Disclaimer: Any possibility of me owning Harry Potter is completely bogus.
Please do not think that I really own him. Everything you recognize is
owned by the great talented JKR. Again, that's not me.
Summary: Sequel to Living at Hogwarts. Harry, Draco and Jem are starting their first year as students at Hogwarts. Who will they meet? Friends? Enemies? And sometimes, they feel they are living only to die. READ!
AN This is the sequel to Living at Hogwarts. If you haven't read that, please do so, as it will make much more sense if you do. This story will not be slash in any kind, though it will have loads of characters OOC. Please do not flame, as I have many not so nice ways of dealing with them. Enjoy!
"^^blah-blah^^" = Elfish
/blah-blah/ = italicized
*blah-blah* = bold
'blah-blah' = thoughts
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Chapter 4
"Go on, Harry, take a bit of toast."
"Draco I told you, I'm not hungry."
"Draco's right Harry," Hermione said, giving up on trying to get Jem to eat and moving on to Harry, "you're going to need your strength if you want to beat Slytherin today."
"And remember," Draco grinned, "if you beat Slytherin, you also beat Ginger."
"Enjoying your last living moments, Potter?" Came a cruel, cold voice from above them, "I would be too, if I was playing against Slytherin."
Harry looked up and rolled his eyes. "Good thing you're not playing then, isn't it Ginger?"
Ron rolled his eyes, "just try not to fall off your broom, Potter. It might save you some embarrassment."
"Correct me if I'm wrong," Jem spoke up, "but I seem to recall that you had a bit of problems regarding /your/ broom, only two weeks ago, Ginger. So I wouldn't go giving Harry any tips."
Ron snarled at her, "What would you know, filthy elf!"
Jem growled and jumped to her feet.
"You take that back!" Draco shouted, coming to Jem's defense.
"Like you're much better-you girly little half-elf!"
Just then, Severus and Minerva walked up.
"Weasley," Snape snapped. "Are you bothering the Gryffindor's /again/?"
Ron quickly snapped his head around, it looked quite painful.
"No Professor," he simpered, "I was just wishing Potter and Grazer good luck on their match this afternoon." He smirked and walked away. "They'll need it."
"Fifty points from Slytherin!" Minerva growled at the red-head. "And I don't want to hear that you were tormenting them again! I'm ashamed of you, Weasley! I expected better, even from a Slytherin!"
Jem rolled her eyes and resumed poking her eggs, but Harry continued to watch the two professors, especially the Potions Master walk away. There was a slight limp in his left leg.
"Curious," he muttered, still staring.
"What?" Draco asked around a mouthful of bacon.
"^^Remember last night when Severus ran past us?^^"
Draco nodded, looking up at the Potions Master curiously before turning back to Harry. By this time, Jem had looked up and taken notice of the conversation. Hermione just sighed and buried her nose in another book.
"^^Well, he's limping, so maybe he tried to get past that three headed dog.^^"
"But why would anyone go near that dog?" Jem asked after a rather lengthy pause.
Harry shrugged. "I don't know," he said, his eyes starting to take on a rather unnerving glint. "But I bet I know how we can find out."
--oo00oo--
"^^So let me get this straight,^^" Jem demanded, quickly strapping on her wrist guard, "^^you told Raula to try and get information about that three headed dog?^^"
Harry nodded, but before he could actually say anything Oliver Wood walked into the locker room, his broom slung over his shoulder.
He cleared his throat, getting their attention and summoning them into a group. "Okay men," he said.
"And women," Angelina added.
"And women," Oliver agreed. "This is it."
"The big one," Fred Weasley said, grinning.
"The one we've all been waiting for." George added with a wide smirk. Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet, the two chasers besides Jem sighed and shook their heads at him.
"We know Oliver's speech by heart," Fred told Harry and Jem in a whisper, causing them to laugh. "We were on the team last year too."
"Shut up you two!" Wood snapped, "This is the best team Gryffindor has had in a long time! We're going to win, I know it."
He glared at them as if to say "or else."
"Right, it's time. Good luck all of you."
Harry and Jem followed the rest of the team out onto the field and watched as their Slytherin counterparts joined them. The match was being refereed by Madam Hooch and she frowned at them all before giving her pre-game speech.
"I want a nice clean match," she snapped, "from all of you." Harry noticed that she seemed to be speaking mostly to Marcus Flint, the Slytherin captain, who looked as though he had a bit of troll blood in him.
"Mount your brooms please."
The teams got onto their brooms, and on Hooch's whistle, they soared into the air.
"And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Jem Grazer, what an excellent Chaser that girl is, only in for the year, as former Chaser Katie Johnson is out with an injury. Ducking a bludger there and she passes to Angelina Johnson, also an impressive Chaser, quite attractive as well. . ." Lee Jordon, the Weasley twin's best friend, was commentary the match, Professor McGonagall sitting right next to him.
"Jordon!"
"Sorry Professor." Lee amended, before going back to his job. "The Quaffle goes back to Grazer, who passes it to Alicia Spinnet. Oh! It's intercepted by Slytherin chaser Marcus Flint. He's really pelting along there. . . ah! Good bludger work by George Weasley, or is it Fred? Either way, the Weasley twins are very talented. Game back in possession of Grazer, dodges another bludger, passes to Johnson- GRYFFINDOR SCORES!"
There was a round of cheering from the Gryffindor fans, which was, roughly, everyone who wasn't in Slytherin.
"Out of the way, budge over there. . . coming through!"
"Hagrid!"
Hermione and Draco smiled at their large friend and squeezed together to give Hagrid enough room to sit down.
"Bin watching from me hut," Hagrid said, pulling out his binoculars, "but it's not the same as being in the stands." He moved his gaze up to Harry. "Harry seems to be keeping out of trouble."
"Yeah," Draco muttered, staring up at his best friend, before his gaze moved to Jem. "Jem on the other hand seems to be having tons of fun."
"Hey, Draco," Hermione asked, looking at the blond and frowning thoughtfully. "Why aren't you on the Quidditch team? Don't you know how to fly?"
"Sure I can fly, Hermione," Draco answered cautiously, "I learned way back when I was a little kid. It's just that, I err- don't particularly like heights."
"I remember that day," Hagrid laughed. "Poor little kid had just come back from Disneyworld, and Madam Hooch was going to take him and Harry flying for the morning. And Draco ran away! He actually managed to get into the Gryffindor common room before anybody could catch him."
Draco flushed and Hermione stared at the usually unflappable fair-haired boy.
"I was just a little kid," Draco muttered, returning his gaze to the field. "Hey, has Harry seen the snitch?!"
It certainly seemed so.
Up in the air, Harry's heart gave a lurch and he sped after the tiny golden ball. The Slytherin seeker, Terrance Higgs was right behind him, but as Harry was faster, he had the advantage. Closer and closer he got, stretching one hand in front of him-
BAM!
Harry's spun off course as Marcus Flint slammed into him.
"FOUL!" The Gryffindor's screamed, and Lee Jordan seemed to agree with them.
"Red card!" Dean Thomas was shouting up in the stands, "give the guy a red- card ref!"
"Red-card?" Draco asked blankly, looking over at the black boy.
"Yes," Dean answered, "in soccer if you foul someone, you get a red card, and are sent off the field."
"But this isn't soccer," Hermoine said, while Draco shrugged and turned back to the game.
"Still," Hagrid muttered, "he could have knocked Harry off his broom- they should change the rules."
Up on the field, Harry was a little dazed from the jolt he got, but he managed to stay on his broom. The boy was furious with himself for loosing sight of the Snitch- however he went back to circling the pitch, looking around for it again. It was then, that Harry's broom gave a frightening lurch. He went to turn his broom around, when he realized that he had lost all control of his broom. Slowly, the broom started going around the pitch, swerving wildly, trying to swing him off.
"What's wrong with Harry's broom?" Hagrid said suddenly, his binoculars back on Harry. "If I didn't know better, I'd say he lost control of it, but he can't have-"
Suddenly, Hermione grabbed Draco's binoculars and instead of focusing them on Harry, she focused them across the field, right on Severus. The head of Slytherin was staring up at Harry, muttering under his breath. /I knew it!/ she thought, shoving the eye-wear back at Draco and running off.
Draco hardly had time to grab hold of the glasses, before Hermione ran off. He stared after her before focusing where she had just been looking. But he didn't focus on Severus, his gaze landed on Professor Quirrell. The DADA Professor was staring up at Harry, a look of fiery concentration on his face. Draco frowned and moved his gaze back to Harry, who had just been swung off his broom. The Gryffindor Seeker was now hanging onto his broom with one hand. The broom gave another lurch before suddenly stopping all movement.
Harry was able to climb back onto the broom before diving towards the ground, landing on all fours. He coughed and something fell out into his hand.
"I'VE GOT THE SNITCH!" He yelled.
"He's won it!" Draco yelled, running down the stairs out onto the field. He pushed through the crowds surrounding his best friend and wrapped the other boy in a tight hug. "That was great Harry!" He cried.
Suddenly, Severus was standing right behind them. "Congratulations, Harry," the man said, "It was a great game."
And in the background, Harry could see Ron Weasley stomping back up to the castle, his two shadows right behind him, shooting dark looks back to the field.
--oo00oo--
After the game, the Gryffindor four went with Hagrid down to his hut for a cup of tea.
"I don't care what you think about Snape," Hermione said stubbornly, "I still think he was jinxing Harry's broom."
"He wouldn't!" Draco snapped her. "We've know Severus forever! He's one of the nicest people in the world! He would never hurt one of us! Besides, after you ran off, I looked over there and I noticed that Professor Quirrell was concentrating really hard too, what does that tell you?"
Hermione didn't answer. "I agree with Draco," Jem whispered finally, "I know he's not one of the nicest people in the world on the outside, but my first memory of him is him smiling at me, saying that he'd try to keep me at Hogwarts. I know it sounds weird, but I trust him, we all do."
Hermione huffed. "But why was he muttering like that, if he wasn't jinxing the broom?"
But for that, they had no answer.
"Again," Hagrid cut in, "why would Snape put a spell on Harry's broom?" He chuckled, "Snape loves you three more then anything."
"Who knows what his intentions were," Harry sighed, "either way it doesn't explain why he was trying to get past that three headed dog."
"Who told you about Fluffy?" Hagrid gasped, dropping his teacup.
"Fluffy?" Jem gasped, spitting out her tea from the shock that someone would actually name a beast like that 'Fluffy'.
"That. . . /thing/ has a name!" Draco asked incredulously, staring up at Hagrid.
"Course he has a name," Hagrid chuckled, "He's mine."
"Well that explains everything," Harry muttered sarcastically.
"I bought him off a Greek chappie I met down in the pub last year. Then I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the-"
"Yes?" Jem asked eagerly.
Hagrid looked furious with himself. "Look," he said, "don't you ask me anymore questions. It's worth more then my job to tell you that!"
"But Hagrid," Hermione nearly whined, "what ever Fluffy's guarding, Sn- someone's trying to /steal/ it!"
"Look," Harry snapped at Hermione. "Severus is not trying to steal anything. He's not trying to kill us, and he is /not/ the bad guy here!"
Hermione quelled under Harry's murderous glare.
"Now," Hagrid cut in, "I don't want you four to suspect Snape. . . but you're meddling in things that ought not to be meddled in! It's dangerous! What that dog's guarding is strictly between Professor Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel-"
"Ah-ha!" Harry cried, "So there's a Nicolas Flamel in this too!"
Hagrid looked furious.
--oo00oo--
"^^I don't see what she's got against Severus,^^" Harry muttered to Jem. The two of them were in the library, trying to finish their homework and find information on Nicolas Flamel. The homework was easy, finding information was a bit of a harder task, and besides the fact that Christmas was just around the corner, made the task even harder. "^^It's not like he was ever noticeably cruel to her in particular.^^"
Jem shrugged and continue flipping through her book, "Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry". "^^Maybe he has a weird aura surrounding him that we never saw before.^^" She suggested.
Harry sighed. "^^But Severus would never hurt one of us!^^"
"^^I know Harry,^^" Jem said soothingly, "^^But sometimes people develop opinions that they just won't change. Like Ginger did about elves.^^"
The boy shook his head and stood up. "Well, I'm done with my homework, you?"
Jem nodded and stood up. "Let's sneak some food from the kitchens and then go back the common room."
Harry agreed and the two of them made their way down the stairs towards the kitchens. However, as they started descending the last set of stairs, a large tree and two feet were somewhat blocking their way.
"Hi Hagrid," Harry said, peering around the tree. "Need any help?"
"Nah, I'm alright, thanks Harry," Hagrid said moving the branches out of his view of the two.
"Would you mind moving out of the way," came a snooty voice from behind them. "Some of us would like to get to our common rooms."
"Pipe it, Ginger, and learn to wait." Jem snapped.
"Speak for your self, elf, and then we can talk about me."
"I might be an elf," Jem growled, pulling out her wand. "But I'm still a witch! I can still hex your pants to rip themselves off of you and run up the corridor screaming."
Harry chuckled at that particular image. "^^Nice image, Jem," he commented, "^^I think I'll be laughing for months.^^"
Jem rolled her eyes and watched as Ron pushed past them and down towards the Slytherin common rooms. "^^One day,^^" She muttered, "^^I'll get him back for all of those comments. He'll get what's coming to him."
"^^I hate him,^^" Harry growled, "^^he doesn't even know /who/ you are!^^"
"Come on," Hagrid cut into their complaining, "come and see the great hall. Looks a treat this year. Much better then last years, I'd wager."
"Hey!" Harry protested, "We decorated the hall last year! I didn't think it looked that bad!"
Hagrid chuckled and started dragging the tree to the great hall. "You two can help me decorate this one, how's that?"
Harry pouted, but he and Jem followed Hagrid up into the hall anyway.
"Say, Jem," Hagrid said after he had set down his tree. "Isn't it your birthday soon?"
"Yep," Jem beamed, "the first of December."
"Oh no!" Harry moaned, "I haven't gotten you anything yet! I've been soooo busy!"
Jem ignored his sarcasm and smiled back up at Hagrid. "Grandpapa said that this year, he was going to take us skiing in Switzerland!"
"Really?" Hagrid asked curiously.
Jem nodded happily before turning to watch Harry decorate the tree with glittering charms, real snow that was enchanted so it wouldn't melt, and balls and stars in all colors imaginable. All of this was done in about five minutes.
When Harry was done, he dusted off his hands and offered one to Jem. "^^Shall I bring her majesty up to the common rooms?^^" He joked, "^^or leave her down here in the company of the teachers?^^"
"^^Common room, I say,^^" Jem laughed, "^^Thank you, kind sir.^^"
Harry mockingly bowed and grabbed her hand and together they went up to the common room to find Draco and Hermione. The two happened to be playing chess, and Draco was kicking Hermione's tail. Granted that Hermione wasn't very good yet and Draco loved the game, but still the half-elf was definitely kicking her butt.
When Harry sat down, Draco looked up. "I saw Raula upstairs in your bed," the blond said. "He was hissing like anything, pretty ticked that he couldn't find you."
Harry nodded and made his way up to the dorm room, where Raula was seemingly, pacing the floor.
"Finally!" The snake hissed. "I must have been waiting for two hours!"
"Sorry," Harry chuckled, picking up the snake and walked over to his bed and drawing the curtains. "We ran into Hagrid and got tied up."
"I'm sssure." Raula snarled.
"What did you want?" Harry asked.
"I wanted to tell you that I got some information on Fffluffy."
"Really?"
"Seems that he's guarding sssomething Hagrid took out of the vaultsss during the sssummer. And mossst of the teachersss are trying to protect it asss well."
"So it must be pretty important," Harry murmured. "I wonder what it is."
"Not only that," Raula butted in, obviously pleased about what he was telling Harry, "but your black-haired Professor-"
"Severus?"
"Yesss, that one. He ssseems very irritated with the stuttering one, but that could just be my imagination."
Harry pondered over the new information before going back downstairs and quietly informing his friends. Needless to say, all of them were stumped.
AN So, what did you think? Sorry that I didn't have Christmas in there, but the Quidditch match was taking more space then I thought it was going to. And then I wanted to put some Ron tormenting in there. . . which also took some time. And for those who DIDN'T read Living at Hogwarts, (the original one) Jem /is/ a princess, from the royal family, and nobody except the teachers and Harry and Jem know it. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I promise that the next chapter will be out soon.
REVIEW! I'm aiming for 30 reviews before the next update!
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Summary: Sequel to Living at Hogwarts. Harry, Draco and Jem are starting their first year as students at Hogwarts. Who will they meet? Friends? Enemies? And sometimes, they feel they are living only to die. READ!
AN This is the sequel to Living at Hogwarts. If you haven't read that, please do so, as it will make much more sense if you do. This story will not be slash in any kind, though it will have loads of characters OOC. Please do not flame, as I have many not so nice ways of dealing with them. Enjoy!
"^^blah-blah^^" = Elfish
/blah-blah/ = italicized
*blah-blah* = bold
'blah-blah' = thoughts
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Chapter 4
"Go on, Harry, take a bit of toast."
"Draco I told you, I'm not hungry."
"Draco's right Harry," Hermione said, giving up on trying to get Jem to eat and moving on to Harry, "you're going to need your strength if you want to beat Slytherin today."
"And remember," Draco grinned, "if you beat Slytherin, you also beat Ginger."
"Enjoying your last living moments, Potter?" Came a cruel, cold voice from above them, "I would be too, if I was playing against Slytherin."
Harry looked up and rolled his eyes. "Good thing you're not playing then, isn't it Ginger?"
Ron rolled his eyes, "just try not to fall off your broom, Potter. It might save you some embarrassment."
"Correct me if I'm wrong," Jem spoke up, "but I seem to recall that you had a bit of problems regarding /your/ broom, only two weeks ago, Ginger. So I wouldn't go giving Harry any tips."
Ron snarled at her, "What would you know, filthy elf!"
Jem growled and jumped to her feet.
"You take that back!" Draco shouted, coming to Jem's defense.
"Like you're much better-you girly little half-elf!"
Just then, Severus and Minerva walked up.
"Weasley," Snape snapped. "Are you bothering the Gryffindor's /again/?"
Ron quickly snapped his head around, it looked quite painful.
"No Professor," he simpered, "I was just wishing Potter and Grazer good luck on their match this afternoon." He smirked and walked away. "They'll need it."
"Fifty points from Slytherin!" Minerva growled at the red-head. "And I don't want to hear that you were tormenting them again! I'm ashamed of you, Weasley! I expected better, even from a Slytherin!"
Jem rolled her eyes and resumed poking her eggs, but Harry continued to watch the two professors, especially the Potions Master walk away. There was a slight limp in his left leg.
"Curious," he muttered, still staring.
"What?" Draco asked around a mouthful of bacon.
"^^Remember last night when Severus ran past us?^^"
Draco nodded, looking up at the Potions Master curiously before turning back to Harry. By this time, Jem had looked up and taken notice of the conversation. Hermione just sighed and buried her nose in another book.
"^^Well, he's limping, so maybe he tried to get past that three headed dog.^^"
"But why would anyone go near that dog?" Jem asked after a rather lengthy pause.
Harry shrugged. "I don't know," he said, his eyes starting to take on a rather unnerving glint. "But I bet I know how we can find out."
--oo00oo--
"^^So let me get this straight,^^" Jem demanded, quickly strapping on her wrist guard, "^^you told Raula to try and get information about that three headed dog?^^"
Harry nodded, but before he could actually say anything Oliver Wood walked into the locker room, his broom slung over his shoulder.
He cleared his throat, getting their attention and summoning them into a group. "Okay men," he said.
"And women," Angelina added.
"And women," Oliver agreed. "This is it."
"The big one," Fred Weasley said, grinning.
"The one we've all been waiting for." George added with a wide smirk. Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet, the two chasers besides Jem sighed and shook their heads at him.
"We know Oliver's speech by heart," Fred told Harry and Jem in a whisper, causing them to laugh. "We were on the team last year too."
"Shut up you two!" Wood snapped, "This is the best team Gryffindor has had in a long time! We're going to win, I know it."
He glared at them as if to say "or else."
"Right, it's time. Good luck all of you."
Harry and Jem followed the rest of the team out onto the field and watched as their Slytherin counterparts joined them. The match was being refereed by Madam Hooch and she frowned at them all before giving her pre-game speech.
"I want a nice clean match," she snapped, "from all of you." Harry noticed that she seemed to be speaking mostly to Marcus Flint, the Slytherin captain, who looked as though he had a bit of troll blood in him.
"Mount your brooms please."
The teams got onto their brooms, and on Hooch's whistle, they soared into the air.
"And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Jem Grazer, what an excellent Chaser that girl is, only in for the year, as former Chaser Katie Johnson is out with an injury. Ducking a bludger there and she passes to Angelina Johnson, also an impressive Chaser, quite attractive as well. . ." Lee Jordon, the Weasley twin's best friend, was commentary the match, Professor McGonagall sitting right next to him.
"Jordon!"
"Sorry Professor." Lee amended, before going back to his job. "The Quaffle goes back to Grazer, who passes it to Alicia Spinnet. Oh! It's intercepted by Slytherin chaser Marcus Flint. He's really pelting along there. . . ah! Good bludger work by George Weasley, or is it Fred? Either way, the Weasley twins are very talented. Game back in possession of Grazer, dodges another bludger, passes to Johnson- GRYFFINDOR SCORES!"
There was a round of cheering from the Gryffindor fans, which was, roughly, everyone who wasn't in Slytherin.
"Out of the way, budge over there. . . coming through!"
"Hagrid!"
Hermione and Draco smiled at their large friend and squeezed together to give Hagrid enough room to sit down.
"Bin watching from me hut," Hagrid said, pulling out his binoculars, "but it's not the same as being in the stands." He moved his gaze up to Harry. "Harry seems to be keeping out of trouble."
"Yeah," Draco muttered, staring up at his best friend, before his gaze moved to Jem. "Jem on the other hand seems to be having tons of fun."
"Hey, Draco," Hermione asked, looking at the blond and frowning thoughtfully. "Why aren't you on the Quidditch team? Don't you know how to fly?"
"Sure I can fly, Hermione," Draco answered cautiously, "I learned way back when I was a little kid. It's just that, I err- don't particularly like heights."
"I remember that day," Hagrid laughed. "Poor little kid had just come back from Disneyworld, and Madam Hooch was going to take him and Harry flying for the morning. And Draco ran away! He actually managed to get into the Gryffindor common room before anybody could catch him."
Draco flushed and Hermione stared at the usually unflappable fair-haired boy.
"I was just a little kid," Draco muttered, returning his gaze to the field. "Hey, has Harry seen the snitch?!"
It certainly seemed so.
Up in the air, Harry's heart gave a lurch and he sped after the tiny golden ball. The Slytherin seeker, Terrance Higgs was right behind him, but as Harry was faster, he had the advantage. Closer and closer he got, stretching one hand in front of him-
BAM!
Harry's spun off course as Marcus Flint slammed into him.
"FOUL!" The Gryffindor's screamed, and Lee Jordan seemed to agree with them.
"Red card!" Dean Thomas was shouting up in the stands, "give the guy a red- card ref!"
"Red-card?" Draco asked blankly, looking over at the black boy.
"Yes," Dean answered, "in soccer if you foul someone, you get a red card, and are sent off the field."
"But this isn't soccer," Hermoine said, while Draco shrugged and turned back to the game.
"Still," Hagrid muttered, "he could have knocked Harry off his broom- they should change the rules."
Up on the field, Harry was a little dazed from the jolt he got, but he managed to stay on his broom. The boy was furious with himself for loosing sight of the Snitch- however he went back to circling the pitch, looking around for it again. It was then, that Harry's broom gave a frightening lurch. He went to turn his broom around, when he realized that he had lost all control of his broom. Slowly, the broom started going around the pitch, swerving wildly, trying to swing him off.
"What's wrong with Harry's broom?" Hagrid said suddenly, his binoculars back on Harry. "If I didn't know better, I'd say he lost control of it, but he can't have-"
Suddenly, Hermione grabbed Draco's binoculars and instead of focusing them on Harry, she focused them across the field, right on Severus. The head of Slytherin was staring up at Harry, muttering under his breath. /I knew it!/ she thought, shoving the eye-wear back at Draco and running off.
Draco hardly had time to grab hold of the glasses, before Hermione ran off. He stared after her before focusing where she had just been looking. But he didn't focus on Severus, his gaze landed on Professor Quirrell. The DADA Professor was staring up at Harry, a look of fiery concentration on his face. Draco frowned and moved his gaze back to Harry, who had just been swung off his broom. The Gryffindor Seeker was now hanging onto his broom with one hand. The broom gave another lurch before suddenly stopping all movement.
Harry was able to climb back onto the broom before diving towards the ground, landing on all fours. He coughed and something fell out into his hand.
"I'VE GOT THE SNITCH!" He yelled.
"He's won it!" Draco yelled, running down the stairs out onto the field. He pushed through the crowds surrounding his best friend and wrapped the other boy in a tight hug. "That was great Harry!" He cried.
Suddenly, Severus was standing right behind them. "Congratulations, Harry," the man said, "It was a great game."
And in the background, Harry could see Ron Weasley stomping back up to the castle, his two shadows right behind him, shooting dark looks back to the field.
--oo00oo--
After the game, the Gryffindor four went with Hagrid down to his hut for a cup of tea.
"I don't care what you think about Snape," Hermione said stubbornly, "I still think he was jinxing Harry's broom."
"He wouldn't!" Draco snapped her. "We've know Severus forever! He's one of the nicest people in the world! He would never hurt one of us! Besides, after you ran off, I looked over there and I noticed that Professor Quirrell was concentrating really hard too, what does that tell you?"
Hermione didn't answer. "I agree with Draco," Jem whispered finally, "I know he's not one of the nicest people in the world on the outside, but my first memory of him is him smiling at me, saying that he'd try to keep me at Hogwarts. I know it sounds weird, but I trust him, we all do."
Hermione huffed. "But why was he muttering like that, if he wasn't jinxing the broom?"
But for that, they had no answer.
"Again," Hagrid cut in, "why would Snape put a spell on Harry's broom?" He chuckled, "Snape loves you three more then anything."
"Who knows what his intentions were," Harry sighed, "either way it doesn't explain why he was trying to get past that three headed dog."
"Who told you about Fluffy?" Hagrid gasped, dropping his teacup.
"Fluffy?" Jem gasped, spitting out her tea from the shock that someone would actually name a beast like that 'Fluffy'.
"That. . . /thing/ has a name!" Draco asked incredulously, staring up at Hagrid.
"Course he has a name," Hagrid chuckled, "He's mine."
"Well that explains everything," Harry muttered sarcastically.
"I bought him off a Greek chappie I met down in the pub last year. Then I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the-"
"Yes?" Jem asked eagerly.
Hagrid looked furious with himself. "Look," he said, "don't you ask me anymore questions. It's worth more then my job to tell you that!"
"But Hagrid," Hermione nearly whined, "what ever Fluffy's guarding, Sn- someone's trying to /steal/ it!"
"Look," Harry snapped at Hermione. "Severus is not trying to steal anything. He's not trying to kill us, and he is /not/ the bad guy here!"
Hermione quelled under Harry's murderous glare.
"Now," Hagrid cut in, "I don't want you four to suspect Snape. . . but you're meddling in things that ought not to be meddled in! It's dangerous! What that dog's guarding is strictly between Professor Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel-"
"Ah-ha!" Harry cried, "So there's a Nicolas Flamel in this too!"
Hagrid looked furious.
--oo00oo--
"^^I don't see what she's got against Severus,^^" Harry muttered to Jem. The two of them were in the library, trying to finish their homework and find information on Nicolas Flamel. The homework was easy, finding information was a bit of a harder task, and besides the fact that Christmas was just around the corner, made the task even harder. "^^It's not like he was ever noticeably cruel to her in particular.^^"
Jem shrugged and continue flipping through her book, "Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry". "^^Maybe he has a weird aura surrounding him that we never saw before.^^" She suggested.
Harry sighed. "^^But Severus would never hurt one of us!^^"
"^^I know Harry,^^" Jem said soothingly, "^^But sometimes people develop opinions that they just won't change. Like Ginger did about elves.^^"
The boy shook his head and stood up. "Well, I'm done with my homework, you?"
Jem nodded and stood up. "Let's sneak some food from the kitchens and then go back the common room."
Harry agreed and the two of them made their way down the stairs towards the kitchens. However, as they started descending the last set of stairs, a large tree and two feet were somewhat blocking their way.
"Hi Hagrid," Harry said, peering around the tree. "Need any help?"
"Nah, I'm alright, thanks Harry," Hagrid said moving the branches out of his view of the two.
"Would you mind moving out of the way," came a snooty voice from behind them. "Some of us would like to get to our common rooms."
"Pipe it, Ginger, and learn to wait." Jem snapped.
"Speak for your self, elf, and then we can talk about me."
"I might be an elf," Jem growled, pulling out her wand. "But I'm still a witch! I can still hex your pants to rip themselves off of you and run up the corridor screaming."
Harry chuckled at that particular image. "^^Nice image, Jem," he commented, "^^I think I'll be laughing for months.^^"
Jem rolled her eyes and watched as Ron pushed past them and down towards the Slytherin common rooms. "^^One day,^^" She muttered, "^^I'll get him back for all of those comments. He'll get what's coming to him."
"^^I hate him,^^" Harry growled, "^^he doesn't even know /who/ you are!^^"
"Come on," Hagrid cut into their complaining, "come and see the great hall. Looks a treat this year. Much better then last years, I'd wager."
"Hey!" Harry protested, "We decorated the hall last year! I didn't think it looked that bad!"
Hagrid chuckled and started dragging the tree to the great hall. "You two can help me decorate this one, how's that?"
Harry pouted, but he and Jem followed Hagrid up into the hall anyway.
"Say, Jem," Hagrid said after he had set down his tree. "Isn't it your birthday soon?"
"Yep," Jem beamed, "the first of December."
"Oh no!" Harry moaned, "I haven't gotten you anything yet! I've been soooo busy!"
Jem ignored his sarcasm and smiled back up at Hagrid. "Grandpapa said that this year, he was going to take us skiing in Switzerland!"
"Really?" Hagrid asked curiously.
Jem nodded happily before turning to watch Harry decorate the tree with glittering charms, real snow that was enchanted so it wouldn't melt, and balls and stars in all colors imaginable. All of this was done in about five minutes.
When Harry was done, he dusted off his hands and offered one to Jem. "^^Shall I bring her majesty up to the common rooms?^^" He joked, "^^or leave her down here in the company of the teachers?^^"
"^^Common room, I say,^^" Jem laughed, "^^Thank you, kind sir.^^"
Harry mockingly bowed and grabbed her hand and together they went up to the common room to find Draco and Hermione. The two happened to be playing chess, and Draco was kicking Hermione's tail. Granted that Hermione wasn't very good yet and Draco loved the game, but still the half-elf was definitely kicking her butt.
When Harry sat down, Draco looked up. "I saw Raula upstairs in your bed," the blond said. "He was hissing like anything, pretty ticked that he couldn't find you."
Harry nodded and made his way up to the dorm room, where Raula was seemingly, pacing the floor.
"Finally!" The snake hissed. "I must have been waiting for two hours!"
"Sorry," Harry chuckled, picking up the snake and walked over to his bed and drawing the curtains. "We ran into Hagrid and got tied up."
"I'm sssure." Raula snarled.
"What did you want?" Harry asked.
"I wanted to tell you that I got some information on Fffluffy."
"Really?"
"Seems that he's guarding sssomething Hagrid took out of the vaultsss during the sssummer. And mossst of the teachersss are trying to protect it asss well."
"So it must be pretty important," Harry murmured. "I wonder what it is."
"Not only that," Raula butted in, obviously pleased about what he was telling Harry, "but your black-haired Professor-"
"Severus?"
"Yesss, that one. He ssseems very irritated with the stuttering one, but that could just be my imagination."
Harry pondered over the new information before going back downstairs and quietly informing his friends. Needless to say, all of them were stumped.
AN So, what did you think? Sorry that I didn't have Christmas in there, but the Quidditch match was taking more space then I thought it was going to. And then I wanted to put some Ron tormenting in there. . . which also took some time. And for those who DIDN'T read Living at Hogwarts, (the original one) Jem /is/ a princess, from the royal family, and nobody except the teachers and Harry and Jem know it. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I promise that the next chapter will be out soon.
REVIEW! I'm aiming for 30 reviews before the next update!
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