"Take a bit of toast, mate. Go on," Ron encouraged Harry, who was only picking at his food.

Kuri had already finished eating and was standing over by Ron and Harry and Reiko at the Gryffindor table.

"Ron's right Harry, you're going to need your strength today," Kuri said though she knew it would do no good.

"I'm not hungry," he insisted as Snape walked up.

"Good luck today, Potter. Then again, now that you've proven yourself against a troll, a little game of Quidditch should be easy work for you. Even if it is against Slytherin,"

"Have a nice day," Kuri called after him, getting an odd look from everyone. "What? Just because he's mean doesn't mean we shouldn't encourage him to have a nice day. Everyone is mean for a reason," Kuri said, taking a bite from Harry's toast.

"That explains the blood," Harry murmured to himself, staring after Snape.

"Blood?"

"Listen, last night, I'm guessing Snape let the troll in as diversion so he could get past that three headed dog. But, he got bit, that's why he's limping," Harry explained.

"But why would anyone go near that dog?" Reiko asked.

"The day I was at Gringotts, Hagrid took something out of one of the vaults. Said it was Hogwarts business, very secret,"

"So you're saying-"

"That's what the dog's guarding-"

"And that's what Snape wants," Kuri finished for them as the sound of an owl drew their attention upward as Harry's owl dropped a package on the table, a package shaped like a broomstick.

"A bit early for mail isn't it?" Reiko asked.

"But, I never get mail," Harry said looking at them all, looking confused.

"Let's open it," Ron smiled.

They four all made short work on the wrappings to reveal a broomstick, though it was pretty obvious. "It's a broomstick," Maybe not.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Kuri said, making him roll his eyes at her.

"That's not just a broomstick Harry, that's a Nimbus 2000" Ron exclaimed.

"It's the same broom we saw in Diagon Alley, Harry!" Kuri said.

"But who sent-" Harry stopped mid sentence looking at the teachers table before a small smile lit his face.

Her hand touched the broomstick handle and Kuri had a vision.

xxx

Harry was up on his broom in the middle of the Quidditch match, and he had lost control. In the crowd, Professor Snape was jinxing the broom. Kuri watched as Harry fell off his broom and made a sickening crack on the ground.

xxx

About an hour later it was time for the Quidditch game, Gryffindor against Slytherin, an interesting game. Harry left them to get ready with the team while Ron, Reiko and Kuri met up with Hagrid at the stands to watch the game with the rest of Gryffindor.

"Hello! Welcome to Hogwarts' first Quidditch game of the season! Today's game: Slytherin vs. Gryffindor!" Everyone cheered loudly as the players flew onto the field, her eyes stuck on Harry. "The player take their positions as Madam Hooch steps onto the field to begin the game!"

"Now, I want a nice clean game… from all of you," Kuri heard Madame Hooch yell them to the players, though Kuri doubted she get a clean game with Slytherin on the field.

"The Bludgers are up, followed by the Golden Snitch. Remember the Snitch is worth 150 points. The Seeker who catches the Snitch ends the game," the announcer said over the speaker as everyone watched in anticipation. "The Quaffle is released and the game begins!"

The game started out well with Gryffindor getting twenty easy points when Slytherin started playing dirty and knocking out players. After a while they and Slytherin were tied.

Kuri watched Harry, who hovered over the game watching when Kuri saw a flash of gold sped by him. He took off after it and narrowly ducked under a Bludger before his broom started acting odd, jerking around under him and doing reversals.

"What's going on with Harry's broomstick?" Ron said, seated next to Reiko.

Reiko was looking through binoculars' and gasped before yanking them away from her eyes letting Kuri look through them to see Snape mouthing some sort of curse.

"It's Snape! He's jinxing the broom!" Reiko exclaimed beside Kuri as she yanked the binoculars from her eyes.

"Jinxing the broom? What do we do?" Ron exclaimed.

"Leave it to me!" Reiko said quickly.

Reiko ran into the stands and held out her hand over Snape's robes.

A little blue flame of fox-fire ignited on his robe and caused a scuffle.

Smiling, Reiko scampered off.

Before Kuri, Harry was flying on his broom while standing on it, his hand outstretched toward the Snitch. After a moment Harry was thrown forward and off his broom, rolling forward until he came back up on his feet.

He starting gagging, looking as if he was going to be sick when something golden flew out of his mouth and into his hand. The Snitch!

"He's got the Snitch!" the announcer yelled. "Harry Potter receives 150 points for catching the Snitch!"

"Gryffindor wins!" Madame Hooch yelled.

Everyone started cheering and yelling happily as Harry raised the Snitch into the air as his teammates circled him. Kuri smiled widely and clapped for him.

xxx

"Nonsense! Why would Snape put a curse on Harry's broom?" Hagrid exclaimed as they walked with him through the grounds.

"Who knows? Why was he trying to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween?" Harry said sarcastically, getting Hagrid to stop in surprise.

"Who told you about Fluffy?"

"Fluffy?" Ron and Kuri looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

"That thing has a name?"

"Well, of course, he's got a name! He's mine! I brought him off an Irish feller I met down at the pub last year. Then I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the-" Hagrid cut himself off.

"Yes?" Kuri encouraged.

"I shouldn't have said that. No more questions! Don't ask anymore question! That's top-secret that is," Hagrid told them.

"But Hagrid, whatever Fluffy's guarding Snape's trying to steal it!" Harry tried to explain.

"Codswallop! Professor Snape is a Hogwarts teacher!"

"Hogwarts teacher or not I know a spell when I see one!" Kuri said. "I've read all about them, learned about, practiced them and you've got to keep eye contact. Snape wasn't blinking!" Kuri said firmly.

"Exactly," Harry agreed.

"Now listen to me, all three of you," Hagrid said, bringing them all to a stop to look up at him. "You're meddling in things that ought not to be meddled in. It's dangerous! What that dog is guarding is strictly between Professor Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel,"

"Nicholas Flamel?" Kuri asked in unison with Harry.

"I shouldn't have said that. I should not have said that," Hagrid mumbled to himself as he walked off.

"Nicholas Flamel. Who's Nicholas Flamel?" Harry asked them.

Ron and Kuri looked over at Reiko who shook her head. "I don't know,"

xxx

Reiko and Kuri past the ghosts as they sang happily, dragging their trunks behind them as they walked into the Great Hall and made their way over to where Harry and Ron were playing wizard's chess.

"Knight to E-5," Harry ordered as his piece moved to the spot.

After a moment of thought, Ron smiled. "Queen to E-5,"

His queen moved and just before she reached her new spot she pulled out her throne from under her and smashed it into Harry's knight. After that the queen kicked off the remains of the knight and sat down in her throne again.

"That's totally barbaric!" Reiko exclaimed.

"That's wizard's chess," Kuri smiled at her.

"I see you two've packed," Ron said eyeing their trunks.

"See you haven't," Reiko challenged.

"Change of plans. My mum is going on vacation," Ron explained.

"We know," Kuri said. "Mana decided we should go with them."

"You can help Harry then," Reiko smiled beside Kuri. "He's going to look in the library for information on Nicholas Flamel,"

"We've looked a hundred times!" Ron exclaimed.

Reiko leaned forward onto the table and said; "Not in the Restricted Section," drawing surprised expression from all of them. "Happy Christmas," And with that she walked off.

"I think you've had a bad influence on her," Kuri murmured to them before following Reiko out of the hall.