The moment after Severus left through the side door, the drawing room door burst open hard enough to rattle the silverware upon the coffee table.
Hermione entered first.
Of course she did.
Hair wild from clearly having rushed down without fixing it, dressing gown hastily tied, eyes blazing with that particular mixture of outrage and concern only she seemed capable of weaponizing simultaneously.
Behind her came Ginny, jaw already set in open irritation.
Cho looked less angry and more alarmed.
Luna drifted in quietly after them, barefoot and serene as if she'd wandered into entirely the wrong conversation by accident.
Daphne entered with composure mostly intact, though her narrowed eyes betrayed her.
Astoria followed last, arms folded tightly beneath her chest.
The entire group stopped in front of him.
Cassius remained seated calmly in the armchair near the fire.
One leg crossed over the other.
Perfectly composed.
As though six girls had not just stormed into the room like an organized intervention.
As if he had been expecting them to listen in, not only that but as a result burst in to confront him.
Hermione spoke first.
"You're entering it?"
Direct.
No preamble.
Cassius leaned back slightly.
"That depends."
"On what?" Ginny snapped immediately.
"Whether the school allows applications before or after breakfast."
"Cassius."
Hermione's tone sharpened dangerously.
"This isn't funny."
"No," he agreed mildly. "It isn't."
The room quieted slightly at that.
The fire cracked softly behind him.
Cho stepped forward next.
"The Triwizard Tournament is lethal."
"Historically," Cassius corrected.
"Oh, that makes it so much better."
"It should, i am not those previous wizards, and from what i know so far i'm the strongest wizard of the modern age, even more so than Headmaster or the previous darklord when they were my own age now."
Ginny stared at him like she wanted to throw something heavy.
"You cannot seriously be considering this after tonight."
"Tonight," Cassius replied calmly, "is exactly why I'm considering it. The attack failed yes, but it serves as a marker that daker days are ahead so this might be the last bit of joy we get for a while."
Daphne's eyes narrowed further.
"That logic only makes sense inside your own head."
"Probably."
"You say that like it's reassuring."
"It should be."
Hermione made an aggravated sound under her breath.
"No, actually, it shouldn't." She pointed at him sharply. "People die in this tournament."
"And people died tonight."
"That's different."
"Not really."
"It is and you know it!"
Cassius watched her carefully.
Hermione Granger approached arguments like battles.
Structure.
Pressure.
Escalation.
Useful qualities.
But emotional when pushed too far.
"The tournament," he said evenly, "offers access most students will never receive."
Ginny crossed her arms.
"Oh here we go."
"International political connections. Access to foreign magical institutions. Influence. Reputation. Visibility."
Cho blinked once.
"You sound like you're applying for a Ministry position."
"No," Cassius said softly. "I sound like someone preparing for a war."
That stalled the room.
Not fully.
But enough.
The girls all knew from his families background that they stood in opposition to the current Dark Lord Voldemort, Cassius himself even having stopped his plans a few times already whilst at school.
But hearing him speak slightly different now, less about facing the husk of a being Voldemort had become and instead refer to what was happening as the resumption of a war that for all intents and purposes went through an armistice fourteen years ago.
Even Ginny's irritation dimmed slightly.
Luna tilted her head gently.
"The castle feels different this year too."
Everyone glanced toward her.
Luna remained focused on Cassius.
"Like thunder before rain."
Cassius held her gaze for a moment.
"Yes."
Hermione stepped closer again.
"That still doesn't justify this."
"Doesn't it?"
"No!"
"You think staying uninvolved protects people?"
"That's not what I said."
"It's what you mean."
Hermione opened her mouth.
Paused.
Because annoyingly enough, he was partially right.
Cassius rose smoothly from the chair.
Immediately every eye tracked him.
Not because of fear.
Presence.
He moved with complete certainty in everything he did.
It pulled attention naturally.
"The world is changing," he said quietly. "Tonight proved that."
"We know," Daphne said.
"Do you?"
His eyes moved across all of them now.
"One attack and the Ministry nearly collapsed into confusion. Death Eaters moved in organized formations. Coordinated strikes. Planned retreat paths. This wasn't random violence. Meanwhile the Arcanum and us were the only reason things didnt turn far far worse in the end."
No one interrupted him now.
"The Tournament will become political theater," Cassius continued. "Every major magical government will be watching Hogwarts this year."
Cho frowned slightly.
"So?"
"So visibility matters."
Ginny scoffed.
"You already have visibility. Half the school looks at you like Merlin walked back from the dead."
"That's temporary."
Hermione folded her arms.
"And risking your life isn't?"
Cassius looked directly at her.
"Everything worth building carries risk."
The answer came too quickly.
Too naturally.
Like he'd believed it for years.
Maybe he had.
Astoria finally spoke.
Quietly.
"You could still die."
The room softened slightly at her voice.
Because unlike the others, Astoria wasn't arguing.
She sounded afraid, afraid mostly because her heart couldn't bear to lose him.
Cassius's expression shifted almost imperceptibly when he looked at her.
Gentler.
"You know I won't approach this recklessly."
"That isn't the same thing."
"No," he admitted. "It isn't."
Astoria looked down briefly.
That alone weakened the room's momentum more than any argument.
Cassius knew it instantly.
And used it.
Getting up from his chair he stepped closer toward them slowly.
Not confrontational.
Controlled.
"You all trust me, don't you?"
Dangerous question.
Hermione answered first anyway.
"That's manipulative."
"Probably, but isn't our 'relationship' already one of manipulation?"
Ginny groaned loudly.
"Oh for— he admits it now?"
Cassius ignored her completely.
They all knew it, their relationship with him all started due to magical contracts that forced their transference into the Draconic House of Hogwarts and bound as a subordinate to the house they were required to follow it's head... him.
His eyes stayed on Hermione.
"Do you?"
Hermione hesitated.
Which was answer enough.
Cassius turned slightly.
"Daphne?"
Daphne exhaled slowly through her nose.
"You know we do."
"Cho?"
Cho looked frustrated by the entire conversation.
"Yes."
"Ginny?"
Ginny glared at him.
"You're impossible."
"Still not an answer."
"…yes."
"Luna?"
"I trust you to do exactly what you've already decided to do."
A faint smile touched the corner of Cassius's mouth.
"Fair."
Then finally—
"Astoria?"
She looked at him for several long seconds.
"You always come back."
The words landed strangely in the room.
Quiet.
Personal.
Cassius stepped closer to her first.
Close enough that his voice lowered naturally.
"And I will this time too."
Astoria searched his face carefully.
Trying to determine if it was reassurance or strategy.
Probably both.
He turned back toward the group as a whole.
"The Tournament is dangerous," he admitted openly. "I won't insult your intelligence pretending otherwise."
Hermione's shoulders relaxed slightly.
Not because she agreed.
Because honesty disarmed her more effectively than deflection.
Nothing they said or did would be able to stop him from entering this tournament, and when it was all said and done, he planned to make sure canon event occured exactly as they were supposed to.
With one minor difference, Cassius himself would be the Triwizard Champion.