The third task was pretty obvious as soon as they started enchanting up a maze on the quidditch pitch, but it was only actually announced a week before that that's what it would be. A maze which the champions had to fight their way through, the Triwizard Cup lying at the centre.

It crept up on Cassia, it really did. But as she sat in the stands, CD on one cheek and HP on the other, Poppy, Neville, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Seamus and Dean around her, she decided she didn't mind. Once this was over, the tournament was over, and she really didn't mind that. At all.

They wouldn't see much of this, though. The stands they were sitting in were a half circle, with the maze stuck into the side. They would see the champions enter, and know when one of them grabbed the cup, but they wouldn't see any of the battle to get there.

Anyway, as the trumpets blew their tune and the champions walked out into the small grassy area before the entrance to the maze, Cassia clapped and whistled for all of them, even Krum and Fleur. They had all had their moments, but in reality, all deserved to be standing up there, soaking in the applause.

Eventually, Dumbledore quietened down the music and applause, putting his wand to his neck and shouting. "Attention! Attention, please!"

Everything stopped and he looked round at the crowd.

"Earlier today, Professor Moody placed the Triwizard Cup deep within the maze, and only he knows its exact position," he announced. "Now, as Mr Diggory-"

At the mention of his name, the whole crowd went up in applause, and Cassia gladly joined.

"-and Mr Potter-" Dumbledore tried to continue, but everyone blew up for Harry as well, and Cassia was glad to see it. Finally, once Dumbledore gained back control, he said. "-are tied for first position, they will be the first to enter the maze. Following them will be Mr Krum-"

Durmstrang cheered for their champion well, despite almost no others doing so.

"-and then finally Miss Delacour."

The French were more refined, and opted for a polite clap, rather than a roar and stamp.

"Now, I've instructed the staff to patrol the perimeter," Dumbledore explained. "Should at any point, a champion wish to withdraw from the task, they need only use their wand to fire red sparks into the sky."

He turned round. "Contestants! Gather round, quickly!"

As he pulled them all in, Cassia turned to Poppy.

"What'd you think's waiting for them in there?" She asked, pressing her lips together.

Poppy sighed. "I don't know, Cass," she shook her head. "But it can't be good."

And she was right. Cassia could just feel it.

She couldn't explain it, but she just knew something bad was going to happen in that maze. It was a feeling in her gut, churning and stirring her up. But she couldn't do anything about it. Well, except for pray she was wrong.

"Okay, champions!" Dumbledore shouted as the huddle split up. "Prepare yourselves!"

Harry and Cedric shook hands, nodding to each other as they went to their separate entrances.

"On the count of three," Dumbledore called. "One, two, three!"

As the trumpets went off again, Harry and Cedric made their way into the maze, Potter more slowly than his counterpart.

Then the hedges closed over them and Cassia could see no more.

Just let them be safe, please.

Please.

❦︎❦︎❦︎

After Krum and Fleur went into the maze, there was nothing for the crowd to do but wait.

Cassia, Ron, Poppy and Seamus passed the time by playing a game of exploding snap, with the cards balanced on Seamus' knee. Cassia warned him this wouldn't end well, but he was the king of explosions after all.

However, Seamus was still going strong half an hour later, a few explosions having gone off but none having got him.

"Okay, that was close!" Cassia laughed as one went up near his face.

"I'm fine, Cassia!" Seamus rolled his eyes.

"No you're not, that nearly got you right on the h-"

"Cass!"

As Poppy called her, tapping her shoulder and trying to turn her round, Cassia just knew something had happened.

"Look," her best friend said, pointing over at the maze.

Where a shot of red sparks was protruding.

Cassia's body locked up. That could be Cedric, or Potter, they could be in dange-

Instantly, the crowd hushed and the teachers that weren't patrolling gathered, talking urgently amongst themselves.

Eventually, Snape was dispatched to see what the matter was, and Dumbledore looked round at the crowd.

"Don't worry, everyone! Whoever sent up those sparks will be rescued in no time!"

And oh how Cassia wished it wasn't Cedric.

Or Potter.

❦︎❦︎❦︎

Within ten minutes, a distressed Fleur Delacour was rescued from the maze. She was panicked and panting, and collapsed straight into her friends' arms.

"One down," Cassia murmured. "Three to go."

She didn't want to think about it that way, but that was kind of what it was. And she desperately wanted Cedric or Harry to come out on top of it.

But she also just wanted to know.

What's going on?

❦︎❦︎❦︎

Another game of exploding snap, a jet of red sparks and a rescue later, and Viktor Krum was appearing from the maze.

He didn't say much. Cassia didn't listen.

She was too busy looking from Poppy to Hermione to Ron and back again.

Because if Fleur and Krum were down, it had to be Cedric or Harry.

The news of that made Cassia so happy she wanted to jump up and down.

"It's one of them," she grinned, Poppy holding her. "It's- holy shit, it's one of them."

Relief flooded through her and she allowed herself to smile, even laugh.

Because Potter and Cedric were in the maze, and one of them was coming out with the cup, and the other was coming out with dignity.

If only she were to know the truth.

❦︎❦︎❦︎

It took a suspiciously long time.

"This is getting boring," Cassia said honestly almost an hour later, hands holding her head up. "Like, so fucking boring."

"It's fine, Cass," Poppy reassured her. "It's not like something bad's going to happen to them, they're just taking their own sweet time."

"Cedric would've grabbed it by now, I know it," Cassia shook her head. "Something bad has happened."

"I doubt that," Hermione spoke up. "The teachers are keeping a handle on it, Cassia. It's fine."

"No, it's not!" Cassia fought back. "What if? What if-?"

"It's fine."

But the sky started to darken and by now, even the teachers were confused. Torches were lit by the stands so everyone could see and everything was still light, but nothing was very clear anymore.

Even Hermione soon got skeptical.

"It's dark now," she said, shivering slightly. "Why are they taking so long?"

Poppy shook her head.

"The cup's probably just super hard to find," Neville spoke up. "Moody hid it, after all."

"Listen, don't know what's going on, but they need to hurry up," Cassia shook her head. "I mean, they ha-"

"Urgh!"

In a flash, both Potter and Cedric just materialised in front of them, Harry grunting as he lay Cedric on the ground. Cassia noticed Potter clutching the cup and grinned.

The crowd went up in applause, and Cassia joined them, getting up with Poppy, Ron and Hermione to clap them. They'd grabbed the cup together, she knew it, and they'd win together, because they were both-

"AAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!"

Fleur Delacour's scream cut Cassia to her core.

And it was then that she realised that something was very, very wrong.

Because even though Potter was moving about frantically, Cedric wasn't moving. Even though Potter was crying, Cedric's eyes were open and glossed over. Even though Potter was alive, Cedric was-

"Harry! Harry!" Dumbledore shouted as he ran towards the boy, who was sobbing over Cedric's dead body, trying to pull him off him but failing.

"No! NO! No, don't!" Harry screamed.

"For god's sake, Dumbledore, what happened?!" Fudge yelled, running up to them.

"HE'S BACK! HE'S BACK! VOLDEMORT'S BACK!" Potter sobbed deliriously over Cedric's body. "Cedric, he asked me to bring his body back-"

What? Cassia only comprehended two things. One was that Voldemort was somehow back, and returned to full strength again.

And the second was that her boyfriend was dead.

Tears streamed down her face and sobs wracked her body as she ran down into the arena.

However, she was stopped by Fudge before she could get there.

"Let me through! LET ME THROUGH!" She roared at him, fighting against his grip and sobbing so hard she thought her body would break. "I NEED TO SEE HIM!"

"That's my SON! THAT'S MY BOY!"

Amos Diggory's cries were almost more heartbreaking than Cassia's as he ran to his son's body, Cassia finally managing to get past Fudge and running to his side as well.

"Cedric!" She yelled, tears streaming. "CEDRIC!"

She threw herself to the ground beside Potter, sobbing as she cupped his gaunt cheeks, wishing that she could've kissed his lips just once more.

She was so overcome with grief that she didn't notice Moody pull Potter up, dragging him away.

"No-" she sobbed, as Amos let out a scream of agony. That was his son, his only child-

The thought tore her apart, broke her entirely. She collapsed back onto the grass, body wracking with sobs, her heart broken.

But there, on the ground, she heard snippets of a conversation.

"... Professor Moody just removed Potter from the scene, there is nothing wrong with that," that was Snape.

"No, that is not Alastor," McGonagall argued. "He wouldn't do that, he would understand..."

"Minerva is right," Dumbledore agreed. "The real Alastor would not do what he has done tonight. Severus, fetch your veritaserum and meet Minerva and I at his office."

Cassia wondered vaguely what all this was about, but didn't have enough time to question it.

Because before she knew it she was fainting, right beside her boyfriend.

Or her boyfriend's body.