A/N: Well I hope ya';; enjoyed chapter one, here comes the next chapter. I'm planning on linking pics of the characters to my profile eventually. song-of-misery has been kind enough to draw Lydia (OC based off her) and one of Cassie and Lydia thus far. I will hopefully have that done in a few days. Lemme know how you like the story and maybe throw me some comical or cute ideas. Much love to you darlings!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, if I did Fred would never have died and life would have been more happy and less sad.
Chapter Two
The Ice Queen and the Sneering Prince
Cassie sighed as she stepped outside; winter had always been her favorite time of the year. Where most people would bundle up in front of a toasty fire and hide themselves from the cold, Cassie embraced it. The cold made her feel alive and ever since she was little she had loved dancing as the snowflakes fell around her.
Twirling with a childlike joy she rarely showed, Cassie danced with the snowflakes, her long hair flying around her and caressing her flushed cheeks. With her eyes closed and her face turn up towards the sky she didn't notice the person standing in the shadows of a pillar until she bumped into him. Her eyes widening in shock Cassie let out a gasp of surprise, struggling against the arms that had circled around her waist to keep her from falling.
"What the bloody hell are you doing out here Ravenwood?" asked the voice in surprise.
Cassie stopped struggling, her eyes wide. She knew that voice; it had been the first voice that had talked to her on the Hogwarts Express all those years ago.
Cassie waved goodbye to her mother and father, tears clogging her throat and streaming down her face as their figures became smaller and smaller until she couldn't see them anymore. Dabbing at her tears with her sleeve she made her way along until she found an empty compartment, quietly slipping inside she set down her cat carrier, letting out the fluffy gray kitten her mother had gotten for her just days before.
"Looks like it's just you and me now Elwin…" she mumbled, hugging the purring kitten to her chest. Looking out the window Cassie watched as the scenery flew by, the English countryside meddling together into a lush green blur. Reaching into her bag she pulled out a small tin of her favorite mints, popping a few into her mouth, blowing out a few snowflakes with a smile and then resting her head against the back of her seat, trying to relax.
A while later Cassie was awoken by the sound of her compartment door opening. Looking up with bleary eyes she saw a boy of about the same age as her. Taking in his whitish blond hair, sharp features and his slivery eyes, she figured he must be related to the Malfoy's, a family her father knew well and who had made numerous donations to the Ministry over the years.
The boy's cool silvery eyes looked her over, before locking onto her own, curiosity flashing in his eyes. "Who are you?" he asked, still standing in the doorway, her arms crossed over his chest.
"It's proper manners to offer one's own name before asking that of another." Cassie said without even thinking, her eyes widening as she realized how that might sound rude.
The boy chuckled, finding her little blunder amusing. "Point taken. I'm Draco Malfoy, and you are?"
"Cassandra Ravenwood." Cassie said with a small blush, not used to talking with people her own age.
"Ravenwood… you wouldn't happen to be related to Astor and Elizabeth Ravenwood, would you?" He asked, taking a seat across from her.
"Yes, those are my parents." She replied, thinking back to a time when her mother had talked about how the Malfoy's had a son around her age. "You must be the son of Lucius and Narcissa then."
"Yes. I'm surprised we haven't met before. Mother was always talking about how the Ravenwood's had a daughter my age." He said with a chuckle.
"Yes well my parents where always busy with fund raisers and what not. Not the sort of things children normally go to. So I never really met anyone my own age." She said, blushing as she realized she had basically just told him she didn't have any friends. She looked down at her lap and fidgeted with her fingers, wondering why she was talking so much when she barely knew this boy. Normally she was quiet and listened; she'd gather more information that way.
"You're pretty shy, aren't you Cassie?" Draco asked with a chuckle, noticing her fidgeting.
Cassie blushed a bright shade of pink, her eyes wide as she looked everywhere but at him. "Wh-what makes you s-say that Draco?" she asked in surprise.
"Well for one thing you refuse to look at me, and another is you are blushing." He said smugly, a smirk on his face. "Don't worry; most girls are like that around me. It's a curse being this damn good looking."
At that Cassie let out a giggle, her hands quickly covering her mouth as she looked up at him with wide eyes, not wanting to offend him. But what she saw wasn't someone who was offended, but someone who looked as if they had accomplished their goal. Before she could comment on it though the compartment door opened and in stepped two very large boys.
"There you are Draco, we've been looking for you everywhere." said one, his voice didn't quite seem to fit his hulking form.
"Crabbe, Goyle, you dolts, I told you to meet me in this compartment twenty minutes ago. I was just telling this girl that she's luck, I'm in a good mood; otherwise I would have demanded she leave. Now let's go find ourselves the best compartment on the train, I feel like kicking my feet up and relaxing for a while. See you around Ravenwood." said Draco, his entire face having morphed from one that was pleasant into one that was cold, calculating and had a sort of cruel sneer.
Crabbe and Goyle grunted, turning to plow their way through the crowds of students in the corridors, Draco not far behind them. He turned right before leaving, his face may be cold and detached, but his eyes showed something very different indeed. "Bye Cassie." He whispered before following after Crabbe and Goyle.
Since that day Draco Malfoy was a mystery Cassie had yet to solve, he may come off as cold and cruel… but there was something in his eyes that intrigued her.
Looking up Cassie's deep sapphire blue eyes were met by a pair of silvery ones, confusion flashing in their depths. "Draco…" shaking her head she tried to push away from him, her Ice Queen exterior kicking up. "Let go of me this instant Malfoy." She growled, not liking how being in his arms was making her feel.
Draco looked down at Cassie, standing more than a head taller than her, and frowned. "What are you doing out here Cassie?" He asked more gently, noting how she was outside without a cloak or anything to keep her warm.
Cassie stopped struggling, looking up at him in shock. She hadn't expected him to use her given name, having become so used to him calling her Ravenwood whenever they saw each other inside the school. "I… I like dancing in the snow…" she answered in a small voice, feeling like a silly child saying it out loud.
For a moment Draco just stared down at her, but soon a small smile graced his lips, a chuckle escaping him. "Dancing with the snowflakes is no reason to be outside without your cloak Cassie. You're turning blue." He said, pulling her even tighter against himself. "Don't you feel the cold?"
"Not really… Though now that you mention it… my fingers are kind of numb…" Cassie said sheepishly, gasping in surprise when he grabbed her hands and held them between his own, blowing on them with his warm breath. A tingling sensation spread through her and made her head feel all fuzzy.
"There… that better?" he asked, his warm hand moving a strand of hair out of her eyes.
"I… yes… thank you…." She mumbled, seemingly at a loss for words.
Draco took a small step back from her, and Cassie was surprised at how much she missed his warmth. But she wasn't cold for long as she felt something wrap around her shoulders. Looking down she saw that Draco had wrapped his cloak around her, leaving him standing there in a gray wool turtle neck and slacks.
"Draco…" she muttered, not sure what to say, though her eyes conveyed her gratitude.
"You had better head inside before you get sick Cassie." Draco quietly said before turning and almost melting into the shadows, leaving behind one very confused Ravenclaw.
Cassie stood there for another minute or two before turning and making her way back inside and up to the Ravenclaw Tower. Walking into her dormitory she fell onto her bed, kicking off her shoes and curling into a ball, wrapping Draco's cloak more tightly around herself. It smelled of spearmint and something else, something entirely Draco.
Laying there Cassie wondered about the enigma that was Draco Malfoy, who was he really? Was he honestly as made as people made him seem, or was there a kinda heart under the cold façade?
"You are such a mystery Draco…" Cassie mumbled, her eyes slowly drifting shut, the warmth and safety she felt in Draco's cloak lulling her to sleep.
The next day, after a tiny accident involving her favorite perfume, Cassie wrapped Draco's cloak up and asked one of the Hogwarts house elves to make sure Draco got it, a letter of thanks attached to it. The letter was simple and to the point, no emotion involved, though while writing it Cassie had been feeling a wide variety of emotions, all leading to confusion. After meeting up with Lydia and walking to their favorite low wall to sit and talk at, Lydia started ranting about some snobby girl in her Potions class.
"No, seriously, it's like she WANTS me to hex her." Lydia growled, her arms crossed as she glared at said snobby girl who was flirting with a seventh year boy across the court yard.
"Lydia, you can't hex people just because they don't like your shoes." Cassie said, rolling her eyes with an exasperated smile.
"Speak for yourself." Lydia grumbled, blowing her bangs out of her face. "So, what did you want to talk about anyways? You seemed a bit distracted at breakfast."
Cassie fidgeted nervously as she told Lydia about what had happened last night, and her mixed feelings about it.
"Cass… Malfoy is a really good looking guy and all… but then he opens his mouth and all that attractiveness just goes flying out the window." Lydia said, her voice completely serious.
"But you didn't see him last night Lyd, he wasn't being how he is around his friends. He was… almost tender with me… he even gave me his cloak to keep warm." Cassie said, remembering the spearmint and Draco smell of it.
Lydia blinked, her eyebrows furrowed. "Cassie… just be careful with Malfoy. He has a bit of a reputation for being a playboy. You are my best friend, and I'd hate to see him hurt you."
"Hey, you're talking to Ravenclaw's Ice Queen, remember? It's going to take more than a charming smile and nice body to melt my barriers." Cassie said with a small laugh, though deep down she knew that when it came to the Sneering Prince of Slytherin, there was already a small hole in that barrier.