XII

Cassiopeia put her things together right after Madam Pomfrey said she could leave, with the promise she'd keep an eye open of any symptoms and show up every day for three days so she could take a note on the girl's recovery. The flu had taken more time to heal than the young Malfoy had first expected, and that worried Pomfrey quite much.

It was another Hogsmeade day, which left the castle basically empty and silent, something rare and pleasant. Cassiopeia had just left the common room and walked out of the dungeons when she saw George right outside the zone. Her light eyes lit up instantly when they fell on him.

"Cas!" he exclaimed, running to her. "You're up again!"

"Yes," she nodded, smiling and feeling her cheeks slightly red at the nickname. He had really gotten attached to the idea of nicknaming her, and after 'Cassie' hadn't worked, he'd shifted the name to a different one. "I just got here. Never felt better."

George opened a large smile.

"I thought you'd be at Hogsmeade," the girl stepped closer to him.

No, she didn't. Not really. Even since Cassiopeia had gotten sick, he'd stopped going out and just spent his free time with her in the medical wing, something not even her older friends or her brother did.

"I was on my way to visit you," he explained, rubbing the back of his neck in an embarrassed way. "Got Fred to bring you a chocolate frog on my account but I'm pretty sure he forgot."

Cassiopeia only gave him a shy smile. She had yet to meet Fred Weasley. She had seen him and could tell him and George apart, of course, but the two hadn't exchanged a single word.

"Are you hungry?" he questioned.

"Starving."

George gave her a large smile.

"Come with me," he took her smaller hand in his carelessly, pulling Cassiopeia along with him.

The girl blushed furiously blushed, but neither of them said anything. They just kept walking, taking the stairs downwards from the entrance hall and reaching a broad corridor, stopping in front of a painting of a bowl of fruit. He tickled a pear, which giggled, and opened a door for the friends to walk in to through.

Cassiopeia was surprised when she found herself in the kitchens. Several house elves were cleaning pots and cooking.

"Mister Fred and George!" one of them exclaimed.

"Just George, Ringo," he corrected the elf. "This is Cassiopeia, she's my friend. She was sick these past few days and just left the medical wing. She is absolutely starving. Do you have anything we could eat?"

The two were quickly and eagerly ushered to a side table and a meal for at least 10 people was put in front of them, which gave the girl the opportunity to pick her favourite things and savour them beside George. The food in the medical wing was mostly bland and just barely edible.

This was the good stuff.

"Mr George didn't say he had a girlfriend."

George's face went full red in response, and she chugged down juice to keep herself quiet.

"She's not my girlfriend," he corrected the elf. "We're close friends."

Cassiopeia nodded silently, feeling the elf's eyes between the two of them.

"Of course, Mr George. Ringo will leave Mr George and Miss Cassiopeia alone."

He left and George chuckled silently.

"What?" she turned to him.

"I was imagining us dating," he looked at her, unable to hide a smirk.

Cassiopeia felt sadness washing over her, realising how terrible of an idea it seemed to be for him. She certainly wasn't that bad... Right?

"Your mother would faint," he affirmed. "My brothers would freeze completely for days. Ginny would send me to a mind healer in St Mungus instantly."

Cassiopeia chuckled a bit, relaxing.

"My father wouldn't believe it," she shook her head, making white-blonde hair falling from behind her ear. "He would send me out of the country, though."

He raised his eyebrows at the girl, surprised.

"Really?"

She nodded.

"Yeah. Somewhere you couldn't find me. France, Italy… Bulgaria."

He lowered his eyes hesitantly.

"We gotta keep this thing close between us, then," he muttered. "I mean… We're not dating, but he wouldn't be that nice with me being your friend. I think."

The girl took a breath, closing her eyes for a short moment, and her voice came out soft and with a frightened tone.

"Yeah, he wouldn't."

they fell back into the silence and he toyed with his food.

"Good thing we're not dating, huh?" he whispered. "It would be… Pretty bad…"

"Yeah… Good thing."