well...my birthday's the fifteenth. We could have it then and then you'd never forget that or our anniversary." She aimed a saucy smirk up at him as he swept her into a brisk waltz.
"The fifteenth it is, then."
***
As March approached, however, work dominated their lives. The Quidditch season wrapped up, the last Hogsmeade visit passed, and with exams approaching, everyone was feeling the strain between studying and readying themselves for the battle to come. Severus, Cassie and Minerva had worked feverishly preparing their exams in February so that they would be able to devote Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights to help Harry and the other kids practice defensive spells. Rather than have Harry at the helm of the DA meetings, they and Dumbledore circled among those students who came, giving them advice, showing the proper way to do things, and even joining in at times. Since Cassie was unable to do magic, she busied herself with treating wounds per Severus' instruction and more importantly giving them advice on throwing off the Imperius curse. She instructed them to focus in on the voice of their consciousness, pulling it closer into the foreground of their minds, questioning the voice at the forefront giving them orders, and pushing it out of their minds completely. Thanks to her help, most of the group could successfully throw off the curse, including Neville who was progressing now by leaps and bounds. He had even managed to successfully stun Severus and once done, only shouted, "renervate" from across the room, giving himself a safe distance before Severus came back to consciousness.
If any of the kids' faces registered shock at Severus not only actively helping, but being quite civil about it, they knew better than the speak up. They simply adjusted and, most literally, tried to roll with the punches. The only thing more amazing that did cause quite a stir came in mid-April when Mandy Brocklehurst showed up at the Monday class with Draco in tow. By this point he had done a complete transition, dating a half-born who sympathized with Muggles, defending one in the hall, isolating himself from most of the Slytherins, and even taking Muggle Studies. This contrasted so sharply from the Draco they had known for years that the room stilled when he walked in the door...until Harry walked up, stuck out his hand and said, "welcome to the group, mate, come on in." And then it was as though nothing had happened. Conversations picked up again, wands flew through the air amid shouts of "expelliarmus" and Severus switched off from demonstrating with Minerva the proper technique for a total body bind to partner up with his student. By the end of the evening, everyone wanted to partner with Draco or Snape as the two began teaching them somewhat shadier spells that they had compared notes on. Around the room those with dummies were safely practicing Sectumsempra on them, while those without busied themselves by levitating each other with Levicorpus. Any and all of them worked hard to master using these nonverbally, to have a greater advantage on the field.
The Wednesday before exams were to start marked a banner day when Dumbledore found himself disarmed. Everything in the room came to a standstill, several people stood gaping and a few even gasped as Dumbledore's wand arced through the air, rolling to land at Harry's feet. Thinking nothing of the feat except that it was cause for jubilation, Harry smiled exultantly as he handed it back. Dumbledore watched as he thanked everyone for the congratulations, a secret smile playing under his whiskers. Cassie and Severus, knowing the full import of the action, hung back at the end of the lessons. Cassie stepped up to Dumbledore wondering, but not really wanting to ask what she knew she must.
"You didn't allow him to do that did you?"
"Did I 'throw the game' as you would say it?" he chuckled. "No, my dear, I did not. Although I admit fully to partnering him more than anyone, for it may be an old man's arrogance but I thought myself and Severus the best people for him to duel if he is ever to accomplish what he must. In short, however, this also means that since I did not allow him to disarm me, Harry is now the master of the elder wand. Now that he knows that he must face the Killing Curse once again, it will help him to know this when he confronts Voldemort at last."
"This is actually really good then," Cassie said. "Not only does he go in now facing Voldemort with the same knowledge and skills he would have in the stories, but we've also got two of our best fighters still and eliminated any unnecessary deaths. The odds just keep tilting in our favor. I know odds aren't everything, but it sure doesn't hurt."
"It does show promise, does it not," replied the old wizard. "So too does having the element of surprise." He tipped a wink at Severus as he stepped out of the room.
"I know having all that does help," Cassie said once they were finally alone, "but I still worry for you more than anyone in this."
"Why me of all people? Cassandra, surely you know that I have the advantage of knowing secrets from both sides in how to fight. I know the enemy because, in short, for years I was the enemy. I know their habits, the many underhanded ways they fight, I have practiced with them much like what we have done here."
"I also know that because of that they will come after you all the harder."
"Harder than Potter or Dumbledore?"
"Maybe not harder, but as much as," she said, "you know that as well as I do. You're not only a blood traitor, but you're a defector. They won't take kindly to that and Voldemort will most likely come after you himself."
"And he will do it against any number of Order members, magical creatures who refuse to be cowed, as well as the two you've mentioned," he said, taking her by the shoulders. "But should chance have it that I do not return from battle, you have it to know that I have loved you more than anyone else in my life. Because of you I actually desire to see another day and to live through battle--before I could not have cared less. That alone will be my standard to bear and I will be fighting to come back to you, and this baby," he said, placing a hand on her already swollen belly. "It is true that anything can still happen, but you have to agree with what Potter has said. It is much more likely we will win because in addition now to mere talent and skill, even considering the sheer numbers are more closely matched, we have, as he put it, 'something worth fighting for' and that can make all the difference in the world."
"That is very true," she said with a small smile, "but it does not stop me from worrying."
"No more for tonight at least, then," he said, planting a kiss on her forehead. "Now to bed with you, you're dead on your feet and taking on more lately than your condition would allow."
"Women in my condition as you put it have been through far worse and come out fine."
And with the argument started, she led the way out the door and down the hall.
Ed. note: Some boudain is actually quite tame, but sometimes you gotta kick it up a notch!