Blood Ties and Betrayal//A Severus Snape Love Story

The early hours of the morning came, much to Cassie's dismay, even after willing with all her soul for them to stay away. She had barely slept, her mind instead focused on each passing second as she laid snug against Snape's familiar form, hoping that by some miracle that time would just stop. What she wouldn't give for that night to last just a few hours longer so she could stay in his arms, to know that she could remain protected and loved in the small house and she had grown so fond of.

As always, time was unrelenting and cruel, and Cassie and Snape were having to rip themselves from the comfort of the bed. They started to move about the room silently, both of them anticipating the upcoming events of the day. Cassie was starting to go through her luggage, making sure she had packed everything she might need, when she decided to voice her current train of thought out loud.

"What do you think Dumbledore's opinion of us is?" she asked Snape as he was pulling his shirt over his head. When his face emerged from the black fabric, he gave her a puzzled expression. "I mean our relationship, Sev," she added.

"I know what you're referring to. What makes you think he'd even be aware of it?" he asked, and Cassie giggled.

"Severus," she started. "We live in the same house, and he's coming here this morning. Someone a lot stupider than Albus Dumbledore would be able to figure out that we're shacking up!"

"As far as he's concerned, you've only been staying here," he countered. "He has no reason to think otherwise."

"Oh, Sev," Cassie said, "And you think I'm naive sometimes? Of course he knows! In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he knew about us during the school term!"

"That's absurd," he replied. "If that were true, I would have been sacked!"

The notion was amusing to Cassie, that he thought the Hogwarts Headmaster was completely oblivious to their romance. As they made their way downstairs, she continued to banter with him, and tried to get him to agree to a bet, that he would have to owe her a fancy date night if she was right. He was adamant that she was being ridiculous, and wouldn't even entertain her idea. She thought that maybe he was growing uneasy about the older wizard's reaction, now that he realized that he had yet another person's opinion to deal with.

It was a welcome distraction. Cassie hadn't thought about how nervous she was about leaving Cokeworth for the minutes they had spent arguing, but as soon as she realized that, her stomach twisted back into hard knots. They made a quick breakfast, but she merely stared at the eggs on her plate, unable to choke anything down. Snape tried to offer her a few words of comfort, but it seemed his frame of mind was rivaling hers. She could tell in how he gazed at her, his black eyes shimmering in a way that she seldom recalled seeing.

A knock came at the front door, something they were both anticipating and dreading. Snape went to answer it, and there stood Dumbledore adorned in a set of periwinkle robes, not having bothered to try put together an ensemble of Muggle clothing. "Good morning, Severus," he greeted with a nod of his silvery head. His eyes moved past his colleague to Cassie, who was standing a few feet behind him with her luggage at her feet. "Good morning to you, Cassiopeia."

"Good morning, Headmaster," she replied, and he had a peculiar expression on his face, one that she couldn't decipher.

"As you are no longer my student, I think it appropriate that you refer to me as 'Albus', don't you?" he asked her kindly. "After all, I find it highly unlikely that you still call Severus 'Professor Snape'." There was a twinkle in his blue eyes, and she saw a small twinge playing at his mouth.

"No, I certainly don't," she replied carefully. She looked to Snape, but he was still looking towards the door, and not giving her an opportunity to see his expression.

"I trust that the two of you had a good summer holiday?" Dumbledore asked, and Cassie saw the Potions Master nod his head.

"It was satisfactory," he replied. "Cassie greatly benefited from being in a place where no one knew her."

"Yes," Dumbledore said, "And I have high hopes that where she is going will offer the same advantages." Cassie fought the urge to interrupt him, as the two wizards were reverting back to their old habit of talking about her like she wasn't there. She wasn't in the mood to start quarreling, not when she would be separated from everything that she knew in a matter of minutes.

Soon, the three of them were walking down the street with Dumbledore leading the way, and Cassie turned around to glance at Snape's childhood home one more time. She felt Snape reach out to touch her arm, and she smiled slightly as her attention went back to him.

The Headmaster had led them down to the riverbank, and used his wand to retrieve what appeared to be a discarded beer bottle from a random spot of tall grass. Cassie inhaled a shaky breath when the Portkey was suddenly in view. She couldn't help but eye it apprehensively as it hovered in the air, and once again, she felt Snape's comforting hand on her arm.

On the count of three, they were transported, and Cassie had to fight through a wave of nausea before she could even begin to grasp her new surroundings. She had expected to go to some sort of city, or a small village even, but she was surprised to find that they were encircled by tall, dense jungle. It was rather dark among the trees, as with the change in time zones, they had arrived very early into the morning. The quiet ambience of Cokeworth had been replaced by sounds of buzzing insects, chirping birds, and there was some sort of primate calling out every few seconds, likely alarmed by the sudden appearance of the three humans in its habitat.

"Where are we?" Cassie asked, taking out her wand to produce a bit of light, just as her two companions were doing the same.

"I do not know for sure," Dumbledore answered her, looking just as awed by their environment as she felt, his head tilting back to take in the sight of a rather tall barrigona tree. "Castelobruxo is located in the state of Amazonas, so it is likely that we have been taken somewhere in the vicinity. But Master Machado has always been very secretive with the location of his academy, even with me."

"Why not take us to the school?" Snape asked, looking a bit miffed as he took careful steps towards a particularly interesting looking corpse flower, and used his wand to light his way.

"The caipora that protect the grounds don't take kindly to strangers, from what I hear," Dumbledore replied calmly. "Headmaster Antunes probably thought it easier for us to not have to deal with them."

"So we just have to wait in the forest?" he snapped. "Is this the hospitality your friend is offering to Cassie?"

"Severus, it's just fine," Cassie said gently, knowing that his irritation was stemming from feeling protective over her.

"It's not," Snape said, "Not when there's some dark witch on the loose, and we're standing in the open with no knowledge of where we even are!" Cassie couldn't see Dumbledore's expression, as her wand was pointed towards a large plant that looked suspiciously carnivorous, but he sounded a bit surprised when he spoke.

"Oh," he said. "You've heard of her?"

"Yes," Snape spat, "Leave it to you, to keep something like that a secret!"

"I only temporarily withheld that information, in an attempt ensure that Cassie would come," Dumbledore started, but Cassie was feeling resolute then, and started in.

"We are well aware, Albus,of your manipulation tactics," she said coolly. "And as I am no longer your student, as you have pointed out, I would appreciate if you would be transparent from now on. If you have any hope of me trusting you at all, that's how it has to be."

"How long have you known about her?" Snape asked him then.

"The two of you have really seemed to solidify your alliance, haven't you? You sound like you have reached a true partnership." Dumbledore asked. Cassie was perturbed by the amusement that was in his voice, as she wasn't feeling entertained in the least.

"Enough with the games," Snape growled. "The only reason she still agreed to come is because of her sense of duty!"

Whether Dumbledore had planned to answer them or not, they would never know. They were interrupted by the sound of nimble footsteps approaching, and as they were in a completely foreign environment, all three of them were suddenly on alert, all conversation coming to an abrupt halt and wands at the ready. The silhouettes of a figure came into view, and only when Cassie saw Dumbledore's stance relax a bit, did she loosen her tight grip on her wand.

"What is this, I hear? Bickering, this early in the day!" came a boisterous voice.

"Ah, Martese, old friend!" Dumbledore greeted warmly as a stout wizard with greying black hair and wide set eyes stepped into small amount of light. They immediately embraced.

"Minha amigo! It has been too long, Albus!" Machado exclamed as he pulled out of the hug, and the sexagenarian's smile seemed genuine as he studied Snape and Cassie, who were standing and watching the exchange. "This must be Cassiopeia?"

"Yes," Cassie said, stepping forward to shake the wizard's hand. His grip was firm and enthusiastic. "It's an honor to meet you, Master Machado."

"None of that," he said, shaking his head. "We do away with etiquette while we are here. Meu nome é Martese."

"Then call me Cassie. This is Severus Snape," she said, gesturing towards the raven-haired wizard. They started to shake hands.

"He is the Potions Master at Hogwarts, and a trusted friend," Dumbledore explained.

"Ah," Machado said. "You found it necessary to have protection for the journey here? You didn't think you were up to the task, Albus?"

Cassie knew that the man was badgering, but in the spirit of being transparent, as she had so intensely mentioned to Dumbledore earlier, she said, "No. He's my boyfriend." She didn't need proper daylight to know that Snape was shooting her a look of pure contempt now.

Machado was nodding now, looking between the two of them. "I must tell you, Cassie, this as far as both these men will come. I do not allow outsiders into Academia de Luta."

She felt her heart sink, knowing that the goodbyes were swiftly approaching. Locking eyes with Snape, she felt her breath catch in her throat. As Machado and Dumbledore stepped aside to chat quietly between the two of them, Snape took Cassie's hands in his. Now that their relationship was out in the open and their separation was upon them, he didn't seem to feel the need to be coy.

"You're going to do great things," Snape said to her, and he kissed her hands, one at a time.

"I'm going to miss you," she breathed. "So, so much!"

"Me, too." They hugged, and then Snape even kissed her in front of two older wizards. "We'll be seeing each other soon."

"Promise?" she whispered.

"I do," he said, as he lightly grazed the necklace he had gotten her between his thumb and finger. She had considered leaving it behind with him, to protect it from being damaged or lost, but he had insisted that she keep it with her always, so she would have a symbol of his love with her.

Machado produced another Portkey then, which looked like a crushed Guaraná soda can. Standing by the unfamiliar wizard's side with her bag of belongings, Cassie watched as Dumbledore and Snape, two people she had seen on a regular basis for the better part of a decade, disappeared from view in a matter of seconds. She hadn't realized she was holding her breath until she exhaled shakily once they were gone, and she felt tears start to fall down her cheeks. She could feel Machado's eyes on her, but she couldn't bring herself to look at him just yet, for fear of losing her composure all together.

"I know it is a big change," he said, gesturing for her to follow him, and she obliged, starting to carefully step through the plants and roots that covered the forest floor. "But you will adjust. We are like family."

Cassie took a few moments to respond, as she was attempting to clear her throat. "How many new students will there be?"

"Including you, five. There are seven returning for their second term. I have students from all over the world. Of course, you are the only one from your school," he replied.

"Have you had many from Hogwarts?" she asked. It was getting lighter as they walked, although the condensed trees didn't seem to allow much sunlight to reach them on the ground. Machado seemed to move through the vegetation with ease, as though he was moving through an unseen path he had used countless times, but Cassie constantly felt like she was going to trip, or smash a beautiful, unsuspecting plant. She as all ready starting to feel fatigued with the effort of trying to keep up with him, and not misstep.

"Not in many years," he told her. "It seems Albus' misfortune with being unable to keep a Dark Arts Defense teacher has contributed to that." He stopped walking suddenly, and turned to look at her. "We are here. This is where we enter, Cassie. Before we do, I wish to discuss something with you."

"Okay," she said, not knowing what it could possibly be. She started to look around her, trying to familiarize herself with the 'entrance' he was referring to, because she was at a total loss at the moment. All she saw were trees that looked the same as the other trees they had passed on their walk here, and nothing distinguishable was jumping out at her. There was a bright purple flower about the size of her face over there on a shrub, could she remember that?

"The other students, as far as I am aware, they do not know that Lord Voldemort is seu pai. Albus said that this is something you have dealt with your whole life. Is it your wish, for me to keep it a secret?" he asked. Cassie's attention was immediately ripped from trying to memorize their surroundings.

"Yes," she said quietly. "I'd like that, very much."

"Then it is your information to tell," Machado said, nodding. Cassie felt a sudden surge of gratitude towards the wizard. "Step towards this trunk," he said then, and he pointed her towards a particularly towering tree, its bark swirled in a crescent-shaped pattern. "You see this piece?" he asked, pointing towards one section jutted off towards the side, as if it had intentionally deviated from the rest of the shape. He explained that he had charmed it so that only those allowed permission would be recognized by the tree with flesh memory, and they would be instantly transported. He instructed her to touch it lightly with her hand, and she felt herself being pulled by her naval, much like when she had traveled by Portkey that morning.

Once again, her expectations were quickly squashed. She had thought she would be in a building of some sort, but instead, she was standing on a wooden bridge, and she realized that she was high in the forest. Her curiosity instantly taking over, she went to the side to look down, and it seemed she was ten stories off the ground. Machado appeared on the same bridge seconds later.

"I hope you have no fear of heights," he commented, smiling. "If you do, you will learn quickly to get over it."

He led her through a small network of wooden bridges that connected to each other, and she was in awe when she realized that there were huts built into the branches and canopies of the trees. The largest bungalow seemed to be in center of the small commune, and she learned that was the common area, where the students made their meals together, and socialized between trainings. Each student had their own hut to sleep in, and Machado had one for himself, although it was bigger and further down a single overpass. "You need anything," he told her, "That's where I stay. All my students are welcome."

He showed her to her hut, leaving her to herself for the time being. Other students would be arriving that morning, and she was grateful for some isolation before she was thrust into everything. The hut contained a small mattress on the floor with a blanket a pillow, and there was a rod hanging from the ceiling so she could hang some clothing. There was a wooden desk and a chair, and that was all the round room contained. As she unpacked, the sounds of the jungle only seemed magnified, the birds calling all around her like they didn't have a care in the world, like they were used to having humans living among them this high in the sky.

She had brought a small photo album, and briefly considered looking through it, but decided against it. If she saw a picture of Snape now, she knew she might lose all willpower to be there, demand a Portkey from Machado right then, and return home. So she put it on her desk, at least taking comfort knowing that it was ready and waiting for her, for when it would be safe to look through it.

A knock came at her door, after she had been alone for about an hour, and when she opened it, a stranger stood there. He was tall, with light brown hair and sharp features, and he stood up straight, with his arms behind his back. Cassie instantly got the impression that this young man was serious, and she couldn't help but compare him to Percy.

"Hello," he said, with no trace of a smile on his face.

"Hi," Cassie said, scrambling to her feet, as she had been lying on her bed.

"You will come to The Middle," he said, his sentence very much sounding like a command. Cassie, who didn't like being ordered around by a boy her age she had never met, bit back a retort she was about to spout.

"The Middle," she said. "Is that the big shack?"

The severe boy sighed, clearly annoyed by her inquiry. "Yes. The big one in the middle. It's what one might also call 'the center', or 'the nucleus'. Shall I offer you even more choices?"

"No," she replied, grabbing her wand and heading out the door as he started to walk down the bridge and to the next hut. "That's plenty, thanks. I'm Cassie, by the way." He ignored her attempt at an introduction, and thumped on the door of his next victim. Rolling her eyes, Cassie made her way to the common area she now knew had a name. When she entered the spacious wooden building, she saw that there were already six students in it, seated in cushy arm chairs and talking among themselves. Only a couple of them bothered to look up at her, and when they did, there must not have been anything particularly interesting about her, because they went back to their conversations. She guessed they were the returning students from last term, and were catching up after the summer holiday. They seemed relaxed with each other, and Cassie was feeling anything but right then.

Just as she was getting settled into a chair, another witch entered, looking just as nervous as Cassie felt. Slowly more students trickled in, the last being trailed by the humorless boy that must have drawn the short straw and been tasked with retrieving the new students. Machado came in shortly after, and he had the same welcoming demeanor about him as he looked around the room, claiming a chair for himself before he started to address everyone.

"Welcome to Academia de Luta, my friends," he said. "I hope you are all happy to be here, as I am happy to have you. Together, we will embark on a tremendous adventure of discovery, and of growth." He paused, looking over at the students that he knew from the previous term. "Did you have a good holiday?"

He listened to some of their anecdotes from the summer, and Cassie quickly learned that there were students indeed, from around the world. Just from their stories, she deduced which of the returning students had probably graduated from Castelobruxo, Koldovstoretz, Mahoutokoro, and Uagadou. As she heard the severe boy, Viggo, speak about his time off, she assumed that he and another boy named Arvid were from Durmstrang. Then it was time for the new students to introduce themselves, and there was also a girl from Beauxbatons and a boy from Ilvermorny.

It seemed that being the first day was not going to be an excuse for slacking off, however. As jovial and approachable as Machado seemed, Cassie was swiftly reminded why Moody had referred to the man's curriculum as rigorous. After introductions were over and a quick meal was eaten, they set off for a run through the jungle. Cassie's lack of preparation for any physical training was evident, and she wheezed along with the slowest half of the pack, tripping over roots and rocks every few minutes. She was in so much discomfort, between her burning lungs and bruised knees, that she couldn't appreciate the beautiful setting they were jogging in.

As she ran, she started to get an ominous feeling. At first, she attributed it to being incredibly out of shape, and couldn't decipher what part of her was feeling troubled. But as they continued on, the sensation seemed to grow tenfold, and she found herself needing to say something, to warn someone that they might be heading towards some unknown danger.

"Miremba," Cassie gasped, having pushed herself to catch up with a witch she knew was from the previous term, "I think we should stop, I have a bad feeling - "

"That's normal, Hogwarts," the girl from Uagadou said, so at ease with their exercise that she was even able to laugh at Cassie a bit, "that means we're almost there."

"What?" Cassie managed to ask, but Miremba ignored her then. Cassie slowed her pace, unable to keep up with her, and was fell beside the boy from Ilvermorny.

"I feel it, too," he told her. It made her feel only slightly better.

In a few minutes, the front of the group started to slow, waiting for everyone to catch up, and then Machado, who had been leading, started to speak. "Take a good look around you, my friends," he said, spreading his arms out wide. "This is a place we will come to, again and again." Cassie felt completely lost again as she tried to nail down some sort of landmark, memorize some feature she could become familiar with. All she could see was jungle on top of more jungle. "That feeling of dread, is to discourage anyone from wandering into our training area. It is unpleasant, but you will become accustomed, like everything else here." Then he turned around and took a few steps, and vanished. The air around him seemed to ripple, as he had passed through whatever barrier was set there. Everyone else started to follow. When Cassie went through, it felt like she was pushing through cold water, and she shivered slightly as she entered the hidden space.

The area, cleared of all trees and large plants, was about the size of Hogwarts' Quidditch pitch, and the sky above them was crystal blue. It was a weird sight, having just been through the dense trees and not seeing anything but branches and leaves and endless green.

"We will be here almost every day," Machado was saying as the new students looked up at the sky. "There are many enchantments to protect the surrounding forest from our spells, so that we don't do damage to of the creatures that live there."

He had the new students go off to the side, and paired off the second term students. It was a demonstration of sorts, and he had each twosome square off in a duel, one at a time, attempt to disarm each other. It was a level that Cassie had never seen witches and wizards near her age perform. It was almost breathtaking to her, watching them expertly cast powerful spells, and instantaneously deflect them. One of the duels lasted nearly twenty minutes, and when Yui, a witch from Mahoutokoro, emerged victorious, the onlookers couldn't help but applaud. It gave Cassie a new sense of purpose to learn the techniques, and she was yearning to get started.

"Second term to the side," Machado said then, and the seven students started to trade places with the five new ones. "First term, pair off. We're going to get started, but slowly," and when he emphasized the last word, he looked at Vitaly, a wizard from Koldovstoretz, specifically. "For the first round, one partner will cast spells, and the other will deflect only. Then, we will switch."

As with the experienced group, there was an odd number, and one person would have to go twice. Cassie had volunteered, itching to get some practice in. First, she practiced with Alexander from Ilvermorny, and it was smooth, and rather uneventful. He seemed rather pleasant to be around, and even thanked Cassie after their rounds. Then, Cassie was starting her match with Vitaly.

"You ready, Hogwarts?" he asked gruffly, his beady eyes narrowed as he looked at her. Cassie raised an eyebrow, annoyed at his boldness to call her that. She had put up with it when a second term student has used the word in place of her name, but she was already growing impatient with him.

"Sure," she said. On Machado's signal, they began, and the young wizard sent a stunning spell her way, which she deflected with ease. Then, he tried an anteoculutia hex, and another stunning spell. He was performing them non-verbally, but Cassie, being well versed in dueling magic, easily recognized the spells in his movements and the appearance of the light that was being sent her way. She became rather aggravated when she realized that the boy had sent a blasting curse at her. After deflecting it, she immediately broke protocol, disarming him, and caught his wand in her hand. Some of her peers began to protest around her, as they likely hadn't recognized what he had tried to do, but Machado was already rushing towards them in a fury.

"Vitaly!" he bellowed. "That is not how we do things!"

"What? She had it handled," he said, folding his arms across his chest in defiance.

"If she hadn't?" Machado retorted. "You were intending to blow her up?"

"I was merely testing Hogwarts' abilities," he said, the smug look on his face not changing. "I don't know that she belongs here, yet."

Training was finished for the day after that. Machado stayed at the arena with Vitaly, while sending the rest of them back to camp.

"Wow, some people are assholes," Alexander said as he and Cassie started to walk. She was grateful, at least, that they hadn't been commanded to run back to their huts in the trees. If they had, she thought she might collapse. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Cassie said truthfully. "I just don't get what his problem with me is."

"I don't think it's with you, specifically," he told her. "From what I've gathered, it's a school rivalry thing. I guess the odd ones out, like you and me and Romily, need to stick together, huh?" He was referring to the new girl from Beauxbatons, and Cassie glanced around for her then. The young brunette witch was walking by herself, her eyes cast down towards the ground. Alexander called to her, and the girl glanced up hopefully, almost tripping over something in the process.

The three of them made their way back together. It was evening now, and everyone was heading back to The Middle to make some dinner. Once again, the old students seemed to separate themselves from the new ones, even as everyone worked on preparing food for their family-style dinner. Cassie was enjoying the conversation she was having with Romily and Alexander, but she couldn't help but notice the glares she was intermittently receiving from Khristina and Bogdan, who were twins, and happened to be second term students from Koldovstoretz. She assumed they were upset about the way things had played out with Vitaly.

Eventually, after the food had been prepared and everyone else was almost finished eating, Vitaly joined them. He immediately made his way over to the brother and sister from his school, and Cassie felt her stomach turn over. Their behavior was so reminiscent of what she had seen over and over again in her life, and she was growing angrier as the minutes passed.

She thought the night might end without further drama, that she could go to bed without issues and get a good night's rest. But she was mistaken. She was chatting with the other first term students, when the three Koldovstoretz peers came over, looking rather puffed up.

"Can we help you?" Alexander asked a bit sardonically.

"Yeah, Ilvermorny," Vitaly sneered. "If you know what is good for you, you will stop associating with Hogwarts over here. She will be bad for your health."

"We have names," Cassie said. "Or are you too stupid to remember them?"

"How did you even earn a spot here?" Khristina responded. "Everyone knows that witches from Hogwarts are idiots. Or maybe you are just good at being a whore? Did you suck someone's dick to get here?"

"Oh, it's like being thirteen again," Cassie replied dully. "Your insults are just marvelous. I am truly impressed at your intellectual prowess."

"You do not belong here," Vitaly said then. "What happened between us today, it was a mistake. Do not think that you are strong just because of that. We will show that you are not."

Cassie's face darkened as she took a few steps towards the young Russian. She had been annoyed with him and the twins up to this point, but she was completely done with the situation, now that he was making blatant threats. Part of the reason she had agreed to come to this training, was to help rid the world of people with this mentality, and she wasn't about to just let him and his sibling cronies run the show for the rest of the group. They were there to learn, to improve their skills for the betterment of others.

Her wand had been in her hand for the entirety of Vitaly's last several sentences, and no one had taken real notice. That was their first mistake. With a sharp wave, the wizard flew across the room, the entire hut shuddering with the force of his body smashing into the wooden wall. He shouted in pain as Cassie applied a little pressure to his anatomy with her spell, not enough to actually cause damage, but enough to cause him discomfort and make him sweat. Veins started to pop from his forehead and neck, and he attempted to struggle, but his limbs would not obey him.

As the rest of the students scrambled around in a panic, Cassie slowly approached him. The twins came at her briefly, but with another flick, they were sent flying backwards, deflected from any advance towards her. As she started to speak, the bungalow grew eerily quiet, as everyone was eager to listen to what she had to say now.

"I came here, thinking we were all in this together. Especially considering that there's a huge threat out there, much more powerful than any one of us, something that we'll likely have to face as one cohesive unit. I didn't feel a need for there to be a pecking order among us," she said quietly. She stepped closer to Vitaly as he grimaced and continued to try to free himself, as beads of sweat continued to pour down his face. "But if you insist that we have one, then let me tell you something, Koldovstoretz. I'm at the top."