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Blood Ties and Betrayal	By : burynr08 Category: HP Canon Characters paired with Original Characters > Het - Male/Female Views: 6710 -:- 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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That Friday evening after dinner, the enchanted ceiling in Cassie's classroom revealed a cloudless night sky. The scent of lavender incense swelled throughout the large space, and a tray offering coconut biscuits and hot chocolate was charmed to remain suspended in the air. She had laid out various potion ingredients on the desk closest to hers in preparation for the third year Gryffindor that would be joining her in a few minutes. Not much to her surprise, the young wizard was late.
"Sorry, Miss Black," Neville Longbottom mumbled as he shuffled across the threshold. His eyes were round with obvious anxiety as he quickly surveyed the room. Whatever had worried him must have been absent, as he let out a loud exhale of relief before speaking again. "Got my times mixed up."
"That's fine, Neville," Cassie reassured him, standing and making her way to the cauldron she had readied. "I'm not expecting any other students tonight, I've made sure of that." As if on cue, a flurry of black robes and bushy brown hair burst into the room.
"Sorry, I was in the library trying to finish my Arithmancy essay. You haven't started without me, have you?" Hermione asked, out of breath.
Cassie raised a questioning eyebrow at her. "Started without you?" The young witch began unpacking her bag and slamming textbooks down on an empty desk. She was doing it so quickly, Cassie was wondering if their very lives depended on finding the book she was searching for.
"Yes, I've got it!" Hermione said with finality, having located her copy of Advanced Potions-Making. "Now we can get started."
"Hermione - " Cassie started, but the girl wasn't hearing her.
"Alright, Neville," the girl continued, ushering her bewildered classmate over to the ingredients as she paged through the textbook. "Shrinking Solution needs daisy roots, which need to be minced. And caterpillars, but I'll be slicing those so they're done correctly, or your potion will go all gloopy again."
"Hermione - " Cassie tried to interrupt again as Hermione shoved a small knife into Neville's hand and pointed at the daisies.
"Make sure the pieces are the same size, Neville," Hermione commanded. She grabbed the vial of leech juice and stepped to the cauldron, likely intending to add it without Neville's involvement whatsoever.
"Hermione - "
"Miss Black, where are the Shrivelfigs?" the Gryffindor witch continued, spotting what she needed in the next second. Grabbing the container, she kept on with her tirade of instructions. "I'll start juicing these, Neville, you've got to squeeze them properly or you won't get the correct amount out."
"Miss Granger!" Cassie said firmly, snapping her fingers in front of the girl's face. Hermione's eyes flew to attention, but her expression looked perturbed as if Cassie had been rude to interrupt her. "This is Neville's lesson, not yours."
"Yes, but he needs help!"
"You're not helping him. You're doing it for him. How is he supposed to learn to do it on his own?"
Hermione, probably for the first time that term, looked dumbfounded at a question that was asked of her. "But I helped him fix it in Potions class when he had gotten it wrong - "
"Yes, Professor Snape told me that," Cassie said, folding her arms across her chest. At the mention of the Potions Master's name, Neville squeaked and started to look around the room again. "And that's why I set up this session, so Neville could learn to prepare a Shrinking Solution properly by himself."
"But - "
"Please put down the Shrivelfig."
Hermione looked sorely disappointed but complied. Once she was seated at a desk and scratching away at her unfinished Arithmancy essay, glancing up to monitor what was taking place at Neville's prep station every few minutes, the atmosphere was much calmer. Neville was doing quite well under Cassie's pastoral direction, but she noticed that as time went on his eyes flitted about the room often. She had wanted to avoid bringing up Severus again, but when she noticed the boy's shaking hands after he had knocked over the vial of cowbane, she knew that enough was enough.
"Neville," she said, flicking her wrist, and the violet puddle on the floor flew back into the bottle. "Are you worried that Professor Snape will pay us a visit this evening?" The young wizard's eyes went from her face to the door, and he completely forgot that he needed to be stirring the concoction in his cauldron. Cassie pointed and he grappled for the spoon before his gaze fixed back on the potion. She saw his lips move and a soft sound found her ears, but she couldn't discern it. "What did you say, Neville?"
"Will he come?" She could make out his question now, but his voice was still nearly inaudible.
"No, Neville. Not tonight." She felt horrible that she hadn't told the boy that from the beginning. Perhaps he would have learned more from brewing this potion if he had the reassurance.
Neville let out an audible sigh of relief and went on stirring his Shrinking Solution. Cassie felt eyes on her. She noticed Hermione watching her carefully before her attention went back to her essay. Did the younger witch sense the turmoil in her, that she was silently apologizing to the boy that was essentially orphaned by her mother? That she knew doing this would never make any of it better but desperately hoped that in some small way it could show him a tiny glimpse of mercy?
By the end of the lesson, Neville had successfully brewed the solution. He left seemingly pleased with himself, but his jovial mood was short-lived when he asked if Cassie would allow him to practice brewing the potion that would be made in his next lesson with Professor Snape.
"I can't do that, Neville. I'm sorry. That's an unfair advantage. But next Friday evening you can come here and make it after the lesson for extra experience," she explained.
"But how will that help me in Snape's lesson?" he asked her miserably.
"It will help you gain confidence in your potions skills overall if you keep making brews. Eventually, you'll be able to look at a recipe once and make something perfect the first time," she reassured him. She didn't even have to look at him to know he didn't believe her one little bit.
"You've done great, Neville," Hermione said encouragingly as the two left to head back to Gryffindor tower. It stirred her to see them cross her threshold and disappear into the dark corridor with the girl's hand on his shoulder. The boy might not have his parents, but at least he had the support of his schoolmates. Any leftover annoyance that Cassie had felt at the beginning of the evening toward the witch evaporated into the night.
Cassie reached over, only to find that the part of the bed that was once occupied by a certain tall, dark and brooding wizard was now empty. She groaned at the ceiling, as she had been hoping for a bit of a lie in that Saturday morning. Apparently, the Potions Master had other ideas.
She found him in his office seated at his desk and her heart skipped a few beats. Oh, how she had missed the sight of him like this, sitting among his accumulated texts and his jars in such a regal manner. He was so engrossed in what he was doing that he barely registered that she had entered the room. She took a few moments to admire his furrowed brow and the pieces of raven hair that fell across his face as he studied the pages in front of him.
"Can I help you, Miss Black?" his baritone voice drawled, interrupting her adoring thoughts. A large smile broke on her face as she met his piercing gaze.
"I apologize, Professor. I was just admiring my view," she replied, sauntering up to his desk. The corner of his mouth upturned a bit as he watched her approach. "Don't let my presence interrupt you."
"Just like when you were a student," he mused, "always feeling the need to bother me while I'm working."
"Is that what I'm doing? Bothering you?" she purred, her fingers trailing lazily across the smooth surface of the wood as she made her way around the desk. Heat rose to her cheeks as onyx eyes traveled over her nightgown-clad body as if he hadn't done the same thing a thousand times before.
"I suppose I could do with a bit of a break," Severus muttered as she lowered herself onto his lap, her hands tangling themselves into his hair. His thin lips found the exposed skin on her neck, and she ground her warm core against him. Within seconds, she wished there weren't so many layers of cloth between them. He must have been having very similar thoughts, as she could already feel a bulge pressing against the inside of her thigh.
Their lips met in a fury of need, hands simultaneously fumbling to move offending clothing out of the way. She lowered herself onto him as soon as the opportunity presented itself, and she smiled against the Head of Slytherin's neck as he let out a throaty moan. Finding a rhythm that made her vision blur, Cassie moved on top of him as he dug his fingers into her hips, holding onto her as if he never wanted to let her go.
They were a heaving, sweaty tangle of limbs as they tried to ground themselves again. Cassie had her face nestled into Severus's neck, her arm tucked under his arm as she rested. She loved watching his quickened breathing return to normal after a tryst.
"How did I manage without you last year?" Severus said quietly as his fingertips lingered on her back, sending delicious shivers up her spine.
"I'm here now," she said, placing a kiss on his neck. "And I'm not going anywhere."
Cassie wasn't surprised when Severus didn't want to go to the Great Hall for breakfast that morning. It was a weekend and therefore optional, giving him a chance to avoid the guffaws and stares from the students. The fact that he wanted to avoid the situation altogether made the anger within her resurface. What made it even worse was that he had been reading over the recipe for Wolfsbane Potion that morning rather than lying in bed with her. He returned to this task while she got ready for the day, and she was driven to speak with Lupin sooner rather than later.
"Where are you headed so early?" Severus asked her as she placed a kiss on his cheek and tucked her wand into her charcoal grey robes.
"I'm going to check on Hagrid," she told him. It was a half-truth. She would see Hagrid that day, but only after she had a chance to meet with the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and give him a piece of her mind.
He didn't seem to sense her indiscretion, as his eyes were still fixed on the book in his hand. "I would appreciate your help grading sixth and seventh-year essays this afternoon. Perhaps we can have a free evening after we've finished them."
"Of course, Sev," she said, smiling. He glanced up, his thoughts clearly elsewhere as he looked at her, and dove back into analyzing the instructions for concocting Wolfsbane. Better that he was distracted anyway.
It wasn't difficult to find Lupin. The first place she headed to was the Great Hall, and although his seat at the high table was unoccupied, she quickly noticed him standing at the Hufflepuff table. He was speaking to a group of fifth years, and they seemed more than happy to listen to whatever anecdote he was bestowing upon them. She leaned against the double doors, waiting for him to finish his conversation with the students when Percy was suddenly at her side.
"I've got a favor to ask of you, Cassie," he said with his hands folded neatly behind his back.
"Ask away, Perc."
"It's just that Penny and I seemed to have messed up when we scheduled patrolling duties this weekend..." he started rapidly, clearing his throat. Cassie raised an eyebrow at him, as she was amused at his obvious embarrassment. "I was hoping you could switch with her so she and I could have tomorrow night off together - "
"Say no more," Cassie said, feeling charitable at that moment and wanting to end his discomfort. "I'd be happy to switch." Percy left the hall looking pleased. Fred and George approached her moments later, not looking nearly as contented as their older brother.
"He gave us detention already," Fred told her.
"What did you do?" she asked without missing a beat.
"That's beside the point," George replied, a mischievous grin forming on his freckled features.
"But it may have involved charming the third-floor boys' toilets to flush upwards," Fred added. Cassie almost missed Lupin, as he was walking past her and out of the hall as she was laughing at the twins' latest shenanigans. She gave the Gryffindors a quick goodbye and caught up with her colleague.
"Professor Lupin," she said, matching his stride. "I'd like to have a word with you."
"Oh?" he said, shooting her a questioning side-glance. "I suppose I have time now if you would like to come to my office." The walk there was pointedly silent, but she was glad he wasn't attempting to fill the short time with his usual pleasantries. She wasn't in the mood.
"What can I do for you, Miss Black?" He turned and leaned back against his desk, looking at her with a somber expression on his face.
"I could explain," she started slowly, her arms folded across her chest, "But I don't have to, do I?"
Lupin let out a sigh. "No, you don't."
"If you understand what I'm upset about, then why did it happen in the first place, Professor Lupin?"
The professor's mouth opened, then closed, then opened again. "Miss Black. You have to understand, I was trying to help Mr. Longbottom conquer his fear - "
"By essentially communicating to the entire student body that it was okay to torment a member of the staff."
"Miss Black - "
"Was that your attempt to make amends with Severus? To earn my trust? Or was all that just talk?"
"I admit, the way I handled the situation was not ideal."
"Really," she hissed sarcastically. "How quickly did you come up with the idea to humiliate him, Lupin? I'm sure it was second nature even after all these years."
"Now that's not fair!" He stood up straight, finally looking impassioned enough to stand up to her beratement. "Clearly Severus has not been kind to the poor boy or he wouldn't have ended up being his boggart - "
"That does not give you the right to do what you did!" Cassie took a step forward, her blue eyes flashing in warning. Lupin shrunk back, his desk stopping him from getting any further away from her. "You have been here for mere days. They have a dynamic that you do not understand. Not that it's any of your business, but he is taking steps to right the situation. So don't concern yourself with it any further."
"Alright, Miss Black. I won't." He shook his head, a small huff leaving his slightly upturned lips.
"Do you think this is funny?"
"No, not at all," Lupin said. "I'm just wondering what Severus did to deserve such fierce loyalty."
"If you're suggesting he doesn't - " Cassie started, her anger starting to boil again, but it was Lupin's turn to cut her off.
"No, no, that's not what I'm trying to say, Miss Black." The fight that had surfaced within him deflated just as quickly as it had appeared. He looked depleted now. "I just mean that he - anyone - would be incredibly lucky to have that. Their one person that always has their back."
A swell of sympathy for the werewolf was bubbling up in Cassie's chest. She knew without him saying anything more that he wasn't just pondering the issue. He was lonely, and she had a feeling it was an enduring state for this man. For a fleeting moment, she wondered what it was about him that made her feel this sorrow without even knowing him. And then a small thought entered her head, one that she immediately tried to push aside, mainly because she was supposed to be angry at him: in some way, he reminded her of Severus.
"He and I are lucky to have each other," she said evenly, "and don't change the subject."
"Ah yes," Lupin replied, "I see you won't be sidetracked with any sort of buttering up." He had the ghost of a smirk on his features, like he was trying to force appearing jovial at the flip of a switch. Perhaps he had sensed her pity.
Cassie scoffed. "Do you actually want to do right by Severus?"
"Yes."
"Then try harder."
Lupin was silent as he studied her for a moment. She hoped he was considering his next words carefully, because her patience had worn dangerously thin much earlier in their conversation. "You're right, Miss Black. I will."
"Good. He's going to be making Wolfsbane Potion for you every month, you know. That's a lot of time and effort he'll be putting in."
"I know." He rounded his desk and sat, running a hand through his sand-colored hair. "Should I apologize?"
"You can try. He won't accept it."
"That sounds about right," he said softly, looking out the window momentarily. "Then what do you suggest?"
"He's a brilliant, accomplished wizard. Remember that, and don't think of him as the classmate you remember. Show him respect in front of the students."
"Ah, but can he do the same for me, Miss Black?" Lupin countered lightly.
"That's not really my concern," she quipped.
"You're not going to encourage him to attempt to get along with me as well? That seems a bit unfair," he replied, and there was a mischievous glint in his eye as he goaded her. For once his aura radiated youth, as if he was taking pleasure in their exchange even if she was bitter.
"Of course not," she said, heading to the door. "He has no idea I came here, and I would appreciate if it would stay that way." She left him without allowing him a chance for a rebuttal. Hopefully, her tone had conveyed how serious she was.
Intending to be as true to what she had told Severus as she could, she went to Hagrid's next. She wasn't the only one who had him on her mind; she passed a gaggle of Gryffindor fifth years along the path, and there was a mix of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaws already seated in his hut when she entered. It was rejuvenating to know that so many of the students cared for the half-giant. It must have been for Hagrid as well, as there wasn't a moment his beady eyes were dry while she was there.
With a plate full of rock cakes in hand, Cassie found her way back to Severus before lunch. Still in his office, he was writing on a long piece of parchment, the Wolfsbane Potion recipe floating midair next to it.
"Is that a chart?" she asked after setting Hagrid's inedible treats on the desk. Severus grimaced when he noticed them.
"Yes," he said, and she noticed her name next to 'black quicksilver'. "When I spoke with Dumbledore about brewing the Wolfsbane, I brought up the inconvenience of procuring all of the necessary ingredients."
"They're hard to find?"
"Not particularly, no," he told her. "But someone at the apothecary would become suspicious if I walked in and bought the items every month. They wouldn't ask questions if they thought I was brewing it for study once or twice. But before every full moon - "
"They would wonder who you were brewing it for," Cassie finished.
"Precisely. And Wolfsbane Potion can normally only be brewed with Ministry approval."
"So you're having individual staff buy ingredients at different times," she said, looking over the chart again. McGonagall would be getting giant moonwort from Diagon Alley sometime this week. Trelawney was in charge of purchasing myrrh from Hogsmeade within the next. "Brilliant, Sev."
"I need you to go to Knockturn Alley tonight to get the quicksilver," he said then, and she looked at him in surprise.
"Knockturn Alley?"
"Shyverwretch's is the only place I know that stocks it regularly."
"Why am I getting it?" she asked, huffing. "Don't people have enough reason to always think I'm up to something?"
"I can't ask another member of staff to go there, Cassie. What explanation would they have?"
"What explanation do I have?"
"You're the Dark Lord's daughter. No one will question you being there."
"Oh, that's nice."
"Cassie," Severus said, pinching the bridge of his nose and sighing. "I'm trying to make this whole process as discreet as possible. I would go myself, but I have to go to Mulpepper's for the aconite in the next few days. It might look too suspicious."
She didn't like having to go to Knockturn Alley. If she was seen by the wrong people, it would cause unnecessary speculation about what she was up to. It was something she always had to keep in mind. But she couldn't just worry about herself, as her lover would be putting himself in the same situation.
"All this for a former classmate you despise?" she asked.
"I'm not doing any of this for him." His mien had darkened in the instant that Lupin was mentioned. He gave her a look of contempt as if she should have known. "It's for the safety of my students."
Severus didn't need to say anything further to convince her. Those words had made her feel selfish for even questioning him; of course, he would have the best interest of the Hogwarts student body at heart when putting all of this together. The least she could do was show her face in Knockturn Alley to help make it happen. After grading enough essays to make her brain mush and a quick dinner brought to the Head of Slytherin's office by house-elf, Cassie was on her way. Dressed in black robes with the hood pulled over her head, she hoped to blend in with any other shoppers that may be out and about that night. Shuddering from the unnatural chill, she wondered how closely she resembled the dementors as she passed them on her way out of the school grounds.
Choosing to Apparate directly from Hogsmeade to the dark and grungy shopping district, she arrived in no time at all. The few witches and wizards that she passed on her way into Shyverwretch's Venoms and Poisons paid her no notice, and it wasn't until she was in the shop that someone seemed to recognize her.
"Ah, Miss Black," came a grating voice from behind the counter. Otravas Shyverwretch, a lanky, wiry-haired wizard with a squashed nose narrowed his yellowed eyes when he saw her. "To what do I owe this pleasure? I haven't seen you in my shop in a long while. Not since you came in with Master Malfoy a few years back, I recall."
"Black quicksilver," Cassie said tersely. She was used to being around jars of pickled body parts and containers of unknown liquids, but this place always made her squeamish. Perhaps it was not knowing for sure how lethal the elixirs were in the unassuming vials.
The shop owner tutted, turning around to start rummaging through jars on a shelf. "Partaking in some experimentation with alchemy, Miss Black?"
"No."
"You don't have the time?"
"I don't have the skill."
"Oh, that I don't believe," he rasped. He always tried to flatter her because of who she was. It made her stomach churn. "Is there anything the Heir can't do if she sets her mind to it?"
Cassie had been adjusting her hood and impatiently looking around the room as the man had been speaking, hoping she could get out of there quickly and without anyone else noticing her. What reached her ears made her attention snap back to Shyverwretch's jaundiced gaze. "What did you just say?"
His exaggerated smile revealed crooked, rotting teeth. "I asked if there is anything you can't do if you set your mind to it, Miss Black?" She stared at him for a few moments. His smile didn't waver, making the hair on the back of her neck stand up.
Finally, she said, "Please package up my quicksilver, and I'll be on my way."
"How much would you like, Miss Black?"
"Everything you have in stock." She had no desire to have to return anytime soon.
A cold breeze hit her face when she stepped out of the shop and back into the empty alley. Every fiber of her being wanted to get back to Hogwarts as soon as possible; she wasn't sure if she had heard Shyverwretch correctly, but nonetheless, she was shaken. She was about to turn on the spot to Apparate back to Hogsmeade when she swore she heard whispers on the wind.
She turned toward where she thought the sound had come from. The shops seemed closed for the night and there was no one within view. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. She heard a faint hissing sound again.
"Who's there?" she asked into the empty night. Taking out her wand, she followed the phantom voice, walking past a few of the storefronts that now seemed eerily deserted. Shrunken heads hanging on display in front of Noggin and Bonce swayed in the wind.
"Cassie..." something breathed. For a split second, she thought it might be coming from the severed heads.
A clattering sound. Something had been knocked over near Cobb and Webb's. Was that the sound of heavy boots on the pavement? Cassie cast a Revelio charm silently and glimpsed the sight of black robes swirling as someone turned the corner into a small passage beside the building. She ran to catch them but heard the telltale 'pop' of someone Disapparating.
After cursing under her breath as she briefly examined the empty passage where this mysterious witch or wizard had disappeared, Cassie Apparated back to Hogsmeade with the quicksilver in hand. She startled slightly when she saw a pair of gleaming yellow eyes a few yards away from the Hogwarts gates, lighting up her wand to see what creature they belonged to. A big black dog was trotting away as soon as the light shined on it, and Cassie scolded herself silently for feeling so tense. Someone's pet was just out for a night walk, nothing to get rattled from.
Taking a shaky breath as she walked past the dementors, she made her way back up to the castle. For such a short trip, there was a lot to catch Severus up on.
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Blood Ties and Betrayal