Squib On The Run (sequel to Squib In The basement)

36. Dancing And Dragons

The thought of Harry going up against a dragon terrified Cassiopeia, but she knew there was nothing she could do to help him.
Her and Sirius had decided it was too dangerous for either of them to watch the first task, since the Minister for Magic and other Ministry officials would be in attendance.
Cassiopeia also thought that the sight of seeing Harry in danger might prompt her or Sirius to intervene, which would get them all caught.

To everyone's relief, Harry survived the first task, and gained significant points while doing so.
With the first task out of the way, Cassiopeia and Sirius invited Harry to visit them in Hogsmeade on his next free weekend.
Sirius met up with Harry and his friends in Hogsmeade as Padfoot, and escouted them back to the cave where him, Buckbeak and Cassiopeia were hiding.
"There he is, our brave dragon tamer!" Exclaimed Cassiopeia, when Harry came into view.
The pair hugged each other tightly, as Sirius turned back into his human form, and Ron and Hermione entered the cave.

"It's so good to see you. We've brought you some food" informed Harry, as he handed her a bag full of chicken legs from the Hogwarts kitchens.
"Aren't you sweet" smiled Cassiopeia, as she took out a handful of legs, before tossing the bag to Sirius.
"Don't judge us too much. We've had seldom to eat since we arrived, since it's dangerous to steal too much food from Hogsmeade, as we don't want to draw attention to ourselves. So I've been living of mostly rats" admitted Sirius, through a mouthful of chicken.

"You shouldn't be up here at all. It's too risky" insisted Harry.
"We wouldn't be fufilling our roles as godparents if we left you to your own devices, while you're in danger" replied Cassiopeia.
"I don't want to see you get arrested because of me. And I don't like the idea of you suffering,  because you want to be close to me" Harry said quietly.
"Don't worry about us. Sirius only leaves the cave as Padfoot, and I've been on the run for most of your life, so I've gotten pretty good at staying hidden, and surviving".

Cassiopeia noticed that Harry's friends were lingering awkwardly by the entrance of the cave, so she decided to try and break the ice.
"It's nice to see you two again, in better circumstances" said Cassiopeia.
"You too" Hermione replied politely.
"Thanks for sticking by Harry when he was having a tough time. I'm glad he has a good friend like you who will always have his back" smiled Cassiopeia.
"You're welcome".

"Don't exclude Ron. Him and I have put what happened between us, in the past. We've moved on" informed Harry.
"Very well, I will try to do the same... I knew your mother, Ron. Molly Weasley was always very kind to me and my friends during the war" revealed Cassiopeia.
"My mother fought in the war?" Asked Ron.
"No, not exactly. She would cook us food after war meetings and sometimes she would help me in the Healers tent. But she never went on missions like her brothers; Gideon and Fabian. Molly couldn't risk fighting in the war, when she had a family at home that depended on her" explained Cassiopeia.

"My parents fought, even though they had me" mumbled Harry.
"Yes, but there was only one of you, Molly had multiple children to look after. Your parents were also younger and more foolish than Molly, so they had no qualms about going on missions, as they were not wise enough to think things through. Your parents also had me and the other Marauders as free baby sitters, so they could go out whenever they needed to, as there would always be someone to watch over you. Lily was a fighter, and there was no holding her back sometimes" admitted Cassiopeia.

"Anyway, enough going on about the past. Tell us what's happening at Hogwarts at the moment" encouraged Sirius.
"Well, all the champions were given a large golden egg which contains a clue for the next task, but I've got no idea how to figure it out. Whenever I open the egg, it just screams at me" informed Harry.
"I'm sure you'll figure it out. It might just take you longer than the other champions, since you are younger than them" reminded Cassiopeia.