Cassie woke late into the night to make sure Severus took another dose of Cerberus antidote. Expecting the interaction to be brief before she could settle back to sleep, she grew concerned when she noticed a sweet, sickening smell permeating the room—one she hadn't noticed earlier.
"Severus?" She gently touched the arm of the sleeping Head of Slytherin, hoping not to startle him awake. His pale bicep was slick with sweat, and when she moved her hand to his forehead, she found it coated in perspiration. "Oh no," she whispered. With a flick of her wrist, she illuminated the candles beside the bed. She needed a better look at him.
His usual sallow complexion looked especially haggard, and his raven hair was plastered damply to his face. His breathing was ragged, and even without seeing his leg, she had a pretty good idea where the putrid smell was coming from.
She pulled back the covers and wasn't surprised to find the wound green and swollen, pus seeping from the bite as the surrounding skin burned an angry red. Her stomach turned. He needed another dose of the antidote, and urgently.
"Severus," she said, grabbing the vial from the bedside table and uncorking it. "You need to drink this."
"You need to go back to the owlery," he mumbled, barely audible, without opening his eyes. "Ten points from Butterbeer!"
"Okay, then." He was incoherent, the poison making him delirious. She either had to find a way to get the antidote into him or take him to Madam Pomfrey.
Knowing it would probably be fruitless, she brought the yellow elixir to his lips. He made no attempt to drink it, and within seconds he was snoring again.
Cassie hurried into his sitting room and searched through the shelves until she found an empty flask. She returned to the bedroom, grabbed her wand, and moved to his injured leg. The smell of rotting flesh made her gag momentarily.
She forced herself to concentrate. Waving her wand slowly over the wound, she murmured a healing charm. Almost immediately, greenish-yellow fluid began to rise from the infected flesh, slowly drawing itself out of the wound and into the waiting flask.
Severus grunted and writhed beneath her as the thick sludge was siphoned from his leg. The movement was clearly painful, but Cassie kept going. The bite needed cleaning, and she wasn't about to stop until she was sure she'd removed the worst of the infection.
"It hurts. Stop," he murmured, his eyes fluttering open.
"We're almost finished, Severus," Cassie said softly. The flask was nearly full, and his leg already looked considerably healthier.
"Good. Then can we go to the Black Lake? Maybe the giant squid will be out." His speech was much clearer now, and Cassie hoped that meant he was beginning to pull out of his feverish state. She had no idea why he was suddenly requesting a midnight excursion to the grounds.
"Not now," she said, corking the flask. She walked to the fireplace and tossed it into the flames. The glass shattered, and the poisonous contents burned away with a high-pitched hiss. Returning to the bed, she dressed the wound, conjuring a crisp, clean bandage with the tip of her wand. "You need your rest first."
"Probably best," he murmured, closing his eyes as he settled back against the pillow. "Potter and his furry friends might be there."
"Oh?" Cassie wasn't sure what else to say. She picked up the antidote again. "Severus, I need you to sit up and open your eyes. You need to drink this, and then we can both go back to sleep." His eyes fluttered open momentarily before closing again. Cassie slipped a hand behind his shoulder and helped him sit upright, then placed the vial against his lips. "Please. You have to drink this, or I'll have to take you to Madam Pomfrey. I don't know how else to make you better."
"Anything for you, Lily." He slowly began to drink. Cassie tipped the vial back carefully, making sure he swallowed every last drop. When he finished, she stared at him for a moment, bewildered by the name he'd called her.
"Okay," she finally said. She helped him lie back down, placed the empty vial on the bedside table, and crawled in beside him. With another flick of her wrist, she extinguished the candles. "You did well, Severus. Go to sleep."
"So nice to hear that from you," he whispered. He turned toward her, nestling his face into the nape of her neck. Cassie noticed that his skin felt considerably less diaphoretic now, which relieved her.
"I suppose," she whispered.
"Why has it taken so long for us to do this?" he asked. His tone was strangely inquisitive, almost childlike.
"Do what? Clean each other's gaping wounds?"
"This," he said. "Being in bed together. Embracing. It's what I've wanted for so long, Lily," he murmured. Although his arms were wrapped around her, Cassie suddenly felt stiff.
Again, she had no idea how to respond to his disorientation. "Oh, I think we should just go to sleep."
"You've forgotten about Potter?"
Cassie's mind went blank for a moment. Was he really that far gone? Was he jumping between some childhood memory and one of his current students? Maybe she should take him to the hospital wing after all.
Then, suddenly, the pieces fell into place. Severus had gone to school with James Potter and his friends. That meant he'd also been classmates with James's wife. Lily.
Cassie had never heard Severus speak much about her beyond the fact that the Dark Lord had murdered her. But then again, Severus rarely spoke about his past in any detail.
Cassie swallowed hard. She could either play along and hope he'd fall asleep soon, or try to reason with him.
"Sure, Sev," she said quietly. "But you need your rest. Please, try to sleep, okay?"
"All right." He said nothing more. Within moments, his breathing changed, signaling that he'd drifted off. Cassie, however, had a much harder time finding peaceful sleep that night.
Morning came quickly. They both had classes to prepare for, and Cassie woke up feeling drained. But she snapped to attention almost immediately, her first thought being Severus.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she looked at him. He was no longer drenched in sweat, and his pale complexion looked considerably healthier.
"Severus." She touched his shoulder, and he woke almost immediately.
"Morning," he muttered.
Cassie held her breath. She waited, wondering whether he would call her someone else's name again. "I need to check your leg." She pulled back the covers. "It looked pretty bad last night. I had to siphon out a lot of drainage. Do you remember any of it?"
The look of surprise on his face gave her the answer. "No." He paused. "Did I take my second dose of antidote?"
"After some coercion, yes." Cassie opened the bandage and smiled. The bite was healing. "Much better!"
"So you didn't go back to your dorm at all last night?"
"Of course not." Cassie raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't going to leave you in that state."
"Foolish!"
"Sev, you're the one who didn't want to go to the hospital wing. And you're lucky I stayed. You barely knew your own name last night. Your leg would have fallen off by morning."
"Your dormmates are going to have noticed. I'm going to have to reprimand you when they report you missing all night."
"So what? Give me detention." Cassie shrugged as she moved around the room, beginning to get ready. Severus sat on the edge of the bed, then slowly stood, gingerly testing his injured leg before limping toward his bureau.
"Leave it to you to want detention," he muttered.
"If it's with you, then sure." She smiled innocently. "And chances are they won't say anything anyway." She started toward the bathroom.
"What makes you think that?" he asked, following as quickly as his injured leg would allow.
"There were plenty of nights I was gone last term. They're kind of used to it."
His tone changed immediately. "What?" Cassie instantly regretted mentioning it. "And what exactly were you doing that you were gone all night?"
She bit her bottom lip. Maybe if she stayed quiet, he'd forget what they'd been discussing.
"Black." There was no chance he was going to forget anything that morning. She sighed.
"Are you asking me as my Head of House, or as my..." she began, unable to actually say the word 'boyfriend' out loud.
"Your what? What does it matter?"
"Because we're getting into past-relationship territory, and I don't know if we're ready for that—"
"It has nothing to do with that!" he barked, literal spit flying as he spoke. Cassie folded her arms across her chest. "What I would like to know is what dangerous, imbecilic activities you were up to, because Merlin knows you have a knack for them!"
"Nothing like that! I was just with Charlie some nights, okay?"
He stared at her. Cassie couldn't tell whether she'd caught him off guard or whether he was so furious he'd simply run out of words. When he didn't speak for several seconds, she took the opportunity to run his brush through her thick hair. "Doing what?" he asked finally. His voice had gone low and silky, a sign he was trying very hard to contain himself.
"Is that a trick question?" Cassie asked, becoming annoyed. She suspected he was growing jealous, despite having absolutely no right to be. "What do you think we were doing?"
They continued their morning rituals, but now with barely concealed irritation.
"So you were running about the castle in the middle of the night, getting your rocks off with the beloved Gryffindor Quidditch star, all the while maintaining such a squeaky-clean reputation with the staff, making us trust you!"
There it was. When he said "the staff," she knew he really meant himself.
Her annoyance turned to anger. "Oh, I wasn't just running around the castle, Professor Snape! We were running around the grounds, even at night, and we went into the Forbidden Forest. Remember that little clearing where you found me? That rock I was sitting on fits two people, you know!"
"I should give you detention from now until graduation!" he sneered.
"For what? Having a boyfriend before you?" She regretted the challenge the instant she said it. Severus rounded on her, backing her against the bathroom counter. His arms planted themselves on either side of her, effectively preventing her from escaping.
"Is that what you think this is? That I'm jealous of some teenage, broom-riding, freckle-faced Weasley?" He looked so bitter that Cassie could barely reconcile him with the man who had curled himself around her in bed only hours earlier.
"I don't know! Are you?" She tried to duck beneath his arm, but he blocked her. She glared at him.
Cassie knew exactly where this was going. He was going to keep digging until his insults became cruel enough to make them both regret the argument.
"I'm disgusted," he sneered, his nose scrunching with distaste, "that to feel some sort of self-worth, you let some manky dimwit touch you."
"Lovely," Cassie said, sarcasm dripping from the word. "Now you'd better let me pass, Severus, before I make you." He moved, and she stormed out of the bathroom. He followed closely—or as closely as he could manage with his limp.
"Was it the stimulating conversation an empty-headed Quidditch star could offer that appealed to you? Or perhaps it was the impressive way he could catch a ball with his hand? Merlin knows that takes so much talent!" Cassie took a deep breath as she realized her theory about Lily was becoming harder to dismiss. James Potter had been a Quidditch player like Charlie. Whatever resentment Severus still carried from his school days seemed to be bleeding into the present, and she was apparently bearing the brunt of it. She tried to hold her tongue. If she could just reach the door and get into the corridor, perhaps she could avoid the fight altogether. Maybe he'd cool down. "Did he even know where to touch you?" Severus jeered. Cassie knew he was lost somewhere inside his own head, probably not even realizing that he was speaking to her rather than to some memory from decades ago. "If you gave him a diagram, would he even know how to read it?"
"Severus!"Cassie spun toward him, thoroughly infuriated. He was looking directly at her, but it was as though he were seeing straight through her. Even so, she couldn't stop herself. "I'm not Lily!" Then she stormed through the door.
He didn't follow.
Cassie didn't know what effect those words had on him, but Severus didn't make an appearance at breakfast. She heard murmurs in the halls that morning that Professor Snape was on the warpath during his lessons, and she dreaded having class with him later that day. Even so, she worried about him.
The time for Potions eventually came. Severus stormed into the classroom as usual and moved to the front. "Buoyancy Solution. Page one hundred twelve." His voice was so low that it was barely audible. He didn't seem noticeably angry, which Cassie took as a good sign.
She began working, thinking she was off to a decent start as she chopped her ingredients. Then, suddenly, the Potions Master was standing directly behind her. "Black," he hissed. "Forgot how to prep your ecklonia uniformly in the first two minutes, have you?"
"I—I don't think so—"
But he was on a mission and would not be deterred. "Get out." He didn't need to raise his voice. Every pair of eyes in the classroom drifted toward them, but no one dared say a word.
Cassie was at a loss. She knew he wasn't in the mood for an argument. He wasn't even taking points or assigning detention. He simply wanted her out of his sight.
She packed up her station and left without a word.
Cassie managed to maintain a stiff upper lip for the remainder of the day. Her first instinct was to avoid him, but the more she thought about it, the more compelled she felt to see him.
She didn't want to let this fester. She didn't want one stupid argument to destroy whatever it was they had between them. She wanted to fight for them.
After dinner, she went to the Potions classroom. When Severus looked up from the papers he was grading, his coal-black eyes shot daggers at her.
"Get out." He used the same tone he'd used in class that day. This time, however, it didn't have the same effect.
"No."
"It's not up for debate!"
"You're right," she said calmly, approaching his desk. "It's not. Because I'm not leaving until we talk."
"Out!" He shouted the word as he stood abruptly.
Cassie turned toward the door, drew her wand, and slammed it shut. A locking charm followed. They weren't going to be interrupted.
"This isn't how it works!" Cassie countered. "We're not leaving this unresolved so we can avoid it and then watch our relationship go to shit!"
His eyes narrowed. "What relationship?" he hissed. Always trying to be cruel. Always trying to keep people at a distance. But Cassie saw right through him.
"Don't do that. You think you're just going to hurt me, I'll leave, and then we can go back to being miserable?"
"I was fine before we started this mess," he replied curtly. "I'll be fine after."
"Well, I won't!" Cassie's voice cracked with emotion. "Because, believe it or not, I care about you a great deal, actually! Even after you judged me unfairly for my past relationship like an immature asshole."
Severus stared at her in silence. She could practically see the gears turning in his head before he finally spoke. "How do you know?"
Cassie took several seconds before answering, careful as they approached the subject. He was obviously sensitive about it. "I need you to be more specific."
"About her."
"Lily?"
He visibly flinched. Hearing her name out loud seemed to strike him like a physical blow. Cassie wanted to reach out and comfort him, but she stayed where she was. Something told her he wouldn't respond well.
"Yes, her!" he snapped.
"You thought I was her last night. When you were fevered," Cassie said evenly. He looked genuinely taken aback. Then he slowly sat back down in his chair.
The aggravation that had constricted his features moments earlier vanished, replaced by something far more vulnerable. His eyes widened as he absorbed what she'd said.
Cassie gave him several moments of silence. She had no idea what was going through his mind, but she suspected it was painful.
Finally, he whispered, "I'm sorry."
Cassie walked around the desk and squatted beside him so their faces were level. She took his hands in hers and squeezed them reassuringly. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked him.
"No," he replied curtly. Cassie sighed but didn't press the issue.
"We should look at your leg again. Make sure it's not getting worse."
"I had Filch change the bandage earlier today," he said. Cassie couldn't help herself as a snigger escaped her.
"What?" he demanded icily.
"Bet it's not as fun having your pants off around him."
Severus stared at her for a beat. Then he grabbed her, pulled her into his lap, and covered her face with kisses. For the first time since their argument, Cassie felt the tension between them begin to dissolve.
Life at Hogwarts continued as usual over the next few days—or as usual as it could, considering Cassie was secretly fooling around with the Potions Master.
That, and she was fairly certain her Defense Against the Dark Arts professor intended to frame her for something sinister. Hagrid had also reported finding more unicorn blood in the Forbidden Forest.
And, of course, there were her studies. If she was going to score highly enough on her end-of-year exams to become an Auror, she had plenty of work to do.
She was busy. Still, she spent almost all of her spare time with Severus. When they were together in public, neither staff nor students questioned it. Their behavior didn't differ noticeably from previous school years, making it a remarkably plausible cover.
This particular Tuesday night was no different. Cassie sat in his classroom working on her homework while Severus brewed a nausea potion to restock the hospital wing. It was a simple elixir, especially for a Potions Master of his abilities, but Cassie found herself increasingly distracted as she watched him work.
He always became completely engrossed in his craft. His focus narrowed to the bubbling liquid before him, every movement deliberate and precise, every ingredient handled with meticulous care. It was enthralling to watch.
And, for whatever reason, tonight it made her want to abandon her homework entirely. She cleared her throat and tried to return her attention to the grueling essay she was writing for Professor Vector.
Tried. And failed.
Suddenly, she was on her feet, crossing the room with the intention of slipping her arms around Severus from behind. She was only a few feet away when footsteps approaching the classroom startled her.
Professor Sprout entered without knocking, giving Cassie a friendly nod before asking Severus about brewing a solution to help her snargaluff pods grow.
Cassie returned to her seat. She tried to focus on her homework again. Instead, she watched Severus as he spoke with Professor Sprout.
Now she was observing him with something approaching awe. She noticed his mannerisms, the calm way he spoke with a colleague he was comfortable around, the subtle ease in his expression.
He was such a different man with the other professors than he was with the students. It was a marvelous thing to witness.
Cassie shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. Merlin, simply being in the same room with him, was distracting. She needed to get a hold of herself. She repeated that thought to herself numerous times a day. Then she'd catch sight of his towering frame, his commanding presence, those dark features—and she'd find herself lost in him all over again.
That night, she had to return to the common room early because Severus needed to patrol the corridors. But she'd gotten an idea. Something she intended to put into practice during Potions the following day.
She wasn't entirely sure she'd have the nerve to go through with it. Still, the thought alone made her heart pound and put a smile on her face.
Cassie found her courage. As she waited for the Potions Master to enter the classroom the next day, her palms were unusually sweaty, and her heart was beating so rapidly she was certain it might leap straight out of her chest.
He burst through the door, sweeping down the aisle as he announced the day's lesson. Then his eyes found hers.
Cassie knew immediately that her plan had worked. He actually stuttered for the briefest moment before recovering and continuing his lecture. Then the students were instructed to begin their potion.
Cassie had spent the previous week working on a charm that altered her appearance to an intended target while leaving her looking completely ordinary to everyone else. Today was the day she finally used it.
To all her classmates, she appeared exactly as she always did in her school uniform. To Severus, however, the illusion was very different. Her cleavage was exposed, her skin especially glowing and dewy. Her Slytherin skirt was so short that when she bent over to pick up a quill from the floor, it revealed the green thong she was wearing underneath. And a particularly strong scent of pheromones wafted specifically toward him no matter where he was standing. She watched from the corner of her eye as his gaze repeatedly found her.
She was pleased to see he kept making his rounds and critiquing the other students' work, but he seemed to circle her desk more often than usual, each pass bringing him a little closer. Cassie found it increasingly difficult to keep a straight face.
When class ended, she deliberately took her time packing up.
She could tell the Head of Slytherin was struggling to keep his composure as he sat behind his desk, waiting for the final student to leave. "What are you doing?" he finally choked out.
Cassie smiled innocently. "What do you mean, Professor?"
He stood and moved around the desk toward her, an unmistakable look of hunger in his eyes. Cassie began walking toward the door.
"I'm sorry, Professor Snape, but I have to get to my next class," she said sweetly.
"My office. Tonight." His voice was gravelly with need.
Cassie smiled over her shoulder. "Yes, sir." She knew she'd be in for it.
For the rest of the day, she struggled to concentrate, knowing exactly what awaited her that evening. She made a point of not looking at him during dinner, if only to aggravate him further. She knew the tactic had worked the moment she entered his office.
Severus sat behind his desk. As Cassie walked in, he flicked his wand, slamming the door shut and locking it. She started around the desk toward him.
"Stay where you are," he commanded. He stood and began casting sound-shielding charms around the office.
Cassie bit her lip nervously but obeyed, remaining in front of his desk. So far, they'd only needed to ensure the classroom was soundproof. Apparently, tonight required the same precaution here.
He approached her from behind and placed his hands on her shoulders. "So you want to play games, do you, Miss Black?"
"Yes, Professor." She kept the formal title, as she had earlier that day.
A moment later, Severus's composure finally cracked. "You are a naughty thing," he murmured, his voice low. "Wearing something like that in my class."
"I placed a charm, Professor," Cassie replied with a smile. "It's only for you."
"Is that so?" His expression suggested he was having considerable difficulty maintaining the restraint he'd shown all day. "Regardless, I think you ought to be punished for distracting your professor."
"If that's what you choose, sir."
His answer was immediate. "Then perhaps you should learn not to tempt me." Cassie laughed softly, already knowing she'd gotten exactly the reaction she'd wanted. Finally having the privacy they'd been waiting for, the playful game she'd started in her potions lesson quickly became something far more heated.
His hands still on her shoulders, he pushed her upper body down to his desk. He lifted her shortened skirt over her bottom, and before she could register what was happening, his hand came down on her exposed skin with a hard smack. She straightened up in surprise.
Severus gripped her arm and pulled her around the desk. He sat down and pulled her across his lap, taking the time to push her skirt up around her waist. Without warning, he smacked her exposed skin again, this time much harder.
"Do you deserve this, Miss Black?" he asked silkily.
"Yes, Professor Snape," she gasped. His hand came down on her arse again. Again. Again. Her cries that echoed around the office only seemed to spur him on, but his blows alternated between firm and gentle. While her stinging backside took up most of her senses, she wondered if her skin would have lasting imprints of his large hand.
Each crack of his hand making contact was punctuated by her cries. Severus stopped only to rub her angry red skin, and then he delivered another round of spanking. She squirmed on his lap, sure that she would not be able to handle another second of it. Just as she was about to announce her submission, he pulled on the edge of her panties and moved them aside.
Every thought that might have formed in her head effectively dissolved as he pushed a single finger inside her. "You definitely don't deserve this," he told her, his voice smooth and dangerous. She moaned. He pumped his finger slowly before pausing to demand an answer from her.
"Yes," she agreed breathily.
"Yes what?" he asked, removing his finger from her completely. Cassie opened her mouth to protest when another sharp smack landed on her sore bum.
"Yes, sir," she whined, "I don't deserve this!"
Pleased with her answer, he inserted two fingers into her without pause. The moan that escaped her was enough to make Severus nearly abandon all reason. The thought of replacing his fingers with his aching cock made his breath catch in his throat. The only thing that was stopping him was the fact that he was still fully clothed. That could be remedied easily enough.
He attempted to distract himself from the very real temptation, but he failed to find anything that pulled his focus away from the moaning witch in his lap. She was panting now, her little whines punctuating each thrust of his fingers. Her responses to his touch - chaste or intimate - were becoming more addictive. The thought of how much he craved her overwhelmed him.
She came so hard that he had to keep her from tumbling out of his lap. The way she had tightened around his fingers was not something he would soon forget. He knew the feeling would plague him while he tried to sleep later that night.
She shifted in his lap so she could bury her face into the nape of his neck. His arms encircled her without thought, as if they had done this a thousand times already.
Her breathing eventually slowed. He dreaded that he would soon have to send her back to her dormitory when every fiber of his being wanted to be near her.
"Sev," Cassie said, her voice cutting through the peaceful silence they had just shared.
"Hmm?"
"May I touch you?" Her question was meek and unsure. He had rejected her advances enough times that he couldn't blame her.
She sat up just far enough so she could meet his gaze. He didn't know how to answer her. In his head, he screamed, Yes! But the word never left his mouth.
Severus knew she was more than willing. She had made that perfectly clear, and on more than one occasion. But allowing that next level of intimacy would change their dynamic forever. He feared that in crossing that line, he might lose her.
She seemed to sense his internal conflict. Rather than repeat the question, she allowed him the time to make up his mind.
He grasped the base of her neck and pulled her closer to kiss her. She giggled into his mouth before returning his advance with enthusiasm. When their tongues crashed together, Severus allowed himself to fully enjoy the heat that radiated from her groin to his.
She shifted her knees, spreading them so they rested on either side of his thighs. Her hand brushed over the growing bulge that remained constrained by his black trousers. This time, when she reached for his belt, he did not stop her.
She broke their kiss to focus on the task at hand, which was to undo the top of his pants. The beat of his heart slammed against his ribcage as he realized that there was no coming back from this. If he allowed himself to fully surrender to her, it would be admitting how much he truly cared for her.
Even as she pulled down his zipper, he debated stopping her. The only thing that kept him from doing so was the heated smile that adorned her lips as she met his gaze.
Her hand slipped beneath the fabric of his trousers, then his boxers. He bit back a moan as her hand gripped him fully. Finally, her skin on him was no longer obscured, and he stiffened harder beneath her touch.
She kissed him again before moving her hand slowly up, then down. He stifled another moan, but he could do nothing to hide his heavy breathing. As if sensing his increased need for air, she left a trail of kisses across his cheek and down his jaw. She finally settled on his neck as she continued to stroke him.
He knew he was losing control. He stuffed down the part of him that wanted to grasp her wrist and stop her movements. There was no reason to do something so rash. She wanted this, and so did he. He just needed to silence his conflicted mind and immerse himself in the delicious sensations she was giving him.
Her lips left his neck. When she nibbled on his earlobe, he finally allowed himself to groan without holding back.
"Oh," she whispered, her hand gripping him harder and faster. Even though she was the one giving him pleasure, her breathing had become punctuated again. "Cum for me, Severus. I want you to cum for me."
He couldn't have denied her if he wanted to. The breathy command in his ear had been his undoing. His erratic breaths accompanied the waves of pleasure that washed over him. He pulled her closer and groaned into her hair as he finished in her hand.
By the time the tension between them had finally burned itself out, they were both exhausted, breathless, and thoroughly satisfied. Cassie eventually pulled herself together enough to glance toward the clock.
"Well," she said after a few minutes, "it's getting late. I'd better get back before the girls notice I'm gone for the night."
"Let them." Severus pulled her into a tight embrace. "If they tattle, I'll simply have to give you detention." His lips curved into the faintest hint of a smirk. "And we can do this all over again."