Chapter 7: Quidditch Match
Ever since the troll incident Claire, Harry, Hermione and Ron had become friends. Claire was thankful that they no longer fought. Hermione became a good edition to their group as she helped them with homework; especially Harry since he had multiple last-minute practices with Wood. Harry and Ron grew used to Hermione and her ways. They discovered that Claire was right about Hermione. Hermione turned out to be really nice and helpful. She even became more relaxed about breaking rules since Harry and Ron saved her and Claire from the mountain troll.
It was now November at Hogwarts which meant it was Quidditch season. In fact, tomorrow was the first Quidditch match of the season. The four friends were outside by the Black Lake. Harry was reading Quidditch Through the Ages (borrowed from Hermione) to help him prepare for tomorrow's match. So far, he learned there were seven hundred ways of committing a Quidditch foul and Seekers were usually the smallest and fastest players. While Harry was reading, the others were working on homework. Well, at least Claire and Hermione were as Ron didn't feel like doing his homework. They soon heard footsteps approaching them and looked up.
"Is that Snape coming over here?" Claire questioned.
Claire noticed that Snape seemed to be limping. Wonder what's up with that? Claire thought to herself. Snape was soon standing in front of them and caught sight of Harry's book.
"What's that you've got there, Potter?"
Harry showed the book to Snape.
"Library books are not to be taken outside the school. Give it to me. Five points from Gryffindor." And with that Snape snatched the book from Harry and left, limping away.
"He's just made that rule up." Harry muttered angrily.
"Did any of you notice that Snape seemed to be limping? Wonder what he did to his leg." Claire said.
"Dunno, but I hope it's really hurting him." Ron said bitterly.
That evening in the Gryffindor common room, Hermione was checking Claire, Harry, and Ron's Charms homework. As Hermione was checking their homework, Claire and Ron were playing Wizard Chess. Harry watched Claire and Ron play as his mind kept wandering back to getting his book back. He stood up suddenly catching the attention of his three friends at his sudden movement.
"You alright, Harry?" Claire asked concerned.
"Yea, I'm going to get my book back from Snape." Harry said.
"Better you than me." His friends replied in unison.
As Harry left the common room, Claire and Ron went back to their game.
"Knight to D3." Claire said.
The piece moved and destroyed one of Ron's chess pieces.
"Yes! I guess I'll be taking the title of winner this game Ron." Claire said smugly.
"Queen to E6." Ron said.
Ron's Queen destroyed Claire's Queen and thus Ron won the game.
Ron smirked in victory. "You were saying."
"You cheated! Hermione you saw it, right? He definitely cheated!" Claire exclaimed.
"I'm not getting involved in this. Besides it's just a game of chess. It shouldn't matter who wins." Hermione replied.
Claire huffed in annoyance. Suddenly, Harry came running into the common room out of breath.
"Have another run in with the three-headed dog?" Claire joked.
"No, but I think Snape did." Harry said.
Harry told them that when he went to get his book he saw Snape and Filch. He said he heard Snape saying something about having to keep his eyes on all three heads at once.
"You know what this means?" Harry said.
"We need to reward that dog for biting Snape's leg?" Claire suggested.
"No, but that's not a bad idea." Harry said. "This means he tried to get past that three-headed dog at Halloween! That's where he was going when Ron and I saw him leave the Great Hall right before Quirrell came in yelling about a troll on the loose. And I bet my broomstick he let that troll in, to make a diversion!"
"No-he wouldn't. I know he's not very nice, but he wouldn't try and steal something Dumbledore was keeping safe." Hermione said.
"Honestly, Hermione, you think all teachers are saints or something. I'm with Harry. I wouldn't put anything past Snape. But what's he after? What's that dog guarding?" Ron said.
"Maybe Hermione's right." Claire said.
Harry and Ron looked at her shocked and said, "What?!"
"Harry you said yourself that Quirrell was the one who came in warning about the troll. What if Quirrell released the troll?" Claire said.
"Quirrell? The man is afraid of his own shadow! There's no way he was the one to let the troll in." Ron said.
Claire shrugged her shoulders and said, "Looks can be deceiving."
And with that they decided to go to bed. The next morning they were all sitting in the Great Hall eating breakfast. Well, Claire, Hermione, and Ron were eating while Harry was trying not to vomit from nervousness. To say he was nervous would be an understatement. He began to think of the worst things imaginable that could happen when he played Quidditch. Claire, Hermione, and Ron were trying to get him to eat something.
"You've got to eat some breakfast." Ron said.
"I don't want anything." Harry replied.
"Just a bit of toast." Hermione wheedled.
Claire was getting aggravated.
"Harry Potter, I swear to Merlin I will smack you upside the head with your broomstick if you don't eat something right now!" Claire exclaimed.
Finally, Harry gave in and ate some toast. Claire smiled satisfied that her friend was eating something.
"It's a good thing you're eating something, Harry." An Irish boy named Seamus began. "Seekers are always the first to get clobbered by the other team."
Claire glared at the boy while Harry said, "Thanks, Seamus."
By eleven o' clock the whole school seemed to be out in the stands around the Quidditch pitch. Many students had binoculars. Claire, Ron, and Hermione joined Neville, Seamus, and Dean far up in the top row. They had created a surprise for Harry. It was a large banner that said Potter for President and there was a drawing of a large Gryffindor lion underneath it which Dean had drawn. Hermione performed a charm so that the paint flashed different colors. Several minutes passed and the Gryffindor and Slytherin Quidditch teams came out on the field. Harry looked up to the stands and saw the sign his friends made and smiled feeling his nerves dissipate a little. Madam Hooch blew her whistle and the game started. Lee Jordan, a friend of the Weasley Twins, was the commentator and Claire thought he was hilarious. Angelina Johnson, a chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, caught the Quaffle and passed it to another chaser named Alicia Spinner. Marcus Flint, a Slytherin, caught the Quaffle and tried to make a goal but Chaser Katie Bell caught the Quaffle.
"Chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Filnt, off up the field and-OUCH- that must have hurt, hit in the back of the head with a Bludger- Quaffle taken by the Slytherins- that's Adrian Pucey speeding off toward the goal posts, but he's blocked by a second Bludger- sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, can't tell which-nice play by the Gryffindor Beater, anyway, and Johnson back in possession of the Quaffle, a clear field ahead and off she goes-she's really flying-dodges a speeding Bludger- the goal posts are ahead-come on, now, Angelina-Keeper Bletchley dives- misses- GRYFFINDORS SCORE!" Lee commented.
Gryffindor cheers filled the cold air while Slytherin moaned.
"Budge up there, move along!"
"Hagrid!"
Claire, Hermione, and Ron squeezed together to give Hagrid enough space to join them.
"Bin watching' from me hut, but it isn't the same as bein' in the crowd. No sign of the Snitch yet, eh?" Hagrid said.
"Nope." Ron said. "Harry hasn't had much to do yet."
"Kept outta trouble, though, that's somethin'." Hagrid said raising his binoculars and peering skyward at the speck that was Harry.
Suddenly, Harry shot forward.
"I think he sees the Snitch." Claire said.
Harry did in fact see the Snitch. Slytherin Seeker Terence Higgs had seen the Snitch too and began flying towards it. They were neck and neck. Harry began to speed off and- WHAM! The Gryffindors let out a roar of rage. Marcus Flint had blocked Harry on purpose and Harry's broom spun off course, Harry holding on for dear life.
"Foul!" screamed the Gryffindors.
Madam Hooch spoke angrily to Flint and ordered a free shot at the goal posts for Gryffindor. In the stands, Dean was yelling about a Red Card in soccer that would mean you're out of the game.
"This isn't soccer, Dean." Ron reminded him.
Hagrid, however, was on Dean's side saying that they ought to change the rules. Lee Jordan was finding it difficult not to take sides as he kept saying bias things that Professor McGonagall scolded him for. The game continued but all of a sudden Harry's broom looked as though it were trying to buck him off.
"What's wrong with Harry's broom?" Claire asked the others.
Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid saw Harry holding on for dear life as his broomstick began to have a mind of its own.
"Dunno what Harry thinks he's doing," Hagrid mumbled. He looked through his binoculars. "If I didn't know better it looks as though he lost control of his broom…but he can't have…"
The whole crowd soon noticed Harry on his broomstick. The broomstick had started to roll over and over with Harry barely managing to hang broom then jerked suddenly causing Harry to wing off. He was now dangling from his broomstick by one hand. Seamus thought Flint was the cause for Harry's broomstick going haywire but Hagrid said it had something to do with Dark magic. At those words, Hermione seized Hagrid's binoculars and looked through them to find the person who was doing this to Harry's broomstick.
"What are you doing?" Ron moaned.
"She's obviously searching for the person who's doing this." Claire said.
"I knew it. Snape-look." Hermione gasped.
Ron took the binoculars and saw Snape in the middle of the stands opposite them. He had his eyes fixed on Harry and was muttering nonstop under his breath. Claire then grabbed the binoculars looking through them.
"He's doing something-jinxing the broom." Claire said. "What are we going to do?"
"Leave it to me." Hermione said before leaving Ron and Claire.
"See, Harry and I told you that Snape was involved with whatever the dog's guarding. Remember Harry saw him last night talking to Filch and was caught by him. Snape's trying to kill him." Ron said.
"Well, hopefully, whatever Hermione has up her sleeves will save him." Claire said.
Claire looked through the binoculars again and saw Snape muttering but then she saw that directly behind him was Quirrell who also seemed to be muttering nonstop and looking straight at Harry. Hmm, that's weird. Claire thought.
"Ron, look." Claire gave him the binoculars.
Ron looked through the binoculars and then exclaimed, "Bloody hell, Hermione's set Snape's robes on fire!"
"What?!" Claire snatched the binoculars and looked through them and saw Snape's robes on fire. She then noticed that Quirrell stopped muttering because he had fallen backwards off his seat.
"Harry's alright!" Claire aimed the binoculars at Harry and saw he was now in control of his broom. The Gryffindor section cheered. Harry sped towards the ground when the crowd noticed him clap his hand over his mouth as though he were about to be sick- he hit the field on all fours-coughed- and something gold fell into his hand.
"I've got the Snitch!" he shouted, waving it above his head.
The Gryffindors erupted into cheers at the conclusion of the game. Flint complained for twenty minutes on how Harry practically swallowed the Snitch. Claire, Ron, and Hermione all ran down to the field.
"You were brilliant, Harry!" Claire praised him.
"Thanks." Harry said.
Hagrid invited Harry, Claire, Hermione, and Ron to his hut for tea. They were soon in his hut drinking some tea. Ron began to explain what they had seen Snape do.
"It was Snape. Hermione, Claire, and I saw him. He was cursing your broomstick, muttering, he wouldn't take his eyes off you." Ron said.
Claire debated on whether she should tell them that she saw Quirrell do the same thing but decided she would tell Hermione later. She knew the boys would just think she imagined it.
"Rubbish. Why would Snape do somethin' like that?" Hagrid said, who hadn't heard a word of what had gone on next to him in the stands.
They looked at each other wondering what to tell him. Harry decided on the truth.
"I found out something about him. He tried to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween. It bit him. We think he was trying to steal whatever it's guarding." He told Hagrid.
Hagrid dropped the teapot.
"How do you know about Fluffy?" he said.
"Fluffy?" Claire said in disbelief. Why would he name that demon looking dog Fluffy?
"Yeah-he's mine- bought him off a Greek fellow I met in the pub las' year- I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the-"
"Yes?" Harry said eagerly.
"Now don't ask me anymore. That's top secret, that is." Hagrid said gruffly.
"But Snape's trying to steal it." Ron said.
"Rubbish." Hagrid said again. "Snape's a Hogwarts teacher, he'd do nothin' of the sort."
"So why did he just try and kill him?" Hermione cried. "I know a jinx when I see one, Hagrid, I've read all about them! You've got to keep eye contact, and Snape wasn't blinking at all, I saw him!"
"I'm tellin' yeh, yer wrong!" Hagrid said boldly. "I'm not sure why Harry's broom acted like that, but Snape wouldn't go killing him! Now, listen to me, all four of yeh- yer meddlin' in things that don' concern yeh. It's dangerous. You forget that dog, an' you forget what it's guardin', that's between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicolas Flamel-"
"Aha! So there's someone called Nicolas Flamel involved, is there?" Harry said.
Hagrid seemed to be furious with himself. The four friends soon left Hagrid's hut and were now in the Gryffindor common room. The Gryffindors were still celebrating their victory so the four friends decided to go up to their respective dormitories. When Claire and Hermione were in their dorm, Claire decided to talk to Hermione about what she saw with Quirrell. She knew the boys would just think she imagined it and wouldn't take it seriously but she knew Hermione would think about it logically before dismissing it.
"Hermione, can I tell you something?" Claire asked.
Hermione turned her attention to Claire and said, "Of course."
"Well, while you were setting Snape's robes on fire I was looking through the binoculars and I saw something peculiar." Claire began.
"What did you see?" Hermione asked.
"I saw Quirrell. He was doing the same thing as Snape. Do you think maybe Quirrell was the one who made Harry's broom go haywire?" Claire said.
Hermione took in Claire's information.
"Hmm, I don't know. Maybe Quirrell was doing the counter-jinx to keep Harry from falling off the broom." Hermione said.
"Maybe." Claire said.
For some reason Claire felt that Snape wasn't the bad guy. Which was hard for her to admit; especially after the way he treated Harry. She felt as though Quirrell was the one behind it. Something about Quirrell seemed off to her.
"Claire, you coming?" Hermione asked.
"Where?" Claire said.
"The Great Hall. It's dinnertime." Hermione replied.
"Oh, yea." Claire followed Hermione to the common room where Harry and Ron were waiting for them. They went down to the Great Hall. The Gryffindor table was the loudest of three houses still bragging about their win. Claire soon forgot about her suspicions about Quirrell and began talking with her friends. After dinner ended, they went back to their dorms and fell asleep. Claire changed her clothes before climbing into bed and falling asleep forgetting about the incident at the Quidditch match.
Hey! So, I'd like take this time to say thank you to my new followers: OliviaNeith and Ghostwriter71! Thank you for following and favoriting this story! So, what did everyone think about this chapter? I love to hear your thoughts and comments. Until next time...
I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR DOCTOR WHO! I ONLY OWN WHAT YOU DON'T RECOGNIZE WHICH INCLUDES CLAIRE SMITH!
