Harry Potter 1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So I came up with this concept with the help of my friend song-of-misery, she helped me realize it would be mice to make a character that can even Draco out, and to also give her some strong frineds. Cassie's best friend is actually based off song-of-misery who has been a big help with the dialogue for Lydia. I hope you enjoy this story, please review and let me know what you think and heck maybe give me some suggestions you think would go well in this story. Love you all!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, if I did there would be more fluff and less death.**

**Chapter One**

**Cassandra Ravenwood**

The day started off like any other, the alarm rang moments after she woke up; the pale sunlight was shining on her face and her tiny fluffy gray cat Elwin was curled up next to her, snoring quite loudly for one so small. Reaching over she shut off the alarm and crawled out of her warm nest of blankets.

After pulling her hair back into a sloppy bun she pulled out a silver bowl, pointing her wand at it she murmured _"Aguamenti"_ and watched with satisfaction as it filled with crystal clear water. She splashed the cool water across her face, effectively chasing away the last bit of drowsiness and then patted it dry with a fluffy hand towel. Once done with that she again pointed her wand at the bowl and muttered _"Evanesco"_, making the water inside disappear.

Walking over to her trunk she pulled out her uniform and two silver hair clips. After pulling on her clothes and smoothing out her skirt she stood in front of the mirror and brushed out her long black locks. After pulling back the hair from the left side of her face and clipping it in place, her deep blue eyes roved across her face before deciding there was nothing else to fix.

Gathering up her book bag she left her dormitory, meeting up with a tall boy with shaggy, sandy blonde hair and ocean colored eyes.

"There you are Cassie, for a second there I thought you were actually going to be late getting down here." He joked, flinging an arm across her shoulders and walking her towards the exit of the Ravenclaw common room.

"You know better than to think that Jake. I'm always on time." Cassie said while shrugging out from under his arm and leading the way down to breakfast.

"Yes I know, little miss perfect. Never late. Always on time and ready for anything." Jake joked, ruffling her hair.

"Don't call me that, and you know I hate when you do that to my hair." Cassie frowned up at him, smoothing her hair back down to perfection.

"I know Cass, but it's just so much fun teasing ya." Jake said with a brotherly smile, bumping her playfully.

Cassie smiled slightly, rolling her eyes. She really needed to learn to deal with playful teasing, because if she couldn't handle small things like that she would always be the weird girl with horrid people skills.

Upon entering the Great Hall Cassie was tackled by a blonde ball of energy, otherwise known as her best mate Lydia. Unlike Cassie, Lydia was a social butterfly and can make friends with almost anyone, which if you consider the fact that she's a member of Slytherin house; you'd find it very odd. And yet there she was, best friends with Ravenclaw's very own Ice Queen.

"Cassie! I missed you over Christmas break, oh and thank you so much for the Celtic friendship knot necklace. I love it so much!" Lydia said with a huge smile, showing Cassie that she was wearing the sliver pendant proudly around her neck.

"I'm glad you like it Lyd. Did your dad bring you home anything interesting from his last dig?" Cassie asked politely as she sat down for breakfast, Lydia sitting down on her right as if sitting at the Ravenclaw table was the most normal thing in the world. And for Lydia, it sort of was.

Jake excused himself and went to sit with the other members of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, talking strategy and whatnot. Cassie wasn't a big sports fan, preferring a good book over the loud yelling and violence involved with Jake's beloved game.

"Yeah he brought me home an onyx cat statue with gold inlay. It's really cool." Lydia said with a bright smile, helping herself to toast and smearing it with marmalade before taking a huge bite.

"That's nice. My parents had a Christmas ball to celebrate my birthday; it was a bunch of old people I didn't know and their snooty children. The only person there that I knew was Draco of all people." Cassie sighed, remembering how difficult it had been to avoid running into him. Grabbing herself a piece of toast she added a light layer of raspberry jam and took and small bite, enjoying the sweet crunchiness of it.

"Well doesn't that just sound pleasant… How'd that turn out? I remember you and Malfoy have butted heads a few times over the years, and that his annoying little pug faced fan-girl Pansy keeps giving you grief. Her pugly ass is just jealous of you." Lydia said, knowing all about how Pansy would make fun of Cassie's lack of people skills and was always trying to make her feel ugly.

"Pansy was there as well. She sort of latched herself onto Draco the whole night and was glaring at me like it was her party and I was crashing it." Cassie said with a sigh, still not understanding Pansy's intense hatred of her.

"What a bitch! If I was you I would have kicked her ass out without batting an eyelash. You shouldn't keep taking her bullshit Cass." Lydia said with a growl, her green eyes flashed as she glared over at the Slytherin table where Pansy was blatantly flirting with Malfoy who wasn't paying her the least bit of attention.

"Lyd, I'm not you. I don't get in confrontations with people and I abhor getting angry. You of all people know that." Getting up Cassie shook her head, waving to Jake from where he was sitting with his other friends. "I need to get to class; I'll talk to you later Lyd." Smiling lightly at her blonde friend she turned and headed off to class, immersing herself in facts and information.

Completely in her element Cassie answered all the teacher's questions with ease and focused on her work. It was her intense work ethic and her lack of people skills that had long ago earned her the nickname of Ravenclaw's Ice Queen. While she was a classic beauty with her deep blue eyes, flawless ivory skin and raven locks; most of the boys at Hogwarts had long since learned to not even attempt flirting with her. She just wasn't interested in any of the guys that had tried asking her out over the years, none of them sparked her interest so she turned them down flat.

While her hands wrote out answers and took notes her mind wandered, remembering how she met her two best friends who had big impacts on her life. The first friend she had made at this big formidable school had been Jake, though it wasn't friendship from the start.

_When Cassie had found out she was sorted into Ravenclaw she quietly made her way to the Ravenclaw house table. She held her head high yet avoided eye contact as she sat down, not wanting anyone to see how nervous she truly was. Just a few moments later she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. Looking up in surprise she saw a pair of smiling ocean blue eyes with swirls of forest green in their cheerful depths._

_"You look scared stiff there kiddo." said the boy who looked to be about a year older than her._

_"I… I don't know what you are talking about. I am perfectly fine thank you." She said with stiff politeness, turning back around and staring down at her plate she tried her hardest to ignore him._

_The boy wasn't deterred in the least by her behavior and sat down next to her, a kind smile on his face. "Look I know it can be difficult leaving home and everything you know just to come to some strange castle and be overwhelmed with all the new people. Trust me, I was in your shoes last year and know how it is. My name is Jacob Knight, friends call me Jake."_

_"Cassandra Ravenwood, it's nice to meet you Jacob." Cassie said politely, her upbringing and her manners not allowing her to ignore his introduction._

_"Nice to meet you too Cassie, and please, call me Jake." He said with a charming smile and playful wink._

_Cassie blushed brightly, not knowing how to handle this boy and his friendliness._

It took Jake another three months of being his usual friendly self and trying to help Cassie out before she started warming up to him and he finally earning a place in her heart as the big brother she always wished she had.

When it had come to Lydia, well things had gone along a rather similar path, though Lydia had been louder and more talkative in her approach. Then again Lydia was like that with almost everything she did.

_It was the beginning of Cassie's second year, Jake had been pulled off by his Quidditch buddies and Cassie had been left all by her lonesome, which was something she was rather accustomed to. She had been sitting in her compartment, quietly reading a book on advanced potion making and spell work, when suddenly someone opened the door._

_Glancing up Cassie's gaze was met by a pair of quizzical green eyes. A girl of about her own age was standing in the doorway, a thoughtful look on her face as she studied Cassie from behind her blonde bangs. Cassie fidgeted under her intense gaze, wondering what was up with this girl._

_Nodding to herself the girl suddenly smiled, her green eyes shining happily. "Hi! I'm Lydia. Let's be friends." The girl said quickly, sitting down next to Cassie with a bright smile and glancing at her book. "Wow that looks… completely boring." She said then started talking about all sorts of things so fast that poor Cassie's head started to spin._

_Cassie blinked, looking at the girl like she was crazy. "Uh…" Cassie couldn't even think of a proper response to all the questions the girl was asking. See Cassie liked things calm, collected and this girl was not the type of person she normally dealt with. Instead of trying to understand the strange girl sitting next to her Cassie went back to reading her book, focusing intently on the pages._

_Once they arrived at Hogwarts Cassie quickly managed to give the girl the slip and head up to Ravenclaw Tower, deciding to skip dinner and just go straight to bed, her head still reeling over her time on the train with that Lydia girl._

_The next day Cassie woke up, did her normal routine and headed to her first class of the day. Sitting down and pulling out her charms book Cassie was surprised when suddenly the seat next to her was filled by none other than the girl from the train._

_"Hello again! Seems we have Charms together! How great is that?" she said, her smile so big it made Cassie's own face hurt sympathetically._

_"Yeah… Great…" mumbled Cassie, turning and trying to focus on the lesson._

_"So, I never did catch your name yesterday. It's difficult being friends with someone when you don't know their name. So, what's your name friend?" Lydia asked, poking Cassie's arm to get her attention and smiling brightly at her._

_Cassie sighed, though she hated doing this, the girl was interfering with her work and that was a no-no in Cassie's book. "Look, I never agreed to be your friend, and I never offered up my name because I have no intention of making new friends. I'm trying to focus on my work, now please just leave me alone."_

_Lydia blinked, but other than that she didn't seem to have taken any offense to Cassie's icy reply, in fact she looked rather amused. "Look, I'm giving you the courtesy to tell me your name on your own. Honesty I already know who you are Cassandra Ravenwood. You have quite the reputation amongst the students for being an "Ice Queen". I for one don't think you are a bitch by nature, I think it's a coping mechanism you use because you are a tiny bit socially awkward and fear trying to make friends and failing. You're top of everything you do, yet if you failed at making a friend you are worried that would lead to failures in other aspects of your life."_

_Cassie stared at the girl with wide eyes, how- how could she possibly know all of that, when she had only met her the day before?_

_"Furthermore, I know you only have one friend at this school, a 3rd year Ravenclaw boy, I believe. Now Cassie, I would like to be your friend, you seem like you would be a good friend and to be honest I don't get along with most of the girls in Slytherin house. My guess is that the massive stick that was shoved up their ass is starting to poke at their smallish brains but who can say for sure?" she said, flipping her hair back from her face and rolling her eyes with a smug smile. "I mean, honestly, what's not to like about me?"_

_A smile could almost be seen creeping onto Cassie's face "It definitely couldn't be the fact that you obnoxiously talk for hours on end, no, that wouldn't make sense now would it?"_

_Lydia cracked a smile and laughed at Cassie's remark. "You're funny, so what do you say? Can we start over?" she stretched out her hand towards Cassie a bright smile on her face. "Hi, my name is Lydia Moore. I'm a 2nd year Slytherin. Let's be friends."_

_Cassie stared at it for a few moments, her mind whirling with everything the girl had said. Looking up into her sincere green eyes, Cassie made up her mind. Taking the girls hand, Cassie smiled shyly. "Hello Lydia, my name is Cassie Ravenwood. I'm a 2nd year Ravenclaw, and I guess I would love to be your friend."_

It may have started off in an odd way, but soon Cassie and Lydia were the best of friends, and though Lydia would groan and complain about Cassie's work ethic and about wanting to have more fun, Cassie helped to keep Lydia on track with her work. Lydia was also good for Cassie, though she would never admit it, slowly but surely, Cassie would break through that wall of ice with the help of her best friend.

Cassie shook herself from her reverie and gathered up her books when the bell rang, heading to her next class and keeping to herself, Cassie dodged around a young Hufflepuff who coughed and sneezed in her direction. Quickly walking into her Arithmancy class she took her usual seat, behind a bushy-haired Gryffindor girl named Hermione Granger and looked at the board, quickly getting to work on her assignment.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Well I hope ya';; enjoyed chapter one, here comes the next chapter. I'm planning on linking pics of the characters to my profile eventually. song-of-misery has been kind enough to draw Lydia (OC based off her) and one of Cassie and Lydia thus far. I will hopefully have that done in a few days. Lemme know how you like the story and maybe throw me some comical or cute ideas. Much love to you darlings!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, if I did Fred would never have died and life would have been more happy and less sad.**

**Chapter Two**

**The Ice Queen and the Sneering Prince**

Cassie sighed as she stepped outside; winter had always been her favorite time of the year. Where most people would bundle up in front of a toasty fire and hide themselves from the cold, Cassie embraced it. The cold made her feel alive and ever since she was little she had loved dancing as the snowflakes fell around her.

Twirling with a childlike joy she rarely showed, Cassie danced with the snowflakes, her long hair flying around her and caressing her flushed cheeks. With her eyes closed and her face turn up towards the sky she didn't notice the person standing in the shadows of a pillar until she bumped into him. Her eyes widening in shock Cassie let out a gasp of surprise, struggling against the arms that had circled around her waist to keep her from falling.

"What the bloody hell are you doing out here Ravenwood?" asked the voice in surprise.

Cassie stopped struggling, her eyes wide. She knew that voice; it had been the first voice that had talked to her on the Hogwarts Express all those years ago.

_Cassie waved goodbye to her mother and father, tears clogging her throat and streaming down her face as their figures became smaller and smaller until she couldn't see them anymore. Dabbing at her tears with her sleeve she made her way along until she found an empty compartment, quietly slipping inside she set down her cat carrier, letting out the fluffy gray kitten her mother had gotten for her just days before._

_"Looks like it's just you and me now Elwin…" she mumbled, hugging the purring kitten to her chest. Looking out the window Cassie watched as the scenery flew by, the English countryside meddling together into a lush green blur. Reaching into her bag she pulled out a small tin of her favorite mints, popping a few into her mouth, blowing out a few snowflakes with a smile and then resting her head against the back of her seat, trying to relax._

_A while later Cassie was awoken by the sound of her compartment door opening. Looking up with bleary eyes she saw a boy of about the same age as her. Taking in his whitish blond hair, sharp features and his slivery eyes, she figured he must be related to the Malfoy's, a family her father knew well and who had made numerous donations to the Ministry over the years._

_The boy's cool silvery eyes looked her over, before locking onto her own, curiosity flashing in his eyes. "Who are you?" he asked, still standing in the doorway, her arms crossed over his chest._

_"It's proper manners to offer one's own name before asking that of another." Cassie said without even thinking, her eyes widening as she realized how that might sound rude._

_The boy chuckled, finding her little blunder amusing. "Point taken. I'm Draco Malfoy, and you are?"_

_"Cassandra Ravenwood." Cassie said with a small blush, not used to talking with people her own age._

_"Ravenwood… you wouldn't happen to be related to Astor and Elizabeth Ravenwood, would you?" He asked, taking a seat across from her._

_"Yes, those are my parents." She replied, thinking back to a time when her mother had talked about how the Malfoy's had a son around her age. "You must be the son of Lucius and Narcissa then."_

_"Yes. I'm surprised we haven't met before. Mother was always talking about how the Ravenwood's had a daughter my age." He said with a chuckle._

_"Yes well my parents where always busy with fund raisers and what not. Not the sort of things children normally go to. So I never really met anyone my own age." She said, blushing as she realized she had basically just told him she didn't have any friends. She looked down at her lap and fidgeted with her fingers, wondering why she was talking so much when she barely knew this boy. Normally she was quiet and listened; she'd gather more information that way._

_"You're pretty shy, aren't you Cassie?" Draco asked with a chuckle, noticing her fidgeting._

_Cassie blushed a bright shade of pink, her eyes wide as she looked everywhere but at him. "Wh-what makes you s-say that Draco?" she asked in surprise._

_"Well for one thing you refuse to look at me, and another is you are blushing." He said smugly, a smirk on his face. "Don't worry; most girls are like that around me. It's a curse being this damn good looking."_

_At that Cassie let out a giggle, her hands quickly covering her mouth as she looked up at him with wide eyes, not wanting to offend him. But what she saw wasn't someone who was offended, but someone who looked as if they had accomplished their goal. Before she could comment on it though the compartment door opened and in stepped two very large boys._

_"There you are Draco, we've been looking for you everywhere." said one, his voice didn't quite seem to fit his hulking form._

_"Crabbe, Goyle, you dolts, I told you to meet me in this compartment twenty minutes ago. I was just telling this girl that she's luck, I'm in a good mood; otherwise I would have demanded she leave. Now let's go find ourselves the best compartment on the train, I feel like kicking my feet up and relaxing for a while. See you around Ravenwood." said Draco, his entire face having morphed from one that was pleasant into one that was cold, calculating and had a sort of cruel sneer._

_Crabbe and Goyle grunted, turning to plow their way through the crowds of students in the corridors, Draco not far behind them. He turned right before leaving, his face may be cold and detached, but his eyes showed something very different indeed. "Bye Cassie." He whispered before following after Crabbe and Goyle._

_Since that day Draco Malfoy was a mystery Cassie had yet to solve, he may come off as cold and cruel… but there was something in his eyes that intrigued her._

Looking up Cassie's deep sapphire blue eyes were met by a pair of silvery ones, confusion flashing in their depths. "Draco…" shaking her head she tried to push away from him, her Ice Queen exterior kicking up. "Let go of me this instant Malfoy." She growled, not liking how being in his arms was making her feel.

Draco looked down at Cassie, standing more than a head taller than her, and frowned. "What are you doing out here Cassie?" He asked more gently, noting how she was outside without a cloak or anything to keep her warm.

Cassie stopped struggling, looking up at him in shock. She hadn't expected him to use her given name, having become so used to him calling her Ravenwood whenever they saw each other inside the school. "I… I like dancing in the snow…" she answered in a small voice, feeling like a silly child saying it out loud.

For a moment Draco just stared down at her, but soon a small smile graced his lips, a chuckle escaping him. "Dancing with the snowflakes is no reason to be outside without your cloak Cassie. You're turning blue." He said, pulling her even tighter against himself. "Don't you feel the cold?"

"Not really… Though now that you mention it… my fingers are kind of numb…" Cassie said sheepishly, gasping in surprise when he grabbed her hands and held them between his own, blowing on them with his warm breath. A tingling sensation spread through her and made her head feel all fuzzy.

"There… that better?" he asked, his warm hand moving a strand of hair out of her eyes.

"I… yes… thank you…." She mumbled, seemingly at a loss for words.

Draco took a small step back from her, and Cassie was surprised at how much she missed his warmth. But she wasn't cold for long as she felt something wrap around her shoulders. Looking down she saw that Draco had wrapped his cloak around her, leaving him standing there in a gray wool turtle neck and slacks.

"Draco…" she muttered, not sure what to say, though her eyes conveyed her gratitude.

"You had better head inside before you get sick Cassie." Draco quietly said before turning and almost melting into the shadows, leaving behind one very confused Ravenclaw.

Cassie stood there for another minute or two before turning and making her way back inside and up to the Ravenclaw Tower. Walking into her dormitory she fell onto her bed, kicking off her shoes and curling into a ball, wrapping Draco's cloak more tightly around herself. It smelled of spearmint and something else, something entirely Draco.

Laying there Cassie wondered about the enigma that was Draco Malfoy, who was he really? Was he honestly as made as people made him seem, or was there a kinda heart under the cold façade?

"You are such a mystery Draco…" Cassie mumbled, her eyes slowly drifting shut, the warmth and safety she felt in Draco's cloak lulling her to sleep.

The next day, after a tiny accident involving her favorite perfume, Cassie wrapped Draco's cloak up and asked one of the Hogwarts house elves to make sure Draco got it, a letter of thanks attached to it. The letter was simple and to the point, no emotion involved, though while writing it Cassie had been feeling a wide variety of emotions, all leading to confusion. After meeting up with Lydia and walking to their favorite low wall to sit and talk at, Lydia started ranting about some snobby girl in her Potions class.

"No, seriously, it's like she **WANTS** me to hex her." Lydia growled, her arms crossed as she glared at said snobby girl who was flirting with a seventh year boy across the court yard.

"Lydia, you can't hex people just because they don't like your shoes." Cassie said, rolling her eyes with an exasperated smile.

"Speak for yourself." Lydia grumbled, blowing her bangs out of her face. "So, what did you want to talk about anyways? You seemed a bit distracted at breakfast."

Cassie fidgeted nervously as she told Lydia about what had happened last night, and her mixed feelings about it.

"Cass… Malfoy is a really good looking guy and all… but then he opens his mouth and all that attractiveness just goes flying out the window." Lydia said, her voice completely serious.

"But you didn't see him last night Lyd, he wasn't being how he is around his friends. He was… almost tender with me… he even gave me his cloak to keep warm." Cassie said, remembering the spearmint and Draco smell of it.

Lydia blinked, her eyebrows furrowed. "Cassie… just be careful with Malfoy. He has a bit of a reputation for being a playboy. You are my best friend, and I'd hate to see him hurt you."

"Hey, you're talking to Ravenclaw's Ice Queen, remember? It's going to take more than a charming smile and nice body to melt my barriers." Cassie said with a small laugh, though deep down she knew that when it came to the Sneering Prince of Slytherin, there was already a small hole in that barrier.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Wow... okay sorry that it's been a bit. I had a bit of issues thinking on it to figure out where this chapter was going but I got there. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and that it worked out wall. Lemme know how you like the story and maybe throw me some comical or cute ideas. Much love to you darlings!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, if I did Fred would never have died and life would have been more happy and less sad. I miss Fred, Sirius, Lupin and Tonks... :(**

**Chapter Three  
Melting the Ice Queen's Heart**

Since that day whenever Cassie saw Draco her mind would be flooded with confusion and wonder. How could he be so kind and gentle when no one was around, but cold and distant when those who would judge him the harshest are near? Was… was he like her maybe? Holding people at arm's length in fear of getting hurt?

Shaking her head, Cassie gathered up her books and headed to class. February had brought about a change amongst the students at Hogwarts. Everyone who was single was hoping love was right around the corner, and those who had someone were trying to figure out what to do to keep their love flowing.

Cassie herself had her shields up higher and icier than normal; she was avoiding people like the plague and had taken to nearly living in the library. The only people whom she would even bring the shields down an iota for were Lydia and Jake. Though like usual Lydia would make her laugh- usually about something completely random or insulting- and the shield would wobble dangerously.

"Cassie come on, you need to get out of this cave and go meet some people. How am I ever going to be your maid of honor? You can't have a wedding without a groom!" Lydia said, throwing her arms up dramatically.

"Oh shush. And as if you're one to talk Ms. Afraid of Commitment. Who's the flavor of the week today?" Cassie asked, rolling her eyes at how Lydia never stayed with a guy for very long before moving on.

Lydia pouted, holding a hand over her heart. "Ouch, snappy much? And I'm not that bad. I've been kinda seeing the same guy for almost a month now."

"What's his name then?" Cassie asked, a small smirk playing on her lips.

Lydia pondered for a moment. She was terrible with names and even though this was a boy she had enjoyed spending time with, they hardly ever talked. "David."

"His name is Alex and my point is now proven." Cassie proudly proclaimed before sighing and looking seriously at her friend. "Lydia… I want you to find your happiness, and dating and dumping guys before things get serious isn't the way to go." Cassie said, placing a hand on her friends shoulder and shaking her.

"You're one to talk. You don't even give guys the chance to get at your heart. I love you to death Cass but you need to learn to open yourself up to people and to risk possibly getting hurt. You need to live and learn Cassie." Lydia said with a sigh.

"Lydia… you and Jake are the only people I've let close enough to possibly hurt me. I don't want to let someone else in just to have my heart broken into a million pieces." Cassie said, her eyes looking down sadly.

Lydia pulled Cassie into a hug, mumbling into her hair. "Cassie, we have to fall so we can learn to pick ourselves up. You have to stop closing yourself off like this because you don't just keep the bad things out, you keep out a lot of the good things too."

"But why couldn't it be easier? Like being able to look at someone and just know that they are the one that will love you unconditionally." Cassie said, a few tears leaking out of her azure eyes.

"Because life is a bitch, sweetie. If it were easy we'd call it a slut." Lydia said with a small smile in an attempt to make her friend smile.

"Stop that." Cassie said playfully pushing Lydia away.

"Stop what?" Lydia teased.

"Stop trying to make me smile when I don't want to." Cassie blatantly stated.

Lydia wrapped her arms around her best friend and leaned her head on her shoulder. "Besides, you have nothing to worry about in the boy department. You are brilliant and beautiful and your a** can make even the ugliest pair of jeans look hot."

Cassie couldn't hold back a small giggle at her friend's silly remark, rolling her eyes at Lydia's lude comment.

Lydia let go of her friend and looked into her eyes seriously. "Not to mention that if he even thought about breaking your heart, I'd break his face." Lydia said, flashing one of her famous smiles. She flipped her hair back dramatically and Cassie let out a giggle. Lydia always had the right words to make Cassie's bad day better.

Cassie was able to recompose herself after that and get herself out of the library, but not before pulling her walls back up and avoiding people, her exterior frostier than ever. Lydia was right, she knew Lydia was right, but now wasn't the time. Cassie couldn't afford to let her walls down just yet, so she'd keep them up, if only for a little while longer.

As it got closer and closer to the day of lovers, Cassie got more and more icy. Valentine's Day seemed to make people crazy, and that was one of the reasons Cassie personally hated it. Freezing a few guys who had worked up the courage to ask her out with a glare, Cassie would keep going about her day, ignoring girls who tried to start drama with her.

Valentine's Day came and while Lydia was soaking up the attention she was getting from her current boyfriend Alex, and a few of her admirers, Cassie was making herself scarce, hiding in the Library during her free period and slinking from class to class. Jake wasn't much help since even he had a girlfriend whom he was being very lovey-dovey with, she seemed nice and all, but for some reason Cassie just couldn't warm up to the tiny brunette Hufflepuff.

At dinner she sat there quietly, ignoring the happy couples around her and focusing on her meal, finishing quickly and heading outside. Cassie let out a sigh as she breathed in the fresh air; she had wanted to get away from the emotions that were radiating from everyone in the Great Hall. Finding herself a bench Cassie took a seat, enjoying the little bit of sunshine that had blessed land with its presence.

With her face turned up to the sky and her eyes closed she nearly missed the presence that had joined her. Looking to her left in surprise she was shocked to see none other than Draco Malfoy standing there, his expression completely different then it normally was in school.

"Ah, you had the same idea as I did huh? I couldn't stand being around those lovey saps any longer without losing my dinner." Draco said, plopping himself down next to her as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "I see you remembered your cloak this time around." he teased.

Cassie blushed, remembering the last time they had encountered each other, how he had given her his cloak because it was cold out and she had forgot hers. "Yeah… T-thanks… you know, for last time." She mumbled, fumbling over her words.

Draco smiled, his silvery eyes glowing merrily. "Don't worry about it, I had been heading inside anyways and figured you needed it more than I did at the time." He said with a shrug.

Cassie looked at him thoughtfully for a minute, noting how much more relaxed he looked than normal. "You are so confusing…" she mumbled under her breath while looking away, her hand absentmindedly playing with the hair tie on her wrist.

Draco blinked, surprised by what she said. "What do you mean, I'm confusing?"

Cassie looked back at him, her blush flaring across her face. "You act so much different when others are around, but whenever I see you out here, just you and me… you're different. Why?" she asked, so completely confused by him.

Draco paused, unsure exactly how to answer her, or if he even wanted to. Looking up into the fathomless of her sapphire eyes, his own narrowed. "What's with the third degree? Honestly Ravenwood your questions are silly."

Cassie narrowed her own eyes, her walls, which had lowered coming back up quickly. "All I did was ask you a simple question; there is no need to be rude."

"I disagree. I have every right to be rude. You on the other hand have no right to be asking such stupid questions." He sneered.

"Why do you have to be so difficult? Honestly all I was trying to do was be nice to you but no! Draco Malfoy doesn't need anyone other than the piles of brainless muscles he calls friends!" Cassie yelled, her eyes narrowing as she took in Malfoy's smug look. "Wipe that smug look off your face before I do something worthy of my best friend." She growled, her eyes narrowed as she turned her icy glare on him.

"Oh dear, have I pissed off the infamous Ravenclaw Ice Queen? What are you going to do, freeze me with your lethal glare?" he asked with a snort, daring her with his eyes.

"Malfoy if you had any brains in your head you would shut the hell up right now before you truly regret it." Cassie growled, her eyes turning into two dark icicles, though her glare was starting to waver.

"Ouch, I'm mortally wounded." He said, clutching the front of his cloak dramatically.

"Ugh! I don't even know why I bother! You are exactly how everyone makes you out to be!" her eyes shining with hurt tears, Cassie quickly got up and stomped off. Grumbling under her breath about annoying ferrets and pompous pricks, Cassie pushed through the large double doors, using an incredible amount of strength to slam them behind her.

Once inside she chanced a look out at the bench she had just stomped away from, she was surprised to see Draco still there, his eyes looking towards the doors she had just entered through with a bit of disappointment. Shaking his head he slowly got up and walked off in the general direction of the Owlery.

Cassie sighed out of irritation and headed up to Ravenclaw tower, quickly making her way into her dormitory and lying down on the bed with a sigh. Pulling out one of her text books Cassie decided to get ahead on some of the reading. Not even twenty minutes later a large and magnificent Eagle Owl rapt on her window.

Getting up Cassie slowly approached the window, opening it to allow the owl inside. Clutched gently in its beak was a single white rose, no note, or anything to indicate who it was from. But Cassie didn't need a note, she had seen this particular owl land at the Slytherin table often enough that she knew exactly who it belonged to.

Cassie stroked the owl's be-feathered head while staring at the rose, trying to figure him out. First he sits down next to her like it was completely normal, and then he gets defensive, pisses her off to no end and then sends her a white rose? "Honestly, that boy needs to figure out what his deal is" she grumbled. Turning back to the owl she thanked him and sent him on his way, giggling lightly when he nipped her hand affectionately. "At least his owl knows how to be nice." She mumbled while looking down at the rose.

Did he know what a single white rose meant? Shaking her head she figured he must have just been doing something nice and thought that a red rose was too predictable on Valentine's Day. Draco may be many things, but predictable really was not one of them.

A few hours later she went to the seventh floor and turned to the left corridor, she smiled when she saw Lydia sticking her head out of a door, most likely looking for her.

"There you are! Hurry your bum up before Filch gets here, you know he goes through here at 7 o'clock every night!" Lydia hissed, pulling Cassie into a room that had a small living room with a crackling fire, a pair of beds that just by looking at them you could tell who they belonged to, and to the right there was a small kitchen with cabinets stocked by Lydia with all sorts of goodies.

Rolling her eyes Cassie went into the kitchen, making them a snack and grabbing a few butter beers. Sitting down on the couch she turned and faced Lydia, noticing the look on her friends face. "Hey Lyd what's wrong?" she asked with concern.

"I'm thinking of breaking up with Alex. He has been getting really clingy and it's kind of obnoxious. I mean it all started off good, he was an amazing kisser and damn he's fine, but now he is just so annoying and I'm just over him." Lydia said with an exasperated sigh.

"Hey Lyd…. What is your opinion of Malfoy?" Cassie asked with a small blush.

"Well he's a pompous man-slut who seriously needs to have some sense beaten into him." Lydia said with a shrug. "Why do you ask?"

"Well…. I…. I had another run in with him earlier today…." Cassie mumbled, a blush flaming across her face.

Lydia's smile instantly dropped, her eyes narrowing. "If that self-absorbed twit bothering you again because if her is I swear I'll-"

"Lydia it's nothing like that!" Cassie said quickly, raising a hand to try to calm her friend, her eyes wide. "He was trying to get away from the romance that was stifling in the Great Hall just like I was. We sat and talked for a bit, he pissed me off and I left. When I was up in my room I heard a tapping at my window and there was Draco's owl with a white rose in its beak. He didn't try anything, I swear, he wouldn't."

"Cassie, I SEE all the shit he does. Do you have any idea how many girls have gone through his bed? Have you not seen the way he treats people just because of where they come from and how much daddy makes? I mean honestly, the fact that he has his own strand of an STD should be enough reason to stay away!" Lydia growled, her hands flailing as she stomped her foot in frustration.

Cassie sighed, knowing there was truth in what her friend said but at the same time wanting to believe what she saw in Draco's eyes before he had closed himself off. "Lydia, please he's not like that! At least not with me…" Cassie said, looking down at her lap, remembering how pleasant he had been until he had closed himself odd, her expression softening. "I see it in his eyes… he doesn't want to be that way. But he… he's not ready to make that big of a change… he's nice when he's with me most of the time, but others… they would look at him like he's weak, like he's too soft if he didn't act the way he does… Lydia… please… he's more than what you see… I know he is." Cassie looked up at Lydia, her expression hopeful.

Lydia was fuming. So much so that she had to turn her back on Cassie and take in some deep breaths to calm down before turning around and responding. "Fine. I'll play nice with the little ferret, but I'm not kidding when I say I will torture him in the most gruesome possible manner if he tries to pull anything on you though." she smiled a bit; it was the kind of smile that no one ever wanted to see on Lydia.

Cassie knew she wasn't kidding but she also knew Lydia would keep her word to play nice. In a strange way, it was almost comforting to know that no one could get away with hurting her without facing the wrath of her best friend. Cassie smiled at Lydia, her face showing childlike happiness as she hugged her best friend. "I love you too Lydia." She said with a laugh.

"Yeah, yeah, we all love Lydia." Lydia said in a huff picking up a bag of chips and plopping down on the bed. Cassie shook her head with a smile.

The rest of the night was full of Lydia getting Cassie to do typical girl things, reading fashion magazines, painting each other's nails, doing each other's hair and having fun.

Lydia loved seeing Cassie like this; she was so relaxed and seemed so much happier, unlike how she was around others, always keeping her nose in to books and avoiding human contact as much as possible.

Yawning Lydia looked down at her watch, figuring it was time to head to bed if they wanted to be able to wake up and make it to their classes in the morning and though she wouldn't mind sleeping in instead, she knew Cassie would gut her if they weren't up for breakfast on time. Looking over at Cassie she had to giggle, the poor girl was dead on her feet, a piece of popcorn hanging from her lips and she was wobbling precariously. "Cassie, come on, it's time to get your beauty sleep. You don't wanna miss class and I would rather not get caught sneaking out of here."

Cassie nodded, barely making it to her bed before she passed out, curling up in a ball in the center of the bed.

Lydia smiled, pulling the blanket out from under Cassie and tucking her in, a fond smile on her face. "Night Cass, sleep well." She mumbled before climbing into her own bed and shutting off the lights with a flick of her wand.


End file.
