Fourth Time's a Charm

xxiv. webs

Cassie's POV

I woke up feeling much more rested than I had in a while. I couldn't tell what had been different, but I hadn't had a single nightmare.

I opened my eyes to realize I had fallen asleep on the couch of the common room; I must have stayed up too late waiting for Harry. But then I remembered I had talked to Harry last night after everyone else had gone up to their dorms.

A bit confused, I started to get up. I was suddenly very aware of an aching crick in my neck, and something wrapped around my torso. I looked over to see Harry, still sleeping with one arm surrounding my waist.

The entirety of last night came circling back to me. Fixing things with Cedric, opening up to Harry, and evidently falling asleep on him. Well, that's certainly one way to start a morning.

Footsteps sounded down the stairs to the girls' dormitories and I immediately panicked. I couldn't tell how I felt about someone seeing us. Everyone knew we were good friends, but this was awfully close for friends—even if that really was all we were. Girls spin rumors like spiders spinning their webs and once you're stuck in them it's impossible to get out.

I debated simply getting up but didn't want to risk waking him. With the Tournament coming so quickly he would need all the sleep he could get.

The footsteps were approaching quickly until I ran out of time, unable to do anything but stare at the stairs like a deer in headlights—though admittedly that definitely wouldn't have done anything to help my case.

Thankfully, it only turned out to be Hermione, who let out a quiet laugh as she saw our predicament.

"I'd ask if you wanted to join me for breakfast, but you seem a bit wrapped up," she teased, coming over to watch my attempt to slowly maneuver out of his grasp.

"Oh, shut it. Either help me or go away," I mockingly glared at her, only resulting in her laughing harder. She picked up a pillow from one of the armchairs, pulling her arm back. I realized only a moment too late what she was about to do.

"Hermione wait I didn't want to wake—" I was cut off by the pillow whacking into my face. I had to admit she had impeccable aim, managing to hit both me and Harry in the same swing.

He jolted up, quickly taking in his surroundings as I had minutes before. Seeing Hermione with the pillow he quickly made the connection that was the object that had pulled him out of his sleep.

He grabbed the pillow from the other side of him throwing it at her. And that was how the two of them ended up in an all-out pillow war. I couldn't say how I got involved but it wasn't long until each of us were attacking each other, ignoring as everyone else exited their dorms to go to the Great Hall for breakfast.

It felt strange, seeing the two people who always seemed so stiff and mature all the time let loose. I guess that's what happens when you're the top of the class and everyone always expects you to be perfect. Or you're the biggest target for the greatest evil wizard of our age. Underneath it all, they were really just children weighed down by the world around them.

The moment ended as quickly as it had started as Ron walked into the room, stopping to stare at us. Initially, all that he showed was stubbornness and anger, still adamant that Harry had entered himself into the Tournament. If I had looked away, I wouldn't have seen the pain and longing to not be at odds with us.

I opened my mouth to say something, trying to resolve the stupid argument that lingered between each of us, but he left the room before I could. The mood had instantly dropped, and we went off in our respective directions to get ready.

***

Harry had been pulled out of our potions class only a few minutes in. He was being sent off for some interviews about the Tournament.

I had to say without him class was rather boring. Ron refused to talk to us and Hermione was hanging off every word Snape said while taking her notes. Normally, I would sit next to Harry and he would mumble sarcastic comments the whole way through.

As class concluded I was grateful to get out, wishing Hermione would walk faster as we exited the door. Looking at the time, I realized that Fleur and I had planned to meet about now.

The two of us had been talking a lot more lately. Hermione joined us a few times, typically opting to go to the library instead. I had found talking to Fleur was very calming. I knew that I could truly trust her, and I could tell she trusted me. She didn't withhold anything telling me about her life, so neither did I.

I went out into the courtyard, finding the same bench that we always sat at. Again, I was struck by how lonely it felt without Harry there. Normally he would walk with me and stay until Fleur arrived. Instead of his interesting conversation, I was simply met with the wind blowing around me.

5 minutes passed, then 10. Nearly 20 minutes past our set time the blonde girl came rushing out the doors towards me.

"Cassie, I am so sorry! The interview was so much longer than expected."

"Relax, Fleur. It's fine. You're here now," I laughed at her rush to defend herself.

I supposed that had come from her constant need to be perfect in her family, one of the things we had talked about a lot. To always look put together, never be late—it was all a series of rules that she was forced to follow. I wouldn't have been surprised if she didn't want to be in the Tournament at all, only entering because her parents had told her to.

"That woman—my dear Cassie, promise me you will never speak to Rita Skeeter," her maternal tone as she said my name made my heart swell, but the loathing as she uttered the well-known reporter's name was almost scary. "I'm most certain nothing she writes will be of any truth!"

"Surely she can get the names of the champions at the very least," I teased, knowing that upon many occasions her name had been pronounced incorrectly.

"I believe she called my 'Flur Delcar,'" She scoffed. "If mine was so bad, I can only imagine Harry's interview."

"Once we're done, I'll go check on him. But enough of that, from here on in the Tournament is but a distant thought," I declared. This was the usual protocol for our conversations, making sure to stay away from the Triwizard Tournament as much as we could. Rumors were already flying that we were using one another for information, and we wanted to make sure no one was given any reason to suspect it even more so.

About an hour had passed, and I noticed the sky was starting to get dark. Dinner would likely be starting soon.

"We should probably head inside," I suggested as we reached a comfortable pause. "I imagine you want to get cleaned up for supper. Wouldn't want to tarnish the Delcar image and give Skeeter more to talk about."

She heaved a sigh before standing up from the bench, putting her hands out to help me up as well.

"Oh, I could give her something to talk about," she muttered as we made our way back into the building, bidding each other goodbye to return to our respective dormitories.