As soon as Cassia's head floated above the water she snapped awake. She could hear cheers and claps, but what was going on, what was happeni-?

"It's okay, it's okay, I've got you, Cass," said a voice next to her, as she thrashed around in the water.

"C-Cedric," Cassia stuttered, grabbing onto him, suddenly becoming aware of how frozen she felt, and of the fact that she was floating in the middle of the Black Lake.

Looking up, she saw three tall stands right in the middle of the lake, and all the students and teachers on them, clapping and cheering like mad.

"I've got you, Cass..." Cedric murmured as he slid an arm round her waist and began to swim with her to dry land.

"D-did the bubblehead charm work?" Cassia stammered, her teeth starting to chatter.

"Yeah, perfectly," Cedric told her as they neared the centre stand. "We're the first back, Cass."

"G-good," Cassia said, fully shivering now, as they got to the ladder up to the stand and Cedric helped her up onto it. She staggered up it, accepting a towel from a random person she didn't bother looking at and immediately sinking down to the ground on the platform she was on, watching out at the lake for a sign of any other champions.

"Cass! Cass, you're here!"

Next thing she knew, Poppy was running towards her, kneeling down and pulling her into a tight hug.

"I couldn't find you this morning, I had no idea where you'd gone," she whispered.

"Sorry, I was a bit preoccupied," Cassia muttered, causing both of them to giggle slightly.

"You came first Cass!" Poppy said excitedly as she pulled back. "You and Cedric came first!"

"Yeah," Cassia smiled gently. "What else has happened?"

"Well, Fleur had to pull out because she couldn't get past 'ze grindylows'," Poppy mimicked, causing Cassia to laugh slightly. "And nobody's seen Potter or Krum yet."

"Cool," Cassia said, as Cedric came back over.

"We did it, Cass!" He grinned, sitting down on the other side of her and giving her his towel.

"No, it's fine, you need it and I don-"

"Just take it," Cedric smiled, wrapping his towel tightly round her shoulders and his arm along with it. "My dad's going crazy over there."

"What? He's here?" Fear suddenly flooded through Cassia. If one ministry official was here, who's to say her father wasn't? And then-

"Yeah, he took time off work to come and see the task, and he's doing the same for the third," Cedric said. "He's just a bit too keen, I think."

I think you'd rather have your dad than mine, is what Cassia wanted to say.

Instead, she said. "I'd love to meet him, after the task."

"I'm sure he'd love that as well," Cedric smiled.

"Alright, you two, stop making my eyes bleed," Poppy rolled her eyes and Cassia nudged her hard in the ribs, but the girl just looked round her and asked Cedric. "Did you see any of the others?"

"Yeah, I saw Potter," he said. "He was with Ron, trying to work out how to free him," he shrugged, looking at Cassia."I just diffindoed your ropes and got you free."

Cassia chuckled. "That's not a bad th-"

She was cut off as another round of cheers erupted from the stands. Turning round, she realised why, because Krum and Hermione had just appeared out the water, and were now swimming furiously to the stands.

Cassia smiled, clapping too as they climbed up the ladder and collected their own towels, Hermione running straight to them and Krum going to his Durmstrang friends.

"Oh thank god you're safe!" She said, hugging Cassia tightly. "Are Harry and Ron back yet?"

We're gonna have to tell this to everyone, Cassia realised, as Poppy explained to Hermione the exact same thing she had just explained to her.

"So Gabrielle's not going to be saved?" Hermione asked once she had finished.

"Well, yeah, but she'll be fine," Cassia said reassuringly. "Dumbledore told us we'd come to no harm, remember?"

"Yeah," Hermione said, as though reminding herself. "Of course."

One minute turned into ten as they stared out at the water, waiting for Potter to appear. It was about twenty minutes past the hour at this point, and everyone was expectant.

"You said you saw him?" Cassia frowned to Cedric, who nodded. "So then why's he taking so long? Why didn't he just grab Ron and go?"

No one had an answer.

Then, suddenly, two people emerged from the lake, reaching the surface.

But neither were Potter.

Cassia watched, fascination all over her face, as Ron and Gabrielle swam to the ladder and climbed up it. Where was Potter? What was going on?

"He's not coming up," she said in a slight panic, looking at Hermione "Why's he not coming up?"

Well, she should've known the answer to that.

It's because Potter was Potter, and always liked to make an entrance.

So instead of just reaching the surface like normal and swimming in, he cast ascendio on himself and had everyone watch as he shot through the air, landing right at Dumbledore's feet on the centre stand.

Instantly, Hermione, Poppy and Cassia ran to where he was, Cedric in tow behind them.

"Harry!" Hermione shouted as she kneeled down beside him.

"Hermione- ow!" Harry commented.

"Are you alright? Oh, you must be freezing-" she didn't hesitate in taking her towel off to sling around him, ignoring his protests. Once he was wrapped up, she said. "Personally, I think you behaved admirably."

"And I think you were a noble prick like always, Potter, but it's not up to us," Cassia voiced.

"Thanks, Cassia, you always know how to make me feel great," Harry rolled his eyes, saying to Hermione. "And I finished last, by the way."

"Second to last," Hermione said. "Fleur couldn't get past 'ze grindylows'."

Cassia chuckled and Potter seemed to perk up a bit at this news.

"Attentipn!" Dumbledore called over the watchful audience, silencing them. "The winner is... Mr Diggory!"

Cassia jumped into Cedric's arms at this news, letting him spin her round as the crowd cheered.

"Who showed innate command of the bubblehead charm," Dumbledore continued. "However, seeing as Mr Potter would've finished first, had it not been for his determination to rescue not just Mr Weasley, but the others as well, we've agreed to award him... second place, for outstanding moral fibre!"

Cassia clapped, punching the boy in the arm and saying. "You deserve it, Potter."

And Cassia watched as Krum got third, and Fleur fourth, with a huge grin on her face, because the results had gone the exact way she wanted them to.

Little Cassia would be revolted at how much she liked that Potter was given second.

But she wasn't little anymore.

So she didn't get a say.

❦︎❦︎❦︎

After everyone had headed back to the castle, Cassia finally got the chance to meet Amos Diggory, smiling as she shook his hand.

"I didn't think for a second that my boy would find a girl as pretty as you!" He said, chuckling slightly as she flushed.

"Dad, stop it," Cedric hissed.

"No, it's fine," Cassia smiled. "I'm Cassia Malfoy, sir."

"Oh please, call me Amos, we're practically family!" The man grinned. "Now, Cedric tells me you play quidditch, is that right?"

"Yes, s- I mean, Amos," Cassia smiled. "I'm a chaser for the Gryffindor quidditch team."

"I used to play chaser!" Amos grinned. "I thought Ced here would take after me but he prefers to chase the snitch!"

Cassia shrugged. "I just find chaser so much more interesting, you know? Like, you get to score the goals, be in the middle of the action, it's just way more fun."

Amos looked to his son. "Ced, where'd you find her?"

Cassia was grinning so hard her face was practically splitting in half.

She had never really had a father figure like this before.