As everyone had anticipated, the Sorting Ceremony this year was filled with extra excitement because Harry Potter was there. Even the fellow Slytherins around Cassie were murmuring and whispering, trying to guess where he would be sorted. Some were excited at the thought of having him in their house, while others found the idea atrocious.
Of course, their attitudes were greatly influenced by how their families spoke about the Potter boy at home. If they were anything like Lucius, they were cautioning their children not to express an open dislike of Harry, in case doing so made other people suspicious of their loyalties. But he had also told Draco that there was the possibility that the reason Harry had been responsible for the Dark Lord's downfall was that he had the potential to become an even greater dark wizard.
If that were the case, Lucius had told Draco, then he should become Harry's ally. Lucius's antics sometimes made Cassie feel sick.
Cassie mainly kept to herself when she was around other Slytherins, and for many of the same reasons. Her housemates tended to treat her in only two ways. Some were excessively nice to her, almost to the point of groveling. It was no coincidence that most of these students came from families containing Death Eaters and had been encouraged to kiss her arse in case she decided to follow in her father's footsteps.
On the other end of the spectrum, others treated her like she was a bug that needed squashing. She figured they saw her as someone throwing away her potential and betraying her blood status by associating with students of all backgrounds. Some had openly told her what an atrocity she was for dating a blood traitor, and she had gone through a few rough weeks during her fifth year before things finally settled down.
Of course, that was only after she had decided to dole out a few curses that the professors couldn't prove had been performed by her. The tormenting had ended rather swiftly after that.
Not all of the Slytherins were overly concerned with who she was, of course, and some treated her like any other student. But Cassie had dealt with enough bullshit from the majority that she rather disliked associating with them, choosing instead to make friends from other houses.
That was why she wished Draco would be placed in any house besides Slytherin so that he could have better influences during his schooling.
Alas, he was sorted into her house within a few seconds of the Hat being placed on his head. "We got Malfoy!" she heard someone cheer farther down the table, and she sighed.
"Yes, big surprise there," she muttered to herself.
Potter was sorted into Gryffindor, along with Ron, and Cassie was happy with those results. The rest of the ceremony and feast were rather unremarkable for her, as she spent most of her time eating and silently watching the other students.
It was only when her eyes traveled up to the High Table, and her gaze landed on Severus that she felt the tiniest bit of excitement.
The last few times she had seen the Potions Master over the summer, she had gotten butterflies in her stomach, too. It was a confusing feeling, but she was no dummy when it came to recognizing a crush.
For the time being, though, she just wanted to ignore it until it went away. After all, he was her professor, her Head of House, and her... Severus. Severus was not a romantic entity.
He was simply Severus.
As these thoughts went through her head, Cassie suddenly realized she had been staring at him for far too long.
At some point, he had realized it, because now he was staring back at her with a decidedly unimpressed expression. She gave him a small smile before looking down at her food.
Had she not been feeling so sheepish about being caught gawking at the Potions Master, she might have noticed that the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor currently had his eyes locked on her.
Her intentions for the evening were to fetch the cauldron she owed Severus and bring it to his classroom in case he needed it for tomorrow morning's classes. Besides, it gave her a reason not to have to spend the evening in the Slytherin common room.
After making her way to the dungeons, through the common room full of students, and into her dormitory to fetch it, she placed a charm on the cauldron so it would float beside her. She started making her way back into the corridor.
"Where do you think you're headed already, Black?" Harrison Babbs, one of the seventh-year prefects, asked as he stepped directly into her path.
Cassie knew Babbs didn't particularly care where students were during the night. He was the sort to abuse his increased privileges to meet girls in the corridors to fool around.
A sly grin was spreading across his tan face, and Cassie guessed that the goblet in his hand was already filled with Firewhisky. Slytherins especially were known to smuggle it into the castle.
"Not your concern," she said. Her wand was still in her hand from charming the cauldron, and she shifted it between her fingers, itching to use it.
"Of course it's my concern, Black." He took a sip from the goblet, and Cassie could smell the whisky on his breath now. "How about this? You kiss me, and I won't tell." Cassie scrunched up her nose in disgust. "What, it's not like you have that Weasley boy here to screw anymore, do you?" he continued. "Wouldn't want you to feel lonesome!"
The students around them who were listening started to guffaw at his words. Cassie merely rolled her eyes. "Or what?"
"Or..." Babbs faltered slightly before recovering. "I'll tell Professor Snape."
"Okay. Go for it." Cassie stepped around him, exiting the common room and heading down the hall toward the Potions classroom.
Babbs looked nervous that she wasn't playing along. He followed a few steps behind her before suddenly stopping as a tall figure in flowing black robes appeared around the corner, having just left the Great Hall himself.
"Babbs. Black." Severus drawled their names in his deep voice, one eyebrow cocked as he silently questioned what the two of them were doing.
"Well, Harrison, here he is," Cassie said sweetly. "Why don't you tell him?"
Babbs opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Severus's expression became more annoyed by the second.
"Babbs, spit it out, or..." Severus's dark eyes narrowed. "You've been drinking, haven't you?"
Cassie stifled her laughter as she continued down the hallway. The cocky prefect denied the accusation, even though Severus could probably smell the alcohol from halfway down the corridor.
She entered the classroom alone, not needing to see the rest of the interaction to know that Babbs was in for at least one detention already.
"I've got your replacement cauldron," Cassie said as Severus entered the classroom behind her less than a minute later. She had set the cauldron down and was now seated at one of the front-row desks.
"Good. Now go. I'm busy," he replied curtly, walking around his desk and sitting.
"Wow. Nice to see you, too, Severus," she said sarcastically. She wasn't offended or surprised by his rudeness.
"The school year has started. It's Professor Snape," he replied coldly, starting to scribble on a stack of papers.
"Doesn't start until tomorrow," Cassie replied, resting her chin on her hand. "Speaking of which, what the hell are you even working on? It's not like you have papers to grade."
"Lesson plans."
"Lesson plans? Like you don't have every day of the school year memorized by now?" she challenged lightly.
Severus slammed down the quill he was writing with and finally looked up at her, his black eyes shooting daggers. "Maybe I'm just pretending to be busy so you'll leave me alone," he hissed. Cassie resisted the urge to smile.
She was used to all of his moods, which, as far as she was concerned, consisted primarily of annoyed and angry. She was not intimidated by his behavior in the slightest. He knew it, which usually aggravated him even more.
"Severus, you're usually crabby before term starts, but this is a new level," she mused. He let out a low growl of frustration as he stood behind his desk. "What's going on?"
"Nothing."
"It's not 'nothing'," she countered. She remained seated at the desk while Severus began pacing the classroom.
"What, you don't have the Weasley Quidditch star to entertain you, so now I get the pleasure?" he sneered.
Cassie calmly folded her hands on the desk, her blue eyes following him as he continued to prowl around the room. The jab got to her a little, but she didn't want to show it. That was his ploy: anger her enough that she would leave, allowing him to stew in his embitterment alone, as he preferred.
"We both know I still made time to come here and annoy you when I was dating Charlie," she replied coyly. It was strange, referring to her ex-boyfriend when Severus was making her heart flutter the way he was right now.
She shook her head slightly, trying to chase the thoughts away. She couldn't acknowledge those feelings. They were foreign, weird, and frightening. She was afraid he would somehow know just by looking at her.
"It's Harry Potter, isn't it?" she ventured.
"What?" Severus stopped and leaned forward, placing his hands on his desk. That dark curtain of hair framed his pale face as he glowered at her.
"Don't play dumb, Severus. I know how much you hated his dad. It must be stirring up memories."
"You have no idea what you're talking about!"
Cassie ignored the outburst. She knew she was probably right, and she also knew it was best not to argue with him at that point. "It's not been easy for me, either. I keep imagining what it's going to be like when he realizes who I am." Her confession seemed to pull Severus out of his own thoughts for a moment. His face softened just slightly as he looked at her. "I met him on the train today by accident, but he had no clue. It's just a matter of time."
"I've told you. You can't feel guilty for something you had nothing to do with," he replied softly.
"You can tell me again and again. It doesn't change the fact that I do," she said with a sigh. "I met Neville Longbottom today. You should have seen his face when I told him my name."
"Cassie," Severus said her name sharply as he took a seat behind his desk again. "You are not your father or your mother. You can't let their actions affect you like this."
It was something he had told her again and again over the years. Perhaps not always in those exact words, but always the same idea. Suddenly, Cassie felt weary. She couldn't handle hearing it again right then. "Okay. Fine."
They sat quietly for a few moments at their respective desks. Severus was the first to break the silence. "Would you like some tea?" It was something they did together quite often when they needed each other's company.
Now that Cassie was calm again, her heart fluttered at the sound of his deep voice. "Yes, please."
The next morning, while Cassie got ready for her classes, she couldn't help but feel nervous for a few different reasons.
She worried about running into Harry or Neville again, which she knew was somewhat ridiculous, considering they now lived in the same castle.
But then she remembered that Ron was in the same dormitory as Harry. It would only be a matter of time before the truth came out.
As she pulled her long black locks into a ponytail, she internally scolded herself. She was an emotional mess over the opinions of two first-years. She couldn't let that ruin her last first day. She was stronger than this.
She was also nervous about her situation with Severus.
She had stayed in the classroom with him the previous night, and once they had both calmed down, they had fallen into one of their familiar, harmonious conversations. She hadn't returned to her dormitory until half-past eleven.
That wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Neither was the bombardment of questions from her dorm mates about where she had been.
It was the dreams she had afterward that concerned her. As far as she could remember, he had been in every single minute of them. And they had been anything but platonic.
She didn't have Potions until Wednesday, so for the time being, she had to busy herself with her classes and studying.
As she made her way to the Great Hall for breakfast, she made a mental note not to look up at the High Table for fear of derailing her day. For the most part, she was successful, even forcing herself to make small talk with the students sitting near her as a distraction.
Her first class of the day was Transfiguration with the Gryffindors. It was a subject she had always enjoyed and excelled at, and she and Professor McGonagall had always had a pleasant relationship.
She was seated next to another Slytherin, excited to start the advanced lessons reserved for seventh-year NEWT students, when she heard a voice trying to get her attention by hissing, "Black! Hey, Black!"
Cassie turned to her left, then her right, and finally realized that the offending noise was coming from behind her. Not to her surprise, it was Fiona Jenour, a seventh-year Gryffindor who also happened to be Head Girl that year.
"What?" Cassie hissed back, mocking Jenour's strained whisper even though McGonagall wasn't in the room yet.
The girls surrounding Jenour covered their mouths with their hands, trying to hide the fact that they were giggling, though they were rather unsuccessful.
"I hear Charlie Weasley's open for business!" Jenour said, still trying to keep her voice quiet but unable to keep it at a whisper any longer.
"Oh, yes," Cassie said, trying to look as serious as she possibly could. "Didn't you hear? He dumped me because he's so in love with you. You'll be getting a letter from him confessing his undying love any day now, I'd expect."
The Head Girl and her friends erupted into frantic whispers as Cassie's sarcasm apparently went right over their heads.
Cassie knew that Jenour had been head over heels for Charlie ever since he had become Quidditch captain and had been irate that a Slytherin who had no interest in the sport had been dating him.
They were still discussing the matter when McGonagall strode in, forcing her to shush her classroom full of seventh-years. The lesson went well, as the students learned how to transform pebbles into tall, leafy palm trees.
Then it was off to the first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson of the term.
Professor Quirrell proved to be a timid lecturer with plenty of book knowledge but seemed rather hesitant to perform any spells. Cassie quickly concluded this would be another ineffective year in the class, much like most other years in that subject.
As she was packing up her textbook, parchment, and wand, she was surprised to be approached by the rather demure man.
"C-c-cassiopeia B-b-black?"
Cassie looked up at him with a slightly raised eyebrow. He had taken attendance at the beginning of the lesson, not to mention that he had called on her several times during the lecture. He should probably have known who she was already.
"Yes, that's me," she said, trying her best to sound respectful as she zipped up her satchel.
"F-f-forgive me," he said, appearing to try to make eye contact but unable to do so for more than a second. "B-b-but rumor h-has it that y-y-you're planning on b-b-being an a—" He stopped for a second, taking a deep breath. "An a—"
"An Auror, yes," Cassie finished for him gently, giving him a reassuring smile.
"Oh," he said, returning her smile and finally managing to make eye contact. He didn't speak for a few seconds.
"Is that all?" she asked.
He chuckled nervously. "I j-j-just wanted t-t-to tell you," he said. "If you ever n-n-need a-a-anything, p-p-please ask."
"Oh, thank you, Professor. I'll probably take you up on that," she said, and meant it. Who knew what kind of recommendations she might need when applying for Auror training?
She turned to leave the classroom when Quirrell started speaking again. "N-n-not what we'd ex-expect from you, eh?"
Cassie turned to stare at him for a moment, caught off guard by the comment. Suddenly, her guard was up. She'd had her fair share of new professors with ulterior motives over the years.
The smile on her face faded, and she made a point of looking him directly in the eye when she spoke. "I think it's exactly what one would expect." She turned and left without another word, gritting her teeth as she made her way to the Charms classroom.
The rest of her day was rather uneventful, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was up with Quirrell. The thought stayed with her well into the evening.
She usually liked to study in the library so she could meet up with June and Al, but she needed to check up on Draco. He came into the common room with Crabbe and Goyle in tow, talking animatedly about his day, and Cassie hoped he wasn't excited because he had hexed some poor student.
"Draco," she said from her chair, gesturing for him to come over. He did so enthusiastically, as she knew he wanted the other Slytherins to know that they were related. "How was your day?"
He launched into stories about his classes, and so far everything sounded relatively innocent to Cassie. Then he started recounting how he had intentionally sabotaged one of the Ravenclaw girls during Charms, and Cassie was about to berate him when they were interrupted.
"Excuse me, Miss Black?" It was one of the newly minted fifth-year prefects, a short boy by the name of Ricardo. "I'm sorry, but I have a message for you. You're to go to the Headmaster's office."
It didn't matter how old you were. Everyone within earshot immediately started going, "Oooooh!"
As Cassie packed up her books, she looked at Draco. "Don't get into any more trouble," she said quietly. He smirked at her, not at all convincing her that those were his intentions.
"Funny, coming from someone just called to Dumbledore's," he retorted.
Cassie sighed as she went to her dormitory to drop off her books before heading to the Headmaster's office. It was a place she had been to many times throughout her school career, sometimes for the hexes she had cast on other students, sometimes for the things done to her. But for the first time, she walked there without having any clue why she had been summoned.
When she reached the door, it swung open before she even had a chance to knock. She was surprised to see Severus seated in front of Dumbledore's desk.
"Miss Black," Dumbledore greeted warmly, gesturing toward the empty chair next to him. "Please, have a seat."
Cassie's heart began to race. An irrational thought immediately entered her mind. Did they know about her little feelings toward her Head of House? Were they going to tell her to quash them? Tell her they were inappropriate?
Did they trouble themselves with such things? Surely students had feelings for professors before. This couldn't possibly be the first time.
All of these thoughts raced through her mind as she walked toward the chair and sat down. She remained silent, waiting for one of the two wizards to speak first.
"I trust your first day of classes went all right?" Dumbledore asked kindly.
Cassie nodded, trying to find her voice. "Yes, they did. Although..." She hesitated.
Was this the time to mention Quirrell, or was she jumping the gun? Merlin knew she'd been burned before when it came to trusting new professors.
"Yes?" Severus prompted. His voice made her stomach flip. Cassie took a breath.
"I had a weird interaction with Professor Quirrell," she said quickly, suddenly feeling rather foolish for bringing it up in front of the Headmaster instead of waiting until she was alone with Severus. "He pulled me aside after class and offered me extra help if I needed it."
"Nothing particularly malicious sounding," Dumbledore mused with a small smile.
"No. I agree with you, Headmaster." Cassie paused. "But he commented that I'd like to be an Auror, and then he said..." She paused. "He said, 'Not what we'd expect from you.'" She wrung her hands together in her lap. "With all the stuttering and everything, of course," she added. She noticed the two wizards exchange a glance, but she couldn't decipher it. "I'm sorry. I know it's probably just me being paranoid, but I thought it would be best to say something in case..." She swallowed. "In case something happens."
"Miss Black, don't ever feel as though you cannot tell your teachers something like this," Dumbledore said. "We know your history, and we know why you have every right to be suspicious." Cassie nodded. She no longer felt quite as foolish. "Now, the reason I asked you to come here—and after such a busy day, no less—is that I understand you've expressed interest in tutoring first-years this year."
Cassie nodded, glancing toward Severus, whose expression was currently unreadable. "Yes, I have."
"On what subjects?" Dumbledore asked, resting his chin on his folded hands as he studied her.
Cassie shrugged. "Anything, really." Severus scoffed, and she broke into a smile. "Well, I know I don't exactly excel at everything, but I'd like to think I can at least handle first-year-level material in all the subjects."
She knew Severus was picturing the melted cauldron from the previous year. She almost laughed.
"I do not doubt that you can," Dumbledore said. "That isn't the issue." His expression became more serious. "What I want to inquire about is how you're handling your feelings regarding the new batch of first-year students."
Cassie blinked. For a moment, she didn't understand. "You mean...specific first-years?"
"Yes. That is what I mean."
Cassie shifted in her chair. Suddenly, she felt as though she were being tested. As though one wrong answer could somehow condemn her.
"I mean, I'm not super thrilled to have Draco here, because he's an entitled little sh—" She caught herself. "—thing."
Severus's eyebrow rose. Dumbledore, however, merely smiled. "Yes. I hear he is an entitled little shit." Cassie's eyes widened. "But I'd like to know how you feel about Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom."
Cassie's stomach dropped. "I'm, uh..." She wasn't comfortable having the same conversation she'd had with Severus the night before. "I guess I'm worried about how they're going to react to me." She swallowed. "Who I am."
Dumbledore nodded slowly. "I know this is a sensitive topic, Miss Black. So you don't harbor any resentment toward either boy?"
"Resentment?" Cassie stared at him. Then she understood. "Are you asking me if I'm planning on getting revenge on them?"
"Not intentionally, no. But sometimes, when you're upset, Miss Black, you can lose control of your power."
Cassie's jaw tightened. "I don't harbor any resentment toward them, Headmaster. I feel guilty for what my father and mother did to them. But I don't blame them—or their families—for my lack of one!" Her voice rose as her hands curled into fists.
"Okay, Miss Black. Okay." Dumbledore's voice was soothing, but somehow that only made her angrier.
"No, Headmaster, it's not okay." Her breathing quickened. "What do I have to do to prove that I'm not going just to flip a switch and turn into my parents?" She was nearly shouting now. "I was kidnapped by wannabe Death Eaters when I was twelve. They offered me an entire army of followers, and I didn't accept it!" The room seemed to vibrate. "What more can I do?"
A low rumble began to grow throughout the office. Knickknacks rattled on their shelves. Small objects trembled where they sat.
Cassie barely noticed. Her anger sometimes had a way of escaping her before she could stop it.
"As I am well aware, Cassiopeia," Dumbledore said sternly, "I killed their leader to protect you." His blue eyes dared her to challenge him further.
"Cassie, calm down!" Severus's command was sharp, but she barely heard him.
For one horrible moment, she wanted to scream: Protect me? Or remove my temptation? But even in the depths of her anger, she knew that would be taking things too far. She took several deep breaths, trying desperately to regain control.
The objects around Dumbledore's office continued to rattle. Then Severus stood and came up behind her and placed both hands firmly on her shoulders.
Almost immediately, the rattling stopped. The rumbling fell silent.
Cassie closed her eyes, grateful he had intervened. She would have felt awful if she had broken Dumbledore's things during what was, essentially, a magical tantrum.
"I'm so sorry, Headmaster," she said quietly. She did her best to look him in the eye, even though it was the last thing she wanted to do. "I didn't mean to react that way. It's just—"
"Don't apologize, Miss Black," Dumbledore interrupted. Cassie noticed the glimmer of tears in his eyes. "I know it's unfair. We simply have to do what we can to protect everyone."
He dismissed her after that, insisting that Severus accompany her back down to the dungeons. They were silent as they walked.
Cassie was grateful yet again when Severus chased off a pestering Peeves, something she absolutely did not have the patience to deal with at that moment.
Rather than entering the Slytherin common room, Severus followed without protest when Cassie led them toward the Potions classroom. She stepped inside, then continued into his office.
Before either of them could speak, Cassie wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face against his black-clad torso.
She sobbed. She knew, without even seeing him, that he was immensely uncomfortable. She didn't care, not right then.
For a minute or so, he remained completely still. Then the arm that had been hanging stiffly at his side moved.
He patted her lightly on the back. Cassie let out a watery laugh. "Severus, I am so sorry," she said, her voice muffled against his robes.
She finally pulled away, sniffling as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. He looked at her apprehensively for several moments. Then, as though it were the most natural solution in the world, he asked: "Tea?"