She was engrossed in reading her newspaper when a very irritated Draco stormed into her compartment.
"You're the most difficult person I've ever had the pleasure of meet!" Draco exclaimed as he sat down.
"I'm a Black, dear cousin, what did you expect?" Cassi replied as she folded the newspaper.
"My mother nearly tore my head off when she found out that instead of running away, you came back. For none other than Potter!" Draco huffed exasperatedly.
"I still don't understand the protection your mother has over me," Cassi sighed, growing frustrated with all the mystery surrounding Narcissa. The woman was in her dreams, and to her resignation, also in her thoughts.
"She likes you," Draco simply said. "Look, I can't explain it, but my mother cares, and so do I."
Cassiopeia sighed again, reflecting on the situation.
"I don't seek out danger, Draco. It seems that danger seeks me out." She tried to joke, flashing a mischievous smile, and Draco couldn't help but laugh.
"You're kidding? You're a true trouble magnet, worse than Potter," Draco teased, receiving a smack with the newspaper in response.
"No one attracts more trouble than Harry Potter," she retorted, keeping a playful tone in her voice.
Hogwarts
Cassi was sitting at the Slytherin table, awaiting the arrival of the first-years for the Sorting Hat ceremony.
Pansy was playing with her hair as usual, the girl seemed to have some kind of obsession with her friend's curls.
"I guess they still haven't found us a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," she commented, pointing to the empty seat.
"Seems like no one stays in the position," Draco grumbled.
"As long as they don't bring us a vampire this year," Cassi joked, making Pansy giggle.
Dumbledore stood up to make an announcement.
"Now that we are all seated and comfortable, I would like to say something. This castle will not only be your home this year but also the home to some very special guests. Hogwarts has been chosen -"
Dumbledore was interrupted by the caretaker who was running towards him in a flustered manner and stopped to communicate something in his ear.
"Hogwarts has been chosen to host a legendary event. The Triwizard Tournament!"
Sighs were heard throughout the tables.
Draco, being the natural gossipmonger, had already spread the news among the Slytherins. The perks of having a father working at the Ministry.
"For those who don't know, the Triwizard Tournament brings together three schools for a series of magical tasks. From each school, a single student is chosen to compete. Let me be clear. If chosen, you will be on your own.
"And believe me when I say, this tournament is not for the faint of heart," Dumbledore said slowly.
"But more on that later. Now join me in welcoming the beautiful ladies from the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and their headmistress, Madame Maxime."
The doors of the Great Hall were opened.
A group of stunning women dressed in blue entered the hall with captivating elegance and grace.
Their flowing dresses accentuated their slender forms as they walked with light and harmonious steps. Every movement seemed choreographed, as if they were dancing to the tune of a celestial melody.
As the women moved, magical blue butterflies emerged from the folds of their dresses, fluttering in a graceful ballet around them.
It was beautiful. Cassi was briefly mesmerized by the women, and if she had any doubt about liking witches, it died right there.
One witch in particular caught her attention: a graceful blonde woman who was so beautiful that she didn't seem real.
Then, a woman at least two meters tall followed closely behind the students from the French academy.
In the end, Cassiopeia graciously applauded alongside the majority of the wizards and a third of the witches.
Dumbledore raised his voice in the Great Hall, announcing the arrival of the friends from the north.
"And now, please welcome the proud sons of Durmstrang and their headmaster, Igor Karkaroff!" he exclaimed enthusiastically.
All eyes turned to the entrance of the hall, where an imposing and energetic procession began. Wizards dressed in gray uniforms entered the hall with firm and determined steps. In their hands, they held staffs that appeared as rigid as their expressions.
After the exciting introductions of the competing schools, the Great Hall of Hogwarts filled with excitement as the students enjoyed the long-awaited dinner. Conversations echoed through the hall, mingling with the sound of the violent rain pouring outside.
Everyone seemed to be enjoying their meals when Hermione abruptly slammed her glass on the table.
Cassi looked over to the Gryffindor table, confused, trying to see if something had happened to her friend, but from a distance and with so much noise, she couldn't quite understand. Cassi made a mental note to ask Hermione about it later.
At that moment, a deafening thunderclap resounded, and the doors of the Great Hall swung open.
"Alastor Moody," Pansy whispered to Cassi, gripping her hand tightly.
"The dark wizard hunter?" she asked, confused. "What is he doing at Hogwarts?"
The man stood at the door, leaning on a long staff and covered in a black traveling cloak.
All heads in the Great Hall turned to the stranger, suddenly illuminated by a bolt of lightning that pierced the ceiling. He lowered his hood, revealing a mane of dirty blond hair still dark, and began walking toward the teachers' table.
A metallic, muffled noise echoed through the hall with each step he took. When he reached the end of the table, he turned right and limped heavily towards Dumbledore. Another lightning bolt crossed the ceiling.
Every inch of the stranger's skin seemed to be scarred. His mouth resembled a diagonal slash, and a good portion of his nose was missing. But it was his eyes that made him truly frightening.
One of them was small, dark, and penetrating. The other was large, round like a coin, and electric blue. The blue eye moved continuously, without blinking, darting up, down, and from side to side independently of the normal eye.
The stranger sat down, shook his hair away from his face, pulled a plate of sausages towards himself, brought it to what remained of his nose, and sniffed it. He then took a small knife out of his pocket, skewered a sausage, and started eating. His normal eye fixed on the sausages, but the blue eye continued to rotate in its socket, scanning the hall and the students.
"I would like to introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor," Dumbledore said excitedly, breaking the silence. "Professor Moody."
It was customary for new faculty members to be greeted with applause, but neither the staff nor the students clapped, except for Dumbledore and Hagrid. The two of them joined hands and applauded, but the sound echoed sadly in the silence.
"Well, at least he's not a vampire," Draco said mockingly. "I swear, this school is going from bad to worse."
The man with the ugly mustache, who had pointed his wand at Cassi in the Quidditch Cup, stepped forward to make an announcement.
"After much consideration, the Ministry has decided that for your safety, no student under the age of 17 shall put their name into the Goblet of Fire," he said.
Crouch had barely finished when a series of protests erupted in the hall, leaving the man even more nervous.
"SILENCE!" Dumbledore shouted, silencing them.
He extended his wand towards a golden sculpture, which transformed into a cup with a blue flame.
"The Goblet of Fire," Dumbledore explained. "Anyone who wishes to enter the tournament must write their name on a piece of parchment and throw it into the flame. Before this same hour on Thursday night. Do not do so lightly. Once chosen, there is no turning back. From that moment on, the Triwizard Tournament has begun."