The next morning dawned very bright and cold. It was Harry's first Quidditch match and while Elizabeth wanted to be to be excited for him, she just couldn't bring herself to be happy. She had spent all morning looking for Richard, but hadn't seen him once, not even at breakfast. The key was the only thing on her mind. She spent all night trying to think of something small enough, yet not too small, that it would possibly open, but she had come up with nothing. Richard's mysterious absence just made her more anxious about figuring out the use of the key. If there was one thing that annoyed Elizabeth more than anything, it was an unsolved puzzle. She had the piece, she just needed to find out where to put it.

By eleven o'clock the whole school seemed to be out in the stands around the Quidditch pitch. Ron, Hermione, and Elizabeth joined Neville, Seamus, and Dean up in the top row. As a surprise for Harry, they had made a large banner on one of the sheets Scabbers had ruined. Dean drew a large Gryffindor lion on it to support the House team. He was a very good artist. Elizabeth taught Hermione a charm to make the paint flash different colours. They used it all the time at the bookshop when Thomas made signs for promotional sales and events. Hermione used it on the banner.

"I really hope he catches the snitch," said Hermione.

"Of course he will," said Ron.

"Well, he'd better," said Elizabeth. "Wood will probably kill him if he doesn't. I just wish they weren't playing Slytherin for his first match. They're such cheaters."

Madam Hooch was refereeing. She stood in the middle of the field waiting for the two teams, her broom in her hand. They cheered loudly as the Gryffindor team walked onto to the field. Both teams mounted their brooms. Madam Hooch blew her whistle and fifteen brooms rose up high into the air. They were off.

"And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor ─ what an excellent Chaser that girl is and rather attractive too ─"

"JORDAN!"

"Sorry, Professor."

Lee Jordan was doing the commentary for the match, closely watched by Professor McGonagall.

"And she's really belting along up there, a neat pass to Alicia Spinnet, a good find of Oliver Wood's, last year only a reserve ─ back to Johnson and ─ no, the Slytherins have taken the Quaffle, Slytherin Captain Marcus Flint gains the Quaffle and off he goes ─ Flint flying like an eagle up there ─ he's going to sc─ no, stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor Keeper Wood and the Gryffindors take the Quaffle ─ that's Chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Flint, off up the field and ─ OUCH ─ that must have hurt, hit in the back of the head by a Bludger."

"Oi, Fred and George, do your jobs!" yelled Elizabeth from the stands. She was really enjoying this. She rather liked a decent game of Quidditch, even if she didn't like listening to people talk about it. She much preferred the action and it was briefly keeping her mind off the key and Richard. The match was going well enough that she was quite involved and she thought Lee Jordan's commentary was actually kind of funny.

"Quaffle taken by the Slytherins ─ that's Adrian Pucey speeding off toward the goal posts, but he's blocked by a second Bludger ─ sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, can't tell which ─ nice play by the Gryffindor Beater, anyway, and Johnson back in possession of the Quaffle, a clear field ahead and off she goes ─ she's really flying ─ dodges a speeding Bludger ─ the goal posts are ahead ─ come on, now, Angelina ─ Keeper Bletchley dives ─ misses ─ GRYFFINDORS SCORE!"

Gryffindor cheers filled the cold air, with howls and moans from the Slytherins.

"Budge up there, move along."

"Hagrid!"

Ron, Hermione, and Elizabeth squeezed together to give Hagrid enough space to join them.

"Bin watchin' from me hut," said Hagrid, patting a large pair of binoculars around his neck, "But it isn't the same as bein' in the crowd. No sign of the Snitch yet, eh?"

"Nope," said Ron. "Harry hasn't had much to do yet."

"Kept outta trouble, though, that's somethin'" said Hagrid, raising his binoculars and peering skyward at Harry.

Harry was gliding over the game, looking for any sign of the Snitch. Elizabeth thought he looked rather bored just flying around up there.

"Slytherin in possession," said Lee Jordan, "Chaser Pucey ducks two Bludgers, two Weasleys, and Chaser Bell, and speeds toward the ─ wait a moment ─ was that the Snitch?"

A murmur ran through the crowd. Harry dove downward after the streak of gold. He was neck and neck with Slytherin Seeker Terence Higgs. Harry was faster than him though and took the lead. All the Chasers stopped what they were doing and hung in midair to watch. Harry was gaining on the Snitch until ─

WHAM! A roar echoed from the Gryffindors below ─ Marcus Flint had blocked Harry on purpose, and his broom spun off course, with Harry holding on for dear life.

"Foul!" screamed the Gryffindors.

Madam Hooch spoke angrily to Flint and then ordered a free shot at the goal posts for Gryffindor.

"Send him off, ref!" yelled Dean Thomas. "Red card!"

"What are you talking about, Dean?" Ron asked.

"Red card!" said Dean furiously. "In football you get shown the red card and you're out of the game!"

"This isn't football, Dean, it's Quidditch," Elizabeth reminded him. "The ref can't remove a player from the field because of foul play."

"Why not?"

"I don't know. I didn't make the rules, I just know them. All she can do to Flint for blatching is ─"

"What?"

"Blatching. It's a foul. Flying with intent to collide with another player. That's what Flint just did."

"They oughta change the rules," said Hagrid. He was on Dean's side. "Flint coulda knocked Harry outta the air."

While Elizabeth wanted to agree simply because it had been Harry that was almost hurt, she knew she couldn't. If it had been anybody else that Marcus Flint had blocked then she wouldn't care. Unlike Elizabeth, Lee Jordan was finding it difficult not to take sides.

"So ─ after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating ─"

"Jordan!" growled Professor McGonagall.

"I mean, after that open and revolting foul ─"

"Jordan, I'm warning you ─"

"All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure, so penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinnet, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession ─ no, now Slytherin in possession ─ Flint with the Quaffle ─ passes Spinnet ─ passes Bell ─ hit hard in the face by a Bludger, hope it broke his nose ─ only joking, Professor ─ Slytherins score ─ oh no..."

The Slytherins were cheering, while the Gryffindors booed. No one seemed to have noticed that Harry's broom was behaving strangely.

"Dunno what Harry thinks he's doing." Hagrid mumbled. He stared through his binoculars. "If I didn' know better, I'd say he'd lost control of his broom... but he can't have..."

Elizabeth was watching Harry zigzag through the air, almost falling off his broom.

"Give me that." Elizabeth grabbed the binoculars from Hagrid and peered through them.

Harry's broom started to roll over and then wildly jerked, swinging him off it. He was dangling from it, holding on with one hand.

"Did something happen to it when Flint blocked him?" Seamus whispered.

"Couldn't have." Elizabeth gave Hagrid back his binoculars. "Nothing can interfere with a broomstick except... but that can't be the case."

"It has to be," said Hagrid. "No kid could do that to a Nimbus Two Thousand."

"But who could use Dark magic powerful enough to do that?" said Elizabeth.

At the words 'Dark magic,' Hermione seised Hagrid's binoculars, but instead of looking at Harry, she started looking frantically at the crowd.

"What are you doing?" moaned Ron.

"I knew it," Hermione gasped, "Snape ─ look."

She held the binoculars in front of Elizabeth for her to look. Snape was in the middle of the stands opposite them. He had his eyes fixed on Harry and he was muttering nonstop under his breath.

"He's doing something ─ jinxing the broom," said Hermione.

"What should we do?" said Ron.

Before Ron could say another word, Hermione had disappeared. Elizabeth watched with Hagrid's binoculars.

"What does she think she's doing?" Elizabeth said as Hermione was sneaking along the row behind Snape.

She had knocked Professor Quirrell headfirst into the row in front. While everyone was distracted by him, she snuck behind Snape, crouched down, and set his robes on fire.

"I don't believe it," Elizabeth said with a giggle. "She's set Snape on fire."

Hagrid snatched the binoculars. Snape had now noticed his robes were ablaze and let out a loud yelp. Hermione scooped up the fire off him into a little jar and into her pocket. She scrambled back along the back row to her seat.

"There goes Harry," Ron said.

When Hermione got back, Harry was speeding towards the ground.

"He looks like he's gonna be sick," Ron added.

And so he did. He hit the field on all fours, coughed, and something gold fell into his hand.

"Is that ─ that the Snitch?" said Ron confused.

"He caught it!" said Elizabeth.

"He didn't catch it, he nearly swallowed it," said Ron.

"It doesn't matter," said Elizabeth. "He didn't break any rules and Gryffindor won. Be happy for once."

They were all having tea back in Hagrid's hut.

"I'm just glad I didn't get killed," said Harry.

"No thanks to Snape," said Ron. "Hermione, Liz, and I saw him. He was cursing your broomstick, muttering, he wouldn't take his eyes off you."

"Rubbish," said Hagrid, who hadn't heard a word of what had gone on next to him in the stands. "Why would Snape do somethin' like that?"

The four of them exchanged glances.

"Hagrid," said Elizabeth, "we have reason to believe that Snape tried to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween and it bit him. We think he's trying to steal what it's guarding."

Hagrid dropped the teapot. "How do you know about Fluffy?"

"Fluffy?" they said in unison.

"Yeah, he's mine ─ bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las' year."

"Aha! I knew it was Greek," Elizabeth said to Ron.

"Hush up," said Ron.

"I lent Fluffy to Dumbledore to guard the ─"

"Yes?" said Harry eagerly.

If any one of them wanted to know what that dog was guarding the most, it was Harry.

"Now, don't ask me anymore," said Hagrid gruffly. "That's top secret, that is."

"But Snape's trying to steal it."

"Rubbish," said Hagrid again. "Snape's a Hogwarts teacher, he'd do nothin' of the sort."

Elizabeth wanted to believe that, but it obviously wasn't true. She had seen him jinx Harry's broom at the match with her own eyes. She was sure he was up to something.

"So why did he just try and kill Harry?" cried Hermione. She seemed to have changed her mind about Snape. "I know a jinx when I see one, Hagrid, I've read all about them! You've got to keep eye contact, and Snape wasn't blinking at all, I saw him!"

"I hate to admit it, but Hermione's right," said Elizabeth. "You know I know Dark magic when I see it and Snape was definitely doing Dark magic."

"I'm tellin' yeh, yer wrong!" said Hagrid hotly. "I don' know why Harry's broom acted like that, but Snape wouldn' try an' kill a student! Now, listen to me, all four of yeh ─ yer meddlin' in things that don' concern yeh. It's dangerous. You forget that dog, an' you forget what it's guardin', that's between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicolas Flamel ─"

"Aha!" said Harry," so there's someone called Nicolas Flamel involved, is there?"

Hagrid looked furious with himself. Elizabeth didn't know anything about this Nicolas Flamel, but she wasn't concerned with that. Hagrid was so insistent on Snape's innocence. She knew Hagrid wouldn't lie, but then again Snape was a cruel, bitter man. She didn't know what to believe.

By mid-November things seemed to have quieted down. There were no more mountain trolls, or broomstick mishaps. Snape's leg had healed, but Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Elizabeth had not forgotten about him trying to get past the three-headed dog. Elizabeth had taken to watching Snape more carefully. He must have noticed because he was sure not to give her any reason to be suspicious. That only made her more untrusting of him.

He was drawling on in Potions one day. Elizabeth hadn't been listening, she was absentmindedly scribbling on her parchment instead of taking notes like she should have been.

"Wellington!"

"What?" said Elizabeth at the sound of her name. She looked up from her parchment.

"The answer to my question, Miss Wellington," said Professor Snape. "Tell me."

"Um..."

"Weren't paying attention again? Tsk, tsk. Five points from Gryffindor."

"Fine," mumbled Elizabeth, going back to her drawing.

"The answer is the Elixir of Life," said Snape. "Wellington, redeem yourself ─ what does the Elixir of Life do?"

She looked up again. "It prolongs the life of the drinker for as long as they take it."

"So, you are not a complete waste of a witch after all. How is it made?"

"I don't know," Elizabeth admitted.

"So quick to prove me wrong. How disappointing."

She was fed up with Snape, with Potions, and with school in general. "I don't know how you take a rock and get the Elixir of Life out of it. Who knows if it even exists anymore."

"At least your answer wasn't completely wrong," said Snape moving on with the lesson.

"Completely wrong?"

"Five points from Gryffindor for wasting my time, Miss Wellington."

Elizabeth grumbled to herself as Snape moved on to berating the other Gryffindors.

"What does he mean completely wrong?"

At dinner that night Elizabeth was still hung up on the Potions lesson from that morning. It had been bothering her all day.

"Would you just let it go?" Ron moaned. "You've spent all day asking the same question. Who cares?"

"I do," said Elizabeth. "What part of it was wrong?"

"Just get over it. You were wrong for once. Life will go on."

"Shut it. I just don't get why he was asking about the Elixir of Life when it has absolutely nothing to do with what we're studying."

She looked over to the High table where Snape was seated. His face was in a permanent scowl. Elizabeth was wondering if you make a certain facial expression for long enough, if your face really can get stuck that way, and if that's what happened to Snape.

"He was just trying to get you to pay attention," said Hermione. "Before he noticed you drawing instead of taking notes he was telling us about a forgetfulness potion. It was a very riveting lecture."

Elizabeth looked curiously at Hermione. "Did you just use the word riveting? Who says that?"

"My parents do," said Hermione.

"Are your parents riveters?" said Elizabeth.

"No, my parents are dentists."

Elizabeth saw the irony in this. Hermione's parents are dentists, yet her teeth could easily be compared to that of a beaver.

"Okay then." Elizabeth tried to contain her laughter.

"What do your grandparents do?" Hermione asked. She knew that Elizabeth's parents had died a long time ago and she didn't like talking about it.

"My grandfather runs Flourish & Blotts, and my grandmother is Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic."

"That must be fascinating!" said Hermione, intrigued by this bit of information. "I've read about the positions in the Ministry and that job seems highly satisfying."

"No, not really," said Elizabeth. "It's a tedious job for old, stuffy people, which is why my grandmother holds it. Frankly, it's boring."

"I disagree. I bet it's exciting."

"Hermione, I repeat, it's a tedious job for old, stuffy people. It's not exciting at all. It's quite possibly one of the most dull jobs in the Ministry. The only position that I've seen which is more boring, besides Junior Undersecretary, is working in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office. No offence, Ron."

Ron's ears went pink. Mr. Weasley worked in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement like her uncle, but his job was nowhere near as involved in magical law enforcement and was seen as rather unimportant. He didn't make much money, but he enjoyed it. He learned a great deal about Muggles that way.

"What's your uncle do, Liz?" said Harry, who had developed an unusual interest in the mysterious man. Elizabeth had stopped talking about him, but it didn't do any good. Ron liked to taunt her a fair deal about his eccentricities, but no one had more to say than Draco Malfoy when he wanted to be a right prat and he sure wanted to be that a lot.

"He works in the Ministry," Elizabeth said uncomfortably.

"Doing what?"

"Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Improper Use of Magic Office," she lied.

Elizabeth's grandmother had always told anyone who asked about William that that's what he did. She told them he worked in the Improper Use of Magic Office, which was a joke, because if anyone improperly used magic, it was William. She didn't do this because she was ashamed of him being an Auror, it was the only thing Elizabeth ever heard her praise about William, she just did not want to expose him if a dark witch or wizard was listening. Tipping a dark wizard off about who some of the Aurors are would not be wise. Margaret was sure that dark wizards convened in the shady Knockturn Alley where there were plenty of Dark Arts material for sale, and with it being such a close distance from Diagon Alley, she took precautions when it came to talking about anything related to the Ministry.

"My–my parents used to work in the Department of International Magical Cooperation, International Confederation of Wizards. My dad in the British seats, my mum in the French." She said this all very fast and ended by clearing her throat. "But, ehm, they're dead now. That–that's where Claudius works. Well, in the International Magical Office of Law."

"You said that already," Ron said.

"Oh," Elizabeth said timidly and went back to her dinner.

They finished the rest of their dinner in silence. Walking out of the Great Hall, she caught sight of Snape walking back towards the dungeons. He was looking extra sour this evening and she couldn't help but wonder what he was up to now.

A/N: Quotes and plot from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling, chapter Eleven, Quidditch, pages 183 to 193.

Lee Jordan's commentary in chapter eleven remains my favourite part in Philosopher's Stone, therefore I wanted to include it.