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Blood Ties and Betrayal	By : burynr08 Category: HP Canon Characters paired with Original Characters > Het - Male/Female Views: 6699 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 4
Disclaimer: I do not own JK Rowling's world of Harry Potter or make a profit from this story.

Chapter List
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Cassie had several places she wanted to be after Hagrid had left the hospital wing. She wanted to go to the gamekeeper's hut to offer him reassurance that everything would be okay. She wanted to stay in the hospital wing, not only to make sure that Draco wasn't being an annoying prat and wasting all of Madam Pomfrey's time, but to be there when her aunt and uncle came. And she still had Crabbe and Goyle's detention to deal with, something that now seemed trivial with what was going on.
Severus was occupied with mailing a carefully worded letter to the Malfoys as she was heading to the Great Hall for dinner. Not all that interested in eating at the moment, she wanted to find Harry. Part of keeping him safe was knowing his class schedule this term, and she knew he had been there when Draco had been attacked. She barely had to look for him, however, as he, Ron, and Hermione cornered her as soon as she crossed the threshold. In a flurry of panic, they told her what had happened at their Care of Magical Creatures lesson and appealed to her to do something. Cassie thanked them and sent them on their way to the Gryffindor table.
During dinner, she asked Madam Hooch to take over her detention, explaining that she wanted to defend Hagrid when she saw Lucius and Narcissa. The older witch agreed to supervise the two Slytherin third years before she even finished her sentence. "Anything to help Hagrid!" she exclaimed.
When Cassie walked into the hospital wing, Draco was surrounded by Slytherin students. The pug-faced girl was sitting on the edge of the bed, stroking his hair idly as he laughed animatedly with the group.
"Crabbe, Goyle," Cassie said loudly as she approached the gaggle of teens, "Don't you two have somewhere to be?"
Both boys looked dumbfounded as she addressed them, but Draco spoke before either one could think quickly enough to respond. "You've got to be kidding, Cassie!"
"You being injured does not excuse their punishment."
"They're keeping me company!" he whined at her.
She ignored him, her attention going back to his goons. "Don't keep Madam Hooch waiting, or I'll assign you another detention with Filch!" They scrambled out of their chairs without protest. Parkinson was glaring at her now.
"Do you have something you'd like to say, Patsy?" Cassie asked, raising an eyebrow at the young witch.
"It's Pansy!" the girl said shrilly. "You're being unfair, Draco needs his friends - "
"If Draco is as injured as he's claiming to be, then he needs his rest. Take a hike."
The girl stood, although she looked incredibly displeased. "I thought you said she was cool sometimes," she muttered to Draco as she left the bedside, the rest of the group following her lead. Cassie didn't hide the smug smile on her face as she watched them go.
"Why do you have to keep embarrassing me in front of my friends?" Draco grumbled.
"Because I don't like the company you keep."
"Funny," her cousin replied, "That's the same thing Father says about you."
"Good," she said firmly, sitting down. "Then I know I'm doing something right." Draco shook his head, looking away as he silently cursed her. "Draco, does your
arm really still hurt?"
Silver eyes snapped back to her. "It's awful!"
"You were just laughing with your friends."
"They were distracting me from the pain."
"Draco," Cassie said, leaning toward her younger cousin. "In all seriousness. Why are you doing this? To get out of the detention I gave you? To skip classes for a few days?"
"Why are you blaming me for what the giant oaf did?" he said, crossing his arms over his chest. She noticed he didn't grimace from the movement.
"It's not Hagrid's fault that you insulted a hippogriff!" Cassie snapped. "If you had been paying attention to his lesson - "
"You don't know how it happened!"
"I do," she said firmly, "so stop playing the victim. You screwed up! Madam Pomfrey mended your wound, so why are you in here?"
"You're going to believe a half-breed over your own family?"
"Draco!" Cassie balked. "He is your professor, show a little respect!" She wasn't about to reveal that the Gryffindor trio had been the ones to tell her the details of the incident. It would only make him more standoffish.
"He shouldn't be," Draco muttered then. Cassie was about to reply, and quite heatedly, when the door to the hospital wing opened. Narcissa came flying up to her son's bed, flinging her arms around his neck.
"Draco, my darling boy!" she sniffed, "I'm so relieved you're okay!"
"Mother - " he started to protest, but his words were stifled by the kisses she was planting all over his face. And he thought I was embarrassing, Cassie thought to herself.
"Be careful, Aunt Cissy," Cassie said sarcastically, "Wouldn't want to hurt his bum arm, would you?"
"Oh!" Narcissa said, pulling away, "I'm so sorry, my love, did I hurt you?"
"No, Mother," Draco said, shooting Cassie a glare. "Where is Father?"
"He's speaking with Severus and the Headmaster," she said, sitting down opposite from Cassie. "The school governors have already been informed, of course!"
Cassie shook her head in disbelief. "Leave it to him to make this a political game."
"Cassiopeia," Narcissa said grimly, "What a horrible attitude to have. Draco could have been killed, and it's all the half-giant's fault - "
Cassie barked out a humorless laugh. "Is that what you two are going to claim so you can get him sacked?"
"It's the truth," Draco said with feigned despondency. "Mother, it was so horrible, my life flashed before my eyes - "
"Oh, you poor thing!" Narcissa cried. She smoothed back his hair in the same way that Parkinson had just been doing. Cassie stood up, the entire scene making her stomach churn. "Where are you going?"
"To find Lucius before this charade goes any further!" Cassie was heading to the door when the platinum-blond wizard suddenly came through it, followed by Severus.
"Niece," Lucius drawled. His cane clicked on the floor as he walked, silver eyes looking down his nose at her. "I must say I'm surprised to see you here, actually at your family's side."
"Says the man that insisted on seeing the Headmaster to make demands before checking on his injured son," she countered.
"What would you know of demands, Cassiopeia, as you were not present during the conversation?" he hissed lowly.
"You're going to try to have Hagrid fired," she said. She wanted to slap the complacent look right off her uncle's face.
"For once, you and I agree on something."
"I don't agree with it!" she huffed.
"Whether or not you do, it won't make a difference," Lucius continued. He stood at his son's bedside, looking mildly disgusted at the sight of the boy lying in bed with his bandaged arm. Lucius never was one to coddle his son during times of showing weakness. "The half-breed was never suited to teach children of magical blood. Being made gamekeeper was bad enough. The fact that he was reinstated after his stint in Azkaban - "
"Where you helped put him, and you knew he was innocent!" Her emotions were starting to spiral out of control. The one thing she was grateful for right then was that Hagrid was not present for any of this.
"Cassie," came Severus's low voice from behind Lucius. It sounded like a warning, that single word from his lips asking her to calm down. If he had been able to say something more aloud, she knew he would be telling her that arguing was pointless. Lucius had made up his mind, and he rarely changed it when he had decided to destroy someone's life.
"Yes, Severus," Lucius said, looking rather pleased with himself, "reign in your temperamental bird before she says something she'll regret. I could, of course, ask the Minister to put the barbarian back into Azkaban for endangering the life of my only son."
That was all Cassie could take. She stormed from the hospital wing then, knowing that if she stayed, she would spout off something that might make Lucius do what he had threatened. It was never far from her mind that the Malfoy patriarch had Fudge wrapped around his finger.
She made her way to the gamekeeper's hut, trying to control her fury during her few minutes of solitude. No doubt Severus would have to spend time schmoozing with Lucius before he could leave the hospital wing, something she was trying not to picture. Hagrid didn't need to see her aggravation; he needed consoling.
"What are you three doing out after dark?" she asked Harry, Ron, and Hermione accusingly as she met them on the path. But even as the question left her, she knew the answer. "Nevermind, sorry. How is he?"
"Drunk," Ron replied impassively.
"He won't get fired, will he?" Hermione asked nervously.
"I don't know," Cassie told her truthfully. What use would there be in giving them false reassurance? They knew as much as anyone that the Malfoys were diabolical. Harry's face fell at her answer.
"Can't you convince Malfoy to drop it?" he asked sullenly.
"It's out of Draco's hands at this point. Lucius is on the warpath."
A few choice curses left Ron's mouth at that. After reassuring the trio of Gryffindors that she would do everything she could to help Hagrid, she sent them on their way, watching to make sure they made it through the castle doors safely before continuing down to Hagrid's hut. Knowing he was inebriated at the moment, she knocked a few times and then entered without waiting for an answer. The gentle gamekeeper was in front of his fireplace, a bottle of rum in his hand, Fang nestled next to his enormous feet.
"Hagrid," Cassie said softly, going over to the man, who blinked a few times before registering who was standing beside him. "It's going to be okay."
A sound that resembled the cry of a wounded animal left Hagrid's throat, and before she knew what was happening she found herself locked in a lung-squeezing embrace. A knock came at the door, but Hagrid was so distracted that he didn't seem to hear it. Cassie, unable to make a sound in her current predicament, waited for the visitor to let themselves in.
"Good to see you have company, Hagrid," McGonagall said as she stepped across the threshold, with what looked like an unlabeled bottle of firewhiskey in her hand. Vector, Lupin, and Flitwick trailed in behind her. Hagrid let go of Cassie, and she took a few deep breaths as the professors began to offer their sentiments.
"What're you all doing here?" Hagrid sobbed to the room. Flitwick squeaked in surprise as he was pulled into Hagrid's crushing embrace. "Someone needs ter be up at the castle! What about Black?"
"Pomona and Albus are patrolling," McGonagall said, uncorking the liquor bottle. "And Severus will join them as soon as Lucius dismisses him from his presence." Cassie smirked at the Head of Gryffindor, who winked before handing her the whiskey.
About an hour and three shots of burning alcohol later, Cassie was going back to the castle. The other professors were still in the hut with Hagrid, and she wondered if they would be stopping by Severus's office the next morning for a hangover cure. Flitwick had been very flushed and hiccuping when she had left, and Vector had been giggling at every clever joke McGonagall had been spouting, something Cassie had never seen the serious witch do before.
She found Severus in the dungeon corridor near the Potions classroom, having just started his patrol. "Is it hopeless?" she asked him.
"Dumbledore has insisted that Hagrid will not lose his post," he said, his low voice reverberating off the stone walls around them. Cassie hadn't realized that the alcohol in her system was affecting her until a sob left her throat. Despite being in the hallway where they could be seen by students, she flung her arms around the Potions Master's torso. Instead of pulling away and chiding her for her display of vulnerability, Severus returned her hug, as he was just as relieved over Hagrid's fate as she was.
With Sirius Black on the loose, a large number of students were reading the Daily Prophet at breakfast in case there was new information. Cassie didn't need to look at the front page to know that something had happened. When she and Severus made their way to the staff table, heads were bowed together, voices talking excitedly at each of the house tables. Many students were looking up from their conversations to glance at Harry, who seemed oblivious as he dug into his bowl of porridge with Oliver Wood yapping in his ear.
"Black was spotted in Dufftown yesterday by a Muggle," Sprout said as soon as Severus and Cassie sat. "Gone by the time the Ministry got there."
"So he's just as brash as everyone says he is," Cassie mused.
"Or perhaps he is just that dense," Severus offered. He wore a brooding look as he reached for the platter of scrambled eggs.
Sprout cocked her head to the side as she chewed her bacon. "I recall Sirius Black being a lot of things during his school days. Dense certainly wasn't one of them. He has to know that the Ministry is looking for him non-stop." Maybe the Head of Hufflepuff hadn't intended to compliment the Azkaban escapee, but Cassie recognized that it was the reason for the sour look that appeared on Severus's face. He was silent during the rest of their meal even as Sprout reminisced about Sirius and James causing chaos in her class.
Cassie and Severus went on their separate ways after breakfast. He had a class to teach, and she went to the hospital wing to see Draco. Once again, he was surrounded by other Slytherins, this time with a fourth-year girl feeding him bites of pastry while the Parkinson girl looked on in obvious resentment.
"I trust that with this many people here, one of them thought to bring you yesterday's homework," Cassie said, cutting through the chatter as she walked up.
"Oh, Father said I am far too weak to do any," Draco countered, wincing as he laid his head back on the pillow. "He had Professor Snape pass it on to the rest of the teachers last night."
"Then you've had plenty of time to rest. I think it's time for you to get to your classes."
"Cousin, I can't, I'm in no shape to go to class!"
Madam Pomfrey walked up to the bed just then, a scowl on her face as she looked down at her patient. "I've made it perfectly clear that you have been cleared to resume your normal course scheduled, Mr. Malfoy. And I expected your friends to leave ten minutes ago!" The Slytherins grumbled and shot glares at the nurse and Cassie as they left.
"Come on, Draco. I'll escort you to class," said Cassie.
Her cousin took his sweet time getting out of the bed, grimacing as he moved. Finally, when he had his robes on, Madam Pomfrey stomped back to her office. Cassie and Draco went out to the corridor, and he rolled his eyes at her. "I know how to get to Potions, Cassie."
"Obviously you know how to get there. Whether or not you will is a different story." His response was to sigh overdramatically. They walked in mutually annoyed silence for the first several minutes, and then Cassie said, "I hope you've had time to think about things."
"What things?"
"Hagrid."
"Oh, I've had time to think," Draco said, a sly grin on his face. "I hope I can be there when he's sacked!"
"You really are a piece of work," she hissed. "Do you realize that he has done nothing to you? In fact, I doubt that Hagrid has done anything to anyone ever - "
"Except sick his bloody chicken on me!"
Cassie groaned in frustration. "I'm not going round and round about this again." They had reached the entrance hall, and instead of heading to the dungeons staircase, she pulled him into her classroom.
"What are you going to do, give me detention right now?" Draco drawled, rolling his eyes again.
"Draco, this is serious," she roughly. "You don't understand what you're trying to do. This isn't a game! Hagrid is a good person, one of the most kind-hearted, generous people I've ever come across. And you and your father are looking to hurt him, and for what reason? Because he's half-giant?" He looked away from her, a defiant look on his face nonetheless. "Answer me, Draco!"
"I don't have to do anything you say!"
"I want an answer," she said through gritted teeth, "because if that truly is your reasoning, then you really are a prejudiced pile of shit."
"Who do you think you are, saying that to me?" For a moment, it looked like he was trying to emanate Lucius's conceited demeanor, only making her more aggravated.
Cassie took a few steps towards him, and she realized how menacing her body language must have been right then, as the Slytherin teen looked nervous as he backed away. "I'm someone who doesn't put up with people with that mindset. What the hell do you think I was doing in South America last year, Draco?"
"You were training, on Dumbledore's orders - "
"That's right. And when I was done with that, I tracked down and disposed of people that think in incredibly similar ways to my father's followers."
"I'm not a Death Eater wannabe!" Draco snapped.
"Well color me stupid, because that's exactly what you're shaping up to be."
"Why do you always do this to me?" he asked suddenly.
"Do what to you, Draco?"
"Treat me like I'm scum, and then hang around blood traitors and Mudbloods and half-breeds - "
"You're only proving my point!" she exclaimed. "How do you not see it? There's going to be a point down the road where we're going to be on opposing sides, do you realize that? And it's not going to matter who's family and who isn't!"
Draco blinked. "We already are!" he shouted, and for the first time, Cassie saw real anguish on his face. "You didn't come to see me once over the summer, and yet you had Saint Potter living with you! And then you expect me to just fall in line and listen to you when you're here!"
It was Cassie's turn to be caught off guard by the words that were thrown into the empty classroom. "Did it actually bother you?"
He huffed, looking away from her again. This time, it seemed he was trying to bury his vulnerability. "No. I'm just making a point."
Her irritation started to subside. For the first time in the last couple of days, she was looking at him as the sensitive teen he could be, rather than the mini-Lucius she was growing to despise. Guilt ran through her as she realized she had been essentially absent from Draco's life over the last year. No wonder Lucius's influence was so apparent now.
She cleared her throat after moments of tense silence. "Let's get you to class. You shouldn't be late for Professor Snape." For once, Draco didn't try to argue with her as they walked to the dungeons.
With Charms essays to grade, assisting during the seventh year Transfiguration class, and patrolling the halls, Cassie kept busy for the remainder of the day. She only became aware of what had happened during Lupin's lesson containing the Gryffindor third years when it was close to dinner. She was just leaving Flitwick's office after returning marked rolls of parchment when she overheard chatter from a group of Ravenclaws.
"I wish I had been there to see it!" one girl exclaimed.
"Can you imagine? Professor Snape in old lady's clothes!" another added, and then the entire group was giggling as they walked.
Cassie was bewildered. Under what circumstances would Severus be wearing woman's clothing, and why did students know about it? Unless someone had charmed his wardrobe, she couldn't fathom what had happened...unless, of course, Fred and George had pulled some delinquent prank during their Potions lesson. She didn't even want to think about how livid Severus felt if the twins had managed something that childish.
More clues to the mystery were evident when Cassie entered the Great Hall. Voices were chattering excitedly throughout the hall once again, and many students, Gryffindors in particular, were looking up at the high table with large grins on their faces. The next thing she noticed was Severus, who had a full plate of food in front of him. His attention, however, seemed to be on Lupin rather than his meal. If looks could kill, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor would have been dead ten times over.
"What's going on on?" she asked quietly as she sat next to the Head of Slytherin. He pulled his eyes away from Lupin and turned to her. In an instant, she could tell by the menacing gleam in his onyx eyes that he was far past antagonized.
"Not here," he hissed. She knew not to press the issue further.
Cassie ate quickly, barely registering the bites of lamb chop that she was putting into her mouth. As soon as she indicated that she was finished, Severus stood to leave. She nearly had to jog to keep up with his pace. More snickering could be heard even as the pair burst through the doors and into the entrance hall.
He looked as if he was going to head to the dungeons, but Cassie caught his arm. "Severus, I have tutoring hours," she said, and he quickly changed course to go to her classroom. No students would be able to enter at the moment, as he slammed the door shut and locked it before speaking.
"The bloody werewolf," he started quietly in his most dangerous voice, "gave the students a lesson on boggarts today."
It took a few moments for her to piece together what he was getting at. Once she realized that the boggart had taken his form and apparently had ended up in geriatric female attire, Cassie understood his aggravation. The last thing that Severus would tolerate was indignation in front of the student body. But even in her lover's distress, she couldn't help but wonder something else.
"Severus," she said quietly, knowing she was going to need to walk on eggshells if she wanted Severus to actually hear her, "Whose boggart was it?"
The look he gave her was one of cognizance, and yet the question only seemed to anger him further. "What does it matter?" he spat at her.
"It doesn't matter that you're a student's biggest fear?"
As he stood there, leaning forward with a death grip on one of the desks and a sneer on his face, she could see something within him break. The hard lines around his mouth softened, and he stood up, his gaze on her but looking far beyond the room they were in. "It was Longbottom," he told her.
Unchecked emotions were stirring within her as well. The idea that Severus was now the subject of endless jokes from his students had rightfully earned her sympathy, but now something else was brewing. It angered her that someone like Neville, who had such a tragic past and not-so-pleasant present, was so petrified of the wizard standing before her that the boggart had taken his form. In a world with Lord Voldemort and dementors and countless supernatural creatures. With Death Eaters that may have been imprisoned for their crimes against his parents, but were still breathing.
Cassie suddenly felt exhausted. It wasn't physical fatigue, but more of weariness in her soul. Dealing with Malfoy's campaign against Hagrid had enraged her and made her feel helpless. She felt protective of Severus, who was rightfully distressed with Lupin's employment at Hogwarts. Now with what Lupin had encouraged in his classroom, she had every intention of confronting the new professor. With the revelation of Neville Longbottom's worst fear, there were a few moments where Cassie wanted to demand that Severus change his behavior and then storm for the room, to berate his lack of empathy. But she knew an outburst would only alienate her from him, that much of her displeasure stemmed from her own guilt that her mother and step-father were responsible for the boy's institutionalized parents. She was grateful for those seconds of clarity when her eyes met Severus's again.
"Okay," she said softly, closing the distance between them and reaching for his hand. When she squeezed it, she felt some of the tension leave his body, and the defenses he had thrown up start to crumble. "What will we do about it?"
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Blood Ties and Betrayal