Chapter 15

During the time leading up to the Second Task, Cassius was enjoying himself. He would pull Cassie away from his friends, enjoy a few minutes of kissing Cassie, and sometimes teasing her mouth with his tongue.

His hands have started to explore her body. He was wanting to take it slow, but he couldn't help himself.

They had almost gotten caught once, but it was her friend that would have caught them; however Cassius was sure Cassie didn't want anyone to catch them. But that's what makes the rush worth it.

Cassius had managed to pull away from her but Granger must have seen his cloak because he heard a smack of something hitting something and giggles of guilt.

Cassius had also taken to wearing a scarf even though he hated how it made him warm. But Cassie had discovered that what makes her feel good can also make a man feel good.

He shivered as he remembered her mouth sucking on his throat, and had to remind himself that he was not in his bed or alone in the bathroom so he had to think of other things before… well he always did hate History of Magic…


Cassius was looking around the stands for Cassie, and was surprised to see that Draco was by himself with his friend, Goyle.

Draco had shaken his head when he saw Cassius looking.

'Where could Cassie have gone?' He thought to himself as he turned back to face the lake.

His head of house was standing behind him.

"Is everything alright, Warrington?" Snape drawled.

"Yes, sir." Cassius said respectfully.

"It appears that Potter is not here yet, he may have forfeited." Snape said slowly.

Cassius felt a twinge of guilt.

If Harry made it, then it was going to be fine. But if he didn't… then he and his accomplice would have to figure out their next strategy.

Snape walked away to sit with the other teachers leaving Cassius with the other three Champions and his thoughts.

"There he is!" Bagman suddenly said.

Cassius looked to see Harry sprinting towards the judges table.

He wanted to be upset that he didn't see Cassie with Harry, but understood that Cassie wouldn't be with him all that time.

"I'm… here…" Harry panted.

Cassius felt the mixture of emotions he tried to suppress.

He should be the champion. The only champion.

Relief that he and his cohort won't have to figure out a different plan of action.

Cassius looked at Harry. Three of the champions had worn their swimsuits in preparation for swimming in the water. Harry was still in his robes.

Bagman was whispering something to Harry as he walked over to join them.

Harry was rubbing his ribs, still trying to catch his breath.

"Sonorus! Well, 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. On the count of three, then. One… two… three!"

The whistle echoed shrilly in the cold, still air; the stands erupted with cheers and applause.

Cassius, with the other two champions, went straight into the lake. He had decided to use the Bubble-Head Charm and didn't want to waste a second looking for what was precious to him.

'I don't think the other champions have figured out the 'precious' things.' He thought to himself as he swam around the lake.

He must have been looking for twenty five minutes when he finally heard the song from the egg.

"An hour long you'll have to look,

And to recover what we took…"

Cassius swam around a large rock that had merpeople painted on it, chasing different sea creatures.

"... your time's half gone, tarry not

Lest what you seek stays here to rot…"

The merpeople city had Cassius in awe. It wasn't at all what he expected. He had pictured opal and pearl colors with pretty merpeople.

What he saw instead was merpeople with grayish skin and yellow eyes. Their teeth were broken and sharp. Some of them wore pebbles on necklaces around their necks.

He saw that Harry had gotten there first, he was being held back by the different merpeople.

In front of Harry, Cassius realized what the song meant by the thing they'll sorely miss.

Cassie was floating, tied to the tail of the mer statue. She had her two friends next to her and on her other side, a girl who had a resemblance to Delacour.

"Get lost!" Cassius said when he saw up to Cassie. "Delacour and Krum're coming now!"

Harry nodded and watched as Cassius pulled out a knife and cut the rope Cassie was tied with.

Cassius swam back in the general direction where he had come from, going up as he went.

The Bubble-Head Charm broke as soon as he got above the water, and he was relieved to hear Cassie start breathing.

"Are you okay?" Cassius asked.

"Where are the others?" Cassie asked.

Cassius blinked at her.

'Her first thought is of the others? I just rescued her!' He thought.

"Come on. Let's get out of the water." He gently pulled on Cassie's arm to get her going in the direction of the judges table.

The roar of the crowd was echoing over the lake. Cassius noticed that Delacour was shivering next to Madame Maxime, but without her hostage.

"And you're in the lake again." Madame Pomfrey said to Cassie when we climbed out of the lake.

Cassie let out a shivering giggle as she was wrapped up in a blanket.

Madam Pomfrey handed both of them a potion that started to warm them right up.

"Where are the others?" Cassie asked again after she drank her potion.

The crowd broke into screams again as Krum and Granger came out of the water and started to swim towards them.

"Potter was there first. He was waiting for the rest of us to get to you guys." Cassius answered.

"Are you okay?" Cassie asked.

"I'm fine. I got lost down there." He admitted.

Cassie grabbed his face and brought it down so that she could kiss his forehead.

Three minutes later Harry popped up with his friend, and the girl, and several of the merpeople.

"No. Potter has to do it." Cassius said, grabbing Cassie around the waist before she could make a beeline for him.

"But -!" Cassie tried to protest.

"No, Cassie. It's okay." Cassius said.

He just wanted her to pay attention to him. He had just spent an hour rescuing her, even though he didn't know it was her he was looking for.

He watched as Harry and his friend tried to help the girl swim.

The merpeople were making a terrible screeching noise, and Cassius recognized it as their singing.

"Here, have another cup." Madam Pomfrey had pushed another cup of potion into their hands.

"Yes ma'am." Cassie said took her cup.

Madam Maxime was trying to restrain Delacour who was growing hysterical.

"Gabrielle! Gabrielle! Is she alive? Is she 'urt?" Delacour asked.

Hermione had made her way over to where Cassie and Cassius were standing.

"Are they alright?" She asked.

"I think so." Cassie answered.

Cassius watched as Weasley, who was now judging in Mr. Crouch's place, rushed to get his brother out of the water.

He felt a twinge of regret that he stopped Cassie from going to Harry.

'I need to remember that they consider each other family.' He thought to himself.

"It was ze grindylows… zey attacked me… oh Gabrielle, I thought… I thought…"

"Harry, well done!" Hermione cried when Harry reached us. "You did it, you found out how all by yourself!"

"Well -" Harry cut himself off.

Cassius looked where Harry was looking and saw that Karkaroff was glaring at the boy.

"Yeah, that's right." Harry raised his voice.

"You haff a water beetle in your hair, Herm-own-ninny." Krum said to Hermione.

Cassie turned to Cassius, and he was glad for it.

"Are you still cold?" Cassius asked, wanting it to be just the two of them.

"A little." Cassie nodded.

"Let's change out our blankets." He said and led her to the table where more blankets were magically being added.

Cassius helped wrap Cassie up in two blankets, and then himself in two. And he found a third one that was able to go over both of them.

"Dumbledore speaks Mermish. Who knew?" Cassie said to Cassius when they rejoined the others.

Cassius nodded in agreement.

"A conference before we give the marks, I think." Dumbledore told his fellow judges.

They huddled in a circle and spoke amongst themselves.

Madam Pomfrey was trying to clean Delacour's scratch from the grindylows, but Delacour was eager to get to Harry.

"You saved 'er," she said breathlessly to Harry. "Even though she was not your 'ostage."

"Yeah," Harry nodded.

Delacour kissed Harry twice on each cheek and then turn to Ron.

"And you too - you 'elped-"

"Yeah," Ron said, looking hopeful, "yeah, a bit -"

Delacour swooped and kissed him on his cheeks as well.

Hermione was looking rather furious.

Cassius was surprised to see Delacour turn to Cassie.

"Gabrielle tells me zat you comforted 'er. When you were preparing for ze task?" She said,

"She was the only child in a room of teenagers." Cassie nodded.

Delacour kissed Cassie's cheeks.

Cassius felt jealous and was a little angry that Cassie allowed her to get that close.

Before he could say anything about the matter, Bagman's voice echoed across the lake.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our decision. Merchieftainess Murcus has told us exactly what 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…"

Cassius pulled Cassie closer to him.

"Fleur Delacour, though she demonstrated excellent use of the Bubble-Head Charm, was attacked by grindylows as she approached her goal, and failed to retrieve her hostage. We award her twenty-five points."

"I deserve zero." Delacour shook her head.

"Cassius Warrington, who also used the Bubble-Head Charm, was the first to return with his hostage, though he returned one minute outside the time limit of an hour."

Slytherin erupted into cheers. Cassius glowed with pride when Cassie smiled up at him.

"We therefore award him forty-seven points."

Cassius held his fist up to the crowd, earning more cheers from Hogwarts.

"Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of Transfiguration, which was nevertheless effective, and was the second to return with his hostage. We award him forty points."

Karkaroff clapped hard, looking superior.

"Harry Potter used gillyweed to great effect. He returned last, and well outside of the time limit of an hour. However, the Merchieftainess informs us that Mr. Potter was first to reach the hostages, and that the delay in his return was due to his determination to return all hostages to safety, not merely his own."

Cassie laughed at the faces her friends were making.

"I would have done the same thing." She told Cassius.

"I know." He sighed.

She would have done exactly what Potter did.

"Most of the judges," Cassius was surprised by the nasty look Bagman gave Karkaroff, "feels that this shows moral fiber and merits full marks. However… Mr. Potter's score is forty-five points."

Cassius politely clapped while the crowd cheered.

"We're tying for first place." Cassius said into Cassie's ear.

"Feeling threatened?" Cassie teased him.

"Not at all." Cassius shook his head.

'Everything's falling into place.'

"The third and final task will take place at dusk on the twenty-fourth of June," Bagman continued. "The champions will be notified of what is coming precisely one month beforehand. Thank you all for your support of the champions!"

"I didn't think they were going to take people." Cassius admitted to Cassie as they walked up to the Hospital Wing to be checked out by Madam Pomfrey.

"I'm not surprised. Nor am I surprised that the majority of us have some sort of connection with Harry." Cassie admitted to Cassius.

"You four do have some weird sort of luck and I can't tell if it's bad or good." Cassius chuckled.

"Sometimes it's good. Other times, it's going to be bad."

'Going to be?' Cassius looked at her with concern and fear.


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Pamela Hutchins: I'm glad you enjoyed it! This last week I've been able to spend some time getting these chapters and let me tell you. I am sorry! LOL