Chapter 17
Astrid never got another chance to talk to Cassius, he was avoiding her.
The only times he didn't avoid her was when Cassie was with him.
And she was starting to get angry that she couldn't get any time alone with her best friend.
"You better read this, Cassie." Astrid had read the Daily Prophet and knew Cassie would want to read it.
'Don't go off of The Plan.' She mentally willed to Cassius.
He was looking a little paler than usual, more than likely because it was the day of the Final Task.
Cassius read over Cassie's shoulder.
"Oh come on!" Cassis rolled her eyes as she passed the newspaper back to Astrid.
"Are you going to go with him?" Cassius asked.
'Go.' Astrid willed.
"No. There's nothing that can be done about it now. It's been posted. I'm sorry that she never writes about you." She answered.
"It only bothers me a little. I get that he's Harry Potter, but I am supposed to be the Hogwarts Champion." He muttered into her ear.
She nodded her understanding to him.
"What's her obsession with him?" Astrid asked Cassie.
"He's 'The Boy Who Lived'. She's just trying to stir the pot in the wizarding world." Cassie sighed.
Astrid nodded, suddenly understanding.
"Mr. Warrington, parents of the champions are in the chamber. They'll be there when you finish eating breakfast." Snape's voice said over the students.
"Thank you, Professor Snape." Cassius turned to speak to his head of house.
He was surprised to see him glaring down at Cassie.
'What is that about?' Cassius asked.
Snape hadn't been to the meetings he was a part of, but why would he glare at Cassie? He isn't aware of what Cassius is doing, right?
"I wasn't planning on asking this for a while, but since they're here, would you like to meet my parents?" Cassius asked, turning towards Cassie.
"Right now?" She asked.
"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 Cassie.
"I can't talk for too long, I have History of Magic to get to as soon as possible." Cassie took his hand.
"I don't make any promises." Cassius said as he escorted her to the chamber.
He would try his best to get her out of the chamber, but he didn't know if his parents would let her walk out.
He felt her hand tightened in his.
"Don't be nervous, they're going to like you." He squeezed her hand.
"I sure hope so." Cassie said.
Cassius let out a chuckle and led her into the chamber off to the side.
Before they could get far, Cassie was being hugged by a blonde little girl.
"Gabrielle!" Cassie said, looking happy to see her.
"Bonjour!" The girl smiled up at Cassie.
The girl's mother had followed her with Fleur Delacour and the three of them started talking French to each other.
"Cassie?" Cassius asked.
Cassie held up her hand and waited patiently for them to finish their conversation.
"Fleur says zat you were ze one who was wiz Gabrielle for ze second task?" Mrs. Delacour asked.
"I was." Cassie nodded.
"Thank you." Mrs. Delacour grabbed Cassie's face and kissed both of her cheeks twice.
"You're welcome." Cassie smiled up at her.
Delacour smiled at Cassie as Cassius pulled her away.
"That was weird." Cassius said.
"It was." Cassie agreed.
Cassius saw two Weasley's standing by the fire. Before he could say anything to Cassie about them his father called out.
"Cassius!"
"Father!" Cassius shook his dad's hand, happy to see him.
"You must be Cassie." His mother smiled warmly at Cassie.
"I am." Cassie smiled politely.
"I'm Alexandra, and this is Othello." Mother introduced the two of them.
"Othello?" Cassie asked, shaking Father's hand.
"Yes, I am named Othello." Father nodded.
"My name is Cassiopeia." Cassie told them.
"Oh yes, the Black's are fond of Constellation names." Mother nodded.
"Cassius' full name is Damarion Cassius Warrington." Father said proudly.
"Damarion?" Cassie asked, a big grin on her face.
Cassius felt his ears turn pink.
"That's a good name, I haven't heard that one before." Cassie complimented.
"Thank you." Cassius said stiffly.
"Cassie, who do you stay with over the summers?" Alexandra asked.
"I live with my cousins, the Malfoys." Cassie informed them.
Cassius already knew this, but he hadn't shared the information with his parents.
Now that he was looking at them, he couldn't bear to disappoint them.
"Ah! I'm sure dear Narcissa is taking good care of you!" Othello said.
"She is." Cassie nodded.
Cassius saw McGonagall over Cassie's head and gave her hand a squeeze.
"Miss Zwart." McGonagall said.
Cassie turned around to face her head of house.
"Your History of Magic exam is about to start." McGonagall informed Cassie.
"Thank you, Professor." Cassie nodded to her. "I better go, it was lovely meeting you." Cassie turned to his parents.
"It was lovely to meet you too." Mother said as Father nodded his agreement.
"I'll see you later." Cassius kissed her cheek.
"See you later." Cassie smiled.
McGonagall walked her out of the chamber.
"Cassius? Why don't you take us on a tour of Hogwarts? It's been years since we've been here." Mother asked.
Though Cassius understood the message.
'Let's talk somewhere privately.'
"Of course, Mother." He nodded and passed Harry as he walked out of the chamber.
"The Potions classroom hasn't left the dungeons, and you know that Professor Snape is in charge of Potions." Cassius pointed down the staircase that led to the Slytherin Common Room, and the dungeons.
Mother nodded.
"Severus is an excellent teacher, I presume?" Father asked.
"Yes, sir." Cassius nodded as he led them out towards the Black Lake.
They waited until they were far away from any lingering ears.
"Excellent work, Cassius." Mother's eyes were shining with pride.
"Thank you, Mother." Cassius's heart gave a pang.
He hadn't told them yet.
"How is your side project coming along?" Father asked.
Even though they were out of ear shot, they still couldn't be sure.
"It's coming along. There have been some obstacles that have come up but I'm sure I can work through them in time." Cassius answered.
'Like how Cassie is changing me. Not the other way around.' He thought to himself.
"Of course, those are to be expected." Father nodded his head.
"Before I get distracted, I should tell you, Cassie is currently having some problems with the Weasley family." Cassius remembered the way Mrs. Weasley looked at Cassie when she was brought into the chamber.
"Good." Father nodded his head again.
"Oh Othello," Mother shook her head at him. "What kind of problems, dear?" Mother turned to Cassius.
"Mrs. Weasley doesn't like Cassie because of who her father is. I'm not giving you this information to use against her, I'm telling you so that when you see them interacting you don't interfere." Cassius looked at his Mother at the last part.
"Interfere?" Mother looked slightly offended.
"Please, Mother." Cassius looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh very well." She rolled her eyes in a very unladylike manner.
"Thank you." Cassius nodded.
"Speak of the devil." Father was looking behind Cassius.
Cassius turned around to see Harry walking with Mrs. Weasley and one of the elder Weasley men.
Harry saw Cassius and gave him a nod which Cassius returned.
"Are you friendly with Potter?" Father asked.
"No Father. But I do have to keep up appearances." Cassius said through his teeth.
"Othello, leave him alone. He knows what he's doing, we've got to start treating him like a man now." Mother said to Father, her arm wrapping around his.
"Yes, of course." Father coughed to clear his throat.
"Well then, Son, show us the rest of Hogwarts!"
Cassius was relieved when it was time to lunch.
He loved his parents very much, but since he was their only child they ended up being more overbearing than anything.
They were proud that he had made it into the Tournament, that much wasn't rigged. He had become the Champion fairly.
They also were proud that he had agreed to help bring Cassie under the Dark Lord's wing.
"We can always use a Seer, and only Seer's can be pure of blood. Along with one that is a metamorphmagus!" Father had said before the start of term.
For the plan was to gain Cassie's trust, and if Cassius hadn't been the champion it may have been a little more difficult for Cassius to do just that.
The next step was to either force her to join their side, or have her join them willingly.
Willingly would work better, but if she had to be forced Othello wasn't afraid to get it done.
"I'll go and get Cassie for lunch." Cassius said when they entered the Great Hall.
"Splendid idea!" Mother smiled at him.
Cassius tried to walk normally to reach Cassie. She was being confronted by Mrs. Weasley and Cassius did not want to see that happen.
"Cassie, would you like to join me and my parents for lunch?" Cassius put a hand on her shoulder.
Mrs. Weasley was looking flushed when he reached them.
"I would be delighted too." Cassie said.
She turned her back on Mrs. Weasley and walked with Cassius's hand in her's.
"Are you okay?" Cassius asked.
"Nope, but I don't want to talk about it right now." Cassie said just as they reached Cassius's parents.
"Hello again, Cassie!" Mother hugged Cassie.
Cassius knew she was giving Mrs. Weasley a look, but Cassie was pleasantly surprised to receive the hug.
"Hello again, Alexandra!" Cassie hugged her back.
Cassius saw Cassie freeze and then murmured something quietly to Mother.
"Let's sit down and eat." Cassius said as he put his arm around Cassie's shoulders.
Father took the hint and guided Mother to an empty spot at the Slytherin table.
"Thank you." Cassie whispered to him.
Cassius nodded, not quite sure why she was thanking him.
"Cassie, Cassius has told us that you're interested in being the Transfiguration teacher?" Father asked her.
"I am." Cassie nodded as Cassie held food platters for her.
"Why be a teacher?" Mother asked as she took a bite of her salad she chose to eat.
"I admire Professor McGonagall. She is respected and I look forward to her classes. I -" Cassie paused before continuing. "I want people to look forward to learning, and I want to teach other people and help them expand on the knowledge they seek." She answered.
"So why the Transfiguration teacher and not the Astronomy teacher?" Father asked.
Cassius grinned into his food.
"Oh!" Mother gave a sound of delight as Cassie changed her blonde hair to her house color.
"Professor McGonagall is an Animagus, and since my body naturally transfigures as I want it too, Transfiguration seems like the perfect fit." Cassie grinned at their reactions.
"You didn't mention she was a metamorphmagus!" Father said in an accusatory tone.
"Well, it didn't seem important to mention." Cassius chuckled.
"You set me up." Cassie accused him.
Cassius froze.
"'You set me up!" She screamed as he revealed his true intentions.'
"I did." He admitted.
Cassie made a noise of playful disgust and pushed him with her shoulder.
"May I ask a more personal question?" Mother asked Cassie.
"Of course." Cassie nodded.
"If you're a metamorphmagus, why do you still have that scar on your face?" Mother asked.
"Mother!" Cassius didn't like how she went straight for that question.
"It's okay, Cassius. It's a valid question!" Cassie had put her hand on his thigh.
"It's a gift that I am able to change my appearance the way I can. I enjoy changing my hair from Draco's shade of blonde," she gestured over to her cousin who was sitting next to his friend, "to pink and everything in between; but I got this scar when I was eleven years old. It's a part of who I am and if I remove it, I just don't feel like myself and I don't think I look like myself."
Father was nodding in agreement.
"I see." Mother nodded slowly.
She gave Cassius a look, and Cassius felt like he was eight years old again.
'She knows.' He thought to himself.
"What do you do for a living, Othello? Do you work for the Ministry?" Cassie hadn't noticed the look that passed between mother and son.
"Oh yes. I actually work for the Department of Magical Transportation." Father answered.
He didn't have to work, but he did like keeping busy. And working so close to the Minister is just the job he needed.
"Oh! So did you enchant the portkey's for the Quidditch World Cup?" Cassie asked.
"I did not, personally, do that. I was in charge of accounting for them and choosing what got made into portkeys."
Cassius knew that he was in charge of doing that, but for his safety he always said he just chose the objects so that people wouldn't go after him if their portkey went to the wrong destination.
"Cassie is a lovely girl," Mother was holding onto Cassius's arm while they waited for Father to come out of the bathroom.
"She is." Cassius nodded.
"I don't agree with her on some aspects." Mother said, choosing her words carefully. "But if you see a future with her, an honest future, and it doesn't follow with The Plan, I will support you." She said,
"Mom?" He asked her.
Cassius didn't want to believe what she was saying, but before he could ask more about it his Father came out.
"Now, what shall we do until it's time for supper?" Father asked, clapping his hands.
Oof. We're getting close to the end and I feel bad that it's almost over. I'm glad I took my time with it rather than rushing it out for everyone. I'll have more to say on the very last chapter for this story so I won't repeat myself.
Shout out to Pamela Hutchins for leaving a review!
