Lucius Malfoy had filed a case at the Ministry of Magic, demanding the execution of Buckbeak. Hagrid was devastated and did everything he could to protect the loyal Hippogriff.
Cassi and Hermione, determined to help, spent hours in the library, immersed in books and scrolls, searching for any information that could provide a way to save the animal.
However, despite their efforts, hope began to fade when the news reached them.
Hermione, visibly shaken, handed the damp letter to Harry, who trembled as he held it. The parchment was soaked with tears, smudging the ink in some places and making it difficult to read.
Harry felt a tightness in his chest as he read the message written by Hagrid, his inner voice screaming with indignation. It was a painful defeat. Buckbeak would be taken back to Hogwarts, and the date for his execution would be set.
My dear Mione and Cassiopeia,
We lost. I was allowed to bring Buckbeak back to Hogwarts. The date for the execution will be set.
Buckbeak liked London. I won't forget all the help you gave us.
Hagrid
"They can't do this," said Harry, disturbed.
"They can't. Buckbeak is not dangerous. Malfoy's father must have intimidated the Committee to make them do this," Hermione sobbed, leaning on Cassi's shoulder as she tried to wipe away her tears. "You know how he is. The others are a bunch of senile fools and they got scared. But there will be an appeal, there always is. I just can't see any hope. Nothing will change until then."
"It will, though," Ron said fiercely. "You won't have to do all the work alone! Cassi, Mione, I want to help," Ron said with a determined look.
Cassi smiled at her friend, and Hermione cried even harder.
"Oh, Ron!" Hermione let go of Cassi and threw her arms around Ron's neck, crying uncontrollably.
Ron, looking terrified, awkwardly patted the top of the girl's head.
Which made Cassi chuckle.
Finally, Hermione pulled away. "Ron, I'm really, truly sorry about Scabbers..." Hermione sobbed, referring to the previous incident.
Ron swore with all his might that Crookshanks had eaten his rat, which strained their friendship.
"Well... he was old," Ron said, looking very relieved that Hermione had let it go. "And he was getting kind of useless. You never know, maybe Mom and Dad will buy me an owl now." Ron tried to smile.
The Easter holidays were not exactly the relaxing period that the third-year students had hoped for. A wave of homework overwhelmed all of them in the third year, who had never had so much homework before.
Neville Longbottom, poor boy, was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, but he certainly wasn't the only one.
Hermione and Cassiopeia had the heaviest workload. Cassi was taking all the subjects, and Hermione was following closely with all except Divination and Muggle Studies.
As a daily ritual, the two girls were the first to arrive at the library and also the last to leave the comfort of their respective common rooms.
Cassi reserved moments to visit Sirius and practice her ability to transform into her Animagus form. On quiet nights, she and Sirius would roam the grounds of Hogwarts together, enjoying the freedom that being an Animagus provided them.
The moon shone in the starry sky as Cassi and Sirius explored their surroundings, their footprints leaving marks on the soft grass.
Crookshanks, curious and full of energy, followed closely behind them, alternating between chasing birds and insects and winding himself around Cassi's legs, indifferent to the form she assumed.
She loved spending these moments with her uncle. Crookshanks, in turn, happily hopped around them, engaging in playful antics and showing affection both towards Cassi and, to the man's dismay, towards Sirius.
While Crookshanks enjoyed the freedom of roaming the grounds of Hogwarts, Cassi noticed that Hermione didn't seem well. Her eyes were marked by deep dark circles, similar to Lupin's, and she seemed constantly on the verge of tears. This made Cassi feel a twinge of concern seeing her friend in this state.
Cassi tried to calm Hermione down and encourage her to take it easy on herself. She talked to her friend, reinforcing that she was doing her best and that taking care of mental and physical health was important. Cassi shared her own experiences and moments when she also felt overwhelmed, seeking to offer support.
Despite her efforts, the real change only occurred when Hermione and Cassi started studying together in the library. Cassi's comforting presence and her relaxed approach to studying seemed to bring relief to Hermione. This new dynamic annoyed Pansy, but Cassi chose not to pay attention to the girl's provocations, keeping her focus on her goal of balancing her time as best as possible.
Quidditch Game
The teams took to the field under a wave of thunderous applause. Three-quarters of the crowd wore red rosettes and waved red flags with the Gryffindor lion. On the other hand, around two hundred supporters were clad in green, their flags displaying the silver serpent of Slytherin, and Professor Snape sat in the front row, dressed in green like the rest of them, wearing a sinister smile.
"And here comes the Gryffindor team!" exclaimed Lee Jordan, who, as always, provided the commentary.
"Arguably the best team Hogwarts has seen in many years..." Lino's comments were drowned out by a wave of boos from the Slytherin supporters.
"And here comes the Slytherin team, led by Captain Flint."
"Captains, shake hands!" Madame Hooch said.
Flint and Wood approached each other and shook hands firmly, giving the impression that they wanted to break each other's fingers.
"Three... two... one..." The sound of her whistle was lost in the roar of the crowd as the fourteen broomsticks took flight. Cassi felt a sudden fox-like energy surge through her veins, and her now two hearts raced in her chest.
"And Gryffindor with possession of the Quaffle, Alicia Spinnet of Gryffindor with the Quaffle, flying straight for the Slytherin goal, in great form, Alicia! No!"
The Quaffle was intercepted by Warrington, Warrington of Slytherin speeding across the field.
THWACK!
A solid Bludger hit by George Weasley, Warrington dropped the Quaffle, which was caught by... Johnson, Gryffindor with possession of the ball again.
"Duck, Angelina, here comes a Bludger! - SHE SCORES! TEN-NIL TO GRYFFINDOR!" Lino shouted at the top of his lungs.
Angelina punched the air as she soared past the end of the field; the sea of red in the stands erupted with joy...
But then...
Angelina was nearly knocked off her broom by Marcus Flint as they collided head-on.
"Sorry!" Flint said as the fans below booed. "Didn't see the player!"
It didn't take long for Fred Weasley to throw a bat at Flint's head, his nose crashing against the broomstick handle, causing it to bleed.
"That's enough!" Madame Hooch shouted, diving between the two. "Penalty against Gryffindor for the unprovoked attack on the opponent's chaser! Penalty against Slytherin for the deliberate harm to the opponent's chaser!"
"Oh, come on!" protested Fred, but Madame Hooch blew her whistle, and Alicia stepped up to take the penalty.
"YES, SIR! SHE'S BEATEN THE KEEPER! TWENTY-NIL TO GRYFFINDOR!" Lino shouted, and Cassi veered towards the ball.
"Of course, Wood is a magnificent keeper!" Lino Jordan commented to the listeners as Flint placed Cassi to take the penalty, awaiting Madame Hooch's whistle.
"Magnificent! Hard to beat - very hard indeed - YES, SIR! NO ONE CAN STOP CASSIOPEIA GAUNT!"
"SLYTHERIN SCORES!" Lino shouted, and Snape punched the air.
The game was intense. Gryffindor had Angelina scoring 60 points on her own, but Slytherin had Cassiopeia! Cassi had scored 70 points so far, and the stands for both teams were going wild with tension.
"SHE'S FAST, SHE'S QUICK!" Lino exclaimed at the top of his lungs as Cassi skillfully dodged the Gryffindor team's attack.
"AND SHE SCORES AGAIN!"
The Slytherin stands erupted with screams.
Then Harry apparently saw the Snitch and went after it, reaching out his hand, but suddenly, the Firebolt started to slow down...
Harry looked horrified, glancing around. Draco had lunged forward, grabbing onto the Firebolt's tail, attempting to hold it back.
"You..." Harry was furious enough to punch Malfoy, but he couldn't reach him.
Honestly, even Cassi felt like punching him at that moment for cheating.
Malfoy was gasping with the effort of holding onto the Firebolt, but his eyes gleamed with malice. He had achieved his goal; the Snitch disappeared once again.
"Penalty! Penalty in favor of Gryffindor! I've never seen such a tactic!" Madame Hooch shouted, horrified.
"YOU FILTHY CHEAT!" Lino Jordan bellowed through the megaphone, just out of reach of Professor McGonagall. "YOU FILTHY CHEAT, YOU SON OF A..."
Minerva didn't bother scolding Lino. In fact, she wagged her finger at Draco, her hat falling off her head, and she too was yelling furiously.
Alicia took the penalty for Gryffindor, but she was so angry that she missed by more than half a meter. The Gryffindor team began to lose focus, and the Slytherin players, delighted by Malfoy's absence on Harry's tail, felt encouraged to aim higher.
"Slytherin with possession, Slytherin heading for the goal... Montague scores," groaned Lino. "Ninety to sixty for Slytherin..."
Harry was now marking Malfoy so closely that their knees were constantly knocking together. Harry wouldn't let Malfoy get anywhere near the Snitch...
"Get out of the way, Potter!" Malfoy shouted, frustrated, as he tried to turn and found Harry blocking him.
"Angelina Johnson takes the Quaffle for Gryffindor, go, Angelina, GO!"
All the Slytherin players, except Draco, were flying towards Angelina, including the team's goalkeeper; they were all trying to block her.
Harry appeared out of nowhere like a bullet, speeding towards the Slytherin players.
"AAAAAARRRRRRRE!" Lino shouted, no longer impartial.
The players dispersed when they saw the Firebolt coming; Angelina had a clear path.
"SHE SCORED! SHE SCORED! Ninety to seventy!"
Draco was diving, a triumphant expression on his face, and there, less than a meter above the ground, down below, was a tiny golden glint.
Harry was far away, but with his new broom, he reached Draco's side and extended his hand.
"Harry caught it, Harry caught the bloody Snitch." Cassi thought in shock, almost regretting the gift she and Sirius had given the boy.
"HE CAUGHT IT!" Lino shouted.
The tiny golden ball was securely held in his hand, its wings flapping uselessly against his fingers.
In the next moment, Wood flew towards Harry, almost blinded by tears; he grabbed Harry by the neck and sobbed uncontrollably on the boy's shoulder.
That game was his last chance to win the cup as it was his final year at Hogwarts.
Cassi felt a buzzing in her ears.
"We won the Cup! We won the Cup!" Gryffindor screamed at the top of their lungs.
Minerva sobbed even more than Wood, wiping her eyes with a huge Gryffindor flag. That touched Cassi, she knew her godmother had been waiting for this for years.
She could win the cup for Slytherin next year.