Disclaimer: I do not support Rowling's views. All Harry Potter characters and the Wizarding World, belong to her.
A/N: Hello! I'm so sorry for being MIA for I think 3 months? Enjoy and see you at the end of this chapter!
23 February 1995, 19:05
Durmstrang Ship
By the evening before the second task, Cassius was well-prepared. Solving the hint from the egg early on was a comfort to him. For the past three months, he had swim practices in the Great Lake whenever he had the time and perfected an arsenal of spells that would be useful for an underwater task. After dinner, Cassius was taking a much-needed break, opting for alone time with Thalia. Moreso, he would have if Viktor and Fleur hadn't dragged him and Thalia off to the Durmstrang ship for a few rounds of Exploding Snap.
Now seated on the ground in Viktor and Bartosz's living area, Cassius had to admit he was having a good time.
"Ha! I win again," Bartosz beamed.
Manon's wand clattered against the floor. "No!"
Cassius, Viktor, Fleur, and Thalia laughed at Manon's disappointment. She was desperate to beat Bartosz in anything since they found out he was absurdly good at games.
One side of Bartosz's mouth lifted into a smile. "You'll beat me one day, Häschen."
While the girls brushed off the comment, Viktor and Cassius exchanged conspiratorial looks. The German wasn't shy with his flirtatious remarks. Since they attended the Yule Ball together, Bartosz's comments had increased tenfold.
Manon caught Cassius and Viktor's glances. She leaped up, pointing an accusing finger toward them. "Hey! What did he just say?"
At Beauxbatons, Manon had boys wrapped around her finger, playing them like a fiddle. Bartosz was one of the exceptions that appeared to be immune to her influence.
Cassius knew that that made her equally infuriated and intrigued. He shrugged, backing off from his childhood friend. "I'm not interfering in this."
"Neither am I," Viktor blurted.
Manon turned to Bartosz. "When I learn German, it's over for you, Everhardt."
Before Bartosz could deliver a comeback, they were interrupted by a knock on the door. To their surprise, it was Manon's brother.
"Aw, I love Exploding Snap. Here I thought our twin telepathy was stronger than this, Manon," Gabriel bemoaned.
"You left dinner before I could even ask, Riel. How did you even get on the ship?" Manon asked.
A blonde head popped out from behind Gabriel. "I let him on."
Cassius recognized her as one of the other Durmstrang students, he was pretty sure her name was Ingrid.
"He was on the deck saying he was looking for your lot," Ingrid said.
Gabriel grinned. "I was sent by Madame Maxime to get you, Thalia."
Thalia groaned. "Oh shoot, am I on Abraxan duty this week?" Fleur and Manon giggled. "Ferme-la, neither of you has to clean up after those giant horses, Miss Champion and Miss Favorite."
"I am not Madame's favorite," Manon complained.
"You're right, it's you and Gabriel," Thalia retorted.
Fleur leaned over to give Thalia a side hug. "Well, you're my favorite."
"That's sweet and all ma moitié, but I still have to shovel horse shit," Thalia said.
Cassius pushed himself off the ground and offered a hand to Thalia. She gladly accepted it; a rush of warmth was sent through his veins. Her hands were always so warm against his. "I'll walk you back. I should probably get back to the castle before Severus, or worse, Filch crucifies my ass for being out after curfew."
When they left the Durmstrang ship, Cassius took a satisfying breath of the crisp February air.
Thalia stared at him with simultaneous disgust and awe as they embarked on the walk to the Beauxbatons carriage. "You're a strange one, Cassius Warrington."
Cassius grinned. "And you still love me anyway."
Thalia smiled back. "Yes, but I do wonder how sometimes."
He narrowed his eyes. "You don't see my love wavering even though you have the most unusual food combinations."
"Shit, you have a point."
"Oh, that reminds me. I was going to ask you something tonight before Vik and Fleur kidnapped us," Cassius teased.
"What is it?"
"So, we have two weeks off for the Easter holiday in April, and I was wondering if you wanted to stay with my family for a few days of it? Draco's parents host this party every year. It's kind of tradition and I would really love it if you went with me," he explained. Even though it was well under zero degrees, Cassius swore that he felt a bead of sweat trickle down the back of his neck while he waited for her answer.
"Is it going to be one of those fancy pureblood parties that you've talked about?" Thalia finally asked.
Cassius shook his head. No wonder she took so long to find the right words. "Oh god no! It's a relatively small affair, just close friends of the Malfoys. But I guess that depends on what you think is worse. If it would make you feel better, you can invite Fleur and Manon? I'm sure Lucius and Narcissa wouldn't mind," said Cassius.
When they reached the Beauxbatons carriage, Cassius turned to Thalia. Her scrunched nose was a tell-tale sign that she was still mulling over his proposition.
She grabbed both of Cassius's hands. He braced himself for the worst.
"Do you think my family can come too? I've been really wanting you to meet them. Especially since you never got to over the summer," Thalia said, eyes glittering with hope.
Cassius let out a relieved breath. "Hallie, you scared me, of course, they can totally come! We have too many guest rooms to count, and my parents and the Malfoys have been dying to meet your parents. We can arrange their travel plans if you need us to, Muggle or wizard means. Also, I've been very eager to meet these brothers of yours. I'm still extremely jealous that Ophy got to meet them already, minus your sister…"
He was cut short by Thalia kissing him, traces of pumpkin juice still on her tongue. "You rich folk are something else."
Cassius wrapped his arms around her for a hug. "I'm just really excited to meet your family," he murmured into her hair.
She leaned back to look at him. "And they are too. Honestly, I'm just very embarrassed about the things they might mention to you."
"Don't worry. I'm sure Ophy will tell just as many embarrassing things."
Thalia grimaced. "About that."
He groaned. "She already has, hasn't she?"
"Only two or three stories. But I must say, adding Ophelia to the likes of Calix, Luca, and Nico is a lethal combination. Calix and Ophelia most of all," said Thalia.
"He's the youngest right?" Cassius asked, remembering their previous conversations in the past.
Thalia smiled fondly. "Yes, little Calix. His tenth birthday was last week. Last summer, I didn't expect Ophelia to be so good with him. She didn't seem the type to get on with kids."
"Oh, on the contrary, our younger cousins love her. She always wanted younger siblings, but our parents didn't have the time to commit to raising another kid," Cassius confessed.
If Cassius was being honest with himself, he wanted more siblings too. That was why he treasured his relationship with Draco so much. It filled him with pride to see Draco grow into his own person as the years had gone by.
In the distance, a chime tolled, indicating the half hour.
"You should go. You have a big day tomorrow," Thalia softly said with a wistful smile. She pulled him in by his hands and kissed him on both cheeks, then a quick kiss to his lips. "I love you."
He squeezed her hands. "And I love you." Cassius stepped back and slowly walked backward so he could still see her, savoring every moment he could with her. "Oh! Do you still wanna have morning tea with me and Ophy before breakfast? You can finally meet 'scary' Severus," Cassius smirked.
After the first task, Cassius realized he needed some isolation before facing the rest of the school.
Thalia raised a brow. "Will there be coffee as well?"
"Of course. You're not the only one that prefers coffee to tea."
Over the summer, she had fully converted Cassius from a tea to a coffee lover.
She nodded her head in approval. "Good."
He pointed a finger at her. "And I'll be waiting for a good luck kiss tomorrow!"
Thalia chuckled. "Good night, Cas!" Although he was too far to see her, he could imagine her eye roll from the tone of her voice.
"Sweet dreams, Hal!"
Cassius smiled like a lovestruck idiot all the way back to the castle.
23 February 1995, 19:50
Slytherin Dormitory
Ophelia was relaxing in the boy's dorm, sprawled across Draco's bed reading her new Cleo Khan book. Every few pages she looked up to watch Draco. He sat at his desk, writing his weekly letter to Lucius and Narcissa. He had a furrow between his brows whenever he paused to recollect his thoughts. She had the smallest urge to kiss that wrinkle away.
A knock on the open door broke Ophelia and Draco's attention.
"Hello love birds," said Miles. He pointed at the door. "If this wasn't open, I would've thought something naughty was happening behind this door."
Ophelia reached under her head and threw a pillow at Miles's head.
With his Keeper reflexes, he ducked right in time. Straightening, Miles scrutinized the pillow now behind him on the ground. "Was that necessary?"
She grabbed her wand from the bed and cast a silent Accio. The pillow rushed towards her hand, hitting the back of Miles's head in the process. "Yes, it was," Ophelia grinned.
Miles rubbed his head while Draco laughed.
"Such a showoff whenever Malfoy's around, Lia. I don't know if we were better off if the two of you were still oblivious to each other's feelings," Miles grumbled.
"I'm sorry, Miles," Ophelia said in between laughs.
"What brings you here?" Draco asked.
A look of recognition passed Miles's face. "Right! Snape needs you right now, Lia."
She was taken aback. From what she could recall, they didn't have any plans that week because of the second task. "That's odd. Did he say why?" Ophelia asked.
Miles shrugged. "He looked annoyed. Maybe Cas did something, who knows?"
Ophelia sighed. "I should probably go then."
"I'm gonna wait outside. Don't want my eyes to be tainted," Miles said, tongue in cheek.
She put on her shoes and pulled on her robes, slipping her wand into her pocket. "He probably wants to talk about Cas's Occlumency lessons or something. If it's past nine and I'm still not back, you don't have to stay up for me."
Setting her book on Draco's desk, she stopped beside him and kissed his temple. "See you later."
As she turned on her foot to leave, Draco reached for her wrist and pulled her back to him, setting her onto his lap.
Draco frowned. "Why does it feel like every time we find a moment alone, you're taken away from me?"
She was quick to deny his accusation, but Ophelia couldn't find the words to refute him. Since their dates a month ago and the term well underway, they hardly had time alone together. When she wasn't revising for classes, Ophelia had mind training with Severus and Cassius every Monday and Wednesday night. On the weekends, Ophelia used her free time for language revisions to not lose fluency and workouts for the next Quidditch season. And on the occasion, nonverbal spell practice with Cassius.
If only she had more time in the day, Ophelia would integrate music practices into her schedule. Every so often she craved the ivory of piano keys or miss the rough calluses her left hand would get whenever she played a stringed instrument. Most would call her insane if they knew everything she did in an average week. Ophelia preferred masochism. If she wasn't busy, the noise of everyone else became loud to her.
Yet for some reason, all that noise faded away whenever she was with Draco.
He took her in for a hug, burrowing his head into the crook between her head and shoulder. "Can't you just stay? Miles could just tell Snape that you were asleep."
Ophelia giggled from both the rumble of Draco's voice against her skin and what he had said.
"As if that's believable. I'm pretty sure most of Slytherin house know that I'm a night owl."
"Just like they know that Cas is a morning bird." It was not a secret that Cassius would wake up early on most days for a morning run.
She smiled. Their Yiayia always referred to her and Cassius as Apollo and Artemis. The similarities in their personalities were so uncanny, they named their owls after the Greek twins.
"Lia! We've got to go!" Miles called from outside of the room.
Draco loosened his grip on her, dejected.
Ophelia took a hold of his cheeks, bringing his face to hers. "You're so needy," she retorted.
"You make me needy," he said, but the words were so muffled it sounded more like 'you mafe me weedy.'
She kissed the spot between his brows she was fixated on earlier. "I'll be back before you know it."
The short walk to Severus's office was at least a pleasant one as Ophelia and Miles conversed.
"As you said, it's probably nothing. Night, Lia!" said Miles.
Ophelia raised her hand to knock on his door, however, the door briskly opened, revealing a disgruntled Severus.
"You don't look so happy," Ophelia said, lowering her hand.
Severus closed the door behind him. "An obvious inference, Ophelia."
"Ergh, definitely not in a good mood."
Severus walked past her towards the exit of the dungeons. "Come along, we're going to Professor Dumbledore's office."
Ophelia jogged to catch up to Severus until she was finally in step with him. "How many times have Cas and I told you to stop doing that, Sev."
Severus only raised an eyebrow.
She sighed. "Never mind. Are you going to explain why Professor Dumbledore needs me? I hardly believe I've done anything terrible enough to warrant a visit to the headmaster's office. Unless this is about how Draco and I snuck off to London again last Hogsmeade weekend."
He stopped in the middle of the hall. "Excuse me?"
She stood beside him. "You're excused."
He narrowed his eyes. "Ophelia," Severus warned.
She raised her hands up. "Sorry, sorry!"
"Just tell me beforehand if you decide to do something like that again, okay?"
Ever the doting uncle.
"I promise," said Ophelia. She hardly made promises, but when it came to Severus, Ophelia was certain to keep her word.
They began walking again.
"To answer your previous question, this is about the second task."
What would she have to do with the task? In an instant, her mind went into hyperdrive, turning over every relevant thought and scenario she knew that was related to the second task. She began to recall the song from the golden egg. What was it?
We've taken what you'll sorely miss.
Ophelia gasped. It couldn't be. She grabbed onto Severus's arm. "Really? Is this even allowed?"
Severus snorted, but quickly covered it with a suffocating cough. They were now standing outside of a large stone gargoyle. "Caramel Cobwebs."
It was now Ophelia's turn to snicker. She had never been to Dumbledore's office before.
The gargoyle gave way to a winding staircase. At the top, there was a pair of double oak doors.
Severus knocked on the wood.
"You may enter," Dumbledore said, his voice drifting from the gap under the doors.
Inside, Ophelia grinned at the sight of the three other students chosen for each champion. Chaos was bound to ensue in the morning.
Behind his desk, Dumbledore smiled at her. "From the look on your face, I gather that you know why you are here, Miss Warrington?"
Indeed, she did. But the question was, how were they going to be in the Black Lake for an entire hour?
Draco had a restless night of sleep. Ophelia never came back from her meeting with Snape.
As he, Blaise, and Theo headed down to breakfast the morning of the second task, Blaise reassured him for what was probably the fifth time since they woke up. "Lia is fine, Draco! If she didn't have anything planned with Snape, she probably ended up just talking about Potions or something with him. When Lia gets to something she's passionate about, her mouth runs a kilometer a minute. You know that she and Cassius are some of the only people at this school that he can tolerate speaking to for hours."
Draco huffed. "I know you're probably right. But something about it all feels wrong."
When they reached the Slytherin table, he noticed that the girls had worried expressions on their faces. All except one girl who wasn't even present at all.
"Where's Lia?" Draco asked, anxiety edging in his voice once again.
Daphne's eyes widened. "We were going to ask you that! You were the last one to see her. She didn't come back to our room last night."
Fuck.
Draco sat across from Daphne. His foot was already tapping the ground at a furious pace. "Bletchley took her to go see Snape around eight."
Draco looked around the Slytherin table to see if Miles was at the table. Instead, Draco saw Cassius enter the Great Hall looking worse than he did when he woke up.
Cassius slid into the seat beside Draco. "Ophy and Hallie are missing and I'm freaking out, Dra. We were supposed to meet before breakfast. They never showed."
Double fuck.
Delacour strode towards their table, stopping in front of them. Even she had a sickly pallor compared to her usual appearance.
"Have you seen Thalia?" Cassius and Delacour said simultaneously.
Cassius furrowed his brows. Then a look of recognition fell on his face. "You don't think it has to do with…"
"La deuxième tâche, n'est pas?" Fleur muttered.
Draco perked up. Ophelia and Cassius let him listen to the golden egg following his and Ophelia's Yule Ball reconciliation, so he knew the details of what the task entailed. Surely another person couldn't be that part of the clue. Could it?
He looked around the Hall for people that were connected to the champions. Sure enough, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger were missing. Not only them, but Krum's best friend Bartosz Everhardt, both Baudelaires, and Roger Davies.
The real question was who was assigned to each champion.
"Maybe it's our Yule Ball dates?" whispered Fleur. She must have noticed that Davies wasn't in the Hall.
Cassius took a breath. It was obvious that he was feeling better now that he knew why Ophelia and Thalia were gone. "Merlin, I'm glad I gave Potter that hint then. Especially if he has to save Lia."
While Fleur scolded Cassius for helping Potter, Draco realized the sobering truth to Cassius's statement. Ophelia was probably somewhere in the Black Lake at this very moment all because she was Potter's date.
His girlfriend.
Truce be damned. If Potter didn't do well on this task, he was ready to make the Gryffindor's life a living hell.
"Draco?" Blaise asked, shaking Draco's shoulder.
His head snapped up. "Hmm?"
"It's time to go down."
Sure enough, the Great Hall was almost empty. Only the late wakers were still there eating breakfast. He and Blaise joined the rest of their friends. As a group, they quickly retrieved their winter gear from the dorms and headed outside to the stands.
When they arrived, the stands were already filling at a rapid pace. Much like the first task, the stands were organized by school factions. Potter's unpopularity for earning more points over the other three champions was quite evident. Although Potter's support had also grown since the first task, it was clear that Cassius had garnered more. Draco saw a few banners held up by Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws alike. His personal favorite was 'GO CASSIUS THE DRAGON WHISPERER.'
Ophelia was going to have a kick out of that when he told her later. When that thought passed his mind, a flicker of anger flared up again.
From the overwhelming Slytherin section, Draco saw Miles and Adrian waving their arms to get his attention. They joined them in one of the front rows looking out onto the lake.
"Cas told us to save you a seat!" said Miles.
Before Draco could reply, his stomach growled loud enough for his friends to hear. Draco ruminated all morning, he forgot to even eat breakfast.
"Here." Theo offered him a bag of Apple Rings.
Theo must have noticed that he didn't eat earlier.
"Thanks, Theo." Draco eagerly opened the bag, taking a bite of one of the apple-flavored gummies. Draco couldn't resist the pull of a smile as the sugar-coated his tongue.
"Damn Draco, you're like a five-year-old with a lolly," Blaise bemused.
Draco only flipped him off. Nothing could bother him while he was stress eating his favorite candy. Across the lake, Draco noticed a Gryffindor-clad figure run toward the other champions and the judges. He shoveled another gummy into his mouth. Make that one thing that could bother him.
Blaise followed Draco's line of sight. "About time Potter showed up. Hold on, is that Crouch next to Bagman?"
Draco squinted. It certainly wasn't the tall ginger, Percy Weasley who served as Crouch's replacement at the Yule Ball.
"It's Crouch. And he doesn't look that sick to me," said Daphne, lowering a pair of omnioculars from her eyes.
Etched on the side of the omnioculars was a scuff that vaguely looked like an O and a W.
"Are those Lia's?" Draco asked.
"Maybe?"
Theo laughed. "It's a yes or no question, Daph."
"Lia would be happy that they're being used. I mean, we're just going to sit here watching water for an hour," Daphne rationalized.
He couldn't deny the truth in her statement. "I'm more concerned that you've gone back to your kelpto ways," Draco said instead.
"Oh my god, I was eight!"
"I'm pretty sure you stole something two years ago," said Blaise.
Theo nodded. "It was that pearl bracelet she wore yesterday."
"I'm torn between feeling touched that you remembered what I wore the other day, or disappointed that you're siding with them on this," Daphne scowled.
"To be fair, I found your sticky fingers a wonderful talent," Draco added.
Daphne sent him an annoyed look, but he knew she was mildly amused by his comment. "Anyway, am I the only one who cares that Crouch is back, and he doesn't look as remotely sick as they claimed him to be? Recovering from dragon pox shouldn't take less than two months, you're still contagious even ten weeks after the first sign of illness," said Daphne.
Leave it to Daphne for knowing the ins and outs of magical maladies. They all knew that if it was her choice, she would pursue a Healer career after Hogwarts instead of following her family's business.
"That is rather suspicious," Blaise said. "You know what's weirder? Moody still being out. He's technically younger than Crouch and he was the picture of health before the holidays. Well, minus the missing limbs."
Curiouser and curiouser, indeed.
"Sonorus!" Ludo Bagman's voice reverberated into the air, causing ripples to travel across the lake water. "All our champions are ready for the second task, which will start on my whistle! They have precisely an hour to recover what has been taken from them."
"Taken from them, my ass," Draco grumbled.
Bagman continued, "On the count of three, then. One…two…three!"
The shrill whistle pierced their ears. The stands exploded with rambunctious applause. Cassius and Krum ran into the water with purpose and fervor. Potter, on the other hand, tripped over his feet as he tried to take his shoes off, then waded after Cassius and Krum.
"I can't believe we're entrusting that bumbling idiot with Lia," Draco bemoaned.
Draco dug a hand into his bag of candy once again, gnawing on another ring.
The only one still on the shore was Fleur Delacour. From afar, all they could tell was that she was fiddling with her jacket.
"Daph, what is Delacour taking out of her pocket?" Theo questioned.
A beat passed while Daphne tried to identify the object. "I'm not sure."
"Hand them over," Blaise said with an outstretched hand. His turn to look through the omnioculars, it took Blaise not even a second to reply. "Gillyweed! My cousins and I used it all the time when we were kids, it made playing in the water more fun because we didn't have to come up for air, not to mention the webbed feet and hands. You know, it's native to the Mediterranean Sea," Blaise grinned.
Draco shook his head in disbelief while they watched Delacour discard her jacket, then dive into the lake. "That's a clever idea. Cas nor Lia thought about that."
"You know how Cassius is gonna save his girlfriend?" Blaise asked eagerly.
Sitting behind him, Pansy punched Blaise's shoulder blade.
Blaise rubbed his back. "What the hell, Parkinson?"
She shrugged. "It was either me or Draco, and he has a heavier hand."
"Was it necessary in the first place?"
From the gleam in Pansy's eyes, it was obvious that she was contemplating another hit. She opted for swinging her arms over his shoulders and pulled him for a back hug. "Sorry, but you asked a rhetorical question. Of course, Draco knows."
Draco smiled. No matter what, Pansy and Blaise were always capable of coaxing a smile out of him when he was at his lowest. "Since you're oh so curious, dear Blaise, Cas is using the Bubble-Head Charm. The most efficient spell for this challenge."
Theo snapped his finger. "Exactly. So that calls to question, why did Delacour choose to use gillyweed?"
"She probably learned about it from Thalia. Blaise did say that it's native to the Mediterranean," Draco reasoned. "Besides—"
His words died in his throat when he caught sight of a certain person walking by them. A girl that should be in the lake.
Draco shuffled out of the stands against the protests of his friends and stormed up to the now Hermione Granger. "What are you doing here?"
Startled that he of all people was talking to her so blatantly, Granger croaked out a weak, "Excuse me?"
He refrained from making a snappy remark. 'You're better than this,' said a voice in his mind that vaguely sounded like Ophelia. Draco knew he shouldn't base his moral compass on Ophelia, considering that even she made questionable choices if a situation called for a difficult decision. But he couldn't help it. She was his light in the dark.
"I was under the impression that you would be underwater for the task, right now. But as I can see, you obviously are not," Draco explained in a tone that he hoped came across as amiable.
"Well, I've been looking for Ron all morning, he never returned from his meeting with Professor McGonagall. Harry needed the extra sleep after we spent all night preparing for today, so neither of us was at breakfast," said Granger. "Not that you would care," she murmured to herself, unaware that she wasn't as quiet as she thought she was.
It wasn't the Ball dates.
"I'm a fucking idiot," said Draco.
"I guess you won't have to kill Potter," Blaise called.
Draco turned around. Blaise, Daphne, and Theo had followed him.
Daphne giggled. "And I highly doubt that you would sucker punch Cassius. It's clear that Ophelia is down there because of him. She is his sister after all." A sly smirk graced her usually composed face.
"Kill Harry? What are you talking about?" Granger piped up.
Draco glanced over to the Gryffindor, confused as to why she was still there. Wasn't it clear that she wasn't needed anymore?
"Ah, you weren't here to hear the rules for this task, Granger," Blaise grinned, sidling up to the girl. "You see, the boy who lived is in the lake right now. Saving your lover boy."
Granger furrowed her brows, his joke going over her curly head.
"Is he really that forgettable to you, Granger? Theodore, I swear to you that if you go missing, I won't forget about you as fast as Granger here has forgotten her own beloved," Daphne said with faux seriousness.
Theo had to stifle his laugh with a delicate cough.
For Draco, the wide-eyed stare that Granger had confirmed a widespread assumption that Slytherins had of Gryffindors, they took everything you say at face value. "You know him rather well. Gangly, freckled, and an obnoxious red mop of hair that resembles a Raggedy Ann doll," Draco added to Blaise and Daphne's playful retorts.
Granger's cheeks flushed. "Ron is not my beloved or lover boy, oh my goodness. And he does not look like a Raggedy Ann doll!"
"That's debatable," Blaise fired back.
Another epiphany occurred to Draco as Blaise, Daphne, and Granger continued their discourse on whether Ron Weasley shared similarities to a Muggle doll. He was struck by the fact that despite the oddness of this interaction, it felt natural.
Was this something that Ophelia and Cassius knew of, that the rest of them didn't? The Warrington siblings were always more open-minded to giving even the worst of them a chance to prove their worth. It was about time that he put his money where his mouth was when it came to his turned leaf.
"Granger," Draco interjected.
One by one they shifted their focus to him. Well, this isn't nerve-wracking at all.
"I would like to extend a formal apology to you. I've been a dreadful, bigoted asshole to many people, especially you. In no way am I expecting you to forgive me, any of us really, but the least I can do is say that I'm truly sorry. For everything."
He took a deep breath, surprised by the word vomit that came out of him. From the sobering silence of his company, it was clear that they were shocked as well.
"Hey Hermione!" yelled one of the Weasley twins, jogging up to their group. "Are these people bothering you?" he asked, eyeing the four of them suspiciously.
Instinctively, Draco straightened his back, pulling himself to his full height. He never noticed until now that he was the same height as the Weasley twins. They used to seem so tall before. Out of the side of Draco's eye, Daphne, Theo, and Blaise had raised their walls all the way up too, sliding their usual masks of apathy and haughtiness. Horror struck him. Did they really lower them in Granger's presence in the first place?
Granger raised her hands up, waving them in front of Weasley. "No, no! It's alright Fred, we're just…"
"Talking," Blaise finished for her, flashing a dazzling smile at the alleged Fred Weasley.
"Yes, that! Do you mind giving us a minute, Fred?" Hermione pleaded.
Weasley studied them once again, deciding whether or not he could leave her with a den of vipers. "Fine, I'll just be over there," he conceded then paced to a spot a few feet away, just out of hearing range.
"I want to say sorry too," Blaise said quickly. "Can't have Draco take all the credit."
"I would like to apologize as well. Although I will deny that I ever said such a thing if you try to mention this conversation to anyone. I have a reputation to uphold," Daphne said with an upturned nose that she softened with a cheeky wink.
Draco smiled. At least, he wasn't a captain going down with the ship alone. He and Blaise gave Theo expectant looks.
Theo shrugged. "Why are you looking at me? I have nothing to apologize for, you heathens. Unlike you three, I've been entirely neutral in all of this. Now that I think about it, I deserve an apology too. For being burdened with you for the last fourteen years of my life because our parents are friends. Not you Daph, I'm grateful you're in my life."
Surprising them, Granger laughed. "I didn't know you were this funny, Nott."
Daphne made an infinitesimal face of concern. She defensively threaded an arm through Theo's, tugging him to her.
Draco pressed his lips together, holding back a laugh at Daphne's reaction.
Granger didn't seem phased by it and continued, "But thank you. I really appreciate it. One thing that I admire about Warrington is her judge of character, so I accept your apologies. Now, I've got to go, Fred looks like he's raring to get into a fight."
Exchanging conciliatory nods, Granger left them.
Daphne shuddered. "Merlin, that was weird."
Draco absentmindedly nodded along. Although it was cathartic to remedy some of the wrongs he had committed in the past, being nice, for lack of better terms, was exhausting.
Focused on Granger and Weasley, Blaise uttered, "Do you think they're…you know?"
Daphne interrupted him. "Blaise, you're so lewd."
"Look," Blaise said, gesturing to the Gryffindors helplessly.
The four of them watched the two's retreating frames. The moment was so fast, but Weasley looked down at Granger with a soft gaze.
"You know what, I change my mind. I wouldn't put it off the table," said Daphne.
Draco snorted and slung an arm over Blaise's shoulder. "Lia's gonna love that. Come on, let's go watch some water."
It was terribly cold.
Brisk air blew through Ophelia's wet hair and sent her teeth chattering. Cassius's grasp around her waist loosened when she began staying afloat on her own. From somewhere behind them, a boisterous noise came from the crowd when they realized it was her and Cassius that emerged from the water.
"Hello, Brother, this is quite the surprise," Ophelia grinned.
Swimming side by side toward the bank where the judges were, Cassius took a fast peek at her, a smile on his face. "That's an understatement."
At the shore, Madam Pomfrey was helping Fleur and Thalia out of the water. She ushered all four of them to a white canopy tent and immediately tended to Fleur and Cassius first. Ophelia glanced down and noticed Fleur's hands and feet were webbed.
A swift breeze picked up, distracting Ophelia. The wet clothes clinging to her body felt even colder than before. Ophelia flicked her wrist and her wand dropped into her hand. She silently cheered; glad she brought her wand with her last night. Ophelia pointed her wand toward her and cast the Hot Air Charm, blasting the water out with a jet of warm air. A content sigh left her as she readjusted her now-dried robes and dry hair.
Ophelia felt eyes on her. She looked around, and her gaze landed on Dumbledore who noticed her spell work. He smiled and nodded his head at her. Ophelia returned the gesture and acknowledged him with a nod of her own. She was still nowhere near used to receiving any type of attention from Dumbledore.
Madam Pomfrey held back a smile and offered a potion for Ophelia. "I would offer a blanket like I did the others, but it seems like a Pepper-up Potion will do."
Behind Madam Pomfrey, Fleur, Thalia, and Cassius were huddled together in their own thick blankets, arms immobile from Madam Pomfrey's tight wrappings.
"Thank you," said Ophelia. She accepted it and downed the vial, instantly feeling steam emit from her ears.
Madam Pomfrey patted a stack of blankets on a table. "If you want one, they're right here, dear," she said, then returned to tending to the other three.
Steering clear of Madam Pomfrey in her matronly mode, Ophelia directed her attention to the Black Lake. Out of the corner of her eye, there was a blinding head of hair running along the coast of the lake, heading right for her.
Before she even realized it, her feet were gravitating to Draco, a mouth-splitting smile pulling at the corners of her lips.
Shortening the distance, Ophelia met him a few feet away from the tent.
Breathless, Draco leaned over, hands on his knees, catching his breath. He looked up at her. All he could muster was a labored, "Hey."
She helped him up, offering her hands to stabilize him. Instead, he pulled her into a hug.
As simple as breathing, her arms snaked around his body. "You should really work out more. This Quidditch-less year has taken a toll on your athleticism," she mumbled into his chest.
He took off his scarf and wrapped it around her neck, running his hands up and down her arms. "You're lucky I'm more concerned about you right now than to think of a witty remark."
Ophelia chuckled. "Dra, I'm fine."
Draco narrowed his eyes and led her back to the tent. "Just because you're dry and not wet or cold anymore doesn't mean you can't get sick, it's so windy today." He took one of the blankets off the table and slung it over her shoulders. "So, stay warm."
"Okay, okay. Staying warm," she tugged at the corners of her blanket, drawing it closer to her body. Ophelia couldn't help but admit that Draco's attentive care filled her with more warmth than the blanket.
"Draco!" Cassius exclaimed.
Broken from their moment, they turned to Cassius. Ophelia and Draco shared a quick look, then broke down into uncontrollable laughter at the sight of Cassius waddling over to them.
Cassius grimaced, he hopped around to address Madam Pomfrey. "This is basically an Incarcerous, Madam Pomfrey!"
Alerted by the sound of her name, the Hogwarts Healer gave Cassius a once-over. She had a suppressed smile on her face, then turned away to prepare for the next pair of students to emerge from the water.
Cassius huffed. "Ignored by my caregiver. My girlfriend would rather speak with her best friend. And to top it all off, I save my sister from imminent danger, and she would rather flirt with her boyfriend. One would assume a champion would be treated better than this."
Draco pulled out a bag of candy from his pocket. "Do you want an Apple Ring to feel better?"
Cassius's shifted from her, the bag, then Draco once again. "Yes."
Ophelia shook her head, laughing at her brother's theatrics while Draco fed an Apple Ring to Cassius.
A great deal of noise came from the lake as Viktor and Bartosz emerged from the water.
"Aw, Harry's last then," Cassius said. He opened his mouth again, expecting Draco to feed him another candy.
Draco stared at Cassius with distaste. "Are you actually rooting for him to do well?"
Cassius gave him an equally withering look. "Draco, do you think so little of me? I'm simply acknowledging the fact that Potter's last. In fact, I'm elated! God knows the three of us needed him to do badly this time after the bullshit scoring in the last task," he whispered, acutely conscious of those said judges standing twenty feet away from them.
Draco's lips tilted into a satisfied grin. "Good."
He fed Cassius again, much to the latter's delight.
Ophelia nudged Draco with a shoulder. "You're not trying to Pavlov my brother to begin disliking Potter, are you?"
His sheepish expression didn't do anything to dissuade her guess. She snatched the bag out of Draco's hand and began to chew on the candy herself.
"Hey!" said Draco, trying to grab it back from her.
Avoiding him with ease, Ophelia ducked behind Cassius. "I haven't eaten since last night, and both of you had breakfast," she popped another ring into her mouth.
"On the contrary, Sister, your boyfriend was wracked with concern for your disappearance this morning. He didn't eat at all," Cassius teased.
Her eyebrows shot up at this news. "Oh really?"
Draco had a subtle pink hue rapidly painting his cheeks.
"Not only that, but we were all under the impression that the Yule Ball dates were the hostages for the task. Young Malfoy here was ready to have a go at Potter if he failed to save you," Cassius said, adding to the ever-growing fire of Draco's embarrassment. Or more appropriately the apples of Draco's cheeks.
"Yeah, well you were dead worried about Thalia too!" Draco countered.
"And Ophy! The others only had one person to worry about, I had two. If it makes you feel better, I already had my dose of humiliation. Fleur was more than happy to share everything with Hallie."
Ophelia glanced over at the girls in question and the Durmstrang boys. It only made sense that Fleur and Viktor's taken person would be their best friend. Likewise, she was chosen for Cassius. "Why did you guys even think it was the ball dates?"
"Granger and Davies weren't at breakfast either, so we might've jumped to the most obvious conclusion," Draco reasoned.
"Ah, and if that were the case, you would have been working with the idea that Weasley wasn't present because he would be looking for Granger when in reality it was vice versa. Well, I'm glad the judges didn't make such shallow decisions then," Ophelia elaborated.
If Ophelia was in Cassius's shoes and had measured who was most important to her, without a doubt she would rank him over Draco. As much as Draco meant to her, Cassius was her brother. Family was everything. She hoped that he felt the same way.
Cassius must have noticed her pensive aura. He wrestled out of his straitjacket blanket and pulled her into a bear-like hug. "They made the right choice," he whispered into her ear.
Relief flooded her. "Ah, that's good. I was getting worried there for a sec."
He chuckled and made a great deal of ruffling her hair. "Always the overthinker, Toshi."
The moment of sibling camaraderie lost, Ophelia stuffed candy into Cassius's mouth. "And you're insufferable," she grinned.
Another bought of applause traveled to their ears. At last, Harry and Ron Weasley's heads emerged from underwater. Madam Pomfrey made a beeline to them. Harry looked as if he fared the worst out of the four champions, red blotches dotted his ankles and lower legs.
Cassius winced. "The grindylows must've got him."
Ophelia and Draco both let out similar sounds of loathing. She recalled Cassius's own injuries that he received from the water creatures in the past months.
Out of nowhere, Draco smacked Cassius's upper arm. "You helped Potter with the egg," Draco hissed.
The first time hearing this, Ophelia targeted Cassius with a disheartened glare. "Is that true?"
"I mean—"
Much like Draco, Ophelia slapped Cassius's other arm.
"Gah! I felt bad for him. It was two weeks ago, and he was sitting in the library staring at the egg for an hour. He had a look on his face that bordered between being on the verge of tears and pure frustration," Cassius tried to explain.
Draco groaned. "You feel bad when a puppy is abandoned by its owner on the side of the road, not for Harry bloody Potter."
She snickered. On the contrary, Harry did share an odd resemblance to a kicked puppy for some reason.
"This was exactly why I didn't say anything," Cassius frowned. "It was only a nudge in the right direction, I didn't tell him outright. Besides, I was mainly helping him because he tried to tell me about the dragons the day before the first task. Now I don't feel guilty for his misplaced kindness."
"You're right, even I felt bad about lying to him, and I don't feel bad about a lot of things, to be honest," Ophelia added.
Draco laughed. "Out of all people, we definitely know that, Darling."
Cassius covered his ears. "Bleh, my ears!"
"And I'm the dramatic one between the two of us, Cas," she boasted. "You and Thalia are joined to the hip at mealtimes."
"Not everyone gets to date their significant other who they share the exact same class schedule with."
"Please, your schedule is hardly demanding considering most of the professors let you off for the tournament. Graham was telling me that most of your assignments or exams are half the length as the rest of them," Ophelia smirked.
"Then was it Adrian who told you that during those times that Cas claimed to leave class to do some tournament prep, he just used it to spend with Thalia?" Draco added, disputing Cassius's previous claim.
"Yeah, it was."
Cassius scowled. "Based on how much they snitch on me, sometimes I think my best friends like you more than me, Lia."
"Oh, Katsudon, they would be hopeless without you."
As if on cue, Cassius's friends—amongst other students close to the three older champions—dashed from the stands to them. Madame Pomfrey looked exasperated at the sight of all the people impeding the tent while she tended to Harry's injuries. But none of the professors or judges stopped the students from congratulating their friends.
Adrian, Graham, and Miles whisked Cassius away from her and Draco, joining Fleur and Viktor's groups. In the swarm of upperclassmen, Ophelia could've sworn that she saw Manon give Bartosz a questionably long hug. On the other hand, Hermione ran to Harry and Weasley and threw her arms around them with a delighted squeal.
She and Draco were always comfortable with Cassius's friends. Time and time again, they were included in the upperclassmen's exploits. However, it was quite clear that this was one of the instances that they simply didn't have a place with them.
Ophelia glanced behind Draco to the three Gryffindors not too far from her and Draco.
"No."
She frowned. "You're no fun, Dra."
He crossed his arms against his chest. "No, I just don't want to deal with anymore Gryffindors at the moment."
Ophelia raised an eyebrow at the specification. "What do you mean by anymore?"
Draco's eyes widened at his unconscious error. "Well…"
Movement occurred in her peripherals. "Sh, Dra, they're coming over."
"Please tell me you're joking."
Before she could even say anything, Hermione happily greeted them, "Hey, guys!"
A flash of worry passed Draco's face, then he turned on his feet to face the trio, a nervous smile on his face.
Ophelia watched on with great interest, curious about Draco's apparent anxiety, Harry's eager stare, and Weasley's defensive stance.
"Nice, uh, job out there, Potter," Draco said. His tone was nowhere near convincing that his compliment was genuine.
To both of their surprise, Harry took it like a champ. "Thanks, Malfoy."
Ophelia looked down at the bag in her hand. She held it out to them. "Apple Ring?"
Weasley's frigid demeanor melted away in an instant. "You didn't do anything to them, did you?" he said dubiously.
She furrowed her brows. "Food is sacrilegious to me Weasley, I would never."
Weasley nodded his head in approval, then grabbed a handful.
"Don't mind Ron, the twins have been experimenting with jinxed sweets lately. We've all been wary of open snacks," Hermione explained.
"Can they give me some?" Ophelia asked.
"What kind of jinxes?" Draco said at the same time.
Ophelia smirked at Draco. Likewise, an amused twinkle flashed across his eyes.
She focused back on the trio. Harry had an oddly content smile on his face as he looked between her and Draco. She couldn't help but notice how at ease they all were. It wasn't even a year ago that the five of them were squaring off in the forest at the World Cup.
Bagman's magnified voice boomed out beside them, making them all jump. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our decision. Merchieftainess Murcus has told us everything that has happened at the bottom of the lake, and we have therefore decided to award marks out of fifty for each of the champions, as follows…
"Fleur Delacour used gillyweed to great effect and was first to return with her hostage within the time limit of an hour! We, therefore, award her with full marks, fifty points."
Applause came from the stands, but it was nowhere close to the screams of excitement from Fleur, Manon, and Thalia. The girls clutched to each other, broad smiles on their faces.
"Cassius Warrington demonstrated excellent use of the Bubble-Head Charm. He was the second to return and successfully defended himself and his hostage from grindylows. He returned a minute apart from Miss Delacour and was still within the time limit. We, therefore, award him forty-nine points."
Enormous cheers exploded from the crowd, especially from the Slytherins. Adrian, Miles, and Graham hollered, jostling Cassius around with elation.
Before Ophelia knew it, Cassius had escaped his friends grasp and tackled her and Draco into a bone-crushing hug. A laugh left her lips. "Yes, yes, we're very proud of you, Cas."
Cassius let them go and noticed the three Gryffindors watching their semi-private moment. "Potter! How was the task?" Cassius asked.
Harry shrugged a shoulder. "It could've been worse."
Cassius chuckled. "I expect nothing less from someone that faced off a hundred dementors. Or was it 200?"
Ophelia snickered at the shocked and rapidly reddened face Harry had, his nonchalant attitude failing miserably.
"Viktor Krum used a unique partial form of Transfiguration and was third to return with his hostage within the time limit, four minutes shy from Mr. Warrington. We award him forty-five points."
Karkaroff clapped more aggressively than necessary. Even Viktor had a more subdued reaction than his headmaster.
"Partial form?" Draco questioned.
"He had this gnarly shark head. I almost shit myself, to be honest," Cassius shuddered. "He got to the hostages before me, but he obviously had to lug Bartosz back, slowed him down in the process."
Ophelia was the only one to notice Hermione's eyes light up with intrigue at the sound of a new method of Transfiguration to learn about.
"Harry Potter also used the Bubble-Head Charm," Bagman continued. "He returned last and was outside of the time limit of an hour. He was attacked by grindylows as he approached his goal but sustained some injuries. We award him thirty-five points."
Weasley and Hermione gave Harry sympathetic looks.
Harry laughed. "Just trying to stay alive, guys, remember?"
Cassius clasped Harry's shoulder. "You're the boy who lived, Potter, this shouldn't be too hard for you."
"God, I hate that name," Harry groaned.
"Then I'll be sure to call you that from now on, Potter," Draco said airily.
"Go ahead, Ferretboy," Harry retaliated.
An agonizing second passed in silence as they digested Harry's words. Any indication of tension disappeared at Draco's lighthearted chuckle. They all followed suit, recalling Draco's misfortunate but short-lived time as an animal. Even Weasley couldn't help but join in.
"Touché, Serpentboy, but you'll have to try better than that," said Draco.
Ophelia dared a quick look at her brother. While she tried to hide her surprise, Cassius had a perplexed look. It wasn't Draco's reaction that was shocking, but it was the lack of pretenses. What had happened while she was in the Black Lake? Yet looking on at her boyfriend and the three Gryffindors, Ophelia saw something that she never would have imagined between the four of them.
Peace.
Häschen: German for bunny, an affectionate name for a loved one
Ferme-la: shut up
ma moitié: my other half
A/N: Hi again! To my other US people out there, hope you had a good Thanksgiving! I personally got a terrible burn while making apple pie, but you know what, it was a good pie so I don't mind lmao. And to everyone, Happy Holiday Season! Another year has come and has almost gone. I can't believe it's already December, that's wild.
I swear that I will be getting another chapter out before the end of the year (it's actually over halfway done). As much as I want to prioritize this fic that I absolutely adore writing, life always manages to get in the way. So thank you again if you're still reading this!
Next Chapter: Wait, they actually attend class? Featuring a DADA lesson with Dumbledore, a Potions class with Snape, and the return of Sirius Black for a surprise History lesson for the Golden Trio.
Review if you like, I always read them. Follow and favorite to get notifs when I upload a new chapter!
Love you lots, Mel xx
Contains content from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Chapter 26: The Second Task
