Olley stood up and yelled, "Cassius, that's insane!" He stomped out of the great hall. Cassius sighed and finished his meal.
Later that day, Cassius met with Petunia outside of Hogwarts at the edge of the forbidden forest. "So, what's this about shaving points?" she asked with a smirk. Being one of the seekers, she could control the flow of the game significantly.
"I just need to shave a few points at Quidditch, Petunia. I prepared a big bet to run through," Cassius explained, his voice laced with a mixture of desperation and determination. He knew the risks involved, but the rewards could significantly change his family's situation.
"Are you sure? You're putting your head on the line and I don't think the Gryffindor seeker will be willing to join in on this scheme," she said worriedly.
Cassius snickered. "Don't worry about the Gryffindor seeker, I got Micheal Leamon in my corner."
Petunia looked hesitant. "Listen Petunia, you know why I need the money. Please, Petunia." Cassius's voice softened, the urgency and plea in his tone painting the gravity of the situation.
Petunia's expression softened, understanding the sacrifice Cassius was willing to make for his sister. "Alright, Cassius. I'll help. But let's make sure neither of us gets caught, alright?"
Cassius nodded, relief washing over him. "Thank you, Petunia. We'll be careful." They both knew the risks, but the cause was greater than themselves.
Close by, James Potter, under an invisibility cloak, ran to the Gryffindor tower looking for Lily to convince her to stop her sister. He rant with haste and found Lily reading witch weekly. "Lily Cassius and Petunia are planning to rig the Quiditch game!"
Lily brows furrowed. "James if this is one of your pranks—" He interrupted her and spoke to her earnestly. "Listen I swear that Cassius is planning something, he even has Micheal Leamon on his side." She looked into his eyes and nodded.
The corridors of Hogwarts hummed with the usual bustle of students as Lily made her way towards the Ravenclaw tower, her steps quick with purpose. James's words echoed in her mind, a mix of disbelief and worry clouding her thoughts.
Pushing open the door to the common room, Lily scanned the room for Petunia, her heart pounding. She found her sister poring over a Quidditch strategy guide, seemingly absorbed in her research. "Petunia, we need to talk. Now," Lily said, her voice low and urgent.
Tucking the book under her arm, Petunia followed Lily to a quiet corner. "It's about the Quidditch match," Lily began, "James told me everything." Petunia's face fell, a guilty look flashing in her eyes.
"Lily, it's not as simple as it seems. Cassius is doing this for us, for Julia."
Lily's pleading eyes met Petunia's as she reasoned with her sister, "You can't be part of this, Petunia. It's not just about getting caught; it's about what's right." Petunia, conflicted, finally nodded. "Alright, Lily, I won't do it. But you have to convince Cassius. He's doing this for Julia." With a heavy heart, Lily agreed, knowing the weight of her next task.
She found Cassius by the Black Lake, his gaze distant and troubled. "Cassius, I know about the Quidditch game. Please, there has to be another way. Think about what this could mean for all of us if you're caught." Cassius, torn between desperation and reality.
The serene night at the Black Lake was disrupted by the palpable tension between Cassius and Lily. "Under one condition, I can step back from this madness," Cassius finally spoke, his tone betraying his inner turmoil. He nonchalantly picked up a pebble and sent it skipping across the lake, an action so normal it was incongruent with the gravity of their conversation. "James Potter must bet his entire Hogwarts Allowance on the Gryffindor team." The audacity of the plan was evident.
Lily was shocked. "Wait why?"
Cassius shrugged. "It makes game more interesting and more thrilling. But in honestly it simply increases the winning I will get when Gryffindor loses." He said with a mischievous grin forming.
Confusion and concern danced across Lily's face as she struggled to make sense of Cassius's plan. "But how can you be so sure Gryffindor will lose? And why drag James into this?" She pressed, hoping for a shred of reason.
Cassius's smirk faded, replaced by a serious expression. "It's not just about the bet, Lily. It's about proving a point. That sometimes, even the mightiest can fall. And yes, James's involvement... it's personal. A lesson about humility." He paused, his gaze piercing.
"But if it reassures you, I have a plan B. A way to make amends if things go south." The promise of a backup plan did little to ease Lily's worry, but it offered a glimmer of hope in the convoluted scheme Cassius was weaving.
Amidst the shadow of the towering Quidditch stands, James and Sirius found themselves entrenched in a fierce argument with Micheal, the Gryffindor seeker, whose alliance with Cassius Snape had left many questioning his loyalty. "You can't agree with this plan, Micheal!" Sirius barked, his patience wearing thin.
Micheal, however, shrugged off the concern as if it were nothing more than a light drizzle. "Cassius is doing me a favor no one else would do, James. Especially from the biggest house loyalists in Gryffindor," he argued, his stance unwavering.
It was at that moment Ford made his entrance, his tone laced with a mischief that only he could muster. "Hey Micheal, you don't need to shave points," he teased, eyes glinting with unspoken knowledge. "Your secret is with us. And your girl." His words, coated in insinuation, left a silence that spoke volumes, the tension momentarily defused by the promise of secrecy.
James' heart sank at Lily's words. He had imagined many scenarios, but gambling all his Hogwarts allowance wasn't one of them.
He turned to see Sirius, his eyes widening with disbelief. "She can't be serious. Cassius is playing us," James exclaimed.
Sirius shrugged, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Or, he believes so strongly in Gryffindor's victory that it's worth the risk." The Gryffindor seeker, overhearing their conversation, scoffed. "You would risk everything on Quidditch?" he questioned, shaking his head in disapproval.
James met his gaze firmly. "Not just on Quidditch. On Gryffindor. On us." His determination sparked a silent accord among them, their resolve turning the tide of the argument.
Sev met with Davis in the abandoned Alchemy class, Olley sprawled out with a look of utter boredom. "Did the blue blood join in yet?" Sev inquired, his curiosity palpable in the dimly lit room.
Davis flipped through the ledger, his finger tracing the names and bets logged inside. "Not yet, but green bet on Parkinson and green grass breaking up," he said, an attempt to infuse some humor into the heavy atmosphere.
It was then that James burst into the room, a disdainful "Snivellus" slipping from his lips, irking Severus immediately. Unfazed by the cold reception, he dropped a heavy bag of coins on the table with a flair. "50 galleons on Gryffindor to win!" He announced, his confidence as glaring as the coins that now lay before them.
The amount of the bet appeared in the ledger, Davis turned the ledger toward James and pointed at the dotted line.
As the quill made contact with the parchment, James felt the gravity of his decision settle in. Around him, the energy shifted uncomfortably, but Sirius's laughter cut through the tension as he saw the ledger. "Only you would dare, James. Only you." Sev, who had remained silent up until now, stepped forward, his gaze piercing. "And what if you lose, Potter?" he asked, voice void of its usual venom.
James met his gaze squarely, a with a sense of defiance and camaraderie in his eyes. "Then we face it together." The silence that followed as the two Lions left, Severus watched the best friend leave the with a sense of disgust toward them.
The Quidditch match's cacophony swelled as Gryffindor and Ravenclaw clashed mid-air, their players a blur of colors against the clear sky. Micheal Leamon, the Gryffindor seeker, was relentless in his pursuit, his eyes scanning the skies for any glint of gold. Meanwhile, Petunia, Ravenclaw's seeker, mirrored his movements from a distance, her gaze equally determined. Amid the roaring crowd, Cassius Snape remained the eye of the storm, his expression unreadably calm as he watched the game unfold, his bet with James weighing heavily in the balance yet betraying no sign of concern for the outcome.
Sev came to his brother's side and whispered something into his ear, which caused the fourth-year Slytherin to laugh. At that moment, the Gryffindor keeper got knocked off his broom, and the game paused. Cassius's laughter ceased as quickly as it had come, his gaze shifting back to the field with an intensity that belied his earlier humor. "This changes nothing," he murmured, more to himself than to Sev. His younger brother nodded, understanding the stakes were still high, their unity unbroken despite the temporary setback.
The tension in the air was palpable as the reserve keeper took to the field, his determination clear. Gryffindor's spirits lifted, sensing the change in the wind. Michael and Petunia, the seekers, were the focal points, their battle a mesmerizing display of skill and nerve. As they chased the glinting snitch, Cassius couldn't help but admire their bravery. With a burst of speed, Michael outmaneuvered Petunia, his hand closing around the snitch with a decisive grasp. Gryffindor erupted into cheers, their victory snatched from the jaws of defeat.
As the sun began to dip below the horizon, casting long shadows across the Hogwarts grounds, Lily intercepted Severus just outside the Ravenclaw common room.
Apologies were already forming on her lips; she was ready to take the blame for any distress caused to Cassius. "Sev, I'm sorry. if Cassius's gamble was a loss because of Gryffindor's victory," she started, her green eyes troubled.
Severus, however, held a hand up to stop her, his other pulling a large bag of coins from his cloak. Confusion marred Lily's expression. "What's this?"
"Cassius's winnings," Severus answered, a hint of pride in his voice. "He didn't just bet on the game's winner. He bet specifically on how the game would end. Michael catching the snitch was his prediction." A sense of joy replaced the worry on Lily's face as she realized that everything ended with no one being hurt.
Pushing open the door to the Ravenclaw common room, Severus was immediately engulfed in a wave of euphoria. The space was filled with chatter and laughter, a stark contrast to the usual studious silence. In the midst of it all stood Emily and Petunia, their arms laden with galleons, their faces alight with triumph. "Sev, you won't believe it!" Petunia called out over the din, spotting him wading through the crowd. "Cassius had this wild hunch about the Quidditch match, told us to put everything on the snitch catch. And guess what? We're going to be flying on the best brooms next season!" The information stunned Severus for a moment. His brother, often the strategist, had once again outsmarted them all. It wasn't merely about the money; it was the thrill of making a confident call against all odds. As he watched the jubilant celebrations.
Late into the night, within the stone-clad walls of the Slytherin common room, an aura of triumph cloaked Cassius and his close-knit group of conspirators. "The blue bloods? They took the bait?" whispered Ford, barely containing his glee.
Cassius, ever the mastermind, responded with a measured nod, "Hook, line, and sinker. Their pride made them easy targets." The plan had been executed flawlessly, turning the Quidditch match into a gambit that siphoned off the allowances of the most arrogant Slytherin pure-bloods. "Micheal Leamon outdid himself, thanks to a certain whisper," Cassius revealed, a glint of mischief in his eyes. The confession sparked a wave of hushed laughter among the group.
Olley had to ask "How by Merlin's beard does he keep stalking his way into places without being caught?" Olley questioned, as they knew only through James' intervention did the full weight of their gamble reach its height.
Davis shrugged it off. "So what? He joined in the bet and made the prejudged Slytherins into throwing their own allowances into the pot so they could laugh at James Potter's failure."
Ford added. "Making run over with Galleons?" He asked with a smirked holding a coin. "Even if it was plan B, we still made out with half the pot. Which Finance my next Broom a comet!" He cheered already seeing the house cup in front of him.
Cassius just let relieved sigh as his worry, Now their school supplies won't be second had, they deserved the best.
He went to his dorm and looked at the rune carved into his right arm and the newly created dream stealer, "Thank you Julia." He spoke somberly placing a new dream stealer into an envelope.
The Gryffindor's continued their celebration to the next the marauders laughing magical fireworks in the halls, the mail came in during breakfast owls supplying packets from home.
The jubilation on his face had disappeared as soon as he saw the bright red envelope waiting for him on his bed. The moment he touched it, the envelope burst open, and his mother's voice echoed, loud and clear, booming across the room. "James Charlus Potter! Gambling your entire allowance on a Quidditch match? Have you lost your senses?!" The Howler's reprimand left a stunned silence in its wake. James' face flushed with embarrassment and regret. His friends looked on, sympathy mixed with a hint of incredulity in their eyes. He had made a brave, yet reckless, decision and now faced the consequences. As the Howler disintegrated, leaving a smoky residue, James knew it was a long night ahead, thinking over his choices.
The sound of his mother's voice, amplified by the magic of the Howler, left James Potter stunned and embarrassed in front of the whole Gryffindor House. Unbeknownst to the others, Severus Snape hid a smug smile, relishing the mayhem he had orchestrated.
Author's note: The ledger is cursed. IF you can't pay or don't have the funds the book doesn't accept bets, while if one refuses to pay the ledger causes the person to be unable use any form of payment.