Disclaimer: Anything familiar to JKR's books probably comes from there and is hers not mine. Also, Harry Potter, Hogwarts, the Wizarding World, and anything else that has to do with it belongs to the lovely JK Rowling, not me. I'm just playing in her sandbox and building my own Hogwarts in it.
Chapter Four
The next week and a half went by smoothly. Harry and his group of friends, which had expanded to include the Hufflepuffs, had gone and talked to the first year Ravenclaws. While the Slytherins alone may not have been able to convince the Ravenclaws of the fact that they really did mean what they said, the Hufflepuffs helped convince the Ravenclaws, and their group had expanded even more. The whole group agreed that the Gryffindors would be the hardest to convince, so they left the Gryffindors to come to the group themselves.
The Ravenclaws of the group helped the others with their homework. A few of the students had an easier time in each subject, so those students helped the others with the spellwork. Between them all, the whole group was doing very well in their classes and always had free time to spare.
Draco and his friends didn't bother Harry and his friends, so there was no trouble in the Slytherin dorms. The main problem for the group was Ron Weasley and his friends, which included the entire first year of Gryffindor, though it was obvious many of those first years did not like being in the group. The Gryffindors attacked the group whenever they could. They used both words and physical means to try and upset or anger the group into retaliating and getting into trouble. The group just retaliated by telling their Heads of House each time an incident occurred so that they had a record of what was going on.
It was the second Thursday of the year, and the first year Slytherins had their first flying lesson with the Gryffindors. Draco had actually asked Harry if he and his Slytherin friends were willing to put aside their differences for the time just so that they could get through their flying lesson with the Gryffindors looking like a united group, like they had agreed to do during Potions class. Harry had agreed and all ten Slytherins were walking down to the lesson together.
When they got there, they were met with the sight of twenty broomsticks in front of them. The Gryffindors weren't there yet, so the Slytherins just hung out in a group, all talking about how the brooms here at Hogwarts were supposed to be terrible. Draco and Harry had even managed to hold a polite conversation about how they thought the Gryffindors would do. Both agreed that Neville Longbottom would have some trouble while Ronald Weasley would be okay but not the best even though he was bragging away about his skills. Harry didn't mention it but Draco had been doing the same thing the past few days.
Just then the Gryffindors arrived, stopping just in front of the brooms and glaring at the Slytherins. Well, most of them were glaring. Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom were looking at them hopelessly before they looked back at the other Gryffindors. Harry even saw Hermione give him a look that made him think she was begging him to help her for some reason that he couldn't guess at.
Then Madam Hooch, the teacher, came over with her yellows eyes that reminded Harry of a hawk flashing at the sight of her students. She pushed some of her short, gray hair out of her eyes before glaring at all of her students slightly. Finally she walked over to the front of the two lines of broomsticks and stood there.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" she barked. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up."
The Slytherins quickly took up one line of brooms, Harry and Draco in the middle with their group of friends on their side of the line. One look at his broom told Harry that it was old as it had twigs sticking out at odd angles and the wood was cracked slightly and worn so much that it shined in a way that definitely wasn't polish.
"Stick out your right hand over your broom and say 'Up!'" Madam Hooch called from the front of the class, making everyone pay attention to her.
"UP!" everyone shouted.
Harry's broom jumped into his hand without hesitation, but he noticed as he looked around that his was one of the few that had. Next to him, Draco's had gone up, though from the look on his face, Harry guessed it had hesitated slightly. Theo's broom had flown up to his hand after the second time he called it. The rest of Harry's friends got it on the fourth or fifth try, making them all pleased with themselves. Draco's friends took much longer, finally getting it after about ten tries each.
Looking over at the Gryffindors, Harry saw that Hermione's was rolling over next to her while Neville's had yet to move at all. Ronald's broom finally went up, but instead of going into his hand, it hit him in the face, which made Draco laugh next to Harry. Dean and Seamus both finally got theirs to react after multiple tries, though they didn't succeed before Harry's friends. Finally, Lavender and Parvati, the only other Gryffindor girls, got theirs to come up after Hermione got hers to, which was saying something as Hermione took ages to succeed.
Once Neville and Ronald finally got their brooms to go up, Madam Hooch began showing them how to mount their brooms. Harry understood what she was saying quickly and noticed Draco wasn't following instructions. Wanting to keep his house from getting laughed at by Ronald and his friends, Harry pointed it out to Draco, who looked to be about to retort before he realized that he did in fact have it wrong and fixed it. He muttered about doing it like that for years while he did it, but he was fine when Madam Hooch came down their line, which was all that mattered.
"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," said Madam Hooch once she was back in the front. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle – three – two –"
Everyone watched as Neville kicked off too early in his nervousness and continued to rise even after Madam Hooch told him to come down. Harry could see his eyes looking down at the ground that was slowly falling away; they were full of fear. Harry gasped as Neville lost his grip and slid sideways off the broom, falling down to the ground quickly with a WHAM. He was facedown in the ground and his wrist was bent at an odd angle, which was what the loud crack that Harry had heard must have been. Harry barely noticed that the broom was still in the air and floating both upwards and towards the forest as he watched Neville.
Madam Hooch rushed over to him and muttered something that Harry couldn't hear as she picked him up. She then turned to the rest of the class. "None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch.'" She then led Neville away and towards the castle.
Harry saw Draco about to laugh at Neville and hit him on the arm hard, shaking his head at him forcefully. Draco glared at Harry for a moment before turning away and facing the Gryffindors, who were watching the byplay with interest as this was their first time seeing the split in Slytherin outside of the Great Hall since the Slytherins were in a truce for Potions. Harry caught the gleam of light in the grass just as Draco went over to it and picked up a glass ball that Harry had vaguely seen Neville with during breakfast.
"Look at this," Draco said while holding up the glass ball for the class to see. "It's that stupid thing that Longbottom got from his gran this morning."
"Give it here, Malfoy!" Ronald yelled as he walked forward to stand in front of Draco, pushing Gryffindors out of his way as he did so.
"I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find – how about – up a tree? On the roof?" Draco smiled nastily as he said this.
"Give it here, Draco," Harry said quietly. Every head turned to face Harry.
"Standing up for a Gryffindor like Weasley here, Potter?" Draco sneered, gesturing towards Ronald. "I didn't think you'd stoop so low."
"Actually, I'm trying to stop you from looking like even more of an idiot in front of another House but…" Harry trailed off as Draco look around them and realized everyone was looking at them. "Just give it here, Draco." Harry held out his left hand as his right hand was still holding his broom. Draco actually contemplated giving it over, but then Ronald Weasley had to go and ruin it.
"Yeah right, Potter!" he snarled. "Give it here, Malfoy. It's obvious you're all working together on this one. Give it to a real person, not a snake."
Draco turned to Harry for just long enough to their eyes to meet. Harry could tell just by looking into his eyes that Draco wanted revenge on Ronald but wanted Harry's help to do it so that nothing would happen to the Remembrall. Harry, seeing this as a chance to make a lot of new ties, nodded just enough for Draco to see. Draco then jumped onto his broom and flew up over a tree, throwing and catching the ball when he got steady.
"Come and get it, Weasley!"
Ronald snarled and flew up towards Malfoy without hesitation, steadying himself once he was facing him. Harry, surprising everyone but his friends, who had seen the exchange between him and Draco, got onto his broom and flew up behind Ronald. Harry flew quicker and steadier than either of the Purebloods who already knew how to fly, making it so that Draco had to keep his mask on his face carefully.
"Give it here Malfoy, or I'll knock you off that broom!" Ronald yelled at him, not even noticing Harry had flown up behind him.
"Oh yeah?" Draco sneered, not even having to try as he knew he was a better flier than Ronald, though he was relieved that it wasn't Harry he was up against.
Ronald tried to flatten himself up against his broom to shoot like an arrow at Draco, but Draco moved out of the way and Ronald overshot it by a long shot. By the time he had turned around to face Draco, Harry was way above both boys so that Ronald wouldn't see him in the air.
"Is that the best you can do?" Draco taunted as he waved the glass ball in the air. "Face it, Weasley, you aren't going to get it from me."
Ronald growled as he realized it was a truth and slowly dived towards the ground. He then surprised everyone by suddenly flying up towards Draco, who barely had a chance to throw the glass ball in the opposite direction, which happened to be towards the school.
Harry had been watching Professor Snape, who was on the front steps of the school and watching the three boys silently, when he noticed the glass ball being thrown by Draco. Watching it, he could see its movements in slow motion as it arched up and then began to dive down towards the ground. Harry pushed himself flat against his broom as he angled it towards the ground in the direction he knew the ball would be headed and ignored everything but his broom, the glass ball, and himself. He barely even noticed the wind blowing past his ears as he reached out and grabbed the Remembrall just two feet above the ground, which gave him just enough time to pull his broom out of the dive so that his feet were skimming the ground before he landed.
The first thing he saw once his senses returned was Ronald and Draco landing and staring at him in awe. The first thing he heard was his friends rushing over towards him. The first thing he smelled was the grass around him. The first thing he felt was the cool glass in his hand and the wood between his legs. The first thing he was afraid of was the sight of Professor Snape sweeping across the grounds towards him.
"POTTER!" he yelled when he was close enough that the other students had seen him. "Come with me!" He walked right up to Harry and his friends, giving him an odd look.
"Uh… Professor?" Harry asked bravely, his Gryffindor side coming into play.
"Yes? What is it, Potter?" Professor Snape snapped. "I thought I told you to follow me."
"I was wondering if I could give this to a Gryffindor to give back to Neville. It is his Remembrall after all." Harry held it up for his professor to see so that he could tell Harry wasn't lying.
"Go ahead, but hurry up. I don't have all day, you know."
Harry quickly got off his broom and ran over to where the Gryffindors were standing. The boys moved out of his way as he rushed over to where Hermione was standing alone, her broom held loosely in her hand as if she didn't want to be holding it at all. Harry held out the glass ball to her and she took it in her hand tightly.
"Can you give this to Neville for me please?" Hermione nodded. "Oh, and please let him know that while I may have caught it, Draco didn't want to go into the air until Ronald there told him off again. I've gotta go!"
With that, Harry hurried off, still holding his broom, and went over to where Professor Snape was waiting. Following his professor, Harry was led back into the castle and up to the fifth floor and a classroom he had never seen before. Professor Snape opened the door and Harry was able to see Slytherins and Hufflepuffs in the room before Professor Snape filled the doorway.
"Professor Vector, I need Flint for the rest of the period," Professor Snape said in his usual tone.
"Of course. Go on, Mr. Flint."
Out of the room came someone who looked similar to Crabbe and Goyle, who both looked like they had troll blood in them Harry's classmates said. He gave Harry an odd look when he saw him there, but both boys followed Professor Snape down to his office in silence, neither one wishing to anger their Head of House. Both boys sat down where Snape pointed for them to as he slammed the door closed and swept into his seat behind the desk.
"Flint," he started, turning to the boy and ignoring Harry completely, "you know how I feel about your Seeker this year." Flint nodded. "Have him and Potter here fly against each other." Flint looked like he was about to protest, but Professor Snape raised a hand up to stop him. "I know about the first year rule, but I will talk to Professor Dumbledore about it. Besides, even if it doesn't work out, you shall have a better Seeker for next year, which is better than having to find someone to replace Higgs next year."
Flint nodded and stood up, gesturing for Harry to do the same. He began walking around him, muttering to himself for a few moments before looking up at Professor Snape and nodding.
"He'll do," he said. "That is, he'll do if he has the skill."
"As much as I hate to admit it, his father was one of the best players at Hogwarts during his time, though he was a Chaser, not a Seeker," Professor Snape sneered. "He has the skill. He caught a Remembrall after a hundred foot dive during the first flying lesson of the year."
"That your first time on a broom, Potter?" Flint asked him while he looked at Harry in a new light. Harry nodded. "Well then, that changes everything. I'll try him out, but if you can get permission, I have a feeling Potter here won't need a tryout to be on the team. Though… if he's going to be Seeker, he'll need a broom to fit him… A Nimbus would be the best broom he could get..." Flint was mostly talking to himself by then.
"I'm sure if you inform Potter on how to purchase one, he can buy himself a broom, though I'll certainly bring it up with the Headmaster and see if we can't get a free one for Potter," Professor Snape told Flint while looking Harry in the eyes. "You also may wish to inform Potter here on what Quidditch is and how to play. He seems to be very lost at the moment as he wasn't raised in the Wizarding World like he should have been."
"Ever heard of Quidditch, Potter?" Flint snapped.
"I've heard of it, but I don't know anything about it," Harry admitted without feeling embarrassed as his friends had all helped him realize that feeling embarrassed just because he had been forced to grow up as a Muggle just wasn't worth it.
"Yes, well, when we get you onto the field this weekend for a tryout, you'll meet me half an hour early and I'll explain what you're going to be doing. If we have permission and you beat Higgs, I'll have someone explain Quidditch to you. Until then, just wait for my owl on when to meet me at the pitch, and don't tell anyone outside of Slytherin of your chance. If I hear anyone that isn't a Slytherin talking about it, you lose your chance to be on the team. Do you understand me?" Harry nodded. "Good. The owl will have directions to the pitch in case you don't know the way."
He turned to face Professor Snape. "I believe my work here is done with Potter. Thank you for bringing him to my attention, Professor. Hopefully Professor Dumbledore will permit him to be on the team and we'll continue to hold onto that Quidditch Cup as well as the House Cup."
"Hopefully," Professor Snape drawled. "Now, I need to talk to Potter alone." Flint nodded and left the room.
"Potter, were you trying to show off?" Professor Snape almost shouted at him.
"No, Professor," Harry replied. "Draco was making a fool of himself in front of the Gryffindors, and I was trying to stop him. It had almost worked when Ronald Weasley ruined it by saying we were working together to get the Remembrall. Draco told me with his eyes that he wanted revenge and needed my help, but he wasn't going to hurt anyone. I could tell that by my help he meant he needed me to make sure the Remembrall didn't fall and break.
"I stayed out of the way and ready to help if anything happened to either of the boys or the ball. I noticed you on the stairs watching the whole thing just before I saw Draco throw the Remembrall. You saw the rest; I was just trying to stop anything from being hurt or broken."
Professor Snape looked at Harry for a few moments before speaking, "You certainly remind me of your mother. Lily Evans was always trying to keep peace where she could, and sometimes, even where she couldn't. You did a good thing today, Potter, trying to help not only your fellow Slytherin but the Gryffindors too. Your mother would be proud.
"Now, when you see your friends you'll tell them that you got yelled at and you have detention with me every night for all of next week. When you get to the Common Room, you may tell them the truth, but only there. If the other Houses hear that I let you off easily, and even more, I'm trying to get you onto the Quidditch team, the school will go crazy. Have I made myself clear?"
"Yes, Professor."
"Make sure you're in the Common Room by six thirty all of next week. If you must get books from the library, send a friend to do it."
"Yes, Professor."
"Now get out of my sight!"
Harry quickly left the room with many different things on his mind, the most important of which was what Professor Snape had told him about his mother, whom he had heard nothing about before then.
Well, here's the answer to if Harry got onto the team or not still... Basically. For Draco being on the team - Second Year holds the answer.
Next chapter has Potions class, but you don't see the true side of Snape until Third Year, which is pretty far away - Sorry.
Otherwise, I hope you're enjoying my version of all of this. I'm working on Chapter Seven of the second story, which I'll tell you now is at the end of the summer before Fourth Year, so I should be working on Year Four shortly.
A Happy Halloween to everyone. I hope you enjoy the candy! Can you possibly leave me a review for the holiday? :)
Posted: 10/31/10
