The Marauders Era

By the time the two had found their way to the beverage table, Cassie and Rabastan were stopped by at least seven different people congratulating them on their engagement. One of them had been Evan Rosier's older sister, who had talked to them so long that Cassie felt the need for a drink had changed from wanting to drink away everything to her throat feeling as dry as a desert.

"Well, we certainly have a lot to choose from.."Rabastan let his eyes wander over the several crystal bowls filled with different kinds of beverages, along with a rather large fountain placed in the middle of the long table.

"But not anything worth drinking," Cassie muttered disappointedly when she didn't see the blue beverage she had been looking forward to tasting again. Hearing a chuckle, she raised a curious brow at Rabastan who's eyes were fixed rather amusingly at her. "What?"

He shook his head slightly as his eyes met hers."Don't worry. " He grinned. "I figured with the amount of people here; the Blue Delight would be safer in my room until later."

A smile stretched across her face as her eyes lighted up in joy. "You are a genius."

"More like I think ahead." he laughed. Rabastan found two glasses and filled them with eggnog, taking one from himself as he handed the other to Cassie. "Here."

"Thanks," she said while raising her glass slightly, making a small clinking sound appear as the two glasses met. "Cheers."

"Cheers." He replied before lifting the glass to his lips and let the flavor consume him. Rabastan had always been a fan of eggnog. For him, it didn't feel like Christmas without it. And in a way, he could not imagine ever spending Christmas and not getting to enjoy a glass of eggnog. "You know this almost makes everything worth it."

"What? The eggnog?" her eyes were brimming with amusement as she questioned the boy.

Rabastan nodded his head as he took another sip, almost letting out a satisfied moan at the taste, making the younger girl crack out a smile as she watched him. While tasting her own drink, she did have to agree with him that it was delicious.

"I'll make sure to remember that for the future."

"Remember what?" He asked curiously.

"To use eggnog as leverage," She joked, causing the boy to laugh sarcastically at her. "Haha.. you're very funny, you know."

"Who said I was joking?" She retorted with a serious expression that soon crumbled as he raised a brow and gazed at her in disbelief. A smile appeared on her lips as she laughed. "Don't worry." as she watched relief fill his face, she added quickly. "I won't do it much."

"You're going to kill me one day, you know."He retorted, smiling slightly as he pointed a finger at her, to which she simply shook her head while smiling.

"So it's here you're hiding?" A voice appeared behind the couple as the said person appeared next to Cassie, found a glass, and filled it with non-alcoholic wine.

"Better here than anywhere else. It's where all the alcohol is." Cassie answered. "And for the record, we're not hiding. We've talked to like seven people, that's hardly hiding."

Regulus fought a grin as he shifted his gaze from his sister to her fiance, who was busy trying to find the bottom in his glass. "Well, you better tell that to mother," he said, catching her figure from the corner of his eye. "Who, by the way, is coming over here. Now." He added quickly.

Cassie's eyes roamed the crowd until she saw her mother's familiar face, indeed coming towards them, with Cerys next to her. While her mother wore a one-shoulder black evening gown, Rabastan's mother had chosen a silver mermaid dress that she paired along with the emerald green jewel around her neck. Both of them seemed almost radiating, making Cassie wonder just how many shots of firewhiskey the two of them had snuck in them before coming over here.

"Oh, it's so great you two are together. We worried for a moment if we had to spend hours looking for the two of you separately." Cerys commented the moment the two women had reached the teenagers.

"What are you two doing here?" Walburga added, causing the two in question to share a quick look before Rabastan decided to say anything.

"We were just getting some drinks." His eyes traveled to his glass before he looked up and met his mother's glance.

Cerys rolled her eyes. "She meant why are you here and not out there?" The three teenagers followed her finger as she pointed to the middle of the room, where several couples had started dancing. "You two should be out there dancing," Cerys exclaimed.

Cassie and Rabastan shared a look, mentally agreeing that this was the perfect opportunity for them to get away from the two adults. Rabastan offered his arm to her. "If I may?" he asked politely, causing Cassie to bite back a grin, knowing he only did that because their mothers were present.

"You may." She played along, feeling slightly accomplished when she saw a small grin rest upon his lips. Taking his hand, she let him guide her over to the dance floor. Cassie bent her knees slightly and curtsied as they faced each other while Rabastan bowed and, like a proper gentleman, offered her his hand. When she gripped his hand, he pulled her gently towards him and rested his right hand on her back as he felt her hand on his shoulder as they started swaying to the classical music.

"Don't look now, but our mothers are staring at us. Quite happily, I must add." She whispered as she caught the sight of the two older women when looking over Rabastan's shoulder. He turned them around skillfully, causing Cassie to look up at him in surprise.

"With a ball like this, one would think they would have anything better to do," Rabastan replied as he saw the two adults. His hand left her waist as he gently twirled her around before bringing her in closer than before.

"Been practicing?" Cassie asked impressively as they locked eyes.

His lips tilted upwards in a smile. "Not for some time, suppose it just comes naturally. After all, I have been to these balls every year for as long as I remember."

"Oh?" she raised a brow, and a teasing glint appeared in her eyes. "So I suppose you've danced with lots of women then?"

His ears redden as he seemingly found something rather interesting to look at, considering he moved his gaze from Cassie. "I wouldn't exactly say that."

She couldn't help but grin as she watched the red-eared boy. "Surely you must have. I can hardly picture you dancing with your brother."

A smile broke out on his face as he turned his gaze back to hers. "I don't think anyone can picture that. What about you? Surely a girl such as yourself must have danced with many?"

A thoughtful look covered her face as she let out a small humming sound. "Not really. I usually kept close to Sirius or Regulus. So I'd change between the two of them. Drove my mother mad at times."

His smile widened as he heard her talking about how her mother had wanted to find her daughter a fiancé and figured a great way would be to pair them together so they could dance. He hanged on to every word she said, and his smile grew even more as she let out a chuckle, recalling how she'd change between her brothers so she wouldn't be able to dance with anyone else.

As they danced on the floor, none of them noticed the blue eyes that had been watching them ever since they had entered the ballroom. Blue eyes that were filled with anger and knew that they had to do something, anything to stop what was happening, as they watched Rabastan look down at Cassie with a soft look as a wide smile rested on his lips.

"So when are we leaving?" Cassie questioned after Rabastan had twirled her around for the second time.

"Impatient?"

"No... well, maybe a little." She confessed, "I'm just curious about where you are bringing me. You couldn't.. perhaps maybe tell me? Or just give me a little hint?" A pleading look appeared in her eyes, to which only made Rabastan chuckle.

"You do know the meaning of surprise, right?" He asked. 

"Of course, I know that a surprise is." Cassie retained from rolling her eyes but still didn't give up on her quest. "But what about a hint? Like just a tiny one?"

"Cassie.." he laughed. "I'm not that easy to crack, you know." In fact, he was. He could feel his resolve fade as he watched her, and suddenly telling her didn't seem so bad, especially if he got to see that smile of hers. But he wasn't going to tell her that. However, he also knew just how much she would love the surprise, which was the only reason why he still had the willpower not to say anything.

"Besides, we're leaving in three days. I think you can manage the wait." He added.

She gave him a final look before letting out a defeated sigh. "Well, suppose I did try. It's okay. I'll wait. I'm not that impatient after all."

A little while later, the two found their way back at the beverage table, this time without their mothers or Regulus. As they were both holding each of their own glasses of a rather expensive white wine, they noticed Regulus on the dance floor as he danced with a blonde girl about his age. If Cassie wasn't wrong, the girl was either the same age or a year younger than her brother, but more than that, she didn't know.

"Look at the poor guy." She pointed towards him, causing Rabastan to follow her gaze and let a smile break out on his face.

"Seems like your mother's done her magic again. At least now that he doesn't have you to dance with, she can pair him off with someone."

Cassie nodded in agreement as she watched her brother and the girl, though she was quite surprised as she watched a smile appeared on his face as the girl said something. "Is it just me, or is he smiling?" She wondered, making Rabastan, who had switched his gaze between the siblings, set his eyes back on the younger boy.

"Merlin, you're right." He said in surprise. "Well.. good for him."

Cassie turned her head immediately towards him. "What do you mean good for him? We don't know who she is. What if something happens and he ends up hurt?"

"Cassie.." He met her gaze, and he tried to reason with her. "Regulus is a teenager, and eventually, he's bound to find someone he likes, and what happens, well he won't know unless you let him experience it. Besides, it's just a dance. If it ever were to become something more, then you might have the chance to worry, but for now, just enjoy the fact that your brother is out dancing with someone, and it seems like he's having fun after all."

"You're right." She sighed, turning back to her brother, catching a glimpse of a smile dancing on his lips. "Damn you..." Cassie mumbled, though not low enough as Rabastan heard her causing him to chuckle, finding himself rather amused at the situation. As she finished her drink, she caught the boy staring strangely at her glass. "Are you okay?"

"Hmm?" He ripped his gaze from the glass and met hers, almost a bit flustered. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just wondering if you maybe wanted your drink?"

She looked taken back for a moment, as she had all but forgotten about the blue liquid he had stored safely in his room. "I had honestly forgotten about that. But I would. Do you want me to come with you?" She asked him.

Rabastan shook his head. "No, it's okay. I'll be back soon. Hold off a dance for me, will you?"

A smile graced her lips as she couldn't help but joke. "I'll try, but I can't make any promises." Though he sent her a look, he couldn't keep the corner of his mouth from going upward as he sent her a final smile before walking out of the ballroom, leaving Cassie alone to watch the couples who danced. At least until her brother joined her.

"Where's your fiance? I thought the two of you were joined to your hip?" he questioned as his eyes searched around the guests for the older guy he would soon be calling his brother-in-law.

"He went to go get something." She half wondered if she should bring up the girl he danced with or if she should just keep her mouth shut. A part of her wanted to tease her brother endlessly until he was blushing red in his face, though another part wanted to respect his privacy, and it was the small voice of Rabastan, whose words lingered in her mind that made her not say anything.

"I suppose he wouldn't mind if I borrow your for a dance or two then?" He jokingly offered a hand to her.

She grinned, amused at him as she took his hand. "You're my brother. I can't exactly say no, can I?"

"Where are you going?"

Rabastan met his brother's gaze. It was first now that he noticed how occupied he had been by his thoughts, considering he hadn't even noticed that he had almost passed his brother in the hallway. "Just to get something." He nodded his head towards the staircase.

"Then you don't mind if I tag along. The crowds were getting a bit too boring." Rodolphus said.

"Sure." Even though his voice had an almost easygoing tone, Rabastan knew his request had been more of a demand than anything else. As the two walked up to the second floor and moved across the hallway, not a word was exchanged between the two until they had entered Rabastans room.

With his blue eyes on his brother, Rodolphus closed the door immediately as he entered, watching as the younger went to his desk and found a bottle of a blue liquid he knew all too well. " I thought you didn't drink Blue Delight?" He questioned and gave his brother a look that made Rabastan feel like he already knew the answer.

"It's not for me." Rabastan simply stated, feeling the tension in the room rise significantly.

Rodolphus narrowed his eyes."It's for her, isn't it?" A dry chuckle left him as his brother turned his gaze to the floor, refusing to meet his. "I've been watching the two of you over the past days and, more importantly, tonight. Just what do you think you're doing?"

Hearing the amount of annoyance in his brother's voice caused Rabastan to lift his gaze. "Back off." This hadn't been the first time over the last six months that his brother had voiced his disapproval about Cassie, and though he had tried to stay calm, there was only so much he could take.

"No. I don't care who she is. She's not going to ruin this for us. Everything we have worked so hard for." Rodolphus sneered at his brother. "I told them you know. When our parents announced the engagement, I told them that she was just like her blood traitor brother. Hell, both of them were sorted into that bloody house. Had she been sorted into Slytherin like they were supposed to, I might have felt differently about her, but we all know she's just like her brother. The twin blood traitors of the Ancient House of Black. " He all but spat the words at his brother, who could feel the disgust rolling off of them.

Whether it was his patients that had run out or the fact that words his brother had just said almost made his skin boil, Rabastan wasn't sure. What he was sure of was the growing feeling of resentment inside of him that seemed to grow more and more as his brother spoke. "I don't care, okay?! I like her, so stay away. You don't get to ruin this for me."

Rodolphus's eyes harden though his lips tilted up in a malicious smirk. "Ruin this for you? Oh, don't worry about that. I'm sure when she finds out that the dark lord is planning to make you one of his servants, then she's just going to love you." He stepped closer to his brother as he lowered his voice. "Whatever you think this is, remember she's just a girl. You were born for this."

Giving him a final look, Rodolphus turned and left his brother alone.

Rabastan let out a frustrated sigh as he almost threw himself down in a chair, with the bottle of Blue Delight still in his hand. As he placed it on the floor, he turned his hand and inspected the red and white lines carved into his palm. Gently he rubbed them, trying to ease the dull pain that had appeared when his grip on the bottle had unknowingly tightened.

He cradled his head in his hands as his brother's words continued to echo through his mind. A small, almost desperate sound left his lips before the tiniest whisper filled the room.

"No, I wasn't."

"I think you've gotten a bit rusty, Reg." Cassie teased as the two made their way from the dance floor and towards a long table that was filled with all kinds of fancy finger food.

"Rusty? Me? If I recall, I wasn't the one who had Antonin Dolohov glaring daggers at me after bumping into him out there." Regulus retorted, making the girl flush softly.

She waved a hand dismissively at him. "Fine. So maybe I'm a little rusty." She admitted. "This is, after all, the first Christmas ball I've been to since third year."

"Well, I think you're doing great. You didn't step on me once." He smiled proudly, causing Cassie to laugh.

As she was about to respond, she saw him stiffen slightly as his eyes settled on a few familiar people. Over by the beverage table stood Evan Rosier along with Crabbe, Goyle, Mulciber, Avery, and of course, Severus Snape. The way they were huddled together almost made them seem like a small cult or something. Normally Cassie wouldn't care enough to take notice of them, but when she saw how all of them had their eyes set on her brother, she could almost tell they didn't approve of him being with her. "You should go to them. I don't mind."

Regulus tore his gaze from his friends as he heard his sister. "Are you sure?" He asked uncertainly, causing her to chuckle slightly.

"Well, it might be better that you go over there, considering how they are looking at us; I gather it's only a few moments before they come over here to drag you off." She retorted, causing the corner of his lips to tilt slightly. "You haven't seen Rabastan since he went upstairs, have you?" She asked.

"No. I haven't. Do you want me to check up on him?"

Cassie shook her head. "No, it's fine. Go have fun." She urged at him, catching the smile he sent her as he walked towards his school friends. She watched them for a moment as they handed Regulus a glass when he reached them. Though she didn't particularly like them, she knew better than to start meddling in business that wasn't hers, especially when he hadn't asked for it.

She let her eyes wander across the room yet again, but still, she failed to see the dark-haired boy she was looking for. As she made her way through the crowd and into the hallway, she opened a door and cast a quick glance into the kitchen to see if he had ended up there. But there was no trace of him. As she reached the staircase, she gathered some fabric in each hand and lifted her hemp so she wouldn't step on it and fall. The second floor was lifeless as she moved down the hallway and neared Rabastan's bedroom.

Cassie raised her hand and knocked gently on the wooden door, though when she didn't hear a response, she took the handle and opened it slightly. As she saw his room for the first time, she was pleasantly surprised. Unlike Sirius, Rabastan's room was tidy, with no pieces of clothes lying around or anything from Zonkos.

"Rabastan?" her voice was low as she entered the dim room. Had it not been for the flames in the fireplace that emitted a warm glow, she wouldn't have seen a figure hunched over in a chair with a bottle in one hand. "There you are. I was worried when you didn't come back down." She breathed out, relief clear in her voice. Cassie furred her brows when no response was given. As she neared him, she tried again. "Rabastan?"

"Hm.." He lifted his head, letting strands of dark hair fall into his eyes. His hair that had been neatly combed the last time she saw him now laid messy on his head as if he had run his fingers through it several times. As his dark eyes met hers, realization flashed through them, and it seemed as if he just now remembered where he was. "Cassie.." he started as he tried to stand up, only to falter as his knees gave in. Had it not been for Cassie, who immediately lept to his side as he started to fall, Rabastan would have hit the floor. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." He whispered to the shorter girl.

Cassie tried to muster a comforting smile. However, it seemed impossible as her entire face was filled with a worry not easily masked. She tightened the grip on his bicep gently as they locked eyes. "It's okay; it's okay." She gently made him sit down in the chair again and crouched down in front of him. As she did, she noticed the open bottle in his hand and sent him a curious though worried look. "I thought you didn't drink Blue Delight? Did something happen?" She asked, placing both of her hands on his unoccupied hand that was resting on his knee.

His eyes lingered on her delicate hands rubbing small circles on his, causing an almost nonexistent smile to appear. "I just had a talk with my brother. It's nothing to worry about."

"I take it the talk didn't go that well?"

He shook his head, though lifted his eyes to hers. "It could have been worse. It's nothing." he persisted.

Cassie furred her brows slightly together. "Doesn't seem like nothing to me. You're obviously upset about something, and if you don't want to talk about it, I understand. But just know, I'm here for you, whatever it is." her eyes flickered down to the bottle. "Besides, if you willingly took a sip of that, then something's terribly wrong." She said lightly, causing him to chuckle.

He looked down at the bottle in his other hand, and an embarrassed smile spread across his face. "I couldn't make it past one sip before... well, you know."

Cassie smiled slightly at him, recalling the grimaces he made during Slughorn's Christmas party.

"I'll be fine, Cassie. I just.. need some time to think." Rabastan reassured when he saw the look she sent him. "I'll tell you when I'm ready." He added.

"Okay." An understanding smile graced her lips as she gave his hand a comforting squeeze before standing up again. "Any chance I might get to taste any of that, or are you going to hold on to it the whole night?"

A smile spread across Rabastan as he gladly handed the bottle to her, watching as she lifted it to her red lips and heard a moan leave her as the first drop of liquor landed on her tongue. "I honestly can't understand how you can drink that." His eyes shone in amazement as he watched her drink.

"Well.. I've always preferred sour drinks over sweet," Cassie explained. "Sure you don't want a taste?" she offered with a grin.

"Positive. You can keep it," he answered, watching as she took another sip. "Sure you don't want a glass to go with that?"

She eyed the bottle for a moment as she weighed the thought in her mind. "That would mean we have to go back downstairs." she voiced before adding. "Though I'm starting to feel a little bit hungry too, so that wouldn't be a terrible idea."

Rabastan eyed his watch before he placed his hands on the armrest and pushed himself up, so he was towering over Cassie, who had gained a few inches in her heels. "There's still a few hours left. Might as well go and enjoy it while it lasts."

"I do believe you owe me another dance, Mr. Lestrange." She said, adding a bit of poshness to her voice.

The boy's eyes widened slightly as an almost playful grin appeared. "Why, of course, I do, Miss Black. Shall we get going then?" His voice was matching hers in tone. His eyes fell upon the bottle in her hand. "Do you want to leave that in here?"

She shook her head furiously. "No, I'm taking this with me. If I so have to go and hide in the kitchen whenever I want to take a drink."

"Come on," Rabastan said, trying to hide the laugh that he felt started to appear in his throat.

The two left his room, him first with her slightly behind him, her hand clutching the bottle of blue liquid as they moved down the stairs. The hall was void of any people other than them, as were the dining room and the other hallway. As he moved towards the ballroom, Cassie came to a halt outside of the kitchen.

"I'll just leave this in here for now." Her hand grabbed the doorknob to the kitchen as she turned it slightly and opened the door, only to freeze in her steps.

Her eyes immediately fell upon, not one nor two, but several people. Who were standing in a circle, having a rather intense conversation, though they all stopped talking and turned to face whoever it was that had dared to interrupt them. There was pricking in her neck, and a small voice told her that she wasn't supposed to be here. The glares she received were enough proof of that.

"Oh.. oh... I'm so sorry. I must be drunker than I thought. I could have sworn the bathroom was this way. I apologize." Cassie slurred and lied quickly as she backed slowly and closed the door, letting out a breath as she felt her heart rate pick up.

"Are you okay?"

Turning her head to her side, she noticed Rabastan stood a few feet from her, and by the look of his face, she supposed that he hadn't seen what was inside the room. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just changed my mind. I think  I'll just take this with me." She raised the bottle and smiled so convincingly that she fooled him completely.

"Suppose I shouldn't be too surprised." He laughed. "Come on, let's get you a glass. I doubt your mother, let alone mine, would approve if you started drinking straight from the bottle." He placed his hand on the small of her back as he guided her down the rest of the hallway and to the ballroom.

"Heaven forbid if that were to happen." She muttered lowly.

No matter how much she drank or how many dances she had, her mind would not leave what she saw in the kitchen. It had been there, as clear as day. She had heard the rumors, of course, but she had never seen it, not in real life like this. The skull and the snake that slithered out of the mouth were branded into her mind, but so were the faces of the people she saw.

If they all wore the mark, she didn't know. But one thing was sure, she suddenly felt a lot less safe here than she had been the last few days, and she only hoped her drunken act had managed to fool them, if not.. Well, she would be doing a whole lot of lying the next few days at least until she and Rabastan left.

Did Rabastan know? She asked herself. Surely he would have told her if he did, but then again, how could she be so sure about that. After all, they had only known each other for six months, and some of these were people he had known almost his whole life. Had it not been for the fact that she had already seen both of his markless hands, she might even had... no, she didn't want to think about that.

If only Andromeda was here, she might not know what to do, but talking to her always brought Cassie a certain inner peace. However, she supposed that she would have to settle for the bottle with her name on it. At least for now.