Chapter 43
When I was leaving Dumbledore office, one of the last things he told me had to do with the task.
"Family members of the champions have been invited to watch the final task, the morning of the task family will be allowed to spend the day with the champions." He told me.
"Okay?" I was confused.
"You can spend the day with Harry, Miss Zwart." He chuckled lightly.
"Oh! That would be great!" I said, my mood cheering up.
"I will let your teachers know that day." Dumbledore chuckled.
"Thank you!" I told him.
"Also, Molly and Bill will be here that day." Dumbledore added.
I closed my eyes and breathed through my nose.
"I don't think I should spend the day with Harry. I may as well take my exams rather than ruin something for Harry." I answered.
I understand." Dumbledore nodded.
McGonagall was tired of walking in on all of us all over the school, so she gave us permission to use her classroom at lunch time.
Harry had practiced so many different spells, but he was having trouble with the protection spell.
He couldn't get past my shield, but his shield was easy to break.
"Even if someone breaks the shield, it'll give you time to dodge." I told him.
I had just broken his shield with another Stun spell and he was rubbing his hip.
"How though?" He asked bitterly.
"Keep moving your feet." I held my hand out for him.
He took it and stood up.
"Let's go again." Harry said.
Draco joined us a few minutes later, and took over helping Harry practice his shield charm.
"What's Parkinson got in her hand?" I asked.
I was looking out the window and noticed that she was under a tree with Crabbe.
"What do you mean?" Draco asked.
All of us looked out the window and down at the grounds.
We watched as Pansy talked into her hand.
"She looks like she's using a walkie-talkie." Harry said curiously.
"She can't be," Hermione said. "I've told you, those sorts of things don't work around Hogwarts. Come on, Harry, let's keep trying the shield charm.
Hermione and I shared a look.
Sirius was sending letters everyday. I was the only one who knew what was going to happen, but everyone knew how to read the signs and could figure out something was up.
'If Voldemort is really getting stronger again, my priority is to ensure your safety. He cannot hope to lay hands on you while you are under Dumbledore's protection, but all the same, take no risks: Concentrate on getting through the maze safely, and then we can turn our attention to other matters.'
"What other matters?" Ron asked.
"Proving his innocence." I answered.
The morning of the third task, I was sitting with Cassius and his friends.
I had my arm around his and even though he looked calm, I could feel the tension of his arm.
"You're going to be great." I told him quietly.
Before he could respond, Astrid put the day's newspaper in front of me.
"You better read this, Cassie." She said.
I took it from her and held it so that Cassius and I could read it together.
'HARRY POTTER
"DISTURBED AND DANGEROUS"
The boy who defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is unstable and possibly dangerous, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. Alarming evidence has recently come to light about Harry Potter's strange behavior, which casts doubts upon his suitability to compete in a demanding competition like the Triwizard Tournament, or even to attend Hogwarts School.
Potter, the Daily Prophet can exclusively reveal, regularly collapses at school, and is often heard to complain of the pain in the scar on his forehead, (relic of the curse with which You-Know-Who attempted to kill him). On Monday last, midway through a Divination less, your Daily Prophet reporter witnessed Potter storming from class, claiming that his scar was hurting too badly to continue studying.
It is possible, say top experts at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, that Potter's brain was affected by the attack inflicted upon him by You-Know-Who, and that his insistence that the scar is still hurting is an expression of his deep-seated confusion.
"He might even be pretending," said one specialist. "This could be a plea for attention."
The Daily Prophet, however, has unearthed worrying facts about Harry Potter that Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts, has carefully concealed from the wizarding public.
"Potter can speak Parseltongue," reveals Pansy Parkinson, a Hogwarts fourth year. "There were a lot of attacks on students a couple of years ago, and most people thought Potter was behind them after they saw him lose his temper at a dueling club and set a snake on another boy. It was all hushed up, though. But he's made friends with werewolves, giants, and children of killers too. We think he'd do anything for a bit of power."
Parseltongue, the ability to converse with snakes, has long been considered a Dark Art. Indeed, the most famous Parselmouth of our time is none other than You-Know-Who himself. A member of the Dark Force Defense League, who wished to remain unnamed, stated that he would regard any wizard who could speak Parseltongue "as worthy of investigation. Personally, I would be highly suspicious of anybody who would converse with snakes, as serpents are often used in the worst kinds of Dark Magic, and are historically associated with evildoers." Similarly, "anyone who seeks out the company of such vicious creatures as werewolves and giants, the children of killers, would appear to have a fondness for violence."
Albus Dumbledore should surely consider whether a boy such as this should be allowed to compete in the Triwizard Tournament. Some fear that Potter might resort to the Dark Arts in his desperation to win the tournament, the third task of which takes place this evening.
"Oh come on!" I rolled my eyes as I passed the newspaper back to Astrid.
"Are you going to go to him?" Cassius asked.
"No. There's nothing that can be done about it now. It's been posted. I'm sorry that she never writes about you." I said to Cassius.
"It only bothers me a little. I get that he's Harry Potter, but I am supposed to be the Hogwarts Champion." He muttered that last bit to me in my ear.
I nodded my understanding to him.
"What is her obsession with Potter?" Astrid asked me.
"He's the 'Boy Who Lived'. She's just trying to stir the pot in the wizarding world." I answered with a sigh.
Astrid nodded.
"Mr. Warrington, parents of the champions are in the chamber. They'll be there when you finish eating breakfast." Snape spoke over us.
I turned around and he was glaring down at me.
"Thank you, Professor Snape." Cassius told him.
Snape nodded and walked away from us.
"I wasn't planning on asking this for a while, but since they're here, would you like to meet my parents?" Cassius asked me.
"Right now?" I asked Cassius.
"Yes, right now. If they weren't here I would have waited until sometime this summer to invite you over to meet them, but no time is better than the present." Cassius stood up and held his hand out for me.
"I can't talk for too long, I have History of Magic to get too as soon as possible." I told him as I took his hand.
"I don't make any promises." He told me as we walked toward the chamber.
I was not prepared to meet his parents at all.
I didn't know what I was going to say, I didn't know how I was supposed to act, and I was wishing I had better prepared my appearance. But there's not much that I can do.
"Don't be nervous, they're going to like you."
"I sure hope so." I told him.
He let out a small chuckle as we walked into the chamber where the champions first gathered at the beginning of the year.
When we walked in, Viktor and Fleur were already talking with their parents. Mr. Krum had the same crooked nose as Viktor.
I was surprised by the sudden pressure around my middle.
"Gabrielle!" I smiled down at the little girl.
"Bonjour!" She smiled up at me.
Mrs. Delacour started speaking rapid French at me and Gabrielle, with Fleur talking just as fast.
"Cassie?" Cassius asked.
I held up my hand and waited for them to finish talking.
"Fleur says zat you were the one who was with Gabrielle for ze second task?" Mrs. Delacour asked me.
"I was." I nodded.
"Thank you." Mrs. Delacour grabbed my face and kissed both of my cheeks twice.
The burning from her lips was only slightly stronger than Fleur's.
"You're welcome." I told her as we pulled away.
Fleur smiled at me as Cassius pulled me away.
"That was weird." Cassius told me.
"It was." I agreed with him.
We turned around to walk farther into the room.
Mrs. Weasley and Bill were standing by the fire.
"Cassius!"
He was the spitting image of his father, but I could see he had his mother's cheekbones.
"Father!" Cassius shook his dad's hand.
"You must be Cassie!" His mom was smiling warmly.
"I am." I smiled back at her.
"I'm Alexandra, and this is Othello." Alexandra introduced herself and then her husband.
"Othello?" I couldn't stop myself from asking.
"Yes, I am named Othello." Othello nodded as he shook my hand.
"My name is Cassiopeia." I told them.
"Oh yes, the Black's are fond of constellation names." Alexandra nodded.
"Cassius' full name is Damarion Cassius Warrington." Othello said proudly.
I couldn't help my grin.
"Damarion?" I turned to Cassius.
His ears had started to turn a slight pink.
"That's a good name, I haven't heard that one before." I complimented him.
"Thank you." Cassius said stiffly.
"Cassie, who do you stay with over the summers?" Alexandra asked.
"I live with my cousins, the Malfoys." I informed them.
"Ah! I'm sure dear Narcissa is taking good care of you!" Othello said.
Alexandra and Othello shared a look.
Cassius gripped my hand and gave it a squeeze.
"She is," I nodded.
"Miss Zwart."
I turned around and McGonagall was walking towards me.
"Your History of Magic exam is about to start." She informed me.
"Thank you, Professor." I nodded to her. "I better go, it was lovely meeting you." I turned to Alexandra and Othello.
"It was lovely to meet you too." Alexandra spoke as Othello nodded his agreement.
"I'll see you later." Cassius said before he kissed my cheek.
"See you later." I smiled up at him.
McGonagall walked me out of the chamber.
Harry was still sitting at the table.
"Harry, you better get in there. They're waiting for you." I told him as I walked by.
"The Dursleys?" He called after me as I walked away.
I decided not to answer.
Shout out to Frozen789 for following this story!
Shout out to LaViolaViolaRose, Pamela Hutchins, and Awritingbookworm for leaving a review!
LaViolaViolaRose: I decided not to send you a PM explaining my reasonings. I actually only made it to chapter 44 in my actual writing book and then I stopped. Things happened and I reread your review and something just clicked. So I'm currently writing as fast as I can to get the juices back in the old paths. So I actually want to thank you for the inspiration!
Pamela Hutchins: It was never said when Dumbledore found out about the horcruxes so I filled in the blanks, but I'm hoping it will work out!
Awritingbookworm: Thank you! Poor Cassie won't be able to catch much of a break after this, poor dear.
