Because You Live; A Songfic based on Jesse McCartney's "Because You Live". Princess Diaries 2: The Royal Engagement OST
Disclaimer: Harry Potter, Hogwarts & friends all belong to J.K Rowling; no copyright infringement intended. Casteel Downing & friends belong to me though. Song "Because You Live" by Jesse McCartney. An OC & Draco Malfoy romance songfic. This chapter contains "Slipped Away" by Avril Lavinge & "Underneath This Smile" by Hilary Duff.
Chapter One- Starting Out at the Rain
It was raining. It was a rather unusual thing to happen, especially on September 10th, the start of term for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which was supposed to teach magic. Now the rain fell in grey sleets, covering the countryside near Platform Nine and Three Quarters, occasionally blowing into the platform by a stray gust of wind. The scarlet Hogwarts Express looked battered, the steam emitting from its spout faint and faded, defeated.
It was raining. Really, it was such a bother. Mothers pulled their children closer to them, drawing the strings of raincoats around them, some with their wands some with trembling fingers. She wished she was them, those children. Fathers looked dismayed at their pipes and cigarettes that refused to light because of the wind, giving up and casting "Flagerate" on these contraptions instead. She wish she had him, she wished he was there.
It was raining. Casteel Downing really didn't like it when it happened, it was so terribly dampening, so horribly unhappy. All this on the first day of her Seventh and final year at Hogwarts too. As Head Girl. Besides, it reminded her, the rain; everytime it came she wanted to cry, to stand out there and shout their names. And she promised she would smile. Casteel was furious at herself, for the part that was crumbling and the part that had already fallen into ruin.
I miss you
Miss you so bad
I don't forget you
Oh it's so sad
It was raining. Eight years ago, it was raining. It wasn't this precise date on September 10th, but before that, February 10th. It was raining hard, in sleets, and her parents had taken her camping. They were atop a cliff, intending to watch the sunrise. But it was raining, and they were doubtful they would get to see it. Casteel had wondered out with her raincoat, a percocious nine-year-old, splashing at the puddles with a plastic boot. She saw a grass flower, its head bent by the incoming pellets of raindrops, bent away from the oncoming wind. It was near the edge of the cliff.
It was raining. She couldn't see properly so she got down on all fours, like a dog and felt her way to the flower, intending to chivalorously rescue it. It was then she slipped, left hanging by a tree branch in the side of the cliff. She had called out, and they had come, both of them, running. Her mother gasped, her father leaning over the side and grasping her hand.
It was raining. This made tying the figure of eight knots on the harness harder, her mother hastened and fastened it around his waist. He repelled down a distance until he reached her pulling her up and signalling to her mother to reel in the "catch". It was then the poorly tied knots slipped, and they were both fell. Her mother grabbed the end of the rope and held on. But the combined weight of the both of them sent her reeling over the edge, freefalling into the darkness.
It was raining. She squeezed her eyes shut and wished she had wings.
It was raining. Inbetween the sleets of grey they appeared, her wings. Casteel cried out, for that was when she discovered she had magic powers.
It was raining. It was useful too, between her tears as her feet touched the ground at the top of the hill. They washed her tears away, but did nothing for the pain. Her parents had no such luck. They both lay, broken, limbs entangled, at the foot of the cliff. A pool of blood around their heads and back. Like a halo, a deathly, ghostly, dark halo.
Now
you're gone
There you go
Somewhere I can't bring you back
Now
you're gone
There you go
Somewhere you're not coming back
It was raining. A whisper that came softly, a whisper uttered from her small rosebud lips. "Goodbye."
It was all her fault.
A Gryffindor prefect, a sixth-year brunette by the name of Phyllis Brown and a seventh-year blonde by the name Elise Smith approached her, both fingering their prefect badges, eyes wide open in awe at the Head Girl.
"Hullo, are you the new Head Girl?" Elise asked, smiling brightly.
Casteel snapped out of her reverie, hastily pulling a smile onto her face and "looking happy". "I suppose so, you're Gryffindors right? Phyllis and...Elise?"
The girls nodded, excited that she remembered them. "It's great we have a Gryffindor Head Girl this year, Ravenclaw's been getting it one too many times. You have to be an awesome person." they gushed in unison.
Casteel smiled sheepishly, a faint pink tinge touching her cheeks.
"Well, well, looks like the Head Girl already has a few fans." a cool voice drawled from behind her. Casteel turned around, eyebrowns raised at the platinum blonde that looked at her with a rather large amount of distatste.
"A Mudblood too, it just shows how much more senile Dumbledore's getting." his sacarstic tones were accompanied with a sardonic smile.
Casteel decided she didn't like the new Head Boy, but she smiled anyway, plastic and fake, speaking in a voice dripping with poisonous sweetness.
"Oh yes, I'm nothing compared to you Malfoy, as you Purebloods put it." she rolled her eyes sacarstically.
"Well Downing, I'm glad you admit it, really, Dumbledore's a blinking idiot to pick you."
Casteel positively glowered. "It's the first day of term and I can totally tell you're going to be a sardonic jerk."
Draco appeared unfazed. "Why, me too! It's the first day of term and I can totally tell you're going to be a sacarstic bitch!" Elise and Phyllis looked at him and giggled, blushing a little.
Casteel rolled her eyes. Again. Typical. She made a gagging movement when Draco proceeded to wink at them suggestively.
"I didn't know you hit on Gryffindors."
"I'm not hitting on them, I'm making them think so."
"You're a jerk."
Draco smirked. "I know."
They clambered on the scarlet express, neither of them looking at the other, and headed off to look for their friends and their respective cabins.
Casteel smiled at Grace Leah and sat down, instantly unfurling a brownie she had hidden in her backpack. "I'm starving."
Grace looked rather envious. "I bet those taste way better than my mom's sandwiches."
There was something about her tone that was missing, something about her gaze that hid something else. Casteel could totally tell, they weren't best friends for nothing.
"What is it, spit it out. And I don't mean the sandwiches."
Grace turned her eyes to the floor, sheepishly.
"W-elll..." she did not look up. "Promise me you won't berate me for being a complete idiot."
"I promise."
Grace cleared her throat. "I'm jealous, of...you being Head Girl. Having delicious Draco Malfoy all to yourself for the rest of the year! I mean think about it, he's nearly the hottest guy in the whole school!"
Casteel nearly choked on the brownie, looking at her incredulously like she was a Nargle. "Are-you-positively-mental?" she said it in one breath, glaring at her friend. "Hot and a total jerk!"
Grace raised her eyebrowns at that. "But he's really sweet and totally charismatic! Like girls swoon over him when he walks past, seriously."
"Hello, that's what made his swollen blonde head so big. He's outrageously arrogant, and he called me a 'bitch' and a 'Mudblood'!"
Grace took a bite of her sandwich. "Well I guess that isn't very nice. It's infact, rather...rather...mean."
Casteel smiled, satisfied. She'll get over it.
It was only when she looked out of the window, saw that little girl, that she fell silent.
She looked like a first-year, her mother plaiting her hair that had come lose and whispering into her ear, making her burst out into giggles. She straigtened her uniform and gave her mother a peck on the cheek, hurriedly lugging her trunk up the platform.
Just like what her mother used to do.
Casteel was falling apart again and she was still smiling.
Underneath
this smile
My world is slowly caving in
All the while
I'm
hanging on
Instead of letting go
It
was raining, it was still raining. It was raining, it seemed like
that was all it was, it always rained, for her anyway.
They washed her tears away, but did nothing for the pain.
I miss you.
END CHAPTER ONE
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