Chapter 10

At the end of dinner, Dumbledore stood up.

"Would everyone please, stand up." He said.

Cassius put his hand on Cassie's arm, making sure she didn't get up.

He was going to be the perfect gentleman tonight. He pulled out Cassie's chair and then held out a hand for her.

Cassius noticed the Gryffindor girl glaring at Harry when she stood up on her own.

When Cassie had stood up, he moved his arm to offer her his elbow. She put her hand on it.

"Did I tell you that you look beautiful?" He asked her.

"You have, actually." She nodded, a little smile on her lips.

"You still do." He smiled down at her.

The Weird Sisters were hired to play for the evening and were setting up their instruments.

"Do you know how to dance?" Cassius asked as he guided Cassie to stand in front of him.

He put his hand on her waist, and since he was significantly taller than her, she had to put her hand in the crook of his elbow rather than on his shoulder.

"No." She admitted.

Cassius blinked at that.

"Don't worry. Just follow my lead." He said.

A mournful tune started up and Cassius took the lead.

It was difficult at first. Cassie didn't know how to relax and let someone lead her and so she ended up stepping on his toes a couple of times.

"Relax your body, let me guide your feet." Cassius's kept his voice low.

When the song ended, Cassie gave a sigh of relief.

"Do you want to go sit down?" Cassius asked as they applauded.

"No. I want to get better." She answered immediately.

"You Gryffindor's are not afraid of a challenge." He chuckled.

"You have no idea, Warrington." She laughed as well.

"Cassius."

The weird Sisters had started another song, but this one was faster.

"I'm sorry?" Cassie asked.

"Call me Cassius." He said.

"Only if you call me Cassie." She smiled at him.

"Okay, Cassie." He smiled back at her.

'I don't understand how being able to say your name makes me so damn happy.' Cassius thought to himself as he led her around the dance floor.


After a few more songs Cassius took Cassie off the dance floor and led her towards the tables with an assortment of beverages and snacks.

"Would you like anything?' Cassius asked, gesturing to the table.

"Some punch would be nice." Cassie nodded.

Cassius nodded, took her hand and kissed the back of it.

He walked over to the punch bowl and poured out two cups.

"Hello Warrington."

Cassius looked up to see Dean and Beth joining him at the punch bowl.

"Hello." He greeted them.

"So you brought Zwart as your date?" Dean asked.

Cassius could tell that he wasn't surprised by it.

"I did." Cassius nodded.

Dean was also one of the few students who got to sit in on the meetings outside of school.

"Why?" Beth asked angrily.

She was not.

"Beth." Dean's voice was sharp.

Cassius took a drink out of his cup, trying to hide his smirk.

"Cassie!" Cassius said when he realized his date had joined him.

She waved a hand at Dean and Beth, and offered a brownie to Cassius.

He shook his head and offered her the other cup.

"How're ye-?" Cassie pointed to the other couple.

"We're doing good." Dean answered cautiously.

Cassie nodded and took a sip of her punch.

Her transformation started from her hair and went down.

"Seriously!?" Cassie raised her voice.

Cassius's eyes widened.

He had heard about her scars, but he didn't get a chance to see them for himself before today. But no one mentioned just how severe the black flames were.

Her left hand was completely black, and he can see the flame like appearance showing itself the farther up it went. But what really had his attention, was the flame burnt on her collarbone.

She had another scar on the right side of her body. A strange stab wound that was rumored to be from the basilisk from two years ago.

"Beth!" Cassius was quick to turn to Beth.

"It wasn't you?" Cassie asked Cassius.

"No! I would never -!" He couldn't finish it.

'If you want to look a certain way, go for it.' was what he wanted to say.

"What is the matter with you?" Dean asked Beth.

Beth was suddenly covered in red punch.

"You bitch!" She shrieked.

"Christensen." Snape's drawl spoke over them.

"Zwart." McGonagall's stern voice was right behind Cassie.

Beth, Dean, and Cassius all tried to speak over each other, momentarily forgetting how they should act.

"Silence!" McGonagall snapped.

The three Slytherin's all stopped talking.

"Miss Zwart, what happened?" She asked Cassie.

"Christensen tricked me into drinking the 'Metamorphas Magiga's' potion. So I threw my punch at her." Cassie answered.

McGonagall waved her wand and the stain on the silver gown came off.

"Severus?" McGonagall looked at the Slytherin head of house.

He was looking at Cassie' scar, Cassius couldn't fully read his expression.

"Christensen will serve a month's worth of detentions with me." He decided.

"Zwart will have detention for two weeks." McGonagall said.

"That's not fair!" Beth cried out.

"Two months." Snape said coldly, glaring at his student.

Cassie kept her mouth shut.

Beth glared at everyone before storming off, Dean following after her.

"I'm so sorry!" Cassius said as Snape and McGonagall walked off as well.

"I need some air." Cassie put her brownie on the table and walked out.

Cassius stared at the scar on her back.

The two shadow images of fire. One was curling just under her shoulder, where if she turned her head she would see it.

And the other one just below it.

'She's literally tried walking through a cursed fire for Potter.' He thought to himself.

"Cassie -" Cassius didn't realize he had spoken out loud.

"Not right now. I need a moment." She lifted up her left hand.

The courtyard was decorated for the occasion. Not that Cassius was noticing it. He was worried about Cassie.

When she sat down at a bench, her eyes were closed and Cassius gave her another once over.

Noticing the little scars on her neck, and paying greater attention to her tattoos that were flashing.

A book, a lightning bolt, and a chess piece.

When he was done, he waited for Cassie to open her eyes.

And she did.

"Did you know?" She asked.

"I knew what Christensen wanted to do. I told her not to bother you." He told her.

She squinted her eyes at him.

"I never want you to change yourself. You being a metamorphmagus is who you are. By giving you that potion, it takes that way from you." He explained.

She nodded slowly and patted the bench next to her.

"I'm sorry, but I'm having a hard time believing you right now. The timing was perfect for Christensen."

Cassius nodded in agreement as he sat down next to her.

'Too perfect... I need to find out what she has against Cassie.'

"Cassie?"

Cassius turned around to see Harry and Ron joining Cassie in the courtyard.

"I'm fine, it wasn't Cassius." Cassie said immediately.

They both glared at him with suspicion anyways.

"What happened?" Harry asked.

Cassius took the moment to look at Cassie's scars again.

He wanted to be able to focus on her when she wanted to talk to him, not be caught staring at her.

"Christensen got me again. This time she -" Cassie looked at Cassius.

"When I was getting us punch, I looked away for a second. She must have slipped it in at that moment." He answered, making sur to be looking at Cassie's face.

"how would she know which cup was Cassie's?" Ron asked stiffly.

"I had taken a drink out of my cup." Cassius looked away when he answered.

Cassie's hand was warm on his shoulder.

"It's not your fault. I should have been on my guard with her." Cassie said softly.

Harry, seeing that Cassie was really alright, grabbed Ron and dragged him away.

"You shouldn't have to be guarded around me. You should be able to relax when you're with me." He said just as softly, grabbing her hand and looking at her scar closer.

"We knew getting into this that people were going to be against it." She said, moving her hand so that he can see in between her fingers.

"I know... For a moment I was too optimistic." He admitted, turning her arm.


She told him about how she got her scars. And the reason behind her tattoos.

Cassius showed her his tattoo on his ankle of the Deathly Hallows symbol. It was his favorite story from his childhood and he was glad to share something with her. They walked around the courtyard and exchanged stories.

She told him of her favorite story, 'Cinderella' she called it. It was about a young girl who's wicked stepmother and stepsisters kept her as a maid, and in the end she wanted to go to the ball just to dance and she ended up meeting her one true love.

Cassius loved watching her light up when she shared the story with him.


Do you want to go back in and dance some more?" Cassius asked when they passed the doors into the entrance hall.

"Can we?" Cassie asked.

"Yeah! Whatever you want!" He nodded.

Cassie looked around.

The two of them were standing underneath an archway that was decorated beautifully with icicles and roses.

"Can you kiss me now?" She asked.

Cassius blinked down at her.

"You don't want it to be a surprise?"

"I'll be surprised whenever you decide to kiss me." She told him.

He let out a chuckle.

"Will you?" She asked again.

He looked down at her.

She was looking at his with her dark grey eyes, so big with hope; she had sucked in a breath of anticipation and it made her chest a little bigger; Cassie's cheeks were flushed from the walk and the cold. And Cassius couldn't remember why he was putting off kissing her.

He moved quickly.

He put both of his hands on her face, cupping it. He brought himself closer to her, and stared into her eyes.

He wanted to remember this moment.

He wanted her to remember this moment.

"Please." She whispered.

So he kissed her.


I AM SO SORRY! I hit a bought of depression and was fighting to get my dishes done every day just to feel normal. I'm doing better now and I managed to finish this chapter for you guys!

Shout out to Albem for adding the first of the Treasured Series to your favorite list!

Shout out to FallenSlayer17 for adding the first, third and fourth of the Treasured Series to your favorite list!

Shout out to DancingAdventurer45 for adding this story to your favorite and following list!

Shout out to astrea for following and favoriting this story!

Shout out to Pamela Hutchins for leaving a review!

Pamela Hutchins: I hope this one was just as good for you!