The morning of Harry's first Quidditch match, he was so sick he wasn't sure he'd be able to play. He stared at the food in front of him, nervousness wracking his body. It wasn't just his worry about failing his team. In order for him to be placed as Seeker for the Slytherin team, Terence had been booted. Harry still hadn't seen the other boy's reaction yet and he was terrified he'd made the other angry.

His fears were unwarranted.

Terence sat down beside him, gave his sad puppy smile, and wished the younger Slytherin good luck in the match.

Just then, Snape also approached to wish Harry well in the match before limping away.

Harry's brows pinched at the limp in the man's walk and then turned to see none of the other Slytherins had paid any attention to their Head of House.

Frowning, his mind wandered back to the night of the troll and to the day he'd accidentally stumbled upon the three-headed dog guarding the trap door and Snape catching him before he could get hurt.

He couldn't help, but feel they were connected.

"Impossible," Harry stated as he and Hermione followed Hagrid back to the man's hut.

"Cod's wallop," Hagrid agreed. "Why would Snape have any reason to attack Harry?"

"Why was he injured on Halloween night?" Hermione questioned back. "I heard him talking to Filch about a three-headed dog."

"Fluffy?" Hagrid sounded surprise.

"It has a name?" Harry was startled.

"Of course he has a name," Hagrid huffed. "He's mine."

"I almost got in trouble for wandering down that corridor," Harry confessed. "I got lost. I had no idea where I was. Snape was the one who found me."

There was a pause before he looked at Hermione pointedly.

"If Snape really wanted me dead, he could have just let the dog get me. It would have looked like an accident: a terrible accident, but an accident nonetheless. He didn't have to save me."

"But it takes concentration to cast a spell like that," Hermione argued. "And Snape wasn't blinking."

"Snape wouldn't ever harm a student," Hagrid pointed out and then added, "I think."

"Maybe it was a countercurse," Harry suggested. "Maybe someone else was jinxing my broom and he was trying to stop it."

"But it stopped the moment I broke his concentration," Hermione pointed out.

"You didn't break anyone else's concentration?" Harry inquired.

There was a long pause as Hermione thought about this and Hagrid insisted none of the staff would try to kill Harry.

"Professor Quirrell," Hermione finally replied. "I knocked him over on my way to Snape."

Harry nodded, "And he's the one who said there was a troll."

"Now, you're not actually suspecting Professor Quirrell, are you?" Hagrid gawked at them when they nodded. "Now, you two, listen here: what's going on here at the school with Fluffy and all the Professors is strictly between Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel!"

Harry and Hermione exchanged intrigued glances.

"I shouldn't have said that," Hagrid muttered. "I shouldn't have said that."

Harry stared at the door leading into Snape's office and wondered for what felt like the hundredth time since he'd started down into the dungeon if this was a good idea. He was about to turn away from the door when it suddenly opened and he was met with a slightly startled Snape staring down at him.

"Yes, Mister Potter?" Snape asked after a long silence.

"Sir, I was wondering if I could speak with you...in your office."

Snape eyed him suspiciously, but stepped back into his office. Harry took a deep breath before following the man and closing the door behind him. Snape didn't sit, so Harry didn't either. Without waiting for Snape to get impatient, Harry began speaking.

"Sir, I think Professor Quirrell is trying to get past that three-headed dog."

The Potions Master's face was unreadable as he stared at Harry, but his tone was chillier than it had been earlier.

"And why would you say that, Potter?"

"I just..." Harry frowned. "I think he let the troll inside, so he could distract the rest of the staff."

Snape's brow inched up as Harry continued to speak.

"And I think you knew that, which is why you went to check on Fluffy, but got bit instead. I also think he was trying to bewitch my broom, but Hermione thought it was you. She knocked over Professor Quirrell when she went to...to...uh..."

Having realized what he was about to say, Harry hesitated, but Snape finished the sentence for him.

"Catch my robes on fire?"

"Y-yes, sir." Harry stared up at his Professor hopefully. "She's not going to be in trouble, is she?"

Snape didn't answer Harry's question.

"And why do you think Professor Quirrell is trying to get past that dog?"

"I think whatever Hagrid took from Gringott's is locked beneath the trapdoor and he's after it. I think he broke into Gringott's too, sir."

Snape's eyes were dark as he stared at Harry.

"And you honestly believe Professor Quirrell is capable of all of that?"

Harry opened his mouth to respond, but paused as he thought about the man he had gotten to know a little bit during the school year so far. He was a coward or so it appeared. He couldn't stop stuttering and jumped at every sound. He didn't seem like the sort of person who could or even would break into Gringott's. Then Harry recalled the look on Quirrell's face when he had seen the two students in his classroom, a troll having damaged the furniture and books.

"Yes, sir," Harry replied with confidence.

"I will take this into consideration," Snape replied. "Now, I order you to not investigate the matter any further. This is the duty of the staff and not an overly inquisitive student."

"Sir," Harry blurted and the man narrowed his eyes at him. "Thank you."

"For?"

"For protecting me, sir," Harry answered. "Thank you."

Snape's lip curled slightly and he waved Harry away. Grinning, Harry left the office and headed towards the Slytherin dormitory.

"I can't believe you told him!" Hermione admonished as she and Harry browsed books in the library for any information pertaining to Nicolas Flamel. "You have no idea how much of an earful I got for catching his robes on fire!"

Harry smiled to himself.

"Sorry."

She gave a frustrated sigh as she shoved her bushy hair behind her ears.

"Well, Professor McGonagall did award me five points for courage. I suppose that's something."

"She awarded you points for catching Professor Snape's robes on fire?" Harry asked in shock as he turned to face her.

"She said it was very brave of me to take the initiative in defending a classmate. Professor Snape wasn't all too thrilled though."

Harry frowned as he set down a new stack of books on the table.

"Are you staying for the holidays?" he asked as he cracked open a new book.

"No," she answered. "I'm going home to see my parents. You?"

"Yes," he replied.

Though he was excited about spending a Christmas without the Dursleys, he was depressed he'd be spending Christmas alone. None of the Slytherins were going to be staying, something he voiced to Hermione.

"Well, that's a little exciting, isn't it?" she mumbled. "You'll have the entire Slytherin House to yourself."

Harry thought about this and then decided this would be good enough.

Before they left the library, Hermione told him he'd need to search the restricted section if he ever got the chance. He begrudgingly agreed.