3:00 p.m., Saturday,
The Quidditch Pitch, Hogwarts.
After a quick shower and change, Harry and Severus, along with the rest of the Gryffindor team stepped out onto the pitch. The roar of the crowd was amazing. The stands were all filled with students, although the Slytherin box seemed surprisingly subdued with the absence of Draco Malfoy and Crabbe and Goyle. The Ravenclaws and Gryffindors (and even a few Hufflepuffs) cheered loudly as Severus and Harry entered their view holding the Firebolt.
Madam Hooch was already on the field, her eagle eyes tracing over the two teams before she mounted her broom and lifted up in the air. Harry could hear Lee Jordan commentating from the Teacher's box. "Welcome everybody to the first game of this season! I'm your commentator Lee Jordan and with me here is Professor MacGonagall! Professor, what do you think of this special event? This will actually be a first for quidditch history, won't it?"
"I believe you are correct. This will be the first time in quidditch history that there will be two Seekers working for a single team."
"Yes, and those two Seekers are Harry Potter of Gryffindor aided by Severus Snape of Slytherin! Everyone give them a big applause~! this is the first time we've had a Slytherin on our team."
"Jordan--"
"Right, right Professor! And the game should be starting any minute now..."
Madam Hooch swept into the center of the pitch, placing herself between the two opposing teams. In her grasp was the quaffle and her silver whistle rested around her neck. "Everyone, mount your brooms now!" She watched silently as the teams mounted the brooms. "Kick off.." They were up in the air, circling around her when she picked up her whistle and blew on it, launching the quaffle into the air and kicking open the box to release the bludgers and snitch. After the snitch had flown around the players and disappeared over the field, Madam Hooch blew her whistle once again, signaling the start of the game.
On its way down, Angelina caught the quaffle and began racing towards the other teams' goal posts with the Hufflepuff chasers in hot pursuit. Harry allowed a second to watch Angelina before concentrating on his own task - finding the snitch. He flew up above the others and began to search the field for the shiny golden ball. The Hufflepuff seeker didn't seem to be any closer to finding the snitch than they were, so Harry allowed himself to relax a bit, still searching across the field.
"..Johnson SCORES! 10 - 0 Gryffindor..!"
/Harry, there's a bludger coming in from your right./
Harry just barely managed to dodge the bludger in time, despite the early warning.
"Oooh! And Potter just barely dodged a speeding bludger...! Now Hall has the quaffle, he's racing for the Gryffindor goals - no! Wait! Bell is now in possession! Katie Bell has stolen the quaffle from Hall and is now charging back down the field! Go Katie!"
/You need to be more prepared! That was too close./
Harry bit his lip, he wanted to end this game fast. His gaze wandered over to the Hufflepuff goal posts where Katie Bell was now taking a shot. Suddenly, a flash of gold hovered around the space to the right of the goal posts. It was the snitch!
"Bell takes aim....and she SCORES! 20 - 0, Gryffindor in the lead!"
/Hang on, I see the snitch!/ Harry leaned forward and urged the broom on, vaguely feeling Severus' grip tighten. They were closer and now Harry could hear the shouts of the crowd urging him on.
"Potter sees the snitch! It looks like MacMillan is being left in the dust on his Nimbus 2000!"
/Hurry up, there's a bludger on our tail, Harry!/
Harry leaned forward, taking both arms off the broom and grasped for the snitch...
"AND THE GAME IS OVER!!!" Lee Jordan cried out over the cheers from the crowd. "170 - 0 GRYFFINDOR WINS!!" (Really, do you think Hufflepuff stood a chance?)
Harry grinned as he clambered off of his broom with Severus. The crowd was now rushing out onto the field to meet them. Hermione and Ron rushed up to Harry and gave him a hug and Fred and George clapped the two boys on the back.
"Too bad you can't always be on our team, Professor!" George teased Severus.
Severus grumbled some reply that was lost in all the congratulations to himself and Harry. "Hey, Harry, Professor, I want to take a picture, ok?!" Colin Creevey, A third year student now, rushed up to the two and held out his camera.
Harry gave a resigned sigh, seeing no escape and so he allowed Colin to pose them for a picture. Severus grumbled as Harry's arm was tossed over his shoulder by Colin and the two were squished together, the snitch still in tow. Finally the nosy little photographer backed off and took his picture. "Thanks!" He yelled over the crowd as he was pushed back by Hagrid.
Hagrid picked up Harry and Severus easily and managed to carry them out of the crowd and back to the entrance hall. "Sorry 'bout that an' all. Dumbledore asked me ta make sure yeh din't get trampled or some such stuff." He grinned down at Harry and lightly patted his head affectionately before telling the boys goodbye and walking back towards his hut.
"Good thing Albus thought about that. I was afraid those kids wouldn't leave us alone!" Severus growled.
"What? Don't like crowds?" Harry grinned.
"Why should I like crowds?" Severus pointed to himself. "Do I look like the type of person to like crowds?"
Harry shrugged. "Maybe..."
6:00 p.m., Saturday,
Severus Snape's quarters,
Harry was curled up in the bed with his favorite bunny, Fuu Fuu. After the game he had insisted on a nap and still hadn't woken up. Severus was beginning to wonder if something was wrong. He'd spent the time working on various potions for Poppy. The hospital was beginning to run low on medicine since he had been transformed. Despite popular belief, Poppy Pomfrey was a very stingy woman and if she had a perfectly fine source of medicine inside the castle then she would make use of it and refuse to order by delivery or make her own (she was not very good at making potions).
Normally, Severus wouldn't be bothered by this. In fact, he usually took pride in the fact that he made all of the students' healing potions and various other medicines. In fact, the only thing Severus never made was Skele-gro. Not only was it illegal to duplicate Skele-gro, but the slimy substance reeked badly. Severus didn't desire having his dungeons stink of Skele-gro for weeks on end, so that was always where he drew the line. There was only so far a potions master would go!
But now it was time for dinner and Severus had finished his last potion of the day. He wasn't particularly hungry, but Harry might need something to eat. Carefully, Severus crawled onto the bed and began to shake Harry lightly. The other boy tried to wave him away with an arm,. but Severus caught his wrist before he could accidentally hit him.
"What..?" Was Harry's vague reply.
"It's after 6:00, Harry. Aren't you hungry?"
"No...'m not. I'm tired." Severus let got of Harry's wrist and watch him snuggle up against the bunny again.
"Harry, are you sure? You've been sleeping all day..."
"I'm sure." He mumbled sleepily as he pulled the covers up under his chin.
Severus sighed and crawled under the covers as well. Dinner could wait, and he wasn't about to go off on his own. He shuddered at the thought of being accosted by the many strange students. Harry turned around in his covers and faced him. "I thought you were hungry?"
"I wasn't hungry. I just thought you may be." He shrugged.
"Hmmm? Are you worried about me?" Harry grinned.
Severus rolled his eyes and grumbled something before turning on his back and closing his eyes. Ignore him.
"How can you sleep down here..?" The other boy's voice was a whine.
"What do you mean?" He growled and opened his eyes to look at the other boy.
"It's freezing cold." Without invitation, Harry wrapped his arms around Severus.
"Erk! What are you doing?" Harry's hands and face were cold.
"You're warm..." Harry mumbled sleepily.
Severus sighed. It wasn't cold, but Harry didn't look to well. He might be sick, but rest would probably be best for him. Severus took the time to glare at Harry's sleeping form before wrapping his arms around the other boy. He'd just have to wait until Harry wakes up.
(TBC. Sorry about the game. I really don't see how Hufflepuff could even stand a chance against Gryffindor without Cedric Diggory. Also, I only put in bits and pieces of what Lee Jordan was saying, so of course that wasn't the whole game, just the bits and pieces that were heard by Harry. As for Neville's parents, nope, that's no mistake, but I didn't mention it in this fanfic because it really wouldn't fit the mood. The fic in which they die is titled Devil's Gate and it's pretty much a gaiden/side story to this. It focuses on my version of Azkaban's past, Slytherin, and how the Lestranges escape from Azkaban to the death of the Longbottoms. It's a small series and not yet finished, but I haven't really decided whether or not I should actually post it. It's incredibly disturbing, but I probably will post it because it's a pretty good story. It's a really dark story and even I was surprised at how disturbing it turned out to be. Neville's reaction to his parents' deaths is featured in a one shot titled Black Letter - I *do* suggest this one. It's PG and it's actually rather sweet if a little sad and will have a lot to do with the sequel to this series. Wow, this is the longest comment section I've made in a while, next time I'll try not to ramble so much!)
The Quidditch Pitch, Hogwarts.
After a quick shower and change, Harry and Severus, along with the rest of the Gryffindor team stepped out onto the pitch. The roar of the crowd was amazing. The stands were all filled with students, although the Slytherin box seemed surprisingly subdued with the absence of Draco Malfoy and Crabbe and Goyle. The Ravenclaws and Gryffindors (and even a few Hufflepuffs) cheered loudly as Severus and Harry entered their view holding the Firebolt.
Madam Hooch was already on the field, her eagle eyes tracing over the two teams before she mounted her broom and lifted up in the air. Harry could hear Lee Jordan commentating from the Teacher's box. "Welcome everybody to the first game of this season! I'm your commentator Lee Jordan and with me here is Professor MacGonagall! Professor, what do you think of this special event? This will actually be a first for quidditch history, won't it?"
"I believe you are correct. This will be the first time in quidditch history that there will be two Seekers working for a single team."
"Yes, and those two Seekers are Harry Potter of Gryffindor aided by Severus Snape of Slytherin! Everyone give them a big applause~! this is the first time we've had a Slytherin on our team."
"Jordan--"
"Right, right Professor! And the game should be starting any minute now..."
Madam Hooch swept into the center of the pitch, placing herself between the two opposing teams. In her grasp was the quaffle and her silver whistle rested around her neck. "Everyone, mount your brooms now!" She watched silently as the teams mounted the brooms. "Kick off.." They were up in the air, circling around her when she picked up her whistle and blew on it, launching the quaffle into the air and kicking open the box to release the bludgers and snitch. After the snitch had flown around the players and disappeared over the field, Madam Hooch blew her whistle once again, signaling the start of the game.
On its way down, Angelina caught the quaffle and began racing towards the other teams' goal posts with the Hufflepuff chasers in hot pursuit. Harry allowed a second to watch Angelina before concentrating on his own task - finding the snitch. He flew up above the others and began to search the field for the shiny golden ball. The Hufflepuff seeker didn't seem to be any closer to finding the snitch than they were, so Harry allowed himself to relax a bit, still searching across the field.
"..Johnson SCORES! 10 - 0 Gryffindor..!"
/Harry, there's a bludger coming in from your right./
Harry just barely managed to dodge the bludger in time, despite the early warning.
"Oooh! And Potter just barely dodged a speeding bludger...! Now Hall has the quaffle, he's racing for the Gryffindor goals - no! Wait! Bell is now in possession! Katie Bell has stolen the quaffle from Hall and is now charging back down the field! Go Katie!"
/You need to be more prepared! That was too close./
Harry bit his lip, he wanted to end this game fast. His gaze wandered over to the Hufflepuff goal posts where Katie Bell was now taking a shot. Suddenly, a flash of gold hovered around the space to the right of the goal posts. It was the snitch!
"Bell takes aim....and she SCORES! 20 - 0, Gryffindor in the lead!"
/Hang on, I see the snitch!/ Harry leaned forward and urged the broom on, vaguely feeling Severus' grip tighten. They were closer and now Harry could hear the shouts of the crowd urging him on.
"Potter sees the snitch! It looks like MacMillan is being left in the dust on his Nimbus 2000!"
/Hurry up, there's a bludger on our tail, Harry!/
Harry leaned forward, taking both arms off the broom and grasped for the snitch...
"AND THE GAME IS OVER!!!" Lee Jordan cried out over the cheers from the crowd. "170 - 0 GRYFFINDOR WINS!!" (Really, do you think Hufflepuff stood a chance?)
Harry grinned as he clambered off of his broom with Severus. The crowd was now rushing out onto the field to meet them. Hermione and Ron rushed up to Harry and gave him a hug and Fred and George clapped the two boys on the back.
"Too bad you can't always be on our team, Professor!" George teased Severus.
Severus grumbled some reply that was lost in all the congratulations to himself and Harry. "Hey, Harry, Professor, I want to take a picture, ok?!" Colin Creevey, A third year student now, rushed up to the two and held out his camera.
Harry gave a resigned sigh, seeing no escape and so he allowed Colin to pose them for a picture. Severus grumbled as Harry's arm was tossed over his shoulder by Colin and the two were squished together, the snitch still in tow. Finally the nosy little photographer backed off and took his picture. "Thanks!" He yelled over the crowd as he was pushed back by Hagrid.
Hagrid picked up Harry and Severus easily and managed to carry them out of the crowd and back to the entrance hall. "Sorry 'bout that an' all. Dumbledore asked me ta make sure yeh din't get trampled or some such stuff." He grinned down at Harry and lightly patted his head affectionately before telling the boys goodbye and walking back towards his hut.
"Good thing Albus thought about that. I was afraid those kids wouldn't leave us alone!" Severus growled.
"What? Don't like crowds?" Harry grinned.
"Why should I like crowds?" Severus pointed to himself. "Do I look like the type of person to like crowds?"
Harry shrugged. "Maybe..."
6:00 p.m., Saturday,
Severus Snape's quarters,
Harry was curled up in the bed with his favorite bunny, Fuu Fuu. After the game he had insisted on a nap and still hadn't woken up. Severus was beginning to wonder if something was wrong. He'd spent the time working on various potions for Poppy. The hospital was beginning to run low on medicine since he had been transformed. Despite popular belief, Poppy Pomfrey was a very stingy woman and if she had a perfectly fine source of medicine inside the castle then she would make use of it and refuse to order by delivery or make her own (she was not very good at making potions).
Normally, Severus wouldn't be bothered by this. In fact, he usually took pride in the fact that he made all of the students' healing potions and various other medicines. In fact, the only thing Severus never made was Skele-gro. Not only was it illegal to duplicate Skele-gro, but the slimy substance reeked badly. Severus didn't desire having his dungeons stink of Skele-gro for weeks on end, so that was always where he drew the line. There was only so far a potions master would go!
But now it was time for dinner and Severus had finished his last potion of the day. He wasn't particularly hungry, but Harry might need something to eat. Carefully, Severus crawled onto the bed and began to shake Harry lightly. The other boy tried to wave him away with an arm,. but Severus caught his wrist before he could accidentally hit him.
"What..?" Was Harry's vague reply.
"It's after 6:00, Harry. Aren't you hungry?"
"No...'m not. I'm tired." Severus let got of Harry's wrist and watch him snuggle up against the bunny again.
"Harry, are you sure? You've been sleeping all day..."
"I'm sure." He mumbled sleepily as he pulled the covers up under his chin.
Severus sighed and crawled under the covers as well. Dinner could wait, and he wasn't about to go off on his own. He shuddered at the thought of being accosted by the many strange students. Harry turned around in his covers and faced him. "I thought you were hungry?"
"I wasn't hungry. I just thought you may be." He shrugged.
"Hmmm? Are you worried about me?" Harry grinned.
Severus rolled his eyes and grumbled something before turning on his back and closing his eyes. Ignore him.
"How can you sleep down here..?" The other boy's voice was a whine.
"What do you mean?" He growled and opened his eyes to look at the other boy.
"It's freezing cold." Without invitation, Harry wrapped his arms around Severus.
"Erk! What are you doing?" Harry's hands and face were cold.
"You're warm..." Harry mumbled sleepily.
Severus sighed. It wasn't cold, but Harry didn't look to well. He might be sick, but rest would probably be best for him. Severus took the time to glare at Harry's sleeping form before wrapping his arms around the other boy. He'd just have to wait until Harry wakes up.
(TBC. Sorry about the game. I really don't see how Hufflepuff could even stand a chance against Gryffindor without Cedric Diggory. Also, I only put in bits and pieces of what Lee Jordan was saying, so of course that wasn't the whole game, just the bits and pieces that were heard by Harry. As for Neville's parents, nope, that's no mistake, but I didn't mention it in this fanfic because it really wouldn't fit the mood. The fic in which they die is titled Devil's Gate and it's pretty much a gaiden/side story to this. It focuses on my version of Azkaban's past, Slytherin, and how the Lestranges escape from Azkaban to the death of the Longbottoms. It's a small series and not yet finished, but I haven't really decided whether or not I should actually post it. It's incredibly disturbing, but I probably will post it because it's a pretty good story. It's a really dark story and even I was surprised at how disturbing it turned out to be. Neville's reaction to his parents' deaths is featured in a one shot titled Black Letter - I *do* suggest this one. It's PG and it's actually rather sweet if a little sad and will have a lot to do with the sequel to this series. Wow, this is the longest comment section I've made in a while, next time I'll try not to ramble so much!)