I shoot the lights out

Hide 'til it's bright out

Whoa, just another lonely night

Are you willing to sacrifice your life?

~ Monster – Kanye West

Chapter 7: Halloween

The boys didn't see Hermione for the rest of the day. She didn't show up for Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"Where's Miss Granger?" Professor Quirrell asked as he looked down at the empty seat at the front of the class. The five boys looked nervously from one another, trying to think of an excuse to why Hermione wasn't there.

"She's sick." Theodore said innocently.

She didn't show up for Transfiguration.

"Miss Granger?" McGonagall repeated herself after Hermione did not respond to roll call. She looked up to notice that Hermione's seat was empty. She looked among the class, in hopes she would find her star student. "Has anyone seen Miss Granger?"

Nobody said anything, and the boys seemed to be content on saying that she was sick, that was until Theodore raised his hand.

"She broke her arm." He said just as innocently as the first time.

"Broke her arm?" McGonagall said worriedly.

"Yes ma'am." Theodore continued to lie, "Fell right down the staircases, all a hundred and twelve of them."

She didn't show up for Charms.

"Is Miss Granger sick?" Flitwick asked, disappointment in his voice seeing that he would have to deal with all the students alone.

"Hardly sick." Theodore lied again. "She's having lady problems."

"Lady Problems?" Flitwick seemed confused.

"Can somebody shut him up?" Ron growled.

"Yes, my mother has them and trust me they are not pretty." He explained. "She has these things that she has to put up—"

"Alright!" Flitwick squeaked in horror. "That's enough Mister Nott."

And Hermione didn't show up for potions, which was rather careless on her part.

"So Miss Granger decided not to show up?" Snape sneered.

Theodore raised his hand. "Would you like to know where she is, Professor?"

"No." Snape said bluntly. "Nor do I care. Ten points from Gryffindor."

"For what?!" Ron yelled out.

Snape snapped his head towards the red haired boy. "For being a Weasley." He sneered. "And another five points for questioning my authority."

It was dinner time, and the boys still had no idea where Hermione was. They had all decided to split up after classes to find her, but each boy returned without the bushy-haired Gryffindor. All them were sitting at the table—all of them except Neville, however.

"Do you think he might've gotten lost?" Ron asked, looking down at the empty spot where Neville usually sat at dinner.

"Sounds possible." Theodore said nonchalantly.

Draco groaned loudly. "Great. Now we've lost Granger and Longbottom."

"Maybe he's found Hermione." Tobias said.

"I doubt it." Theodore said bluntly. "He can't even remember what he's forgotten, no way he found a whole missing girl."

Tobias didn't say anything else, Theodore had a point. But now they didn't know where Neville or Hermione were. What if something happened?

The great hall doors burst opened, causing the whole room to go silent and turn towards the doors. The chatter soon resumed as everyone noticed it was just Neville. He ran towards the end of the Gryffindor table, his heart thumping against his chest and his breathing was rapid. His face was red, and you could see the beads of sweat on his forehead.

"You….guys. I….found….I found…" He spluttered between breaths.

"Spit it out, Longbottom!" Draco had become impatient with Neville's fatigue.

"I…found…Hermione." He finally got out, he then let out a sigh and sat down at the table.

"Where?!" Ron asked urgently.

"Girls….Bathroom." Neville said feebly. "Girls said she's been in there all afternoon, crying."

Everyone had turned to look at Ron, who looked as if he was a sheep being preyed on by a pack of wolves. Draco glared at him the hardest, but then turned back to Neville as something click in his head.

"Longbottom?"

"Yeah." Neville responded as the color returned to his face.

"You ran all the way over here to tell us you found Hermione?"

"Yeah." Neville answered, unaware of Draco's angle.

Draco nodded. "So…..WHY DIDN'T YOU GO GET HER?!"

Neville sat there, finally realizing how completely useless his actions were. He had figured out where Hermione was, and yet he came back without her. He scratched the back of his neck, uncertain what to say to the blonde Slytherin.

"Aw, don't get your knickers in a twist." Theodore rose from the table, dusting his robes off. "I'll go get her. I'm afraid if Neville gets up again he might die from cardiac arrest."

"From what?" Ron asked with a frown on his face, unfamiliar with the words Theodore just said.

But Theodore only shrugged. "I don't know. Saw it in a movie." And he walked out of great hall, leaving Ron dumbfounded and the rest of the boys awfully confused.

"A movie?" Ron said to the rest of the boys, who all shrugged.

/

"He wants it tonight?!" Arthur Weasley yelled.

Because it was Halloween, the Order had agreed to meet up at Hogwarts for their meeting. McGonagall suggested the idea because students usually played the worst of pranks Halloween night. And luckily for them, they all needed to be in the castle tonight, whether it was the spooky holiday or not.

"Yes." Quirrell confirmed. "Voldemort wants me to take the stone tonight."

Snape sat back in his seat, becoming strangely amused by everyone's dishevelment. "And what is your plan, Professor? Seeing that sole mission is to prevent the Dark Lord from getting the stone."

Snape watched as Arthur Weasley flinched as he referred to Voldemort as the "Dark Lord," but Snape ignored him. He kept his focus on Quirrell, who seemed to have gone silent at his question.

"I will be planning to take the stone tonight, but I will fail." Quirrell made sure to say those last four words carefully. "I will need you all's full participation if we want to succeed in deceiving Voldemort tonight."

Snape bit the inside of his mouth, irritated by Quirrell's sense of preparation. But nevertheless, he had a plan.

Dumbledore nodded. "What do you need us to do?"

Quirrell smirked at his words, clearing his throat and the explaining to the teachers his grand Halloween plan.

/

Hermione was sitting in the bathroom. She had chosen the very last stall so that she wouldn't draw in so much attention. She had finally stopped crying, wiping away the final tears from her eyes. She couldn't believe Ron had said those things about her, but then again she could. Ron had never liked her, and he finally showed his true colors today at lunch. It didn't matter if she was muggle-born or not, Ron was right—nobody in their right minds would want to be her friend. She was a know-it-all. She was a nightmare. She felt the tears starting up all over again, but then she heard someone enter the bathroom and quickly wiped them away again.

"Hermione?" She heard a voice say.

"Go away!" She called out. But the person did not leave, yet she could hear their footsteps walking closer and closer to the stall she was in. She pulled out her wand, prepared to defend herself if need be.

"I said go away!"

There was a silence. She then saw the feet of whoever it was at the bottom of the stall. She gripped her wand tighter, but nothing happened.

"Is that any way to treat the boy who willingly walked into the girl's lavatory just to find you?"

Her brow furrowed as she recognized the voice. "Theodore?"

"Well I hope you weren't expecting Malfoy."

Hermione let out a small laugh. She opened the door, and there indeed was Theodore Nott waiting outside for her. He was sitting on top of one of the sinks, his feet swinging lazily in the air.

"Ah, there she is." He said with a smile. "I should hex you, but I don't know any curses. So I'm forced lecture you like my mother does." He then frowned his face up, his voice mocking that of a woman. "Hermione! How dare you run away like that? You had us worried sick!"

Hermione laughed again. "Your mother really says that?"

"Merlin, I wish." Theodore shook his head. "But you did have us worried there, Hermione. You even had Ronald on edge."

Hermione raised an eyebrow, surprised by the words Theodore just said. "Ron was worried? About me?"

"Of course he was," He responded as if it was the obvious answer. "We're friends. That's what friends do. We argue and then we worry about each other later. It's perfectly normal."

"I could hardly call that an argument." Hermione said sadly. "The things he said about me. Friends don't say things like that to each other."

Theodore's smile then went away. "Well yes, what he said was unkind. But I don't think he meant it."

"How do you know?"

Theodore chuckled. "Did you not see the look on his face when he noticed you were there? He's lucky you didn't hex him into next week."

Hermione stood there for a moment, taking in Theodore's words. He said they were friends. Friends. They had all been looking for her, worried about her.

"Now tell me," Theodore asked with a strange sense of interest. He looked around the bathroom and finally landed back to Hermione. "What's so interesting in here that makes girls stay in here for hours?"

/

The Halloween feast had begun, and what a feast it was. Tobias couldn't remember the last time he had seen so much candy spread out on a table like this. Even the desserts were overwhelming—pudding, treacle tart, ice cream, cake. It was Halloween Heaven. He watched as Ron stuffed himself silly, constantly filling his plate up with more treats as he put more into his mouth. Neville had made the mistake of eating too much too fast, and was starting to turn a sickly green color. Draco was eating everything he could get his hands on, shoving some of it in his robes for later. Ron and Tobias seemed to find his strategy very useful and began to shove candy and treats into their robe pockets as well. So far, this was the best Halloween ever.

The great hall doors burst opened again, and all the boys turned, expecting to see Theodore and Hermione, but instead met the eyes of a horrified Professor Quirrell.

"TROLLLLLLL!" He screamed out. "TROLLLLL IN THE DUNGEONS!" He then fell out in the middle of the hall. The four boys looked at each other and began screaming, along with the rest of the students in the great hall. Tobias looked to notice all the teachers had stood up and rushed to Quirrell's side. All except Professor Snape, who walked swiftly out of the great hall- seeming unbothered by the news. Where is he going? Tobias thought.

The chaos in the great hall intensified. Prefects were trying to calm students, while first years seemed scared for their lives. Some of the older Slytherins took this opportunity to throw candy at each other, causing an argument between them and the Hufflepuffs.

"SILENCE!" A voiced boomed, causing everyone to freeze in their motions. Dumbledore had reached his podium and the Great Hall grew silent.

"House Prefects will escort everyone back to their common rooms. No one is allowed in the corridors until tomorrow. The rest of the Professors will follow me to the dungeons."

As the prefects stood up and began to escort the students out of the great hall, a thought clicked in Tobias's mind. Hermione and Theodore.

"We can't go back to our common rooms." He said desperately.

"You're joking?" Ron said.

Draco stepped in. "Mate, I know it's Halloween and all. But in case you've forgotten, THERE IS A BLOODY TROLL ON THE LOOSE!"

Tobias shook his head in frustration. "But Hermione and Theodore don't know about it. They're still in the bathroom."

"What if they got out?" Neville said sheepishly.

"We sent Theodore in there to get her!" Tobias groaned. "Do you really think they left?!"

"Point taken." Draco said. "Let's go."

They ran down the corridor, distancing themselves farther and farther away from the rest of the students. Tobias was in the front, Draco behind him, Ron and then Neville. As they hit the corner, Tobias suddenly stopped, causing the other three boys to bump into him, causing them all to fall.

"Tobias, what the bloody—"

"Shh." Tobias said quickly. "Look."

The four boys watched as the monster walked down the corridor. It carried a wooden club in its hand and was at ten times bigger than Hagrid, and Hagrid was a big guy. The troll was gray and ugly and it had bumps everywhere.

"Look where it's going." Ron whispered.

They watched as the Troll walked inside one of the corridor bathrooms. Tobias suddenly felt like a rock just landed in the pit of his stomach.

"That's the girls' bathroom isn't it?" Tobias said nervously.

"Yup." Draco replied.

"Neville please tell me there is another bathroom on this floor."

Neville gulped. "There isn't."

"So the troll….is in the bathroom…with Hermione…and Theodore?"

"Yup." Ron said dryly.

The boys suddenly scrambled to their feet. They all ran towards the bathroom, well at least three of them did.

"Longbottom!" Draco called. "Where the bloody hell do you think you're going?"

"To get the Professors!" Neville called back.

"No! Neville, No!" Draco tried to stop him, but Neville was already out of reach. "Aw, bloody hell."

Draco, Ron, and Tobias ran as fast as they could to the bathroom, bursting through the door just in time. Hermione was hiding under one of the bathroom sinks, and Tobias felt half of the rock dissolve in his stomach. But where was Theodore?

"Glad you three could make it!" They heard a voice scream.

The three boys looked up to see Theodore hanging for dear life from the Troll's head. The troll was swinging his head rapidly, as well as his club, in attempt to swing off Theodore and whack the bushy-haired Gryffindor. The troll looked even bigger compared to the size of the bathroom, and the other three just stood there, lost in the size of it.

"Don't just stand there!" Hermione screamed out. "Help us!"

The three boys whipped out their wands, but what spell to use? While the two Slytherins were trying to debate which spell would be the most effective, Ron decided to act.

"Wingardium Leviosa." The club then rose out of the trolls grip, causing the creature to make a few steps forwards, hands out looking for his weapon. Ron rose the club over the troll's head, preparing to make the drop.

"On the count of three, I need you to jump off the Troll!" Ron called out.

"Are you mad?!" Theodore yelled back.

"Just do it!" Tobias snapped. He then looked to Draco. "When Ron drops the club, stupefy him!"

"One."

Draco looked confused. "My spell won't be enough to knock him over."

"Two."

"But two of the same spells will." Tobias assured him. Draco gulped, then nodded. He gripped his wand harder, preparing to send the spell.

Theodore prepared himself to jump off the troll. "Oh Merlin, if you get me out of this one, I promise I will never go to the girls' bathroom again."

"THREE!"

Theodore jumped off the Troll, landing on the floor beside Hermione. Ron released the spell, causing the club to land on the trolls head.

"STUPEFY!" Draco and Tobias said at the same time, their combined spells causing enough force to knock the troll backwards into the bathroom wall. It then fell forward, laid out on his stomach across the floor. Hermione and Theodore then rushed over to stand by the other three boys. They all then looked at the troll.

"Is it dead?" Hermione asked.

"I don't think so." Tobias answered. "We should leave before—"

"What happened in here?!"

The five whipped around to see Professor McGonagall standing in the doorway, Neville at her side. She was soon followed by Professor Snape and Professor Quirrell. Draco and Tobias felt their heart stop as Snape glared at them from his post behind McGonagall. Theodore had stepped up to the three teachers.

"You see," He said trying to think of a lie. "It's a really funny story Professor. We—"

"It was my fault." Hermione interrupted. Everyone turned to look at her- Tobias, Ron, and Draco in the most surprise.

"Miss Granger?!" Professor McGonagall said in disbelief.

"I had read about trolls, and I thought I could handle this one on my own."

Tobias couldn't believe what was happening. Hermione Granger—good and honest Hermione Granger—was telling a lie to a teacher? To keep them out of trouble? Especially Ron—who caused her to be in the bathroom in the first place.

"Theodore tried to talk me out of it, but I wouldn't listen." She continued. "If it hadn't been for Tobias, Draco, and Ron, I would be dead by now. And if it hadn't been for Neville, none of you would've known."

Ron's mouth fell opened, but Draco nudged him before any of the teachers could see. This was a downright lie, but they couldn't take it back now.

"And this is what happened?" Professor Snape asked.

The other four boys nodded, hoping to seem as if this story wasn't new to them.

"Well, in that case." Professor McGonagall said slowly. "Miss Granger, how could you possibly believe you could take down a monster like that?!"

Hermione didn't say anything. The other four boys were speechless—it was really as if the world had gone mental.

"Five points will be taken from Gryffindor. I am extremely disappointed in you, Miss Granger." She then looked to Ron." If you two are not hurt, you will need to return to Gryffindor Tower." She then turned to Snape. "I assume you will want to deal with your own house?"

Snape nodded. Professor McGonagall then left, along with Neville, Ron, and Hermione. Professor Quirrell left soon after, casting apologetic smiles at the three boys. Tobias felt his palms sweating as the three Slytherins were now left with Snape. The first Quidditch game was tomorrow, and they chose a perfect time to get in trouble.

"I find it awfully strange that you three, Slytherins at heart, stepped out of the way to aid a Gryffindor, nonetheless Miss Granger." Snape said.

"Trust me, you're not the only one Professor." Theodore scratched the back of his head, trying to ease the tension.

"Are we in trouble?" Draco asked.

Snape looked between the three boys. "No, you three are not in trouble. But I expect you all to make better decisions." He then paused. "Next time, you won't be so lucky."

The three boys nodded. Snape then dismissed Theodore, claiming he had something to give to Tobias and Draco. Theodore waved goodbye, and the two Slytherins followed their Head of House. Neither boy said anything to each other as Snape led them down into the dungeons, past the Slytherin common room, and towards his office. Draco's mouth went dry, as he remembered the last time they were in Snape's office—they had received detention. Snape waved his wand and the door opened, allowing the three to enter.

"Sit down." That was all he said. The two boys sat in the seats in front of his desk, while Snape went to his storage closet. After a few moments, he came back with two wrapped packages. Tobias eyes grew bigger as he observed the packages—these can't be. Snape set the two packages on the table, a note tied to each one—For Tobias and For Draco. Each boy took their package and ripped the paper off to reveal their gift.

"Hail Salazar." Draco whispered. "Nimbus 2000s!"

Tobias nodded as he ran his hand down the broomstick handle, his hand lingering on the inscription at the end. The brooms were black, the same color as the Slytherin Quidditch team brooms. The wood was freshly polished and bristles were all in place.

"A gift from Draco's father." Snape said. "They should come in handy tomorrow."

Tobias didn't know what to say. He was almost killed by a troll, now he was receiving a Nimbus 2000. It was almost like these past two months were playing in his favor. And as he held the new broom in his hands, there were no complaints.

/

It was Saturday, the first of November. The air was getting colder and everything was beginning to look dull and gray. But despite the cons of the seasonal change, it was the beginning of the Quidditch Season and the first game was Slytherin vs. Gryffindor. As everyone gathered in the great hall for breakfast before the match, Tobias noticed as the room was divided between red and gold and green and silver. Even the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were wearing either red or green to show their support. Tobias and Draco had walked in wearing their Slytherin Quidditch uniforms, and made their way over to the end of the Gryffindor table. The other four were sitting in their usual spots as they approached the table.

As everyone continued with breakfast as usual, Tobias found himself unable to eat anything. Draco on the other hand, was eating as much as he could, reasoning that he needed his strength. Hermione noticed that Tobias wasn't eating and became concerned.

"Tobias, are you alright?"

"Yeah," Tobias said feebly, clearing his throat once he heard how he sounded. "Just fine."

"It's his first Quidditch game." Draco said through a mouth of toast.

"Really?" Ron was now intrigued. "You never played at home?"

"Didn't really have much time for flying." Tobias said quietly. "Training and all."

"But you've been doing great at practice." Theodore said in an attempt to cheer him up.

"Yeah, but that was practice." He responded. "This is the real deal."

Hermione laid a hand on his shoulder, causing him to turn his head towards her. "I'm sure you'll do great." She said, giving him a reassuring smile.

Tobias returned her smile, but that didn't remove the nervousness settling in his stomach. He and Draco soon left for pre-game preparations, leaving the other four at the table once more. As they were leaving, Professor Snape walked in. Theodore watched as his Head of House walked, raising an eyebrow at the unusualness in his pace.

"Is just me," Theodore began. "or does Snape look like my grandmother when she walks without her cane?"

"Seeing as we never met your grandmother, Theodore." Ron said through a mouthful of eggs. "I don't think we can answer that."

Hermione turned around to look at Snape, understanding what Theodore meant. "That's not the point. Look- he's limping."

"What happened to him?" Neville asked.

"Why don't we find out?" Theodore said cheerfully. "Come, Longbottom. Our destiny awaits."

"O-okay." Neville said nervously, getting up from the table to follow Theodore.

As they left, Hermione and Ron tried not to stare at each other. Hermione didn't know what to say. She wanted to still be upset at Ron, but after what Theodore told her and the fact that Ron came along to rescue her from the troll—she felt no need to.

"Hermione?"

She looked up from her plate to see that Ron was staring at her. "Yes?"

He scratched the back of his head, in an attempt to gather his thoughts. "I just wanted to say—ya know—I'm sorry….about yesterday."

Hermione smiled at her red-haired friend. "It's okay."

"I guess we should head towards the Quidditch pitch huh?"

Hermione nodded, and they both got up and left the great hall.

/

"Alright everyone, this is the first game of the season and most importantly, the biggest one."

Marcus Flint, the Slytherin Quidditch captain stood before the team in his green and silver Quidditch robes. Tobias had to admit that he was a good captain, even though some of his plays were rather violent. Marcus was a fifth year, and was impressed with him and Draco when they flew for him at the first practice. Tobias felt like, in a sense, Flint was counting on them both to win the game for Slytherin.

"Gryffindor hasn't won a game against us in years, and I plan to keep it that way. So everybody play their parts, and show no mercy." He said the last part rather gruffly.

He then grabbed his broom, and walked out of the tent, the rest of the team behind him. As they walked onto the Quidditch pitch, they were met with loud cheers. The whole pitch was filled with red and gold, green and silver. Slytherins and Slytherin supporters cheering and whooping loudly, while supporters of the opposing team booed at them. Tobias was so nervous, he felt like his legs were going to give out at any moment. Draco seemed nervous too, his hands wouldn't stop shaking.

"Welcome to the first Quiddtich game of the season!" A voice over the intercom shouted. "I am Lee Jordan and I will be your announcer for today's game. Today's match: SLYTHERIN VS. GRYFFINDOR!"

The cheers grew louder as the two teams met at the center of the pitch. There waiting for them was Madam Hooch. She wore her usual black robes and had her broom clutched in her hands. She waited for the two captains to shake hands before she spoke.

"I want a nice and clean game." Flint smirked. "Nice and Clean, Flint. Mount your brooms!"

Tobias hopped onto his broom. He felt his heart about to explode. This was it. He watched as Madam Hooch put the whistle in her mouth. He watched as the rest of the team prepared themselves to take off, all looking hungrily at the Quaffle in her hand. Tobias gripped his broom tighter, preparing for take-off.

The whistle was blown, and Tobias kicked off into the air. The game had begun.

"And they're off!" Lee Jordan said over the intercom.

/

Theodore and Neville had followed Snape to staffroom, making sure to keep a good distance so they wouldn't be noticed. They watched as Snape met up with Quirrell and the two Professors then made their way inside the room. Theodore smirked as he realized the door was cracked. He put his ear to the door, holding a finger over his mouth to keep Neville quiet.

"Blasted beast." Snape sneered. "How can you keep your eyes on all three heads? Even magic can't prepare you for that. What was Dumbledore thinking?"

"He was thinking," Quirrell said promptly. "That he wanted to keep people, like us, from getting passed it."

Neville gasped, and the two Professor went silent. Theodore shook his head in defeat as Snape opened the door, pausing at the two first years.

"What are you two doing here?!" He snapped.

"We…we….we…" Neville stuttered.

"We were looking for Professor Quirrell." Theodore said casually. "We needed to ask him a question about our project."

"Whatever it is it can wait." Snape sneered. "It should hardly be of any importance, seeing as there is a Quidditch match happening today."

Theodore nodded. "Right. Come on Neville, let's go."

The two boys then walked down the corridor, before finally hitting a corner and began to run towards the Quidditch pitch. When they were outside the castle, they stopped in an attempt to catch their breath. Theodore caught his first.

"Longbottom, do you know what this means?"

Neville nodded, still trying to catch his breath.

"Come on, let's get to the game before we run into Snape again."

/

"SLYTHERINS SCORE!"

Slytherin cheers and whoops filled up the pitch as Draco scored for the second time. Tobias sat above the game, keeping an eye out for the snitch. Marcus had specifically told him to stay away from the action, seeing that he was an important player. He watched as his best friend flew swiftly between Gryffindor chasers making his towards the goal post for a third score, but his shot was blocked by Oliver Wood, Gryffindor's keeper.

"Great block, from Wood." Tobias heard Lee Jordan's voice again over the intercom. "Chaser Katie Bell now has the Quaffle—she passes it to Johnson, who makes a swift dive passed Flint—great speed, but—OUCH—Chaser Adrian Pucey now has the Quaffle—passes it to Malfoy—who attempts again to make a score—he dodges the bludger—the two Weasley's—andddd—SLYTHERIN SCORES AGAIN!"

There were groans being heard from the Gryffindor side of the pitch. Hermione watched the game through her binoculars—paying close attention to Tobias and Draco. She never knew Quidditch was such a rough game. The game seemed more of a battle field, and each team were soldiers fighting until the death. Theodore and Neville soon joined them, and Theodore quickly told them what he and Neville heard. Ron opened his mouth to say something back, but Hermione cut him off, saying to wait until after the match was over.

"Gryffindor's back in possession. Johnson seems to be taking the Quaffle all the way to the goal post. She pushes past the Slytherin team—wait—wait a minute—the snitch has been released!"

Tobias's focus snapped back as he heard the word. He looked around, and soon enough found the golden ball flying around the field. He pushed forward and his broom began to zoom in the direction of the snitch. The Gryffindor seeker must've seen it as well because he was also speeding towards it. Tobias leaned forward, causing his broom to pick up speed. The two seekers were neck and neck—Tobias's heart began to race—would he get there in time? The Gryffindor seeker reached out his hand for the snitch, but then—BAM!

Marcus had blocked the Gryffindor seeker. "TOBIAS, GO!" He roared, and Tobias barely nodded as he continued to zoom towards the snitch. He never broke contact with the snitch, dodging bludgers left and right. He was almost there when his broom abruptly shifted to the left, causing Tobias to temporarily lose control. The crowd gasped but soon relaxed as Tobias continued his pursuit. The broom had moved by itself, but he ignored it.

He raced towards the snitch again, this time picking up more speed than before, but his broom jerked again. He whipped around, looking for Marcus to call a time out, but soon saw the Gryffindor seeker mounting his broom again and thought better of it. He tried to catch up with the snitch again, but his broom began to move more violently this time, and Tobias soon realized that his broom was completely out of his control.

"That's a weird way to catch the snitch." Theodore said. The other three turned their heads towards their dark-haired friend. Hermione put her binoculars to her face again, and noticed that Tobias was acting strange—no, his broom was acting strange.

"He isn't trying to catch the snitch." She said. "Someone's jinxing it!"

"Who?!" Ron asked.

Hermione looked around the Quidditch pitch, keeping an eye out for possible suspects. Nobody from the Gryffindor team seemed to be watching, so she went looking in to the crowd.

"Somebody has been in my father's library." Theodore commented. "Only powerful dark magic could do that to a Nimbus 2000."

Dark Magic? Hermione thought. Her eyes then wandered to the teachers stand.

"I knew it." She gave Ron the binoculars. "It's Snape."

Ron looked towards the teacher stand as well, and just as Hermione said, Snape was watching Tobias non-stop and was mumbling something under his breath. Ron then passed the binoculars to Theodore, who then gave them to Neville.

"So what's the plan?" Theodore asked, still watching Tobias's broom.

"I'll handle it." Hermione said determinedly and left the Gryffindor side of the pitch.

Tobias didn't know what to do except hang on to dear life. As his broom jerked and bucked—Tobias could barely focus on the game below him. Gryffindor was catching up, but to his luck, their seeker had yet to find the snitch.

"GRYFFINDOR SCORES!" Lee Jordan screamed out and the Gryffindors all cheered with glee.

Hermione made her way to the teachers stand, hoping to make it in time before Snape finished his curse. She crouched under the stands, making her way to the exact spot Snape was sitting in. She pulled out her wand and muttered a spell, causing blue flames of fire to emit from her wand. She ran out of the stands quickly, only listening to the teachers reactions to the fire.

Tobias almost gave up hope for this game, but his broom then stopped moving. He didn't take a second to question it, regaining control of his broom and speeding towards the snitch once more. He flew around the pitch, hoping to catch a glimpse of the golden ball. He watched as the Gryffindor seeker was doing the same, but then a fleck of gold flew past his ear—the snitch. Tobias flew towards the snitch, flying faster than he had the whole game. Everyone held their breath as they watched him fly closer and closer to the ground. Tobias reached out his hand, hoping to catch the snitch before he crashed. He stretched his arm, stretched his fingers.

"He's going to crash!" Theodore screamed out.

"I can't look." Neville said as he covered his eyes with his scarf.

Tobias stretched his hand out, he was almost there. His broom then touched the ground and he flipped over. The crowd gasped as Madam Hooch ran towards him. She sat him up and everyone watched as he covered his mouth—he was going to be sick. Madam Hooch patted his back, and the crowd watched as Tobias spat out something gold from his mouth. He had caught the snitch.

"Tobias LeStrange has caught the snitch, giving Slytherin a hundred and fifty points. SLYTHERIN WINS!"

The pitch was filled again with Slytherin cheers, and Tobias was soon lifted up by the Slytherin team and carried to the middle of the pitch. Students ran down to congratulate him, and Pansy Parkinson planted a kiss on his cheek, causing him to blush furiously.

"You did it mate!" Draco screamed out from below. "You did it!"

While everyone went to celebrate after the game, the six friends met up in the library. Luckily for them, nobody went to the library on Saturdays, so they had the whole place to themselves and they had much to discuss.

"So Snape tried to get past the dog last night?" Draco asked.

"That's what he said." Theodore confirmed. "That's why he's limping. And Quirrell knew he was going to do it."

"Meaning their working together." Hermione added. "And that means—that the troll was a diversion. Quirrell distracted everyone with the troll so Snape could get past the dog!"

"Again…What's so valuable that Dumbledore needs a bloody three-headed dog to guard it and that two teachers what to steal it?!" Ron asked.

"Maybe we should tell a Professor." Hermione suggested.

Draco snorted. "And tell who, Granger? If Snape and Quirrell are going after it, it could mean the other professors are teaming up to get it as well."

Tobias nodded. "Draco's right. But there maybe someone we can trust. Someone who knows the castle inside and out, but isn't a Professor."

The other four looked at Tobias, each unaware of who he was referring to. Draco looked at him and then smirked, catching on to Tobias's plan.

/

The next Thursday came and Draco and Tobias made their way down to Hagrid's hut for detention. Hagrid left the door opened, as he usually did when he was out doing something before the two boys arrived. Tobias and Draco took their usual seats at the table and waited for him to get back. They went over their plan one more time before waiting for Hagrid to return.

Hagrid arrived shortly after, and offered them the usual cups of water. He sat down and they began casual conversation as always—Draco and Tobias went into full detail about the Quidditch match. They talked about the match through the whole detention, waiting until the very last minutes to bring up Snape's jinx.

Hagrid shook his head. "That's rubbish. Snape is a Hogwarts professor. What makes you think he would do somethin' like that?"

The two boys looked at each other, then looked back at Hagrid. "We found out something. Last night, Snape went to the third floor corridor while everyone was running from the troll, and we believe he tried to get past the three-headed dog."

"Three-headed dog? Fluffy?"

Draco gaped. "That beast has a name?!"

"Of course it has a name." Hagrid said in a matter-of-fact tone. "It's mine. Bought it from a Greek chap I met at the pub last year."

"And Dumbledore lets you keep it in the school?" Draco went on. "As a pet?"

"Nooooo." Hagrid said. "Dumbledore's using him to guard the—" He suddenly stopped, his eyes growing wider as if he had already too much.

"Guard the what?" Tobias said quickly.

Hagrid shook his head. "I can't tell ya that. It's top secret."

"But Snape and Quirrell are trying to steal it." Tobias said desperately.

"Snape and Quirrell are Hogwarts Professors." Hagrid disagreed. "They would do nothin' of the sort. You're meddling in business you don't understand. Now you two needta' forget about that dog and forget what it's guardin', the only people who should be concerned about it is Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel."

"Nicolas Flamel?" Draco asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Who's Nicolas Flamel?" Tobias asked. "Hagrid?"

Hagrid eyes grew bigger, and the boys knew he had told them something he wasn't supposed to. The two boys then ran out of the hut, leaving Hagrid furious with himself. So there was someone named Nicolas Flamel involved? They had to tell the rest.

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