That evening, she received a note transfigured into a butterfly to meet somewhere and talk. Katherina locked the financial reports in her writing desk, then replied. She asked Cedric to come up into the Astronomy Tower. It held some significance to her and she thought she'd find it easier to focus on their topic of interest there, but as soon as she set foot on the first step, she thought of Draco sitting alone, sketching in front of the moon, his blond hair shining silver in its light. She remembered his fast strokes on the page and how she could hear them from across the room if she sat quietly enough. Today, Draco was to cover as much of the Dark Arts book as possible, studying alone in his room after they had an argument earlier. He didn't want to believe that Pansy might have started a rumor to degrade his image.

The Hufflepuff was already there, sat on one of the sofas, watching the rain hit the windows. Katherina stopped for a moment. If he had been blond, and if his hair wasn't wavy... She shook her head. Standing there in silence only made the whole thing creepy.

"Hi, Cedric. Sorry if I'm late."

He turned to flash her an inviting smile over his shoulder and pat the seat next to him. "Don't worry, I was probably early. Come sit with me, the view is beautiful."

She did as told, glad to have a distraction. "Have you found anything?"

"Yes and no, but I believe you already expected this. I also baked those."

That's when she noticed the small box of almond flour biscuits on the table. "...Macarons?" She was in shock. They looked absolutely perfect.

"Italian macarons, yes. I found out you grew up in Italy, I thought it might cheer you up if you got to remember a taste from home. I hope I got close enough to the original."

Katherina took one and bit into it. She let it soften in her mouth, the rich flavor flooding her memory with the warmth of her homeland.

"They're delicious, the best I've had in years!"

Cedric smiled and it was genuine. She looked away quickly. Why would he make such a gesture? It wasn't that she was ungrateful - on the contrary, she appreciated it greatly, but it didn't really make sense in her mind.

"Compliment's taken, then," he laughed with joy. Katherina expected to hear some pride at least; or some sarcastic remark about her not having enjoyed such a simple treat in so long, but she only heard joy in his voice.

"Really wonderful..." she said, taking a second biscuit, "Though, I don't think I understand. Why would you spend so much of your time and effort on me getting a taste of home?"

Cedric looked surprised as if she had just asked about the most obvious thing in the world. "You seemed really down this morning. I wanted you to feel better, not just less bad."

Katherina leaned into the corner of the sofa, feeling the pillow taking the shape of her lower back. "You're so kind," she concluded in a low voice. "Are we... friends, then?"

"I didn't think you'd ask. Yes, I suppose we are, since I'm helping you fix your image," he replied in a soft tone.

"Right," she remembered, "about that - did you find out anything?"

He leaned into his seat, looking up at the ceiling with a dreamy smile on his Greek God face. "I found a lot of interesting things about you. I can understand why people would fear you, but you do have a heart, don't you? I mean, Slytherins generally have this image..." he quickly explained what he meant.

Katherina couldn't help but smile. He was actively trying to avoid insulting her. Everything about Cedric was nice.

"Maybe..." she teased him about it. "Depends who's asking."

"What if... I'm asking?" He bit the inside of his lip for a moment, still staring at the ceiling.

For a moment, the sound of the pouring rain was the only one filling the air.

"You baked me the best macarons I've had since I don't remember when, so it's a favorable 'maybe' for you - but don't let anyone know."

That made him laugh. "Are you saying I can bribe my way to you?"

Her eyes widened in surprise. Did she hear this correctly? "Why would you want to do that in the first place?"

"I've... noticed your bravery at the sorting ceremony last year. Our paths rarely crossed, but... I-I don't want to sound weird, I'm just glad you... decided that I might be... worth your time. I mean, as a friend. I realize you placed your trust in me to ask something like this, so..."

Katherina wanted to give him space to say everything he wanted, but she was getting lost along the way. "What are you trying to say?"

"I... I was wondering if you'd... maybe, if... if you've got the time, that is... um..."

Cedric made the mistake to look at her. He saw Katherina's green eyes searching his face for an answer, a clue to what he was going to say next. His words left his mind as fast as dust in the wind and he felt his blood rushing to his face. She was always so cold and rational, always calculating, planning her next move, always ahead of everyone else.

She nodded slowly, trying to encourage him to speak up. "Yes...?"

"I was wondering..." he began again, "if you would... go out with me?"

Katherina took a moment to realize what was going on. She did feel so well around him, and he was good-looking and seemed to care about her feelings - something Draco never showed, that if he did care at all. He was also a pureblood - wait, why did she even care about this whole blood purity thing? He wasn't from a noble family, or from an extremely wealthy and influential one, but he was brilliant. He was self-made, working hard for everything he achieved - which she heard was a rather long list of successes. She was also mad at Draco for siding with that obsessive, jealous little bitch...

"I... I haven't considered this yet, but... I think I would like that."

She watched as his gray eyes suddenly looked alive and he straightened his back, giving her the most heartwarming smile.

"I thought...! I couldn't even imagine you saying yes..."

This somehow managed to strike a chord as she softened her eyes and she shifted to sit closer to him. "Why? I'm not a monster..."

"That's not what I meant!" he quickly apologized.

"It wasn't an accusation," Katherina clarified. "There's no reason to get defensive."

"I'm sorry. You know, you've got quite a powerful reputation..."

She looked up at him with a look of amusement. "Let me guess - I'm the heartless Slytherin bitch who came here as a half-blood and turned out to be a pure-blood, got the poor innocent Avery brothers expelled, then hooked up with Malfoy?"

Cedric was uncomfortable. He scratched the back of his head, trying to maintain a smile. "Ah... not exactly my words of choice..."

"But accurate enough, right?" she chuckled. "I expected this."

"There is a rumor going around that you and Malfoy have gotten closer than before, but I haven't heard anyone implying that you two have a relationship that's... above friendship, so I assumed that it might be alright if I tried my luck, you know; before he does..."

Now that she has had time to process the entire thing, Katherina began to feel weird. Draco's parents wanted them to get married after graduation, but then... Draco didn't exactly make it easy for her. They've had their moments when they were... friends? Tolerating each other? What even was that? But then, they argued again and before she knew it, he took the word of an obsessive attention whore over hers! How insulting! She was ugly, too.

"I'm not the most pleasant most of the time, unlike you," she warned Cedric.

"I think I can work with that if you'll let me," he reassured her with that typical, comforting smile...

Katherina swore that he could disarm even the Dark Lord with the purity and honesty of his smile. She couldn't show her mean side to him, not when he was so... lovely.

"You're too kind," she said with a small smile. "Well, if we're together, should I fill you in on a little secret?"

"If you trust me enough, I'd love to hear it."

"Can I trust you?" Katherina asked as a tease. She already knew the answer.

"With anything." Cedric hesitated for a moment before taking her hand in his.

This was new but expected since they were now... technically going out. Was this a date? Katherina banned the thought from her mind. She had no time for this.

"You know, Draco picked up a random book and ripped out two pages, so I bought it for him and put the pages back inside. It's a Defence Against the Dark Arts book. The pages he ripped were on the Patronus Charm, but there's a line in there about a pure heart of the wizard who wants to cast it, and so, whenever I bring it up, he mocks that line and changes the subject. I find it fascinating though, pure-heart-condition and all. Would you happen to know this...?"

He hummed for a little bit. "I've heard about it, but I haven't studied it yet. My father mentioned that some charms, like the Patronus Charm, will consume the wizard who tries to cast them if their heart is not pure enough, or if they attempt to cast it with ill intent."

"That's not in the book," Katherina was quick to point out.

"It's quite graphic..."

"Tell me!" she demanded.

"They are... devoured alive by, um, maggots..."

"Ew..." Katherina shivered instinctively.

Cedric reached around her over the back of the sofa but didn't dare to complete what he started. "Are you alright?"

She nodded. "Well, you've definitely got a pure heart, so do you think we could meet up and study the Patronus Charm together?"

That made him relax a little. "How do you know I have a pure heart?" but then he saw her looking amused and leaning with her head over his arm. "Right, I guess it's quite obvious... I'm a Hufflepuff. Do you think our house is... weak, or useless?"

"Not at all," Katherina answered without hesitation. "You have your own qualities, like most other houses..."

"Most?" he asked with a chuckle. "Are you talking about Gryffindor, by chance?"

"Precisely," Katherina laughed. "Are you reading my mind?"

"You're a Slytherin," he pointed out, "Gryffindor is your natural enemy. It's believed that Salazar Slytherin and Godric Gryffindor were sworn enemies after the blood purity argument. We don't know for sure if they did duel, but it's generally assumed that they did. Of course, every house claims their founder was the winner."

"I know the story, but as long as we don't know anything for certain, I don't want to jump to conclusions. It just happens that Malfoy and Potter keep picking on each other, and his girlfriend, Ginny Weasley, happens to be a thorn in my side, and I might or might not have asked one of my girls to keep an eye on their group, even if it means getting close to the Weasley twins..."

Cedric chuckled and finally worked the courage to place his hand on her shoulder, kind of leading her gently into his arms.

"Our house is generally free of drama," he said in a calm voice. "Tomorrow is Sunday, are you free?"

"I have music practice with Flitwick until 12, but after that, I could probably take a few hours off."

"Do you have any assignments on which you might want help?"

Katherina felt her defenses melting like ice cream in the sun. He was warm and gentle, and he cared about her feelings... and he had those big, soft, gray eyes that saw right through her tough act. No! She couldn't trust him with the reports, not yet.

"I'm working on something, but I'm fine. Do you have anything in mind for tomorrow?"

"Oh, alright... I was wondering if you wanted to sit around in our Common Room. It's usually quiet during the weekends and it's got the most comfortable seats at Hogwarts. They're kind of a legend," he added in hopes to make her laugh.

Katherina rolled her eyes with a smile. "I won't believe it until I try it."

"That's what I was hoping to hear. So... I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Sure," Katherina agreed. "If you want, come see me in the morning."

"Thank you for inviting me. What instrument do you play?"

"I play two," she said with a smirk. "Try to spot me in the Orchestra."

"Of course." Cedric couldn't believe his luck. Dating the Slytherin queen made his ego blow. He was certain his father would be more than happy to hear about the events from today, and the fact that she was secretly nice was the best bonus he couldn't have anticipated. He was certain that not everyone got to see her that way, her guard down and a gorgeous smile never fading completely from her lips.

Katherina didn't mind his arm. She was already confident and secure on her own but having someone next to her made her feel so at ease, she couldn't keep her defense up anymore. She found no need for sarcasm and challenges. She found no need for edgy remarks or insulting references. She didn't want to update Cedric, given how gentle he was. Katherina couldn't get enough of his gray eyes, watching her with so much interest, like she was the most peculiar magical being on the planet. She felt at the center of his universe and she loved the feeling it gave her.


Author's notes:

I've been writing the whole day today and I'm rather pleased with the results. There is also another story that I saw in between chapters 22 and 24 which will be published as we reach that milestone, just to avoid any spoilers for this story. I can't promise to keep them related and following the same timeline, but I will try. This other story is still in need of a title and centers on Professor Snape, for those of you Slytherins who might be interested.

Thorne of Thorns is also twisting in a surprising way compared to the original Chamber of Secrets plot. It is my personal preference not to plan ahead for a story, but to let the characters and the plot evolve, while following a very general canon timeline. This being said, enjoy this overwhelmingly long chapter of over 2400 words, not counting my notes at the end.

As always, favorite, follow, and I will be looking forward to reading your reviews.