Thanks to Apple Blossom for beta reading, and thanks to you for reading this.

Chapter IV: Family Bonds

With a content sigh Severus let himself fall back in his chair, watching the last student close the dungeon door behind her. Finally, the school year was over. Finally, he was free.

He had to admit that it had been one of his quietest teaching years. The students who took Healing Charms and Potions were all at NEWT level and hence interested, willing to learn and – most of the time – well behaved. But still, Severus’ teaching duties took away far too much time from his private life. And he considered every moment away from his wife and daughter a moment lost. And with the NEWT exams and the grading that followed, those moments had been far too many.

But he would make up for it over the summer. He had rented a little cottage just outside Hogsmeade village where he and his family would spend an undisturbed summer. He had not told Cassandra yet. Nor had he told her that he had hung a two-seat swing in the apple tree in the garden. It was going to be a surprise. Maybe, he would tell her already today.

With an almost indistinguishable smile on his lips, Severus packed up his teaching supplies and left the classroom. He would tidy up another day.

He strode towards his private chambers but found them empty. No surprise, really. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and Cassandra had almost certainly taken Eydis out into the grounds. The students of Hogwarts had all but adopted Eydis as their substitute sister. Many of them missed their little siblings sorely and loved the little Snape baby.

When first Severus had noticed, he had not liked the idea of those dunderheads playing with his little angel. But when he had heard the joyful laughter and seen Cassandra’s smile, he had changed his mind. He had never had any friends as a child, and seeing that his little daughter was already surrounded by so many people who loved her, made him very, very happy indeed.

The yard was filled with students who were enjoying the warm weather and the fact that the last lesson of the year was behind them. They would spend the afternoon taking farewell for the summer, and tomorrow they would board the Hogwarts Express and return home. Years ago, Severus would have scowled at all the smiling faces. No, he would probably not even have seen them, as he would not have left the dungeons while the sun was still up. But now he returned the students’ cheerful greetings at least with a not too curt nod and did not even mind the bewitched football that happened to swoosh by his head.

Yes, times had truly changed. He had changed.

He spotted Cassandra’s raging red hair at the edge of the lake. She was sitting on the bench under the big oak tree, and the wind was carrying her laughter over the grounds. But instead of laughing with her, Severus felt the blood freeze to ice in his veins when he saw who was sitting beside Cassandra. There was no mistaking the mop of blond hair, the elegant, tailored robes. And when Severus approached the bench, he even caught sight of the snakehead that adorned the cane in the man’s hand.

‘Malfoy,’ Severus hissed. ‘Lucius Malfoy.’

The blond man turned and extended his hand. ‘Severus, my friend. It is so good to finally see you face to face. I could not believe my ears when I heard that you are still alive and have returned to the wizarding world. Yet here you are, dark and scowling as ever.’

Reluctantly, Severus shook Lucius’ hand and eyed him carefully. He had certainly become older. His hairline was receding, and had his hair not been blond, there would surely have been a few grey streaks visible. The lines around his cold grey eyes had become deeper, as had those around his mouth. But the arrogant smile and the supercilious look in his eyes had not changed a bit.

‘Where is Eydis?’ Severus asked, pointedly turning away from Lucius.

‘Narcissa took the babies for a stroll,’ Cassandra explained and pointed towards the edge of the lake where Severus could make out the curvy silhouette of Narcissa Malfoy pushing a pram. Then he frowned.

‘Did you say babies?’ he inquired. ‘Plural?’

‘Yes,’ Lucius answered instead of Cassandra. ‘When Narcissa heard that her cousin had a baby with one of our oldest friend, she insisted on coming to visit. And we thought it was a charming idea to bring our grand-son along.’

Grand-son? Merlin’s pants, had the little twit Draco Malfoy reproduced? Was there to be yet another generation of schmoozing, scheming, insinuating Malfoys?

Lucius had either not noticed the sour look on Severus’ face or had decided to ignore it. And he was still smiling when he smoothly went on: ‘Narcissa and I would like to invite you and your adorable wife to dinner tonight, Severus. We have to celebrate that there is yet another heir to the most noble house of Black.’

~ ~ ~

After dinner, Severus reluctantly followed Lucius to the drawing room for a drink. Narcissa had excused herself already during the main course due to a migraine. And Cassandra had left shortly after the dessert. It was her first night away from her baby, and Lucius, gracious host as he was, had excused her. And Severus had stayed behind. Not because Lucius had asked him to stay for old times’ sake, but because Cassandra had reminded him that it would be bad manners to leave.

‘Your wife is a lovely creature,’ Lucius said as he handed Severus a glass of brandy. ‘That smile, those eyes … and those comely curves. Tell me, has pregnancy turned her into this shapely goddess or has she always looked so good?’

Severus gritted his teeth and decided not to answer. He had seen Lucius ogling Cassandra with that lusty look in his eyes all evening. He had felt flattered at first, he had to admit that. Lucius Malfoy had always been known for his good taste, and the fact that he found Cassandra attractive appealed to Severus’ ego. But as the hours ticked by, and as he noticed how Lucius leant in closer and closer towards Cassandra and how she merrily laughed at his jokes, Severus had been forced to hold on tight to his napkin so he would not throw it at Lucius. Or worse.

‘And the endearing way she smiles at your comments, Severus. Just the way Narcissa does,’ Lucius went on, a smirk on his face. ‘Ah, the Black girls. They may act demure, but they are incorrigible minxes in the boudoir.’

Then he leant forward, the lusty look back in his grey eyes. ‘I am sure your dear wife is no exception to that, is she, Severus?’

Severus put his glass down with such force that the brandy swapped onto the table. ‘Whatever sexual capacities my wife may or may not possess is not any of your concern, Lucius.’

Lucius cocked an eyebrow. ‘There, there, Severus. Those years living as a Muggle have not turned you prude, have they? Well, at least, you have come to your senses about your preferences in women. I knew you had it in you, Severus. I always knew that you preferred a pure-blood witch. I never understood what you saw in that Mudblood Evans.’

Severus had to use all his self-control not to slam his fist right into Lucius’ pretty face. How dared he take a stab at Lily? And how dared he accuse him of having chosen Cassandra because of her blood status?

‘Have you still not understood that bloodlines do not matter, Lucius?’ he hissed. ‘When I fell in love with Cassandra, I did not even know that she was a witch.’

‘When you fell in love?’ Lucius snorted. ‘Dear Severus, are you trying to tell me that you are capable of love? You?’

Severus swiftly got up and towered over Lucius to glare down at the blond wizard with cold black eyes.

‘Yes, Lucius, in contrast to you, I am capable of love. I do not care about bloodlines or status. I do not need to lead a sham marriage like you. Cassandra has made me complete, and I love her more than life itself.’

Good manners forgotten, Severus turned and headed for the door. But before he opened it, he faced Lucius Malfoy for the very last time.

‘I pity you, Lucius. I pity you for never having experienced what I am experiencing with Cassandra. I pity you for not knowing true love. And I am warning you: if you ever try to spread your venom within my family again, I swear that I will make you regret that you were born.’

~ ~ ~

‘Is everything alright?’

Cassandra’s voice made Severus spin around. And he stared at her, not really comprehending where she had come from.

He had not entered the nursery on his return, although he had seen the soft candle light and heard Cassandra singing softly to their baby. He had wanted to go and join her, more than anything else, but something had made him stay in the darkness of his study. Something about all the things Lucius Malfoy had said made him feel as if he did not belong by her side.

And now Cassandra was standing right in front of him, in the darkness of his study. The darkness he should never have dragged her into.

‘You seem tense,’ she stated.

And Severus couldn’t help but snort. ‘Dinner at Malfoy Manor usually has that effect on me.’

Cassandra wrapped her shawl tighter around her. ‘Yes, being in Lucius Malfoy’s company is not exactly a walk in the park. Just imagine that I almost had to marry that scoundrel.’

Severus' breath caught in his chest and he swallowed dryly. What had she just said?

As if she had sensed his surprise, Cassandra explained: ‘When my mother found out that she was pregnant with a girl, she immediately started searching for a suitable son-in-law. Lucius Malfoy was of course high up on her list. Just imagine, the most noble house of Black connected with the Malfoys. It was a dream come true for her. You should have seen the tantrum she had when she found out that aunt Druella had been faster and that Narcissa had already been promised to Lucius.’

‘Would you have married him?’ Severus asked.

He knew he should not have asked, but Lucius’ snide remarks were still ringing in his ears and prevented him from thinking straight.

Cassandra stared at him with utter disbelief. ‘You are not seriously asking me that question, are you, Severus?’

‘Lucius Malfoy is a good catch,’ Severus retorted. ‘Twenty years ago, many witches would have killed to have him. Why would you not have taken him?’

Cassandra snorted. ‘You must be joking, Severus. I ran off and married a Muggle, remember? I did not want to marry any pureblood my parents chose for me. And I would most definitely not have married Lucius Malfoy!’

‘You did not seem to mind him flirting with you all evening.’

That statement wiped any trace of a smile off Cassandra’s smile, and the temperature of her voice dropped by easily ten degrees.

‘I was being polite, Severus. We were guests at Malfoy Manor.’

‘Lucius would still take you, you know,’ Severus went on, ignoring the upset tone in Cassandra’s voice. ‘He made this very clear.’

‘Is that what this is all about, Severus? Do you feel threatened by Lucius Malfoy?’

Severus did not answer. Instead he turned to his desk and started shuffling around some stacks of paper. He did not even turn around when Cassandra spoke again. But he did not need to see her face to know how hurt she was, how disappointed.

‘Is this what you think of me, Severus? That I would just fall for some handsome grey eyes and a catching smile? Do you trust me that little?’

Then he heard the rustling robes, footsteps, and the sound of the bedroom door closing. She had not even slammed it shut, but closed it slowly and carefully, had made sure that it was really closed. And that said more than a thousand words.

Severus closed his eye and let out the air he had been holding in his lungs. What had he done? Why had he accused Cassandra of a crime she would never even think of committing. Why had he felt the need to hurt her, to push her away?

‘Slytherin self-preservation,’ he murmured to himself, remembering another incident when a door had closed between them. That time, he had been the one walking out on Cassandra. It had been after he had found out that she was a witch, that she was a Black. He had felt hurt and betrayed that day. And like an angry viper, he had hissed and struck. Not to kill, but to scare away whoever dared to come too close.

He was so bloody good at it. He had done it before and lost his best friend. But he mustn’t lose Cassandra. Not like this.

He wanted to go after her and had already reached the door when he paused. She had made sure that the door was really closed. Clearly she did not want him go after her. If she cared to listen to his apology, she would not have left, would not have closed the door that carefully.

It was too late.

Severus felt himself go cold, saw the shadows move in on him.

‘We’ve warned you, Severus Snape,’ they taunted. ‘We knew you would hurt her eventually. And you knew it, too.’

Severus pressed his palms against his eyes, tried to shut out the faces of his past that yet again had come to haunt him. But it did not help. They were inside his head, inside his mind.

‘She hates you now, Severus. You have hurt her. And she walked out on you because she couldn’t stand the sight of you.’

As if burnt, Severus let go off the doorknob and grabbed his travelling cloak instead. He would not spend the night in the dungeon. Where he would go, he did not know. Maybe he would go wandering around the grounds. Maybe he would venture into the Forbidden Forest. Or maybe he would go to the cottage he had rented.

The cottage. Oh, he had pictured it so nicely. The garden, the swing in the apple tree where he had hoped to wrap his arms around Cassandra and tell her that all this was for her. But now he doubted that she would even go there with him.

He wrapped his cloak around himself and was already half-way out the door when a noise from the nursery made him fall dead in his track. Eydis was crying. And he knew by the sound of it that she was not crying because she needed her nappies changed. She had had a bad dream and was crying in fear.

For a moment, Severus paused, expecting Cassandra to open the bedroom door and run to her daughter. But the door stayed shut. This was peculiar. Cassandra was usually the one who was out of bed and by Eydis’ side before Severus even had realised that the baby was crying.

He frowned. Had Cassandra cast Muffliato on the door so he would not hear her cry? Did she therefore not hear the baby? It was unlike her. But then again, nothing about this evening was normal in any way.

Stripping off his travelling cloak again, Severus strode towards the nursery where Eydis was lying in her crib, crying. The sound cut into his very heart, and he picked up his little daughter and carefully held her to his chest. To his surprise, Eydis’ crying subsided immediately. And as he looked down at her, he found her looking at him with those enchanting blue eyes.

‘I wish I could dry your mother’s tears as easily as yours, little one,’ he whispered. ‘But I am afraid that I am the one who made her cry in the first place tonight.’

He placed a tender kiss on his daughter’s forehead, held her close to his heart.

‘Your father is an idiot,’ he stated. ‘Did you know that, little one? A bloody fool.’

Of course, the baby did not answer. But Cassandra did: ‘And still, she loves you, Severus. And so do I.’

He turned and saw his wife standing in the doorway. She was still wearing her velvet dress, and despite the dim lights, he could see the traces of tears on her cheeks.

‘I am sorry, Cassandra,’ he whispered. ‘I never meant to hurt you.’

She was by his side in a blink of an eye. And as he inhaled her familiar scent and felt her touch his shoulder, the warmth finally returned to his body.

‘I know you didn’t, Severus,’ she replied, her voice soft and warm. ‘But before you can stop hurting those around you, you will have to stop hurting yourself.’

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A/N: Thanks go to star_girl for helping me with dearest Lucius. Now he sounds just right, doesn’t he?