On the next day, Cassiopeia and Hermione spent the entire afternoon in the library researching ways to adapt a means of communicating the day and time of the next meeting to all members, in case they needed to change them at a moment's notice. It would be suspicious if students from different houses were frequently seen crossing the Great Hall to talk to each other.
"Do you know the Death Eaters' mark?" Cassi asked suddenly.
Hermione only blinked, then chuckled cheerfully. "That would be so ironic."
They found a communication spell, known as the Prometheus Charm, which would allow discreet transmission of messages. Though it was a rather complex magic, they managed to master it with great ease.
However, a problem arose between the two when they needed to decide on the object to be enchanted to serve as a means of communication. Hermione ended up winning the dispute, much to Cassiopeia's disappointment.
The group meetings were going very well. Neville managed to disarm Hermione, Colin mastered the Impediment Jinx after three consecutive meetings of effort, and Parvati executed a Reducing Spell so perfectly that it reduced the table with the Sneakoscopes to dust.
It was becoming challenging to consolidate this secret, with the O.W.L. exams, the practices of three Quidditch teams, and her role as the Slytherin prefect. But she managed to handle everything.
[...]
"Do you see the numbers on the edge of the coins?" Hermione asked.
Cassi raised one to show. The coin gleamed large and yellow in the torchlight.
"In genuine Galleons, this is just the serial number referring to the goblin who minted the coin. But in the counterfeit coins, the numbers will be changed to indicate the day and time of the next meeting. The coins will grow warm when the date changes, so if you carry them in your pocket, you'll feel it. Each of you will take one, and when Harry changes the numbers on his coin, because we used the Prometheus Charm, they'll all change to match his." Cassi explained, demonstrating.
A complete silence greeted her words, and Hermione looked disappointed at the faces that stared at them.
"Well... we thought it was a good idea," she said hesitantly, playing with the basket of coins in her hand. "I mean, even if Umbridge makes us turn out our pockets, there's nothing suspicious about carrying a Galleon, right? But... well, if you don't want to use the coins..."
"Do you know how to cast a Protean Charm?" Terence Boot asked, looking impressed.
"Yes," they both replied in unison.
"But that's N.E.W.T.-level magic," he commented, unconvinced.
"Ah," replied Hermione, trying to seem modest. But Cassiopeia was anything but modest.
"It is, and now grab those damn coins because we're here like two idiots collecting gold for charity," she said impatiently.
"How come you two aren't in Ravenclaw?" Boot asked Hermione.
"Well, the Sorting Hat seriously considered putting me in Ravenclaw," explained Hermione cheerfully. "But it ended up choosing Gryffindor. So, does that mean we'll use the Galleons?"
There was a murmur of agreement, and everyone stepped forward to grab a coin from the basket. Harry looked at the two.
"Do these remind you of...?" Harry began, but Cassi confirmed, cutting him off.
"The Death Eaters' scars. Voldemort touches one of them, and they all burn, and his followers know they must gather with him," said Cassi, and all eyes fixed on her.
"You know everything about dark wizards, don't you?" Boot asked, and Cassi pointed her wand right in his face.
"Test my patience, and you'll know exactly why the hat was so quick to put me in Slytherin," she said coldly, with a cruel look.
The boy backed away, frightened.
"Well..." Hermione said, clearing her throat. "That's where we copied the idea from... But you'll notice that I decided to engrave the date on metal instead of on our fellow students' skin," Hermione said quietly.
"Yeah... I prefer your way," Harry said, smiling as he put the coin in his pocket.
"I still support a tattoo," Cassiopeia said grumpily, and Hermione laughed.
(...)
As the first match of the season, Gryffindor versus Slytherin, approached, the D.A. meetings were suspended to make way for Quidditch practices. The fact that the Quidditch Cup hadn't happened in a long time increased the interest and excitement surrounding the upcoming game. The students from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were eagerly interested in the outcome, as they would be playing against both teams next year. Additionally, the heads of the Houses of the competing teams, while trying to hide under a false sportsmanship spirit, were determined to see their own team come out victorious.
Cassiopeia noticed how much Minerva wanted to defeat Slytherin when she refrained from assigning homework in the week leading up to the match. So, she decided to tease her godmother whenever possible, commenting that she had let her win the last cup and that this year the victory would be hers.
Snape was no less obvious in his support for Slytherin. He reserved the Quidditch pitch so often for the Slytherin team that the Gryffindor team had difficulty finding it available for practice.
She thanked him countless times for this situation. She had become faster this year, honing her skills to the point where her peers had difficulty keeping up with her during training. Cassi had turned into a true force on the field.
The professor also pretended not to hear the many complaints that Slytherin students were attempting to hex the Gryffindor players in the school corridors. When Alicia Spinnet appeared in the hospital wing with her eyebrows growing so thick and quickly that they obscured her vision and covered her mouth, Snape insisted that the girl must have tried a Hair-Thickening Hex, refusing to listen to the fourteen witnesses who confirmed seeing Slytherin's keeper, Milo Bletchley, cast the spell on the girl's back while she was studying in the library.
Cassiopeia was present during the incident and also pretended innocence. In fact, she was the one who gave Milo the idea to cast the spell on Alicia.
It was a little revenge for calling her a know-it-all behind her back.
(...)
"Let's finish them!" said Montague, the new captain, with a wide smile to the team.
"Don't underestimate the Weasleys," Cassiopeia warned everyone, and Draco seemed about to mock, but fell silent when he met her gaze.
"Harry turns with full force; Angelina is fast, but her left side is almost blind, always vulnerable. Focus on that. Crabbe and Goyle, you need to stay on the sides and cover me against Angelina," Cassi said quickly, with authority.
"And Draco?" she waited for him to nod "You get that fucking Snitch."
"Do you want to steal my position, Gaunt?" Montague joked.
"Actually, yes," Cassi teased, displaying a mischievous smile.
Everyone laughed.
(...)
The Gryffindors mounted their brooms in a row, and the Slytherin team was already waiting for them, formed. Some players were also wearing crown-shaped badges.
"Captains, shake hands," Madame Hooch ordered, and as Angelina and Montague approached, Cassi saw that Montague was trying to crush Angelina's fingers, although she showed no sign of pain.
"I like her," Cassi whispered to Draco, who rolled his eyes.
"Mount your brooms..." Madame Hooch brought the whistle to her mouth and blew it.
The balls were released into the air, and the fourteen players shot upwards.
Cassiopeia was like lightning, leaving the Gryffindor players stunned and helpless. She flew swiftly towards the hoops, skillfully dodging opponents trying to stop her.
"And it's Gaunt with the Quaffle! What a player this girl is?! It's what I've been saying for years, but she still won't go out with me..." - "JORDAN!" Minerva yelled, astounded. "... it's just a little joke, professor, a touch of human interest - and she gets past Wesley, goes past Wesley, and SHE SCORES!"
The Slytherin crowd was ecstatic, and Cassiopeia could see Snape abandoning his serious posture and punching the air in celebration. The score was now ten to zero for Slytherin.
"Angelina got the Quaffle, this girl is very fast! She goes past Montague... She - Ouch! Angelina was hit in the back by a Bludger launched by Crabbe. Montague catches the Quaffle, Montague goes back up the field, and a beautiful Bludger now from George Weasley, I mean, Fred Weasley, ah, what does it matter, it was one of the twins, and Warrington drops the Quaffle, picked up by Katie Bell, Katie Bell from Gryffindor passes it back to Alicia Spinnet, and Spinnet moves away..." Lino Jordan's commentary echoed through the stadium.
In the background, there was a commotion from the crowd, shouting, booing, and singing. "... running away from Warrington, dodges a Bludger - that was close, Alicia, and the crowd is loving the game, listen, what are they singing?"
And Lino stopped to listen. The singing sounded loud and clear from the green and silver section of Slytherin in the stands:
"Weasley catches nothing,
No hoops can he block,
Hey, hey, hey, hey,
Weasley is our king.
Weasley born in trash,
Always lets the ball go through,
The victory is already ours,
Cassiopeia will score."
"... and Angelina passes again to Angelina!" Lino shouted, trying to overcome the screams of Slytherin. "Go, Angelina - now she just needs to get past the keeper! - SHE SHOOTS - SHE-Aaah..."
Bletchley, the Slytherin keeper, defended well; he threw the Quaffle to Warrington, who sped away, zigzagging between Alicia and Katie; the singing from the stands grew even louder:
"Weasley is our king,
Always lets the ball go through."
Cassiopeia flew like a rocket. "Gaunt has the Quaffle, Gaunt is heading towards the hoops, out of the reach of Bludgers and only the keeper in front..."
A great wave of sound rose from the Slytherin stands:
"No hoops can he block,
Always lets the ball go through."
"... it's the new Gryffindor keeper's second test, Weasley, the brother of the Beaters Fred and George... he's a promising talent - go, lad!"
But the cheer came from the Slytherin side: Ron made a blind dive, with arms wide open, and Cassi's Quaffle passed between them, going straight through his central hoop, stupidly easy; he didn't even see it coming.
"POINT FOR SLYTHERIN! - Lino's voice entered amid the applause and boos from the audience below - "Twenty to zero for Slytherin - tough luck, Ron!"
The Slytherin students sang even louder: CASSIOPEIA WILL SCORE, HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY...
"... and Gryffindor regains possession, and we have Katie Bell speeding across the field..." Lino shouted, gathering courage, although the singing was now so deafening that he could barely be heard.
"THE VICTORY IS ALREADY OURS, WEASLEY IS OUR KING."
When Draco passed by Cassiopeia, she heard him singing loudly: WEASLEY BORN IN TRASH...
Cassi didn't know if she felt sorry for her Gryffindor friend or found it very funny how out of tune Draco was.
"... and here comes Warrington again," Lino yelled, "passing to Pucey, Pucey overtakes Alicia, go for it, Angelina, you can catch him, well, she didn't, but it was a nice Bludger from Fred Weasley, I mean, George Weasley, oh, what difference does it make, it was one of the twins, and Warrington drops the Quaffle, Katie Bell... um... drops it too... then the Quaffle is left to Gaunt, who flies across the field, go Gryffindor, block her now!"
Cassiopeia flew in zigzags and skillfully dove when Fred launched a Bludger at her, hitting George, who was right behind her.
Then, with impressive force, she threw the Quaffle, and Ron only realized that she had scored when Slytherin began exploding in celebratory cheers.
"GAUNT SCORES AGAIN! THIRTY TO ZERO FOR SLYTHERIN!" Lino announced enthusiastically, while Cassi observed Minerva pulling her hat tight, in an internal struggle between pride and frustration.
NO HOOPS CAN HE BLOCK, HEY, HEY, HEY...
"... and Montague gets rid of Alicia for the first time and heads straight for the goal, holds the Quaffle, RON!" A terrible groan was heard from the Gryffindor side
There was a terrible groan from the Gryffindor side, accompanied by new cheers and applause from the Slytherin students, with the score now at forty to zero.
EI, EI, EI, EI WEASLEY WESLEY IS OUR KING
"... and Cassiopeia Gaunt, ducks to avoid Fred, beautiful maneuver, Gaunt, and shoots to Montague, who catches the Quaffle, surpasses Alicia, flying towards the goal, come on, it's now Cassiopeia... AND IT'S A POINT FOR SLYTHERIN! Fifty to zero, Fifty to zero for Slytherin, and Pucey has possession of the Quaffle..."
"Get the Snitch, Draco!" Cassiopeia shouted in the midst of the crowd.
"What?!" Draco asked impatiently.
"Down there, on the left!" Cassi pointed to the golden Snitch.
"You better catch it before Harry! Go, little ferret! GO!" Cassi encouraged Draco, who flew quickly towards the Snitch.
Meanwhile, the narration continued: "... Pucey passes to Gaunt, Gaunt passes to Montague, Montague returns to Gaunt... Johnson intercepts, Johnson takes the Quaffle, passes to Bell, the situation looks good - I mean, bad - Bell is hit by a Bludger from Goyle, of Slytherin, and it's Gaunt who recovers the..."
WEASLEY BORN IN TRASH
ALWAYS LETS THE BALL GO THROUGH
THE VICTORY IS ALREADY OURS
CASSIOPEIA WILL SCORE
"GAUNT SCORES AGAIN! SIXTY TO ZERO FOR SLYTHERIN"
Draco and Harry were fighting for the Snitch, and Cassi crossed her fingers for Draco to catch it. Harry and Malfoy were now neck and neck. Close to the ground, Draco raised the right hand of his broom, stretched it for the Snitch... on the right, Harry's outstretched arm also reached for it...
It all ended in two desperate, breathless, dizzying seconds. Draco's fingers closed around the tiny, struggling ball. Draco pulled up on his broom, clutching the Snitch in his hand, and the Slytherin spectators cheered in approval.
Then Madame Hooch's shrill whistle: "SLYTHERIN WINS THE GAME." The stands erupted.
EI, EI, EI, EI WEASLEY IS OUR KING
THE VICTORY IS OURS!!!
Minerva seemed on the verge of a collapse, unsure whether to be happy for her goddaughter or mourn for her house. Snape, on the other hand, seemed extremely pleased to have the cup in his room.
Draco landed near Harry to taunt him, and Cassi tried to stop him from getting a black eye.
"I've never seen a worse goalkeeper... but it's understandable, after all, he was born in the trash... do you like my music, Potter?"
Harry didn't respond. He turned to rejoin the rest of his team, who were now landing one by one, all looking downcast. But the worst was Ron, who dismounted his broom near the goalposts and seemed to walk slowly towards the changing rooms alone.
"We wanted to add a few more verses!" Draco shouted.
"But we couldn't find rhymes that fit 'failure and useless'... for his fat-" Cassi grabbed Draco and covered his mouth to silence him.
"Shut up, ferret. Let's celebrate, leave them alone," she said, dragging him away from the Gryffindors.
Harry gave her a final grateful smile.