19
Doesn't it make you feel better?
"Serpentsortia" Cassandra hissed to the picture on the wall, watching the outlined portion pull out and slide back to let her in. The common room was very quiet, the few who were there working on projects or lounging by the fire. She caught a few looks from two of the fifth years, and neither was even brave enough to ask her how she was. Apparently they seemed afraid or possibly, disinterested in how she was. Maybe Snape's reaction had set them off, or maybe they just figured Potter had hexed her badly. Fine, she would prefer that over what had actually happened. Far less explaining, far fewer uncomfortable questions, and definitely less embarrassing. Definitely.
She walked down the narrow corridor to the girls dormitories, and then turned a sharp right to the Prefects Quarters. Opening the door, she was not surprised to find some food waiting, as well as the flowers, and a couple of vials on the bedside table. Curious, she walked over to check out the stoppered vials, pausing to remove the happily purring cat from around her shoulders, which were beginning to cramp up.
One potion she recognized instantly-Dreamless Sleep Potion. For someone who was so dour and harsh, The Potions Master could be incredibly thoughtful. The second vial she didn't recognize by the color, and took up the note which had been left on the table. Taking it out of the envelope, another small folded packet fell out. She read:
Miss Caliga~
Purple is Dreamless Sleep Potion. Do not use too regularly, it can be addictive. Second is a personal concoction of mine, you appeared to be getting another one of those headaches of yours. Not surprising, considering how our day was. Let me know if you need anything, I have enclosed a packet of floo powder so you can contact me easily.
SS
Also:
DO not under any circumstances take the two potions together.
SS
Placing the note back in the envelope, she took it, along with the two vials and hid them in the trunk at the foot of her bed. Don't want any curious House Elves getting into those little goodies, she thought to herself, as another dizzying wave of exhaustion washed over her. She curled up on the bed, wishing for the first time in many years that she had a father to confide in. Someone to offer her quiet advice and listen patiently to her dilemmas. At one point in time, she had thought she might be gaining a father in the focus of her mother's attentions. On the night her mother had taken her for dinner, explaining over plates of spaghetti how she had a man friend she had been seeing, and that she wanted Cassandra to meet him. It had been a fleeting rush, a moment of hope and excitement, a kick of adrenaline, gone as quickly as it had come… One look at Octavious and Cassandra had seen right through his peaches 'n' cream exterior to what lay beneath.
He had literally winced when her eyes had delved into him, locking him in her gaze. He had known she had seen through his façade, felt her reading him. In that moment he had begun to hate her existence, and she had felt that too. She had sensed the darkness in him, the lies, and rage and hatred. And there had been something else too, something she hadn't recognized at that time…had she known then what she knew know, she would have grabbed her mothers hand and ran like hell form that restaurant, run to the ends of the earth if they'd had to, to get away from that monster. The only thing that she had shared with Octavious Ignoble was an intense, mutual loathing of one another. If only she had known her real father. She wondered aloud at what had become of him. She'd never known him, never seen a picture even, and had never had the nerve to ask her mother about it. She had started to once, when she was very young, and the look on her mothers face had stopped her in her tracks. She would never intentionally cause her mother that kind of pain – the look on her mothers face had terrified Cassandra. But who was he, anyways? What had happened, had he died, was he still out there? No one had ever even told Cassandra what had happened. She only hoped that they had at least loved each other.
In this moment, however, she just needed a mature, logical, trust-worthy adult figure that she could trust with her worries and concerns. It would be humiliating to speak to anyone who wasn't close family about such things, and she had been through enough humiliation in the last month to last a lifetime. She felt compelled to tell someone about her feelings… (What were they, exactly?) for Malfoy and how to deal with him. To speak of her growing fear that Octavious would come back and finish her off. To be allowed to openly discuss her 'health problems' as they were now being referred to, and to spill out her fears of her quarter (at least) Muggle heritage being discovered. Feeling overwhelmed and incapable of coping, another inexplicable wave of exhaustion rolled over her, and she was swept into an uneasy sleep. She was out before her shoes were even kicked off, the sleep potion left untouched, along with the meal at her bedside.
Draco hammered on the door impatiently, certain that it was the correct room. There was only one area reserved as prefect's quarters, and this had to be it. He had gone back up to the infirmary when she hadn't appeared for dinner, to find that she and her things were gone. He wanted to find out exactly what had happened in Potions class, and fill her in on the events in the Great Hall at supper time. Not a particularly hard curse, yet it had been so effective. That little son-of-a-bitch weasel had more than deserved it, with his insinuations about Cassandra. Where did that Mudblood-sympathizer get off, anyways, saying anything about her? He had more than just ad-nauseam coming to him, but the red-headed piece of trash would figure that out over the next couple of weeks. There was no doubt about it. He would just be a little more subtle about it all, but Ron would be so very, very sorry. You just don't fuck with the apple of Draco Malfoy's eye. You just don't.
Banging harder on the door, he was starting to worry that something else had gone on… What if she took off somewhere? She had been really upset earlier, and what had Madame Pomfrey meant by "not again!" How often did his intended girlfriend get sick, anyways…? She was a little mysterious…. and he was so turned on by that. And Draco was intrigued that the man who acted as his second father and was their Head of House took such an interest in Cassandra lately. He had looked genuinely horrified and gone sheet white when the beauty had collapsed in class….. More questions that needed answering. Calling out her name, there was still no answer to the pounding at the door. Frustrated, he finally swung around and gave the door a good hard kick. To his utter surprise, the door swung open wide, revealing the dimly candle-lit room beyond. Looking around guiltily, wondering whether or not he should actually go into the room to see if she was there, Draco decided he couldn't just leave. What if something was wrong, after all? He snuck into her room, pulling the door closed behind him with a soft click.
"Cassandra?" He called out softly. Receiving no response from the curtained bed, and looking over at the uneaten meal on her table, he tried again, more insistently.
"Cassandra!! Hey, Sparkles!" Still nothing.
Moving over to the bed, feeling stupid and yet more brave now that he had assumed she wouldn't actually be in the room, she placed his hand on the heavy drape and pulled it aside. He drew in a quick gasp; she was there, out cold on the bed!
"Fuck!" He swore under his breath. The cat sleeping beside her looked up and scowled at him, (with one eye, mind you) then lay his head back down on his master. Was she just sleeping, or had something else gone on? Madame Pomfrey's words echoed in Malfoy's head, and he reached over and touched the girl's hand. A small crackle could be heard, and he smirked involuntarily. Damn, but she was a good looking creature. All long, flowing lines… He gave her hand a squeeze, leaning over to speak into her ear.
"Cassandra! Are you alright?"
She stirred and he heaved a sigh of relief.
"I'm trying to get some fucking sleep here, so bugger off. It's not breakfast yet-leave me be!"
Malfoy dropped her hand as if it had suddenly turned to fire. Clearly she was pissed at him for interrupting her space. He hadn't really expected her to be quite so blunt about it. How had she ever made Prefect with a mouth like that? Cassandra rolled over and opened one eye.
"Malfoy!" She shot up like a rocket, and then quickly put her hand to her forehead. "Christ almighty! What are you doing here?"
He rose to leave; clearly she was not interested in him or in his being in her personal space. And after he had risked expulsion for her this afternoon, too!
"Just came and knocked on your door, got no answer and was, erm, worried that something had happened to you. It's nothing, I'm leaving" He grumbled at her.
"Please, Don't!" She looked at him with pleading eyes, and he noticed the huge circles underneath them. How had he missed that? He turned back to her and sat on the bed.
"I'll stay if that's what you want. It just seemed that you wanted to get back to sleep."
The first sign of color came into her cheeks. "I thought you were my House elf…"She explained, slightly uncomfortable about what she had said in her half-wakefulness. "She always wakes me up 5 minutes before my alarm is due, it's completely aggravating!"
"So I've noted. So, what's up?" He really couldn't believe that Cassandra had let him off so easily! He was in her room after all…
"I just want... need you to stay her in the room tonight. For a bit, please... Today was frightening..." Cassandra couldn't believe her own ears...What was she doing, admitting weakness to, of all people, Draco Malfoy? The very person who scorned weakness as much as she did!
"I know. I was so worried about you Cassandra, and no one would tell me what was going on…."Gods, she was so gorgeous… "I thought, I thought that Potter had killed you! I would have killed him; I could just kill him for what he did to you in class, even though Mudblood Granger said it wasn't his fault! It's all bullshit. Gryffindorian holier-than-thou, can-do-no- wrong crap! I can't believe Snape fell for that line!"
"It wasn't, and he didn't. Please don't speak disrespectfully of Professor Snape around me. I have a lot of respect for him, and he has shown me undue kindness on repeated occasions."
Malfoy stared at her in shock." So it really wasn't Potter after all? Then what?"
Cassandra simply leaned over towards him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Let's not talk about that right now. I promise, I'll tell you one day…It just ….it hurts….to….I just cant… I don't want to…"
"Don't worry, I'm sorry I brought it up. I didn't mean to upset you." Malfoy was seriously disbelieving that not only was Cassandra, the Queen of the Aloof, holding onto him, but that a tear was threatening to well over her lower lid. He felt insanely guilty and angry all at once, and pulled away for a moment, turned his icy slate eyes to meet her intensely black ones.
"I will keep my promise, what I wrote on that cared over there" he nodded his head to the flowers. "It won't happen again. You have me now."
Cassandra was the first one to break the stare, resting her head back against him as he placed a protective arm around her, uncertain what else could be done to help what might possibly be his first proper love. That is, if he didn't fuck it up first. Cassandra reached over and placed her free arm around his shoulders, pulling Draco into her, holding close and allowing their weight to support each other. A thousand feelings were pulling him apart. She pulled him closer and whispered into his ear. He felt his life was changing, that his entire destiny might be making a full turn-about. Possibilities of alternate endings to his life, or an alternate existence even welled within him when they were together. He felt as if the pain of his past was being pulled out of him, erased almost as if it had all never happened, and it was replaced by…. He didn't know what. But it was damn fine, whatever it was. He had felt it in the first touch in Potions class, he would give it all for her… She seemed to take everything away, and then put it back into him changed, improved somehow. Time stood still, sped up and reversed all in the same moment, suddenly liquid. If they could stay this way forever, satisfying each others needs like a perfect potion, he would. What the platinum-haired boy didn't know, however, was that the reason this onyx-haired girl was holding him so close was because he was doing the exact same thing for her, when she needed it the most.
.
Doesn't it make you feel better?
"Serpentsortia" Cassandra hissed to the picture on the wall, watching the outlined portion pull out and slide back to let her in. The common room was very quiet, the few who were there working on projects or lounging by the fire. She caught a few looks from two of the fifth years, and neither was even brave enough to ask her how she was. Apparently they seemed afraid or possibly, disinterested in how she was. Maybe Snape's reaction had set them off, or maybe they just figured Potter had hexed her badly. Fine, she would prefer that over what had actually happened. Far less explaining, far fewer uncomfortable questions, and definitely less embarrassing. Definitely.
She walked down the narrow corridor to the girls dormitories, and then turned a sharp right to the Prefects Quarters. Opening the door, she was not surprised to find some food waiting, as well as the flowers, and a couple of vials on the bedside table. Curious, she walked over to check out the stoppered vials, pausing to remove the happily purring cat from around her shoulders, which were beginning to cramp up.
One potion she recognized instantly-Dreamless Sleep Potion. For someone who was so dour and harsh, The Potions Master could be incredibly thoughtful. The second vial she didn't recognize by the color, and took up the note which had been left on the table. Taking it out of the envelope, another small folded packet fell out. She read:
Miss Caliga~
Purple is Dreamless Sleep Potion. Do not use too regularly, it can be addictive. Second is a personal concoction of mine, you appeared to be getting another one of those headaches of yours. Not surprising, considering how our day was. Let me know if you need anything, I have enclosed a packet of floo powder so you can contact me easily.
SS
Also:
DO not under any circumstances take the two potions together.
SS
Placing the note back in the envelope, she took it, along with the two vials and hid them in the trunk at the foot of her bed. Don't want any curious House Elves getting into those little goodies, she thought to herself, as another dizzying wave of exhaustion washed over her. She curled up on the bed, wishing for the first time in many years that she had a father to confide in. Someone to offer her quiet advice and listen patiently to her dilemmas. At one point in time, she had thought she might be gaining a father in the focus of her mother's attentions. On the night her mother had taken her for dinner, explaining over plates of spaghetti how she had a man friend she had been seeing, and that she wanted Cassandra to meet him. It had been a fleeting rush, a moment of hope and excitement, a kick of adrenaline, gone as quickly as it had come… One look at Octavious and Cassandra had seen right through his peaches 'n' cream exterior to what lay beneath.
He had literally winced when her eyes had delved into him, locking him in her gaze. He had known she had seen through his façade, felt her reading him. In that moment he had begun to hate her existence, and she had felt that too. She had sensed the darkness in him, the lies, and rage and hatred. And there had been something else too, something she hadn't recognized at that time…had she known then what she knew know, she would have grabbed her mothers hand and ran like hell form that restaurant, run to the ends of the earth if they'd had to, to get away from that monster. The only thing that she had shared with Octavious Ignoble was an intense, mutual loathing of one another. If only she had known her real father. She wondered aloud at what had become of him. She'd never known him, never seen a picture even, and had never had the nerve to ask her mother about it. She had started to once, when she was very young, and the look on her mothers face had stopped her in her tracks. She would never intentionally cause her mother that kind of pain – the look on her mothers face had terrified Cassandra. But who was he, anyways? What had happened, had he died, was he still out there? No one had ever even told Cassandra what had happened. She only hoped that they had at least loved each other.
In this moment, however, she just needed a mature, logical, trust-worthy adult figure that she could trust with her worries and concerns. It would be humiliating to speak to anyone who wasn't close family about such things, and she had been through enough humiliation in the last month to last a lifetime. She felt compelled to tell someone about her feelings… (What were they, exactly?) for Malfoy and how to deal with him. To speak of her growing fear that Octavious would come back and finish her off. To be allowed to openly discuss her 'health problems' as they were now being referred to, and to spill out her fears of her quarter (at least) Muggle heritage being discovered. Feeling overwhelmed and incapable of coping, another inexplicable wave of exhaustion rolled over her, and she was swept into an uneasy sleep. She was out before her shoes were even kicked off, the sleep potion left untouched, along with the meal at her bedside.
Draco hammered on the door impatiently, certain that it was the correct room. There was only one area reserved as prefect's quarters, and this had to be it. He had gone back up to the infirmary when she hadn't appeared for dinner, to find that she and her things were gone. He wanted to find out exactly what had happened in Potions class, and fill her in on the events in the Great Hall at supper time. Not a particularly hard curse, yet it had been so effective. That little son-of-a-bitch weasel had more than deserved it, with his insinuations about Cassandra. Where did that Mudblood-sympathizer get off, anyways, saying anything about her? He had more than just ad-nauseam coming to him, but the red-headed piece of trash would figure that out over the next couple of weeks. There was no doubt about it. He would just be a little more subtle about it all, but Ron would be so very, very sorry. You just don't fuck with the apple of Draco Malfoy's eye. You just don't.
Banging harder on the door, he was starting to worry that something else had gone on… What if she took off somewhere? She had been really upset earlier, and what had Madame Pomfrey meant by "not again!" How often did his intended girlfriend get sick, anyways…? She was a little mysterious…. and he was so turned on by that. And Draco was intrigued that the man who acted as his second father and was their Head of House took such an interest in Cassandra lately. He had looked genuinely horrified and gone sheet white when the beauty had collapsed in class….. More questions that needed answering. Calling out her name, there was still no answer to the pounding at the door. Frustrated, he finally swung around and gave the door a good hard kick. To his utter surprise, the door swung open wide, revealing the dimly candle-lit room beyond. Looking around guiltily, wondering whether or not he should actually go into the room to see if she was there, Draco decided he couldn't just leave. What if something was wrong, after all? He snuck into her room, pulling the door closed behind him with a soft click.
"Cassandra?" He called out softly. Receiving no response from the curtained bed, and looking over at the uneaten meal on her table, he tried again, more insistently.
"Cassandra!! Hey, Sparkles!" Still nothing.
Moving over to the bed, feeling stupid and yet more brave now that he had assumed she wouldn't actually be in the room, she placed his hand on the heavy drape and pulled it aside. He drew in a quick gasp; she was there, out cold on the bed!
"Fuck!" He swore under his breath. The cat sleeping beside her looked up and scowled at him, (with one eye, mind you) then lay his head back down on his master. Was she just sleeping, or had something else gone on? Madame Pomfrey's words echoed in Malfoy's head, and he reached over and touched the girl's hand. A small crackle could be heard, and he smirked involuntarily. Damn, but she was a good looking creature. All long, flowing lines… He gave her hand a squeeze, leaning over to speak into her ear.
"Cassandra! Are you alright?"
She stirred and he heaved a sigh of relief.
"I'm trying to get some fucking sleep here, so bugger off. It's not breakfast yet-leave me be!"
Malfoy dropped her hand as if it had suddenly turned to fire. Clearly she was pissed at him for interrupting her space. He hadn't really expected her to be quite so blunt about it. How had she ever made Prefect with a mouth like that? Cassandra rolled over and opened one eye.
"Malfoy!" She shot up like a rocket, and then quickly put her hand to her forehead. "Christ almighty! What are you doing here?"
He rose to leave; clearly she was not interested in him or in his being in her personal space. And after he had risked expulsion for her this afternoon, too!
"Just came and knocked on your door, got no answer and was, erm, worried that something had happened to you. It's nothing, I'm leaving" He grumbled at her.
"Please, Don't!" She looked at him with pleading eyes, and he noticed the huge circles underneath them. How had he missed that? He turned back to her and sat on the bed.
"I'll stay if that's what you want. It just seemed that you wanted to get back to sleep."
The first sign of color came into her cheeks. "I thought you were my House elf…"She explained, slightly uncomfortable about what she had said in her half-wakefulness. "She always wakes me up 5 minutes before my alarm is due, it's completely aggravating!"
"So I've noted. So, what's up?" He really couldn't believe that Cassandra had let him off so easily! He was in her room after all…
"I just want... need you to stay her in the room tonight. For a bit, please... Today was frightening..." Cassandra couldn't believe her own ears...What was she doing, admitting weakness to, of all people, Draco Malfoy? The very person who scorned weakness as much as she did!
"I know. I was so worried about you Cassandra, and no one would tell me what was going on…."Gods, she was so gorgeous… "I thought, I thought that Potter had killed you! I would have killed him; I could just kill him for what he did to you in class, even though Mudblood Granger said it wasn't his fault! It's all bullshit. Gryffindorian holier-than-thou, can-do-no- wrong crap! I can't believe Snape fell for that line!"
"It wasn't, and he didn't. Please don't speak disrespectfully of Professor Snape around me. I have a lot of respect for him, and he has shown me undue kindness on repeated occasions."
Malfoy stared at her in shock." So it really wasn't Potter after all? Then what?"
Cassandra simply leaned over towards him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Let's not talk about that right now. I promise, I'll tell you one day…It just ….it hurts….to….I just cant… I don't want to…"
"Don't worry, I'm sorry I brought it up. I didn't mean to upset you." Malfoy was seriously disbelieving that not only was Cassandra, the Queen of the Aloof, holding onto him, but that a tear was threatening to well over her lower lid. He felt insanely guilty and angry all at once, and pulled away for a moment, turned his icy slate eyes to meet her intensely black ones.
"I will keep my promise, what I wrote on that cared over there" he nodded his head to the flowers. "It won't happen again. You have me now."
Cassandra was the first one to break the stare, resting her head back against him as he placed a protective arm around her, uncertain what else could be done to help what might possibly be his first proper love. That is, if he didn't fuck it up first. Cassandra reached over and placed her free arm around his shoulders, pulling Draco into her, holding close and allowing their weight to support each other. A thousand feelings were pulling him apart. She pulled him closer and whispered into his ear. He felt his life was changing, that his entire destiny might be making a full turn-about. Possibilities of alternate endings to his life, or an alternate existence even welled within him when they were together. He felt as if the pain of his past was being pulled out of him, erased almost as if it had all never happened, and it was replaced by…. He didn't know what. But it was damn fine, whatever it was. He had felt it in the first touch in Potions class, he would give it all for her… She seemed to take everything away, and then put it back into him changed, improved somehow. Time stood still, sped up and reversed all in the same moment, suddenly liquid. If they could stay this way forever, satisfying each others needs like a perfect potion, he would. What the platinum-haired boy didn't know, however, was that the reason this onyx-haired girl was holding him so close was because he was doing the exact same thing for her, when she needed it the most.
.