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burynr08 · 1 year

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Blood Ties and Betrayal: A Severus Snape/OC love story

Chapter 61: The Bronze Noctule

Severus was in a sour mood as he worked in his potions lab. It was the one room in his and Cassie's little cottage that could almost guarantee him a sense of serenity, and yet he was unable to shake his querulous feelings.

A bronze cauldron filled with bubbling red liquid did not succeed in distracting him. His black eyes flitted between the viscous potion and the open text that floated at just the right height so he would not have to crane his neck. He tried in vain to concentrate and let no other thought in as he poured the measured amount of bovine bile at the precise moment. He added the purulent ingredient correctly, and the scarlet liquid hissed and promptly turned to a sunny shade of yellow. But brewing Colchinian Draught was not something he needed to expend much brain power on, especially now that Arthur Weasley required doses of it every other month. So his thoughts continued to stew as the potion in his care was slowly brought up to the proper temperature.

The quiet of the house was punctured when the front door opened. Multiple voices announced the arrival of more than just his girlfriend, and his eyes narrowed as he squinted at his handwriting in the margins of the text. He was in no mood for visitors.

He gripped the ladle a bit too tightly as he began to stir clockwise, almost losing count as loud laughter pierced through his concentration. If he had not been in the middle of a crucial step, he would have stormed out to the kitchen to demand that the offending pests either shut up or take their annoying titterings elsewhere.

As if on cue, the door to the lab opened. Even though the room had many windows, Severus preferred to cover most of the natural light with heavy curtains and keep it dim. The sudden illumination caused him to squint, adding to his perturbation.

"Sev," said Cassie breathlessly. Her cheeks were flushed and the remnants of a smile were on her features.

"Close the door."

She did without question. She was used to obeying his every demand when she was in his lab or risk being swiftly turned out. "Would you like some lemonade? Just made some."

"No."

She nodded as she leaned in to catch a glimpse of what he was brewing. "Arthur offered to pay again - "

"He will not."

"I told him the same," she said with a satisfied smile. "I can bring this batch to him later today. We're going with Sirius, Remus, and Harry to see the new house."

Severus grimaced. It was the source of his melancholy, the fact that Potter would be moving in with two of his childhood bullies. He and Cassie had gone round and round on the matter in the two weeks since the term had ended. She had repeated so many times that Black was in fact, Potter's Godfather. There was no other decision to make if the boy wanted to live with him. And yet, to Severus, the idea had not warmed. It had barely even thawed.

"Must you be involved?" he asked coldly.

She shot him a disapproving look. "I want Harry to feel like he's supported."

"Indeed." His tone was icy and dismissive.

She left him to rejoin whoever had dared to traipse across his threshold. He wasn't sure when his home had become welcome for visitors to come and go as they pleased, but this new reality displeased him. He returned to his draught, but a thought never left him as the minutes passed. He dragged himself from the workstation to quiet the persistent nagging in his head.

"Potter." He had been correct in assuming that one of the voices had belonged to the Boy Wonder. "A word in private."

Countless pairs of Weasley eyes stared as Harry followed Severus into the potions lab that was usually off-limits to visitors. The young Gryffindor stood silently as his professor closed the door, standing carefully still and just far enough away from all of the tables and shelves full of ingredients so nothing would be accidentally bumped.

"Your living situation," Severus began. "You are...comfortable with the arrangements?"

Potter looked suddenly perplexed, an expression that Severus was not unused to seeing on the boy's face. "I have to share a bed with Ron, but I suppose it's comfortable enough."

Severus huffed irritably as he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. This already was a topic he did not want to discuss, why did this bespectacled thorn in his side always have to make things ten times more annoying? "I am not referring to the Weasley household."

The confusion on Potter's face didn't lessen. "Oh."

"I am referring to you staying with the werewolf and the mutt," Severus nearly spat at the mention of his former classmates.

The boy's eyes narrowed at Severus's snide assessment. "What about them?"

He could sense the defensive tone in Potter's voice. Those green eyes were glaring into his face now, challenging him, begging him to say anything worse. Severus would be reluctant to admit that he was growing steadily more aggravated as the seconds passed.

He had to say something, anything at this point. He could barely stand another moment of Lily's eyes staring at him as they stood alone in silence, the mutual dislike for each other palpable and thick. "Should you feel the need to live elsewhere - "

"I'll be fine," Potter interjected swiftly.

"Black is unstable," Severus tried to remind him.

"He's my Godfather."

"That does not negate the fact that he has been living in Azkaban for over a decade."

"May I be dismissed?" Potter grumbled, finally looking away to focus his attention on a large jar of preserved jewel wasps.

"In a moment," Severus drawled, feeling like he could regather some of his poise now that those emerald eyes no longer assessed him so thoroughly. "Should you ever feel unsafe under their guardianship - "

"I would stay with Ron. Besides, I won't feel unsafe."

That stubbornness. It was infinitely irritating.

There was no use in arguing the point further. Severus let him return to Cassie and the Weasleys, leaving him alone once again to finish his brews. Hours later, when the Colchinian Draught was the acceptable shade of pale yellow and siphoned carefully into individually-dosed bottles, Severus emerged. The cottage was empty. Cassie had left to tour Black and Lupin's new den with her gaggle of red-heads.

He started to make himself some black tea. As he moved through the motions, his black eyes flitted to where today's mail sat. A tan envelope with a familiar seal sat on top of the small pile, and he let out a growl of frustration.

In two long strides, he reached the table and snatched up the offending letter. The noctule on the seal appeared to smirk at him. Rather than let the shining bronze wax cause him further strife, he grabbed the letter opener that lay unassumingly nearby and stabbed it into the thick envelope.

He read over the neatly scrawled words hastily, not studying them in detail but seeing enough to know that the general message was the same as the three previous letters he had received. He threw the parchment back on the table and returned to the stove to finish tending to his tea.

Cassie returned that evening to find Severus in the study with his nose buried in a text on primordial antidotes. His drink of choice had changed from tea to wine, and his lover was, at first, oblivious to the fact that he was now on his third goblet. She greeted him cheerfully. When he didn't respond, she dropped to her knees in front of where he sat in his armchair.

"Particularly intriguing chapter?" she asked him, placing her splayed hands on his knees. She pushed his legs apart slowly, scooting forward and closing the space between them. He looked up from the book. Satisfied, she took it from his hands, closed it gently, and set it beside her on the floor.

Severus could sense that she was feeling frisky. She had misread his silence as playing hard to get, instead of avoidance to discuss anything of importance. Or perhaps she had seen right through him from the second she had crossed the threshold and was wasting no time in piercing a hole in his evasive wall.

"Will I ever find reprieve from your pestering?" he asked her quietly. Shivers ran through him as her hands slowly moved up his thighs.

"Never."

She rubbed him slowly, her fingers now dangerously close to his clothed groin. Her blue eyes were locked on his face, studying every nuance of his reactions. Her touch was tantalizing, the skin under her hands on fire with every movement. And yet, he was distracted, even as she leaned in to nuzzle her face into his chest.

She leaned back on her heels so she could see his face again, her hands sliding back to his knees. Even when he was indifferent to her advances, she was unwilling to sever their connection. He swore he would never take that for granted.

"Sev, what's wrong?" He looked away from her. The letter was at the forefront of his mind, but another reason he was feeling tormented was the fact that Potter's eyes had such an effect on him today. Lily's eyes.

"Will Black and Lupin's house suffice?" he asked instead of answering her.

"It's a charming little home. Molly is going back tomorrow to hang curtains and stock the pantry."

"Does it have adequate containment for Lupin's transformation?"

"Not yet."

"The full moon is in ten days," he growled.

"They'll have something in place by then," she tried to reassure him, but it wasn't enough. Cassie stood as he stiffened, giving him space as panic ran through him.

"Not they. They are not responsible enough to take care of it. We - no - I - will ensure there is a cage installed well before the wolf even sprouts a single hair!"

"Sev," Cassie countered crossly, "You're already brewing Wolfsbane for Remus, that alone is enough to keep Harry safe - "

"You dare repeat idiotic reassurances from those mutts to me?" he snapped.

Cassie glared down her nose at him as she ruminated over his prickly words. He expected anger in her response, or perhaps for her to storm out of the room to cool off. She chose the latter. When she had left the room, he let out a long sigh, irritated with his treatment of her. Why she continued to put up with his surliness, he was sure he would never understand.

"I knew it!" Cassie exclaimed, returning to the study a minute later. The letter was in her hand as returned to him.

"What did you know?"

"You read the letter that came this morning, that's why you're so cheesed off." She read it over carefully before looking at him again.

"You hadn't read it until now. How could you possibly assume that had anything to do with my mood?"

"Oh, stop," she said, tossing it onto the coffee table and taking a seat on the couch. "I think I should be able to remember the Prince family sigil by now." With a smooth wave of her hand, she refilled his goblet of sweet honeysuckle wine. "Drink," she commanded, pushing it into his hands.

He obeyed her, sucking down half the wine before setting the goblet down again. "They are relentless."

"Will you respond this time?"

"No."

"It might stop the endless supply of letters for a bit."

"Or they will grow even more hopeful for a visit and double down on their efforts," he said, standing. She was at his side instantly and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"A visit might not be so bad." She was looking up at him with her sparkling blue eyes through thick lashes. In his increasingly inebriated state, he knew his resolve would be nearly nonexistent and he would agree to nearly anything she suggested. "After all, it's not like your great aunt was the one that disinherited your mother."

Severus snorted. "As if that absolves them of any depravity. The Princes are notoriously proud of having a pureblood family tree." His mind was foggy. He hadn't realized that she had led him to their bedroom until they were nearly there. There was a mischievous glint in her eyes as she inched him closer to their cushy bed. An undignified grunt escaped his throat as she shoved him backward and climbed atop his waist.

"I'll do whatever you want, Severus Snape," she said, and he believed her. At that moment, he was not entirely sure of the context of her meaning, as she was grinding herself on his crotch. The delicious friction she was creating was effectively distracting him from the anguish he had been feeling only minutes earlier.

"Anything?" he asked softly. He watched as she bit her bottom lip and he found that he could no longer deprive her of the intimacy she had been seeking since she had returned home that night. His hands moved from her thighs to her buttocks and he squeezed, encouraging her to keep moving while she was on top of him.

Cassie lowered her face to his, her long black locks falling over her shoulder and brushing his cheeks. He kept one hand on her arse as the other pushed her hair behind her ear. She was looking at him so mischievously, and he wanted to be able to study her.

"Just say the word," she purred before she kissed him. But the racing thoughts were chased from his tormented mind just then. He didn't need to tell her a thing.

~*~ ~*~

Cassie and Severus were standing outside of The Three Broomsticks. It was early on a Saturday, and Hogsmeade was filled with shopping witches and wizards. Cassie kept standing on her tiptoes, trying to see over the crowd, and Severus snorted amusement as he caught her from nearly toppling over.

"She won't get lost," he reminded her, and not for the first time that morning. "She is not a child."

"I know. I just don't want her to walk past us," Cassie said, craning her neck to see around a portly witch guiding a floating cart stacked full of cauldrons. Severus was eyeing some of the shiny silver ones, nearly missing when Cassie lost her balance again. She caught herself by grabbing onto his arm, and he steadied her by pulling her against his chest. She threw him a sheepish grin before he could even think about glaring at her.

"Look at you two, always the love birds," said a familiar voice.

"Romily!" Cassie threw her arms around her friend. "It's so good to see you!" When the two young witches pulled apart, Romily made a point to hug Severus. The Potions Master froze in place and sneered in revulsion.

After their strained greeting, the three of them set off in the direction of Madam Puddifoot's. Cassie and Romily walked arm in arm, chatting about the French witch's graduation from Master Machado's academy. Severus trailed two steps behind them, and the pair entered the tea shop without him to retrieve the key to Romily's new flat above. He had no desire to step foot in that cesspool of lace and ribbons. He was thankful that Cassie had never asked him to take her on a date there. The very idea made him shudder.

A narrow white staircase behind the building led up to Romily's flat. Madam Puddifoot had given her a shiny golden key with an obnoxious pink ribbon tied on the end, and she used it to unlock the door. Romily appeared to be just as disgusted as Severus felt after they stepped inside.

"I will 'ave to spend some time redecorating," Romily mused, eyeing the bubblegum pink walls as she set her charmed luggage on the floor.

"Madam Puddifoot seems to enjoy a certain aesthetic," Cassie agreed, tapping a large painting of a pearly unicorn. It whinnied in delight.

They spent little time getting Romily settled in. Having just come from Academia de Luta, she had brought very few personal items and planned on entering Hogsmeade again to buy food and new robes.

"I assume that you are intending to purchase an owl?" Severus asked her as she was mentioning her shopping list.

"Would it not be easier to connect my fireplace to Floo?"

"Absolutely not," he answered swiftly.

"I would be able to speak with Cassie more quickly - "

"And put Hogwarts at risk in the process!" Severus snapped.

Romily folded her arms over her chest as she eyed the Head of Slytherin. "'ow funny, I did not think you 'ad a final say in the matter." She turned to look at Cassie, and Severus did the same.

Cassie sighed. "Must we have a row already?"

"Cassie, if I am to be your proxy, I need to be able to communicate with you at all times," Romily replied matter-of-factly.

"An owl will be able to reach Hogwarts in a matter of minutes!"

"Versus the Floo network, which would take seconds - "

"Enough!" Cassie interjected. "Between your spat and the putrid color of this room, I'm getting a headache." Neither of them looked amused. She sighed before continuing. "Mily, you should get an owl. They're efficient enough."

"You agree with 'im because 'e is your boyfriend," Romily said through gritted teeth. "Yet I have committed myself to serve you, as 'e 'as not!"

"I agree with the point he's making." Cassie's answer didn't seem to satisfy the other witch, who was still glaring at her. She could feel her own temper flaring up, and before she could stop herself, more words flew out of her. "Fine. You've committed yourself to me? Then do as I tell you. Get a bloody owl."

The air was tense when they parted. Nonetheless, Romily had ultimately agreed to Cassie's request, even going so far as to apologize for her behavior.

Cassie wanted to discuss what had happened as she and her lover made their way through Hogsmeade. She wanted to complain about Romily's audacity, as she knew he would agree with her. She wanted to declare that she was not cut out for this leadership business, that it was not for her and she should back out before she got in too deep. But Severus had other things on his mind, and she could hardly blame him.

The couple barely spoke as they made their way to the edge of the small wizarding village. When they were standing in front of the Shrieking Shack, Cassie grabbed her boyfriend's hand and give it a firm squeeze to pull him from his thoughts. His onyx eyes flickered down at her. It was hard to miss the turmoil that had settled behind the usual stoic gaze.

"We don't have to do this," she reminded him.

"It's been decided."

"You're sure?" she pressed. The line between his eyes deepened as he glowered at her. He remained silent, and she sighed in defeat.

"Shall we get on with it, Cassiopeia?" Severus offered the younger witch his arm. She shot him a coy smile as she linked hers through. With a loud crack, they Disapparated.

They reappeared in the middle of a small thatch of trees on the outskirts of Wolverhampton. According to the most recent letter that Severus had received, they only had to walk through a small village before they would reach the Prince estate.

No one seemed to pay them any mind at first. They walked down one of the cobbled streets, weaving their way through a group of Muggle tourists that were taking pictures of a large white church. It was only when they neared the edge of the business district that someone spoke to them.

"Cassiopeia Black!" a middle-aged woman squeaked as she openly pointed. Her companion, a silver-haired witch that seemed just as astounded to see her, had her hand over her throat.

"What are ya doing 'ere?" she asked as if her presence in the village was positively the most unexpected thing imaginable.

"Just visiting," Cassie replied evenly.

"There's nothin' the matter, is there?" The silver-haired witch started looking all around her as if something would jump out and attack her at any second.

"Of course, nothing is the matter!" her friend scolded. "The Ministry would keep us informed, now wouldn't they?" She smiled at Cassie and Severus. "Don't mind my friend Nancy. You two enjoy your time here in Bilston."

It was another situation that Cassie wished to discuss. She knew that Severus's thoughts were focused on the fact that in mere minutes, they would be reaching his mother's family home. It would have to wait for a later time.

At first glance, the Prince estate was not what Cassie expected. The wrought iron fence that surrounded the grounds was crooked and had thick vines growing over it. The matching gates were dull and chipped as if they had been mistreated for years and no one had thought to perform a simple spell to tend to them. Severus's hand gripping Cassie's tightly, they stood just outside of them for about a minute before she spoke.

"Do you think they know we're here?" she asked. "Maybe we should send a Patronus."

"Perhaps," he responded softly, obviously in thought, and then he reached out to touch one of the large noctules that had been carved into the gates. Cassie jumped as they began to creak open.

"That's not very good security."

"It's blood magic. It only opened because my mother was a Prince."

The outside of the mansion, like the gate, seemed neglected. As they got closer, Cassie noticed the holes in the stone siding and the windows were a sickly grey color. Even the chimneys, expelling swirls of smoke, seemed to droop under the weight of disrepair. Severus seemed to have newfound confidence as he slammed the large bronze knocker on the front door.

This time, they were met with a swift response. The door swung open and they were greeted by a bowing house-elf, whose nose was quite literally touching the dark brown wooden floor.

"Come in, come in!" she squeaked when she straightened out. "Mistress Moira's is so happy to have Master Severus and Mistress Cassiopeia in her homes!"

"Please call me Cassie."

"Yessus, of course! Whatever you would want, Mistress Cassie!"

They were led through a dark, narrow entrance hall. The walls were covered in paintings of various witches and wizards, many of whom were snoozing. "I smell dirty blood," one with sharp eyes and a large jaw hissed as the couple walked by.

"Seems friendly," Cassie mused. Severus locked eyes with her briefly. The change in his expression was slight and wouldn't have been noticed by someone that did not know him intimately, but she saw the slight upturn of the corner of his mouth.

"Mistress Moira," the house-elf announced as they entered a large room. It was full of macabre artwork and knickknacks and the low ceiling gave Cassie an instant feeling of claustrophobia. In the center of the room was a thin, sour-faced woman with a shock of white hair and piercing black eyes. The large, throne-like chair that she sat upon made it very much seem like she was some sort of royalty, although her ruse was easy to see through. Her cream-colored gown was starting to yellow in random areas and there was an obvious rip in the lace collar.

"Nippy, see to it that the rest of the household knows our visitors are here," she said to the house-elf, who nodded and left the room without another word. Moira's eyes locked on Severus, who stood with his hands folded neatly behind his back. "Closer, lad. I'm an old woman. Can't expect me to come to you, not with these aching bones."

Cassie stayed in her spot as Severus approached his great aunt. Her gaze was so hard to read that Cassie wasn't sure if she was going to spit in Severus's face or shake his hand, but she stood ready to intervene if necessary.

Moira stood when Severus reached her. A toothy smile broke on her weathered mouth, and being much shorter than him, she had to reach up to place her hands on either side of his face. "Ah, Severus. It is good to finally meet you, dear boy." She pulled him down and placed pecks on both cheeks. When she released him, he took a step back so he was out of her reach.

"And this must be the famed Cassiopeia Black," she said, those black eyes turning to Cassie. "Don't be shy, dear girl." Cassie joined Severus at his side, and Moira grabbed one of her hands. Her grip was cold and firm. "When I heard rumors of Eileen's son courting you, I could hardly believe my ears. It does not bother you that his father was a Muggle?"

"Does it bother you?" Cassie countered icily, yanking her hand away from the old witch. She could feel Severus's disapproving glance.

Moira clicked her tongue. "My, my, you are a feisty witch. Not to say that I am surprised. I suppose you think the worst of us."

A door creaked open and three people entered. "Masters Darragh and Donal, and Mistress Corinna," Nippy announced.

"Come, come," Moira beckoned to the newcomers. "My grandsons," she explained to Severus and Cassie, "and Donal's darling wife."

The Prince genes were strong in Darragh and Donal. Both wizards shared Severus's skin tone and his black hair and eyes. That was where the resemblances seemed to end at surface level. Donal was stout and sported short hair and a neatly trimmed beard, and his cheeks and nose were rosy pink. Darragh was much taller, even taller than Severus, and his shoulder-length hair was slicked back and out of his face. He seemed to put a lot of fuss in his appearance, as his navy robes were decorated with shiny silver clasps, and his hands were covered in matching dragon-hide gloves.

Nippy snapped her fingers and a tray of drinks started to make its way around the room. Donal double-fisted the goblets of wine, openly declaring that this was a celebration. Corinna looked mortified.

"My father always talked about finding Eileen and you so we could meet," Donal was telling Severus a few drinks later. His words were starting to slur and his cheeks were even rosier. "He said that Aunt Helen would have none of it. Too ashamed having a Muggle for a son-in-law, you see."

"You needn't explain the dynamics," Severus said icily, taking a long drink from his goblet.

"A shame, isn't it?" Donal continued. "Could have been mates. We didn't meet a lot of other kids, being home-schooled."

"You have plenty of mates now," Corinna interrupted dully. "You see them every night at the pub, don't you?"

Donal chuckled, nudging his blonde wife playfully as she scowled.

"Rumor has it that you are quite skilled at brewing potions," Darragh sniffed, sounding quite bored. "Efficient way to make a fair share of galleons, I suppose."

Severus was about to respond when the matriarch's voice pierced through the room.

"Corinna," Moira called from her throne, having just shooed Nippy away. "Why don't you show Cassiopeia to the gardens?"

It was an abrupt request, one that Corinna obliged with enthusiastically. She gripped Cassie's shoulder and showed her out, leaving Severus to deal with his estranged family alone.

"Severus, how long have you and Cassiopeia been together?" Moira asked pointedly, now that the younger witches had left.

Severus shifted uncomfortably on his feet. He wished he had consumed more wine more quickly to deal with these people. The dark and dreary room was making it feel like the walls were closing in on him. "Three years."

A smile cracked the old witch's face. "And yet you are not betrothed?"

"No."

"Why is that?"

"Mimi, that is not appropriate to ask on the first day you've met," Donal declared jovially.

"Come now, dear Donal. You proposed to Corinna after a month. Do three years not seem like an eternity to you?" Moira retorted. Severus emptied his goblet. Moira's gaze was burning holes into his soul.

"More wine, if I may," Severus said thickly. Nippy was at his side in a split second and refilled his goblet.

"But you will propose to her eventually, won't you? She is a remarkable witch," his great aunt pressed. In the intensity of the conversation, no one noticed that Darragh had slipped from the room.

"That is in the foreseeable future, yes." Severus looked around the room for an obvious escape plan. There was nothing, only low ceilings and closed doors.

"Then that's all I need to know for now, I suppose," Moira said. With a flick of her wrist, a small velvet box appeared in her hand. "This was my grandmother Aoife's wedding ring. I would love for you to give it to our Cassiopeia." She flipped the box open, gesturing for Severus to look inside. "And the sooner the better, of course," she added with a wink.

The ring was thin and gold and had Celtic trinity knots decorating the surface. Unlike the rest of the Prince household, the ring was polished and cared for. It shined in the little bit of light that the large room had to offer.

"Mimi," Donal said in surprise as Moira closed the box and pushed it into Severus's hands. "You're giving that to him? You promised that ring to my daughter - "

"You have yet to have a daughter," Moira snapped, her swift change in demeanor catching Severus off guard, "and it's not every day that you have the opportunity to welcome the Dark Lord's daughter into the family. This is a magnificent occasion, now isn't it?"

Her ancient face had twisted into a snarl as she dared her grandson to argue with her. Severus's heart fell. For a few moments, he had allowed himself to feel a small twinge of hope that somehow, he had a family that would accept him. Now, he had swiftly learned that they were only interested in him because of Cassie. It seemed Great Aunt Moira was just as bad as his own grandmother, who had disowned his mother.

Meanwhile, Cassie sat on a garden bench with Corinna. The blonde witch had very little to say and seemed to be basking in the fact that she was no longer in her husband's presence. Cassie didn't mind allowing her that peace and sat staring at an unkempt patch of crassula ovata, when Darragh suddenly appeared in front of them.

"Miss Black," he said, extending his gloved hand to Cassie, "would you like a tour of the grounds?"

Corinna all but rolled her eyes as Cassie accepted the proffered hand and followed Dorragh away from the gardens. "She is a surly one, my sister-in-law," mused Dorragh when they were further away. The pitch of his voice nearly matched Severus's, although Cassie felt he lacked the same eloquence.

"She didn't say much," Cassie said truthfully.

"She was not that excited about your visit."

Cassie raised an eyebrow at the tall wizard as they slowly walked past a large piranha-shaped fountain. "And you were?"

"I am still excited," he said, shooting her a small smile. "You are rumored to be very powerful." Cassie stayed silent. "And you are very beautiful." His eyes traveled over her light pink dress, and he noticeably paused on her collarbone.

Cassie swallowed thickly, doing her best to contain her annoyance at the wizard's brazenness. "Thank you."

"You are happy with my cousin?"

"Yes."

"Truly satisfied?" Darragh pressed. They had stopped walking and he turned to face her fully. She fought the urge to back up as he stepped closer to her.

"What did you have in mind?" Cassie asked quietly. Darragh placed a finger under her chin and forced her to look up at him.

"You can have a pureblood wizard," he said, his voice nearly a whisper. "Only say the word." He leaned in, his eyes closing as his face drew closer to hers.

Cassie backed away from him, startling him out of his attempt to kiss her. "I've only just met you today," she reminded him, hoping that the words were nonchalant enough. She walked away from him. He quickly caught up to her.

"Of course, Miss Black. Forgive me." They had almost reached the mansion, and he placed a hand on her arm to stop her. "I have a gift for you." He pulled a gold necklace with a large oval pendant from his pocket. "So you don't forget me."

"Oh, you don't have to - "

"It's been in the family for generations," he said, stepping behind her. "It belonged to my great-great-great grandmother Roisin."

Cassie let him put it on her. She didn't grimace in disgust as he admired the pendant that sat perfectly centered in her cleavage. And she didn't yank her hand away and slap him after he kissed it. By the time she returned to Severus so they could Apparate to Ottery St. Catchpole, she was ready to burst with the indignation of it all.

She ripped the necklace off her and threw it on the kitchen table as soon as they were home.

"You've broken the clasp," Severus scolded her.

"Does it matter?"

He shot her an annoyed look. "No, it shouldn't affect the potion." He had found a recipe for a powerful, complex elixir he had never brewed before, one that required heirlooms of the brewer's to be sacrificed. He knew that Cassie was aggravated by how his extended family had treated them. He would have to spend the next few days making it up to her.

Cassie plopped down on the couch, eager to relax with her lover after that ordeal. "How did it go for you, Sev? Did they give you an heirloom?"

"Yes."

"What was it?" she asked, combing her fingers through her long black locks. In her fatigue, she missed Severus's minor hesitation.

"A ring. It belonged to Moira's grandmother Aoife." He didn't tell her that it had been a wedding ring, and he was relieved that she didn't ask to see it. He didn't want to repeat the interrogation he had suffered regarding their relationship status. He didn't want to speak of them getting engaged at all.

In minutes, Cassie fell asleep on the couch. Severus moved silently in the small cottage, making sure the ring and necklace that they had worked so hard to get were in a safe, secure place. He ended up putting them in the small trap door he had charmed into existence in one of their dresser drawers. So far, it had been a passable hiding place. Severus had been storing Cassie's engagement ring there for over two weeks, and she was none the wiser.

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