Castor Kellan crept down the unlit stairs, sticking to the edge so they wouldn't creak. She pulled her blanket farther around her shoulders and stepped down onto the floor, wincing as her foot made contact with the cold stone. She moved quickly over to a couch by the fire, her usual spot, but stopped short.
Someone was already down in the common room across the table, sitting in the green light of the lake. Curious, she made her way over to the couch, albeit more slowly this time. She sank down onto the plush green cushion, (everything in their house was green), and the boy looked up at the sound. Elbows resting on his legs, white blonde hair disheveled compared to its usual state, he looked just as confused as she must have.
"Oh," he said, rather shocked to see another person. "Um, hello." He sat back, bringing his arms up to run his fingers through his shocking hair.
"Hi," Castor said loudly, glancing guiltily at the stairs, worried she had woken someone.
"Um," he hesitated, searching for something to say. "I'm Draco."
She smiled, amused that he thought she didn't recognize him. "I know," she said. "I'm in your year." He looked at her with a puzzled expression, and she elaborated. "Castor Kellan. You probably don't know me cause I stick to the back and never talk." Realization dawned on him and he looked at her with renewed interest.
"Are you Relius Kellan's daughter?" She nodded with a grimace. "Yeah. How'd you know?" "My father works with him at the ministry. He told me Kellan had a daughter in my year." She rolled her eyes. "Figures. So, what are you doing down here at this hour?" "Transfiguration homework." He said miserably. "I keep managing to turn my essay into a rabbit." She tried not to grin, but it was a futile effort. He noticed and asked her what she was doing.
"Couldn't sleep. I like to come and watch the lights." She gestured up towards the greenish light from the lake. "On a good night the moon will shine through the trees and make amazing patterns. "Never noticed," Draco said, craning his neck to look at the ceiling. "Let me guess," Castor said, and Draco looked back at her. "Is it the essay on Lapifors?"
He nodded and she wound around the table, sitting next to him on the couch and pulling his essay toward her. She raised her eyebrows as she saw that he had only written two sentences of what was supposed to be a twelve-inch essay. "You know this is due tomorrow, right?"
He rolled his eyes at her. "Of course I know it's due tomorrow. Why else do you think I'm up at one a.m.!?" She raised her hands defensively.
"I was going to help you, but I guess you don't need it." She started to stand up, but he grabbed her sleeve. "Wait! I'm sorry! I do need your help. Quite badly actually." She sat back down with a smug smile, grabbing his textbook and flipping through it. "First of all, we should find the actual page about Lapifors, rather than using 'A Guide to Orchideous: Conjuring Flowers in Five Seconds'."
An hour and a half later, they still sat in the same positions, but now there was a fifteen-inch Transfiguration essay on the table between them. Castor yawned and rubbed her eye with one hand, standing up and padding over to the girl's dormitory stairs. "Well, good luck with tomorrow. I'm going to bed." Before Draco even had a chance to speak, she was halfway up the stairs. He rolled up his essay and shoved it into his bag, swinging it over his shoulder and heading to the opposite stairs. Both were out before you could say 'rabbit'.
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Castor swung her legs over the Slytherin table bench, grabbing a box of cereal and popping the top open. "Can I join you?" A familiar voice asked. She looked up to see Draco standing awkwardly next to her. "I guess," she said suspiciously, a little confused as to why he would want to sit by her.
"I just realized I never thanked you for helping me last night." He said quietly, looking at a particularly interesting knot in the table. She smiled pleasantly. "It was nothi-" she was cut off as a stray orange from the Ravenclaw table soared towards her. Her arm shot up and she grabbed the fruit, fingernails biting into the peel. Draco looked at her astonished. "Wow," he said with awe in his voice. "You have really fast reflexes. Play quidditch at all?" "Not really," Castor said surprised. "There were never enough people to play at home, and once I got here I just didn't think about it." "You should try out for the team, I'm sure you would make it as a Chaser," Draco said lightly. "Really? I've never considered it. Maybe I will."
"Hey," Draco said suddenly. "I have a deal for you." Castor looked at him confused and he continued. "I could help you learn quidditch and get on the team, and you continue to help me with Transfiguration." Castor looked at him with interest. "Are you sure?" "Yeah," Draco said smiling. "I'm good at flying and bad at Transfiguration, you're good at Transfiguration and have never played quidditch. It makes sense." Castor smiled, holding out her hand, and Draco shook it. "Deal," she said.
They turned back to their respective breakfasts, Castor reaching for a bottle of Pumpkin Juice, Draco a piece of toast. Popping off the lid, she started pouring the juice into her cereal, and felt Draco staring at her. "What are you doing?" He asked, horrified. "Eating cereal," she said innocently, and he made a disgusted face. "With Pumpkin Juice?" "Yeah," She said earnestly. "It's actually really good, you should try it." He shook his head and muttered something to himself, going back to his toast.
"So," he said after a few bites. "Do you have a broom?" "Not here," Castor said, "but I could have my father send me one from home." "Good. You won't have to use one of the school ones. What kind is it?" "Nimbus 2000," she said, and Draco's eyes widened. "Wow. That's a pretty good broom for not playing quidditch." "Yeah," Castor said derisively. "I'm not even sure why we have it. Probably just my 'Perfect Prefect Pureblood' git of a father." Draco looked at her out of the corner of his eye, realizing she was much more interesting than he had thought.
"So do you want to start after classes today?" "Sure", Castor said, reverting back to her eating. She set down her spoon, looked at her watch, and startled. "We need to leave. Class'll be starting soon." They left their breakfasts and headed toward the giant Great Hall doors in comfortable silence, both satisfied with what they had gained that morning.
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They walked through the door to their first class, which happened to be Transfiguration. Castor slid into a desk at the very back of the class, pulling Draco into the seat next to her. "Your instruction starts now," Castor whispered as Professor McGonagall swept into the classroom.
They spent the class listening to and reading about the theory of Lapifors, before turning in their essays and splitting into pairs to practice. Castor and Draco found a vacated corner of the room and pulled out their wands, carefully going over the incantation and wand movement. Castor attempted it first, pointing her wand at the book in front of her and saying the spell. It worked on the first try, sprouting a small black bunny where the book had previously been. Draco tried it many times before managing to get a brown hare, even if it did still have the title and author of the book on it.
"You going to Hogsmeade?" Draco asked, concentrating on holding his wand steady. "Nah," Castor said, sitting on the ground and playing with the bunny. "My father was too busy to sign it over the summer, and I haven't owled him yet to ask."
Draco's face fell, but he quickly fixed on a neutral expression before Castor noticed. "You might be able to get him to sign it before Saturday," he said, but his voice said he knew it was a futile attempt. "There's no way an owl could get there and back before the trip." Castor said, transforming the bunny back into her Transfiguration textbook. "Oh, well," Draco said, trying to catch his hare so he could Reparifarge it.
"I could get you something if you want," he said with a casual voice, and she perked up. "Really?" "Yeah," He said, surprised she was interested. "It's just me, Blaise and Lia. It's not like we're doing anything important." "That would be great! Thanks," she said, and Draco smiled, finally catching his hare and transforming it back into a book.
They spent the rest of the class having McGonagall critique their far from perfect technique, most of the class not managing to have done anything at all. Castor zoned out after her turn, looking around the classroom to find who Draco had said he was going to Hogsmeade with that weekend. She spotted Blaise Zabini, a tall, blackhaired Slytherin sitting near the back across the room. She figured Lia must be Liadan Dolohov, and her eyes darted around, trying to figure out which girl she was. Given that she had been in Slytherin for two years already, she really knew very few people. After ruling out all the Slytherin girls she recognised, she picked one of two left that seemed most likely. She was a very pretty, black haired girl sitting in the back left corner near Blaise. After a few more boring minutes that Castor used to remember what she knew about Blaise and Lia, class was dismissed and she stood up gratefully.
Draco grabbed his books and followed her out of the room, and they started to make their way up to Divination. "This is actually helping me a lot," he said, and she shot him a confused glance, gesturing to explain. "Transfiguration," he continued, turning into a corridor and starting the long climb to the tower. "I think that's the first time I've managed it in the first class." Castor smiled, grabbing the railing and pulling herself up a few steps. "Let's hope you're as good at teaching Quidditch," she said with fake concern.
"Teaching Quidditch?" said a girl's voice from behind, and Castor turned to see the girl she thought was Liadan. "Oh Draco," she said hopelessly, catching up to them on the stairs and throwing an arm around Castors shoulder. "Have you dragged another person into your flying schemes?" "She volunteered for it," he said, shoving Lia and causing her and Castor to bump into the wall. "So far," Lia said with a smile, grabbing Draco and Castor's arms to steady herself.
"Don't worry," Blaise Zabini said to Castor, coming up the stairs behind them. "After you play it once you'll be addicted." Castor smiled, wondering at how once Draco decided they were friends, the other two just accepted her into their group. The two introduced themselves, and they made their way up to the Divination tower and through the classes of the day, Castor finally feeling like, for the first time since she got there, she had friends at Hogwarts.
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After classes had ended for the day, Draco grabbed Castor's arm and dragged her down to the quidditch pitch, Blaise and Liadan following a few feet behind. He went into the changing tent and emerged holding two broomsticks. His own, a Nimbus 2001, and a school one, a Cleansweep. He handed her the Cleansweep and they headed to the field, grabbing an extra quaffle on the way. After a moment Blaise joined them on the pitch holding his own broom and trying not to smile.
"I assume you know how to fly?" Draco asked, swinging his leg over the broom and holding the quaffle under one arm. Castor rolled her eyes and straddled her own broom, kicking off until she was high above the ground. "Coming pretty boy?" She asked, swerving out of the way as he shot upward. "Bet you won't be so smug in a second," he said, smiling evilly. Castor made to ask him something, but just then a whistling sound came from behind, and she ducked to see a bludger coming back around for another attack.
"What the heck!" Castor shouted as a second bludger came out of nowhere. "Don't just sit there, try and score!" Draco yelled, passing her the quaffle and speeding off to one of the end goals. She gripped the ball hard, weaving around the bludgers Blaise was hitting at her as she followed him to the goal posts. The first few times he blocked her attempts, but after she got a feel for it Castor was making almost every goal. Liadan sat in the Slytherin section of the stands, shouting encouragement and trying, unsuccessfully, to conjure a heating spell.
After about two hours of various exercises, most of them unconventional, Draco held the quaffle and gestured for Castor to join him on the ground. Her feet thumped down hard, legs and arms exhausted from holding onto the broom, Blaise trying to manhandle the bludgers into the chest. Draco landed much more gracefully, a wide smile on his face as he jogged over to her. "I told you," he said when he caught up to her. "You're a natural. I'd be surprised if we didn't win the cup with you on the team." "I'm not on the team yet," she said, but she couldn't help smiling at his high praise.
They dropped off the brooms in the changing rooms and the four walked towards the castle as the sun started to set, nothing dampening their good moods. They got up to the castle and hurried to reach their common room before curfew, narrowly dodging Peeves on their way to the dungeons. Once inside they threw themselves onto the couches, three exhausted from the practice, one shivering from the cold. Castor groaned loudly and flopped onto her stomach, gazing across at where Draco was unlacing and pulling off his boots.
"Homework," she grumbled, and he fell back against the couch miserably, dangling his arm over the floor and searching non committedly for his bag. "Do we have too?" he whined, feeling his fingers graze the bag and pulling it up by the side. "Unless you want to fail Potions we should probably finish that essay," Liadan said, sitting up and moving over to the table. Once they had all finished their homework they trudged off to their separate dormitories, joking about the Gryffindors incompetence and the uselessness of Divination.
Castor lay awake in bed for a while afterwards, going through what she knew about Blaise Zabini and Liadan Dolohov. Blaise had a very rich mother, whose husbands just seemed to keep dying, leaving her all their money. Really the only thing she knew about Liadan was that her father was a Death Eater who had been in Azkaban for thirteen years. Probably not the kind of people my father wants me to associate with, she thought, smirking. A boy whose mother kept killing her husbands, the daughter of a known Death Eater, and the son of a man who was probably also a Death Eater. Well, screw him, she thought, turning on her side and closing her eyes. I like my friends.
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Castor nibbled at a piece of toast as Lia tried to engage her in conversation. She had no appetite, and no particular interest to discuss the latest hair fashions. "Honestly," Lia said exasperatedly. "How are you going to get any boy to notice you if you don't care about your appearance." Castor choked on the small morsel she had been able to consume, and grabbed her glass to take a drink of water.
"What makes you think I want boys to notice me," She asked after a moment, looking askance at Lia. "And it's personality that matters anyway, not appearance." Lia rolled her eyes, comfortably taking a large bite of toast. "All girls want boys to notice them, you just haven't realized yet. And," she said as Castor opened her mouth, "I agree that it's personality that matters. But a boy won't get a chance to find out what your personality is like unless he notices you first." Their conversation had gradually diminished into a whisper, and Castor looked up to see Draco and Blaise gazing at them suspiciously.
"Whatcha talking about?" Blaise asked, and Castor started rolling her eyes, only to look over and see Lia blushing. "Nothing important," she said, covering for her friend no matter how trivial a matter she thought it was. She waited until the boys had left before turning to her friend gleefully.
"Blaise?! You and Blaise?!" Lia turned red and glared at Castor, viciously ripping off some buttered toast. "Castor Kellan, I swear, if you breathe a word of this to anyone-" She whispered venomously, but Castor cut her off with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry Lia, I would never tell anyone. Promise," she added as her friend looked at her suspiciously. "Hey," She said when Lia still stared at her. "As a token of my trust and good will, I will let you make me over tomorrow morning. Just to make the boys notice me." Lia continued to look at her suspiciously, but this time with a conniving hint in her eyes. "Really?" "Sure," Castor said, starting to regret the rash promise already. "Just don't do anything too outlandish," she added a little desperately.
Lia grinned evilly as they left their breakfasts and headed down to the Quidditch pitch for tryouts. "And look," Lia said cheerfully. "Now I've distracted you from your impending task." Castor groaned and ran her hands through her tawny hair, ripping out the knots that formed from lack of brushing. "I'll do something with that too," Lia said as they entered the pitch, Lia turning to join the other Slytherins in the stands, Castor turning to join the boys at tryouts.
There was a large group gathered there that morning, and she wound through it until she found Draco and Blaise, both holding their brooms and looking bored. "Hey," Draco said as Marcus Flint, the captain, gave a short speech, smiling at her nervousness. She smiled back wolfishly, gripping her own broom hard. This was the first test of her Quidditch career. Fail, and she might never be able to get on the team. Win, and she would have to practice hard to live up to the standard. After Marcus finished, she moved over to stand with the other would-be chasers.
A golden haired fifth year boy smiled at her and she smiled back, trying to seem less nervous than she was. "You're Kellan right?" He asked, and she nodded. "I'm Lysander Hale, but everyone calls me Sander. I've seen you practicing," he said, laughing when she looked up alarmed. "Don't be worried. You're pretty good, especially for a third year. I wouldn't be surprised if you took the third spot." She looked at him confused, and he elaborated. "Third chaser. Marcus, me, and someone else. And I'm not conceited," he said as she raised an eyebrow. "I'm honestly the best besides Marcus. You'll see." He smiled and shrugged and she couldn't help smiling back. For everyone's bad opinions of Slytherins, they really were quite nice. Well, at least to each other.
The beaters went first, and she wasn't surprised to see Blaise make the team. The other beater was a brown haired sixth year named Jack Halley, who she had seen, but never talked to. The keepers went next, but she didn't pay much attention, since no one she knew was auditioning. She only looked at the end when she saw who was picked, a tall seventh year named Alexi Mandrel.
Then came the chasers. Castor tried to breathe deeply, but it didn't work very well, and she ended up sort of hyperventilating. Sander placed a hand on her shoulder and she looked at him out of the side of her eye. He smiled reassuringly and she nodded, trying to get a grip on herself. Marcus started by having them all fly around the pitch to see who was fastest, and she came in third after Sander and some fifth year. Then they were called up one at a time and tried to score against Alexi, bludgers racing around their heads. Sander got all seven goals in, and she whistled. He really was the best after Marcus. When it was her turn she kicked off, and Marcus passed her the Quaffle, nodding slightly. She managed to get in six of seven goals, coming in just before the fast fifth year, and landed back on the field feeling pretty good about her chances.
Marcus announced the chasers after talking to the beaters and keeper: Himself, Lysander, and herself. She notably relaxed, and smiled at Sander as she went to join the other teammates. Blaise embraced her as she came up to them, and she smiled, relieved that the ordeal was over. Draco easily made the Seeker position, and Lia hurried down to the pitch to congratulate her friends, hugging Castor with a huge smile. "I knew you'd make it!"
"What about us?" Draco asked puppy eyed, and she scowled at him. "You're too full of yourself not to." They started to walk off the pitch laughing, but Castor was stopped by the fifth year boy she had stolen the Chaser position from.
"Just wanted to say good job," he said greasily, smoothing down his blondish hair. "I know you made the team and I didn't, but if you ever needed pointers, I could help." He smiled as if trying to charm her, and Castor had to refrain from kneeing him in the gut. "I'm good thanks," she said, smiling falsely, but he didn't take the hint. "Well, if you ever change her mind." He left the pitch, still smiling predatorily at her, and she shuddered. "Creep," she muttered, running to join her friends on the way back to the castle.
"What kept you?" Draco asked as she slowed to a walk. "Some creepy fifth year asking if I needed help. Weird considering I made the team and he didn't. That's him actually," she said, pointing to the retreating form of the greasy Chaser wanna be. "That's Sean Traten," Lia said, looking after him. "Everyone says he's kind of a creep." "Yeah well," Castor said avidly. "They're not wrong." Draco frowned after the boy, wondering whether he would try and approach his friend again. And how he himself would handle it.
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The next day Castor woke to Lia practically dragging her off the bed. She groaned and tried to push her off, but for such a thin girl, Lia was incredibly strong. "Get up Cas! Remember? You promised I could make you noticeable today." Castor groaned again and got out of the bed by herself glancing over at her bedside clock. "5 am!" She started to yell, but Lia shushed her. "You'll wake everyone up."
"Why do we have to get up at five?" She whispered harshly, pulling her blanket over her to try and retain some precious heat. "Beauty takes time," Lia whispered back, grabbing Castor's arm and pulling her toward the bathroom. "And time is money, so come on."
She sat Castor down in front of the mirror and studied her until Castor felt slightly uncomfortable. Suddenly she picked up Castors thick hair and spoke. "Let's start with this. I don't want to change it too much because it's a really pretty color...hmm. I wish we had some hair dye. Maybe add some green tips." Castor smiled, glad she was finally able to do something. "I can help with that," she said, dark green creeping up her tawny waves. Lia gasped, running her fingers through the rapidly changing hair. "Are you a metamorphmagus?" She asked excitedly, and Castor nodded, smiling. "Well that certainly made things easier."
After brushing the hair, Lia pulled out her wand and muttered a spell, wrapping the locks around the wood. After a minute she let go to reveal a perfect curl. She repeated the process until all the hair was curled, framing Castors pale face. "Now for makeup!" Lia said, and Castor jumped. "Makeup? I never said-''Oh yes you did," Lia cut in, unzipping a bag on the counter. "We're not gonna do anything too extreme. I wanna go for simple but striking."
Castor slumped, resigned to her fate, and Lia pulled out two black tubes and an eyeshadow palette. She told Castor to close her eyes and she did, feeling a cold tip on her eyelid and trying not to flinch. After a second she felt something brushing against her eyelid and after that stopped Lia said she could open her eyes. "Don't look in the mirror yet!" Lia said, blocking Castors eyes from the wall. She turned her around and pulled the cap off the second tube, revealing a deep red lipstick. "That looks kinda extreme," Castor said shakily, not used to wearing any makeup at all. "It's fine," Lia said, tilting Castors chin and starting to apply the red. "I wear it every day," she said, and Castor muttered under her breath, "Yeah but you're you."
Lia clicked the cap back on and pushed it into the bag, pulling Castor up and into the dormitory. "Get out your clothes," she said, plopping onto her bed as she waited for Castor. She pulled out her normal school uniform of diamond patterned green skirt, button up shirt and Slytherin robes. She pulled on her clothes while Lia waited and then turned around. "Ya done yet?" She asked, sighing when Lia bounced up and moved over to her.
She pulled Castors scarf out of her trunk and arranged it artfully around her neck as Castor raised her eyebrows. "Are we even going outside today?" She asked and Lia shrugged. "It's fashion," she said, stepping back to admire her work. "It doesn't have to be practical. Besides," she said, pulling Castors skirt up farther than she thought the dress code allowed. "You'll be outside to practice Quidditch." Castor smiled at the thought of her first Quidditch practice, but it faded as she said, "I'm not sure I want to play Quidditch with this skirt. You know how Marcus is." Lia smiled and pulled a pair of black and green pumps out of her own trunk. "Put these on," she said, tugging on her own sparkling shoes.
"Is this even allowed?" Castor asked as she zipped up the short heels. "Everyone does it, and no ones told me off yet." Lia said frowning. "Probably too busy admiring your legs," Castor joked, standing up and eyeing Lia questioningly. "I think you're done," Lia said, turning Castor to face the full length mirror. Castor gasped at her reflection. Dark green eyeliner and eyeshadow brought out her bright green eyes, and her lips looked fuller with a dark blood red on them. It was like a whole different person staring out at her. A beautiful, vivacious, unafraid Slytherin girl looked out at her, and she tried out a flirtatious smile.
"Draco's going down," Lia said with a wolfish smile, and Castor rolled her eyes at her in the mirror. "I told you," she said, grabbing her book bag. "I don't like like Draco. We're just friends." Lia shrugged and turned to grab her own bag, saying, "let's leave before Pansy wakes from her ugly sleep. I want her first look at you to be of jealous surprise."
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"What?" Draco asked as Blaise trailed off in the middle of a sentence. He followed his friends gaze to the entrance of the Great Hall, where two Slytherin girls were walking in. "Is that..." "Castor?" Draco said in astonishment as their two friends approached the table. "Hey boys," Castor said, trying to imitate her more flirtatious friend as she slid her exposed legs over the bench. "Wow," Draco said, eyes roaming her face and taking in all the changes. "You look different. In a good way." She smiled at him, flipping her hair over one shoulder and grabbing a croissant. Lia squeezed into the space between Blaise and Draco, looping an arm around the former and crossing her legs beneath her short green skirt.
"Is your hair green?" Draco asked, unable to take his eyes off his suddenly striking friend. "You tell me," she said, changing a lock near the front to a bright teal blue. "Castor's a metamorphmagus," Lia said pompously as Draco and Blaise both gasped. "No way!" Blaise said, subtly scooting closer to Lia. "I've always wanted to be one," said Draco, reaching around Castor to feel the forest green hair. She felt a shiver run down her spine as his hand brushed her shoulder and glared at the table, not wanting to admit anything to Lia.
"Well," Draco said, dropping her hair and instead laying his arm around her back. "I see this as a definite improvement." "Was I not good enough before?" Castor pouted, trying to shift closer to Draco without him noticing. "Of course not!" He said hurriedly, looking at her in alarm. "This is just better." She smiled at him and took a bite of croissant, taking care not to get lipstick on the food. "How'd Lia manage to rope you into this?" He asked, taking a bite of bacon and looking at the two girls confused. "It's part of my oath not to spill her secret," Castor said mysteriously, wiggling her eyebrows at a still confused Draco.
"What secret?" He asked, looking over at Lia. Castor raised one eyebrow and looked at him incredulously. "If it's a secret then I'm not gonna tell you!" "But we're your friends," Blaise said pleadingly, and Lia looked at him without remorse. "Girls only," she said. "So you gonna tell her?" Draco asked, gesturing at Pansy Parkinson, who was standing in the great hall and staring daggers at Castor. Castor feigned vomiting and shook her head with disgust. "You go too far", she said, pulling Draco up as she stood, and turning to Lia. "Come my fellow warrior maiden. We must away to battle." She and Lia walked out the door and to 'battle', dragging two very lucky soldiers behind them
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Castor took a deep breath, wiping her sweaty palm on emerald green Quidditch robes. She ran her hand down her broom, feeling the comforting knots in the wood and trying to ease the tension in her shoulders. "Relax," Draco said with an amused glance, and she glared over at him. He was completely at ease, leaning against his broom with an air of casualness. "You'll be fine," he said more seriously, grabbing her hand so she would stop fidgeting so much. She shook him off irritably, tapping her foot nervously instead.
"Of course you're fine. You've been playing Quidditch your whole life. This is my first match ever!" He smirked, following Flint and Blaise out of the tent and towards the pitch. "Well yes," he said smugly, and she hurriedly followed him out. "I am rather a natural. But you wouldn't have made it on the team if you weren't one too."
"You're probably the best Chaser on the team," Blaise added quietly, and she flushed at the praise. "Thanks," she said and Draco's familiar smirk was back. They stood on the grass while Madam Hooch announced, then kicked off into the perfect blue sky, robes trailing behind them like green fire. Castor fell into place beside the two other chasers, Blaise slightly behind and above them, Draco rising high into the air, already searching for the small gold ball that could win the game.
Madam Hooch blew the whistle after what seemed like an eternity and the players rocketed into motion, one of the Ravenclaw Chasers taking possession of the Quaffle. The rest of the match passed in a blur of dodging bludgers and throwing the Quaffle, Castor actually managing to score Slytherin a few goals. Not until the end did anything unusual occur, besides fouls, which always happen in Slytherin games. Draco had finally spotted the snitch and both Seekers were racing headlong at it, barreling toward the ground at top speed.
The Ravenclaw Seeker was so intent on the snitch that he failed to notice the bludger heading toward him, despite his teams warnings. It crashed into his brooms end, not causing severe harm, but effectively grounding him and probably leaving some bruising. Draco was left open to catch the snitch and his fingers closed around it triumphantly, Madam Hooch blowing the whistle to end the game, Slytherins cheering raucously. Castor flew towards him, grinning with the rest of the team, but immediately realized something was wrong.
His face seemed stuck and he suddenly went limp, falling some fifteen feet off his broom to the ground. Castor flew almost straight down, tumbling off her broom and sprinting to where her friend lay. She knelt over his pale face, trying in vain to awaken him. Professor Snape joined her next to his body and, feeling someone pulling her away she resisted, but the boy was much stronger than her, and her efforts led to nothing. He practically manhandled her off the pitch and over to Professor McGonagall, who looked at her worriedly.
"Is she alright?" She said, looking Castor up and down to see if she were injured, but Castor heard her as if through a tunnel, her mind still on the pale haired boy she should be with, not here with these people. "Just shock, I think," the person holding her said, a lilting voice who at that moment she hated more than anyone. "Why don't you take her up to the infirmary all the same," McGonagall said, already shifting her focus to keeping the crowd restrained.
Castor struggled to get out of her captors grip, but he was much too strong, even for her Quidditch hardened muscles. He pinned her arms to her side and picked her up, carrying her over near the front doors, but far enough that no one would notice them. He set her down but still wouldn't let go, arms like steel bands encircling her body.
"Castor," He said gently, but she still wouldn't stop fighting him. "Cas!" He finally shouted, and she was shocked into submission, abandoning her futile attempts at escape. "If I let you go, will you promise not to run straight back down there?" She nodded hesitantly, and he loosened his grip enough for her to slip out and turn to face him, but held on enough that if she tried to run he could stop her.
"Jax?" She said, completely shocked out of her plans to escape. Before her stood her brother Jaxus, with his memorable strawberry hair and deep green eyes. "Good to see you too sis," he joked, hair lightening along with his mood. "What-" She spluttered, trying to recall seeing him at the recent game. "I was down here with Lucius Malfoy on ministry business and thought I'd watch your first game. Of course," he said, smile dropping and hair darkening to a golden red rather like hers. "It didn't go quite as expected." He stumbled as she threw her arms around him, tears leaking from her eyes both at seeing him again, and the experience she had just endured.
"Hey," He said calmly, rubbing her back. "It's okay. Your friend will be fine." She released him instantly, and he regretted ever having mentioned Draco. "I've got to see him," she said breathlessly, turning to go towards the hospital wing. "Do you think they've brought him here yet?" He started to speak, but sighed as he saw she was already to the door of the infirmary. He ran to catch up with her, grabbing her shoulder so she wouldn't burst in too quickly. She pushed open the door and skidded down the aisle, completely ignoring him, Madam Pomfrey hurriedly appearing to halt her.
"What is the meaning of this?" She asked alarmed, blocking Castors way so she couldn't advance farther. "Is..." she started, looking around Madam Pomfrey to see a green clad, pale figure laying on a bed behind her. "Is he dead?" She started, alarmed, continuing without waiting for an answer. "Is he okay? Can I talk to him? Is he awake?" "Calm down miss Kellan," she said sternly. "Your friend will be fine. You, however, do not appear that way. Perhaps you should take a sedative and stay here tonight." Castor tried to protest, saying that she was fine and there was no reason for her to take anything, but her brother cut in quietly.
"You're quite right," Jaxus said with a knowing smile, "Draco's the hurt one, not you. But he's already here." She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it tightly, turning back to Madam Pomfrey. "On second thought, maybe I am in shock." Madam Pomfrey pinched her lips and pointed her to the bed next to Draco, walking away to get a solution. She hurried to his side, looking in his face for any remains of what had happened, but he looked completely relaxed.
She pushed herself up off the side of the bed with a sigh of relief, but it morphed into a cry of pain. "I'll get something for that too," Madam Pomfrey said, walking briskly over to where she had sunk onto the bed assigned to her. She handed her a tall glass full of milky white liquid, and Castor downed it in one gulp, shuddering at the taste. She lay down on the bed without bothering to remove her boots or even her gloves, staring at her friends prone figure until she dropped into a dreamless sleep.
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Draco woke with a splitting headache in a room he did not immediately recognize. He opened his eyes slowly, blinded by the light reflecting off the very white walls. "Welcome back," said a familiar voice, and he looked up to see a tall man with long hair the same white blonde shade as his. "Father!" He said, shocked and confused at everything that was happening. "What are you doing here? What am I doing here?" "Hush Draco," He said, tapping his black cane on the hard floor. "If you're going to ask questions, at least let me answer them." Draco looked down ashamed, only to see Castor lying in the next bed over. He opened his mouth to ask something else, but looking up at his father, closed it again.
"To answer your first question, I was around the school on ministry business, and heard that you were injured. As to how you were injured, they tell me the snitch you caught was cursed." Draco's eyes widened with shock and Lucius gave a grim smile. "At least you caught it." Draco nodded a little mechanically, looking over at Castor with a confused expression. "Is Castor injured? Why is she here?" His father looked over at the sleeping girl with interest, raising his eyebrows. "So this is your friend the Kellan. What a pleasant way to meet." He looked back at his son with a glimmer in his eye and smiled. "I'm not sure why she's here."
"She's here to treat her shock and a fractured wrist." Madam Promfrey said, walking towards the Malfoys holding a glass and a bottle of something. "And," she continued, setting the glass on the bedside table and pouring the liquid into it. "I reckon she just didn't want to leave until she knew you weren't going to die, Mr. Malfoy." She gave him a knowing glance and pointed at the glass, which was full of a thick amber substance. "Drink that, it'll get rid of any remaining traces of the curse." With that she turned and walked back to her office, Lucius raising his eyebrows again and looking between his son and the tawny haired girl.
Draco concentrated on downing the liquid, not meeting his father's eyes. Lucius made to speak, but Castor groaned and rolled onto her side, clutching her right upper arm and slowly opening her eyes. Lucius stepped forward and poured a glass of water from the beaker on the table, handing it to her as she struggled to sit up. "Thank you," she said groggily, blinking in the bright light and gulping some water. After drinking the whole glass she set it back on the table, taking in the man before her, then looking over to see her friend already awake. "Draco!" She said grinning, momentarily forgetting her own pain and concentrating on him. "You're not dead yet!" Draco looked at her askance. "Yet?"
"Astute observation, Miss Kellan," someone said, and Castor looked up to see the pale haired man looking at her with an amused expression. "Oh, Cas, this is my father. Father, this is my friend Castor Kellan." He held out a hand and she leaned forward and shook it, a little more reserved than before. "Pleasure to meet you, even if it's under these unpleasant circumstances." She smiled, saying, "the pleasures all mine." She looked around the white room, trying to spot a certain black-clad ginger. "Looking for someone?" Lucius asked, and she looked at him with an apologetic smile. "My brother. I saw him last night, and he mentioned he was here with you for the ministry."
Now Lucius was the one looking sorry. "I'm sad to say he was called away urgently this morning." Her face fell, and he continued, wanting to get a sense of what she was like before he left. "I wasn't aware your family played Quidditch." He said, phrasing it as a question. She laughed a little derisively, and he took note that her tone was slightly bitter as she answered.
"They don't. Really it's Draco's fault that I play at all. We made a deal that he would teach me if I helped him with Transfiguration, and I've grown rather fond of it." He dipped his head in acknowledgment, mentally considering her actions as he spoke. "I assure you your teaching methods have proved efficient. But I am afraid I must take my leave. The ministry always awaits." He nodded at her and said farewell to his son as he walked out the door. Castor sighed with relief, dropping her face into her still-gloved hands.
"I can't believe I just met your father. He hated me didn't he," She asked Draco, who looked over at her in surprise. "No! I think he actually rather liked you, which is quite an accomplishment." She looked at him in disbelief. "How could he like me when my father's..." "A git?" Draco inserted and she scowled at him, but nodded a little hopelessly. "Please," He said, rolling his eyes. "It doesn't matter who her father is, as long as you're not like him. Remember," he continued, waiting until she looked at him before speaking. "You're a Slytherin. And the fact that you've accepted that and the things that come with it says something." She smiled at him and breathed deeply. "I guess you're right."
"I'm always right," he said, and then smirked. "Is it true you stayed here to make sure I was okay?"
"You git," she said, swinging her legs over the bed and standing. "That wasn't a denial!" He shouted after her as she walked away, getting out of his own bed feeling only a little sick, and following her.
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"I like her," Lucius Malfoy said to his wife later that day. "She doesn't seem overly fond of her father, and Draco obviously likes her." "I think I'd like to meet her," Narcissa said. "Do you think Draco will invite her over?" Lucius laughed. "No. I'm sure he likes her enough to, but you know how boys are." "True," she responded thoughtfully. "And we'll no doubt see her at the Quidditch World Cup, anyway. Her father's too important not to go," he said, and Narcissa smiled. "Good thing she's in Slytherin."
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Draco caught up to Castor on the stairs leading down to the dungeons and they walked to their dormitory in a comfortable silence. Castor said the password and they entered to an uproar of green themed celebration. "The conquering hero returns!" Blaise yelled, and everyone in the common room cheered. He wound his way over to them with Lia on his heels, and handed them each a rather odd looking pasty. "Nicked 'em from the kitchens," he said a little dizzily. Draco raised his eyebrows and Lia rolled her eyes. "They're filled with firewhiskey."
"Ah," Castor said as Lia embraced her and pulled her farther into the packed room. "Come join the celebrations! It's kind of an impromptu feast but, anyway." They made their way over where the rest of the Quidditch team was lounging on the furniture, passing a group of out of place looking first years.
Marcus refused to move his legs off the couch so Castor plopped down on top of them, Lia perching on the couch's arm and Draco and Blaise sharing an ottoman opposite them. "Good to see you aren't dead," said Lysander Hale, one of the chasers besides Castor. "Yet," Lia and Castor added simultaneously, having recounted the events of the hospital wing on their perilous journey through the party. Blaise shot them a confused look and Castor smirked. "It's a long story," Draco said rolling his eyes.
"We'll be happy to hear it some other time," Marcus said, trying to push Pansy Parkinson off of the couch arm by his head. "Tell us about the snitch. What was wrong with it?"
"Tell me about the match first," Draco said excitedly. "What happened? We won, right?"
"210 to 40," Lysander said impatiently. "Now come on. Tell us."
"Well," Draco said, obviously trying to make it as suspenseful as possible. "My father was talking to Dumbledore about it, and he said the snitch was cursed. They don't know anything about who did it though."
"Probably one of those nerdy Ravenclaws," Marcus said, poking Castor to hand him a glass from the table full of bright blue sparkling liquid. "Trying to improve their chances of winning." They went silent at that, wondering whether a student would actually consider cursing an opposing player. "Yeah well," Castor said. "It says something that they had so little faith in their seeker that they knew we would catch the snitch." They all laughed at that, and the mood relaxed a bit, Lysander exchanging a story about one of the Ravenclaw chasers.
Pansy gave a shrill laugh, trying to implant herself in the conversation, and Marcus cut in. "Shove off Parkinson," he said without bothering to look at her. "This area is for Quidditch players and honored guests only," He finished, gesturing at Lia and his girlfriend, who was sitting on the couch by Lysander. Pansy humphed and left to go harass some poor second year, Lia smirking after her retreating form.
"Honestly," Marcus said disgustedly. "I don't know how you stand having her in class all year. I can hardly stand being in the same house." Lysander laughed and Blaise responded seriously. "It's not easy," he said in a dramatic voice, looking off into some unknown distance. Draco shoved him off the ottoman and the team dissolved into a dog pile of green robed boys around the table, the three girls quickly exiting to find somewhere less hazardous.
They spent the day eating stolen goods from the kitchen, avoiding banned Zonko's items flying around the room, and failing to finish their considerable amount of homework. Castor was grinning the whole time, thinking how much better it was to be part of the celebration than not.
Before Draco dragged her into this crazy world of Quidditch and friends, she would secret herself in her room and do homework all day, avoiding the party and the large groups of people. She used to think no one would welcome her anywhere in Slytherin because her father was so against their house and anything remotely Dark. Now, however, she realized that precisely because she was in Slytherin, no one cared who her father was. She was on the Quidditch team, she represented Slytherin proudly, and she didn't care if someone's dad was a Death Eater, so why shouldn't they like her?
After trying and failing to write even a sentence of her Charms essay, she suggested they take a break and explore the castle. All her friends agreed readily, having no particular interest in finishing their own work. "It might be hard to find somewhere we haven't already been though," Lia said as they exited the common room and turned to leave the dungeons.
Her fear was unfounded however, and within fifteen minutes they found themselves in a completely unrecognizable section of the school. It was a long, completely deserted corridor, with windows along one wall and only one door on the opposite wall. Draco approached the door and tried to open it, but the handle wouldn't budge. "Locked," he stated dejectedly, turning back to look out the other wall. "Oh come off it," Castor said, rolling her eyes. "Alohomora." They heard a click, and this time when he turned the handle it swung open on silent hinges.
He pushed it hesitantly, the three others hovering behind him. He stepped into the room, jumping as torches flickered on suddenly. He moved farther into the room and the rest pushed in behind him. "Oh," Lia said in disappointment. It was a plain stone room with nothing inside, not even a table. "Just another empty room, I guess," Castor said, spinning around to see if there was anything else. There wasn't. Draco started to speak, but Blaise shushed him and pulled them all into the room, moving the door until it was only slightly open.
Draco looked at him in annoyance and tried to speak again, but Blaise put a finger to his lips, pointing to the door. The four fell silent, trying to hear what had made Blaise act so quickly. After a second of concentration Castor heard a woman speak.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" she asked someone, who responded in a deep man's voice. "One can never be sure of anything," the man said, and Draco raised his eyebrows at Castor, asking a question with his expression. She shook her head, not knowing who the people were either. She turned to Lia and Blaise but they both shrugged.
"You know how dangerous he is," the woman spoke again, and they all turned back to the door, focusing on their eavesdropping. "If it is the Ministry's will, then I can do nothing to change it," the man said in a relaxed voice, and realization dawned on Castor.
She nudged Draco and mouthed 'Dumbledore'. He made a face and mouthed back 'McGonagall?', gesturing through the door to the other speaker. She nodded. 'Probably'. Castor listened at the door for a few seconds more but, hearing nothing, turned back to her friends. "Common room," she whispered and they nodded as she poked her head out the door. Seeing no one in the corridor, she slipped out, but stopped once her friends had left.
"Do you guys know how to get back?" She asked, pursing her lips and glancing down the hall. Draco and Blaise looked at each other, then to her, shaking their heads. Lia however, smiled at her. She muttered a spell ending with revelio, and immediately white footsteps began to appear along the corridor. "Just follow the footsteps," she said, and Blaise whistled.
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They arrived back in the Slytherin common room out of breath, having hurried to reach it before lights out. Finding a corner devoid of partygoers they slumped into chairs, Draco propping his feet up on the table. "Well," Castor started, reaching behind her to grab an abandoned glass of sparkling soda. "What were they on about?" Lia asked, snatching the soda and taking a sip before handing it back to Castor.
"Castor and I," Draco said in an imperious voice, steepling his fingers and looking pompous. "Have determined that we must have overheard Mcgonagall and Dumbledore. However," he continued, taking the glass Castor passed him and drinking a bit before giving it to Blaise. "We have absolutely no idea what they were discussing." Lia rolled her eyes. "Isn't it obvious?" She asked, and they all stared at her blankly.
"No?" Blaise ventured, and she sighed, reaching into her bag to pull out a copy of the Prophet. "McGonagall said 'how dangerous he is,' and who is the only person that could apply to?" None of them moved and she turned over the paper, showing a picture of a ragged man screaming behind bars. "Sirius Black?" Draco and Castor said in unison, Blaise just staring at the picture. "Of course!" Lia said, brandishing the paper in Castors face. "It makes sense! He's dangerous, and it's the 'Ministry's will', that Hogwarts remain open and be protected by those fiends," she said, gesturing to the wall, where through the stone, dementors patrolled the grounds.
"Well," Draco started, scrunching up his face and running a hand through his pale hair. "I guess, but that's not very important then. We all know Dumby hates dementors and that Black is dangerous." They all sort of slumped at the thought that their adventure had led to nothing, but after a second Castor piped up.
"Even if it's not important, it brings to light an important point," she said, and they all looked at her curiously. "Dementors. They don't teach us how to defend against them, and I think we should be able to." Draco raised an eyebrow. "Unless you're Potter you won't have a problem with them." She rolled her eyes and spoke. "No, but what if they go rogue? I at least, am going to teach myself the Patronus charm." Blaise shrugged, saying, "as long as you're learning it I'll join you." Lia agreed and they all looked toward Draco.
He sighed. "I guess I'll do it," he said, and Castor hugged him happily, making Draco smile in spite of himself. "So what are you guys doing for Christmas?" Lia asked after a few seconds of silence. "Same as always," Blaise said and Draco agreed. "I'm visiting my aunt in Italy," Lia said and they all made jealous noises.
"I'm just staying at home," Castor said miserably, twirling a quill around her finger. "Although it should be worse than usual, considering my brother is in France." "We'll be sure to mail you," Lia said sympathetically, and the boys nodded. "Although I think we should wait until we're back at school to give gifts." Castor agreed and they talked about school and Quidditch for a while before going back up to bed