"What do you want to bet?" Hermione asked, taking a deep breath. Her opponent had blindsided her today. She didn't know what had provoked it
"What do you want to bet?" Hermione asked, taking a deep breath.
Her opponent had blindsided her today. She didn't know what had provoked it—but Cassandra's sudden challenge had shaken her. She needed to stay alert.
"Don't you dare go confess to him with me?" Cassandra's eyes sparkled with challenge.
Hermione blinked, flustered. Confess? To Blake?
Did she dare? Maybe… if she had time to build up her courage.
But Cassandra wasn't giving her any time.
"I dare you," Cassandra said smugly, reading her hesitation.
Hermione's face stiffened. Cassandra wasn't doing this innocently—there was an agenda behind that confidence. But Hermione didn't yet know what it was.
"So, the bet I want to make is…" Cassandra pointed to her chest. "Later today, I'll confess my feelings to Blake."
"If he rejects me, I'll give up. I'll never approach him again."
"But if he doesn't…" Her eyes gleamed. "Then you can't go near him anymore. Deal?"
Even though Hermione had braced herself, her face betrayed her panic. "How is that fair—"
"Why not?" Cassandra cut in smoothly. "If he doesn't reject me, it means he's with me. So why should you be around him?"
Hermione shook her head. "I..."
She still didn't understand what Cassandra's game was, but she had a bad feeling.
"Why won't you agree?" Cassandra pushed. "Sooner or later, someone will stand beside him. Maybe you. Maybe me. Or maybe…"
Her smile turned cruel. "Maybe Cho Chang. Or Penelope Clearwater. Or that dimwit Hannah Abbott. Or—oh—those Veela sisters from France…"
"Enough!" Hermione snapped. She hadn't thought of all these rivals until Cassandra laid them out.
"Overwhelming, isn't it?" Cassandra said, mockingly sympathetic. "But it's reality. Blake… we're all great, sure. But he? He's beyond exceptional."
"Of course girls are jealous of us. Haven't you noticed?"
"What's your point?" Hermione demanded.
"My point is: there are too many opponents. So I want to take one down first."
"So today, it's me," Hermione said coldly.
"Yes. Either you're out, or I am. Gryffindor—do you dare gamble with me?"
Cassandra eyed Hermione's modest clothes with a mocking smirk. "Or do you lack confidence?"
Hermione's anger flared. She wasn't unsure about herself—she was unsure about Blake. Would he reject Cassandra?
That brief, taunting look had stirred something ugly and familiar deep inside her.
"Fine. I'll take your bet."
"Excellent." Cassandra pulled out her wand. "I read about how to make an Unbreakable Vow in a book at home."
"What?!" Hermione recoiled. "Unbreakable Vow?"
"Yes. A blood pact. Break it and… you die." Cassandra smiled. "Surprised? I told you—I want you out. If you're not serious, don't waste my time."
Hermione hesitated.
"Still time to back out…" Cassandra teased.
"No. A blood pact it is."
Cassandra wanted her gone? Fine. Hermione could fight back.
"Let's do this." Cassandra extended her left hand.
Hermione hesitated only a moment, then took it.
Their hands clasped, and crimson streaks bloomed across their wrists—vivid, binding, final.
"Sneeze!" Blake sneezed loudly.
"Are you all right? Catching a cold?" Mr. Weasley asked, concerned.
Blake shook his head, rubbing his nose. "Probably pollen. Nothing serious."
Mr. Weasley chuckled and resumed chatting, thrilled with Blake's deep knowledge of the Muggle world—especially after hearing that Blake could now drive an excavator thanks to years of treasure chest discoveries.
Still, Blake felt uneasy. Something was off.
The zoo was bustling as usual, but…
He noticed something strange: Cassandra and Hermione were whispering together?
That never happened.
Cassandra handed Hermione a small object that looked like a toy trumpet. "This is a little gadget I found in a village. It can pick up my voice within a hundred meters."
She held up its twin—Blake's invention. A wireless, more advanced version of the Weasley twins' Extendable Ears.
"He's looking this way!" Cassandra hissed. "Granger—hide!"
She stashed her receiver in her bag and took a deep breath. "Time to go."
Cassandra strode toward Blake.
"Since electricity can power things, why do Muggle cars use gasoline?" Mr. Weasley was still asking.
But he fell silent as Cassandra approached.
"Sorry, Mr. Weasley—could I borrow Blake for a moment?" she asked sweetly.
Arthur blinked, looked between them, then smiled knowingly. "Ah. Of course. My mistake! Enjoy yourselves!"
He vanished.
"Cassandra! You're here too?" Blake said, glancing behind her. "Was Hermione with you?"
"She was," Cassandra said softly.
"That's great. I've always hoped you two could be friends. You're so alike in many ways."
"No," Cassandra said, her eyes locking with his. "We can't be friends."
"Why?"
"Because of you." She stepped closer. "If you weren't here, maybe we'd have been rivals who respected each other. But with you...it's impossible."
Her nearness, her fragrance—it all hit Blake at once.
She was bolder than ever.
"Come with me," she said, taking his hand and pulling him into the nearby woods.
From a distance, Mr. Weasley watched them disappear with a grin.
Ah, youth.
Behind a tree, Hermione clutched the small speaker tightly, heart pounding.
"Where are we going?" Blake asked, half-worried.
"To talk." Cassandra led him past a Bowtruckle enclosure. Tourists and staff milled about, but they were far enough away.
After checking their surroundings, Cassandra turned to him. Her breath was shallow.
"Blake… I… I like you!" she blurted, cheeks flushed.
Hermione's grip on the speaker whitened her knuckles.
Blake stared, stunned. His mind raced.
He smiled. "Cassandra… I like you too."
Her eyes widened in disbelief and joy.
Far behind, Hermione felt her heart sink.
Why did I agree to this stupid bet? Why didn't I have her courage?
[Ding! Extreme joy detected! Golden treasure chest acquired!]
[Ding! Extreme sorrow detected! Golden treasure chest acquired!]
Blake flinched internally.
Just as he suspected—this wasn't just any confession. Something was off.
And now the system confirmed it.
Joy—Cassandra. Sorrow—Hermione.
He activated the Eye of Truth and saw Hermione trembling behind a tree.
He understood everything now.
"You're my friend, Cassandra. Of course I like you. I like Hermione too. And Harry, and Cedric…"
He trailed off. He could've let things go further. He could've deepened this "friendship."
But he couldn't.
He had to choose.
And as everyone knows—only children make choices.
Blake wanted everything.
The moment he said it, Cassandra's joy froze.
Hermione's eyes widened. She hadn't lost yet!
But her speaker didn't trigger another treasure chest.
Then Cassandra stepped close again. "No, Blake. I'm not talking about friendship. I mean real love. The kind between a boy and a girl. I love you."
Blake froze.
What is wrong with Cassandra today? Why is her confession CD spinning so fast?
Hermione held her breath behind the tree again.
Blake's expression didn't betray him, but he was overwhelmed.
After a beat, he said quietly, "I… I don't know, Cassandra."
"I can't tell if what I feel for you is friendship or… love."
Cassandra's smile returned.
To her, his hesitation meant he did feel something.
"Can you give me some time?" Blake asked.
But before he could finish, Cassandra leaned in and kissed him.
Soft. Warm. Fragrant.
Three seconds later, she stepped back.
"Of course you can have time…" she whispered. "But your first kiss belongs to me."
She vanished into the trees, leaving Blake behind—dazed.
"What just happened?!"
"You lost!" Hermione burst out, furious.
"I saw everything!"
"No, Granger. You lost." Cassandra smirked.
"Blake didn't accept your confession!"
"But he didn't reject it, either." Cassandra's eyes glinted. "And that was the bet."
"If he doesn't reject me—you lose. He asked for time. That's not rejection."
Hermione's stomach dropped.
Cassandra leaned in. "I knew he'd hesitate. That's something I learned from my father—men stall when unsure. That's why I planned for this."
She raised her left hand.
Blood-red streaks flared across her wrist.
The pact was fulfilled.
Hermione reeled.
She'd walked into a trap.
"You… you're despicable…"
Cassandra laughed. "Have you forgotten? I'm a Slytherin."
=============
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