On the Saturday preceding the first task of the tournament, all students from the third year and above were given permission to visit the village of Hogsmeade.
Pansy was more needy than ever and insisted that Draco and Cassiopeia accompany her.
The trio walked together, arms linked, when they saw Hermione with her hands full of sweets, seemingly talking to herself. Cassi knew better, probably Harry was by her side, wearing the invisibility cloak.
"Looks, not only is she a mudblood, but also insane" Draco said, wrinkling his nose.
"Draco, please, stop calling her like that. It's extremely rude," Cassiopeia let go of her friend's arm to confront him.
"Oh, come on, Cassie, that's exactly what she is," Draco grumbled, annoyed.
"You're always defending that mudblood, are you in love with her now?! Have you become a blood traitor?" Pansy asked, visibly frustrated and scowling.
Cassi blushed furiously. She thought Hermione was beautiful, but it wasn't like that... She wasn't in love! They are friends.
Pansy seemed to grow very angry with Cassiopeia's flushed cheeks and her delay in responding to the question.
"That's it, isn't it?! You like her, that's why you don't spend as much time with me anymore?" Pansy accused angrily.
"NO!" Cassi shouted exasperated. "I'M NOT IN LOVE WITH GRANGER!"
Cassiopeia may have said that a little too loudly because when she turned around, Hermione was standing there with a half-eaten chocolate in her mouth and wide eyes.
"Damn it," Cassi muttered quietly, blushing furiously. "She's my friend, and I won't tolerate disrespect towards any of my friends. If you can't do that for her, please do it out of respect for me," Cassi concluded, frustrated, and walked away from the two, heading to Honeydukes alone.
While Cassi chose some chocolates, she felt someone hugging her waist. It was Pansy, with a remorseful look on her face.
"I'm sorry, baby," Pansy said softly. "I shouldn't have gone that far," she continued.
Cassi didn't respond and continued selecting her chocolates.
"Come on, talk to me," Pansy pleaded, now with a distressed voice. "Hey, beautiful fox," she continued and kissed behind Cassi's ear, making her shudder.
"Stop that," Cassiopeia said, trying to hide her reaction, although the blush on her face betrayed her.
This seemed to stimulate Pansy, who giggled.
"Let me pay for the chocolates for you." She took the candies that Cassi was choosing and went to the counter. Soon she returned with all of them packaged and handed them to Cassi.
"An apology, please," Pansy said with puppy eyes.
Cassiopeia couldn't resist food, especially tempting sweets. Sighing, she accepted the peace offering.
"Alright," Cassi sighed, and Pansy clapped her hands. "But I want you to stop calling Hermione a mudblood."
With that, Pansy's smile dropped. She seemed to be thinking until she huffed and said, "Fine," almost growling. "Anything for you."
Cassiopeia was satisfied with that and pulled Pansy along as they left the shop.
⁀➷,
When they returned, rain started and it was getting stronger. Many summoned magical umbrellas, while others ran to the castle for shelter. Honestly, all it took was to raise their wands and conjure an umbrella charm.
Pansy clung to Cassi, too lazy to create her own protection against the rain, and Draco followed suit, squeezing himself beside his friend. When they were safely in the entrance hall, illuminated by torches and with its magnificent marble staircase, someone shouted above them.
"ARRE!" A large red water balloon fell from the ceiling and burst on Draco's head.
Soaked and furious, Draco staggered to the side and bumped into Pansy just as a second water bomb fell, narrowly missing and splashing cold water on Cassi's dragon leather boot. The people around them gasped and began to push, trying to get out of the line of fire.
When Cassi looked up, she saw Peeves, the poltergeist, floating six meters above. He was a little man with a bell-shaped hat and an orange bowtie, his wide mischievous face contorted in concentration as he aimed again.
Honestly? That ghost is crazy.
"PIEEVES!" Minerva's irritated voice shouted.
"Peeves, come down immediately, NOW!" Minerva ran from the Great Hall, slipped on the wet floor, and grabbed Pansy by the neck to prevent herself from falling.
"Ouch... sorry, Miss Parkinson..."
"Bloody gargoyles! You nearly killed me!" Pansy gasped, massaging her throat.
"I thought cats always landed on their feet, Aunt Minnie," Cassi joked with a teasing smile.
"I'll deal with you later," Minerva huffed, giving Cassi a stern look.
"Peeves, come down here NOW!" She shouted, adjusting her conical hat and glaring over her square-framed glasses.
"I'm not doing anything!" Peeves laughed, launching a water bomb at several fifth-year girls, who screamed and dove into the Great Hall.
"Already wetting your pants, are you? How inconvenient! Eeeeeeeek!" And he aimed another bomb at a group of newly arrived third-year students.
"I'll fetch the headmaster!" Minerva threatened. "I'm warning you, Peeves..."
Peeves stuck out his tongue, tossed his last water bomb into the air, and flew up the marble staircase, cackling like a maniac.
"Well, let's get going then!" the professor efficiently said to the soaked students. "Back to your common rooms, off you go!"
"My mother will hear about this," Draco grumbled irritably.
⁀➷,
Cassi was focused in the library, taking the third practice test for the upcoming O.W.L.s week, when Hermione and Harry approached and sat at her table. Cassi raised an eyebrow, curious about their sudden visit.
"We need your help," Harry said, visibly out of breath.
Of course they did...
"I need to learn the Summoning Charm correctly by tomorrow afternoon."
Cassiopeia clicked her tongue. "And you left it until the last minute? Typical, scatterbrain," she teased, wrinkling her nose.
Harry had the decency to look embarrassed.
Hermione seemed excited and a little surprised. "Is this a practice test?" she asked.
"Yes," Cassi replied simply. "Come with me." She stood up, and the three of them went to find an empty classroom.
Harry tried, with all his effort, to make various objects fly towards him in the room. However, it still wasn't going as expected. Books and feathers kept losing momentum halfway and falling to the ground like stones.
"Harry, look at me," Cassi requested, clapping her hands in front of his face. "Your mind is wandering."
"A bloody great dragon keeps popping up in my head, no idea why..." Harry vented in frustration.
Cassiopeia clicked her tongue, deep in thought. "You're afraid of tomorrow's task, and you're letting it consume your mind, Harry," Cassi explained, approaching him. "Don't try not to think of anything, as that only creates stimuli for your mind. Instead, focus on what you want to achieve."
"Visualize the object clearly: its color, its texture in your hands," she gently instructed. "Now, envision your magic around your hands, channeled through the wand, drawing the object towards you. Feel it."
Harry looked at Cassi, attentively capturing her words.
He took a deep breath and tried to follow the guidance, concentrating on his magic and the object he wanted to summon. He felt a stronger connection with the wand and the magical energy flowing through his hands.
He raised the wand again and pronounced the words "Accio dictionary!" with determination. The heavy book Hermione was holding flew from her hand, crossed the room, and Harry skillfully caught it in midair.
Cassi clapped in approval. "Very well!" she said with a smile. "Let's try again."
After another hour of intense practice, Harry was successfully attracting objects with ease, showing remarkable progress.
"Harry, honestly, I think you've got it!" exclaimed Hermione, delighted by her friend's improvement.
"As long as it works tomorrow," he replied, keeping a hint of caution in his expectations. "The Firebolt will be much farther away than these things. It'll be inside the castle, while I'll be outside, in the gardens..."
Hermione interrupted, speaking firmly. "That doesn't matter, Harry. We believe in you."
Cassi smiled at her friend. However, she then glanced at the clock and realized it was time for her next class.
"I have Runes class now, I have to go," she informed.
"Harry, rest up. You'll need energy for tomorrow."
With a farewell wave, Cassi headed towards her class, grateful for her Time-Turner to help manage her tasks.
⁀➷,
The next day, during lunchtime, Harry left accompanied by Minerva to prepare for the task. Cassi, anxious, couldn't bring herself to wish him good luck, which only added to her distressing feelings about the situation.
When they arrived at the arena, nearly the entire school had gathered. The area was surrounded by imposing dragons guarding their eggs, which would be stolen by the champions as part of the task. Fred and George were busy encouraging bets on which champion would come out victorious.
On the other side of the enclosure was the Hungarian Horntail, an immense creature with partially closed wings, yellow and malevolent eyes. It was a black, monstrous lizard covered in scales, forcefully thrashing its horned tail, leaving deep marks on the hard ground. The crowd in the stands created a deafening noise.
Harry was being fiercely attacked by the dragon, and Cassiopeia nearly had a heart attack as she saw the creature almost hit his head. Desperate, she shouted amidst the crowd, urging Harry to use his wand.
"YOUR WAND! YOUR WAND!" She shouted in the middle of the crowd.
Finally, Harry raised his wand and shouted, "Accio Firebolt!" Cassiopeia anxiously watched as the Firebolt quickly flew towards Harry. In an instant, he disappeared from sight, closely followed by the furious dragon.
Agonizing minutes passed until Harry returned, triumphant, with the golden egg in his hands. The crowd erupted in cheers and applause, reminiscent of fans at a Quidditch World Cup.
Cassiopeia felt a wave of relief wash over her body, her hands trembled, and her two hearts beat irregularly in her chest. It was an intense mix of emotions, but the happiness of seeing Harry emerge victorious in that task was indescribable. She couldn't contain the tears that welled up in her eyes as she joined the others in celebrating her friend's success.