A/N: Harry, Lily and Severus meet with Dumbledore, with the latter having some suspicions of a certain DADA professor he'd like to share. Quirrell vanishing through the staff door wasn't missed this time around as there was no Hermione for Harry to save in this fic, their lingering presence in the hall meant that not one but two Severuses saw Quirrell...up to something.
Chapter 13 Quidditch
On the first of November, the very next day after the troll's break-in, a heavy blanket of snow fell across the ground from before dawn until evening. Harry hoped that Wood would take into account the treacherous conditions and suspend training, but alas, the Quidditch-obsessed fifth year boy didn't care in the least and held their usual training with snow falling on their shoulders and backs all the while. They had their first match of the season against Slytherin the next day, a Saturday, and the Quidditch-obsessed Wood wanted to get one last practice in before the game. When Lily and Severus turned up to show their support, they were told to go back to the castle by Wood as he figured they were sent to spy for Ravenclaw. After Quidditch practice, Harry quickly dashed through the fallen snow back to the castle, intent on warming up by the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room. He'd made it no more than ten paces into the entrance hall when he was greeted by Severus and Lily, and told to follow them to the Headmaster's office. Shrugging, Harry agreed and followed his two friends.
The two Ravenclaws and the lone Gryffindor climbed the stairwells they now knew by heart to the Headmaster's office. A swift utterance of; "cotton candy," by Severus, had the Gargoyle springing aside to reveal the familiar, spiraling staircase that lead to the office. They climbed the spiraling stairs with Lily rapping her knuckles on the aged wood of the Headmaster's door upon reaching the top. The doors swung open without delay, admitting them into Dumbledore's office where the man himself was sat behind his desk.
"Professor Dumble—"
"Just Albus is fine now, Severus," Albus said with a raised hand.
Severus blushed slightly and conjured up a sheepish, little smile. "Er—right, Albus."
"What did you want to see us for, Albus?" Lily asked.
Albus gestured for them to come closer, indicating the three chairs facing his desk. The three first years crossed from the door into the office-proper, then claimed their seats facing the Headmaster's grand desk. Fawkes gave a low hoot in greeting, to which the three children smiled back at the ancient bird. Dumbledore waved a wrinkled hand over the desk, revealing three plates topped with a hearty breakfast befitting of royalty. The three first years' eyes widened, Harry and Lily couldn't resist licking their lips at the sight before them. Another wave of his aged hand resulted in a pot of tea, three cups, saucers, and pitcher of juice, and three goblets to appear. They all set themselves down beside each of the three placings.
"Please have a seat, children," Albus said.
They needn't have been told twice.
"I trust all is well so far, this term?" he asked, once his three wards had gotten comfortable.
Three unanimous nods caused a smile to bloom on his face.
"With you Severus, I hope your potion brewing for the hospital wing has been going well?"
"Professor Snape says my efforts are passable," Severus said, smiling.
"That is very high praise from Severus indeed," Albus chuckled.
The three first years laughed along with him, all of whom were well aware of just how difficult it was to impress Professor Snape.
"And have you been staying out of trouble, I hope? No more…incidents with one, Gareth Carmichael?"
Severus' eyes widened and he quickly shook his head in a firm, no. "None sir," said Severus. "Carmichael and I…I don't like him, still, but I try to stay away from him, and he does the same. He's still a git at times, so—"
"Now, now Severus, that's not a very nice thing to say, especially behind his back, too," Albus reprimanded.
Severus flushed a dull shade of red and nodded, he still grew embarrassed with Albus' gentle reprimands, he thought it was something he'd never grow out of.
"I must say, Severus, I've been very impressed with your progress academically so far this year," Albus commended, pulling the conversation away to more welcome territory. "Filius tells me that you're one of his best students in his Charms class, and that your marks overall are the best amongst the Ravenclaws, is that so?"
"I…he's told me the same, said I'm second in the year behind Granger," Severus replied.
"Ah." Dumbledore flashed them his trademark, aged smile. "Yes, Miss Granger is quite a talented witch, isn't she? And if the rumors I've heard down the grapevine are indeed correct, I believe you've befriended her, haven't you Harry?"
"That's right, Albus," Harry said brightly.
He and Lily had been scarfing down their meals as Albus directed his conversation towards Severus, so he quickly swallowed the bite of sausages he'd been chewing before elaborating; "She's…she's alright, most of the time, not as annoying as I once thought she was."
"I'm glad you think that way," said Albus. "From what I've heard from all the staff members, save for one Professor Snape and another Madam Hooch, she is quite gifted and eager to learn, as they put it."
"I'm still the best at Charms though," Lily said, her voice muffled due to her cheeks stuffed with french toast. She quickly wolfed down the huge bite she'd taken.
"Indeed you are, Lily," Albus said, chuckling some more.
Lily reached over for the pot of tea, but before she could—Albus raised his hand, and levitated the pot into the air. He then poured out a cup for each of the three eleven year-olds.
"Thank you Albus," Lily said with a smile, before taking a greedy sip from her cup. The two boys echoed her thanks.
Albus waited calmly for his three wards to drink their tea to their heart's content. When Lily asked for some more, he obliged, and waited again for her to finish her second cup. Only when Lily set the cup down for a second time, then half-burped, half-sighed in contentment; did Albus turn his attention to the youngest of the trio, Harry.
"And you, Harry, you've been making quite some progress with Quidditch haven't you?"
At the mention of Quidditch, Harry perked right up. "Mmhm. First match against Slytherin'll be coming up soon," said Harry proudly. He jabbed at a bit of sausage with his fork, then brought it to his lips. While his table manners were one step better than Lily's, and two steps above Ron's, he still chewed his food with as much decorum as a lion at a banquet. He'd only swallowed about half of his mouthful of breakfast sausage when he said; "I've got a few tricks up my sleeve for the game, lookin' forward to tryin' 'em out and hopefully winnin' too—" he swallowed the remaining half-bite and opened his mouth to continue speaking, but Lily's poignant glare gave him the presence of mind to dab at the sausage bits staining the corners of his mouth. "—Unfortunately, I haven't been doing quite as well as these two when it comes to academics, figures, since they're Ravenclaws and all."
"Ravenclaw does not have a monopoly on intelligence Harry," Dumbledore remarked gently, holding the boy's wide, green eyes. "And neither does Gryffindor had a monopoly on bravery," he added, glancing to Severus and Lily.
The old man leaned back in his chair. "After all, by Lily's and Severus' own admission, Hermione Granger is rather intelligent and gifted as a student despite being sorted into Gryffindor." Blue eyes found the green ones of Harry Potter. "I see no reason why you can't find your niche academically just as Severus and Lily have, Harry."
With three pairs of eyes on him, Harry fidgeted uncomfortably in his chair, squirming a bit with the attention of the room fixed on him. "I mean…Defense seems kinda interesting, and I'm nearly matching Severus in that class so far…so I guess that could be my thing?" he said unsurely.
Albus' eyes seemed to twinkle behind his glasses, an aged smile crept up on his face soon after. "Then make it, and I quote: 'your thing.' If all of you find your niches, and pursue your passions from an early age, then that's all the better for it, you can find what truly matters."
"That might be a bit tricky though, if I'm being honest," Harry admitted.
Albus arched a lone brow, his attention fixing on Harry, who was sat in the leftmost chair. "And why is that?"
"Well 'cus Quirrell isn't the—"
"Professor Quirrell, Harry," Albus said gently.
"Right. Professor Quirrell," said Harry, enunciating the last two words more slowly than was strictly necessary, "isn't all that good at teaching, if I'm being honest. He seems frightened of his own subject."
If Albus was surprised, his face didn't show it. He accepted Harry's statement without so much as a twitch of a facial muscle, then turned to the two Ravenclaws. "And do you share the same opinion, Lily, Severus?"
"Yeah," Lily said, nodding sheepishly.
"Same here," Severus agreed, his lips pursed in a thin line that reminded the Headmaster all to closely of the school's resident Potions Master. "The man seems a bit clueless and terrified of his own shad—"
"Severus!" Lily exclaimed. "You can't just say that about a staff member! That's not—"
"But it's true though!" Severus defended, his pale skin flushing indignantly.
"Alright children enough of that," Albus said, stopping the growing spat between the two best friends before it go any further.
Lily's lips sealed shut, her sharp retort dying a quick death on the tip of her tongue. She folded her arms across her chest and huffed petulantly as she turned away from Severus to face Albus. Severus did the same, although his expression of petulance was a bit more muted than his more emotionally-expressive friend's.
"Speaking of Professor Quirrell, sir," Severus went on in a far more quiet voice. "I…I saw him last night, when he…when the troll got in and—"
"Oh believe me Sev, we all saw him last night," Lily said, her voice laced with copious sarcasm. "He bloody fainted right in the middle of the—"
"Of course everyone saw that," Severus said through pursed lips, glaring at Lily in a silent message to shut her gob. "What I meant was, as the Prefects…err, Tegan and Brandon, were leading us out of the Hall, I saw Quirrell vanish through the staff door!"
Albus blinked slowly, then leaned closer. His blue eyes fixed on Severus firmly. Harry secretly found his guardian's gaze to be just a little bit creepy and unnerving, he could practically count the wrinkles on the old man's cheeks. "Can you repeat that, Severus?" Albus asked gently.
"I saw Quirrell go through the staff door," Severus blurted out, before suddenly looking ashamed of his rapid outburst. "He…he left, and…well, he didn't go with the rest of us."
Albus' smile was calm, and a little unnerving to the young, Ravenclaw boy. "That's an astute observation indeed, Severus. Professor Quirrell did not accompany us to remove the Troll from castle grounds."
"But why?" asked Lily, blinking her large, green eyes up at him in undisguised curiosity.
Albus hesitated for a brief moment, two warring expressions crossing his features so fast, you'd have blinked and missed it, in the end, he settled on a warm smile that beamed outwards to all three of his charges. "The answer to that is simple, Professor Quirrell sometimes gets a little bit of stage fright when confronted with big moments, so he opted to leave dealing with the troll to us," he said calmly.
"But how'd the troll get in then? Isn't he an expert on trolls?" Harry pressed, sounding impatient.
Albus nodded in agreement with Harry's words, then raised his cup of tea to his lips for a lingering sip. "Indeed he is," said Albus, setting the cup back down on its saucer. "Which is why I am sure he is drafting theories as to how the troll entered the castle which he will share with me when he's finished."
Lily nodded in agreement with the Headmaster, seemingly, her curiosity had been sated. Harry and Severus didn't fall in line quite as much as she did though. "Um…so about the troll—"
"It won't be happening again, you can rest assured of that," Albus said calmly. "I already reinforced the protective enchantments around the castle this morning to ensure they'll protect against trolls, giants, and anything of that sort."
"Oh so that's what you were doing then," Harry exclaimed, his unsureness of Albus' reasoning temporarily forgotten and thrown to the wayside. "I was…well Wood held practice this morning—the entire team before our match against Slytherin tomorrow afternoon, and I saw you out by the woods in the distance waving your wand and just…I thought you were out for a morning stroll, sir."
Albus for some reason seemed to find this amusing. He chuckled merrily, his glasses slipping down his long nose which he quickly corrected with a push up the bridge. "Not at all, Harry," he said, still tittering. "I was merely reinforcing the castle's defenses. As Headmaster, you are truly at one with the school, everything I feel, so does Hogwarts, and the reverse rings true as well."
"Wow, that sounds incredible," said Lily, her mouth gaping and not making an effort to rein in her surprise or sense of wonder that the Headmaster's words inspired within her.
"What is that like sir?" Severus asked, also sounding awed and inspired just like Lily was.
"It's a wonderful experience, and it truly allows one to perceive their surroundings in an entirely different light," said Albus, answering the question in his own, vague vernacular.
"Bringing things back to what I was pondering…I can't help but ask how your progress with Quidditch has been, Harry. Minerva certainly has always been one to brag about the strength of her house whenever they can back it up, and Merlin—" he paused, chuckling some more to himself, "—she's been incessant these past three or four weeks and already believes she can win the Quidditch cup!"
"I think everything's been going well sir— Albus, I—um…Wood says I've got a natural aptitude for the game, and to be honest, I'm kinda thankful I'm finding it easier than all the studying has been."
"Of course, that's to be expected for a Gryffindor," Severus said pompously, eyeing the tie beneath Harry's robes with a hint of superiority twinkling in his dark eyes. "There's a reason you're in Gryffindor and Lily and I are in Ravenclaw after all."
Harry's eyes flashed defensively, reminding Severus of how Lily's eyes, too, gleamed and flickered whenever her always-lurking temper fought its way to the surface. There wasn't much else alike between them, but the similarities in the way they expressed themselves through their eyes was eerily similar. "I may not be on the same level as you and Lily, Severus; but that doesn't mean I'm an idiot, I'm doing well enough as it is."
"You are indeed Harry," Albus said to the youngest of the trio, and stopping Severus' coming retort. "Your grades so far have been strong, but at your age, there are plenty more important things to worry about than test scores, and numbers on a paper." He gave Harry a warm smile. "Besides, you've clearly found something you love in Quidditch, and since you mentioned that Defense Against the Dark Arts interests you, might I suggest studying some more in the library and attempting to go beyond the first year Syllabus Professor Quirrell is teaching you. Fostering a deep interest in Defense Against the Dark Arts, or any other Academic Discipline else for that matter, is far more important than worrying about the grade written on your paper at the end of a test in my view."
"I can try…I guess," Harry said noncommittally, staring downwards at his hands clasped in his lap. "But between Quidditch and everything else…I don't have much time to study really, but I guess I can give it a go over the summer or something."
"You definitely should Harry," Lily remarked with seriousness, yet gentleness. "You're bound to be great at it, you already are one of the best in the class as it is, so if you actually start putting in more effort, you'll be the best by far!" she exclaimed.
Lily reached for Harry's hand and gave his fingers a squeeze, her mother-hen-like tendencies she liked to exercise around the two boys coming to the fore. Like the Lily Evans Potter that had passed on, the motherly tendencies present within her younger self, Lily Evans Bergman, were quite a sight to behold.
Albus found the gesture touching, and perhaps it would inspire the confidence boost needed for Harry to truly delve into the vast and deep discipline that was Defense. Albus smiled inwardly at the thought, hoping that Harry too would find something he could love and devote time and effort to like Severus had with Potions, or Lily had with Charms. Merlin knew the boy would need all the training he could get before Riddle returned, and if the inspiration and drive to better oneself at Defense came from within without external motivation…then that'd be all the better for him. Albus knew Harry would need to be trained in some form, but if he and his two close friends could help nudge him in that direction on his own then that'd make his life a lot easier.
"I think that's what I'll do then," Harry said at long last. "Over the summer, Albus…may I borrow some of the library books? I'd like to…get a head-start if I can, y'know?"
"Of course that can be arranged, Harry," Albus said, smiling gently at the boy. He turned around and gestured to the grand display of bookcases behind him. "If you wish, you may borrow some of these books as well, Harry, provided I deem them acceptable, of course."
"Err…right," Harry said, nodding.
"Good. Now do any of you have anything else to share?" the Headmaster asked, looking over the three students.
"About the DADA thing…" Harry said hesitantly, seemingly reluctant to ask for help. "Where do you recommend I start?"
Dumbledore blinked slowly, then leaned back in his chair. He hummed to himself in thought as a wrinkled hand rose to stroke his beard in absentminded thought. "You are referring to now, or over the summer, Harry?" he asked.
"The summer."
"In that case, I suggest getting a head start on your second year syllabus," said Albus, still humming to himself. "And if you find that simple enough to understand, I will provide some extracurricular reading material."
"Sev and I want to do that too, Albus," said Lily. She wiped away the stains on her corners of her lips a napkin, then turned to her guardian. "For potions and charms though," she clarified.
"I'm sure you won't have trouble procuring books for both those subjects, Lily," Albus said, his eyes twinkling.
Neither Lily nor Severus seemed to get his meaning, they sported identical frowns of confusion. "From what I've heard, Professor Snape and Professor Flitwick view you…favorably, and I'm sure neither would mind you asking to borrow some of their books if you wish."
"You don't think they'd mind?" Lily asked tentatively.
"Of course they wouldn't," Severus said, eyeing her shrewdly.
"Not with the way you've got almost everyone wrapped around your finger," Harry added, throwing in a grin for good measure.
Lily couldn't help but offer up a sheepish grin of her own, she couldn't deny Harry's assertion that she got along well with most of the Professors in the castle. The only ones she hadn't managed to build a rapport with yet were Madam Pince and Professor Quirrell. Just then, there was another knock at the door to the office, this knock was far louder than what most would deem polite, and the person knocking didn't even wait for Albus to admit them, they just forced open the door and strode into the room. It was Professor Snape, and for all of two seconds, bewilderment and surprise were etched onto his features at the sight of the three first years sat around Albus' table. Clearly, he was just as surprised to see them there as they were to see their Potions Professor.
"Erm…Albus, you never mentioned having—"
"I did not, Severus," Albus agreed, quite aware of what Snape intended to ask. "But please do have a seat, the more the merrier."
Snape fought off the scowl on his face, and summoned a chair with a flick of his wand. He sat down beside his younger self, wisely positioning himself as far away from Harry as was possible.
Snape opened his mouth, but Albus' raised, wrinkled hand put a stop to the words that would've come forth otherwise. "Just a moment Severus, and I'll be with you," Albus said.
Snape looked as though he wanted to protest, but thought better of it and nodded. Albus turned his attention back to his three wards, two of whom were gazing upon their Potions professor with surprise, another with suspicion. "I believe that's all, isn't it Severus, Lily, Harry? Or is there anything else you'd like to share?"
"About the troll thing, sir—"
"Rest assured, Severus, it's already being looked into by myself, Professor Snape, and Professor Quirrell, we'll get to the bottom of it soon," Albus said confidently. He smiled warmly at the eldest of the three children.
Severus nodded, outwardly he seemed mollified with the Headmaster's words. "Will that be all?"
"Yes sir," the three children chorused together.
"Good," Albus smiled, clasping his hands together. "I'll see you all this evening at dinner."
Understanding their dismissal, Severus, Lily and Harry clambered to their feet and left the room. Once the door had shut, they felt the telltale ripple of magic through the air as a silencing charm of some sort was erected in the office behind them—all they could hear was a faint, buzzing noise as they descended the spiral steps and exited the office. While Harry, Lily and Severus wandered across the castle to the library to get started on their assignments, Snape and Dumbledore were having a meeting of their own. The two men were exchanging theories and possible scenarios of what had gone down last night when the troll had gotten into the castle. Both men suspected Quirrell, he'd been acting odd all year, and he'd been an expert in trolls long before his sabbatical even occurred.
"I'm telling you Albus," Snape said, his teeth gnashed together, "if we move on Quirrell now, we can end this farce of a wild goose chase before it escalates even further!"
"We mustn't yet Severus, exercise some patience, until we can gather incontrovertible evidence for our case," Dumbledore countered. "The evidence we have as of now…is not substantial enough to pursue his case, in the meantime I want you to keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn't try anything in regard to the stone or to Harry—"
"Potter?" Snape sneered. "We both know his priority is the stone Albus."
"Be that as it may, if he has indeed come into contact with Voldemort—" Snape winced. "—Then targeting Harry is certainly just as viable an option to him as stealing the stone would be. I need you to watch out for him, Severus."
"You know I am already doing that," Snape said through gritted teeth, their lingering conversation on Harry wearing his patience thin.
"And if I may, Severus, you'd do well to treat the boy more kindly going forward—" Snape scoffed, but a raised hand from Dumbledore advised him to hold his tongue. "Lily is alive in this world, and if you cared about what she thinks of you, both the Lily that exists in the here and now, and Lily Potter that died just over ten years ago…I doubt either would take too kindly to your treatment of the boy so far."
Wracking his brain for something positive to say, Snape eventually settled for; "he's…not as terrible as I would've thought he'd be, at Potions at least," he said. "I guess being the son of a Potions talent in Lily, and an incompetent buffoon like her husband…meant his skills have turned out to be rather pedestrian."
"Harry Potter has mediocre brewing abilities?" Dumbledore asked, feigning his aghast look. "That's high praise indeed coming from you Severus."
"Don't get used to it."
"I know better than to expect that," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling amusedly. "Speaking of Harry, I heard down the grapevine that Lily visited you recently, is that correct?"
Snape just nodded, conjuring a glass then filling it with water. He gulped down the liquid then banished the object with another wave of his wand.
"And what did she say?" Dumbledore asked, knowing full well what it was Lily had said.
"Asked, presumably on Potter's behalf, to, and I quote, 'Lay off him a little bit'."
"And have you?" Dumbledore pressed, leaning forward in his chair ever so slightly.
"He isn't terrible," said Snape, and Dumbledore could tell that's all he would say on the subject. Having Snape admit that Harry wasn't godawful at his subject was the closest he could get to saying something positive, Dumbledore assumed.
"He'll be playing in the opening game," Dumbledore said, in reference to Harry. "Minerva's already bought him a broom, a Nimbus 2000 if memory serves me well."
"She's bought him a broom?" Snape scoffed. "A Nimbus no less…figures…of course Potter would need a vastly superior broom to compensate for his lack of skill."
"Now, now Severus, he is a first year after all, and until I'd taken him in, the boy had received hardly any presents at all in his life. I'm sure you're aware of how Petunia treated Lily as a child, aren't you?"
"Your point?"
"My point being that the way Harry was treated, by his own flesh and blood no less, was even worse than the way Lily was treated, for Petunia was in a position of Authority over the boy."
Snape blinked, not letting the surprise he felt show on his face. He reclined into the chair a bit more and folded his hands in his lap, hiding his emotions behind a mask of occlusion. "So he was treated poorly," he noted coldly, there wasn't any pity in his monotonous voice.
Dumbledore nodded. "And I fear that Quirinus is indeed as complicit in the troll incident as we both believe, that he will attempt to go after the stone soon, or worse, Harry."
"You needn't remind me of my commitments Albus," Snape said. "But I doubt Quirrell is stupid enough to attack Potter considering that you are his guardian, no less."
"Be that as it may, we must remain cautious," said Albus, still looking serious.
"Of course," Snape replied, thought not without a sneer.
As it would happen, Quirrell would make a move on Harry the very next day during the first Quidditch match of the season. Quirrell attempted to jinx Harry's broom, hopefully flinging the boy off in the process and sending him on a fall to his death. Snape did his best to mutter the counter curse to save Harry, but his robes caught fire all of a sudden, which in turn lead to commotion that caused both the curser and the counter-curser to both lose their focus on Harry's broom. The fire on the hem of Snape's robes saved Harry's life, for Snape wasn't sure how much longer he'd have been able to prevent Harry's fall. To Snape's relief, Harry's brief dance with death meant that when he'd finally clambered back onto the broom and took off in search of the snitch, the Slytherin seeker had been given enough time to locate the golden object and had secured it in his grasp. Slytherin won by a margin of 200-70, a complete and utter blowout which gave Slytherin a great start to the season.
Oh, and Harry not dying was nice too, but Snape was far more pleased with the result his team gained. Even better than that though, was the perpetual scowl Minerva had on her face whenever the two Heads of Houses passed in the corridors. For weeks, she could hardly stomach the sight of the smug-looking Slytherin Head of House. Snape invited Minerva to his quarters for tea a week after their houses clashed on the Quidditch field under the pretense of reviewing lesson plans, and perhaps a game of chess. However, both were quite aware that Snape intended to make good on his bet with his colleague concerning the outcome of the game.
Severus Snape sat in a lounge chair in his quarters, nursing a cup of tea when a sharp, business—like rap at the door drew his attention to the entrance.
"Come in," he said, knowing who was on the other end.
The door swung open, and in came his colleague and friend, Minerva McGonagall. She wore an annoyed look, and carried a paper bag which undoubtedly contained his winnings for their little wager. She wordlessly thrust the bag towards him, and Severus accepted it with a smile—small, but a true one. Inside the bag was a bottle of Ogden's Finest Fire Whiskey, he pulled the bottle out of the bag, observing the labels and packaging for a brief moment before banishing it to his drink cabinet on the other side of the room.
"You've been awfully smug this week Severus," Minerva said, her eyes narrowed. "Especially for a man whose robes spontaneously combusted."
"As if I couldn't be reminded of that enough," Severus replied, releasing a long-suffering sigh. "Still…the outcome of the match and our little wager—" he waved in the direction of the drinks cabinet, "—helped me manage the loss of a fine set of robes far more easily."
Minerva pursed her lips into a thin line and sat down across from him. She neatly tucked her robes under herself then summoned her wand into the palm of her hand. A precise, measured flick summoned a chessboard from the side of the room, and plopped it down neatly on the table between them. Severus eyed the board with suspicion as he poured a cup of tea for his guest, then re-filled his own.
"Seeking to recoup your losses?" he remarked, handing the filled cup and saucer to Minerva.
Minerva smiled thinly, which was enough of an answer for Severus.
"At the end of the day, it was Harry's first game for the team," the Gryffindor head of house said quietly. "And Mister Higgs is entering his fourth season, is he not?"
"He is," Severus answered. The sixth year seeker had just beaten Potter to the snitch, snagging victory for house Slytherin. It was his fourth year as a seeker, and third in a starting role, and even then, Severus thought Higgs' late move on the Snitch was a bit too marginal for his liking. Another few seconds more and Harry might've even done the unthinkable and actually caught the blasted thing.
"Well, considering young Harry pushed him quite well during his first ever game of proper Quidditch…I'd be worried come next year Severus. He is only a first year after all," said Minerva, raising the cup to her lips for a sip.
Severus snorted, but secretly, he was worried too that come next year, Potter might've improved some and actually come good on Minerva's yearly vows that Gryffindor would beat Slytherin in both the Quidditch Cup and the House Cup. With their tea finished, both Professors turned their focus on the chessboard. Minerva was the better player of the two, often beating Severus in their monthly games, although once in a while, Severus could eke out a win here or there. The two Professors buckled down and prepared for a lengthy afternoon of chess and gossip.
A/N2: I hope I didn't piss too many people off with the way I wrote Harry's first match. I'm sorry, but I've always hated how JKR made Harry so damn OP at Quidditch. He's an eleven year old after all, playing a game for the first time and he somehow wins his first match after his broom was tampered with and he nearly fell to his death? I'm sorry, but I'm not buying that, that's some Gary Stu shit right there, Harry was too good at Quidditch to feel remotely believable to me, even on my first read through. Anyways, sorry about that rant about Quidditch, it just annoys me that Harry is made out to be some god-like player(not a knock on Harry, but on JKR).
As I mentioned in a previous A/N, there will be short snippets of scenes from Dumbledore's, Snape's, or other supporting characters' perspectives from time to time. Minerva and Severus' quidditch rivalry was something I've wanted to tackle for quite some time so I hope you guys don't mind that inclusion.
The main theme I wanted to explore in this chapter was Harry's feeling of inadequacy relative to Severus and Lily at least when it comes to Academics. When it comes to things like DADA, Harry is no slouch and we see that in canon fairly easily, but something that canon!Harry wouldn't have encountered with being friends with not one, but two people that excel at academics and given that Harry's feelings of inadequacy are explored in other avenues in canon, I wanted to tackle those thoughts here.
Anyways, that's enough rambling from me. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it, and to those that don't, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!