***

***

IT SEEMED THAT MANY PEOPLE ON THIS DAY, HALLOWEEN, were loathe to sacrificing their extra available Saturday sleep-time in exchange to witnessing, or participating in some cases, in placing the names into the Goblet of Fire. Nearly everyone had taken to breakfasting earlier in the Great Hall, as they occasionally stopped by in the Entrance Hall to witness a Durmstrang or Beauxbatons students enter. Hardly any from Hogwarts had entered yet, though: a Ravenclaw boy was seen to sheepishly pass his name into the flaming goblet, and apparently Cedric Diggory had entered his name the previous night, yet no other news.

     With that being the case, Cassia was sat down at the Slytherin table in her blue jeans and thick grey jumper eating away at a croissant with pleasure. If hosting a French school meant being able to eat croissants every morning, I am all in. Beside Cassia was Eva and Theo on either sides with Maryam, Pucey and Higgs on the opposite side of the table. But the most important thing, were the two tiny half-hourglass shaped vials filled with an indigo shade potion, which sat with stillness beside Cassia's half-empty bowl of cereal.

     Before, she'd scoured the Hall with her eyes for the sight of those two redheaded twins but found them nowhere in sight, and proceeded with her breakfast. Instead she was just faced with the views of Hogwarts students all in their weekend clothes, the Durmstrang students sat at the end of the Slytherin table and the Beauxbatons students at the end of the Ravenclaw table.

     "Will those two show up or what?" Cassia whines, shaking her head. "It's not like I stayed up late to make it for them of anything." She saw the ludicrous look Theo gave her. "Oh, don't even pretend you did anything, Theo. You were about as useful as the rat tails you gave me, which happened to not be used at all."

     "Hmph." Theo grunts. "I was there for moral support. Besides, I'm still going to get that joke shop discount anyways."

"Annoyingly enough you are," Cassia mutters.

With the dread that the two Weasleys weren't going to show up, Cassia was about to slip the vials into her jeans back pocket, when she'd heard a voice - no, two voices - call out behind her, making her stop midway with her fingers slipped inside the pocket.

"I hope you're not planning to hide that from us, Greengrass."

     Cassia's head retracted to see the Weasley twins standing behind her and Theo at the Slytherin table, tall in height, grinning mischievously.

     "Finally, you guys show up. I was beginning to think you'd rethought your decision." Cassia says, holding the two vials flat in her palm outstretched to Fred and George.

     "What? Never." Fred declares, as he and George took one of each vial and began examining its contents.

     "Now, I made sure that it's enough for just a few months older but I still don't know if it can bypass the age line. That kind of magic is difficult to work around. So," says Cassia, looking at them pointedly, "do not blame me if anything goes wrong. I only did what you asked."

     "You truly are an angel, Cassia Greengrass." George remarks, a satisfied smile on his face.

     "Don't call me an angel." Cassia replied bluntly.

     "Why, afraid of losing your ruthless Slytherin reputation? No need to do that with us. We know you're a big softie." Fred smirked in return to Cassia's glare. "Anyways Georgie, it's time put Miss Greengrass's abilities to the test, don't you think?"

George grinned at his twin. "Exactly my thoughts."

     They began retreating out of the Great Hall towards the Entrace Hall where the Goblet was placed, and Cassia watched their long legs stride outwards. When Fred and George realised they weren't being followed, they turned back to Cassia sitting down, looking at her  (and Theo by the looks of it) expectantly.

     "Aren't you two coming?" Fred spoke, halfway down the length of the Great Hall.

     Cassia looked at the twins, then at Theo. "Why not?" She chuckles, shaking her head.

     She got up and out of her seat, and when she took a glance at the two sat opposite from her, Higgs and Pucey, she couldn't help but roll her eyes. They were glaring at the backs of the Weasley's - it was obviously to do with the Quidditch grudge Pucey and Higgs held over any Gryffindor.

     "Grow up, you two. There's no Quidditch on this year, anyways. No reason to keep this up." She scoffed at the boys who directed their glare in Cassia's direction.

     "What do you even see in them?" Higgs retorts childishly.

     "Humour, boys." Cassia answers. "You should take a tip or two. Theo, you coming?" She looked down at Theo who was still sitting on the wooden bench, cramming the remainder of a pain au chocolat down his mouth.

     "Lets go." Theo mumbles, his mouth full of pastry as he got to his feet, rubbing his hands against his jeans.

"We'll come too," Maryam motioned as Eva nodded and stood up along with her, much to the dismay of the two sitting Quidditch players, seeing them trail after their Quidditch rivals.

     (Cassia didn't fail to notice the way Adrian's expression blatantly fell seeing Eva stand up - it was quite clear that it was to do with how smitten he was with the blonde.)

They reached the Entrance Hall after doing a quick canter behind the students gathering to see how this act of the Weasley twins would play out. They stood right behind the drawn Age Line in front of the excited and anticipating students, and taking one final glance towards Cassia, they unstoppered the vials and poured its contents down their throats. They took two in-sync steps and found themselves in the ring, and for a moment, surrounded by the impressed cheers of students all around, Cassia had begun to think that maybe this could work. But as their hands reached towards the excited blue flames with the parchment, any hope that gathered vanished when the flames almost exploded in on them and they got propelled backwards, falling hard against the stone floor of the Entrance Hall.

Fred and George laid in a heap on the ground, looking unscathed by the impact of their fall, glaring at Cassia. However, hair started to sprout from their chins, and before they knew it they grew beards turning of a grey-white colour.

Examining their new facial hair carefully, they directed their fuming face onto Cassia. "Greengrass..." They began, but Cassia held her hands up in surrender as the attention from the laughing students got directed onto her.

"Don't you start in that tone with me! I told you it probably wouldn't work." Cassia defended in return, folding her arms.

"I did warn you." Quipped a voice, and Professor Dumbledore appeared to be coming into the Entrance Hall looking amused. "Madam Pomfrey is already attending Miss Fawcett of Ravenclaw and Mr Summers of Hufflepuff, I suggest you join them. Though none of their beards are quite like yours." Fred and George clambered to their feet bashfully, and Dumbledore took one more look in their direction. "Oh, and boys? I will be leaving your punishment up to Professor McGonagall to decide."

The crowd that'd gathered watched as the twins blistered away, unable to stifle their laughter at their failure. Meanwhile, Cassia was able to feel the weight of Dumbledore's half-moon glasses on her face. Scrunching her eyes shut, she prepared for the worst when he called her name.

"Miss Greengrass?" He calls out.

"Yes, sir?" Cassia replies stiffly. She knew what was coming. Dumbledore never misses a detail.

"I estimate you had a helping hand in the Weasley twins' antics this way around?" He presumes cooly.

"You are correct, sir." She found there was no point in lying, for it was clear Dumbledore already knew the answer to that question.

"Then I'll allow Professor Snape to decide your punishment, if you don't mind?"

Cassia sighed. "Not at all, sir."

"Perfect. Good day, everyone." Dumbledore clasped his aged hands together and made gigantic strides towards his office, and Cassia released the breath she didn't know she was holding.

She sure hoped not all was lost from this trick of the Weasley twins, apart from their youth and likely her Saturday Hogsmeade trip, as she knew how Snape loved taking away weekend liberties.

     "I'm now so glad all I did was provide moral support." She heard Theo say.

———

AT LONG LAST THE EVENING OF HALLOWEEN could not have arrived quicker. The Great Hall was buzzing with anticipation, waiting for the three champions to be chosen as people had eagerly finished their Halloween Feast, knowing they may face a slight food coma after two enormous feasts in a row, but nonetheless still excited. As all the candles bar the jack-o-lanterns became extinguished with a wave of Professor Dumbledore's wand, the Goblet of Fire was now the most noticeable object in the room with its blue flames licking up and down the sides of the golden Goblet almost as excitedly as the students were itself.

Cassia was pleased to see, after taking a glance over to Gryffindor table, that Fred and George's beards had vanished and they looked if anything, as young as they could possibly be. However, what Cassia wasn't pleased to hear from Professor Snape was that she'd have to miss out on all her Hogsmeade trips for the next month and she'll have to serve detention with Hagrid in the Forbidden Forest for the next three Saturdays. Salazar, was she scared of that place or what.

"Well, the Goblet is almost ready to make its decision," announced Dumbledore, "I estimate that it requires one more minutes. Now, when the champions' names are called, I would ask them to please come up to the top of the Hall, walk along the staff table and go through into the next chamber where they will be receiving their first instructions."

The flames within the Goblet turned a deep red, and a flame shot into the air above the Goblet and everyone drew their breaths excitedly as the burnt piece of parchment landed in Dumbledore's hand. The flames turned back to the sparkling blue straight after.

Dumbledore held the parchment within the light of the blue flames, before saying, "The champion for Durmstrang will be Viktor Krum!"

Everyone cheered as Krum got up from his seat at the Slytherin table and walked to the directed room, cheered on the loudest by his headmaster (Bravo Viktor! Knew you had it in you!). Once Krum left, the flames turned red again and another piece of parchment flew gracefully into Dumbledore's hands.

"The champion for Beauxbatons is Fleur Delacour!"

More cheers erupted as a girl with long silvery hair grinned and got up from Ravenclaw table, and with a jolt of realisation had Cassia known that that was the same girl Theo had been ogling the previous night.

The Hogwarts champion was next to be revealed after Fleur left the Hall, and there was an even more charged excitement in the air now that the majority were waiting to see who would represent their school. For a final time, the flames turned red and parchment shot from its flame tip, landing in Dumbledore's hand.

"The Hogwarts champion," says Dumbledore, "is Cedric Diggory!"

Of course it was Golden Boy Cedric Diggory, rising from a rowdy and ecstatic Hufflepuff table with a massive grin on his handsome face, and even as Diggory left the Hall, Hufflepuff table still continued to roar with applause.

"Excellent!" Said Dumbledore as the cheering came to a halt. "Well, we now have our three champions. I am sure I can count all of you, including the remaining students of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, to give your champions every once of support you can muster. By cheering your champion on, you will contribute in a very real–"

However Dumbledore had no chance to finish his account, for a grumble was heard to erupt from the Goblet and the flames turned red, as an ominous wave blanketed the previously felt excitement.

     Dumbledore began walking back towards the Goblet, and to everyone's shock, another piece of charred parchment erupted from the golden Goblet and landed in Dumbledore's hand.

     He looked at the parchment that rested in his hand, and a look of terror overcame him as he stared at the parchment in disbelief. "Harry Potter." He spoke, almost losing his ability to speak.

     Cassia's face dropped. How on Earth...? Her eyes scanned the Gryffindor table where sure enough, Harry Potter sat upon the bench, only he looked just as, if not more shocked by the gasping people in the hall. Surely Professor Dumbledore had spoken the wrong name? But then, there was only one Harry Potter and that Harry Potter had a knack for bad things to be likely to happen to him.

     "That does not make any sense!" Eva whispers harshly to Cassia, while everyone searched the Great Hall for the subjected boy.

     Nobody clapped as they did for the other three champions - all that was heard was the conspiring whispers and shocked faces of students and teachers alike.

     "Harry Potter, if you would please, come up!" Yelled Dumbledore, straight-faced and shell-shocked. And just like that, Harry's shaking figure straightened up and began down the aisle between two tables towards Dumbledore, his eyes scanning over the glares and confused looks being given by all those around him.

     Cassia watched as a small exchange happened between Potter and Dumbledore, before he slipped through the door at the back of the Great Hall, leaving only the roaring blue flames of the Goblet of Fire and the hushed whispers of confused students.

     How could this have happened? It physically seemed impossible to Cassia. For one, Potter was underage, and the Age Line prevented anyone under the age of 17 to enter - Fred and George Weasley, mere months away from the age couldn't even bypass that regulation, so how could someone two years younger do so? And not to mention, that first night Cassia had met Harry Potter properly on the Astronomy Tower, he seemed so genuine in wanting to have a normal year at Hogwarts. Yet here he was, a chosen Triwizard Champion... but that is, how could the teachers even let him compete? Not that Cassia didn't think him a talented wizard, but there were things in the Tournament she thinks would spook even those of age, let alone being two years along the way.

     None of it made any sense...

———

PERHAPS CASSIA SHOULD'VE THOUGHT OTHERWISE THAN TO arrive at the Astronomy Tower on this night. It was Halloween. The spirits were definitely out to get her. She could've sworn something tried tripping her up on the ascent up the stairs - she'd thought it could be Peeves, but everyone knows he wouldn't keep his mouth shut if that was the case.

     But her primary concern, apart from the traditional eeriness of Halloween, was whether or not a certain Harry Potter would show up for their nightly rendezvous. She'd thought not - he was probably exhausted from all the partying and interrogation Gryffindor house would have put him through, but then she remembered how so far, every time she'd perceived his absence, he was sure to show anyways.

     She felt.. bad, to say the least. Everyone in the Slytherin common room after the Selection did not hesitate to begin to make fun of and chat absolute shite about Potter because of it, and of course none of them knew about the apparent bond they had developed, and she didn't like hearing people talk about him in that way - because part of her did feel like the stars weren't right, and that it wasn't his fault that he was now a Triwizard champion. Something just felt off about it all.

     And so he did show up that night.

     At a time close to midnight, Potter appeared at the top of the stairwell, looking tired and more dishevelled than usual, wearing his navy blue hoodie with his invisibility cloak tucked under his arm. He took notice of Cassia and the way her head sped around her neck at the mere sound of him approaching the Tower, though he said nothing. Instead, he perched himself upon one of the Telescope podiums, sitting down on the flat platform with his hands on his knees, holding his head between them. He sighed.

     Cassia took a deep breath.

     "I didn't put my name in, if that's what you were going to ask."

     Potter's words took Cassia by abrupt surprise, before she'd even thought of anything to say. Perhaps it was due to the flatness with which he spoke, or the exhaustion that was clear within his tone. What seemed clear to Cassia, though, was that he seemed pretty... fed up.

Cassia took another deep breath.

     "I.. wasn't going to ask that, actually." She answers. Harry looked up to Cassia, his emerald eyes twinkling in the brief moonlight. "I don't know what I was going to ask. Pretty shocked by it still, I guess."

     "Yeah, you and me both." Potter says, scoffing lightly.

    Moving slowly and cautiously, Cassia edged around one of the telescopes to sit on the platform of the podium next to Potter's. She offered him a quaint, yet assuring smile.

     She looked at their knees, aligned next to each other, before saying, "If it makes you feel any better, I don't think you entered yourself."

     Potter looked up, his eyes laced with fatigue yet doing its best attempt to appear bewildered. "You, er... don't?" Cassia nods. "W... wow. You seem to be the only one that does. Gryffindor common room was mad. They were all celebrating when there shouldn't have even been a reason to celebrate in the first place. Nobody gave me a chance to explain myself."

     Cassia chuckled softly, before shaking her head and furrowing her eyebrows. "It just.. didn't seem like something you would do. Because I still remember our first conversation up here, and you seemed so intent on living a peaceful school year. And then this happens, and none of it adds up. I don't think you'd be that attention-seeking, Potter."

     Potter nodded his head in agreement slowly, before training his eyes on his worn-down trainers. "Well, the honest truth from me is that.. I don't know what happened out there, Greengrass. But one thing has came out of it and it's that I'm a freakin' Triwizard champion." He spoke, his voice strained with contempt.

     Cassia frowns. "So Dumbledore's really letting you participate?"

     Potter nodded blatantly. "I have to, don't I? It's a 'binding magical contract', I have to 'see the Tournament through to the end'." He states, mocking the words Dumbledore iterated the previous night.

     There existed a small silence over the two of them sitting side-by-side on the pedestals of their class telescopes, occasionally interrupted by the gusts of wind reverberating through the Astronomy Tower. Cassia clasped her hands around the arms of her jumper to keep the cold out.

     "Why did it have to be me?" Potter spoke after a while, staring into nothingness. "Why could some other underage student not have gotten unexpectedly chosen? Why me? It - it feels like the universe has some kind of a grudge against me because, hey, look! Everyone now hates me too. Even my own best friend hates me - Ron thinks I went behind his back to enter myself."

    "That's.. that's not true.." Cassia trailed off, looking ahead with a kind of contemplation in her hazy blue eyes. "I don't hate you."

     Potter looked up, his expression softening momentarily before resuming his hardened exterior, shaking his head with confusion. "But, why? I don't expect you to be so... open towards me. Shouldn't you be off with the rest of your Slytherin friends making fun of me. I presume that would be much more enjoyable than talking to the glory-seeking prat yourself?"

     Cassia scowled at his drooping figure, trying to collect herself. "Do not say that, Potter. You yourself said that I was different compared to them. And sure, they may be having fun making a joke out of you. But no Slytherin has ever turned their back on a friend, so don't expect me to do that to you in a time of need."

     It was only when Cassia saw the gentleness with which Potter had brought his gaze upon Cassia with that she realised she'd named them as... friends. But then, what other word could be used to describe whatever they had with each other? It was a lie to say that they didn't enjoy their impromptu meetings over the past couple of months. The situation would only have to be addressed sooner or later. That Cassia Greengrass and Harry Potter were, in fact, friends.

     Thinking she'd made a mistake in calling herself and Potter friends, Cassia opened her mouth to make a defensive retort. Only, nothing came out, and she'd apparently lost the ability to speak. So, she resorted to looking down at her folded knees, hoping the darkness of the night would be able to prevent Potter from seeing the increasing heat making its way up her cheeks. She then felt something warm encase her fisted hand, which laid upon her knees, and looked to see the hand of Potter on top of hers, sending warmth throughout her frigid body. And when she connected her blue eyes into his emerald, she saw he was smiling. A benign, understanding smile.

     It was the first time she'd seen him smile that entire hour.

***

🥺🥺cute
i dislike online schooling a lot and advanced higher maths is HARD like the work my teacher sets us... OK SEAN IF THATS HOW IT IS... we still love sean tho he's a sweetheart 🥺
anyways hope u all enjoyed this chapter and i hope you're all staying safe remember to vote comment and make my day like you guys always do xxxxx