Potter's Girl / Butterfly Effect.

42. The Third Task - Part II

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO;

THE THIRD TASK, part two

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

If she had had sense, she would've screamed. If she had thought about it for another moment, she would've called for help. If she had only used her brain, she would never have left with Moody.

But, frightened and confused, she followed the professor out of the stands and down the path back to the school. Once they were safe distance – safe enough for no lingering eyewitnesses – Moody drew his wand and jabbed it into the small of her back.

"Keep walking," he said gruffly. Cassie risked a glance over her shoulder and let out a small whimper – Moody's scarred face had twisted into that of something horrible, something even worse looking than before. "I bet you're wondering," he said as they approached the castle, "how I know who you are, eh, lassie?"

Cassie could do nothing but shut her eyes and hope this was a dream.

"You bloody Blacks," he muttered with a shake of his head, unlocking his classroom door and shoving her inside by the shoulder. Cassie stumbled in and rubbed her shoulder. She bit the inside of her cheeks and willed herself not to cry – not to show any sign of weakness in front of this man. "'Course, not all of you are like this. Suppose Regulus was honorable, Narcissa and Bellatrix. Most o' them turned out alright." He was speaking mostly to himself as he focused on something on his desk, his back facing Cassie.

She took the chance and very slowly reached for her wand, her fingers barely brushing the maple wood, before Moody barked out, "Don't be stupid, girl, I can see out of the back of my head!"

   Cassie had no clue how long she was in Moody's classroom. She only knew she desperately wished Hermione or Ron would notice her peculiar absence and send for help, but even if they did, who would think to check Professor Moody, the Auror?

   It had to have been around an hour when Moody approached her again. She'd already attempted to run for it, but the moment her hand made contact with the door handle, it burned the heat of a thousand suns into her palms.

   Moody consulted the clock on the wall for a moment, then nodded and clunked forward. He held something wrapped in cloth in his hand, which he held out towards Cassie. She eyed it, frightened.

   "You're gonna touch this," he instructed, his normal on the clock and his magical eye on Cassie. The clock ticked four times before he spoke again. "In three... two... one."

   He roughly shoved whatever item had been in the cloth into her hand. She didn't have time to even register what it was; a hook pulled through her navel and up her entire body until she was being warped through the air. Finally, when the dizziness was becoming unbearable, she landed with a heavy thud on the ground.

   The ground was the first thing she noticed; it was wet, dewey, grass. With great difficulty, she lifted her head and her stomach seemed to drop to her feet. It was the graveyard from her vision so long ago.

   With a deafening crack, another Portkey arrived; this time, bearing her two best friends, however dirty and beaten up they seemed.

   "Harry! Cedric!" she shouted, and both boys turned their heads. She stood and rushed over to meet them in a hug, before all three of them pulled out their wands.

   Harry peered at a near gravestone, Cassie glanced around unsurely, and Cedric was poring over the cup with great curiosity. After a moment, he grinned. He actually smiled.