Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. I only own my OC.
Chapter 7
"OK, men," Wood said.
"And women," said Chaser Angelina Johnson.
"And women," Wood agreed. "This is it."
"The big one," said Fred Weasley.
"The one we've all been waiting for," said George.
"We know Oliver's speech by heart," Fred told Harry. "We were in the team last year."
"Shut up, you two," said Wood." This is the best team Gryffindor's had in years. We're going to win. I know it." He glared at them all as if to say, 'or else'.
Today was the first Quidditch match of the season: Gryffindor verses Slytherin. Harry had been nervous all morning, and without pressure from Vivian, he wouldn't have eaten breakfast. Now he was standing in the lockers as the team was given a prep talk before the game. Vivian, Ron, and Hermoine were all in the stands waiting to cheer him on and that brought a smile to his face, thinking about his close friends there supporting him.
After Wood's speech, Harry followed Fred and George out of the changing room and, hoping his knees weren't going to give way, walked on to the pitch to loud cheers.
Madam Hooch was refereeing. She stood in the middle of the pitch, waiting for the two teams, her broom in hand.
"Now, I want a nice fair game, all of you," she said once they were all gathered around her, Harry noticed that she seemed to be speaking particularily to the Slytherin captain, Marcus Flint, a fifth-year. Harry thought Flint looked as if he had some troll blood in him.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Vivian sitting next to Ron and Hermoine in the stands. His sister held out a large banner with his name on it. His heart skipped. He felt braver.
"Mount your brooms, please."
Harry clambered on to his Nimbus Two Thousand.
Madam Hooch gave a loud blast on her silver whistle.
Fifteen brooms rose up, high, high into the air. They were off.
"And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor - what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too-"
"JORDAN!"
"Sorry, Professor."
The Weasley twins' friend, Lee Jordan, was doing the commentary for the match, closely watched by Professor McGonagall.
Vivian watched anxiously from the stands as her brother flew around the rink, looking for the golden snitch and dodging various Blugers thrown by the Slytherin Beaters. She clenched her fist as George sent a Bludger at the Slytherin Chaser, but he dodged. Angelina got possession of the Quaffle again and she approached the goal, getting close enough that the Keeper was unable to block it.
"GRYFFINDOR SCORE!"
Gryffindor cheers filled the cold air, with howls and moans from the Slytherins.
"Budge up there, move along."
"Hagrd!"
Vivian squeezed into Ron and Hermoine to give Hagrid enough space to join them.
"Bin watchin' from me hut," said Hagrid, patting a large pair of binoculars round his neck, "But it isn't the same as bein' in crowd. No sign of the Snitch yet, eh?"
"Nope," said Ron. "Harry hasn't had much to do yet."
"Kept outta trouble, though, there's somethin'," said Hagrid, raising his binoculars and peering skywards as the speck that was Harry.
Way above them, Harry was gliding over the game, squinting about for some sign of the Snitch. This was part of his and Wood's game plan.
As he was searching, a Bludger decided to come pelting his way, more like a cannon ball than anything, but Harry dodged it and Fred Weasley came chasing after it.
"All right there, Harry?" he had time to yell, as he beat the Bludger furiously towards Marcus Flint.
A murmur ran through the crowd as Adrian Pucey dropped the Quaffle, too busy looking over his shoulder at the flash of gold that had passed his left ear.
Harry saw it. In a great rush of excitement he dived downwards at the streak of gold. The Slytherin Seeker had seen it too, and was racing alongside Harry in hopes of snatching it.
Harry was gaining speed when suddenly, a great lump blocked Harry's path, sending him spinning off it the air desperately holding onto his broom.
"That's a foul!" Ron cried angrily.
Madam Hooch spoke angrily at Marcus Flint, the one who blocked Harry, and Gryffindor got a free throw at the goalposts.
Lee Jordan kept adding side comments in the commentary, getting repeated chastised by Professor McGonagall.
"So- after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating-"
"Jordan!" growled Professor McGonagall.
"I mean, after that open and revolting foul-"
"Jordan, I'm warning you-"
"All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure, so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinnet, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession."
Harry's broom suddenly began to jerk around, causing his to bounce dangerously in the sky. It started zig-zagging in the air, bringing him higher and farther away from the game.
Vivian, who had been searching for him after losing sight, gasped when she saw him.
"Look! Something's wrong with Harry's broom!"
"Can't have," Hagrid said, his voice shaking. "Can't nothing interfere with a broomstick except powerful Dark Magic - no kid could do that to a Nimbus Two Thousand."
At these words, Hermoine seized Hagrid's binoculars, but instead of looking up at Harry, she started looking frantically at the crowd.
"What are you doing?" moaned Ron, grey-faced.
"I knew it," Hermoine gasped. "Snape - look."
Ron grabbed the binoculars. Snape was in the middle of the stand opposite to them. He had his eyes fixed on Harry and was muttering non-stop under his breath.
"He's doing something - jinxing the broom," said Hermoine.
"Let me see," said Vivian, grabbing the binoculars.
"What are we going to do?" asked Ron.
"Leave it to me."
"Hermoine, wait!" Vivian tried grabbing for her friend, but she had already disappeared in the crowd.
Harry had attracted everyone's attention now. The crowd was on their feet, watching as Harry's broom continued to take him higher, shaking and wobbling in the air. Fred and George had gone up to him, attempting to get him safely on their brooms, but it was no use. Every time they got nearer, his broom would jump higher.
They dropped lower and circled beneath him, obviously hoping to catch him if he fell.
"Come on, Hermoine," Ron muttered desperately.
Vivian could only watch in horror as Harry went higher, his grip slipped on him broom as it jerked wildly back and forth.
Suddenly, the broom stopped and Harry was able to clamber on to his broom. He then sped off towards the ground when the crowd saw him clap his hand to his mouth as though he was about to be sick- he hit the pitch on all fours - coughed - and something gold fell into his hand.
"I've got the Snitch!" he shouted, waving it above his head, and the game ended in complete confusion.
"He didn't catch it, he nearly swallowed it," Flint was still howling twenty minutes later, but it made no difference- Harry hadn't broken any rules and Lee Jordan was still happily shouting the result- Gryffindor had won by one hundred and seventy points to sixty. Harry heard none of this, though. He was being made a cup of strong tea back in Hagrid's hut, with Vivian, Ron, and Hermoine.
"It was Snape," Ron was explaining. "All three of us saw him. He was cursing your broomstick, muttering, he wouldn't take his eyes off you."
"Rubbish," said Hagrid, who hadn't heard a word of what had gone on next to him. "Why would Snape do somethin' like that?"
Harry, Ron, and Hermoine looked at each other, wondering what to tell him. Vivian was uncomfortably sitting behind them, uneasy with the subject because unlike them, she actually trusted Snape. But the evidence was clear from the game, she had seen him muttering a jinx on Harry's broom. But how could she believe that after spending every night with her professor, getting to almost know the real him and not the mean professor everyone else seemed to know.
"I found out something about him," Harry told Hagrid. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog at Hallowe'en. It bit him. We think he was trying to steal whatever it's guarding."
Hagrid dropped the teapot.
"How do you know about Fluffy?" he asked.
"Fluffy?"
"Yeah - he's mine- bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las' year- I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the-"
"Yes?" Harry asked eagerly.
"Now don't ask me any more," said Hagrid gruffly. "That's top secret, that is."
"But Snape's trying to steal it."
"Rubbish," Hagrid said again. "Snape's a Hogwarts teacher, he'd do nothin' of the sort."
"So why did he just try and kill Harry?" cried Hermoine.
The afternoon's events certainly seemed to have changed her mind about Snape.
"I know a jinx when I see one, Hagrid, I've read all about them! You've got to keep eye contact, and Snape was blinking at all, I saw him!"
"I'm tellin' yeh, yer wrong!" said Hagrid hotly. "I don't know why Harry's broom acted like that, but Snape wouldn' try an' kill a student! Now listen to me, all of yeh- yer meddlin' in things that don't concern yeh. It's dangerous. You forget the dog, an' you forget what it's guardin', that's between Professor Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel-"
"Aha!" said Harry. "So there's someone called Nicholas Flamel involved, is there?"
Hagrid looked furious with himself.
Vivian suddenly stood up. "I've got to go."
Everyone turned to her.
"Where are you going?" Ron asked.
"I have my night class with Professor Snape."
Hemoine jumped up and grabbed her friend's arm.
"You can't go, Vivian! What if he tries to hurt you as well?"
"Now Moine," Vivian said, shaking her off, "I need these classes in order to prevent my nightmares from happening again. You don't want those to happen, right?"
Hermoine let go and backed away sheepishly. "Ya, I suppose so."
Harry stood up. "Vivian, I still don't like it. He just tried to kill me!"
Vivian crossed her arms. "Harry Potter, I saw it too but I know from experience that looks can be deceiving- you can't fully blame Snape until you have proof."
Harry scoffed. "I have proof enough."
Vivian scowled and grabbed her bag. "Well, either way, I still am going to attend. You know how much these nightmares affect me and I would hope you wish for them to continue to be absent rather than come back."
Harry stopped talking and sat down, clearly unable to come up with a better argument.
"Goodbye, then. I shall see you after my lesson."
It was becoming cold and dark by the time Vivian stepped out of the cottage. Pulling her robes closer to her body, she hurried back into Hogwarts and headed down the familiar path to the dungeons.
"I'm sorry I'm late." Vivian closed the door behind her. Snape was seated at his desk, going over essays from the first and second years. His face held little emotion as usual, and his dark eyes stared at her as she walked past the empty chairs till she reached his desk.
"What held you today?" His voice came out irritated, and she could hear exhaustion behind his cold front.
"I was with my brother and friends at Hagrid's cottage. The trip back took longer than expected."
He sighed and pushed his chair out. Standing up, he grabbed his wand from his pocket and held it out.
"Are you ready?"
Vivian nodded, her mind focused on what she had seen today. Him, muttering a jinx while her brother flew helplessly around in the air. Her hands twitched at how her brother angrily spoke against Snape, accusing him of trying to steal whatever Dumbledore was trying to hide.
She closed her eyes as Snape muttered the familiar spell. She felt his presence push into her mind and hastily start peeling away at her sub-conscious barricade. Instead of resisting, as she normally would, she welcomed his presence and sent it immediately to her memories from today.
He saw from her perspective him at the Quidditch match, he traveled with her to Hagrid's cottage, where she defended him against her brother's hateful accusations. He saw their conversation as Harry tricked Hagrid into telling him more about whatever Dumbledore was hiding. He saw each of her friends turn against him, and he heard their angry shouts behind her as she went away from the cottage in order to get to her lesson.
"Enough."
Snape lowered his wand and glared at Vivian, who was sitting hesitantly in front of him.
No words were spoken between the two, but both continued to stare at each other, daring for the other to speak first.
Several minutes passed before Snape stepped back behind his desk, putting his wand away and sitting back down. He picked up the essays he'd been previously grading and continued doing so.
"That's it." Vivian said standing up. "You're not going to defend yourself or tell me that that was all a big misunderstanding?"
"Miss Potter-"
"No," Vivian clenched her fists, "Don't try to switch the subject which I know you are about to do. I came here tonight to get answers about what happened today at the Quidditch match."
"You are here tonight," said Snape forcefully, "to strengthen your Occlumency in order to prevent your nightmares. If you wish to let me easily gain access to your mind as you have tonight, I suggest you leave and bring our lessons to an end."
Vivian's green eyes bore into him. He watched as untold emotions raged through her. Her red hair glistened as the candlelight caused streaks of gold to dance playfully around it.
"I see then. My brother was right."
With a swish of her robes, Vivian stocked angrily back up the aisle and opened the door with a bang.
"What do you think?"
Snape's voice pierced through the empty classroom, causing Vivian to pause. Turning around, her scowl faded.
"I want to believe that you wouldn't do something like that. I want to believe that you are still the same professor that I come to every night to help me with my nightmares."
She stepped away from the door. Tears formed in her eyes as her voice trembled with a sudden wave of emotion.
"Professor Snape, what am I suppose to think? My brother means everything to me and today I witnessed him nearly dying in front of my eyes. No freedom from my nightmares is worth not having Harry. So again, what am I suppose to think? Did you attempt to steal whatever Dumbledore is hiding on the third floor? Did you lie to me when you said you wanted to help me? Did you try to kill my brother at the Quidditch match? Please tell me, because right now, my nightmares do not need to be present in order to cause me agony."
A single tear escaped from her and it rolled slowly down her face.
"There are some things that I cannot reveal." Snape had put down the papers. "But I can tell you that looks can be deceiving. There are great evils in our worlds, ones beyond your wildest imagination and I could only hope that you were to never be exposed to them. But you have, and your nightmares are the consequences of being in the same presence as this evil. I wish I could have protected you. I wish that tragedy eleven years ago had never happened, and that you could have grown up knowing your parents. Your mother especially."
He paused as a distant look came to his eye. "But your mother is dead. You have your nightmares. And there is nothing I can change."
Vivian stepped forward, once again coming closer to him. "What is that suppose to mean?"
Snape placed his hands in his lap, his dark hair falling thickly around his face. "I am not a thief, nor did I attempt to kill your brother. I offer you no proof, because I have none which can be revealed to you. You must decided whether or not you believe me, and take it into your own accord what you must do."
"Professor Snape," Vivian was at his desk again. "I don't think you are capable of doing those things. I know that the evidence points completely to you, especially with the jinxing and the dog bite, but for right now, I am going to believe you."
"Because if I don't," Vivian's knees began to wobble as she continued. "If you really did those things, I would not be able to handle it and I would become a hollow shell of myself. Without Harry, there's nothing here worth living for. There's nothing I want more than my brother to always be with me."
Snape stood up and walked over to her. Suddenly he grabbed her and pulled her close into a hug. Her eyes widened, never imagining that he could show affection. His arms were comforting and she allowed him to hug her and she let the emotions roll off of her.
"I know how much your brother means to you, and although I am not highly fond of him, I am fond of you and I want you to be happy. He is well protected at Hogwarts and he and yourself are surrounded by faculty whom will protect you with their lives."
More tears poured down her eyes, but instead of sadness, these tears were happy ones. These tears allowed her to give up her pain and sorrow and hope for a bright future.
What a life for a mere eleven year old.
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