Cyn quietly headed up to the Owlery early the next morning, a stack of parchment clutched in her hands. As soon as she had woken up she had written letters to her parents, Farrah and sent a letter to Kyra. Each letter she was sending off ended up about being four pages, each. Cyn called her owl to her, and with strict instructions told her to first deliver the letter with the red ribbon to her parents, then the letters with the green ribbons to Farrah and Kyra who were at Ilvermorny. The owl hooted, and once the letters were within her grasp she flew off.

Cyn wasn't certain whether Snowy had understood her or not, but she was confident that her parents would make sure that the letters got to Farrah and Kyra. Cyn wiped her hands down the front of her robes, looking out at the snowy landscape before turning around and making her way to Defense Against the Dark Arts. Today would be another dueling day, for which Cyn was grateful.

It would allow her to let off some steam and it would relieve the tension that had been building within her, since being left to her own devices. Cyn brushed a strand of dark hair behind her ears, slipping into the classroom and taking a seat near the back. Snape was in front of the classroom, messing around with things on top of his desk.

Slowly more students began to file in, but Cyn paid little attention. She twirled her wand in her hands, feet tapping against the stone floor. The door opened, and she looked up a scowl quickly forming on her face when the Golden Trio waltzed into the room, looking utterly smug with themselves. Cyn averted her eyes, looking down at the tabletop as the door opened and Blaise and Draco walked in. If Cyn had looked up she would have seen how sickly pale Draco looked, and how dark the shadows underneath his eyes were. But, she didn't so she didn't see how awful and exhausted he looked.

"Please take a seat Mr. Zabini, Mr. Malfoy," Snape drawled looking up from his desk. "We have a few materials to cover before we move on to dueling."

The class dragged on for what seemed like forever – Snape questioned them on the basic spells like Stupefy, Protego, and Reducto. Once he was satisfied that the class knew the incantations, and how to cast the spell they moved onto dueling. With a wave of his wand, all of the desks were pushed aside and made smaller, allowing for there to be enough room to duel.

"I will assign all of you partners. Potter and Parkinson. Malfoy and Winters. Zabini and Greengrass. Weasley and Granger." Snape continued to list off partners, and Cyn twisted to look at Draco who looked less than enthused.

Cyn looked away awkwardly, going back to twirling her wand around in her hands. Professor Snape snapped at everyone to get moving. Cyn stepped up to Draco, who looked at her a conflicted look in his gray eyes. Unhesitatingly Cyn launched a Stinging Jinx at Draco. His hand whipped up faster than she could see and he cast Protego, which blocked the spell and sent it rebounding to her. Just as quick he had cast Langlock at her.

Cyn moved in a flurry of movements blocking both spells, and sending two more at him without a word. The two dueled furiously, sending spells, hexes and jinxes at each other. Neither spoke as they launched spells at each other and to onlookers it was difficult to tell who would win. In the first dueling class Cyn had demonstrated her prowess in dueling, but Draco was just as adept. Cyn flicked her wand, a jet of red light streaming out of it. Draco moved too slow to block it and it hit him in the chest, sending him sprawling to the ground unconscious.

Cyn slowly lowered her arm, holding her wand loosely in her hand.

"Very good Ms. Winters, thirty points to Slytherin. Now take Mr. Malfoy to the Hospital Wing." Professor Snape ordered.

Cyn nodded. She wanted to argue that she wasn't strong enough to help Draco to the Hospital Wing without using magic, but she didn't. I'm a witch, I have magic for a reason, she thought. With a flick of her wand, Draco's body floated into the air. It hovered after her as she began the trek to the Hospital Wing. Every so often Cyn would glance over her shoulder to make sure that he was still there. Cyn pushed open the doors to the Hospital Wing, and using her wand guided Draco's body over to one of the empty beds.

"Madam Pomfrey?" Cyn called.

The white-haired medi-witch bustled forward. At first her eyes were on Cyn but then they drifted over to Draco's prone body lying on the bed. "What happened?" she asked, shuffling over to him and withdrawing his wand.

"He got hit by a stunning spell." Cyn explained.

The matron hmphed, "Well then. He should be fine; go back to class Miss Winters."

Cyn nodded obediently, striding out of the Hospital Wing. She had only one more class – Ancient Runes, and she wondered if she'd get in trouble at all if she decided to skip just the one class. After a few moments of consideration Cyn dismissed the idea, she was struggling enough in Ancient Runes as it was. Missing a day would only harm her later on. Cyn sulked into her Ancient Runes classroom.

She struggled listening to the professor talk about an assortment of ancient Welsh runes, and their meanings. Her eyes drooped and her head fell forward. Cyn jerked, eyes snapping open and watched the professor as she handed out a stack of papers to each student with instructions to decode them by next week. Cyn groaned, picking up the paper and stuffing it into her Ancient Runes textbook.

As she headed back to the Slytherin Common Room, she decided that it was a good thing that everyone had become withdrawn; at least it gave her an opportunity to finish her homework on time. Cyn stepped into the Common Room after saying the password to the door emblazoned with snakes and sat on one of the couches, tugging her messenger bag into her lap.

"Winters where's Draco?" Parkinson's whiny voice broke the quiet.

Cyn didn't look up or even acknowledge that Pansy had spoken. Parkinson shrieked, stomping her foot on the ground.

"Answer me when I'm talking to you." Parkinson growled, stepping closer to Cyn.

She was trying to appear intimidating but it didn't faze Cyn. She looked up, staring at the pug-faced girl with no emotion in her eyes. "He's in the Hospital Wing," She said sounding bored. "Now if that's all I have Ancient Runes homework to do."

Parkinson emitted what one could call a growl and stomped out of the Common Room, her hands shaking. Cyn rolled her eyes, pulling out the worksheet that the Professor had given them and set about filling it out. It wasn't as hard as she had expected it to be, but she knew that she was getting some of the runes confused. Some of them just looked too similar. Cyn sighed, finishing off her Ancient Runes worksheet and stuffed it back into her bag. She stood up, the strap of her bag digging into her shoulder a little. Without looking or saying a word to anyone else she headed to the girl's dormitory.

She dropped her bag onto her bed and changed into her bedtime wear. Suddenly her appetite was gone, and she laid back on the bed, wand tucked underneath her pillow. Belle, the Kneazle, moved from her spot at the foot of the bed and curled up against Cyn's chest purring contentedly.

At least I have you Belle, Cyn smiled feeling infinitely thankful for the Kneazle.

Then she drifted off to sleep.

Waking up, felt disorienting to Draco. His head was pounding and his mouth felt dry. He blinked, looking around the Hospital Wing. His memory was a little hazy but he knew how he ended up in here. He had been dueling Cyn in Defense Against the Dark Arts; the entirety of the duel she had been tense and her eyes had flashed with anger taking him by surprise. He got hit by Stupefy, and then he knew no more. Draco pushed himself to sit up straighter and looked around. Some irrational part of him hoped that Cyn would be here.

But why would she?

Since acquiring the Dark Mark and being given a task by the Dark Lord, he had abandoned her. He had seen how Blaise and Verity followed his lead, leaving her alone. He swallowed thickly, hands balling into fists at his side. He had ruined whatever tentative friendship he had formed with Cyn. There had to be a way to make it up to her.

Draco Malfoy wasn't the sentimental type, and other than Blaise and his cousin he had never placed much value in friends or had the desire for any. But Cyn was somehow different. He wanted her friendship – craved it, even. From the very first moment he met her in Diagon Alley, some insatiable need had welled up inside him to know Cyn and to get closer to her. Something about her had drawn him in; she seemed different.

The door opened and Parkinson ran in, a frantic expression on her. Draco scowled looking away from her. He needed Cyn back in his life; Parkinson was driving him insane.

But how was he going to make it up to her?