Blood Ties and Betrayal//A Severus Snape Love Story

Snow was falling in large, fluffy flakes as Cassie trudged away from the house. Normally, she would enjoy the fact that it was snowing, even appreciate the soft crunches under her feet as she walked, but her mind was nowhere near admiring the winter scene around her. She was reeling from her argument with Severus, the realization that the memory of Lily Potter had such a strong hold on his heart. Perhaps even stronger than his love for her.

Not having a conscious destination in mind since leaving the tense situation, she found herself heading to the river bank. About to step off the street and into deeper snow so she could plant herself under a large tree, anger rose in her when a strong grip suddenly took hold of her upper arm.

"Cassie, please - " said Severus, but he stopped short when Cassie rounded on him.

"Let. Go." Her voice was stony as she spoke, her blue eyes narrowed to slits. Obeying her demand, he released her arm, and she took a few steps back from him. He moved forward, looking like he was about to place his hands on her shoulders or embrace her, but she shook her head. Even in her maddened state, her heart broke a little when a dispirited look crossed his features. He almost looked like a kicked puppy.

"I'm sorry," he breathed, snowflakes settling in his shock of raven hair, making the Potions Master look even more cherubic.

Even in her muddled feelings, she still managed to maintain her grave demeanor. "Are you?"

"Yes," he told her, taking out his wand to produce a small flame. He tried to hand it to her, likely hoping to make sure she was warm, but she refused to take it. Continuing to cup it in his hands, he looked even more at a loss after her stubborn refusal.

"You were supposed to the one person I could count on not to judge me for my family," she declared. He stepped closer to her again, but she stopped him with a raised hand.

"Cassie, that hasn't changed!"

"Either it has," she hissed, "Or that was never true in the first place."

"Don't say that," Severus protested, "I regret that I've made you feel that way, but you have to know how much I care about you. It was not my intention to hurt you."

"But you did."

"Let's go back to the house and talk, please."

"I'm not going back there," Cassie said, folding her arms across her chest. "Not until I want to."

He studied her quietly for a moment, contemplating his next words. "What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to talk to me, and I mean really talk, Severus. I have no plans of leaving you, but if you continue to bottle everything up and keep things from me, I honestly don't know if I can keep doing this."

He inhaled sharply at her words. "Doing what?"

"Wondering what's going on in your head," she told him, looking down at her feet momentarily. He still looked forlorn, and the emotion on his face was making it hard for her to maintain eye contact without bursting into tears. "Merlin, Sev! I've known you my entire life, we've been dating for over a year and you're still a huge mystery to me."

"No one knows me better than you do," he murmured quietly, his eyes downcast.

She wanted to ask, 'Even better than your precious Lily did?', but refrained, as she knew it would sound petty and purposely upsetting. It might send him spiraling downward into a mindset that he wouldn't come back from, and the last thing she wanted to do was make him shut her out completely. "Will you do it, Sev? Will you try to open up to me?"

"If that's what it takes to keep you from leaving," he said, "I'll do anything."

She nodded, then started to head to the tree that she had originally intended to sit under. He followed a few steps behind her, likely apprehensive about popping her bubble and pissing her off. She conjured a large blanket and sat down cross-legged before motioning for him to sit across from her.

"You want to talk out here?" he questioned. When her only response was an aggravated took, he complied, placing the flame between them to share the warmth. There were a few tense moments of silence, and then she spoke.

"Do you love me?"

"Yes," he responded, looking unsure as to whether this was a trick question. "Of course I do. You know that." If he expected her to smile, to melt at his answer, he must have been sorely disappointed.

"Do I remind you of your the Death Eater days?" was her next blunt question, and he let out a huff.

"I - " he started, clearly hesitating because he didn't know if being truthful would help or hinder the situation. "Yes, sometimes. I do not think that you are anything like your parents, I want to make that clear."

Cassie nodded lightly. "I suppose that's fair of you to say. Sometimes I can't help of thinking of the more unpleasant parts of my childhood when we're together."

"Does it make you resent me?"

"No," she said, "I'm grateful that we understand each other's experiences. It's freeing, in a way. Does who I am and what I remind you of make you resent me?"

"It doesn't make me resent you. There are times when being with you makes me regret my past choices."

"Oh," Cassie said, exhaling deeply. Not what she wanted to hear, but at least he was being honest.

"It's not you specifically," he continued, seemingly wanting to backtrack his statement. "I'm reminded of my past frequently, in different ways. And you don't have anything to do with it."

"Severus, that must be so tiring," she said, finally reaching out to him, careful not to touch the magical flame as she grabbed his hand.

"I don't deserve a reprieve from the consequences of my sins," he said gruffly.

"Yes, you do," Cassie argued, and she brought his hand to her mouth, placing a gentle kiss there. "You can't constantly beat yourself up for mistakes made years ago. You changed sides for a reason."

Severus sighed then, a defeated look on his face. "There is a lot you don't know."

"That's why we're talking about it." It was getting dark and much colder very quickly, and Cassie shivered. "Tell me about her...Lily."

He eyed her as she rubbed her arms. "We should head home. You look uncomfortable."

"Sev, if that's your way of trying to avoid the topic - "

"It isn't," he reassured her, extinguishing the flame and standing up. "But it will take a lot of time if you want to understand properly, and it's only going to get colder." Satisfied with his reasoning, Cassie accepted the hand that he offered and stood up. Making their way back to the street, Cassie was a bit confused when he started to lead her in the opposite direction of the house. He had a determined look on his face, so she didn't question it.

They walked down the street hand in hand for only a few minutes when he stopped in front of a house, one that looked like most of the others in the neighborhood. Cassie waited silently for an explanation, not wanting to rush her lover.

"This was the Evans house," he started softly. "Her house."

Cassie glanced down the street toward their home, gauging how far away they were. This house was within short walking distance of Spinner's End. "When did you meet her?"

"When I was nine. The first time I talked to her, her sister Petunia was there, too."

"Is she the one that's raising Harry? The shrill, judgmental aunt?" she asked. He glanced down at her questioningly. "Ron has told me about Harry's family. They sound awful."

"She was awful as a child as well. They were nothing alike."

"Did you ever go into this house?"

"Yes. Many times over the years," he said. They could see movement in the first-floor windows, and a woman carrying a toddler to the Christmas tree was speaking animatedly. They looked happy, completely oblivious that two people were standing outside. Severus must have felt uncomfortable at that moment because he started to lead Cassie away.

"You and Lily were in the same year at Hogwarts?"

"Yes." Slowly, the painting that was Severus' experiences was starting to take shape in Cassie's mind. So far, it was only faint outlines, but at least they were making progress. They didn't speak the rest of the way home, and as soon as they entered the house, Severus went to the sitting room to light the fireplace while Cassie fetched a bottle of wine. Perhaps he didn't feel the need to have some liquid courage before they really delved into his past, but she knew it would probably help.

Once he finished his first glass, Severus started to open up. He seemed reluctant as he recalled the early days of his blossoming friendship with the redhead, but once he started telling her about their first year at Hogwarts, he relaxed a bit. His shoulders weren't as tense, and he didn't shy away from Cassie intermittently touching his thigh or squeezing his hand. She listened intently, eager to show him that she was there for him, that she was open to hearing anything he had to say. When he reminisced about his toxic feud with James Potter and his friends, Cassie grew perturbed, instinctually wanting to protect him. A few times when she felt her stomach churn, she had to remind herself that this was long ago, that she could do nothing to ease his teenage torment.

"You look angry," said Severus before he tipped the last bit of wine into his mouth.

"I'm just hating the fact that another one of my dear family members contributed to someone else's unhappiness," she replied, referencing Sirius. Nodding lightly, he stood.

"I'm going to tend to the potion," he told her.

"I'll come with." This time, he didn't protest. As they made their way to the cellar, Cassie said, "Sometimes I wish we were the same age."

"Oh?" he asked her, sounding amused. "Are you finally realizing you're dating an old man?"

"No!" she said, smacking his arm. Thankfully, he hadn't started tending to the Felix Felicis yet. "I was just thinking that it would have been nice for us to attend Hogwarts at the same time. It might have been a bit more pleasant for both of us."

"You would have cursed those Gryffindors and gotten into a lot of trouble," he replied, starting to pour ingredients into the golden liquid.

"I've cursed plenty of bullies that you don't even know about. I would have been just fine."

"Knowing about it and being able to prove it are very different things," Severus said coolly. "Your head of house wasn't as clueless as you think."

Cassie snorted. They bantered for a few minutes, but eventually, the conversation turned back to his school-age days. He spoke of growing apart from Lily as they got older, and he wasn't bashful about blaming some of it on the fact that he hung around future Death Eaters. The potion no longer needing their attention, they slowly made their way back upstairs.

They settled back onto the couch, and her heart grew heavy as she heard about his unrequited feelings for Lily, of watching her attitude toward James turn from one of loathing to admiration. But as the minutes ticked by and the night turned into early morning, Cassie realized that he was not even close to the most heartbreaking part of his story. Eventually, they reached the point in his life where he had joined the Dark Lord and he had been spying at the Hog's Head, hearing the prophecy made by Professor Trelawney. How he had told Lord Voldemort, leading to his conclusion that Harry Potter must die, how it resulted in Lily and James' deaths.

She understood now. Her mental painting was nearly finished, perhaps needing fine-tuning of small details. But she had learned enough to grasp his pain, to see where it originated from. She was emotionally exhausted for him.

"That's why you work so hard to protect him," she murmured into his ear, as they were lying on the couch now, Severus settled on top of her with his face nestled into the crook of her neck. "It's for her."

"Does it bother you?" he asked, no accusation or bitterness in his tone.

"I think it's admirable. I just wish the two of you got along."

"One thing at a time," he muttered with his eyes closed. She was about to argue lightly when she felt his breathing change, as he had fallen into a deep sleep.

The rest of the holiday break was joyously uneventful. They spent hours in front of the fireplace together, their talking interrupted by the need to tend to the potion or find something to eat. Severus didn't seem to feel bitter about her forcing him to share his past with her, which relieved Cassie immensely. There would be times when they would be reading in silence, and he would share a random memory he hadn't yet revealed. Sometimes it was about Lily, other times about his parents.

On Christmas Eve, they exchanged gifts. Cassie had gotten Severus a tattered potions textbook written entirely in Portuguese. He gave her a set of pearly, iridescent dress robes, and she asked him where he expected her to wear them while traipsing across South America. "You can wear them when we celebrate you coming home for good," he had suggested. She smiled warmly at the gesture, but felt a twinge of guilt, as she had no clue how far away that day would be.

They spent Christmas day with Andromeda and Ted, and they caught Cassie up on what Tonks and Moody had been up to. Tonks was itching to go after witches and wizards that had committed more serious crimes than the occasional dark hex or burglary, but there hadn't been a lot of sinister activity in Britain lately. Andromeda seemed to sympathize with her daughter's frustration. Ted, however, was relieved by the fact that she wasn't doing anything too dangerous.

With the break over, Cassie and Severus had to go their separate ways yet again, both of them worrying about the other's safety. It wasn't the first time that Cassie debated abandoning the dangerous mission she insisted on undertaking, for her lover's peace of mind if nothing else. But stubborn as ever, she left the safety of Spinner's End to go back to Brazil, and she tried her best to focus as soon as she met up with Da Gama's Aurors. If she couldn't stay in Cokeworth to ensure her safety for Severus' sake, then she had to do what was necessary to make sure she would be returning to him in one piece.

New Year's was nearly forgotten as she moved through the country to find and apprehend Sombria's followers. Being constantly busy, she somehow managed to remember Severus' thirty-third birthday. She sent him a message promising him they would celebrate on her next visit home, although she wasn't sure if it would get to him until days after his actual birthday.

In the month of January, Cassie had helped capture twelve of the cavaleiros. While she was ecstatic that she and the group she worked with were so successful, a sense of longing began to seep into her everyday thoughts. Every time she felt this twinge of tedium she would try to shake the feeling from her being. She knew she should be grateful to be doing what she was doing, especially since Fudge had denied her the chance to train with his Aurors. At least she was able to take advantage of her skills and do some good. She knew without anyone having to tell her that she was making a difference, and yet she yearned to be home, back near her loved ones.

A surprise that broke up the growing monotony came near the middle of February. Cassie was in an enchanted tent with Bianca, a talented seer that often accompanied her to battles, when two familiar friends from back home walked through the entrance unannounced. For a moment, Cassie thought she might be dreaming, or perhaps someone had managed to play a trick on her.

"Dora!" she cried when the initial shock of seeing her green-haired cousin wore off, and scrambled to her feet. She pulled Tonks into a tight hug, a million questions going through her mind. Before she started to voice them, she greeted Alastor Moody, although she refrained from embracing him.

"What are you two doing here?" Cassie asked in awe.

"It was Mad-Eye's idea," Tonks explained, an enormous grin spread across her features. "We weren't seeing much action as of late, and he thought it would be good for us to help with this mess."

"Would have come earlier," Moody interjected roughly, "But Fudge took some convincing. He was certain someone was going to try to kidnap him as soon as we left the country."

"Like he doesn't have enough other Aurors are his disposal," Cassie commented, rolling her eyes.

"He's a paranoid one," the older wizard muttered.

"So you two just wanted to help?" Cassie asked as Tonks flopped onto a cushy navy-blue couch. Bianca eyed her, a look of amusement on her face.

"Not just that," Tonks said, summoning a bowl of mangoes to her and helping herself to the largest one. "Mad-Eye wants me to get some 'real experience' fighting dark wizards. Seems I haven't had enough yet."

"You'll find your fair share of them here," Bianca's smooth voice offered then. "Cassie captured one only this morning."

"Not just me," Cassie said lightly. "Everyone helped."

"She's being modest," the middle-aged prophetess said as she moved around the tiny kitchen to start making tea. "I pointed you in the right direction, the other three merely formed a perimeter."

"So you're the muscle," Tonks mused, taking a large bite of mango, the juice starting to run down her chin. Moody looked at her with an air of disdain. Rather than answer her, Cassie laughed.

Over the next few days, Cassie, who was used to taking charge in many of the raids, tried to stay in the background. Moody's reputation preceded him even on this continent, and most of Da Gama's Aurors were more than willing to let him and his protege run the show. She watched with interest as the famed Auror guided her cousin through planning and executing their missions, and within two days Tonks had taken down her first wizard. But it was not without a bit of hardship, and Tonks was more than aware.

"That was exhausting," the now blue-haired witch said with a large sigh as she plopped down on the cot below her. She and Cassie had moved to their own smaller tent, one that boasted a full bathroom, a large sitting area, and a functional kitchen when Tonks had gotten done charming it. Many of the color schemes in the rooms reminded Cassie of Andromeda and Ted's home.

"Maybe next time, let some of us do the heavy lifting," Cassie suggested, conjuring a platter for the pão de queijo they had gotten in the village. "Delegate something." Tonks had included the ministry employees and Cassie in her plan for hunting down and cornering this particular wizard, but had only used them as a back up in case he escaped her grasp. She had primarily stalked him and apprehended him, but not before she nearly lost her eye in an intense duel.

"And have the credit given to someone else?" her cousin huffed. Cassie handed her the plate of food, and she started to shove it in her mouth.

"We aren't keeping score," the raven-haired witch pointed out.

"Easy for you to say when everyone's head is up your bum."

"Excuse me?"

"These people hang on to every word you say, Cass! You'd think you've been doing this Auror thing for ages - "

"I am not an Auror!" Cassie said, exasperated. "I'm just assisting them."

"Assisting? You're running the show!"

"So what if I was? You got your shot at it the last couple days, didn't you? What's the difference between you and me doing it?"

"The difference is," Tonks said, chewing a mouthful of cheese, "they adore you, whereas they barely know who I am. Only listen to me because Moody told 'em to."

"Makes sense, considering I've been in Brazil for the better part of a year, and you've just arrived," Cassie countered.

"You're just trying to appear humble - "

"I am not!"

Just as Cassie's patience was wearing dangerously thin, a voice interrupted their argument. "Tonks, Black," Moody said gruffly, having just stuck his head in the tent's entrance. "Need you out here for the rundown on the next operation."

"Has someone gotten whereabouts on one of them?" Cassie asked, immediately stepping out of the tent and following the older wizard through the trees. They were camping in the forest, hopefully where no one would detect them.

"Not exactly. Your seer has a hunch," Moody replied, not sounding confident that Bianca's visions were evidence enough for planning the next mission.

"She hasn't steered us wrong yet," Cassie told him, and he grunted a reply. Tonks was a few steps behind them as they made their way to where Da Gama's Aurors were converging, and once they had reached the group, Tonks gave Cassie a quick nudge.

"See," she whispered, nodding to Moody, who was moving along to speak to one of the navy-clad witches. "Didn't even need me in that rundown, did he?"

"Stop it."

Bianca's premonitions usually came on quickly, especially after a cup of particularly strong herbal tea and some flame-gazing. Cassie had never been in the presence of a clairvoyant with such accurate and frequent predictions. They wouldn't have found half the cavaleiros without her. When Cassie had first started working with this group, she had severely doubted her abilities, up until she had been able to pinpoint the exact location of their first transgressor.

"We must travel to Guyana," Bianca said as soon as everyone was settled before her. "The one that many of you have thirsted to find is there." Murmuring traveled through the group of Aurors. An instant sense of urgency surged through Cassie's veins.

"Who is that?" Tonks whispered to her.

"Ramnauth. His modus operandi is killing Muggle children," Cassie replied.

"Especially since Sombria was arrested," Maria added, having overheard the two young witches. "He thinks the more lives he takes, the more likely we are to back off in hopes that he stops."

"How very wrong he is," said Cassie ominously. She, along with her allies, had been itching to find this one for months. This was the first lead of any kind they had come across, as it seemed Ramnauth was a master at keeping his whereabouts unknown.

They packed up their camp, moving on to a small village in Guyana where Bianca had directed them to go. After a week of carefully searching the area, mindful not to make the ministry's presence known among the small local population, they located him in an abandoned villa.

"So he's in there right now?" Cassie asked Bianca. The two of them, along with Tonks, Moody, and four Aurors were holed up in a hut only hundreds of feet away from the targeted building. Thankfully it had been empty upon their arrival, dispelling the need to perform memory charms on the small home's residents.

"He is," Bianca answered her calmly, her eyes closed as she took a deep breath. "With two small children."

"Hostages?" Moody barked.

"Fine," Cassie breathed. "Let's not waste any time, then. I don't want to give him any more chances to come up with some horrendous scheme."

"Actually, Black," Moody said, his false eye swiveling around so quickly that it almost made her dizzy to look at, "We're giving this one to Tonks."

Cassie locked eyes with her cousin, who suddenly looked skittish. "Okay," she said, using every ounce of control to try to appear calm at that moment.

"Mad-Eye," Tonks started slowly, looking around the room at the four Aurors, before her eyes went back to her benefactor. "If this guy has hostages, and kids no less..."

"He doesn't know we're here yet, or he would have disappeared. This is what we've been training for," Moody interjected. "When you're an Auror, you won't always have others with more experience with you to take over. You have to act, right then. No hesitation!"

Tonks visibly gulped. Cassie kept her mouth shut as her cousin started to verbalize a plan and assign duties to everyone in the room. She didn't care that Tonks had decided to place her and Moody outside the building in case the wizard managed to escape. All she could think about was how much time the kids would have left if they screwed up.

Cassie, Moody, and Bianca stayed put in the hut while the others left to perforate the building. Cassie was so on edge that her knuckles were turning white as she gripped her wand.

"Nervous, Black?" Moody asked her, his real eye on her as the fake one was trained elsewhere. "You've never struck me as the jumpy type."

"I'm not," she said, taking a breath.

"Worried about Tonks' plan, then?"

"No, I - " she started, not wanting to sound like she had no faith in Tonks' skills. "I'm sure she'll have everything under control."

"Not used to being under someone else's command, eh?"

"Not lately," she admitted. It was eye-opening for her to realize that she had been in charge of so many of these situations lately. She had slipped into the role of leader so organically that she hadn't even noticed.

"Fudge is an idiot for blocking you from Auror training," he told her.

"I've gotten training, Moody."

"But you quit before it was finished," he pointed out.

"Then I guess I've gotten on the job experience," she said. "And besides, I'd rather not be under Fudge's control."

Moody smirked at her. "You're an insightful girl." She met his gaze and was about to respond, when a loud blast interrupted their banter. Sure now that Ramnauth was aware of their intentions, she and Moody ran out of the hut. A small cry left Cassie's lips when she saw that Maria and Joao were coming out with two small children in their arms.

"They're alright?" Cassie called as she moved to them. Maria nodded, just as another explosion rocked the building and the ground around them. With Maria and Joao out of the building, that only left Tonks with two Aurors inside to take on their target. The little boy and girl were being ushered to the empty hut by Bianca when smoke started to billow out from one of the second-floor windows of the villa.

"We have to go inside!" Cassie cried, but Moody caught her by the arm.

"I know you want to do everything you can to protect your cousin," he said solemnly, "but you have to let her do this on her own."

"She might get hurt," she argued through gritted teeth, "He might get away!"

Moody didn't say anything, his head now turned to the building. Just as Cassie yanked her arm from his gnarled grip, the sound of shattering glass made her attention snap in the direction of the sound. Tonks was falling from the building, and before anyone else could react, Moody produced a large mattress out of thin air for her to land on. Cassie ran to her.

"Dora! Are you alright?" she asked, feeling panicked now. Tonks was conscious but had a black burn down her neck and across her chest. She was about to answer her when she pointed up to the window she had just fallen from.

In his eagerness to finish taking down Tonks, Ramnauth had jumped out, landing gracefully on the ground with a wave of his wand. But the moment he noticed all of the people waiting for him outside, his face changed from greed to dread. He stood up fully, starting to turn on the spot, but Cassie hit him with an anti-disapparition jinx. She almost guffawed at the wizard's unfortunate predicament when he attacked, letting a blasting spell loose at the entire area. Throwing up a shield charm, Cassie had to wait for the dust to settle before seeing that her allies had all done the same.

Ramnauth had somehow knocked Tonks to the ground, his wand pointed at her chest as he approached her slowly. Cassie didn't wait for Moody to demand to let Tonks handle the situation herself. This was her best friend and her family under threat, and she wasn't about to stand by and watch her become more injured than she already was.

Tonks blocked a curse as she tried to scramble to her feet, and just as Ramnauth was about to launch another spell, Cassie cast a bolt of crackling energy at his wand arm. He cried out in pain as his wand flew from his hand and his arm hung limply at his side. She could have left it at that, as the wizard was essentially defeated now. But she was disgusted, knowing what this animal had done in the name of Sauda Sombria. He had sought out Muggle children, killed them in front of their families, and had taken pleasure in it. In her anger, her free hand shot out and made a fist, an unseen force strangling him as she magically dragged him to her.

"Cassie," Maria protested, running to her. "Cassie, you're going to kill him!"

"And?" Cassie sneered. Her eyes were locked on the terrified man's face. His lips were starting to turn blue.

"You can't, Cassie!" Tonks yelled. She was beside her, her hand on the arm that held the choking wizard in the air. "He has to stand trial."

"Why? Because the ministry says so? He doesn't deserve to live!" she countered. Ramnauth's eyes were turning red, his tongue protruding from his mouth.

"Because if you kill him, you'll never be trusted with this again," Moody said, his gravelly voice quiet, but his message deafening. Cassie's resolve started to waver, and then she made up her mind when Tonks caught her gaze. Her eyes were silently pleading with her.

"Fine," Cassie said, releasing her grip on the wizard's ability to breathe. He crumpled to the ground in a gasping heap. "He's all yours, Dora."

Later that night, when Ramnauth was in the ministry's custody and everyone had settled into their makeshift camp once again, Cassie sat in the tent she had been sharing with Tonks. Her cousin was in the sitting room with her, but they were silent. Their conversation on what had happened was long finished, and Cassie was in dire need of some quiet. Just as she was starting to think she was going to try to sleep, Moody stepped into the room.

"You almost lost control," he said, sitting next to Tonks on the couch.

"On the contrary, Moody. You've seen me almost lose control." Cassie countered softly. "I'm just sick of these people not paying for their crimes."

"I get that." The famed Auror let a few silent seconds pass. "You invent spells now?"

"Hmm?"

"That wandless-strangling thing. I remember seeing you use that in the Pensieve."

"Oh, that." Her mind drifted back to that fateful day in Hogsmeade. It seemed like an eternity ago. "I didn't invent anything. It just kind of happened in my anger." She saw Tonks and Moody exchange a knowing glance.

"When you lose control," Tonks started quietly. "Have you learned to manage it?"

Cassie shook her head. "Martese and I tried, and I mean really tried. We spent countless hours trying to bring that power forth purposely. And the times I did, I couldn't stop it." She looked at Moody as a hopeful thought crossed her mind. "Moody, do you think you could teach me?"

"That's far outside of my expertise, Black," he replied bluntly. "If Machado couldn't harness it, I don't know who could." It was the answer that she was afraid to hear. But it also the one she expected.

Moody and Tonks were still with Cassie for the next few months. As their sense of comradery grew, the more efficient they became in their endeavors. By April, they were running out of known cavaleiros to go after, and Cassie was finally seeing an end in sight. Going home seemed realistically within reach, something Severus was relieved about. The news about Hogwarts seemed to improve as well, as the attacks on Muggle-borns had ceased. Severus was still understandably on edge, but at least they could hope that the worst was behind them.

Things went well at the end of the month. Cassie went back to Cokeworth for a two-day visit, and she and Severus finally got to properly celebrate his birthday. He had completed the Felix Felicis and had insisted that she take it back to South America with her, and even having the elixir in her possession seemed to improve her luck. During her first meeting with the Brazilian Aurors, she learned that they only had five of Sombria's followers to go after.

That luck, however, seemed to change during the first week of May. They had apprehended two more cavaleiros, and everything was going smoothly until the news reached them.

"Sauda Sombria has broken out of prison," Maria said, her eyes still skimming the letter they had received as if she didn't believe it.

"Which prison was she in?" Joao asked.

"Peru's," Maria answered in a huff.

"I knew this would happen!" Cassie nearly shouted. "Those incompetent politicians, always screwing things up - "

"Have they spotted her?" someone asked shrilly. More questions were blurted about the room, and soon no one was able to hear each other. Cassie left the circle of Aurors in a huff. To her dismay, she was being followed.

"You seem upset," Bianca said from a step behind her. Rather than answer, Cassie rounded on her.

"Why didn't you foresee this?" she hissed. "Not important enough?"

Tonks, who had also been following her, chimed in. "That's not fair, Cass, and you know it!"

"It is not always in everyone's best interest to share what has been prophesized," Bianca said, a warm smile on her lips. Cassie just wanted her out of her sight.

She spent the rest of the day obsessing over Sombria's escape, trying to figure out where she might go next even though they had no information to go on. Tonks and Moody merely humored her, unable to quell her rage no matter what they said. Moody nearly force-fed her a sleeping potion so she could get some rest that night, but the next day, the only thing that dominated her thoughts was Sombria.

"Maybe I should just leave you alone, Cass," Tonks said in the afternoon while they were still in their tent. She was seated at the dining table while Cassie paced in front of the couch. "You seem like you need some peace and quiet."

Cassie let out a humorless laugh. "Dora, I don't know what I need." Tonks looked like she was about to reply, but the suddenly shocked expression on her face made Cassie stop short. She followed her cousin's eyes, and nearly fell over in her surprise when she saw who was at the entrance of the tent.

Dumbledore's white beard glittered in the sunlight before he stepped fully into the room. He had a knowing smile on his face, and his blue eyes were twinkling as he surveyed the young witches before him. "Miss Black, Miss Tonks," he greeted them kindly, "Perhaps I can be of some use."