The Cast of Love

Chapter IV: The Common-room Cuddle

     It was a dreary winter day, the last day before the students of Hogwarts left for the holidays. On the ceiling of the Great Hall was a wet, snowing sky. The rest of the Great Hall was covered in garlands with sparkling bows and ornaments. Trees were standing tall, decorated with streams of color and glowing lights. In the center of the Great Hall was all the students of Hogwarts chatting as they filled themselves up with delicious breakfast foods. At the Slytherin table sat Draco and Kate, right next to each other. Kate was laughing as Draco was trying to argue a point about the food, "I'm telling you, the pumpkin pasties are better the fewer there are!" "Draco, I think you're absolutely mental." "Sure, of course I am! Anyways, what are you doing for the holidays? Going home, I presume?" Kate nodded as she finished eating a biscuit, "Yes, I will be with my family. Just a stay at home celebration. And you?" Draco nodded, "Yeah.. I know I won't be able to stand them until I get back to Hogwarts. My home is a mess!" Both students discussed their holiday plans a bit more until it was time for everyone to begin heading out of the Great Hall and into a day of fun with friends. Draco and Kate stood up, and turned to one another, Kate glancing over at the Ravenclaw table, "What are you going to do today? It's rainy and cold outside, so I assume everyone is staying in." "I think I'm going to hang out with Blaise and a few others, what about you?" Kate smiled and pointed to a girl approaching them, "I'm going to be hanging out with my best-friend, Madelyn. She's in Ravenclaw, and here she comes.." Draco smiled as he watched Kate and her best-friend embrace in a hug. Madelyn was dressed in a blue-grey Ravenclaw sweater that matched her blue eyes. She had a sweet smile and medium-length, light-brown hair. Beside Madelyn, who was quite taller than Kate, was a black tortoiseshell cat that had brown spots on her. Draco smiled at the cat, and thought about how Madelyn and Kate seemed to be the exact opposite, which made him believe that they were the perfect pair of friends, "Alright, Kate. See you in the common-room." Kate smiled, and rolled her eyes at her best-friend who was 'oooh'-ing at her and Draco, "Bye, Draco!"

     After hours of Hogwarts students swarming different rooms, the sun was beginning to set, and many were heading back to their dorms to pack for the train ride the next day. In the Slytherin common-room, every student had returned, and most mid-years gathered around the fire. A few were covered head-to-toe in snow, and some were even shivering. Draco, Blaise, and Kate all had snow on them, and were close to the fireplace. Blaise leaned forward to look over at Kate, "Hey, Kate, why'd you go out in the snow? I thought it was too wet for you and your Ravenclaw friend." Kate shivered and rolled her eyes, "Madelyn's cat, Zelda, got loose and we had to get her back inside. She's probably warming her up by the fire right now. Actually--if I'm thinking about it, she's probably going from the fire to the opposite side of the room since she gets warm very easily." Blaise and Draco both laughed at this, and Draco sighed, "Blaise, the group, and I all went out to race on broomsticks. What a mistake it was, we all nearly hit trees because they were all covered in snow!" Everyone in the Slytherin room laughed at this, some exclaiming about how they had seen it themselves. Blaise stood up and stretched, "Well, see you guys tomorrow on the train, I need to go pack. Anyone else coming?" A few others nodded, remembering they had to pack.

     The room now only had a girl reading, a boy that had already fallen asleep with his winter clothes still on, Draco, and Kate. Draco and Kate sat alone on the couch that was facing the fire, and they watched as the blonde girl that had been reading walked over to the snoring boy and shook him awake, "James, it's late! Go pack, you big oaf." "Oh--huh? Thanks, Scarlett, you're a life-saver." Scarlett and James then waved goodnight and headed to their rooms, most likely packing with the rest. Draco looked to his left at Kate, who was already looking at him, "Have you already packed?" "Yeah, Madelyn and I said we both would so we could stay out later. Have you?" "Yes, just got bored a few days ago."

     They both sat in silence, listening to the crackling of the fire. Kate yawned, "I can't believe I'm still cold.. This fire is doing less than scoring a bludger in Quidditch!" Draco chuckled softly, and scooted closer to her so that they were both in the center of the couch, "Take your big jacket off, the fire will get to you faster." Kate nodded and smiled once she finally got warm, "Thanks, Malfoy." The fire danced lazily, making both Draco and Kate drowsy in the warmth. Draco turned to Kate and saw that her eyes were closing and that she was sniffling. As Draco's blue eyes stayed on her, Kate began to lean to her right, landing on Draco's left shoulder. She inhaled and mumbled, "You smell like the ocean." Draco laughed, "It's alright darling, come here-" and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. He began humming a soft tune, gently rocking her back and forth. As Kate's sniffles slowly died down, Draco also began to feel fuzzy, and he hummed quieter and quieter until he slowly fell asleep.