Blood Ties and Betrayal//A Severus Snape Love Story

The unnatural lights of an insomniac city allowed an easy journey for the Dark Lord's daughter on the streets of St. Petersburg. The brightly colored buildings were familiar to her now, having visited the Hermitage many times. Yet as she pushed through clusters of Muggles enjoying the cloudless night, she couldn't still the rapid beating of her heart.

She had no idea how many Saints were captured or dead. Khristina hadn't made this sound like a suicide mission, yet Romily was in danger. She would never forgive herself if something happened to her friend while fighting someone else's war.

Her worries were interrupted by flashes of a blonde witch and black-haired wizard entangled on her loveseat. As fast as the fresh images entered her infuriated mind she banished them. She could not afford such a distraction, not now.

The Auror that granted her entry into the Duma's innards was perplexed by her presence. Nonetheless, he escorted her to the minister's office with little argument. His suspicious side glances caused Boros to hiss in a warning.

The minister was not present when Cassie entered. Rather, it was Yuri Pavlischev that stood to greet her. He was thinner since Cassie had last seen him and his eyes were bloodshot.

"Where is Gryzlov?" demanded Cassie.

"He is resting." He glanced her over, his eyes landing on her face last. "It seems you should be doing the same." Cassie steadied herself on the mahogany desk beside her.

"I'm fine."

"You don't seem fine. Is there something I can send for before we discuss these matters?"

"No. Where do I need to go?"

"Miss Black, you will be no good to anyone in this state - "

"I didn't come here for a lecture and coddling," Cassie snapped as she forced herself to stand free of aid. "Tell me where to go or I'll rip it from your mind."

The Auror beside her stepped forward, stopping his movements as Yuri raised a hand. "I can see you're anxious to get there," he said. "The bulk of the fighting has been in Valaam. I know it is not ideal, but Vitaly can take you there. Sergey needs me here at the Duma, and Vitaly is much more skilled at dueling - "

"Fine."

And so Cassie found herself trailing behind her archenemy, listening to him prattle on about the girls he had slept with since Romily had left him. She was short of breath and sweating profusely, but she willed her legs to keep moving.

"Why can't we just Apparate onto the island?" she asked irritably as they emerged from the museum and onto the dark street. A man turned to stare at the large boa constrictor wrapped around her neck, pointing and telling his friends to get a good look.

"Apparition will alert the Krasnota to our presence," answered Vitaly, looking at her like she was the stupidest witch on planet Earth. "We must cross Lake Ladoga by boat."

"There's no time - "

"It is the only way, Hogwarts," he said with a smirk. "Unless you think you can take on a hundred wands by yourself."

"Then we'll fly."

"They've killed many airborne wizards recently. I have already told you, Hogwarts. It's the only way."

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her into an alley. Had she been in a healthier state, she might have reacted more quickly. Before she realized they were off the sidewalk, Vitaly yanked her to his side and turned swiftly on his heel. The former classmates vanished with a loud crack.

"A bit of a forewarning next time, eh?" Cassie spat, grasping at Boros to make sure he was still around her shoulders before lighting her wand. They were on a beach. The new moon offered little natural light and the water of Lake Ladoga seemed black in the near dark. Only yards away offered the thick cover of trees.

"Relax," drawled Vitaly, "I've only brought us to the boat."

Cassie moved her wand over the water to reveal the watercraft they would be using. It was wooden, very small, and looked like it would capsize if the tiniest of waves hit it.

"I'm not getting in that!"

"It's been used to travel to Valaam many times."

"Then you use it!" Cassie stepped up to the water. "I'll figure out something else."

"Hogwarts," Vitaly sneered, "Now is not the time for your bullheadedness. When I said that we cannot Apparate to the island without making our presence known, I meant it."

"How long does it take to get there by boat?"

"Approximately two hours."

"That's too long!"

Vitaly growled in annoyance. "Get into the boat, Black!"

Cassie finally relented after Vitaly climbed into the small wooden vessel. She was barely sitting on the bench when he charmed the boat to start gliding through the water.

The sky was cloudless and Cassie gazed up at the stars. They shined the brightest she had ever seen them. As the cold night air blew in her face and whipped her black hair in all directions, she focused on the Auriga constellation. Her mind drifted to nights spent in the Astronomy tower and the castle it belonged to.

The memory of Kalina and Severus invaded her consciousness like a dagger expertly driven between the ribs. She inhaled sharply as she forced herself to focus on Capella. The Hawk. Thunder's Goat. The heart of Brahma. The mother of Venus.

"Pavlischev, we need to go faster."

Vitaly turned back to glare at her. "Always with the demands."

"Romily and the others need my help!"

"You will not be able to help them if you are at the bottom of the lake."

She let her blood, or at least what was left of it, boil in silence for a few moments. "Why aren't you fighting them? Gryzlov doesn't think you're worth the gold?"

Vitaly grasped the side of the boat and pointed his wand slightly. They veered to the right, enough to knock Cassie off balance. He snickered as Cassie struggled to sit back up.

"I have fought. My father decided it has become too dangerous."

"He sent you tonight," she pointed out. "Or is your plan to drop me off at shore and bail?"

"There are only a handful of Aurors left. I am needed at the Duma in case the Krasnota penetrate its barriers."

"That won't happen."

Vitaly scoffed. "Because you're here? Machado's golden girl, the slayer of dark witches? Do you think you will be the Magical Duma's savior? I wonder what award ceremony they'll plan for you this time."

It started to rain. Cassie sighed in annoyance, partly because of being cold and wet, but mostly because of the audacity of her traveling companion. She waved her wand and the drops pelted off her conjured barrier.

"Is it true that you have your own disciples, Hogwarts?"

"Do me a favor and shut up for the rest of the trip, would you?"

"And what do they call themselves? Let me take a guess. Cassiopeia's Cunts. The Hogwarts Swine."

"Vitaly," said Cassie between clenched teeth, "If I have to tell you to shut up one more-!" Her thoughts were disrupted when the boat suddenly jarred and rocked from side to side. "Did we hit something?"

"It's nothing but open water for miles!" She could hear the panic in Vitaly's voice.

Another loud thud. This time, they were hit so hard that they spun to the left. Boros was standing at attention, hissing near Cassie's ear.

"What is it?" she asked her serpentine familiar.

"Predator."

Cassie gripped her wand harder. "Can we go faster?'

"What did your snake say?" he asked shrilly.

"Something is in this lake! We either need to outrun it or be ready to - "

Something hard slammed into them, enough to crack the bow. Cassie gripped the edge of the boat, her hand nearly slipping as she kept herself from tumbling into the water. Vitaly waved his wand frantically and they sped up for a few hundred feet before a ten-foot-long tentacle broke the surface in front of them.

"Vitaly, the boat!" Cassie yelled, trying to turn his attention to the water pouring into the front. She was preoccupied with shooting a slicing hex at whatever beast owned the massive appendage. It hit just below one of the giant purple suckers, and the tentacle shuddered before snapping back below the water.

Cassie's heart nearly stopped beating when she heard the unknown beast shriek in anger just under the surface of the lake. What followed was an unnatural, eerie silence.

Vitaly had mended the crack in the boat. They stood in ankle-deep water, staring at each other in horror. "Black," Vitaly whispered, his eyes wide and his face pale, "what do we - ?"

A huge spray of water as the creature exploded up from under them, and all at once, the boat was encircled by enormous suckered tentacles. There was a crunching sound as the goblin vampire squid's beak shattered wood into fragments. Vitaly shot a cleaving hex at its impossibly huge eye and it stopped gnashing long enough to bellow in pain. It thrashed its tentacles, sending both wizard and witch soaring away from the remains of the small vessel.

Cassie hit the water hard and in the dark, she couldn't know which direction she needed to swim to reach the surface. In all of the chaos, she had somehow managed to keep her wand gripped in her hand. As precious seconds ticked by, she cast a routing charm. Her wand tilted to the left and she forced her tired muscles to orient her body toward the sky.

It was much harder to cast an Ascendant spell underwater. Her movements were slowed, and the lack of oxygen combined with her fatigue made her wonder if it would be simpler to just black out and leave Romily and the rest of the Saints to their fates. Just as she recalled the agony of her fiance's betrayal, the spell took and she was rushing through the water.

The cold air felt like daggers in her lungs as she gasped for breath. The goblin squid was smashing the last of the boat that had yet to be turned to splinters. Cassie turned in the water, looking for signs of Vitaly. She could see the wizard's head bobbing in the water yards away as he watched the beast in frozen dread.

A movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention. After a moment of panic, Cassie realized it was Boros gliding through the water to her.

She didn't want to make so much noise that they caught the squid's attention. Quietly, she hissed, "Are you alright?"

"Boros has found his mistress. Boros is fine."

Reunited with her familiar, Cassie swam to Vitaly. He let out a terrified yelp when she tapped his shoulder. "We have to move!" she whispered hurriedly.

"We can't outswim that thing - "

"It's distracted, we have to try!" The eerie silence returned. The massive cephalopod, finished with destroying the boat, had disappeared.

Boros was floating in the water in front of Cassie, his yellow eyes locked onto hers. He was telling her something. Insisting.

"Please be careful," Cassie pleaded in Parseltongue.

She held her right arm as far above the water as she could. Removing the holding spell that kept Boros in his current state was tricky, and she didn't want the water impeding the movement of her wand.

"Black," Vitaly snarled, "What are you - "

The appearance of a fully grown basilisk in the water had rendered him speechless.

Something near them broke the surface of the water as the goblin squid neared. Boros whipped his massive head around, but all he could do was sniff the air and listen for more movement.

"I'm going to remove his ocular shields," said Cassie through chattering teeth. "Whatever you do, don't look him in the eye."

"What - Black?" Vitaly asked, his voice cracking. With a wave of her hand, the silver shields disappeared in a wisp of smoke from Boros's eyes. Behind them, the squid burst from the water with a loud screech, blood still pouring from its injured eye as its tentacles crashed down around them. One wrapped around Cassie's waist while another squeezed Vitaly's neck and pulled them closer, closer to its snapping beak. Boros dove beneath the water.

The squid let out an unearthly shriek as the basilisk closed his jaws around its trunk. All at once, it released its hold on the witch and wizard.

Vitaly grasped Cassie's arm and swam as hard as he could, away from the clashing beasts. When they were out of reach from the goblin squid's tentacles, he conjured a bamboo stalk large enough for them to grab onto.

"Fuck!" Vitaly said, spitting out lake water. "Let's just Apparate to Valaam!"

"We've come this far!" She had to shout it. Boros had bit into the squid's head and was thrashing it around, sending blood and water flying everywhere. The creature seemed to be losing strength quickly.

"We've been lucky - "

"Luck has nothing to do with it," she snapped. "Don't be a coward."

"There could be more squid in this lake!"

"We'll be fine!" The squid had finally stilled. Its blood looked black as it seeped across the lake water.

"Black, where is your serpent?" Vitaly's voice cracked as he shivered in the cold water. He kept his gaze locked on Cassie as he tried to obey her command of avoiding Boros's eyes.

Cassie jumped, wondering what her leg had just touched when she realized that her familiar had positioned himself underneath her. His green scales shimmered even in the darkness of the water, and they were easy enough to grip. She swung her leg over the basilisk's side and sighed in relief as her muscles were given a chance to rest.

Boros's head broke the surface of the water. Vitaly screamed. It was a high-pitched sound that echoed across the emptiness of Lake Ladoga.

"We don't have all night." Cassie patted the section of Boros's scales behind her.

"You expect me to get on that thing?!"

"Would you rather float on a piece of bamboo and wait to be eaten?"

With a few more seconds of arguing, the wizard reluctantly mounted the giant snake behind Cassie. Basilisks, it turned out, were much faster in the water than charmed fishing boats. They were able to see the large island much sooner than Vitaly anticipated, but not before being spotted by another goblin vampire squid. Boros killed it with a swift stare-down.

Cassie was grateful, as being in the cold water had only drained what little strength she had to begin with. As Boros glided through the water, she had to force herself to cling to the back of his neck. Darkness threatened to take hold of her consciousness, and her body screamed for her to sleep.

They reached the shore and after Cassie cast a warming spell on Boros, she carefully restored his ocular shields. She couldn't risk accidentally killing any of their allies and he had proven to be plenty dangerous even without his deadly stare.

As Vitaly dried and warmed himself with his wand, Cassie surveyed their surroundings. It was impossibly dark and her view was obscured by a thick coverage of pine trees. Boros was coiled, his head held high in the air, as he listened for the sounds of anyone approaching.

"Do you sense anything?" Cassie asked him.

"We are alone."

Cassie glanced at Vitaly, who had slid to the ground against a tree. His head was tilted back and his eyes were closed.

"Now's not the time for a nap. We need to keep moving."

"We have time to breathe. They do not expect us to arrive on the water, or they would have attacked." He dismissed her with a lazy wave of his hand.

Cassie scoffed. "Or they didn't expect anyone to have made it this far with those squids in the water, don't you think?"

Vitaly's eyes shot open and he stared at her, dumbfounded. "I've traveled here by boat before - "

"Goblin vampire squids are native to the deep ocean, not lakes. They were obviously put there on purpose." She tapped on one of Boros's scales and he lowered himself so she could mount him again, although it was much harder out of the water. She had to work to catch her breath before she spoke again. "Show us where to go."

Vitaly managed to scramble onto Boros just as he rose his head several stories from the ground. Unable to get a firm grip on the numerous armored scales around him, Vitaly yelped as he used Cassie's waist to avoid falling off.

Cassie fumed in frustration but said nothing. She needed to cooperate with him until she found her Saints.

"The Duma's army has taken shelter in Big Nikon Bay. We can use the forest to stay hidden until we get there," said Vitaly.

For more than an hour, Cassie, atop the giant serpent, was on high alert. She hissed in Parseltongue to help Boros navigate the forest blind, all while keeping her wand poised in case they were ambushed. Nothing happened.

The first signs of activity were at the Resurrection Skete. Two of Gryzlov's teal-clad Aurors burst from the front doors of the monastery but quickly ran back in when they saw Boros.

"Wands down!" Cassie warned when they reappeared with three more people. Vitaly repeated her words as he dismounted. The Aurors visibly relaxed when they saw the youngest Pavlischev and one by one, they pocketed their wands.

"Vitaly," said one witch, rushing to the young wizard and grabbing his hand. "What are you doing here?"

"I was tasked with escorting Black," he said while puffing out his chest. Cassie rolled her eyes and didn't bother to hide it.

"Of course," the witch said with a nod. "I would invite the two of you in, but I'm not sure what you will do with your uh - pet."

Cassie covered Boros in an overabundance of defensive spells before she felt comfortable entering the monastery. There, she was immediately offered warm food and drink, and an Auror asked if she needed anything else.

"Blood replenishing potions," Cassie said, pulling a plate of venison roast toward her, "if you have any to spare."

She was nearly done with her food as the precious scarlet liquid was brought to her. She downed it one gulp, praying it would take effect quickly. She wanted this task over and done with, but to do it she needed her strength.

"The Krasnota have settled their forces at the Transfiguration Monastery. The battles have been taking place in the uninhabited forests and wetlands of Valaam, but they have attacked us here without warning," a tall, bearded Auror was telling her as she downed cherry juice from a bronze goblet. The details on it caught her eye and she studied it as she only half-listened. It was covered in crosses and doves.

"Are we using Muggle artifacts?" she interjected. The bearded Auror raised an eyebrow at her.

"Ne-magiya," Vitaly explained under his breath.

"Ah," said the Auror, a haughty expression adorning his features. "We are in one of their buildings used for worship. Is that a problem?"

"Where are they?" asked Cassie.

"The ne-magiya population has been moved from the island."

"Moved where?"

The Auror eyed her warily. His lip curled into an amused smirk. "That is Minister Gryzlov's business, not yours."

She looked away from the older wizard as her mind drifted. So many Muggles had been displaced when her father had been in power. The magical population had endured tragedies, but in the end, it was the non-magical people who had suffered the most. They had no idea a war was even taking place, and yet pain and death had fallen upon countless uninvolved innocents. She couldn't make herself believe that Gryzlov and his administration cared enough to keep the ne-magiya safe, let alone find them a decent place to reside while this played out.

The Auror was still talking. Cassie hadn't heard a word. Rather than ask him to repeat himself, she said, "Where are my subjects?"

He clenched his teeth and his face turned red, obviously offended at the interruption. The witch stepped forward. "They are in battle, Lady Black."

Cassie stood. Her heart pounded and her vision swirled. "All of them are fighting while five of Gryzlov's employees stay back in a warm, cozy building?"

"My lady, all of them wanted to go, I promise you."

Cassie shook her head in disbelief. "When was Romily taken?"

The room was silent. She looked at each individual Auror, searching for an answer. "Miss Boucher. My second in command?"

"Black - " started Vitaly.

"No more stalling!" she snarled. "I'm not going to sit behind secure walls with warm food in my belly while my followers are out there fighting Gryzlov's war! Pavlischev, we're leaving right now!"

She turned to the main door, wand in hand. She took one step and the door burst open. A flood of chattering witches and wizards, some in teal, others in tattered street robes, stepped through one or two at a time. After a few seconds, she realized that she recognized most of the faces.

Diolinda. Dashiell. Maksim. Vauntie. Khristina.

Romily.

"Mily!" cried Cassie. All formality aside, she pushed aside anyone in her way and threw her arms around the brunette. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," said Romily, looking at Cassie like she had grown second and third heads. "You should be recovering! What are you doing here?"

"I've come to end this stupid war and rescue you, of course," Cassie said, sniffling. "It seems like it was handled. I couldn't be more proud."

Romily continued to gawk at her like she had escaped the Janus Thickey Ward at St. Mungo's. The tension was broken when Diolinda placed a hand on Cassie's shoulder.

"Forgive me, my lady," Diolinda said quietly as she eyed Gryzlov's Aurors around the room, "but I think we should speak in private."

Cassie, Diolinda, and Romily dismissed themselves from the monastery. Boros had ventured a few hundred feet into the trees and was snatching bats from the air as they swooped for their own dinners. Assuming that no one would dare venture close to spy with the basilisk nearby, the trio of witches settled near him before casting sound barriers.

Cassie repeated what the letter had said and Romily's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I was never captured!" she spat.

"Although we have lost numbers," Diolinda added solemnly. "I fear the note was a ruse to get you here sooner."

"I had already planned on coming, once I was well enough," Cassie said, leaning back against Boros as he crunched down another Gobi bat. She willed the replenishing potion to take hold as the dark forest spun around her.

"Whoever it was, they did not have your best interest in mind," Romily said icily. "You are about to collapse - "

"I'm fine."

" - we have not yet recovered Bogdan, and Khristina is growing desperate, I see it in her face - "

"It wasn't Khristina."

"We have to consider all of the possibilities, my lady," Diolinda said evenly. "Perhaps you would like to be fair to Khristina, but I think it is likely that she tried to get you here as quickly as possible."

"It was Gryzlov," said Cassie through heavy lids.

"Also a possibility," said Diolinda.

"Enter Dashiell's mind," Romily insisted. "See who used the Imperious curse on him or threatened him!"

"I don't need to. It was Gryzlov," Cassie repeated.

"How do you know?" Romily countered.

"I need to know where the Krasnota are," Cassie said, ignoring the question as she straightened up. The other witches exchanged a skeptical glance before turning their gazes on her. Two pairs of doubtful eyes.

"My lady, we need to make a plan - " started Diolinda.

"I have a plan. I need to know where they are."

Minutes later, Cassie was on top of Boros with Vitaly seated in front of her as they trekked across the island. She kept her snow-white wand jabbed into his ribs, a reminder that it wouldn't be wise to try anything. She had left her Saints behind at the Resurrection Skete. They had just returned from a battle and she would not risk their lives twice in the same night. Not for Gryzlov's war.

"You are as big a fool as I always knew you were," Vitaly hissed through clenched teeth.

"I don't want to hear another word unless you're giving me directions," Cassie said, digging the point of her wand in harder and making him yelp in pain.

"This is a suicide mission!" he declared, before adding, "We need to head north when we cross this brook."

Cassie hissed the command to her mount, who obeyed every direction without incident. Twice, their presence stirred up flocks of sleeping godwits and the twittering made the entire forest come to life. The Krasnota might know someone was coming. She didn't care.

Finally, the Transfiguration Monastery came into view. The battles had damaged the once pristine church and there were large, black-singed chunks missing from the white and teal masonry. Cassie could feel the magic that was surrounding the Muggle shrine. There were layers of defensive spells that would be difficult to break with just two wands.

Boros lowered his head and Cassie slid to the ground. Her heart pounded and her head spun for a few moments. Vitaly had landed on his feet gracefully next to her. He grabbed her arm to steady her all while looking very skeptical.

"Do it," Cassie said icily.

"You are insane."

Vitaly obeyed her nonetheless. Slowly, he approached the building with his wand drawn. When he was mere yards from the main entrance, he cast Sonorus on his throat and stood motionless.

"Krasnota!" he said, swallowing thickly before continuing. "You are outmatched. By the grace of the Magical Duma, you are granted one chance to exit your stronghold and surrender!"

Seconds ticked by and nothing happened. Then all at once, a rainbow of spells shot from all directions at Vitaly. He deflected them, but not without effort. When the magical wisps of smoke cleared, he was clearly winded.

The intricately carved front door swung open. A stout wizard in blood-red robes emerged, chuckling lowly as he made his way down the stairs. "The Duma has just lost a battle not hours ago," he said jovially. "And how, may I ask, are we outmatched? Do you plan to face all of us, young Pavlischev?"

"Not exactly," Vitaly responded, having removed the amplifying charm from himself. Red-clad witches and wizards were emerging from behind statues and trees and piles of rubble. Cassie knew why he looked panicked. She had cast a well-placed notice-me-not charm on the giant serpent.

"Ah, you brought some little witch with you," the wizard continued, his scarred face twisting into a smile. "Now I am shaking in my boots." Cassie twisted her wand in the air to cast the anti-apparition charm. The overly confident wizard, noticing her spell, snorted in amusement. "You do not understand the situation you are in, little witch."

"I understand perfectly," said Cassie. "Now, the conditions of your surrender - "

"Surrender?" he said through his laughter.

"You are Ignatiy Dorokhin, the Krasnota's leader, are you not? Forgive me, I just assumed."

"I am," he said, his look of amusement slowly morphing into something else as he stepped toward her and Vitaly. "However, the only surrendering will be done by you. Perhaps I will make you my little plaything."

There were dozens of witches and wizards surrounding them now. Vitaly backed into Cassie, his wand drawn. She could feel him shaking.

"Easy," she whispered to Vitaly. Addressing Dorokhin again, she asked, "Where do you keep your prisoners?"

"I will tie you to my bed," the Krasnota leader continued on, "and I will make you scream your surrender again and again - "

"Ugh," Cassie snorted, rolling her eyes. She snapped her wrist and Dorokhin was suddenly sputtering for breath. He fell to the ground as she pulled her arm to her side and a few of the Krasnota yelled in alarm as she dragged him across the ground, an invisible rope tightening around his throat.

Vitaly threw up a shield charm, cursing at Cassie as countless spells were fired their way. She couldn't be bothered to hear him at the moment. She tore into Dorokhin's mind with so much force that the magic slammed the back of his head into the ground. When she removed herself from him, he moaned in agony as he lay nearly motionless on the ground.

"The prisoners aren't here," Cassie announced matter-of-factly as Vitaly deflected three more spells.

"Wonderful!" he snarled. "A little help?"

"Stay close to me." She pointed her wand at the trees. The magic that made Boros invisible disappeared and more than one person screamed.

"Kill," Cassie commanded in Parseltongue.

Lightning quick, Boros struck, closing his jaws around the wizard closest to him. A well-aimed severing charm bounced off his green scales and ricocheted to a large tree nearby, slicing its trunk in half. A witch wasted her time trying to Disapparate to avoid being crushed by the falling conifer. It landed on her back, snapping her spine.

"Where are you going?" Vitaly asked as he stumbled after Cassie. She reached the church with little resistance, as everyone was preoccupied with the basilisk on the rampage.

"Pestis Incendium," she said calmly, her wand pointed at the monastery. Vitaly shielded his eyes from the impossibly hot flames that appeared.

"You're insane!" he declared as the building was quickly engulfed in fire. A dozen more people clad in blood-red robes came running out of the front door.

Cassie turned back to Boros. There were six bodies on the ground, three untouched, likely killed in an instant by the basilisk's deadly gaze. He currently had his fangs sunk into a large wizard's torso, who was choking on his own blood and turning blue. Dorokhin had managed to rise to his knees and watched the scene around him, his mouth agape.

The Dark Lord's daughter came to stand beside him. Sensing her presence even in the chaos, he slowly forced himself to look up at her. He didn't dare attempt to rise to his feet. "Now," she said between shrieks of agony and terror, "the terms of your surrender."

---------***---------***---------

Rays of sunshine streamed in between thick teal curtains and across the oversized, cushy bed that Cassie lay in. As consciousness slowly returned to her she wondered how much of a lie-in Gryzlov's staff had allowed her. Her stomach growled loudly and she wondered if she had missed breakfast. Surely there had to be some toast or fruit somewhere in the halls of the Magical Duma.

She bathed and dressed in robes that were provided to her. Plain black, nothing flashy or noticeable. That suited her mood perfectly.

She had agreed to stay in St. Petersburg to speak with the minister. According to his staff, the night before he had been indisposed dealing with Ignatiy Dorokhin. If he had intelligence left, he would have already ordered Dorokhin's execution.

A house-elf informed Cassie of Gryzlov's summons. As he led her through the brightly lit corridors, she asked him for something to eat and he squeaked happily that yes, he would deliver food to the minister's office straight away.

Khristina and Bogdan were leaving the office just as Cassie reached it. Khristina pulled Cassie into a tight hug and thanked her profusely. Bogdan gave her a nod and a smile but deferred any embraces. His broken ribs had been healed but were still very tender to the touch.

"Ah, there she is. The witch of the hour," Gryzlov wheezed as Cassie entered. "I trust you slept well?"

"Yes, very," she said truthfully. She had requested a dreamless sleep potion. The last thing she wanted was to be plagued by images of Severus and Kalina when she needed nothing but rest.

"Excellent. And where is your basilisk? Not squeezed into your bed chamber, I hope?"

Cassie smiled slightly at the image of Boros curled up in the fancy bedroom. He would sure give the house elves a fright. "No, I sent him home with Romily and the rest of my followers. They all deserve a rest."

"As do you."

She shrugged. "I would have gone with them had I been able to." She studied him, watching his shaky movements as he sipped his tea.

"Yes, yes. I am grateful that you agreed to stay behind." He had lost so much weight that his eyes seemed to protrude like they had been unnaturally placed into a skeleton. She wondered what ailed him when he had the region's best healers at his service.

"What is it you'd like to discuss, Sergey?"

"I would like to say that I am forever in your debt, Miss Black." He locked eyes with her. She didn't offer acceptance of his gratitude, even if he appeared sincere at the moment. He had used the Imperius Curse on Dashiell to lie to her, after all. "You have blossomed into a formidable leader, not unlike myself."

Cassie snorted. "A letter would have sufficed."

"Not for this," he said loudly, clearing his throat. "Cassiopeia, what are your aspirations?"

"Nothing you'd be concerned with, I assure you."

"I find that hard to believe. You have servants at your command, a powerful beast that obeys your every whim - "

"And no patience left for this conversation," she said abruptly. "Either make your point, Sergey, or this discussion dies as soon as I leave the room."

The minister's eyes flicked to the door before settling back on Cassie. He was clearly uncomfortable now, fidgeting in his chair and readjusting things on his desk. "Cornelius's seat, my dear girl! That is what I wish to discuss. Have you never dreamed of it? Never thought about sitting in it yourself?"

"So I was right about you," said Cassie, "you do want a war with Fudge." She wrapped her robes closer around her body. Something like a shiver, not unfamiliar, ran through her body.

"There wouldn't have to be a war, not if you seized control of your ministry. We could be allies!" He almost seemed to be pleading now. "You have the means to do it, dear girl, if you would just open your eyes!"

"I do." She stood, her blue eyes never leaving his as she towered over his slouched frame. "So what's to say that I won't do the very same to you?"

The office door banged open. She turned just in time to see two figures rush at her, both familiar: the first was Vitaly, moving so quickly that she barely had time to register the sharp blows he was delivering to her arms and legs with such precision was Dim Mak. She tried to send an electric jolt through her palm to slow him down. Nothing happened. He had already stunned her magic.

She swung to punch him in the face but her recovering muscles were slow and tired. He grabbed her forearm and twisted and for a second she thought he would break her bones. Shaking his head as if he was disappointed, he reached into her pocket and took her wand. He whipped her around in the process. It was then that she fully recognized the second person that had entered the room.

Not a person. Stellan.

"Surprised to see me, I see," he purred as he grasped both of her upper arms. He was as composed and intimidating as ever, that fanged smirk penetrating her like it had never left her in the first place.

"Dumbledore," she whispered. He cocked his head like he was trying to get a better listen. Mocking her. He was a vampire; of course, he had heard her. "You betrayed Dumbledore!"

He bent down to her, so close that pieces of his slick blond hair fell forward and tickled her face. His scent was metallic and undomesticated. "Cassiopeia," he hummed, the words tickling the shell of her ear. She shuddered and he pulled her closer to him, his fingers wrapping tighter around her biceps. "You have no idea."

He released one arm so he could force her head to the left. She caught Vitaly's greedy glare, then winced as the vampire's fangs sank into her flesh. As he drained her blood, she kept her eyes closed. There was no use in surveying her surroundings. She was lost to whatever whims these men possessed.

The hum of distant voices as strong arms supported her limp frame and she slipped into blissful, comforting black. Dreams of farmyards with plump, happy hens and garden gnomes gave way to a potions classroom and then she was trying to claw her way out of a nightmare. She relived the scene of Severus fucking Kalina over and over. First, they were on his desk, then in his supply cupboard. The worst came when she was forced to watch them in his bed.

She realized that she wasn't dreaming when she felt cold, hard floor beneath her. There were voices, but she couldn't make out any distinct words. Finally, she could hear high-pitched hissing beside her.

"She stirs, my lord."

She recognized the sound of scales sliding across the floor. Footsteps grew closer. She tried to open her eyes but her eyelids were so, so heavy. When she managed that, her vision was blurry.

The face she saw above her nearly made her heart stop.

A chalk-white, skeletal face. Two red, glowing eyes with unnatural slits for pupils were staring back at her. She gasped, partially sitting up and regretting it. Her whole body was sore like she had been trampled by a hippogriff.

"Hello, my Cassiopeia," Lord Voldemort said as what little blood she had drained from her face. He must have been amused by her shock because he laughed. A large python was encircling herself around his thin waist as an unknown number of Death Eaters chuckled all around the room.

Cassie didn't find her predicament amusing. Not one tiny bit.