𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐊 | f. weasley

sixty-one

THERE WAS NO APPLAUSE. A BUZZING, AS THOUGH of angry bees, was starting to fill the Hall; some students were standing up to get a better look at Harry as he sat, frozen, in his seat. 

Up at the top table, Professor McGonagall had got to her feet and swept past Ludo Bagman and Professor Karkaroff to whisper urgently to Professor Dumbledore, who bent his ear toward her, frowning slightly.

Harry turned to Ron and Hermione; beyond them, he saw the long Gryffindor table all watching him, openmouthed. 

"I didn't put my name in," Harry said blankly. "You know I didn't."

Both of them stared just as blankly back.

"Cassie, I didn't," he turned to the girl, who was now staring at the boy, a mix of emotions crowding her thoughts, but the most resounding one being the need to protect him from this mess. 

At the top table, Professor Dumbledore had straightened up, nodding to Professor McGonagall.

"Harry Potter!" he called again. "Harry! Up here, if you please!" 

"Go on," Granger whispered, giving Harry a slight push. 

Harry got to his feet, trod on the hem of his robes, and stumbled slightly. He set off up the gap between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables. He'd made his way halfway through the table when Cassie shot up and rushed behind the boy. 

"I'm coming with," she assured him, walking down the aisle with him as she felt hundreds and hundreds of eyes upon them, as though each was a searchlight. The buzzing grew louder and louder. Harry automatically felt a lot calmer beside Cassandra's presence but this situation was still racking his nerves. 

"Well...through the door, Harry," said Dumbledore. He wasn't smiling.

Harry moved off along the teachers' table, Cassie following him in. 

"Not you, Miss Black. This is for the contestants only," Dumbledore said with as much calmness as he could muster. Cassie flipped around and produced a card out of thin air: her pass to any government activity in which she could attend or provide aid to an underage wizard and represent them at the court of law or any committee of jurisdiction for that matter. 

"I'm afraid we cannot let you in Miss Black," Bagman sighed. 

"This pass says otherwise," Cassie retorted. 

"This pass allows you to represent an underage wizard in a court of law or committee of jurisdiction if their life may be at stake or if they were being hunted and threatened. This situation is neither of those," Crouch replied. 

"This is a matter of life or death!" Cassie exclaimed, "That's the reason there was an age line in the first place,"

"And yet Mr Potter has found a way to enter himself into the competition," Snape sneered. 

"Are you implying he wanted this?"

"Yes, that is exactly what I'm saying," he challenged. 

"Well he hasn't," Cassie grunted. 

"Oh, and how do you know that? Trust?" Snape mocked. 

"Yes, Professor," she drawled, "You'd know how that works if you had a brother,"

"He's your cousin," Snape rolled his eyes. 

"And that's enough," Minerva sighed, "Back to your room Cassandra. I don't want to hear a word. You can speak with him when he returns,"

Cassie's jaw twitched as she stared at Snape's grimacing face once again before abruptly turning away from the table and along the passage, bursting open the doors of the Great Hall and stomping her way up to the Gryffindor Tower.