Chapter 6

Cassius was surprised to see Cassie with Harry when he entered the tent in preparation for the First Task.

Cassius had to fight to look at Ludo Bagman rather than at Cassie.

All he wanted to do was comfort the frightened looking girl, but he was on the opposite side of her.

When he faced his dragon, he still couldn't believe it. It wasn't until the dragon breathed fire at him that he really started to believe that he was fighting a dragon. So he Transfigured a rock into a dog to get the egg.

He passed, but not without some scratches.

He got to watch Harry's performance. And he was impressed with how Harry managed to control his broom, and how he was skilled enough to get the egg.


The night after the First Task, he was relaxing in the common room with his friends passing around the golden egg.

The Bloody Baron came into the common room and floated over to Cassius.

"There was a girl outside looking for you." He said slowly, almost bored.

"Who?" Cassius asked casually, but he knew who it was.

"She said her name was Zwart." The Baron said and floated away.


The next day, Cassius waited outside the Great Hall and his heart did a flip when he saw her.

"Zwart." He greeted the girl.

"Warrington." She nodded to him.

"The Baron told me you had something to tell me?" He asked in a suspicious tone.

There was a movement over Cassie's shoulder and he looked up.

One of the Weasley twins had his chest puffed out and was on his way over.

Cassie put her hand up and shook her head.

Weasley deflated but he kept his distance, glaring at Cassius.

"Sorry." Cassie sighed as she turned back to Cassius.

"It's not smart of you to not have back up." Cassius said to her.

"Then how do I prove my intentions don't have any nefarious thoughts attached to them?" Cassie retorted.

Cassius blinked at that.

"Sorry, those were a lot of words. How do I prove that I'm trying if I'm walking around with guys bigger than me?" She gestured to Weasley behind her.

Cassius slowly nodded as he thought about what she said.

"I don't think you'll ever be able to prove it, there's too much animosity between our two houses." He answered.

She was only a fourth year, and she was trying to figure out how to solve a problem that was around longer than she had been.

"I won't be able to, but maybe if I can get the first years every year from now on, maybe, eventually, that can change." Cassie sighed.

'Why are you so focused on that?' Cassius asked himself.

"I never thought about it that way. I'm always focused on what I can do today." He admitted.

"I can't help but focus on what I can do tomorrow." Cassie said with a grin.

'That's because you're a Seer.' Cassius didn't say it out loud.

"So, what was it you wanted to tell me?" Cassius asked, not wanting to stop talking to her.

"Right! Congratulations on not dying yesterday. And for getting your egg." She smiled at him.

"Thank you. I really didn't want to believe it was dragons for our first task." Cassius admitted with a laugh.

"Me too. Harry is in over his head." Cassie shook her head.

She had chosen to be as blonde as Malfoy this year, and it suited her.

"Have you figured out how he got his name in the Goblet?" Cassie asked, leaning casually against the wall.

"He didn't want to participate. Why would he put his name in it?" Cassie matched his stance against the wall.

Folded arms and all.

"Then who would want him in the Tournament?" Cassius asked.

He watched her face, watching for something.

"I don't know." Was all she could provide.


When the school was told about the Yule Ball, Cassius knew who he wanted to take. It was the perfect way to start talking to her on a daily basis. Rather than once every couple of weeks.

The problem was getting a chance to ask her.

He finally managed to catch her at the library with Hermione Granger.

"Zwart, can I talk to you?" He asked when he found her.

She turned around to look at him, and Hermione put her arm through Cassie's.

"What is it?" Cassie asked.

"In private, please?" He asked, looking at Hermione.

They exchanged looks but Hermione left.

"Do you not like her because…?" Cassie didn't finish her question.

"No, I figured you would want an explanation." Cassius said.

"An explanation?" She asked, tilting her head in an adorable way.

Cassius leaned against the wall. Students still passed them and they started to whisper amongst themselves.

"Cassie, will you go to the ball with me?" He asked.

Cassie blinked at that.

"Are you serious?" She asked.

Cassius gave a sigh and nodded.

"I'm serious."

She blinked again.

"Why? Why me and not someone who you actually want to go with?" She asked.

"See, you want an explanation." Cassius cleared his throat.

"You said something in our last conversation that I haven't been able to get out of my head. 'I can't help but focus on what I can do tomorrow.' " Cassius started.

"I remember." Cassie nodded.

"And I'm leaving at the end of this year. I won't be able to do much now. So if I take you to the Yule Ball then maybe everyone else will see that I'm trying to make a change as well." He said.

Cassie nodded carefully at what he had said.

"Why me? Why not Angelina Johnson or Alicia Spinnet? One of the older Gryffindors?" Cassie asked.

"You were the one who welcomed all of the first years personally. When Moody - punished - Malfoy you were the one who went to his side. When the first years need help, they go to you. Whether you meant to or not, you're the one who is uniting us together." Cassius answered.

'The Dark Lord can also use a Seer on his side. I also want to get closer to you. Maybe I can convince you to join me.' He thought with just the smallest flash of guilt.

"Will this be more of a statement then?" Cassie asked.

Cassius felt his cheeks flush.

"Partially, yes," he nodded.

"What else is it?" Cassie asked, folding her arms across her chest.

"Partially I want to take you to learn more about you." Cassius allowed himself to admit it.

Cassie's eyes widened at that.

He loved her shade of grey in her eyes.

"You have made an effort to talk to me from the beginning. You cheered me on when my name was pulled from the Goblet. When I came out of the room with Potter, you didn't have to but you told me you were cheering for me. Bloody hell, you even admitted that you were the only Gryffindor cheering for me. You made sure Potter had a moment to tell me about the dragons, and you even congratulated me for getting the egg.

Cassie, you have made an effort to show everyone that we can unite the houses and I want to be a part of that."

'The Dark Lord would do better with a united front from Hogwarts than a divided one.'

Cassie smiled at me, but I noticed that her eyes got a little bit more squinty. Something must have happened to her.

"Okay, I will go to the ball with you." Cassie said.

Cassius blinked at that.

"Really?" He asked, taken aback.

"Yes, really." She laughed.

Cassius smiled, unable to hide it.

"Great!" He said.

"I better get going, Hermione is waiting for me and we're supposed to go visit Hagrid later." Cassie gestured over her shoulder.

Cassius stiffened at the thought of her being near that giant of a man, but nodded.

He didn't have a say of who Cassie chose to hang out with, he wasn't around her during her first year.

"I'll see you around, Cassie." He said to the girl.

"See you, Cassius." She said.

Cassius stared after the girl until she turned the corner.

'One step closer.' He thought to himself.


Oh boy!