The following couple of weeks were fairly normal for Cassius.
Dumbledore did not attempt anything further to lure him into his scheme's.
While Draconis continued to dominate on the qudditch field.
Ravenclaw was the first to fall, but their next match was against Hufflepuff right after the christmas break, holding onto her fear of flying Hermione did not accept a position within the team, and so Cho and Cassius once more faced off in a handi-cap match.
The win was still secured by Cassius who proved once again that he was a fearless seeker with an unmatched broom.
However due to the cold wind, Cho was moving slower than usual, allowing a number of additional goals, with the game ending 80-150 for House Draconis.
But the victory on the qudditch pitch wasnt the only good new coming out these days.
Due to Dumbledores attempts to interfere with his life, Cassius felt it deserving to do the same back to the professor.
Within days of the return to school, the daily prophet ran an article detailing Dumbledores closer than one would hope relationship with the previous dark lord Grindelwald.
Even some written accounts of letters between the two that hinted at something greater than friendship.
Long giving an answer to many as to why Dumbledore was so inactive during the World Wizarding War.
Only coming out to fight at the culmination when all seemed to be lost.
This was information let slip by Cassius through his Owl Noctis, who delivered the written expose' to Rita Skeeter a sensationalist writer with a penche for digging up almost undiscoverable secrets.
Skeeter was a tool, one useful until she tried to turn against you.
But for now she was a great asset to Cassius, though it would ignite her passion to uncover just who the mysterious Arcana was even further in the process.
However while scathing the first article was not all that much revealing.
What can next however surely was.
Cassius sent a send info packet, after dumbledore had the gal to use a confundus charm against him.
This time, Cassius revealed the events on halloween, the facts that not one but two hogwarts professors had been dismissed not by the headmaster but by petition from the student body due to their inability to teach properly which seemed to be allowed by the headmaster.
And then more recently, signs of a troubleing history at hogwarts.
The article details how Dumbledore seemed to be going senile.
Not only possessing harmful magical artifacts whilst at hogwarts but leaving them lying around for children to stumbleupon.
In the article it showed a photo of the misty eyed Harry potter completly entranced before the mirror of erised, then a telling of the mirrors history, and the countless victims it has claimed and lives cut short.
The sensational article questioned heavily just what Dumbledore thought he was doing, was he really so powerful he could neglect the very future of the wizarding worlds chiledren, could he like in his youth carry the concience of so many magical deaths?
As cassius read the story his mouth couldnt help but curl into a smirk, knowing the damage this would do to Dumbledore's presitge and reputation.
And for each rung lower he fell, the more emboldened Cassius felt to proceed with his plans.
If Dumbledore lost his power, it would make his own rise all the more easy, as the years continued to pass Cassius could erode Dumbledore further until the old man could do nothing more than simply wait for his incoming death.
Cassius having already found himself in Dumbledores sights, decided to prepare a number of other info packets to save time just waiting to be sent in to further reuin the white lords reputation until his name quite literally became mud.
~
Weeks pass and one result of Cassius's underhanded tactic of smearing Dumblefor was his removal as the Supreme Mugwump of the International Community of Wizards.
For those not in the know it would be like the president of the united nations for muggles.
He was previously in a position to write and maintain worldwide magical policy, and regulations.
But after his relationship with grindlewald of all people came out, the community suspended his priviledges until a full inquiry could be undertaken to determine if a vote of no confidence in his leadership should be undertaken.
Left with little more to do than simply attend classes, Cassius decides to test himself.
Or rather test how far his idle learning system can currently take him.
It might reveal his current potential to the headmaster but who cares, sure dumbledore could try to use him again but cassius was prepared to stand against him further if need be.
~
So it was in the last week of January while everyone else was still sleeping, while harry and ron were still busy trying to figure out who the hell nicolas flamell was all while following snape who they'd pegged as the bad guy.
Cassius wrapped in a level 2 disilusionment charm, slipped out of the Draconis Common room and entered the 3rd floor coridor.
Easily dealing with Fluffy through the use of music, then rather than dropping into the waiting devilsnare, he simply casts a human transfiguration upon himself before flying down as an owl, entering the next room, he waits out the trasfiguration time until he returns to human form.
Rather than ride the outdated broom floating before him, Cassius simply looks up finding the old weathered key, and while standing next to the door cast a simple Accio to retreive the one he needed before slipping inside.
Then came the chess game only, why bother playing games?
Sure there was the fun aspect of it no doubt, but with his Level 3 thinking skill cassius could be counted as a chess master at this point having a great processing power.
Rather than simply blasting away the pieces standing before him, Cassius elects to actually play the game, just cause he has nothing better to do.
And so Cassius plays only he plays not just to win, but to humiliate the white side.
Throughout the game he had multiple chances at winning only choosing to prolong whites suffering, until the white king stood alone, surrounded on all sides by danger.
But before the game truly ended the white king dropped its sword and in a sign of submission knelt down before Cassius.
The enchanted team having forfeit before they could properly humiliatingly be defeated.
Following this was a contest against three trolls.
Cassius finally smiled, this was a true challenge afterall.
Previously in October he had fought with two trolls one after the other, but three at the same time.
That was a true fight.
Using his stamina and physical might to dodge and weave througout the colloseum looking arena, all while using his wand to almost endlessly cast blasting charms, binding hexes, and darm magic blades flying at his opponents.
The goal of this was not to actually kill the trolls.
Oh heavens no, it was to gain combat experience, given time the trolls would simply heal themselves if he didnt slaughter them, giving him another chance to fight them again.
Which of course he did.
But a funny thing happened after the 2nd straight week of his nightly training sessions.
When he entered the room to present his challenge once more, the Trolls did not roar or growl at him.
Instead with shuffling feet they simply laid face down on the ground, heads upturned on the ground staring straight at him.
Almost as if they were asking him to put them out of their misery ratehr than inflict even greater harm upon them.
Seeing no reason to stay then Cassius proceeded, seeing snapes mental puzzle of potions but taking his own to pass through the flames, entering the final chamber.
The chamber however was empty, the mirror had yet to be moved within, which meant the stone still remained in Dumbledores hands.
So left with nothing more to do here, Cassius walked out and returned to his bed.