The Marauders Era

Hello, Cassia

There was a certain lightness about the way Cassie moved as she walked to Hogsmeade. She knew it, of course, she knew, but she had decided to ignore it, to ignore the beaming smile that was threatening to appear, ignore the enormous feeling of excitement and happiness that grew from just one person.

She couldn't recall a single time she had felt like this when it concerned any of her other friends, which scared her a bit. She had tried several times on her way down to convince herself that it was because she saw them almost every day of the year apart from summer and Christmas holidays, but whether it worked, she truly didn't want to know.

This was different. Though truthfully Cassie found it somewhat ridiculous as well, she had seen him, what, almost two weeks ago? It hadn't been that long, but still, it felt longer. She made a straight line towards The Three Broomsticks, her feet moving so fast that it was almost a wonder she hadn't fallen yet, considering how clumsy she was.

Had any of her friends or, worst, her brother seen her, they would have teased her to no end, that was for sure. Luckily she had managed to avoid them tagging along this time. Sirius had taken the rest of the Marauders off to Zonko's before they would make their way to Honeydukes. Knowing her friend, she was positive Remus would make them stay there for a while. While Lily and the other girls, well, she didn't know where they were, considering she had left the dorm before any of them had woken up.

As the pub came into view, her feet halted, and as she came to an abrupt stop, a deep sense of deja vu filled her. Clad in his dark woolen jacket, he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, his eyes swimming back and forth in the sea of students making their way down the street. It was startling how much it reminded her of the first time they had met there, their first full conversation without the presence of their parents. And she couldn't help but think just how funny it was. How much they had changed in just a few months.

As if feeling her gaze, Rabastan's eyes met hers, and immediately a blinding, almost impossibly bright smile stretched across his face as he pushed himself from the wall and started to make his way towards her.

His firm chest was the first thing she felt as his arms wrapped tightly around her and pulled her close, resting his chin on her head. Warmth enveloped her cold body immediately, but that wasn't the cause of the satisfied sigh she fought so hard to contain. Her arms snaked around his torso, yearning for a special case of intimacy she had missed for two weeks.

"Hello, Cassia." His voice was deep and warm, and even without looking at him, Cassie could see his smiling face perfectly in her mind.

A smile, impossible to deny, graced her features as she hugged him closer. "Rabastan." His name lingered in her mouth as she couldn't help but think just how much she had missed him these past weeks.

They stood there for a moment with their arms wrapped around each other, lost in a little world that was entirely their own. At least until Rabastan's grip lessened and he pulled away, letting his arms fall to his side as he gazed down at her, a warm smile still present on his face.

"Hey." She said so softly that for a moment, she almost sounded shy and wanted nothing more than to punch herself. Though truth be told, the way he both looked and smiled at her didn't help at all. She was half ready to try and convince herself that the cause of her flushing cheeks wasn't him but the coldness of the wind that tickled her face.

Suddenly a cold breeze blew past them, and even with her thick woolen coat and scarf, it caused shivers to erupt all over Cassie's body. As Rabastan's smile faded and his eyes clouded with concern, she knew he had noticed.

"Let's get you inside," He said while wrapping one arm over her shoulder, pulling her close, letting her linger in his warmth as they made their way inside. "According to the daily prophet, the weather is going to get immensely colder in the next few days."