Severus arrived just before the staff meeting started and sat down next to Minerva.

"If you ever want me to pop in, just say the word. I've had a lot of experience with plants that like to bite. I'm sure your Venomous Tentacula wouldn't mind a visit from me," Lockhart was saying to Pomona.

Pomona didn't reply but looked irritated.

Albus came through the door and took his place at the head of the table. "Let's get started, as we have much to do. I asked each of you to examine the corridors around your classrooms and offices. Does anyone have anything to report?"

Severus had gone through the dungeons using revealing charms and discovery charms on just about every surface he could find. If there was such a thing as the Chamber of Secrets, he had found no evidence of it. It seemed to him that the dungeons would have been the most likely place as well.

"We've searched before, Albus. At the very least, I did not discover anything of note in the Transfiguration corridor," Minerva said.

"I also found nothing, and certainly if it was in the Defense corridor, I would have found it. As you must know from my work Gadding with Ghouls, I am quite deft at discovering secret passageways. If you'd like, Albus, I'd be happy to search the rest of the school so we can put the matter to rest conclusively," Lockhart offered, smiling brightly.

"I think that's unnecessary, Gilderoy, but I appreciate the offer," Albus said. "I think we must conclude once again that it's unlikely that the Chamber exists. Heads of Houses, you spoke with your upper years?"

"I spoke with my fifth through seventh years, under the guise of academic advising, but found nothing of concern. While there certainly are a few students who are convinced of pure-blood superiority, none of them seemed to have knowledge of the type of Dark Arts that would lead to Petrification, and all of them professed to being at the Halloween feast," Filius said.

Minerva nodded. "I spoke with my upper years as well, and with much the same result."

"Same for my Hufflepuffs," Pomona said. "They spoke positively of their muggleborn and half-blood classmates."

"While there is an undeniable sentiment of pure-blood superiority in my House, and a predilection to the Dark Arts as well, I found nothing to suggest that it was one of my students who wrote the message and Petrified the cat. As they indicated they also attended the Halloween feast, I think we must conclude that this was done in the afternoon before the Halloween feast started," Severus said.

While some of his students were less than forthcoming, and he had no doubts that some of them were secretly studying the Dark Arts, he had no theories as to who might be responsible for the message.

"I have procured a grown Mandrake from an apothecary in South Africa and it is being sent to me. We should be able to revive Mrs. Norris next week after I brew the Mandrake Restorative Draught," he continued.

"If you need any help, just let me know, I'm quite handy with a cauldron," Lockhart said.

Severus glared at him. "I am perfectly capable of brewing a Mandrake Restorative Draught."

"Let me know when you are ready to revive Mrs. Norris. Perhaps she can tell us something of how she wound up Petrified," Albus said, nodding to Severus.

Severus returned the nod, understanding that Albus wished to use legilimency on the cat. Animals' minds were often difficult to understand, but sometimes you could get an impression or a sense of an environment from within their memory.

"For the time being, everyone should keep an eye out for anything unusual. Now, let's move onto the curriculum revisions that the Ministry is proposing," Albus said, sending pieces of parchment to each of the teachers around the table.

Severus gritted his teeth. The Ministry had been trying this for years now and Albus and his staff had been fighting tooth and nail not to have their curriculum diluted. He looked through the list and began making notes about why each potion they were proposing cutting was an essential part of the learning process. Once each teacher had written their defenses, Albus would send them back to the Ministry and the entire process would start over again.

Between the Ministry interfering and graffiti about the Chamber of Secrets it was a wonder they got any teaching accomplished at all.

"How have things been these past two weeks?" Torey asked after she took her seat.

Rachel looked down at her hands. "I talked to Millie in the Great Hall. Not much, I asked her to pass the butter."

"That's great. How did it feel to do that?" Torey asked.

"Okay. I had to try twice so that Millie could hear me. The Great Hall gets kind of loud during meal times," Rachel said, fidgeting slightly. "There's a new girl in our group. Her name is Ginny. She's pretty quiet. I'm not sure if she likes us yet."

"How did she join your group?"

"Hermione brought her, but she asked us first. I think Hermione remembered being lonely and she saw that Ginny was lonely and wanted her to have friends," Rachel explained. "When we threw a birthday party for Hermione she cried a little bit because she hadn't had friends to do that before. And Ginny's a Gryffindor, so if she becomes friends with Hermione and Neville, they'll have another person in their House to be friends with."

Torey nodded. "That would be nice for them. How do you feel about having Ginny in your group?"

"It's okay. I think she's kind of shy, but hopefully she'll be more comfortable around us the more time she spends with us. She doesn't stay the entire time we're in our study room, but she's there some of the time."

"For most people, in most situations, it does get easier with time. And she might not stay the entire time because she might find it a little overwhelming to be with so many people," Torey suggested.

"I can understand that. I still find the common room overwhelming sometimes. People are so loud," Rachel said. She looked away and took a calming breath. "How do you know if you're crazy?"

"Crazy isn't a word that means very much. People use it to mean mentally ill, but they also use it for a wide range of behaviors," Torey explained. "Is that something you're worried about?"

Rachel glanced at Torey and then nodded.

"Can you tell me what specifically is worrying you?"

"I heard a voice that no one else heard. I was with Theo and Luna in the hallway, and I heard the voice and I followed it, and it led us to where Mrs. Norris was Petrified," Rachel explained.

"Okay, let's take that one piece at a time," Torey said. "You were with Theo and Luna in the hallway and you heard a voice. What was the voice saying?"

"It said 'tear, rip' and 'I smell blood' and 'time to kill'." Rachel shivered as she remembered the voice. "I could hear the voice getting further away, so I followed it to try and see what it was. At first I thought it might be a ghost, but Theo and Luna couldn't hear it at all."

"Where did this voice lead you?"

"The second floor corridor, near Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. We found writing on the wall in red paint, saying the Chamber of Secrets had been opened and 'Enemies of the Heir beware', and poor Mrs. Norris - she's Mr. Filch's cat - she was Petrified and was hanging by her tail and Theo had to help me get her down." Rachel exhaled, feeling her heart race a little as she remembered finding Mrs. Norris.

"Have you ever heard voices that no one else could hear before?" Torey asked.

Rachel shook her head. "Never."

"Then I'm inclined to believe that this voice wasn't a hallucination. It led you to where something had happened. Theo and Luna could see the writing and Mrs. Norris as well?"

"Yes, everyone could see it," Rachel said. "But if the voice was real, why couldn't Theo and Luna hear it?"

"I don't know. That's one of the difficulties with magic, there are so many spells that have different effects, and they can be altered or combined to do different things. I think the most likely explanation is that someone had hidden themselves, maybe with a Disillusionment charm or an invisibility cloak, and they were using some sort of sound directing spell so that only you could hear them," Torey explained.

"And then they led me to see where they'd Petrified Mrs. Norris?" Rachel asked.

"At the very least it's one possibility."

Rachel frowned. "Why me?"

"That's a good question. Were you close to Mrs. Norris?" Torey asked.

"A little bit? I always stopped and petted her when I saw her in the halls. Most students don't like her." Rachel felt her stomach drop. "Do you think they Petrified Mrs. Norris because of me?"

"I don't know," Torey said again. "I don't think we have enough information to say for sure. Have you noticed anyone watching you? Has anyone said anything unusual to you?"

Rachel shook her head. "I don't really talk to people who aren't in my study group, or the girls in my dorm, or the Slytherin Quidditch team. The first years stared at me a bit when they first arrived, but other than that, no one really pays attention to me."

"Well, I think for the time being try to pay attention to the people around you. Also, try to stay with your friends, just in case," Torey suggested.

"That's what Professor Snape said too."

"Good, I'm glad we're on the same page. The other thing I want you to do is notice if you hear that voice again and if you hear it again, write down what it says and anything you notice about the voice. Try to notice what it sounds like, where it's coming from, does it have an accent, those sort of things," Torey said.

Rachel nodded. "I can do that. I hope I don't hear it again though."

"I hope so too, I imagine it was pretty scary. If you do hear it again though, that will help give us more information to figure out what it is."

Rachel nodded again. At least Torey didn't think she was crazy.

Rachel collected her potions textbook, quill, and a piece of parchment so she could take notes and then went back out into the common room. The only seat open was the one between Millie and Leander. She sat down and glanced at Millie.

Millie shrugged and looked back at Leander.

Leander finished reading the piece of parchment he was holding and handed it to Draco. "This isn't a satisfactory essay. You didn't write about the interactions between the ingredients and why they react the way they do. You need to stay for the study group."

Draco folded his arms. "Gemma says that if our essays are finished we don't have to attend the study group, mine is finished."

"Your essay isn't complete," Leander countered.

"Yes, it is. Sixteen inches, just like Professor Snape asked for," Draco said, unrolling the parchment to prove his point.

"But it doesn't complete the essay topic, which is to break down the steps of brewing a Swelling Solution and write about the reactions between the ingredients. You wrote about the steps and the ingredient properties and preparation, but you didn't write about reactions between ingredients. You'll get a failing grade for only addressing half of the essay topic," Leander explained.

"It's just one essay, besides, I know how to brew a Swelling Solution. You're not the professor, you don't get to grade my essay," Draco insisted.

"Sit back down unless you want to have this conversation with Professor Snape, who undoubtedly will fire-call your father," Leander said.

Draco sat and scowled.

Rachel looked back at Millie and raised her eyebrows. Why was Draco so insistent that he didn't want to attend the study sessions?

Millie shrugged again and shook her head.

"Finally," Leander said, sounding irritated. "Let's get started. I'm going to assume by now you can all read your books well enough to understand the instructions for brewing the Swelling Solution, so let's focus on ingredient preparation and reactions between ingredients. Who can tell us about the properties of dried nettles? Theo."

"Dried nettles, of the species Urtica dioica, have healing properties and can be used to make hair or fur glossy. These nettles are also used in nettle wine, nettle tea, and can be used in soup," Theo said.

"Good," Leander said. "And bat spleens? Pansy."

"Bat spleens have the property of stabilization, they absorb some of the more volatile parts of the other ingredients so your potion doesn't explode," Pansy explained.

"Good, they're also used in the Draught of the Living Dead," Leander added. "What about Puffer-fish eyes? Rachel."

Rachel took a steadying breath. "Puffer-fish eyes are used to make things expand or swell. They're the reactionary ingredient in the Swelling Solution," she said, concentrating on making her voice audible to the entire group.

"Correct," Leander said. "Now for the Swelling Solution we crush the nettles and the puffer-fish eyes together into a medium-fine powder before adding them to the cauldron, why don't we add them separately? Crabbe."

Vincent Crabbe shrugged. "Because the instructions say to do them together."

Leander sighed. "Anyone?"

"Because the dried nettles prevent the puffer-fish eyes from immediately reacting," Millie said, putting her hand into the air.

"Yes. And then you add the water, heat to a medium temperature, and then more water. Why do we add more water after heating? Draco."

"To mitigate evaporation," Draco said, his voice still sullen.

"Yes. And, after waiting sixty minutes while the potion boils, you add one bat spleen. As Pansy said, we do this to stabilize the potion before we stir. Who knows what happens if you stir before you add the bat spleen?" Leander asked.

"The ingredients react immediately and the mixture will explode out of your cauldron," Blaise said.

"Correct, and the counter to the Swelling Solution?" Leander asked.

"The Deflating Draught," Daphne said quickly.

"Good. Now, does anyone have any questions before they write their essay?" Leander looked around the table. Nobody moved. "Alright, you're done. Was that so hard?" he asked, looking at Draco.

"These study groups are a waste of time," Draco said, collecting his essay and leaving the table before Leander could respond.

The study groups weren't exactly useful, particularly since Rachel had her own study group, but it was nice that the upper year prefects and tutors could answer questions for them during the groups. She rolled up her notes and prepared to return to the dormitory.

"Rachel, can I talk with you for a moment?" Leander asked.

She felt like something was squeezing her chest, a sensation that she'd learned from Torey meant she was probably feeling anxiety. What had she done wrong?

"Professor Snape told us you were the one who suggested the fifth and seventh years study from OWL and NEWT guides this year for Defense," Leander said after everyone had left the table.

Rachel shrugged. "Theo was the one who told me about the guides," she said quietly, not really sure what Leander wanted from her.

"But you're the one who suggested it to Gemma, because you wanted your Housemates to do well," Leander leaned forward and put his hand on Rachel's shoulder. "That's being a good Slytherin. I'm taking my Defense NEWT this year and I didn't think to order a guide until Professor Snape passed them out to us. So, thank you."

Rachel nodded and waited for Leander to remove his hand.

"Anyway, keep up the good work. I'm looking forward to seeing you play for the Quidditch team, " Leander said, squeezing his hand once and then walking away.

Rachel exhaled. She was glad she wasn't in trouble, but she didn't quite know what to make of that. She gathered her quill, her notes, and her book and went to go copy out her notes into her two-way book so everyone would have them when they wrote their potions essays tomorrow.

It was the third week of November when Severus received the Mandrake he had ordered by Owl Post. He let Albus know that the Mandrake Restorative Draught would be ready by the next evening. He brewed late into the evening, hoping both that Mrs. Norris would have some memory they were able to glean of the events that caused her to be Petrified, and that having Mrs. Norris back would set Rachel's mind at ease.

Rachel had asked him again about the Mandrake Restorative Draught when she'd had dinner with him on Sunday. He'd had to reassure her that Mrs. Norris wasn't in any pain and being Petrified would simply be like sleeping for a long time. In actuality, Severus had no idea how being Petrified would feel, but he reasoned that saying that would only upset Rachel further.

She had informed him that she'd answered a question in Herbology class and everyone had been able to hear her, and that her other classes were going well with the exception of Defense. Apparently Lockhart was still reenacting his asinine books. Severus had decided to order study guides for his sixth years who were still taking Defense - there was no reason they should waste an entire year before their NEWT exams. He'd also instructed his prefects and upper year students who acted as tutors to follow the Defense curriculum from the previous year, and had his prefects recommend books to the third and fourth years. There was little else he could do without teaching the class himself.

He didn't want the Defense position. He continued to put in an application every year in keeping with the Dark Lord's instructions to him, that way he could complain to the other Death Eaters that Albus was a fool and obviously still suspected him. The other Death Eaters would then agree that Albus was a fool and suggest to Severus that he teach the Slytherins Dark Arts in secret.

For the students who had Death Eaters as parents, Severus guided them to heavy reading from the Restricted Section that could in theory act as a preparation performing Dark Arts, but really gave them a much deeper understanding of how spellcasting and spell creation worked. Most of his students didn't make it through the first book, much less come back requesting more. For the handful that did, Severus delayed as long as he could with more difficult studies while making it clear to them that they had to be careful and that there were wards on the school that would detect some Dark Arts being used.

What he couldn't control was what the parents taught their children at home. He could only hope that he had made himself a trusted ally that his students could come to him when they needed help or wanted out.

Severus' heavy thoughts kept him company while he brewed and he reached the point where the potion would need to simmer for twelve hours before he could complete it. He went to bed, his mind making lists and plans until he dropped into sleep.

The next evening he carried the vial of the Mandrake Restorative Draught to the hospital wing and found Albus, Minerva, Poppy, and Argus waiting for him there.

"This will bring her back?" Argus asked, looking at the vial of potion.

"Yes," Severus said, confident enough in his brewing to not hedge his bets.

"Would you like me to administer the Draught?" Poppy asked, her wand out.

Severus nodded and handed the vial to her.

They gathered around the bed where Mrs. Norris was lying on the pillow.

Poppy waved her wand and the potion in the vial disappeared. She'd used a spell to place the potion directly into Mrs. Norris' stomach, as they did for unconscious patients or for patients who couldn't swallow.

They watched and after about a minute Mrs. Norris' tail relaxed out of its bent shape. Another minute later and Mrs. Norris moved her paws and then her head and finally she let out a small meow.

"Oh thank you, thank you," Argus said, his eyes filled with tears as he scooped Mrs. Norris up and held her to his chest. "Thank you, Severus."

"Rachel was the one who requested that we order the Mandrakes rather than wait for them to grow in the greenhouses," Severus said, uncomfortable with Argus' thanks.

"Your girl and her friends are good," Argus said, cradling Mrs. Norris. "They're not like the other students."

"I'm glad that Mrs. Norris has been revived," Albus said. "If you don't mind, we'd like to look into her memory to see if we can discover who Petrified her."

"Yes, yes. I want them caught," Argus said. "What do I need to do?"

"Just hold Mrs. Norris so I can look into her eyes, if you would," Albus said.

Argus adjusted how he was holding Mrs. Norris. "There you go, just look at the Headmaster," he told her.

They waited in silence while Albus used legilimency on Mrs. Norris.

Finally, Albus shook his head. "Severus, would you mind taking a look?"

"Of course," Severus said, moving so that he could see Mrs. Norris' eyes.

He exhaled and propelled his mind forward into Mrs. Norris' and began to look. He found the sensation of grooming himself with his tongue, the excitement of chasing a mouse, warmth from lying next to the fireplace. It was difficult to discern when things had occurred as cats had little sense of time. Finally he found the memory of lapping water from a puddle on the floor and then nothingness. He withdrew from her mind.

"Anything, Severus?" Minerva asked.

Severus shook his head. "I'm afraid not. She didn't see who Petrified her."

"Then we will continue our search," Albus said, forestalling Argus. "I will continue to instruct the staff to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. Argus, please continue to watch the hallways."

"I will," Argus said. "Mrs. Norris and I will watch for anything strange."

Severus nodded. "If that's all?"

"Yes, that's all for now," Albus said. "Thank you again for your services, Severus."

Severus bowed his head and walked away. It seemed they would have to find the culprit another way.

"And so fluxweed is a member of the mustard family and can be dried and used as seasoning as well as in potions," Neville explained as they went back to the castle from Herbology.

"It's interesting how potions making is a lot like cooking - you measure ingredients, prepare them, and then place them over heat - and you can even use some of the same ingredients in both, but cooking doesn't retain any of the magical properties of the ingredients," Hermione observed.

"I don't know about you, but I'm not keen to eat bat spleens and puffer-fish eyes," Theo said.

Rachel made a face and was glad when they reached the entrance hall, it was starting to get chilly outside and she hadn't brought her cloak with her today.

They had just made it inside when a large bundle of grey fur leapt up at Rachel.

Rachel caught it reflexively and then realized who she was holding. "Mrs. Norris! You're okay!"

"They must have just revived her," Millie said. "I'm so glad she's okay."

"Me too," Theo said with slightly less enthusiasm.

Mrs. Norris was purring loudly and put her paws on Rachel's shoulders in order to rub her face against Rachel's chin.

"She likes you," Mr. Filch said, joining them. "I think she knows you're the one who wanted to help her when she was Petrified."

"Oh, but Professor Snape is the one who got the Mandrake and brewed the potion," Rachel said quickly, letting Mrs. Norris continue to rub against her face.

"Professor Snape told me you were the one who asked him to get the Mandrake in the first place. Otherwise they just would have waited and left her like that until the Mandrakes in the greenhouse were ready," Mr. Filch said. "We both thank you."

Rachel felt a little weird accepting the thanks. She hadn't really done anything. "I just wanted Mrs. Norris to be okay again. She's okay, isn't she?"

"She's as right as rain," Mr. Filch said with a jerky nod. "Here, now let me take her and you lot get along to class before you're late."

Rachel passed Mrs. Norris back to Mr. Filch. "Thank you for letting us know Mrs. Norris was okay. We'll see you around."

Mr. Filch gave another jerky nod and shooed them toward the staircase.

"It's a relief that Mrs. Norris has been revived," Hermione said. "I only wish I knew what had caused her to be Petrified in the first place. I can't find anything in the library and I've looked in both the Defense and Charms sections."

"If the library has a book on it, it's probably in the restricted section. I'm pretty sure whatever they did counts as Dark Arts," Theo said.

"And Madam Pince isn't likely to let us in there," Neville said. "We'll see you after lunch for Defense."

"Bye," Millie said as they parted ways with Hermione and Neville, since they had History of Magic next.

"I think we're reviewing tarantallegra in Charms today," Theo said.

Rachel nodded. It should be a relatively easy class since they'd mastered the Dancing Feet Spell last year and she'd practiced it over the summer.

"I love our study group," Millie said as they filed into the classroom. "We're so prepared."

Rachel smiled. She liked that too.

"You'll do fine," Imogen said, glancing over her shoulder as she put on her knee pads.

It was the third Saturday in November and it was Rachel's first Quidditch match playing for the Slytherin team. Nervous did not begin to describe what she was feeling.

"What if I don't catch the Snitch?" Rachel asked, her stomach feeling like it was tied in knots.

"Then we'll lose," Imogen said. "The only thing you can do is try your best. You've caught the Snitch plenty of times in practice. Just stick to the strategy we've practiced: stay out of the way of the Chasers and the Bludgers, circle the pitch and keep an eye out, and watch the other Seeker. Cedric Diggory is Hufflepuff's Seeker. He's a fourth year and the best player on their team. But, he's a lot bigger than you and you have a better broom. I don't know why they went with Cleansweep for their brooms. Probably the only company that would agree to give Hufflepuffs brooms. Anyway, ignore the crowd, ignore the commentary, just focus on the Snitch."

Rachel nodded. She would do her best and hopefully she'd see the Snitch before Cedric.

"Alright, your bracers feel okay?" Imogen asked.

Rachel moved her arms about and nodded.

"How about your gloves, do you have a full range of motion?"

Rachel stretched and flexed her fingers and then nodded again.

"Alright, let's go meet up with the rest of the team. We've got this. We're a better team and we have the ambition to win," Imogen said, reaching over and clasping Rachel's shoulder. "All you need to worry about is finding the Snitch. Don't think about anything else until the game is over."

Rachel nodded again and followed Imogen out of the locker room. The boys were already waiting for them.

Draco looked pale and drawn and was clutching his broom tightly.

"You okay?" Rachel whispered, coming over to him.

Draco nodded. "We've got this. We've practiced."

"We did. We're going to be okay," Rachel said, willing herself to believe it.

"Alright, listen up," Marcus said. "You all know what to do. Remember, Malcolm Preece is their best Chaser. Imogen, I want you to concentrate on keeping him out of the game. Lucian, divide your focus on keeping the Quaffle out of the Hufflepuffs' hands and keeping Rachel safe. Rachel, stay out of the way and watch for the Snitch. Chasers, play as dirty as you have to. I'm not worried about them taking penalty shots."

Rachel nodded and held more tightly onto her broom. She just had to pretend this was just like practice. Same thing she did in class when a professor called on her and she pretended that it was only her and the professor and no one else was listening.

"Alright, on the pitch," Marcus said, nodding in the direction of the pitch.

They marched out onto the pitch and Rachel felt her stomach drop. Everyone was in the stands cheering and shouting. There were so many people there watching. What had made her think she could do this?

"You're alright," Adrian said as he came to a stop next to Rachel. "I threw up before my first game, right onto the pitch. You can throw up if you need to. You'll probably feel better afterward."

Rachel shook her head. She definitely didn't want to throw up in front of the entire school.

"Alright then, just remember, they're not real. The only thing real right now is the game," Adrian said. "Let's get into position."

Rachel followed Adrian and took her position. She was barely aware of Marcus shaking hands with Cedric Diggory and then Madam Hooch's whistle signaled the start of the game and she pushed off into the air.

She felt a little better now that she was flying. This was something she knew how to do. She began to circle the pitch, watching for the Snitch and occasionally checking in on the Chasers and the Keepers.

"Malfoy and Pucey have taken the Quaffle, can Fleet block them?" the commentator called. "And no, that's ten points to Slytherin, first goal of the game."

Rachel forced herself to block out the sound of the commentator's voice and focus on catching the Snitch. She had a lot of practice with this from living with Uncle Vernon. She had discovered early on it was better not to listen to what he was actually yelling about as long as she checked in every now and then to get the general idea of what was happening.

Cedric was making an opposite loop of the pitch and they neatly avoided each other as they flew past.

Rachel took a quick glance in the staff box as she flew by and saw Professor Snape sitting next to Professor Dumbledore, both of them intently watching the game. She thought she saw Professor Snape looking at her as she went by, but it was hard to say for certain.

"And that's a penalty shot for Hufflepuff, Flint nearly took Heidi Macavoy off her broom," the commentator called after Madam Hooch sounded the whistle.

Rachel paused to watch as one of the Hufflepuff Chasers scored a goal on the penalty shot.

"That brings us to forty Slytherin and ten Hufflepuff, this is still anyone's game," the commentator said as play resumed.

Rachel decided to reverse direction and then paused as she saw something shiny out of the corner of her eye. The Snitch was only a few meters away. She took a quick look around and saw that Cedric was across the pitch and both the Hufflepuff Beaters were focused on the play around the Quaffle.

Slowly she eased her broom over toward the Snitch, ready to take after it as soon as it darted away. Amazingly, it stayed where it was. She plucked the Snitch out of the air and let out a huge exhale of relief. She had caught the Snitch and the game was over.

Except no one seemed to have realized that she had caught the Snitch. The game was still going.

Rachel looked around and wondered what she was supposed to do. In all the games she'd seen play had immediately ended when one of the Seekers had caught the Snitch. She supposed she should tell Madam Hooch.

She flew across the pitch and dropped down level to Madam Hooch. "I've caught the Snitch," she called, holding up the Snitch so Madam Hooch could see.

Madam Hooch blew her whistle and the game came to a halt, Draco holding the Quaffle a few meters away from the Hufflepuff goals.

"The Slytherin Seeker has caught the Snitch. Slytherin wins," Madam Hooch called.

"The Slytherin Seeker caught the Snitch? When?" the commentator asked.

"No way, she cheated!" one of the Hufflepuff Chasers called as he flew over to where Madam Hooch and Rachel were hovering.

"She didn't cheat!" Marcus shouted, joining them.

"On the ground," Madam Hooch said, flying down.

Rachel followed her, feeling her face flush. She hadn't cheated.

"It's a different Snitch, she must have carried it with her," the Hufflepuff Chaser insisted as soon as they were on the ground.

"Miss Snow, may I see the Snitch please?" Madam Hooch asked.

"Rachel didn't cheat," Draco called as he landed next to Rachel.

Rachel handed the Snitch to Madam Hooch who examined it with her wand. "This is the same Snitch I released. She didn't cheat," Madam Hooch said after a moment. She then pointed her wand to her throat. "The catch is genuine. Slytherin wins 190 to 10," she called, her voice magically loud enough to be heard by everyone in the stands.

The Slytherin stands broke into cheers.

"Hey, good game," Cedric said, offering Rachel his hand.

Rachel was a little bit wary but shook his hand anyway. "Good game."

The Slytherin team made their way back toward the locker rooms.

"Good game everyone. Rachel, good work, but next time be a little more showy when you catch the Snitch. People like to think Slytherins are cheaters," Marcus said.

Rachel nodded. She definitely didn't want that to happen again.

"We won!" Draco said, smiling broadly.

"Yes, we did," Imogen said, reaching to clap him on the shoulder.

"Go team!" Adrian shouted, causing Rachel to flinch and Marcus to glare.

They had won. Rachel felt a strange flood of relief. She hadn't let her team, or Professor Snape, down.

The day after the Quidditch match they went to visit Hagrid for tea.

"I'm glad I wore my cloak," Millie said as they left the castle.

"Me too," Rachel said. She was also wearing her boots and her gloves. "Hagrid's birthday is coming up and I want to do something nice for him."

"That's a good idea," Hermione said. "He's always so nice to us. I wonder what he'd want for his birthday."

"We could throw him a small party, like the ones we have for us," Theo suggested.

"He brought me a chocolate cake for my eleventh birthday. I could tell he made it himself," Rachel said. She hadn't been able to tell him thank you then, but she definitely could now.

"Maybe we should get him something useful. I wouldn't imagine that he'd want candy or books," Neville said.

"Maybe something for his animals," Luna suggested.

"Or something to make his life easier," Ginny said. "My mom says that for gifts you should get someone something they like and something they need."

"I like that," Hermione said. "Let's keep a look out for something these next few times we visit Hagrid. But we should keep it a secret so he's surprised."

"I bet he will be surprised," Millie said. "How did you find out when his birthday is?"

"I asked Professor Snape," Rachel said. "Look, Hagrid's outside."

They stopped talking as they made their way down the snowy path to Hagrid's hut.

"Hi Hagrid!" Neville called when they got close enough to be heard.

Hagrid stood up from where he'd been leaned over working on something and waved to them.

"What are you building?" Millie asked, her breath white in the air.

"A charmed pen for the roosters and hens. Something's been killing my roosters," Hagrid explained as he patted one of the wooden poles he had placed in the ground.

"Oh no," Rachel said, noticing Ginny suddenly looking pale. She probably liked animals a lot too.

"Do you know what's killing them?" Hermione asked.

"Not a clue. Probably something coming out of the forest in the evenings. Come on in before you freeze," Hagrid said, leading them to his house.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked, hurrying up to Hagrid's side.

"I'm fine. It's sad, but that's the way it is with animals. Most of them don't live as long as us, and some of them eat each other, and we eat some of them," Hagrid said. "Good of you to ask though."

Fang immediately barrelled through the doorway when Hagrid opened it and dashed around them barking.

"Fang!" Hagrid shouted. "Let them be!"

When Fang jumped on Rachel she grabbed hold of his collar and tugged on it until Fang put his paws back on the ground. "I can hold him here if you want to pet him," she offered to Ginny and Luna.

Luna immediately came over and rubbed behind Fang's ears, but Ginny hung back.

Rachel wanted to ask Ginny if she was okay, but she didn't want to draw attention to her either. She knew that when she was upset the last thing she wanted was people staring at her.

"Come in and we'll have tea," Hagrid called.

Rachel released Fang and followed her friends inside, ready to warm up with some tea and catch up with Hagrid.