Ebony and Dragon Heartstring

Machado ushered his students towards a storeroom. They had to dodge hospital workers and visitors that were dashing around, and the noise in the emergency department was deafening as people continued to shriek. Cassie was grateful for a room separate from the chaos so she could try to concentrate on what Machado was saying. The thin door offered little respite from the commotion and another blast outside the building shook the white walls around them.

"We will Apparate back to the forest together," she heard him say, and she had to drive her focus towards her master, as a woman screaming for her son on the other side of the door was pulling her attention away. Cassie wondered if it was the boy whose skin had been agonizingly removed with dark magic.

"What do you mean?" Diego questioned, his brown eyes wide with fury. "You are suggesting we run like cowards?"

"You are nowhere near ready to face a threat of this caliber," Machado responded, "To think otherwise proves nothing except that you are a fool!"

"What have we been training for?" Viggo interjected. It was sounding like the second term pupils weren't warming to the idea of fleeing at all. "Has it all been pretend?"

"We have no idea how many of her followers are with her! We could be overwhelmed in seconds, and she would be able to take your powers without any interference. There would be no hope for any of the country after that!" Machado shouted. His argument was compelling, his words full of reason. Regardless, Cassie's hand was on her wand, and it was sending tingles up her arm like an electric current. It was like it was begging to be used.

"Martese is right," Yui said, looking around slowly at her peers. "We are not prepared. If she takes even one of us, she will be that much stronger."

Romily was trembling. Cassie caught her friend's hand in hers to give it a reassuring squeeze. Alex glanced over to them, giving Cassie a small smile as if to thank her. "So we sit this one out. But next time we'll be ready for her," he said.

"If we are ever truly ready," Khristina muttered darkly. Machado was instructing them to join hands for their journey back to the little spot in the Amazon rainforest they called home. Cassie glanced over to Diego, who was looking especially flustered. It was a far cry from his normal composed, unshakable poise.

A thundering crash shook the hospital again, just as half the students Apparated out of the storeroom. This time, it sounded like something large had fallen onto the building, the force of it knocking shelves of medical supplies to the floor. The students who were left joined hands. Cassie had Viggo on one side of her, Romily on the other. Her stomach was in knots, not knowing if she fully agreed with Machado's decision. It seemed gutless to her, to just leave the scene when there was so much they could be helping with.

Just as Machado was starting to count to signal when to Apparate, Diego suddenly ripped himself away from the group, running for the door. Machado cried out for him to stay put, and a second later, Miremba followed her peer.

Cassie turned her wand over in her hand. It was hot to the touch like it was readying itself.

She glanced over to Romily, whose eyes were wide with terror. "No, Cassie, you must stay with us!" she demanded. Cassie wanted to reassure her friend, but she couldn't. She took a second to look to Machado, whose despondent eyes silently begged her not to follow her instincts.

As her feet carried her towards the door, she heard several people yell her name. Their voices were quickly lost in the booms and screaming of the people in the hospital. She weaved her way through the gurneys and sprinted towards the sliding glass doors of the hospital, which gave her a small preview of the anarchy that was taking place outside.

Cassie wasn't an idiot. She knew trying to stop what was happening would be a suicide mission. Even if the entirety of her peers and Machado had tried to fight together, it would be unlikely they could make a difference at this point, being as unprepared as they were. But she wasn't about to let two of her friends be murdered. That was her goal, as she burst onto the street and saw people running, crying, bleeding. She would find Diego and Miremba, and they would get to safety.

She didn't see Diego or Miremba as she searched the crowds around her. She continued down the block, moving past an apartment building that looked as if it had imploded. As she got further away from the hospital, she saw that the loud noise of something hitting the building had been a city bus. It was impaled into the side of the building three stories up as if it had been flung into the air.

A woman lying on the street was pleading for help. A wizard clad in tan robes was hunched over her, roughly grasping her wrists in one hand and grappling with her clothing with the other. Cassie blasted him with a spell so hard that he flew across the street, landing on his back. As she approached him, she saw that his face was covered with a wooden mask, painted bright yellow with little blue dashes on the forehead and cheeks. She hoped all of Sombria's supporters wore the same disguise, making it so much easier to pick them out of a crowd.

With a flick of her wand, the mask was ripped from his face, and his brown eyes tried to focus on Cassie's face as she stood above him. Landing on the ground with that much force had dazed him.

"Bruxa," he whispered. His eyes narrowed as his hand slowly went for his wand, which he had dropped when he had landed. Cassie kicked it away.

"Bruxa," she confirmed, giving him a small bow to mock him. Then she pointed her wand at his face and muttered, "Obliviate."

The predatory wizard having been dealt with, Cassie moved on. She took out another wizard that was starting a convenient store on fire, and a witch that was ripping a toddler away from its mother's arms. Both of Cassie's adversaries had been wearing the same yellow and blue mask with tan robes, and both had been taken completely off guard. They weren't expecting resistance in Manaus, at least not this early in their attack.

When she found Diego and Miremba in a park, they were locked in a duel with six of the followers. The second term pupils were holding their ground even being outnumbered, but Diego looked fatigued. As Cassie ran towards them, he narrowly dodged a stunning spell aimed at him, and then sent up a powerful blockade spell. It deflected the oncoming spells for a few moments, and Diego dropped to his knees, panting. The followers stopped hurling spells, thinking they had the upper hand. They started to prowl around the magical shield, waiting for their opportunity to continue their assault.

Cassie, who was still unnoticed by the overconfident group, locked eyes with Miremba. She motioned with her hands for her to throw up a defensive charm. Miremba did just that, and Cassie didn't waste any time. The spell she launched was like an electric current, a burst of white-hot energy that tore through their bodies in seconds. All six were on the ground before they knew what happened, unconscious.

"That was awesome!" Miremba praised Cassie as the barriers protecting her and Diego crackled with the effort of keeping Cassie's spell out.

"Lucky our shields held up or we'd be incapacitated too," Diego muttered as he rose to his feet.

"I'm sorry, was that a 'thank you'?" Cassie rebutted. "Let's get out of here."

Her peers released their magical barriers. "I'm not leaving! Sombria hasn't even shown up yet!" Diego snapped.

"Diego, you can't possibly think we can take her out - " Miremba started, but Diego was on a rampage.

"We can't let her terrorize another city! Did you see what her followers alone have done today?" he yelled.

"Diego! We were almost defeated just now!" Miremba countered angrily. "Did you think we were winning?"

"There are three of us now," he huffed.

"I'm only here to get you two back to the forest," Cassie snapped.

"And I only went after you because you're stupid!" Miremba snarled.

"Fine!" he said, stomping off, "You two can go back without me, but I am not leaving!"

"Diego!" Miremba was following him now, grabbing his shoulder. "This is madness, you will get yourself killed!"

They were out of time to argue. Two of Sombria's followers Apparated into view. As soon as they saw their fallen comrades, they attacked, and Cassie found herself quickly preoccupied in a duel with a highly skilled witch.

"Get out of here!" she shouted to Diego and Miremba, sending a stunning spell at the witch that was easily deflected. They had taken care of the other masked assailant, but just then, several more appeared. Within seconds, Cassie couldn't afford to worry about the whereabouts of her friends. She had to focus on the three other wizards launching spells at her simultaneously.

It was like art, the way she threw her hexes and diverted their efforts to maim her. In only minutes she had taken out two of them, but Sombria seemed to have an unending supply of those willing to fight for her. Cassie risked a glance and saw that Miremba was also in the throws of an unbalanced duel, but that momentary lapse in concentration cost her. A hex hit her in the shoulder, making her arm instantly go numb, and her wand dropped to the ground.

Cassie held out her left hand and silently called her wand to her, but one of the masked witches had shot another stunning hex at her. While Cassie was forced to divert her attention to producing a wandless barrier, a wizard snatched it.

She stopped to survey her situation, now that she had a shield charm up. There were eight masked followers, all staring at her. One of them had her wand. Diego was nowhere to be found, and Miremba was still locked in a hopeless fight, three against one. She knew she had to act quickly, or Miremba would be overtaken.

Cassie inhaled deeply. With a crack, she disappeared from behind her magical barrier and reappeared next to Miremba. "Go!" she yelled, and Miremba Apparated away without hesitating. Cassie was grateful that she didn't have to worry about her friend's safety as an unrestrained burst of purple energy surged from her outstretched left hand. Without her wand, it was unrefined, striking anything in the vicinity without control. The three wizards Miremba had been dueling were blasted backward, and Cassie Apparated back to the other eight.

All of them disappeared with loud pops before Cassie had the chance to strike. Their cowardice caught her off guard, but she was grateful nonetheless. She saw her wand lying on the ground, and went to retrieve it. She intended to get back to camp as soon as it was in her hand, knowing it would only be a matter of time before more masked enemies showed up in larger numbers.

Just as Cassie bent down to grab it, her wand flew past her. She turned in the direction it had gone and was startled by the sudden appearance of a witch standing a few yards away. She looked to be in her thirties, with long, flowing black hair. Her face was free of a mask, but her forehead and cheeks were covered in small, horizontal, blue dashes. They almost seemed to glow against the witch's honey-brown skin.

Cassie didn't need an introduction. Just by looking at this witch, she knew the follower's masks were painted to mimic the marks on her face. The robes she wore were tan like theirs but were adorned in blue swirls, likely indicating her higher status.

Swallowing hard before she found her voice, Cassie said, "That belongs to me." She held out her hand as if there were any hope that this woman would just give her wand back to her without a fight.

Sombria remained silent, cocking her head slightly as she considered Cassie's words. Then, she closed her eyes, and Cassie's wand started to glow in her hand. It splintered and disintegrated in a matter of seconds.

Cassie should have been afraid. But the destruction of her beloved weapon set something in motion inside her. She glared, the moments ticking by as Sombria raised her white, glistening wand. Cassie stretched the fingers on her right hand. They still tingled, but the feeling was coming back.

The dark witch sent a spell at her, a mass of black voltage that hissed and snapped as it passed Cassie's ears. Using her hands to cut through the center of the dark magic, Cassie used every ounce of energy she could muster to direct it away from her. When the barrage stopped, she lofted her own attack, the same white electricity she had used on this witch's lackeys earlier. Sombria blocked it with ease, smirking when Cassie lowered her hands. With a twirl of her wand, she sent another round of the ebony energy at Cassie, but this time, she was expecting it. Instead of cutting through it, she opened her hands up, absorbing as much of it as she could. As the magic entered her body, she felt rejuvenated, every nerve set ablaze, and she focused on concentrating all of it back to her hands.

With a scream of effort, Cassie sent Sombria's magic right back to her. The witch only stumbled on her feet, having been able to block some of the force, but she was visibly startled. Cassie raised her hands again, ready to use what stamina she had left to incapacitate her. Obscure blue flames started to form in her palms, and she was about to launch them at Sombria like a flamethrower when a firm hand on her shoulder tugged her from the park and back into the trees of the Amazon.

It took a few seconds for Cassie to realize that Machado had Apparated her back to camp. She had to dispel the flames building in her hands last second, as she didn't want to set the forest on fire, but that was the only ounce of control she could muster just then.

"Why did you do that? I had her!" she shouted angrily at her master.

"You did not!" he yelled back. "She would have defeated you, killed you, and taken your powers!

"I wouldn't have let that happen!"

"Your arrogance has blinded you!" Machado berated her. "I should send you out of here for your brazenness before it endangers us all!"

"Then do it!" Cassie was pacing the forest floor, clenching and unclenching her fists. She was exhausted from the battles she had just endured, but she also had leftover energy to dispel. She pictured Sombria's surprised expression, wishing she had been able to land another blow, and silently cursed Machado for his rash decision to remove her before she had the chance.

The ground started to rumble. Birds started to chirp in alarm and take flight from the shaking trees. Even as Cassie recognized what was happening, she couldn't even fathom calming herself down at that moment. She felt the rage inside her build, even as she looked to her master.

"Get me somewhere safe," she told him through clenched teeth. His hand was on her shoulder again, and he Apparated them away.

They appeared on an unknown rocky coastline, rough waves hitting the beach with ferocity. It seemed uninhabited, which Cassie knew was exactly what was needed right then. She planted herself on the uneven ground, disregarding the jagged rocks that were cutting into her backside as she tried to get herself under control. The ground continued to rumble, smaller pebbles bouncing and rattling as Cassie took deep breaths.

A large boulder a few feet away suddenly split in two with a sickening crack. She started to panic as the waves were interrupted and hit the ground with angry licks.

"Do not be afraid," Machado said. "Let it happen. Keep the feeling going."

This is what they had discussed. When it started, encourage its growth. Try to exercise some control. So she did as they planned. She pictured Sombria again, and then she pictured the innocent, terrorized people running in the streets. Another boulder shattered.

She pictured the victims of the contractura hexes, their tortured bodies twisted unnaturally, their faces paralyzed forever in silent screams. The ground continued to shake.

The memory of seeing the spell being used on Muggles as a child, of watching masked Death Eaters taking pleasure in inflicting that much agony on other humans flashed through her mind.

The ground stopped shaking. The waves returned to their normal patterns, and she heard Machado say something encouraging in her ear. But her mind was elsewhere, reliving the time she was forced to watch Rodolphus Lestrange slowly disembowel a young Muggle woman in front of her husband. He laughed while he did it. A man that had helped raise her through her toddler years, who had read her storybooks and tucked her into bed at night.

"Martese," Cassie croaked, her eyes closed as she focused on those traumatizing childhood experiences. "Shield charms, now!" She felt something building inside her. The power that had shaken the environment was now consolidating inside her, and it was about to come out.

The power came out of her in an eruption of red, black, and purple light. It sliced through rock, any trees that were nearby, and shot across the water and dispersed into the open sky. She opened her eyes, and seeing its destructive force horrified her. As it burst in every direction without reason, it scorched the earth, and Machado was having to dodge it even with his advanced defensive magic in place. Her mind was no longer trained on her terrible memories as a child. All she wanted now was for this devastation to stop.

"Martese," she said, standing up, and the force kept ripping through her without a lapse in intensity, "Help me!" It was like her fear was driving the power forward even more. As a beam of jagged red light hit the water, it sizzled, sending steam into the air. Another tentacle of light hit the ground again, and a smoking crater was left in its wake. Machado had to deflect a purple shaft that whipped towards him, but eventually, he reached her side, crying out in pain as something made contact with him.

The tip of his wand jutted into Cassie's temple for a brief second, and then everything in her mind went graciously dark.

Cassie woke up from her deep slumber with a gasp, sitting straight up. When she realized that she was in her hut, she panicked, as she remembered that the magic that had flown through her had hit Machado. Needing to know if he was alright, she scrambled to her feet.

"Hold on, Cass!" a voice said, and a large hand gripped her forearm. She startled when she saw Alex sitting there, wondering how she hadn't noticed him right away in the tiny bungalow. "Just relax."

"Martese, is he okay?" she demanded.

"He's looked prettier, but he's just fine," Alex reassured her. "Sit back down, Cass. You need to rest."

"I'm fine," she argued, even as a wave of nausea hit her She had to steady herself against the wall as the room began to spin slowly. With Alex's hand still on her arm, she slowly sat back on her mattress.

"You're not," Alex told her. "Martese had to hit you with a pretty strong charm to knock you unconscious. He said you would feel crappy for a few days."

"Did he tell you what happened?" She gratefully accepted the cup of water he handed her, taking a long drink.

"He told all of us."

"Is everyone else alright?"

"Diego is still pretty pissed off. But everyone is fine."

"Do we know what happened in Manaus?" she asked quietly.

"Martese was going to update us when you were feeling better," Alex said. He looked her over, and a small smile played at his lips. "I can't believe you held your own against Sombria, Cass. That's pretty badass!"

"Don't let Martese hear you say that," she said. Just then, another voice made her startle once again. She needed to get rid of her nerves, as feeling this on-edge was growing old.

"Don't let me hear what?" Machado was standing in the doorway, and he was sporting a black, magical burn that started above his eye and went down his face and throat. Cassie didn't care how sick she felt at the moment. She got to her feet, this time with Alex's help, and she bombarded the older wizard with a hug.

"Martese, I'm so sorry," she breathed, as tears fell from her eyes. "Are you alright?"

"I am fine, child," he said, returning her squeeze. "No need to fret."

"I couldn't control it," she said as she pulled away. "I tried, Martese, I really did, but it was like it had a mind of its own."

"You did not have a wand. You did not have a way to channel it properly," he said, patting her on the hand gently. "When you obtain a new one, we will try again." Cassie must have given him an apprehensive look, because he hastily added, "If you are willing, of course."

"If," she reiterated quietly. But she knew she might not have a choice, as this time hadn't been planned. Next time might not be, either.

Machado instructed Cassie and Alex to go to The Middle. The rest of the students were there, and Cassie hugged Miremba as soon as she saw her. The second term witch looked as exhausted as Cassie felt just then.

"I have received word from Minister Luis da Gama," Martese started quietly when his pupils were settled, "Sauda Sombria and her followers, who call themselves Cavaleiros da Floresta, have killed more than three hundred people in Manaus. The Ministry and their defenders have only just driven them out, and that is only because they received support from Guyana and Colombia."

"We should have done more to help!" Diego interjected.

Arvid rolled his eyes. "You shut up, idiot!" he demanded. "You nearly gave Sombria another boost of power, and got Miremba and Cassie killed in the process!"

"Diego did not make me come after him!" Miremba said haughtily.

"Enough!" Machado snapped. "We can argue about the matter over and over. The fact is, if we had fought, we would have lost. Sombria would have stolen at least one of you. Da Gama will never be able to arrest her if we hand her that much power."

"Cassie could have finished it," Diego said defiantly. "She was winning - "

"She was not winning! She was merely delaying the inevitable!" Machado shouted. He took a deep breath, composing himself before he continued to explain the situation to his students. "Sombria was attempting to pull her in. For Roubando to be performed, the victim's death has to be up close, intimate. If Sombria had only wanted to kill her, she would have been dead in an instant."

"I don't believe that - " Diego started, but it was Cassie's turn to interject.

"No, he's right," she said. "I didn't even know she was there until she was right behind me. She must have been watching me fight her followers, or cavaleiros, or whatever they're called."

"We are lucky she does not know where we are," Machado said. "If she sees Diego or Miremba or Cassie again, she will target them for Roubando. At least the rest of you are still anonymous to her." There was a heavy silence that followed, and even Diego kept his mouth shut.

Then, Yui raised her hand to speak. "Does Da Gama know why she was in Manaus, Martese?"

"It seems Sombria has made a personal threat against Minister da Gama. Since the attack, she has made it known that she intends to go after his daughter Fernanda, unless he reveals the magical world to the non-magics and stops them from destroying the forest," Machado said. "This was just a way to get the Ministry's attention."

"Where is she?" Cassie asked, but even as the question was in the air, she felt like she knew the answer. Her stomach turned over.

"Fernanda da Gama is eleven years old. She is in her first year at Castelobruxo," Machado said with an air of finality.

The focus of their training shifted after that. For the next two weeks, they switched between practicing defending the camp in the event that Sombria would find them, and going up to the school. The first time Cassie saw Castelobruxo, it took her breath away. It resembled a large temple made of golden rock, with an imposing flight of stairs that had to be traipsed to even reach the main entryway. The caipora that protected the grounds were wary of their presence no matter how many times they came by, prodding them with arrows as they walked up the steps and muttering in their native language. Their presence, while vital to the protection of the school, always made the academy students on edge, even after practicing defensive formations with them. The flame-haired dwarves were strikingly similar to the forest-dwelling curupira and had made a lasting negative impression.

Although the Brazilian Ministry of Magic had their version of Aurors at the school around the clock since Sombria's threat, Da Gama and Headmaster Antunes had requested that four of Machado's students be in the building at all times to help patrol. Machado had agreed with some reluctance, as he wanted to keep the academy's presence and his pupil's identities a secret from Sombria. But Da Gama has appealed to his emotions, having Fernanda present during the conversation, and Machado had eventually agreed. So their lives became that much busier, trying to fit in their training, along with partnering up and guarding the grounds.

Cassie was relieved that Machado was still willing to let them go home for visits, as long as enough of them stayed back to help at the school. Almost four weeks had passed since she had last seen Severus, and her heart was long overdue for his company.

"You sure you don't want to bring us along?" Alex asked Cassie as they walked through the halls of Castelobruxo. Classes were in session, so they were alone except for the occasional roaming caipora or ghost.

"I don't think Severus is ready to meet you and Romily yet," Cassie said, smirking.

"He's never going to be ready," Alex teased. "You just have to force it on him! We've talked about this."

"Okay. Then let me rephrase it, Alex. I'm not ready to give up my alone time with him yet, not on my second visit. Last time we got interrupted by his coworkers."

"His coworkers...you mean your old professors?"

"Yeah," she said, laughing.

"What an odd situation," Alex mused.

"Don't you want a weekend alone with Romily anyway?" Cassie asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "Better yet, why don't you take her home to Iowa?"

Alex sucked his teeth. "We haven't been dating long enough for me to take her home! That's a big step."

"Come on," Cassie teased. "You two are adorable. Just go for it."

"Alright, enough of the relationship talk," he said.

"Oh, does it make you uncomfortable?" she goaded. "Or only when we're talking about yours?"

A bell sounded through the halls, and students dressed in bright green robes started to pour from the classrooms and into the halls. The period ending also signaled the changing of the guard, and Cassie and Alex made their way through the sea of children towards the main hall where they would be switching out with the next group.

Khristina and Bogdan were already there, having also just finished their patrol. In a few minutes, Yui, Miremba, Romily, and Diego came through the massive front doors, drenched in rain. Alex and Romily exchanged a quick kiss and a hand squeeze before she had to head down the hall with Yui. Their sweet gestures made Cassie miss Severus even more, her heart soaring when she realized she would be seeing him very soon.

Alex and Cassie headed out into the rain, carefully making their way down the slippery steps as caipora followed closely behind. Once they reached the bottom, they Apparated back to camp. Cassie immediately went to her hut to change and grab her overnight bag, and then she went back down to the forest floor to meet Machado, where he was waiting with a Portkey.

"You plan to get a new wand this weekend, yes?" he asked.

"Yes, Martese," she said. "I feel lost without one." She knew he was eager to try to control her power again. She wasn't nearly as enthusiastic about letting it rear its head.

This time, the Portkey brought her to Cokeworth. After everything that had happened, all Cassie wanted was to go home. If it was that much harder to leave at the end of her visit, she would have to deal with it then. She appeared on the empty street a block away and started to make her way to the house, knowing that she would arrive there before Severus.

As she passed Andrea's house, she noted that it looked unoccupied. She wondered if she and the kids were still in Chelmsford, hoping they had put the money she had sent them to good use. She couldn't imagine coming back to this street after enduring the abuse that Andrea had experienced. Then again, she didn't know how Severus continued to return here during every break. If she had grown up with his parents, she would have gotten rid of this house and started somewhere fresh a long time ago.

When she entered the house, it smelled of a building that hadn't been aired out for a long time. There were cobwebs in the corners, and everything seemed to be just where she and Severus had left them. He had lived there for a few days by himself, between her leaving for Brazil and him having to return to Hogwarts. The only things that seemed out of place were a few dishes that had been cleaned, but not put away, and a stack of newspapers in the sitting room. With nothing better to do with her time, Cassie started to spruce up the little home, making sure it was tidy and welcoming for when her lover returned to her.

She was in the bedroom straightening up the wrinkled bedsheets when she saw him coming down the sidewalk. Unable to contain her excitement, she made her way downstairs, flinging the front door open and racing toward him. A rare smile broke on Severus' face as she flung herself into his arms. He covered her lips with his, a satisfying hum vibrating through his chest as he held her to him.

"Hi, darling," she said, unable to stop the huge smile that spread on her features.

"'Darling'?" he asked.

"Thought I'd give it a try," she said. "What do you think?" Severus loosened his grip on her, his hand grasping hers as they started to make their way to the house together.

"As long as it's not in front of anyone, my dear," he said, a hint of a grin still on his face. It melted her heart to see him in person again, and to see a contented expression on his face. If he wasn't happy while they were apart from each other, at least she knew he was happy as soon as they were together.

They barely made it through the front door before Cassie pounced on him, pushing him up against the wall and giving him a sly look. Unable to make it to the second floor to the bedroom, they ended up fumbling their way to the sitting room and falling onto the couch.

"What do you have in mind for this weekend?" Cassie asked when they were done. She was lying on her back with Severus nestled carefully on top of her, his face on her bare chest. She entwined her hand in his black hair, lazily massaging his scalp as she admired his sprawled, naked form.

"If I had the final say, we wouldn't be leaving this house," he murmured, his black eyes fluttering closed as she continued to run her fingers through his hair.

"Oh?" Cassie asked softly. "Who is deciding for us, then?"

"Arthur and Molly have been rather insistent about seeing you," Severus replied. "It's ultimately up to you, of course."

"I can't say no to them." Cassie wrapped her arms around his shoulders, placing a kiss on the top of his head. He let out a small sigh. "I have to go into Diagon Alley this weekend, too."

"For what?"

Cassie hesitated. She was going to just tell him that she needed a new wand, but that would bring up inevitable questions. She wouldn't keep what had happened from him, as she was determined as ever not to have secrets between them. But she didn't want to disturb their peace just yet. "I'll tell you tomorrow."

A disapproving groan left his throat, and he turned so he could lock his black eyes onto her blues. It made her breath catch in her throat, the way she got lost in those dark pools in only an instant. "I'm not going to like what you have to say, am I?"

"Depends on what you find amusing nowadays," she quipped. He tried to push himself off her, but Cassie wrapped her arms around him tighter. "C'mon, Severus. Just relax. It's nothing urgent, nothing that needs to be addressed tonight."

"Cassie, I can't relax now, not when I know you need to tell me something!"

She searched his eyes. "Severus, trust me. I just want one night with you to unwind. Please?"

He looked at her for a few moments, as if he was trying to coax the information out of her silently. "Fine. Only if you agree to tell me first thing in the morning."

"Deal."

He fidgeted in her arms, and she allowed him to sit up this time. She felt disheartened, assuming that he would be unable to enjoy their time together that night, knowing there was something unknown looming in the background. She debated just blurting out the fact that Sauda Sombria had destroyed her wand in a duel so it would be out in the open, but he spoke first.

"What shall we do tonight, then?" His suggestive tone was like music to her ears. Before she could reply, he took her hand and started to lead her to the staircase. As they made their way to their uninhabited bedroom, she finally felt like her wish to have an uninterrupted night, ignorant of all the worldly worries that plagued them, might actually come true.