The last week of term brought with it that suspended, fragile stillness Hogwarts always seemed to wear before something important broke.
Final exams were over.
Students who just days before looked like they were about to walk themselves straight to the gallows, were not breathing a collective sigh of relief.
The castle had fallen into its half-summer hum — laughter in courtyards, with only a few still being dower not yet knowing the result of their exam scores.
As everyone waited on the teachers to grade the final exams and post the results, Cassius was however waiting on something else entirely.
He had been watching Harry for days now — Trailing his shadow for weeks now, keeping tabs on everthing he did, and everyplace he went.
Just after the first school exam his attitude finally changed, like someone getting an epiphany or finally realizing the answer to a really easy problem.
Whispering with Ron, slipping into unused corridors, eyes flicking toward teachers whenever they spoke of "the headmaster's errand" or "special protections."
Harry Potter was restless, twitching with that lurking hidden griffindor instinct that made him predictable.
Then, the message came.
Cassius had been walking the long path between the Astronomy Tower and the library, the evening sun bleeding red across the horizon.
The owl came silently, black-feathered, its eyes bright as molten silver.
It dropped a sealed scrap of parchment into his palm and vanished without a sound.
One word.
Tonight.
Cassius stared at it for a long moment, then smiled faintly.
So it was time.
His preparations were almost ritual.
The dark lord has 'succeeded' Dumbledore was 'gone' for the night and the dark lord was going to move, which also meant Harry would try as well, and would force Cassius to move as well.
~
In the dim light of the Draconis dormitory, Cassius set up the decoy — a carefully enchanted dummy layered with warming charms to imitate his body heat and the faint rhythm of breath.
The bed creaked under its weight, shadows playing across its shape convincingly enough to fool even the most suspicious prefect, not that Cassius expected any of the girls to invade his private bedchamber, but best to plan against them trying to follow after him.
tucking norberta sleeping figured into his expanded pocket, asleep and small, her tiny flame-breath glowing softly like a nightlight but being extinguished shortly after leaving her snout thanks to a fire prevention charm capable of preventing accidental ignitions.
Cassius then cast a disillusionment charm upon himself before slipping out into the castle dark corridors.
The castle was quiet at night, that peculiar Hogwarts silence alive with the sounds of moving portraits endlessly snoring.
He passed no one.
Quickly making his way to the 3rd floor corridor not getting lost even in the dark having long since already mapped out the entire castle and its simple tricks in his mind.
Before entering he made a couple more preparations.
Dousing a simple potion that removed all scents from his person, then casting the muffelato spell to remove sound.
Lastly testing the door only to find it was unlocked!
Unlocked!
With a vicious carnivorous monster on the otherside in a school for children!!!
Cassius could only shake his head at the senile headmasters failure, before walking in and taking a seat in the corner of the room.
Fluffy was there across from him.
The great three-headed dog slumbered before the trapdoor, its massive chest rising and falling like living thunderclouds roiling in the sky as horrible breath was pumped out of three separate muzzles.
Having already been put to sleep by an enchanted harp
Thankfully only an hour later the sitution changed.
Into the room came the whisper of voices.
He froze, melting further into invisibility as two figures stumbled into the corridor — robes scuffed, breathing hard.
Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.
Harry clutched a flute in his hand, playing a trembling, uncertain tune.
Ron fumbled with a lantern.
The sound was... passable but only barely.
Enough to coax Fluffy into closing its six eyes.
Though... Cassius caught one of them twitching almost half open as the beast still concious waited and watched.
Snuffling gently as its paw was moved off the trapdoor it was set to 'guard'.
Cassius's eyes narrowed.
The beast was smarter than they realized, it probably had long since been given orders to not harm anyone just there to scare them off, while at worst wounding them.
He almost intervened, almost warned them — but curiosity rooted him still.
The boys celebrated prematurely, whispering to each other about "doing it" and "this is our only chance."
Then, before Cassius could stop them, they threw open the trapdoor and leapt without any probing or testing to see what lay below.
The sound of their landing echoed faintly below.
Cassius waited a minute.
Two.
Screams continued to echo up from the trapdoor, but then they went quiet.
Cassius had re-enchanted the harp properly putting Fluffy to sleep, before then collecting some Whiskers, Fur, and even drool for ingredients, afterall this is a cerberus were talking about.
Peering into the trapdoor, Cassius could make out the location previously occupied by Harry and Ron, in their place two whole had appeared in the devilsnare.
Given by the intense screaming previously it was clear they werent prepared nor remained calm when landing in the mass of plant matter, but after being smothered by the plant they must have been released by the will of the plant rather than kill the kids.
The event should have scarred them with trauma for life, but even after getting down using a simple floating charm upon himself Cassius saw no sign of the boys.
Reckless was all he could think... they probably think they've now succeeded at breaking two of the trials never realizing they were allowed to pass by the trials that otherwise would have ended in their deaths.
Cassius the ever protective elder brother trailed behind, spotting signs of blood on the stone flooring as he approached the door leading to the second trial.
Did Harry have it in him to reach the mirror?
Could Dumbledore have stacked the deck so much in his favor just to pump up his desire to be a saviour?