Cassia had agreed that she would help Neville pick some water plants from the lake with Potter. In reality, that meant her and Potter sitting against a tree whilst Neville, knee deep in the water, picked his plants.

"Amazing!" He said when he got a particularly good one. "Amazing!"

"Neville, you're doing it again," Harry informed him.

"Right, sorry..."

"Let him be happy, Potter!" Cassia jabbed said boy in the side, picking up a discarded book that lay at her feet and looking at the title. "Magical Water Plants of the Highland Lochs?"

"Yeah, Moody gave it to me," Neville shrugged, waving to someone behind Harry and Cassia.

The both of them turned to see Ron and Hermione walking slightly ahead of Poppy and Ginny, all of them heading in their direction.

Hermione was hissing to Ron. "I don't wanna- this is your problem not mine-"

"Oh shit," Cassia muttered as she and Harry got up, facing them.

"Hey, Cass," Poppy smiled, heading over to her best friend. "I thought you'd be down here."

"Yeah," Cassia smiled, as Hermione hissed more inaudible words to Ron. "What's going on?" She asked Poppy.

The girl shook her head, insinuating that she too had no idea.

Things became apparent, though, when Hermione stepped forward, looking at Harry.

"Ronald would like me to tell you, that Seamus told him, that Dean was told by Parvati that Hagrid's looking for you," Hermione got out in a rush.

"Is that right? Well, you-" Potter frowned. "What?"

Cassia resisted the urge to snort.

"Uh..." Hermione frowned, turning back to Ron, who hissed the same thing to her. Then she looked back to Harry. "Dean was told by Parvati that... please don't make me say it again, Hagrid's looking for you."

As she turned, Harry snapped. "Well you can tell Ronald-"

"I'm not an owl!" Hermione snapped as she turned to face him, before stomping back up the hill and linking arms with Ginny, the two of them walking back up to the castle.

Ron shot one more scathing look at Harry before he joined them.

❦︎❦︎❦︎

Cassia had never know her brother to be so creative.

The new day brought new badges, moving ones, ones that Draco had invented.

At first they were just a picture of Cedric's head, captioned SUPPORT CEDRIC DIGGORY: THE REAL HOGWARTS CHAMPION.

But then you pressed them, and they spun into a green badge with Harry's head on it, captioned POTTER STINKS.

And whilst young, eleven year old Cassia would've heartily agreed with these badges and wore one religiously, older, fourteen year old Cassia was angry at them.

Because everywhere you turned, at least one person was wearing one. Draco and his little Slytherin posse had deposited them all over the school, until it seemed like only those closest to Harry were the ones refusing them.

Most Gryffindors had, but they were only a quarter of the school, and you still caught one or two here and there with one pinned to their chest. The first task was only a couple of days away, after all, and suddenly it was getting real. But even the champions didn't know what it was, yet.

Cassia, at the moment, was sitting with Cedric on a bench in the courtyard, their hands intertwined (that was happening more often recently, and everytime it did Cassia's heart did a little jump) and not a badge on either of their chests.

"Are you ready for the first task?" Cassia asked him.

"Yeah, I guess, I just-" Cedric sighed. "I feel like everyone's expecting me to be so much better than Harry, y'know? But I probably won't be, and I don't want to let anyone down."

"You won't," Cassia said simply. "Or you won't let anyone who actually matters down. I just- I just fucking can't with the badges," she ranted. "It's so sick. We don't have to choose a champion. I'm going to support both you and Potter."

Cedric smiled gently. "Considering how much you two used to argue, that's surprising."

"I know," Cassia agreed with a giggle. "Wait- you remember us arguing?"

"Oh, of course," laughed Cedric. "I think everyone remembers you yelling at him during that quidditch game, something about 'tell your bludger'-"

"-'to stop aiming its ass at me'," Cassia grinned. "I- how do you remember that?"

"It was just one of your memorable moments," Cedric smiled. "I-"

"Sorry, could I have a word?"

Cassia didn't have the heart to be annoyed with Potter for interrupting her (was it a date?) hang out with Cedric. By the look on the boy's face it had been a tough day already and it wasn't even ten o'clock.

"Yeah, sure," Cedric shrugged. "Can Cass be involved in this, too?"

Poppy called her 'Cass' all the time, but it felt different coming from Cedric. It made Cassia's stomach flutter.

"Yeah," Harry nodded, as they stood up and headed over to a more private part of the courtyard.

"Dragons," was the first word he said. "That's the first task. They've got one for each of us."

"Wait hold on, Potter, how exactly do you know this?" Cassia stepped forward.

"Hagrid, last night," Harry told her.

"Wait, you're serious?" Cedric was amazed. "And Fleur and Krum, do they-?"

"Yes."

"Right," Cedric nodded. "Thank you."

Harry gave him a nod of thanks.

"And listen, about the badges-" Cedric sighed.

"Don't worry about it," Harry shook his head, walking off.

Cassia looked to Cedric, saying. "Do you want to-?"

"Why so tense, Potter?"

The sound of her brother's voice, so smug and superior, made her see red.

"Fucking hell," she muttered under her breath, marching over to where Potter was now standing, looking up at a tree, where Draco was perched in.

Cedric followed her, drawing up beside her to watch the scene just as Draco announced. "My father and I have a bet, you see. I don't think you're gonna last ten minutes in this tournament."

Cassia rolled her eyes as he jumped down, smirking as all his lackeys joined up behind him. "He disagrees," he shrugged. "He doesn't think you're gonna last five."

As they Slytherins and him laughed their heads off, something inside Cassia was screaming, beat his ass, Potter.

And Potter didn't, but he did march up to Draco, yelling. "I don't give a damn what your father things, Malfoy! He's vile, and cruel, and you're just pathetic."

And it was true. It was all true. And Cassia reminded herself for the first time since last year that Potter knew what her father had done, he knew she had been hit by him-

But Draco didn't care, because when Harry turned around, he drew his wand, snarling. "Pathetic? I'll show you-"

"OH NO YOU DON'T, SONNY!"

Before anyone could think, speak or act, Moody had raised his wand, and, with a yell, had transformed Draco into a ferret.

"That'll teach you not to curse someone when their back is turned!" Moody yelled, starting to lift the ferret up and down. "You stinking, cowardly, scummy-"

And Cassia was laughing, because she wasn't sure what else to do. She was laughing with Cedric and Potter and the rest of the crowd that had gathered, and for once was thanking Moody's madness.

"Professor Moody!" McGonagall shouted shrilly as she ran onto the scene. "What are you doing?"

"Teaching," Moody replied, and Cassia laughed harder.

"Is that-?" McGonagall was crazed. "Is that a student?!"

"Technically, it's a ferret."

Cassia was doubled up now, holding onto Cedric's shoulder for support.

Then Moody levitated the ferret down Crabbe's trousers, and out the bottom, and the boy was screaming the whole way. Well, that is until he was out and McGonagall pointed her wand at him, transforming him back into Draco.

"Aw, why did she ruin it?" Cassia murmured to Cedric, who laughed with her.

"My father will hear about this!" Draco was spitting at Moody.

"Is that a threat? Is that a threat-?" Moody asked as he advanced towards Draco, causing the boy to run round the tree and leg it across the courtyard. Moody yelled after him. "I COULD TELL YOU STORIES ABOUT YOUR FATHER THAT WOULD CURL EVEN YOUR GREASY HAIR, BOY!"

I don't dount you could.

"IT DOESN'T END HERE-!"

"Professor Moody!" McGonagall shouted, causing the man to look at her. "We never use transfiguration as a punishment!" She reprimanded. "Surely Dumbledore told you that?"

"Might have mentioned it," Moody admitted.

"Well you will do well to remember it," McGonagall told him, turning around and striding back across the courtyard.

Cassia, who was still cracking up, almost went mad herself at the face Moody gave her back.

Boy, this guy is interesting.

❦︎❦︎❦︎

That afternoon, Hermione and Cassia were chilling on a sofa in the common room when Harry came up to them.

"Hermione? Actually, Cassia as well, I need you two to help me with something."

"What is it?" Cassia asked.

Harry took a deep breath.

"I need to learn how to summon a broom from a castle that's about five hundred metres away in two day's time."

"Hold on, Potter, what the f-?"