Chapter 12
Everyone was looking forward to the first Quidditch match of the year, which was to be taking place at noon of that day. Gryffindor was playing against Slytherin — with Harry Potter as seeker. They couldn't wait to watch how the game turned out.
At breakfast, Hermione and Ron and Finnigan were trying to talk Harry into eating some food; the boy was feeling too nervous.
Draco, who sat beside Granger, ignored the lot of them and continued staring at the picture Mother had sent him a few days ago. There had been few messages from Narcissa, and no packets of sweets (which she had promised to send every week) at all; Father must've told her not to contact him.
The Gryffindor had, apparently, been digging himself a hole with a depth of titanic proportions since who knows when — and from where he was now standing at, the last glimmer of light had begun to dim.
In the vase stood an abundance of wilting Honeysuckles, some Jasmine flowers, and a couple of drooping Pansies. In the background were falling Cherry Blossoms, some of them with a few petals plucked off.
Father was being a hypocrite, Draco thought firmly to himself; he decided to write home as soon as possible. Stuffing the piece of parchment into his bag, he left for the library. While he was walking, the boy cast his thoughts back to what had happened on Hallowe'en.
Not for the first time, he wondered at himself for trying to save Hermione from the troll. When the girl had thanked him, the explanation he'd came up with was 'because no-one deserves to get done in by a troll'. It was lousy, he knew, but what else could he had said? He hadn't gotten hang of this friendship thing yet. Shaking his head, he looked around for a place to sit.
When it was time for the match, he made for the Quidditch pitch and found a seat beside Hermione and Ron. After looking at the game for a few minutes after it started, he started reading the book he'd brought along with him instead.
The sound of Hagrid's booming voice, some minutes later, drew him away from the book. He looked up to see the man sitting down beside Ron. They nodded at each other in acknowledgement.
Then next time he looked up was when Hermione told them to look at Snape; his godfather was staring unblinkingly at Harry (who, the boy noted with a start, was desperately hanging onto a berserk Nimbus Two Thousand) and muttering something under his breath. The girl, after claiming that the Professor was jinxing the broom, left hurriedly. A couple of minutes later, there was a disturbance in the staff's stand; around the same time, Harry's broom stopped going out of control and the seeker hurriedly climbed back onto it.
Draco shook his head; really, what were they thinking? He was sure that Severus wasn't as guilty as he's been accused of being. Sure, he hated Harry…but that didn't mean that he wanted to kill him! For one, it would be a blatantly stupid move — the entire school was watching, for Merlin's sake! For another, what would he want to kill him for? Voldemort was no more, and he's on Professor Dumbledore's side now. Hypothetically speaking, if he had done it (and had gotten caught), then he would be in loads of trouble for murdering what the Wizarding world saw as its most famous celebrity. He resolved to ask the Potions Master why he detested Harry so much.
Hermione nudged him with her elbow after the game. "We're going to Hagrid's hut for tea. Why don't you join us, Draco?" He nodded, putting the book away.
Ron had noticed the gesture. "Blimey, Draco! You've got your head buried in a book the whole time?"
He shrugged, and looked slightly sheepish. "Not really. I did paid some attention to the game…"
Shaking his head, the redhead stood up. "C'mon, then." he said, jerking his head at the giant man who was leaving. The three of them followed; halfway there, they were joined by a jubilant Harry.
Ron thumped the successful Quidditch player on the back, grinning openly. "Great game, mate!" Hermione and Draco congratulated him as well, while Hagrid invited him to the hut.
The four students sat around the table, murmuring their thanks as they received their cup of tea.
Ron's voice drew his attention away from his tea. "It was Snape," the boy was telling Harry. "Hermione and I saw him. He was cursing your broomstick, muttering, he wouldn't take his eyes off you."
"Rubbish." Hagrid frowned. "Why would Snape do somethin' like that?" Draco nodded his head in agreement.
Then Harry told the adult that Severus had tried to get past the three-headed dog at Hallowe'en, and had consequently got bitten by it; the Potions Master must be trying to steal whatever it was guarding. Hagrid was shocked, and asked why they knew about Fluffy (funny name, isn't it?). The Cerberus had been purchased from some Greek bloke last year, and the Headmaster had borrowed it to guard…something.
"Snape's a Hogwarts teacher," the man told them. "he'd do nothin' of the sort."
Hermione blurted out, "So why did he try and kill Harry? I know a jinx when I see one, Hagrid, I've read all about them! You've got to keep eye contract, and Snape wasn't blinking at all, I saw him!"
"I'm tellin' yeh, yer wrong! I don' know why Harry's broom acted like that, but Snape wouldn' try an' kill a student!"
Draco added, "I agree with Hagrid; he wouldn't do that."
Ron glared at him. "That's because you're a favourite of his. Remember our first class?" The towhead leaned back on his chair, scowling.
Hagrid bobbed his head at the boy. "Now, listen to me, all 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' Nicholas flamel—"
"Aha!" shouted Harry, triumphant. "So there's someone called Nicholas Flamel involved, is there?"
Now it was Hagrid's turn to scowl.
Some of the sentences and/or phrases are taken directly out of pg. 140-142 of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
Here's the meanings of the flowers in Narcissa's drawing, in Hanakotoba:
Cherry Blossom — Kind
Honeysuckle — Generous
Jasmine — Friendly
Pansy — Thoughtful/Caring