Chapter 3: Right Off the End of Professor Snapes Abnormally Large Nose

By Monday morning every student in the school knows about the conversation between Snape and I. There's a lot of muttering that I'd favour the Gryffindors since I was one myself however I try my best to hand out points equally. Though it's hard to keep from removing points from Slytherin when most of the Slytherin students don't even try to pay attention in my class. In fact they seem determined to do just the opposite.

On the flip side of things Snape is going out of his way to take points from Gryffindor. I tell Harry softly at the end of one class that the best way to keep the Slytherins off the Quiditch pitch would be to sign up the other two house teams for practise times this way the other two teams get time to practise and Slytherin gets none.

It even works for a while, then Dumbledore intervenes and comes up with a schedule so that every team had equal practise time. I'm just glad he never figgures out the reason Slytherin never got to use the pitch.

There is quite a large amount of tension build up before the match, Madam Pomfrey had probably never had to deal with injuries from so many fights before. As a teacher who is not a Head of House I'm not supposed to take sides, however the morning of the match I dress in scarlet robes and throw on a gold cloak instead of my normal silver one. I never wear a different cloak but then I was on Hogwarts grounds and therefore it was very unlikely that I would be attacked.

McGonagall is also in Gryffindor colours and to no ones surprise Snape walks in wearing robes of deep green trimmed with silver.

'Just goes to show that his wardrobe contains more then just the colour black', I think jabbing my eggs viciously with my fork.

I accompany McGonagall down to the change rooms to wish the team good luck.

"You do realise," she says. "That teachers are not supposed to show favouritism towards any particular house."

"When have I ever gone by the rules? I seem to remember many detentions in my time as a Gryffindor student here because of my lack of ability to remember the rules…"

"Ruth," McGonagall cuts me off with the slightest of smiles. "Do shut up."

I'm the last one to enter the teachers box. This means I get the last available seat, next to Snape. I sit down next to him and he gives me his best sneer. If one of us hasn't hexed the other by the end of this match I will be shocked.

When the captains are ordered to shake hands I notice that Harry and Malfoy Jr. seem to be trying to break one another's hands.

That's just a sign of things to come. The game is possibly one of the dirtiest I have ever seen played. It's obvious that Slytherin hasn't tried to change their style of play since I was a student here. Halfway though the game McGonagall forgets to keep reminding Colin Creevy (who is doing the announcing) to stop commenting on the game in an unbiased way. When Goyle takes a swing at Ginny's head with his beaters bat I think she's actually on her feet to protest faster then I am.

"Could you sit down, Ruth," Flitwick squeaks from behind me. "I can't see."

Still fuming I sit down. Then I see it, the golden snitch, hovering a few meters away from the teachers box. Both Harry and Malfoy Jr. have seen it too. Malfoy Jr. is streaking across the pitch at top speed, meanwhile Harry is lying flat against his broom in a full speed dive.

The snitch sees them coming and attempts to escape, in the direction of the teachers box. I'm surprised when it doesn't head down towards the ground but instead towards us. In fact straight towards me, no, make that Snape.

Harry hasn't slowed down at all, he's now coming in at the speed of a ballistic missile, straight towards the snitch and Snape.

Flitwick, who is sitting behind Snape, squeaks and dives to the floor. Snape leans back away from the snitch – which is now right in front of his face – just as Harry grabs it and pulls expertly out of his dive snitch clutched tightly in his hand.

McGonagall and I leap to our feet cheering.

"AND I DON'T BELIEVE IT," Colin screams. "BUT HARRY'S CAUGHT THE SNITCH, RIGHT OFF THE END OF PROFESSOR SNAPES ABNOMALLY LARGE NOSE!"

I burst into laughter – as does the rest of the school (with the possible exception of the Slytherins) – before racing down the stairs after McGonagall to congratulate the team. I pause and wait for the crowd to thin out around Harry before I go up and speak to him.

"Brilliant catch, better then any I ever saw James make."

Harry's now smiling so widely I think his face might split. "Thanks Professor."

Colin runs up to us and over his shoulder I can see Snape giving him a death glare.

"Brilliant commentary," I say to Colin. "I especially liked your description of Harry's catch."

Then with a smile in Snapes direction I turn and walk off. I may supposed to be a teacher who is not supposed to show favouritism towards any house but at the moment I am a Gryffindor, a Quiditch playing Gryffindor.

A/N: yeah that one was kind of short, the next one will be longer. I'd originally planned to make it one big chapter then realised it would be too big so I made it into two. I'm going on vacation for a couple weeks which unfortunetly means this is all you get for a while, however it also means you get a whole bunch of chapters when I get back, that is after all the reason god invented laptops.