my, my, such magic!

As always, the rain chose the worst possible moment to begin.

Cathy was only a few strides from the castle. Another second and her feet would have reached the worn stone steps. Instead, thunder cracked overhead so suddenly that she actually jumped. A fierce gust of wind swept across the grounds from nowhere, and then the heavens opened, sending a solid curtain of rain crashing onto the dry spring grass.

There was nothing for it now.

Leaving the stone path, she cut across the little meadow. Beyond the narrow bridge stood an old but sturdy wooden door which, fortunately enough, led to the quickest route back to the Slytherin common room.

Her cloak, soaked through, did little to shield her uniform from the rain. With every step, her satchel seemed to squelch in protest, while her shoes threatened to slip off her equally sodden tights.

What a disaster.

Brushing dripping strands of hair from her face, Cathy trudged on regardless, drawing a little closer to Hogwarts' welcome warmth with every step.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

At last, the icy wind was left outside.

She let out a long breath, unclasped her cloak and gathered the dripping fabric awkwardly in her arms before squelching down into the dungeons. Naturally, Peeves appeared along the way and invented a little rhyme at her expense. How thoughtful of him. Luckily she was already walking through familiar cold walls.

'Merlin's beard! I thought the dungeon walls had burst and the Black Lake was pouring in to drag us all off to the merfolk!'

The cheerful voice made Cathy stop in her tracks.

Exhausted, miserable and thoroughly fed up, she could only roll her eyes before forcing a polite smile and turning around.

Chestnut hair.

Bright brown eyes.

Freckles scattered across almost every inch of his face.

Of course.

Sebastian Sallow.

'Hello to you too, Sebastian,' the Slytherin girl replied through gritted teeth, clutching her crumpled cloak a little tighter around herself. If only it could protect her from her classmates' jokes as well as the rain.

'Bit of weather out there,' Sebastian said, looking her up and down before folding his arms. His tone remained as light-hearted as ever, yet something in his expression had changed. Softer, perhaps.

Cathy was far too tired to puzzle over whatever was going through his mind. She simply gave a faint shake of her head and looked away. How embarrassing.

'I'm absolutely soaked. I think I'll have a shower. It's freezing.'

The last words came out barely above a murmur.

Sebastian had seen her drenched before, but never looking quite so defeated. Closing the distance between them in two quick strides, he pointed at the strap of her satchel.

'Give me your bag.'

Not a request, but an order.

Too exhausted to argue, Cathy slowly slipped it from her shoulder and handed it over. Water was still dripping steadily from the leather. She grimaced.

'I'm afraid to imagine what my notes must look like...'

Sebastian merely pressed his lips together in sympathy. The satchel was surprisingly heavy, and within moments he could feel the damp soaking into his own cloak.

'Don't worry. I know a spell that'll sort them out.'

'But we're not allowed to use magic on homework.'

'No one will notice.'

'But, Sebastian—'

He stopped so abruptly that she almost walked into him.

Though there was little difference in their height, at that moment he somehow seemed much taller. His confident grey eyes met hers without wavering.

'I said no one will notice.'

A smug smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

'Trust me.'

Cathy managed the faintest smile in return and, lacking the energy to argue any further, simply nodded.

'Now go and have that shower. I'd rather not spend tomorrow explaining everything you've missed because you've caught a cold.'

With a grin over his shoulder, Sebastian disappeared down the staircase towards the common room, leaving Cathy alone with her thoughts. And thinking was exhausting, so she turned right instead and headed for the girls' showers.

⋆—⋆—⋆—⋆—⋆—⋆—⋆—⋆—⋆—⋆—⋆—⋆—⋆—⋆—⋆—⋆—⋆—⋆—

The following morning, she woke feeling rested, refreshed and pleasantly warm. Yesterday's misery had disappeared down the drain with the rainwater. By the time she reached the common room, it was almost deserted.

For a moment, she thought she'd arrived first. Then she heard it – the faint sound of someone breathing. Following the sound into the adjoining study room, she spotted a familiar figure slumped over one of the tables.

As she drew closer, there was no mistaking him.

Sebastian.

He was asleep. Fast asleep, in fact, with his head resting on a neat stack of freshly written parchment.

Cathy froze.

Spread across the table beside him were the original pages—her rain-soaked notes. So there hadn't been a spell after all. He had spent the entire night copying every last page by hand. Warmth rushed to her cheeks before she could stop it.

Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, she leaned down and pressed the gentlest, lightest kiss against the crown of his head.

Then she hurried away before he could wake.

After all...

Sebastian had said no one would notice.