Thread: The Whomping Willow (Kiandra_Black & Greeneyed23)

Cleo smiled as the food appeared and ate quietly, allowing Regulus and Severus to carry on conversation. She was tired, having not slept well the night before and so completely spaced out. When it was time to head down to their common room, Severus had to poke her in the side to get her attention. She looked up at him as he stood and Regulus asked, Are you all right Cleo? She turned to look at him and nodded, a yawn escaping. The two boys grinned and with Severus' help, she stood and the three headed down to the dungeons. She yawned again as the portrait closed behind them and Severus said, You should probably get some sleep. What.kept you up last night? She simply grinned at that but didn't answer. He shook his head and headed to sit in one of the armchairs near the fireplace. Cleo headed over to a small staircase and climbed up into the small tower. It sat right above the water's edge, and was made of crystal, so you could look up into the air. She loved it, and it was her special spot. None of the Slytherins dared to come up while she was there because they had found that she was ruthless in her punishments. She sighed to herself and looked out at the dark, her eyes adjusting quickly to the fact that there was little light. She relaxed, and thought back to her summer. Although she had grown up in a pureblood household, she didn't hold to the same beliefs that they were superior to Muggles. You made your superiority. It wasn't given to you because of how you were born. Severus was a halfblood, and yet he was an adept potions student. He was even better than herself, and she was one of the best students in that class. Summer had brought dire changes to her life. With her new appearance came responsibility, or so her mother told her, but she didn't believe it was that big a deal. Her parents were trying to arrange a marriage for her. She hated it. You should only marry for love, but when she had told her parents that, they had told her love was a fanciful fairytale. So, while they searched for a suitable match, she was busy transferring her funds from her family account, to a private account in her own name at Gringotts. She would be ready to run, just in case. Regulus called up to her a couple of hours later, Hey, Cleo. It's time for you to get to bed before you pass out up there and need us to get you down. Cleo smirked at that, for it had happened, once or twice... Oh who was she kidding? It had happened more times than she could count. She walked down the steps, gave Severus and Regulus a hug, then headed up to her rooms. Unlike the other houses, Slytherins got their own rooms unless they wanted to share. She didn't, so she got her own room. Skyfall lay at the end of her bed inside the small room. It was only big enough for the four-post bed and a small wardrobe on the wall, but it was all hers. She changed into her pijamas, which consisted of a black silk nightie that reached her mid-thigh, and matching knickers and slipped under the covers. Skyfall padded over to her pillow and lay against the back of her head, purring comfortingly as she fell asleep. The next morning, she awoke with a jolt, as her nightmare finally let her go. She got up, got dressed in the Slytherin uniform and headed up to the Great Hall for breakfast. She sighed as she sat down, her bag at her feet as Professor Slughorn handed her her timetable. She checked her classes and was relieved. It wouldn't be so stressful. She would even have a couple classes with the Gryfindors, which would allow her to speak to Remus without alerting anyone to their friendship. With that thought in mind, she looked up, searching for him and his friends, though mostly just for him.