Resting my eyes

Why hello there

There was only a week, or two till Christmas and Caterina was strolling through the corridors, on her way to Cassandra who was sitting in the Great Hall waiting for her. As she turned a corner, her blood went cold as she spotted Chance and his friends, they were all just crowded there and it didn't seem like they were moving any time soon.

Cat took a deep breath. 'It's fine, just walk past, they might not even notice you. Even if they did, their still terrified of Cassie, from the first day, surely with her here-oh, right.......oh no. Well now I'm just standing here, what if I just turn around and go back. You know what, no just do it.'

Caterina walked forward, with what felt like fake confidence, but it looked as if she was a baby giraffe, learning how to walk for the first time. But she had her head, held high.

Just as she thought she made it past the group, a sly voice rang through the air.

"Why hello there."

Cat knew it was directed at her, but she pretended she didn't hear him and walked faster, trying to get away. Suddenly she felt a tug on the back of her robes, and she crashed to the stone ground behind her. She closed her eyes and tried to steady her breathing, as she felt the presence of the person who had pulled her down, get so close to her face, she could even smell his breath.

"How dare you ignore me! You filthy scum!" She recognized the voice of Adrian Pucey. Whenever someone called her names, Cassandra would make fun of them the whole day afterwards, making Caterina feel better. So to calm herself down she thought of what Cass would say about the boy.

But Caterina couldn't think straight, she could only remember two things, him having troll blood and something about his second name, but Cat never really got that joke, the boys found it hilarious though.

"What can't speak up of yourself, huh need your stupid blood traitor to protect you? Yeah well she's not here is she?"

Chance forced himself to look away, clenching and unclenching his fists. He could feel his blood boiling, hearing the insults being screaming into Cats ear.

"Shut up." He muttered, it was so quiet nobody had heard him. "I said shut the fuck up!"

Suddenly the hallway grew so silent, you could hear a pin drop, then footsteps echoed and suddenly both Miles and Adrian were towering over him. Caterina still on the ground, sitting in there shock.

"Did you just stick up for that thing?" Miles spat.

"Her name is Caterina, don't call her that." Chance answered through gritted teeth.

"Let me rephrase that, did you, just, stick up, for, a Hufflepuff, mudblood." He said slowly as if saying 'think about your next words very, very carefully'. Chance looked him dead in the eye.

"I told you, her name is Cateri-"

He got cut off, with a punch across the face, a sickening crack was heard. He fell to the ground.

"What was that? You really want to keep going huh? Now is the time to change it, we can forget all about this, last chance, Chance, you wanna take that risk?" Adrian snared.

Chance looked across from him and made eye contact with Caterina, blood pouring from his broken nose.

They took his silence as a no, and began walking back over the cowering blonde.

"Your just jealous, because she's smarter than you'll ever be, you fucking troll."

***

Cassandra glanced towards the doors of the Great Hall yet again, worry building up inside of her, every passing minute, feeling longer than the last. Just as she went to stand up and go look for her friend, Caterina walked in.

Cassie tilted her head to the side, with an angry, yet confused expression, but it wasn't it wasn't directed towards Cat. Chance was practically limping alongside the girl, cuts and blood all over his face.

"You've got to be kidding me." She whispered to herself. When the pair strolled over, Cat sat beside the girl and Chance sat across from them. For a bit nobody said anything, as Cassandra was just staring at the Slytherin with a look of disbelief.

"Why, why, why, wh-, wh-, why?" She rambled, glancing back and forth between the two. "How- I don't- how did this happen. Like no. No, shoo."

"Listen-" Chance tried.

"Hush, you wet sock." She snapped, clamping her fingers in his face, shutting him up.

Caterina looked at her with a calming face and began speaking slowly. "Ok well, I was coming to the Great Hall and some people stopped me,"

"Who?" Cass cut in bluntly, Cat gave her a look. "Sorry, resume."

"Anyway, they were.......being mean, so Chance,"

"The insecure, shit biscuit."

"Chance, stuck up for me. So they beat him up.....and now......he's here." Cat finished, simply.

"He got- I knew there was something even more fucked up with his face than usual." Cass commented while slapping her hand down on the table. "Godric, they beat you up after you put yourself out there, hate that, must have made you feel pretty, fucking stupid."

"Cassie, he helped me, what if he didn't say anything. Where would we be then." Caterina gazed up at her with wide eyes.

"No, no don't, look at me like that." Cass banged her head repeatedly on the table. Cat put her hand out to catch the girls head, before she hurt herself. Cassie then spent the next couple of seconds looking between the two, with a look that you would give your mam when she tells you to go play with the weird kid.

Eventually she groaned and started poking her food around, with her fork. "Fine he can stay, but I still don't like this and I don't like him."

"Thank you." Caterina praised, when she looked back  at Chance who had been sitting there silently, he gave her a look and gestured to his nose. "Actually could you do one more thing for me? You know, I don't know that mending bone spell thing, and well Chance has a broken nose, so I was thinking since you know it...?" Her voice had gotten higher and higher throughout the sentence.

Cassie looked up at Chance and shook her head, like saying no to a chocolate bar. "Nah, I like this new look, it gives me a special kind of joy, right here." She declined, pointing to her heart.

Caterina had a pleading look on her face, "but he's in so much pain."

"I thought you were trying to convince me to med it?"

"Cassie."

"Cassie." Cass mocked as she pulled out her wand, pointing it directly at Chances face, he gulped loudly. "Don't worry you won't feel a thing." She assured with a sickly sweet smile. "Episkey."

Chances nose snapped back into place. "Owww you-"

"Yes?"

"You are...very.. good...at...spells." He said slowly.

"I know. Think about that next time, when you-"

"Thank you for that Cassandra." Cat cut in, quickly.

'If you say one bad thing, I will fuck you up.' Cassie mouthed across to him. He just nodded his head vigorously, scared. Cassandra smiled happily, turning to Caterina and chatted away as if the boy wasn't there, for the rest of dinner. He'll definitely have to earn her trust back, big time.