Catherine's POV
I was quiet the next day at breakfast. And Malfoy actually seemed a little concerned.
"Riddle." Malfoy said quietly. "You alright?" The question startled me and I almost fell off the bench.
"What? Oh... yeah." I murmured. I didn't really talk to Hermione in Transfigurations, and she seemed worried. I drug my feet to Potions. I was usually really excited, but not this time. And Malfoy noticed.
"Okay Riddle. You're usually running to Potions, what is it?" He asked as I sat down next to him. Snape came in then, and instead of sitting up and smiling, I kept my head down and did my work.
"Smith." I snapped my head up to see Snape standing right in front of me. "Meet me after class." I nodded slowly, not making eye contact. He continued the lesson, and Malfoy cocked his eyebrow as he watched me. After class I didn't move, making Snape come to me, which was stupid.
"Catherine." He said, sounding tired, but he actually sat next to me. "What's the matter?"
"I just wanted to know what was wrong yesterday." I said, voice wavering as tears began to well up. Snape sighed.
"Catherine, did it cross your mind that I was a little more concerned about you than myself last night?" I looked up to see Snape also seemed a little paler than usual. "I had promised Abigail, as well as Killian and Morgana that I would watch after you. Not only that, you're my godchild. You could have died last night." He put a hand on my head and pet it lightly. "And I was nowhere near enough to protect you. I would never have forgiven myself if you had been hurt." I let out a sob. That never crossed my mind. I felt awful now.
"I'm sorry Papa. I didn't mean to worry you."
"Worry me?" Snape asked. He gently pulled me into an awkward hug. "Catherine, I was concerned when I didn't see you at dinner. Worried when Quirrell announced the troll in the dungeon. Terrified when I saw you in that bathroom with the troll on the floor." He hugged me a little tighter. "Promise me you'll be careful."
"I'll try." I said. "But if the troll was in the dungeon.." I pulled back slightly. "Why would Slytherin be brought to their dorm? Our dorm is IN the dungeon." Snape sighed.
"Catherine."
"Sorry Papa." Snape sighed again, before flicking his wrist, a small piece of parchment coming over with his neat handwriting.
"You're late for Flying. This note is for Hooch." I nodded slowly. Snape gave me a small kiss on my forehead. "I'm glad you're safe Catherine."
"You still aren't going to tell me what happened to you, are you?" Snape sighed.
"Don't worry about it Catherine. I'll be fine."
"Promise?" I asked as I watched him stand. Snape nodded and I smiled, hurrying to put my things from potions away and hurrying to the courtyard.
"Smith! You're late!" Hooch yelled, the other first years already in the air, my broom on the ground still.
"Sorry. Professor Snape held me back." I said, handing her the note. She read it over and sighed.
"He can't keep doing this." She said, but told me what we were doing. I got on my broom and into the air.
"Hey Cat." Hermoine asked, flying over and stopping next to me. "You alright? You look like you'd been crying." I shrugged.
"I'm fine now." And I gave her a smile. Malfoy was watching me from across the yard, and I smiled, bright and happy. He glanced away and I cocked my head slightly. Then he almost fell off his broom and I was over, trying to help him steady himself. "Bloody hell Malfoy. Be careful. The last thing you need is to break something."
"I'm fine, Riddle." He waved me off, before looking at me. "Are you?" I smiled and nodded.
"Yup! I'm fine." I answered.
"So you're flying rat won't be flying out screeching when you aren't back with the rest of us anymore?" I narrowed my eyes and slapped him over the head, grabbing his cloak so he wouldn't fall off.
"Sevy is NOT a flying rat. She is a fruit bat and happens to be a bloody hell lot nicer than you."
"Fine, I won't worry the next time you're weirdly quiet." He said, flying over to Crabbe and Goyle. I smiled as Hermione, Ron and Harry came over.
"So, Riddle right?" Harry asked. I smiled and nodded.
"That'd be me, but I prefer Smith, or Catherine. Oh, do you two know who made Hermione cry yesterday? She hasn't told me yet and-" I noticed how Harry glared at Ron and how Ron seemed to shift his broom away. My eyes narrowed. "What did you do to her?" I asked.
"It doesn't matter now." Hermione said quickly. I turned to her, then back to Ron.
"Was it about you being Muggle-born?" I asked lowly.
"What? No, of course not. I'm not a blood purest like the bloody Slytherins." I tapped my finger on my broom.
"I'M one of those Slytherins." I growled.
"He said she had no friends." Harry interjected. I glared at Ron harder.
"I'm her friend. I'd like to think we have been since the train ride here." Ron shrugged a little.
"Well... we're all friends now and that all that matters, right?" Ron asked. I smiled a little as well.
"Sure thing." I said before turning to Harry. "I haven't thanked you for saving me yet." Harry waved his hand slightly.
"Don't worry about it. And Ron did most of the work." I shook my head.
"I wasn't talking about that." I said. The three looked at me confused. "Nevermind." I waved my hand slightly. "It's not important at the moment." Which was a complete lie, but the lesson was over and it was time to head to lunch.
That weekend was the first Quidditch game of the year, and it was Gryffindor against Slytherin. I ended up standing next to Malfoy. I'd cheer with my team, but when one of our Chaser's grabbed a club from one of our beaters and sent a bludger at Gryffindor's Keeper, knocking him out and down to the ground, while the rest of the Slytherin's cheered, I booed, getting a few weird and nasty glares.
"What are you booing for?" Malfoy asked me. I turned to him with a glare.
"Why cheer for cheating? It's not noble or honorable. We should win because we're good, not because we're under handed." I stated firmly. "If Slytherin is full of a bunch of cheaters, I'd sooner route for the other team."
"They're just making the game more interesting." Was Malfoy's reply. I cocked an eyebrow.
"It's entertaining enough as it is." And the next time I turned to the game, Harry's broom was out of control. I held my breath when he was just hanging on, off his broom and dangling in the air. The other Slytherin's were cheering and I had half a mind to push Malfoy over the edge and into the pitch. When Harry was back on his broom, I let out my breath in a relieved sigh. Malfoy turned to me with a scowl.
"Are you sure you're a Slytherin?" He asked. I made a show of looking at the emblem on my robes and the colors on my tie.
"I'm going to say yes. I just seem to be the only one with this thing called a HEART!" I barked. "Tell me, Malfoy. If Harry had fallen, and DIED, would this still be fun? Something to laugh at? No. The game would be cancelled, and you'd have to deal with having to see Harry's broken body on the ground. Do you really want to see that? Because I bloody well don't." Malfoy didn't say anything for the rest of the game. All three minutes of them because Harry caught the snitch. I smiled and cheered, getting more glares from the disgruntled Slytherins around me.
When I met up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione later, they were talking about how Snape had been jynxing Harry's broom. I stared at them like they had all lost their heads.
"No." I said with a shake of my head. "Snape would never do that."
"He was holding direct eye contact with Harry's broom and wasn't blinking." Hermione said. I frowned. Hermione would never lie to me, she had no reason to.
"He was also trying to get something Halloween night. I'm sure he was using the Troll to get passed the three headed dog on the third floor. That's why he got that cut on his leg." Harry added. I cocked my head, then shook it.
"No... he'd never. He wouldn't hurt anyone that was a student." I said.
"Like it or not, Riddle. He did." Ron said.
"But..." I bit my lip. "But he's not like that."
"How do you know?" Ron asked, sounding a little accusing. I glared at him slightly.
"Just trust me, I do." Ron rolled his eyes, Harry sighed, and Hermione put a hand on my shoulder gently.
"I wish I could Cat. But the facts all add up to Professor Snape being a Dark Wizard." I almost snapped at her, at all of them, and I'm sure they all knew it because they all took a step back.
"I can't change your minds, I get that. But Hermione." I stepped closer to her, leaning forward to whisper in her ear. "Never insult my Godfather in front of me again." She gasped, and I put my hand over her mouth. "That stays between us. He asked me not to tell when I started school, and I am trusting you with this." She nodded quickly and I stepped back. Ron and Harry had their wands pointed at me.
"Sorry Cat." She said softly, confusing the other two.
"I'll leave you three to whatever it is you feel you need to do, but promise me you won't get yourselves killed." And I left them where they went and found Hagrid to speak with.
Yup, this was SO much easier to write than the last three chapters. I need to watch the movie in order to continue, because I don't remember what happens between the Quidditch match and Christmas. I don't think I'll have Catherine going with the other three to get the Sorcerer's Stone (Us American's still ruin everything)