Almost two months had passed since the fall term had began and one of the many holidays Hogwarts celebrated had arrived. On Halloween morning they woke to the delicious smell of baking pumpkin wafting through the corridors, and several floating jack o lanterns gliding above them as students went from class to class. For many of the students, this was their favorite day of the year.
Athena was one of these students, and had awoken Coralie with loud cheers of excitement before dragging her out of bed and down to breakfast. Upon arrival, she immediately grabbed a slice of cherry pie and some pumpkin juice before plopping down next to the twins. Coralie was far slower and grabbed several sausage rolls along with two mugs of coffee before taking her own seat.
"Happy Halloween!" Athena chirped. She grabbed the extra coffee from Coralie and started drinking it, much to the twins' horror.
"Um… Tina?" She looked over at George.
"We're all for," Fred paused, "Doing something exciting, and possibly dangerous, but isn't it a bad idea to start so early in the morning?"
"Whatever do you mean, boys?" She replied, a coy smile stretching across her face. Coralie sighed and shoved another sausage roll into her mouth.
"It's no use boys," She gulped down her own coffee, "Halloween is her day, and she is most certainly going to indulge."
"Yeah, but-" George began.
"Coffee is a step too far, right Cora?" Athena grinned delightedly at the palpable fear rolling off of the twins as she downed the rest of her coffee and let the mug refill itself. Her best friend merely grabbed a large pumpkin muffin and started cramming it into her mouth.
"It's too late now boys," The blonde replied as she finished off her breakfast. She let out a yawn and laid her head down on the edge of her table. "One of you needs to wake me up when it's time for Ancient Runes."
"You take Ancient Runes?" Coralie lifted her head from the table at Hermione's question. She turned to look at the first year, who already seemed overflowing with a desire to learn and far too much energy for doing so.
"Yes, why?"
"I heard it's absolutely fascinating, could you tell me about it?" Coralie groaned at the idea of a full conversation and rolled off the table, her head landing into Fred's lap with a soft thump. Fred winced and took a deep breath before smiling at Hermione.
"Sorry Granger, she's just really tired right now and would have slept in if it weren't for our good friend Tina." Hermione deflated slightly but smiled anyways.
"Okay, not a problem," She replied before turning to Guinevere and resuming their previous conversation. Athena rolled her eyes and continued to chow down on pie and coffee until the clock sounded and had to drag her best friend down to Ancient Runes, while the twins got to relax for another hour. Similarly, Hermione and Guinevere departed for their Defense Against the Dark Arts class, but the excitement truly began in the class just after it.
Professor Flitwick announced in Charms that he thought they were ready to start making objects fly, something they had all been dying to try since they'd seen him make Neville's toad zoom around the classroom. Professor Flitwick put the class into pairs to practise. Harry's partner was Seamus Finnigan (which was a relief, because Neville had been trying to catch his eye). Ron, however, was to be working with Hermione Granger. It was hard to tell whether Ron or Hermione was angrier about this. She hadn't spoken to either of them since the day Harry's broomstick had arrived, and seemed rather envious of Malfoy being paired with Guinevere.
"Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practising!" squeaked Professor Flitwick, perched on top of his pile of books as usual. "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too – never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest."
It was proving to be very difficult as Harry and Seamus swished and flicked, but the feather they were supposed to be sending skywards just lay on the desktop. Seamus got so impatient that he prodded it with his wand and set fire to it – Harry had to put it out with his hat.
Guinevere managed to get her feather to twitch rapidly, and flicked her ebony wand multiple times as she tried to get it to truly levitate. Malfoy rolled his eyes.
"You're holding your wand incorrectly," He snipped as he stuck his nose in the air. Guinevere raised an eyebrow at the boy before sharply kicking him in the ankle. Malfoy yelped and glared at Guinevere darkly. Ron, at a nearby table, wasn't having much more luck.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" he shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill.
"You're saying it wrong," Hermione snapped. "It's Winggar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the "gar" nice and long."
"You do it, then, if you're so clever," Ron snarled. Guinevere smirked at the redhead while Hermione merely straightened her spine and adjusted her wand.
Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!"
Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads. Guinevere clapped under the table and winked at Hermione, earning a soft blush from the delighted witch. Ron, however, glared daggers at Hermione's head and tightened his grip until his knuckles were whiter than Dumbledore's hair.
"Oh, well done!" cried Professor Flitwick, clapping. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!"
Ron's bad temper had only grown by the end of the class. "It's no wonder no one can stand her," he said to Harry as they pushed their way into the crowded corridor. "She's a nightmare, honestly."
Someone knocked into Harry as they hurried past him. It was Hermione. Harry caught a glimpse of her face – and was startled to see that she was in tears. "I think she heard you."
"So?" said Ron, but he looked a bit uncomfortable. "She must've noticed she's got no friends."
"Excuse me?" The two boys turned to see Guinevere positively fuming at them. "What," She took a step closer, "Did," Another step, "You," She was almost nose to nose with Ron "Say?"
Ron stammered and took every opportunity to look at anything that wasn't the irate Slytherin in front of him. "Um um um-"
"Let me," She took a deep breath before smiling sweetly and falsely at the Gryffindor, "Repeat myself. What did you say?"
Harry watched in a mix of horror, terror and pity, praying that his best friend was not about to wet himself. He moved to step in, only to almost run into Guinevere's outstretched finger.
"No, Potter. I want to hear it directly from this," She took a moment to look Ron up and down, "Worm of a boy. What did you say to my best friend?"
Ron continued to stammer and mumble, not a single coherent sentence left his lips. Guinevere's lips curled into a sneer as she reached up and poked his chest.
"I happen to recall you saying she's a nightmare and has no friends," Ron winced at the sheer disgust dripping from her voice, "Do you realize, Ronald Billius Weasley, that what you said is complete and utter lies? That she does have friends, they're just not rude, bigoted, loud-mouthed gits like yourself?"
"Guinevere," Harry spoke up again, worry brewing in his stomach as he watched helplessly. Guinevere rounded on him and stormed over.
"And you! How dare you not stick up for your fellow student! Gryffindor my arse, you're just horrid, Harry Potter!" She shrieked, ignoring the whispers of her fellow students as many gathered to watch. Harry winced at her description and opened his mouth the reply, but she never gave him a chance.
"You two need to grow up and realize that she is one of the best witches in this entire school!" And with that, Guinevere stormed off and attempted to find her friend before their next class.
XXX
Hermione didn't turn up for the next class and wasn't seen all afternoon, despite Guinevere's best efforts. On their way down to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast, Harry and Ron overheard Parvati Patil telling her friend Lavender that Hermione was crying in the girls' toilets and wanted to be left alone. Ron looked still more awkward at this, but a moment later they had entered the Great Hall, where the Halloween decorations put Hermione out of their minds.
Guinevere was not sitting at the Gryffindor Table, neither were Coralie and Athena, as holidays usually involved House Unity in that the tables became ever more segregated than normal. As a result, the three of them were engaging in pleasant conversation with their housemates and indulging in popular sweet treats and foods for the holiday. A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkins stutter. The feast appeared suddenly on the golden plates, as it had at the start-of-term banquet.
Harry was just helping himself to a jacket potato when Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the Hall, his turban askew and terror on his face. Guinevere frowned and poked her sister, who looked up and gaped at the sight of the normally quiet and soft-spoken Professor. Everyone else had started staring at that point as he reached Professor Dumbledore's chair, slumped against the table and gasped, "Troll – in the dungeons – thought you ought to know."
He then sank to the floor in a dead faint. Screams resounded from the room as students turned to their friends, younger siblings, older siblings, anyone that might be able to help. Coralie ran down to the end of the table and started calming down the first-years while Athena tried to get the upper-years to get a grip on themselves. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence.
"Prefects," he rumbled, "lead your houses back to the dormitories immediately!"
"What?!" The whole Great Hall turned towards the Slytherin Table as Athena screeched loudly. Professor Dumbledore frowned at her.
"Miss Burke-"
"No, I heard what you said," Coralie's eyes widened as she watched her friend shout, "And it is mind blowingly idiotic!" Everyone else's eyes grew as Athena's hair started to turn red at the roots, the color slowly bleeding down to the ends, "The Slytherins are about to walk right into danger if we listen to you and I will not allow it!"
"MISS BURKE!" Athena silenced as Professor Dumbledore's voice echoed louder than a clap of thunder. "Control yourself, and allow the adults to handle this situation."
"If I may," Everyone looked over as Professor Snape spoke, "The Slytherin Prefects could join the Prefects of another house and the Slytherins could stay with them until the situation is resolved."
"Fine, the Slytherins shall accompany the Gryffindors and reside in Gryffindor Tower until this is over," Professor Dumbledore acquiesced. The Slytherins grumbled but allowed themselves to be led away with the Gryffindors. As soon as Coralie had the chance, she grabbed Athena and dragged her over to the twins and Lee, who had been giving her frantic hand signals as soon as Dumbledore finished speaking.
"What the hell was that, Tina?" Lee shouted under his breath. Fred and George watched in shock as the girl in question took deep breaths and let her hair turn back to normal.
"I think you all know," She snapped, ignoring the heat in her ears and avoiding their gaze. Coralie sighed and rested her hand on Athena's shoulder.
"When were you going to tell us?" Coralie asked softly. Athena shook her head as her eyes stung with tears and her legs refused to cooperate and walk at a normal pace. Fred and George watched silently and tried to ignore the pang of hurt as they realized; she was never planning on telling them.
"You know we don't care right? You're still our best mate," George eventually piped up. Athena quickly looked over at him. Her eyes were shining with unshed tears and filled to the brim with uncertainty.
"It's true, nothing could ever come between us," Fred threw his arm around Athena's shoulders. "And you'd best remember that Tina."
Athena let out a sniffle and a soft giggle as she looked at her four best friends. She pulled them out of the line of people and hugged them tightly. "Thanks guys."
They all smiled at her and hugged her back just as tight before shuffling back into the line. After several seconds of comfortable silence, Coralie started looking amongst the students and frowned. "Have you guys seen Vera?"
Fred and George perked up and looked around, their height giving them the slightest advantage. They too frowned, however, when they couldn't find the first-year in question. "No, did she leave the Great Hall with us?"
"I thought she did! Oh no," Coralie whispered frantically as she started pushing her way through the crowds in an attempt to find her. Little did anyone know that not only had Guinevere departed, so had Harry and Ron.
XXX
Guinevere watched as Harry and Ron ducked into a side corridor and hurried off towards the girls' toilets. She carefully followed them, glad that her shoes had a permanent feather-light charm on them. They had just turned the corner when they heard quick footsteps behind them.
"Percy!" hissed Ron, pulling Harry behind a large stone griffin. Guinevere followed suit and tucked herself behind a suit of armor as quick as she could. Peering around it, however, the three of them saw not Percy but Snape. He crossed the corridor and disappeared from view.
"What's he doing?" Harry whispered. "Why isn't he down in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?"
"Search me." Guinevere inched out from behind the suit of armor and followed the boys as they crept along the next corridor after Snape's fading footsteps. She reached down into her robes as she walked, and let out a soft sigh as she wrapped her fingers around her wand and held it tightly.
"He's heading for the third floor," Harry said, but Ron held up his hand.
"Can you smell something?"
Harry sniffed and a foul stench reached his nostrils, a mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seems to clean. Guinevere gagged softly and pulled her robes up to cover her mouth and nose, but stopped as a new sound erupted in the corridor; a low grunting and the shuffling footfalls of gigantic feet. Ron pointed: at the end of a passage to the left, something huge was moving towards them. They shrank into the shadows and watched as it emerged into a patch of moonlight. It was a horrible sight. Twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull, granite grey, its great lumpy body like a boulder with its small bald head perched on top like a coconut. It had short legs thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet. The smell coming from it was incredible. It was holding a huge wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long.
The troll stopped next to a doorway and peered inside. It waggled its long ears, making up its tiny mind, then slouched slowly into the room. Guinevere took several steps closer to the two Gryffindors.
"The key's in the lock," Harry muttered. "We could lock it in."
"Good idea," said Ron nervously. They edged towards the open door, mouths dry, praying the troll wasn't about to come out of it. With one great leap, Harry managed to grab the key, slam the door and lock it. Guinevere grinned and relaxed her grip on her wand as she watched the boys.
"Yes!" Flushed with their victory they started to run back up the passage, but as they reached the corner they heard something that made their hearts stop – a high, petrified scream – and it was coming from the chamber they'd just locked up. Guinevere paled and ran out from her place against the wall towards the room.
"Oh, no," said Ron, pale as the Bloody Baron.
"It's the girls' toilets!" Harry gasped.
"Hermione!" they said together. It was the last thing they wanted to do, but what choice did they have? Wheeling around they sprinted back to the door and gaped at the sight of Guinevere fiddling with the key.
"Guinevere?!" She turned towards them at the shout.
"Come on! Hermione's in there!" Geuinevere shouted back as she finished turning the key. Harry helped her pull the door open, groaning at the smell that wafted back into their nostrils, and then ran inside where they were greeted with a horrible sight. Hermione Granger was shrinking against the wall opposite, looking as if she was about to faint as the troll advanced on her, knocking the sinks off the walls as it went.
"Confuse it!" Harry said desperately to Ron, and seizing a tap he threw it as hard as he could against the wall. Guinevere pulled out her wand and desperately tried to find a path to Hermione that wouldn't get her or her best friend killed. The troll stopped a few feet from Hermione. It lumbered around, blinking stupidly, to see what had made the noise. Its mean little eyes saw Harry. It hesitated, then made for him instead, lifting its club as it went.
"Oy, pea-brain!" yelled Ron from the other side of the chamber, and he threw a metal pipe at it. The troll didn't even seem to notice the pipe hitting its shoulder, but it heard the yell and paused again, turning its ugly snout towards Ron instead. Guinevere watched for a split second before sprinting around the troll and grabbing Hermione's hand tightly and tugging on it as hard as she could. Harry joined her a moment later.
"Come on, run, run!" Harry yelled at Hermione, trying to pull her towards the door with Guinevere, but she couldn't move, she was still flat against the wall, her mouth open with terror.
"Hermione we need to move!" Guinevere shouted in Hermione's ear. There was no response and with a frustrated shout Guinevere dropped her hand and turned back to face the troll with her wand in hand.
The shouting and the echoes seemed to be driving the troll berserk. It roared again and started towards Ron, who was nearest and had no way to escape. Guinevere ran over to the redhead, and pushed him further into the troll's path, just as Harry did something that was both very brave and very stupid. He took a great running jump and managed to fasten his arms around the troll's neck from behind. The troll couldn't feel Harry hanging there, but even a troll will notice if you stick a long bit of wood up its nose, and Harry's wand had still been in his hand when he'd jumped – it had gone straight up one of the troll's nostrils.
Howling with pain, the troll twisted and flailed its club, with Harry clinging on for dear life; any second, the troll was going to rip him off or catch him a terrible blow with the club. Ron was shrieking in terror as he tried to avoid being stomped on by the troll's horned feet while Guinevere continued to hold her wand in front of her and desperately find a solution.
Hermione sank to the floor in fright; Ron pulled out his own wand – not knowing what he was going to do he heard Guinevere give another shriek-like shout and start blindly waving her wand, which sent bright green and white sparks flying at the troll's eyes. He watched in shock as the troll roared again in pain and dropped its club as it tried to cover its eyes from the sparks. Guinevere grinned and continued firing off sparks while Harry climbed off the troll's back almost completely unnoticed and ran over to Hermione.
"Potter!" He turned to look over at Guinevere. "Get them out of here!"
Harry nodded and started essentially dragging Hermione to the door while Ron followed behind them, his eyes still locked on the troll. Guinevere watched them from the corner of her eye, praying the teachers would arrive soon. She had a feeling that sparks weren't going to do the job for much longer.
Eventually, she was right and the troll lunged forward in an attempt to grab her. Guinevere rolled to the side and winced as her hand stung with pain. She looked at it and saw a shard of porcelain from one of the taps stuck in her palm. Guinevere shook her hand quickly and sighed in relief as the shard flew from her skin and back onto the ground before she focused back on the monster in front of her. Her mind raced as she looked at her surroundings for anything that could possibly help her, and grinned when her eyes landed on the club.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" Guinevere screamed, her wand pointed at the crude weapon.
The club flew suddenly high up into the air, turned slowly over – and dropped, with a sickening crack, on to its owner's head. The troll swayed on the spot and then fell flat on its face, with a thud that made the whole room tremble. Harry got to his feet. He was shaking and out of breath. Ron was standing there, his mouth hanging open as he stared at the Slytherin that had just saved their skin.
It was Hermione who spoke first. "Is it – dead?"
"I don't think so," said Harry.
"Nope, just knocked out," Guinevere called out as she inspected the foul-smelling creature. Harry walked over and bent down to pull his wand out of the troll's nose. It was covered in what looked like lumpy grey glue.
"Urgh – troll bogies." He wiped it on the troll's trousers. A sudden slamming and loud footsteps made the three of them look up. They hadn't realised what a racket they had been making, but of course, someone downstairs must have heard the crashes and the troll's roars.
A moment later, Professor McGonagall had come bursting into the room, closely followed by Snape, with Quirrell bringing up the rear. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart. Snape bent over the troll. Professor McGonagall was looking at Ron and Harry. Harry had never seen her look so angry. Her lips were white. Hopes of winning fifty points for Gryffindor faded quickly from Harry's mind.
"What on earth were you thinking of?" said Professor McGonagall, with cold fury in her voice. Harry looked at Ron, who was still standing with his wand in the air. "You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?"
Snape gave Harry a swift, piercing look before becoming distracted by the presence of one Guinevere Crouch. He raised an eyebrow at her and pulled her away from the troll before speaking to her in hushed tones. Harry and Ron looked at the floor. Then a small voice came out of the shadows.
"Please, Professor McGonagall – they were looking for me."
"Miss Granger!"
Hermione had managed to get to her feet at last. 'I went looking for the troll because I – I thought I could deal with it on my own – you know, because I've read all about them.'
Ron gaped at the bushy-haired first-year's blatant lie, causing Harry to pinch his arm so the teachers wouldn't notice the lie themselves.
"If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Harry stuck his wand up its nose, Ron distracted it and Guinevere shot sparks into its eyes before dropping its own club on its head. They didn't have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived."
Harry and Ron tried to look as though this story wasn't new to them while Snape stared down at his student with raised eyebrows and clear disapproval in his eyes. He led Guinevere back over to the other three students and rejoined the other teachers.
"Well – in that case …" said Professor McGonagall, staring at the four of them. "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?"
Hermione hung her head. Harry was speechless. Hermione was the last person to do anything against the rules, and here she was, pretending she had, to get them out of trouble. It was as if Snape had started handing out sweets.
"Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this," said Professor McGonagall. "I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better get off to Gryffindor Tower. Students are finishing the feast in their houses."
Hermione left. Professor McGonagall turned to Harry, Guinevere and Ron.
"Well, I still say you were lucky, but not many first-years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll. You each win Gryffindor," She looked down at the blonde girl, "And Slytherin, five points. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go, both Slytherin and Gryffindor are celebrating in Gryffindor Tower."
They hurried out of the chamber and didn't speak at all until they had climbed two floors up. It was a relief to be away from the smell of the troll, quite apart from anything else.
"We should have got more than ten points," Ron grumbled. Guinevere sighed and put her wand back into its pocket as she walked next to them.
"Five, you mean, once she's taken off Hermione's."
"Good of her to get us out of trouble like that," Ron admitted. "Mind you, we did save her."
"She might not have needed saving if we hadn't locked the thing in with her," Harry reminded him. Guinevere nodded.
"Yeah, that was pretty foolish of you two," She turned to face them, "But, thank you for trying to save her."
Harry and Ron stared at the Slytherin silently before nodding and continuing their walk. Eventually, they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.
"Pig snout," Harry and Ron said and entered with Guinevere just behind.
The common room was packed and noisy. Everyone was eating the food that had been sent up. Hermione, however, stood alone by the door, waiting for them. There was a very embarrassed pause as Guinevere walked over and hugged her tightly. When she pulled away, Hermione looked back over at the two boys.
The three Gryffindors didn't quite know what to do except say, "Thanks", and hurry off to get plates. Guinevere laughed at the three of them and walked away with Hermione, only leaving her friend to check in with her sister who was blotchy from crying and worrying over her.
But from that moment on, Hermione Granger and Guinevere Crouch became Harry and Ron's friends. There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.
XXXXXX
It took a few days for all of the excitement surrounding the troll incident to calm down, but classes continued as normal which meant that Coralie and Athena had a Potions Lesson with the twins and Lee. They were officially brewing their second potion of the term after many weeks of theory, studying ingredients and writing essays. This term, Coralie was paired with Fred, Athena was paired with George, and once again Lee was on the outs and had been paired with Patricia Stimpson.
Surprisingly, the five of them arrived on time and were sitting comfortably at their brewing stations when Snape entered with the usual flourish of his onyx robes and distaste for Gryffindors. He barely spoke two words to the class as he took the attendance and wrote the instructions on the large chalkboard at the front of the room. Once every word had been meticulously transcribed, he turned to address them.
"Today, you will be brewing the Girding Potion. As we have previously discussed, this potion is meant to gift the drinker with prolonged endurance and is incredibly fatal if taken too often or if brewed incorrectly," His cold eyes wandered the room as he spoke, occasionally lingering on a student or two, "You will have the rest of class to brew this potion. Upon completion, place it in a phial and bring it to my desk. I will grade them and give you the marks you deserve. Now, begin."
Coralie left Fred to prepare the cauldron while she collected the various ingredients for the potion, among which were fairy wings and dragonfly thoraxes. Once she had everything in hand, she returned to the cauldron that was on a medium heat and filled with water. Fred grinned at her and helped her lay everything out.
"So, what's our first step, milady?" Coralie laughed and looked up at the board.
"We need to add one set of fairy wings and heat until the potion turns turquoise," She explained. Fred grabbed the small dish of fairy wings and carefully pulled out one set of the small appendages. Coralie nodded and watched him add it to the cauldron.
"Alright, now we just let that sit," Fred murmured before taking a seat. Coralie nodded and kept an eye on the potion as she looked back at notes she had taken on the theory of the potion. She didn't get very far before Fred spoke again. "So, your sister fought a mountain troll in her first year. How did your parents react?"
"Oh they have no clue," Coralie replied as she looked back at him, "Do your parents know about Ron being part of it?"
"Nope, I'm avoiding that mess," He admitted with a smile. "Especially since it's his fault that Granger almost got hurt."
Coralie looked up with a frown. "What?"
"Yeah, he said some nasty things about her and then when they tried to go find her he and Harry accidentally locked the troll in the bathroom with Hermione."
"Well, that's news to me," She checked the cauldron quickly, "Did you tell him off?"
"Nope, but he is going to find himself with a different hair color and maybe some boils where the sun doesn't shine the next time he does something that rude," Fred decided. Coralie grinned at him.
"Perfect," She checked the cauldron and saw it was turning turquoise. "Okay, so now we add one measure of the doxy eggs and heat until the potion turns pink."
"And what happens if we go over?" Fred started scooping out a measure of doxy eggs as he spoke.
"It will immediately start smoking and we'll need to add half a fairy wing to balance it out," Coralie explained as she looked down at her notes. "So try to get it exactly right."
"Does this look good?" She looked over at the amount on the scale.
"Yeah, that should be fine," Fred added the eggs and watched the cauldron closely.
"Do we stir it?"
"No, you shouldn't stir this at all or you'll overexcite it and-" A loud explosion rang through the room followed by a rather horrid spell of centaur feces and burning hair. They jumped and looked behind them to see Angelina Johnson's cauldron smoking wildly and some of her hair burning in a clump on the floor. "That will happen."
Fred's eyes widened as Snape stormed over to the Gryffindor Chaser with a sneer. "Johnson! Why did you stir your cauldron when the instructions had absolutely no orders to do so?"
Angelina stammered as she shrunk away from Snape and his frightening glare, almost in tears as she regarded her chunk of ruined hair. The Potions Master pinched the bridge of his nose as he listened to her before his patience vanished.
"Go to the hospital wing you stupid girl," Angelina was all too happy to do so and quickly left the room. Snape turned back to the class, "Get back to work!"
Coralie and Fred turned back to their cauldron and continued to wait for it to turn a soft pink in near silence. It was only when Snape returned to his desk that Fred dared to whisper to his partner,
"He's a right git you know," He glared at the Professor, "How do you stand him?"
"Well he's rather nice to me," Coralie flicked through many sheets of parchment as she spoke, "I think it's because I'm just very good at this though. And I work way harder than a lot of the others."
Fred sighed and leaned back on his stool. "That's true, but he shouldn't be so rude when kids mess up."
"He has to be," Coralie ignored Fred's annoyed glance, "If she did the same thing with a different potion it could have gone way worse. He's forcing her to see exactly how disastrous her actions were and make her change her behavior so it doesn't happen again."
"Yeah, he still could've been nicer," Fred grumbled. Coralie ignored him in favor of the cauldron and its now pink contents. She leaned across Fred and grabbed a small pinch of tasted dragonfly thoraxes. "How many of those do we need?"
"Only enough to turn the potion red," She dropped them in, one at a time, until the liquid was a bright, blood red. Snape chose that moment to walk over to their table.
"Weasley! Any particular reason your partner is doing everything for you?" He sneered at Fred as the boy grew as red as the potion and his fists clenched. "Take some time to actually work for once in your life, and five points from Gryffindor."
Coralie watched him leave immediately after he spoke and reached out to rest her hand on Fred's shoulder. "Ignore him, Fred. It won't help for you to snap back."
Fred took a deep breath, "I know, but he's just such a prat."
Coralie shrugged and turned back to the potion. "It's too bad I don't have any extra dungbombs in my trunk."
Fred perked up and watched as Coralie continued brewing. "And if a certain someone needed to get a hold of these… nonexistent dungbombs… what task should he complete for the lady's favor?"
"Well," She slowly heated the potion until it was sky blue and added some more dragonfly thoraxes, "A sample of Molly Weasley's Famous Banana Fudge wouldn't go amiss."
Fred pretended to contemplate the idea as he measured out three measures of doxy eggs. "I believe that can be arranged."
Athena leaned across her table to whisper to her best mates. "If you bring a whole apple pie I'll throw in a few packs of fireworks."
Fred and Coralie grinned at her and George while still working on their own potion. "You're on Tina."
Athena grinned at Fred's statement and finished up her potion. George took over from there and slowly poured it into two phials that each had their names on it. Fred did the same for his and Coralie's potion, glad that it seemed to be pretty much perfect as he gave it to Professor Snape. The bell rang a moment later, signalling the end of class and the beginning of a new pranking expedition for them.
XXXXXX
The day before Harry's first Quidditch match dawned sooner than they could have believed, and he went out with Ron, Hermione and Guinevere to the freezing courtyard during break to relax. Hermione had conjured them up a bright blue fire which could be carried around in a jam jar, which Guinevere easily provided. They sat with their backs to it, getting warm as they read various books, when Snape crossed the yard. Harry noticed at once that Snape was limping.
Harry, Ron, Hermione and Guinevere moved closer together to block the fire from view; they were sure it wouldn't be allowed. Unfortunately, something about their guilty faces caught Snape's eye. He limped over. He hadn't seen the fire, but he seemed to be looking for a reason to tell them off anyway.
"What's that you've got there, Potter?" It was Quidditch through the Ages. Harry showed him.
"Library books are not to be taken outside the school," said Snape. "Give it to me. Five points from Gryffindor."
"He's just made that rule up," Harry muttered angrily as Snape limped away. "Wonder what's wrong with his leg?"
"Dunno, but I hope it's really hurting him," said Ron bitterly. Guinevere rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to her book while making edits to her essay for Charms class.
XXX
The Gryffindor common room was very noisy that evening. Harry, Ron and Hermione sat together next to a window, Guinevere was unable to come due to Wood's worries of Slytherin spying on their Quidditch strategy. He now understood why Fred and George snuck Coralie and Athena in well after bedtime as opposed to when the common room was busy.
Hermione decided to check Harry and Ron's Charms homework for them during the free time and pointed out errors as they came. She would never let them copy, only Guinevere did that, but by asking her to read it through, they got the right answers anyway.
By the end of it, Harry felt restless. He wanted Quidditch through the Ages back, to take his mind off his nerves about tomorrow. Why should he be afraid of Snape? Getting up, he told Ron and Hermione he was going to ask Snape if he could have it.
"Rather you than me," they said together, but Harry had an idea that Snape wouldn't refuse if there were other teachers listening. He made his way down to the staff room and knocked. There was no answer. He knocked again. Nothing. Perhaps Snape had left the book in there? It was worth a try. He pushed the door ajar and peered inside – and a horrible scene met
his eyes. Snape and Filch were inside, alone. Snape was holding his robes above his knees. One of his legs was bloody and mangled. Filch was handing Snape bandages.
"Blasted thing," Snape was saying. "How are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?"
Harry tried to shut the door quietly, but – "POTTER!"
Snape's face was twisted with fury as he dropped his robes quickly to hide his leg. Harry gulped.
"I just wondered if I could have my book back."
"GET OUT! OUT!"
Harry left, before Snape could take any more points from Gryffindor. He sprinted back upstairs.
"Did you get it?" Ron asked as Harry joined them. "What's the matter?"
In a low whisper, Harry told them what he'd seen. "You know what this means?" he finished breathlessly. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog at Hallowe'en! That's where he was going when we saw him – he's after whatever it's guarding! And I'd bet my broomstick he let that troll in, to create a diversion!"
Hermione's eyes were wide. "No – he wouldn't," she said. "I know he's not very nice, but he wouldn't try and steal something Dumbledore was keeping safe."
"Honestly, Hermione, you think all teachers are saints or something," snapped Ron. "I'm with Harry. I wouldn't put anything past Snape. But what's he after? What's that dog guarding?"
Harry went to bed with his head buzzing with the same question. Neville was snoring loudly, but Harry couldn't sleep. He tried to empty his mind – he needed to sleep, he had to, he had his first Quidditch match in a few hours – but the expression on Snape's face when Harry had seen his leg wasn't easy to forget.
XXX
The next morning dawned very bright and cold. The Great Hall was full of the delicious smell of fried sausages and the cheerful chatter of everyone looking forward to a good Quidditch match. Guinevere sat beside Hermione, opposite Harry and Ron, sipping on only a cup of coffee that had been loaded with at least five spoonfuls of sugar. As she drank, she listened to Ron and Hermione trying to persuade Harry.
"You've got to eat some breakfast." Ron spoke up around a heaping mouthful of sausages and toast. Harry sighed and took another gulp of pumpkin juice.
"I don't want anything."
"Just a bit of toast," wheedled Hermione as she dangled a piece of it in front of him. Guinevere finished off her cup of coffee and let it refill as she spooned an egg and a few potatoes onto her plate. She grabbed the sugar again and scooped several more spoonfuls into it.
"I'm not hungry." Harry felt terribly nauseous and took on a sort of green pallor. In an hour's time he'd be walking on to the Pitch, into one of the most dangerous sports he had ever heard of.
"Harry, you need your strength," said Seamus Finnigan. "Seekers are always the ones who get nobbled by the other team, especially when you go up against a Beater like Burke."
Harry paused as Ron and Hermione looked over at Seamus, horrified. "Athena Burke?" He asked.
"Yep, she's one of the Slytherin Beaters. Apparently last year she helped Slytherin win the House Cup by slamming a Bludger in the back of the Seeker's skull."
Harry wanted to throw up. He knew the dark-haired girl was muscular and could hit a bludger, he had seen her in action when Slytherin played Ravenclaw, but he didn't know she was that good. Guinevere sighed as she put her once-again empty mug back on the table.
"Seamus, shut up, you're not helping. Harry," He looked up at his blonde friend, "Athena is strong as hell, but you're fast. Just keep your wits about you and you'll be fine. Besides, the twins will be looking out for you."
"Thanks, Guinevere," said Harry, watching Seamus pile ketchup on his sausages as he tried to get his nerves under control.
By eleven o'clock the whole school seemed to be out in the stands around the Quidditch pitch. Many students had binoculars. The seats might be raised high in the air but it was still difficult to see what was going on sometimes. Ron, Guinevere and Hermione joined Neville, Seamus and Dean the West Ham fan up in the top row. As a surprise for Harry, they had painted a large banner on one of the sheets Scabbers had ruined. It said Potter for President and Dean, who was good at drawing, had done a large Gryffindor lion underneath. Then Hermione had performed a tricky little charm so that the paint flashed different colours while Guinevere was keeping it levitated above the student body.
Meanwhile, in the changing rooms, Harry and the rest of the team were changing into their scarlet Quidditch robes, a complimentary color to the Slytherin green their opponents would be wearing. Wood cleared his throat for silence.
"OK, men," he 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.'
"Right. It's time. Good luck, all of you."
Harry followed Fred and George out of the changing room and, hoping his knees weren't going to give way, walked onto 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 her 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 particularly to the Slytherin captain, Marcus Flint, a fifth-year. Harry thought Flint looked as if he had some troll blood in him. He looked to Flint's left and saw Athena grinning at him, her entire demeanor brimming with mischief and competitiveness.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw the fluttering banner high above, flashing Potter for President over the crowd. 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. "And she's really belting along up there, a neat pass to Alicia Spinnet, a good find of Oliver Wood's, last year only a reserve – back to Johnson and – no, Slytherin have taken the Quaffle, Slytherin captain Marcus Flint gains the Quaffle and off he goes – Flint flying like an eagle up there – he's going to sc–" The Slytherins were already screaming and vibrating in excitement.
"No, stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor Keeper Wood and Gryffindor take the Quaffle –" The Slytherins groaned while the Gryffindors cheered wildly with the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, "that's Chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Flint, off up the field and – OUCH – that must have hurt, hit in the back of the head by a Bludger from Athena Burke."
Coralie grinned and screeched her praises as she watched Athena soar through the air, her aim only improving as well as her strength as the game went on. "– Quaffle taken by Slytherin – that's Adrian Pucey speeding off towards the goalposts, 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 another speeding Bludger from Burke – the goalposts are ahead – come on, now, Angelina – Keeper Bletchley dives – misses – GRYFFINDOR SCORE!"
Gryffindor cheers filled the cold air, with howls and moans from the Slytherins. Hermione, Ron and Guinevere were cheering as loudly as their vocal chords would allow, only stopping a gruff voice distracted them. "Budge up there, move along."
"Hagrid!"
Ron and Hermione squeezed together with Guinevere 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 the crowd. No sign of the Snitch yet, eh?"
"Nope,' said Ron. 'Harry hasn't had much to do yet."
"Kept outta trouble, though, that's somethin'," said Hagrid, raising his binoculars and peering skywards at the speck that was Harry. Way up 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.
"Keep out of the way until you catch sight of the Snitch,' Wood had said. 'We don't want you attacked before you have to be."
When Angelina had scored, Harry had done a couple of loop-the-loops to let out his feelings. Now he was back to staring around for the Snitch. Once he caught sight of a flash of gold but it was just a reflection from one of the Weasleys' wristwatches. A Bludger suddenly pelted his way, flying like a cannonball from Athena's bat, 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. Athena was quicker however, and hit the Bludger out towards Angelina Johnson. It collided at full speed with her ribs and sent her careening off course and the Quaffle back into Slytherin's grip.
"Slytherin in possession," Lee Jordan was saying. "Chaser Pucey ducks two Bludgers, two Weasleys and Chaser Bell and speeds towards the – wait a moment – was that the Snitch?"
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 after the streak of gold. Slytherin Seeker Terence Higgs had seen it, too. Neck and neck they hurtled towards the Snitch – all the Chasers seemed to have forgotten what they were supposed to be doing as they hung in mid-air to watch.
Harry was faster than Higgs – he could see the little round ball, wings fluttering, darting up ahead – he put on an extra spurt of speed – WHAM! A roar of rage echoed from the Gryffindors below – Marcus Flint had blocked Harry on purpose and Harry's broom span off course, Harry holding on for dear life.
"Foul!" screamed the Gryffindors. Madam Hooch spoke angrily to Flint and then ordered a free shot at the goalposts for Gryffindor. But in all the confusion, of course, the Golden Snitch had disappeared from sight again.
Down in the stands, Dean Thomas was yelling, "Send him off, ref! Red card!"
"This isn't football, Dean," Ron reminded him. "You can't send people off in Quidditch – and what's a red card?"
But Hagrid was on Dean's side. "They oughta change the rules, Flint coulda knocked Harry outta the air."
Lee Jordan was finding it difficult not to take sides. "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."
It was as Harry dodged another Bludger from Athena, which went spinning dangerously past his head, that it happened. His broom gave a sudden, frightening lurch. For a split second, he thought he was going to fall. He gripped the broom tightly with both his hands and knees. He'd never felt anything like that. It happened again. It was as though the broom was trying to buck him off. But Nimbus Two Thousands did not suddenly decide to buck their riders off. Harry tried to turn back towards the Gryffindor goalposts; he had half a mind to ask Wood to call time out – and then he realised that his broom was completely out of his control. He couldn't turn it. He couldn't direct it at all. It was zig-zagging through the air and every now and then making violent swishing movements which almost unseated him. Lee was still commentating.
"Slytherin in possession – Flint with the Quaffle – passes Spinnet – passes Bell – hit hard in the face by a Bludger, hope it broke his nose – only joking, Professor – Slytherin score – oh no…"
The Slytherins were cheering. Coralie's hair was whipping in the wind as she threw her hands in the air and cheered Athena on as loud as she could. No one seemed to have noticed that Harry's broom was behaving strangely. It was carrying him slowly higher, away from the game, jerking and twitching as it went.
"Dunno what Harry thinks he's doing," Hagrid mumbled. He stared through his binoculars. "If I didn' know better, I'd say he'd lost control of his broom ... but he can't have …"
Suddenly, people were pointing up at Harry all over the stands. His broom had started to roll over and over, with him only just managing to hold on. Then the whole crowd gasped. Harry's broom had given a wild jerk and Harry swung off it. He was now dangling from it, holding on with only one hand.
"Did something happen to it when Flint blocked him?" Seamus whispered.
"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, Hermione 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. Guinevere frowned and passed him a flask of water, which he accepted and started sipping from.
"I knew it," Hermione gasped. "Snape – look."
Ron grabbed the binoculars. Snape was in the middle of the stands opposite them. He had his eyes fixed on Harry and was muttering non-stop under his breath. Guinevere's frown deepened at the sight once she was able to get a look through the binoculars.
"He's doing something – jinxing the broom," said Hermione.
"What should we do?"
"Leave it to me."
Before Ron or Guinevere could say another word, Hermione had disappeared. Ron turned the binoculars back on Harry. His broom was vibrating so hard, it was almost impossible for him to hang on much longer. The whole crowd were on their feet, watching, terrified, as the Weasleys flew up to try and pull Harry safely on to one of their brooms, but it was no good – every time they got near him, the broom would jump higher still. They dropped lower and circled beneath him, obviously hoping to catch him if he fell. Marcus Flint seized the Quaffle and scored five times without anyone noticing. Athena refused to hit the Bludgers and flew up to join the twins in a desperate bid to save Harry.
"Come on, Hermione," Ron muttered desperately. Hermione had fought her way across to the stand where Snape stood and was now racing along the row behind him; she didn't even stop to say sorry as she knocked Professor Quirrell headfirst into the row in front. Reaching Snape, she crouched down, pulled out her wand and whispered a few, well chosen words. Bright blue flames shot from her wand on to the hem of Snape's robes.
It took perhaps thirty seconds for Snape to realise that he was on fire. A sudden yelp told her she had done her job. Scooping the fire off him into a little jar in her pocket she scrambled back along the row – Snape would never know what had happened. It was enough. Up in the air, Harry was suddenly able to clamber back on to his broom.
"Neville, you can look!" Ron said. Neville had been sobbing into Hagrid's jacket for the last five minutes. Harry was speeding 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. Athena and Coralie walked over with Lee and the twins after everyone had finished changing.
"Harry!" Harry turned to face the five of them as they approached. Athena held out her hand with a smile.
"That was a good game, I'm excited to play against you again," Harry slowly shook her hand and allowed his own smile to appear.
"Same here, thanks Athena," He replied. She grinned and bid him goodbye before they both turned and left with their best mates, ready for a night of celebration and good food.
Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, it would be great if I could get some reviews on how this story is going so I know what you guys are or are not liking. Thank you for taking the time to read this and have a great rest of your day! Bye bye!
