The months after the Forbidden Forest were a strange kind of quiet — well quiet as far as major plot developments are concerned.
Weeks passed in the rhythm of classes, meals, and whispers.
Cassius found a peculiar balance between his growing notoriety as a dragon tamer and fear he collected as the first in his year, and undisputed master of the dueling club.
The story about what was seen in the forest was quickly spread, but immediately after the story about Harry's humiliating resposne to seeing it shamed Slytherin greatly.
the latter being spread first by Cassius to throw the scent off the dark lord, while laying the seeds for a new house acquisition at the same time.
Every so often, a student — glassy-eyed, voice just a bit too formal — would approach him.
A Ravenclaw once, then a Slytherin, even a nervous Hufflepuff.
Always the same: they would stumble through a question that wasn't their own.
"The… third floor corridor. What's there?"
"What comes next?"
"How many trials in total?"
Cassius would receive their words before walking off, only to 'pretend' he was looking for an answer for days sometime weeks following before leaving the answer Quirrelmort was looking for at a deaddrop location.
By the time May was rolling around, Quirrelmort knew everything, Fluffy and its weakness, Devilsnare, the keys, Chess, even the potion riddle, lastly combat with three trolls.
But his last drop, revealed some shocking news
'It is not safe to move now. Ran into dumbledore after returning from the final chamber. Must get him out of the school to proceed.'
The replies stopped after that.
Cassius assumed Voldemort had understood and was working on a method to get the stubborn headmaster to leave the school for a time, giving him a chance to act.
Patience, after all, was the greatest magic, at least it was for Cassius and his idle system.
Norberta in this time had doubled in size twice since then — first to the size of a dog, then of a small horse — before being shrunk back down under Lady Draconis's watchful eye as Cassius cast the thousand year old magic upon her person allowing her to shrink down into a miniture version of herself which the young dragonling enjoyed greatly.
More time afterall to hang out with her papa, clinging to him like a lemur at all hours of the day.
Norberta was still young and as such was still being fed strictly blood mixed with Brandy, thankfully Hagrid himself bore the cost and acquisition saving Cassius the trouble of outsourcing the job himself.
Cho found it endearing.
While Hermione found it as a source of study, material in books only went so far on dragons, but Cassius he not only had one, but also accidentally revealed to the pair, that he could legit speak with her in dragon tongue.
As for the Lady ghost, not to much was said, she simply watched Cassius and his dragon hatchling like she was watching a child play with a cat.
~
By mid-March, Quidditch season was in full swing.
The game between Draconis and Slytherin had been the talk of the castle — half because no one could believe Draconis fielded only two players once again, and half because no one expected them to win just like both previous matches.
But they did.
Cassius's tactical mind had turned what should have been a massacre into a masterpiece.
In the warmer air Cho was like a defending legend, letting only a single quaffle through her watch and into the goal, their teamwork had overwhelmed Slytherin's brute force.
When Cassius wrapped his mitts around the golden snitch, far outpacing potter who was trailing behind, the stands erupted.
And the best part of it, thanks to Cassius's rumour and provocations the Slytherins had made a challenge against him, the terms were his utter humiliation, and in exchange he asked for Daphne Greengrass who was more than willing to become a spoil in this war, desperately wanting to leave her miserable house behind and switch over to Draconis the minute there was a chance.
~
Cassius had welcomed her with a cool smile and a formal bow.
"Welcome home," he had said, and Daphne had blushed, half in indignation, half in curiosity.
As she joined the girls he'd already 'claimed for his house' her friendship with Hermione having existed since before school started on the train while Cho's experience and seniority wasnt overbearing to say the least.
~
Their final game against Gryffindor was almost anticlimactic — a swift victory that secured Draconis's hold on the Quidditch Cup, all thanks to Daphne having joined the team raising their ranks up to three, which also freed cho up to become a chaser, and using her brooms overwhelming might to score single handedly time after time, the final score making the different in points putting the last nail in the coffin for anyone else chasing the cup.
Whispers filled the air afterward.
Three students, one house, and somehow they'd bested the traditional four remaining undefeated all season long, and even pulling out the large difference in points making a come from behind victory impossible.
Many joked at how if the whole team had nimbus 2000's draconis would have gone down, only for Cassius to laugh at the rumour, his Aueriusbolt's were many time greater than the nimbus series, so to buy them in challenge would only be a waste of money, but one he'd happily face next year for a new round of personnel acquisitions.
~
The first week of june finally arrived, breakfast was abuzz with end-of-term gossip.
Exams were on the horizon, and the talk of summer break filled the hall.
Across the Great Hall, Harry Potter sat between Ron, smiling faintly but glancing, just once, toward the Draconis table.
Cassius met his gaze without expression.
The boy had changed since the forest — more withdrawn, less certain.
The golden hero of Slytherin, now haunted by shadows he didn't understand.
Cassius almost pitied him.
Almost.
Whether Harry would be pushed to face his destiny by Dumbledore was none of Cassius worries, when the time finally came whether Harry was there or not, Cassius would go.
Into the 3rd corridor to stand before Lord Voldemort one more time.