Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. JK Rowling does. I'm just an avid fan.

Word Count: 2723

A/N: OMG guys, this fanfiction is nearly at 100,000 views! I'm so excited! Thanks for all the support!

Chapter 24: Blackmail-in-Progress

Cadmus jumped and swiveled around, his mouth open with an excuse on the tip of his mouth. Standing in front of him was a worried Remus. Remus' eyes had dark shadows under them and his voice was hoarse as though he had recovered from illness. Remus looked terrible. Wait..how did Remus know he was here? He was under the Disillusionment Charm yet, Remus knew he was there. Cadmus knew he should have cast an odorless charm on himself or at least soundproof his footsteps.

"Cadmus, what are you doing up past curfew? There are Aurors stationed nearby; you could have been caught!" Remus hissed quietly, dragging Cadmus by the arm and leading him to a secluded classroom. To outsiders, it looked as though Remus was grabbing air and tugging as though it had some weight to it.

Remus pulled out his wand and tapped Cadmus' head to disable the Disillusionment Charm; it felt like something warm had been cracked over him and was trickling onto his body. Remus stared at Cadmus for a long moment and gave him a disappointed glare.

"What on earth are you thinking? If you were a Hogwarts student, I would've taken 50 points off and given you detention, but I'm going to let that slide because you're not. However, you better tell me why you are sneaking around at curfew," Remus sternly reprimanded Cadmus. Cadmus bowed his head; he knew that going out past curfew was risky but, he just had a curious nature as to why the Potters were meeting Mr. Bagman. Cadmus sighed; he had to tell Remus everything especially - the truth.

"Remus, listen you gotta trust me - Potter knows what the first task is and, he is going to tell Jamie. He bribed Bagman a few minutes ago and, they headed towards the Forbidden Forest, Karkaroff is following them too" Cadmus explained slowly. He hoped that Remus trusted him and that all he said was the truth and only the truth.

"That's ludicrous! Don't tell me that after all your burning hatred for James, you've sunk this low to accuse him of bribery? He would never do such a thing" Remus scoffed indignantly. Then he paused. Scratch that, actually James would commit bribery if it was something he strongly believed in.

"So you're saying that - Bagman is venal. And that both Hogwarts and Durmstrang are cheating? How can you be so sure it was them?" Remus said slowly as though he was trying to comprehend everything. Cadmus whipped out the map that Remus gave him. Remus chuckled at the sight of the map; he hadn't expected Cadmus to use it but, seeing him using the map made him proud. They scanned the Hogwarts grounds for the Forbidden Forest.

"There!" Cadmus whispered, pointing his finger towards the middle of the forest area. Currently standing still where the dots of James Potter, Lily Potter, and Ludo Bagman. A couple of meters away stood Igor Karkaroff. Remus rubbed his forehead; this was happening - it was real.

"What about you, Cadmus? Are you going into the forest to seek what the first task is?" Remus asked with uncertainty. He was slightly conflicted over this issue; if Cadmus went into the forest to be on the same level of knowledge with Krum and Jamie, then it would be fair. However, if Cadmus didn't go, he was at an unfair advantage with the other champions able to effectively prepare for the first task knowing what they had to go against.

"No. I am a fierce advocate of playing on fairgrounds and two champions knowing the task beforehand is not fair to the other champions, therefore I need to take them down and make them play by my rules. I will not go to the extremes to win some tournament" Cadmus responded vehemently. As soon as Cadmus finished responding, he spotted some dark figures appearing from the Forbidden Forest, the outlines of three people walking back to the castle walking side-by-side. Cadmus quickly stored the map away in his robes and cast the Disillusionment Charm on himself again. He quickly tiptoed up to higher floors to stay hidden and get a better vantage point. Remus followed close by, but he looked a lot more uncomfortable, constantly making scratchy sounds and touching his neck.

As James, Lily, and Ludo Bagman approached the entrance, Cadmus paid close attention to what they were saying. The three of them stopped, James Potter reached inside his cloak and pulled out a small bag that sagged with weight. When he handed the small bag over to Bagman, it shook with an audible clanging of coins. Cadmus pulled out the camera he surreptitiously carried with him since morning and snapped several photos of the scandalous scene that was unfolding in front of him. Bagman took the bag, tossed it over in his hands a couple of times as though he was estimating the number of coins inside, and then gave the Potters a small smile that screamed nothing but corruption.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Potter" Ludo Bagman whispered as he bounced away, his heart content with the bag of gold. Cadmus' lips curled into a disgusted frown, the things people do in the world to make things come true. Cadmus then checked his camera to see if the photographic evidence he took where stored and backed up before tucking it safely in his robes. When he turned around to look at Remus' reaction, he was startled to see Remus choking and scratching incessantly at his body, his pale skin reflected in the full moon's shine. Cadmus' heart raced and, his blood ran cold. Something was happening to Remus.

Remus' eyes bulged as he remembered that Cadmus was present and in his moment of sanity, grabbed Cadmus firmly.

"Go! It's too dangerous for you to be here! I'll be fine" Remus said in a scared and nervous tone that it scared the hell out of Cadmus. Cadmus nodded quickly and dashed back to his dormitory. When he got there, he was out of breath as he typed in the passcode and collapsed onto the common room couch. When Cadmus was finally able to calm down he realized that his whole shirt was drenched in sweat.

He showered yet again and locked his camera and map in his trunk before he laid in bed, reliving the night's events. Glancing at his clock, he noticed that it had just reached midnight and, a loud werewolf howl came from the direction of the Forbidden Forest. Cadmus thought nothing of it at the moment as he was too exhausted and went to sleep.

Cadmus woke up the next morning, feeling full of energy and ready for a new day. He lifted his covers and tucked his feet in his comfy slippers, stretching as he did. Cadmus walked over to the large window next to his four-poster bed and noticed that it was covered with condensation. He pressed his palm against the window and wiped a section of it off. It was cold. At least the heaters were constantly on for them to sleep in, or else their noses and faces would freeze off.

Nex to him, Casper yawned and tossed over, rubbing his eyes open. He blinked a couple of times and then spotted Cadmus by the window.

"Good mornin' Cadmus" Casper greeted, his speech haltered several times by his yawn.

Cadmus turned around and smiled at Casper. "Good morning, pal." Casper stretched out his legs and tousled his bed hair. Cadmus opened up all the curtains, letting in the rays of the sun fill the room. A cacophony of groans came right after as the rest of his classmates woke up as well. As his classmates got up and ready for breakfast, Cadmus headed downstairs to the Great Hall to save Casper a seat. Daphne was there early, munching on her cereal and reading the Wizarding Times.

"Anything interesting today?" Cadmus asked Daphne as he sat down next to her and grabbed a plateful of scrambled eggs and a glass of orange juice. Daphne set the Wizarding Times down and frowned.

"Not much. But there are some interesting scholarly articles on the progress of curing lycanthropy that Dr. Lance published yesterday," Daphne replied.

"Interesting. Mind lending me the Times for a sec?" Cadmus asked, curious about the latest on wizarding medicine. His father had coached him on bionics and how the newest technologies like the MRI can lead to the next surge in better healthcare. Cadmus recalled that his father was particularly interested in cures for diseases and disorders and often established healers and scientists visited their house for conferences.

The Cure for Lycanthropy?

Written and Edited by Anthony Jones

Since the first beginnings of the werewolves species, humans have feared their existence. They travel in fierce and tight-knitted packs and kill anyone in their path. Millions of people stretched in our history have fallen to their predatory instincts, many dying from fatal bite marks, and the others have received the transferred disorder. These people suffered each full moon, isolated from their families as they undergo painful and excruciating transformations. These people are hated in many societies even though they had no choice. Wolfsbane Potion can only aid them in transformations this far; it cannot get rid of their lycanthropy. Scientists such as Dr. Matthew Lance have dedicated their lives to finding the cure for lycanthropy. So far, Dr. Lance's cure can demolish most of the wolfish characteristics of lycanthropy, such as howling and itchiness of the neck and body at the full moon. Work is still in progress; we at Wizarding Times Scholarly Section will keep everyone up-to-date until all werewolves can be relieved of their suffering.

Itchiness? Howling? Full moon? Everything present last night. He heard werewolf howls in the Forbidden Forest, the full moon yesterday brightened up the night sky and Remus... he was scratching his neck and body very often. That meant only one thing - Remus was a werewolf. Cadmus' heart raced, Remus was in the process of transformation when Remus ordered him to return to his dorm. How long was Remus a werewolf? How did he cope with the transformation? Everything made so much sense now, it explained how tired Remus looked when he caught Cadmus spying on the Potters.

Cadmus quickly whipped his head to glance at the direction of the High Table to see if Remus was present. Remus looked deathly pale and tired like he was stricken with some dangerous illness overnight. The eye bags under Remus' eyes darkened significantly showing that he hardly got any sleep in. The breakfast plate in front of Remus remained untouched, quickly turning from warm to cold. None of the other staff members seemed to care about their colleague's health, talking to each other like Remus wasn't there at all. It wasn't like anyone didn't know of Remus' lycanthropy at all as they were the ones who agreed to share a sanctuary with a werewolf and allowed him to teach at Hogwarts. Someone should at least be a little concerned for him just as much as Cadmus did. As much as Cadmus wanted to help his godfather, he couldn't risk people finding out that they shared a familiar bond with each other.

"Daphne, does it occur to you that something's wrong with Professor Lupin?" Cadmus inquired.

Daphne shook her head negative, "No. Why?"

Cadmus shrugged his shoulders; it would be better if he left his suspicions untold or else problems would arise for Remus.

"Nothing, just speculating. What classes do you have today?" Cadmus asked in a hopeful tone, trying to change the subject before he said anything he wasn't supposed to say. Daphne groaned and launched into a tirade about the amount of work her Astrology Professor assigned them and how she found no sources from her texts to help her finish her essay due today. Casper and Jacob joined ten minutes later; bemoaning about how stuck-up the purebloods from Slytherin were. They had bumped into a trio of them, a blonde bully and his two dumb goons, and had an altercation about blood superiority. Jacob's strong argument won over, leaving the dummies speechless.

When Daphne heard about the blonde-haired boy, she laughed, "Malfoy's a bigot, his whole family is. He is conceited and prejudiced, always preaching about how he is always the best. He is just as awful as the pureblood families that follow him."

Jacob nodded in agreement. He knew all about those types, throwing racial slurs against everyone and flaunting their wealth like they are the royal family. His cousin's family was one, not one of the top scared houses but still as prejudiced as they could get. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence after that a little spat about prejudiced pureblood families.

Casper, always the peacekeeper and conversationalist, piped up. "So Cadmus, excited for the 24th? It's in two weeks."

"Yeah, I guess. I've been thinking about what spells to research up. I mean there are hundreds but, without knowing what the first task is, there's no way I can find the right ones in time" Cadmus replied neutrally. He did not want to tell Jacob, Casper, and Daphne about what he saw last night, about how the rivaling two schools they were up against violated the regulations and cheated. No need to worry them with things that don't concern them. The best bet was to develop those photos and use them as blackmail if need be.

"Are you serious?" Fred Weasley whispered to Cadmus unbelievably, his jaw ajar. Cadmus gave Fred a pointed look as if to say do you think I kid? The classmates around them turned around at Fred's raised voice and hissed at them angrily. Fred gave them an apologetic look and glanced at Professor Slughorn, who was merrily reading a potions article.

"This is ridiculous. If Jamie Potter wins-" George started.

"-we're going to feel so sorry for you." Fred resumed.

"I mean, Krum and him cheated-" George said.

"-but you stayed noble and unaware..." Fred continued.

"...so humble and modest," George finished.

Cadmus nodded, he was glad someone was on his side and supported his decision.

"So about those photos I took- can you help me out and develop them?" Cadmus implored as he leaned forward and whispered, "I might use them as blackmail.."

Fred and George exchanged looks of approval and delight, their eyes gleaming with a particular hint of mischievous and revenge.

"Of course we will, anything for our little pranking accomplice. Besides, we want in on rubbing some dirt in Bagman's face, he robbed us of our winnings for the Quidditch World Cup" Fred responded, rubbing his hands together greedily.

"Oh this is going to be fun" commented George, shaking Cadmus' hand with vigor to symbolize their acceptance of the plan. Cadmus smirked, he knew that asking the twins was the best idea.

Slughorn popped out of nowhere behind Cadmus and his eyes lit up as he clapped his hands cheerfully, "Ah m'boy Cadmus, your grades haven't been slipping eh? I see you've made good friends with Messrs Weasleys here, bloody brilliant inventors they are. Your taste of company is still excellent as always!"

Cadmus gave his old Potions Professor a grin, "Well thank you, Professor Slughorn. I heard your good friend Ariel Singleton is performing well, is she still giving you those game tickets?" Fred and George both gaped at Cadmus when they heard the name of a famous American Quidditch player.

Slughorn laughed jollily, "Yes, she still does! Miss the good old exhibition games I used to watch from the stands. Say what - I'll try to see if there are any games that she can send me tickets to and you can go see her perform."

Cadmus shook his head, "No no Professor, you don't have to. To be honest, I'm not sure I'll have any time this year to attend a Quidditch game with the Tournament going on - and stuff. You can ask Fred and George though; I heard they're exceptional beaters on the Gryffindor Quidditch team." Slughorn stayed silent, his eyes skipping from Cadmus over to Fred and George before he split into a large smile.

"Of course, that's fine by me. I'll see what I can do" Slughorn beamed, but Cadmus had an inkling that his old professor was disappointed that he couldn't attend. After all, Horace Slughorn was known for his keen eye on people with potential and seized every chance to establish a connection with them. When Slughorn ambled away to help one of the Gryffindor sixth years with their potion, Cadmus flashed Fred and George a smile that sent them howling with laughter. With a blackmail ready and revenge planned, Cadmus was ready to tackle the first task - whatever it was.

A/N: Hey, how's everyone's summer so far? Anything good happening? So I decided to add a little chapter to continue off last chapter's cliffhanger and dived a little deeper with Cadmus' mischievous and cunning side. The scene with Remus transforming into a werewolf was there to allow Cadmus to understand his godfather a little more. After all, he missed out on a lot with Remus in fourteen years. Perhaps it can help them develop a stronger relationship. So how did you like the bribery scene exchange between the Potters and Bagman? And then having Cadmus be able to take photos to use as blackmail. Sneaky but brilliant to use as revenge. The Weasley twins joining in on the fun might make it a little better. The little scene with Slughorn, the information can be found on Harry Potter Lexicon as I thought I would include a little Quidditch. Hey, we can't forget about the most popular wizarding sport, can I?

The next chapter will definitely be the first task, but we Potterheads all know what the first task is so it won't be that much of a shocker. I'll make some drastic changes with the selection of the dragons and also throw in some heat with Cadmus partially/fully exposing the cheating going on. Everyone's reactions will be fun to read. I'm hoping I can get the chapter out this week. I read the Divergent series last week, the first book was by far my favorite, you guys should check it out if you haven't read it before. After I finished that series, I lost myself in the Divergent Trilogy fanfic community as well. Don't worry, I'm not lost. As always, please review, favorite, follow, share, and all that great stuff you readers do because it's making me a giddy person!

Stay safe and happy,

mintloveme523