Chapter 4: Quidditch
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Total Words: 14,426
When November had come sweeping through the grounds and chilled them, it was apparent that Quidditch season was upon them. Hermione had lent Harry Quidditch Through the Ages, and was glad that he had taken an interest in it - she knew he wasn't much of a book person. She wanted to see him do well on the team, and she had finished it ages ago anyway. Hermione had also spent a great deal of time helping both of the boys with their homework, letting them borrow her notes and re-writing their essays if they were bad enough (which they usually were.)
On the day before Harry's first Quidditch match, the three of them were gathered in the courtyard, huddled around a jar full of bright blue flames that Hermione had conjured to help ward away the frost. They were standing with their backs to it trying to get warm when they spotted Professor Snape walking towards them. Instinctively, they drew closer together to hide them - they weren't sure that it was allowed. Professor Snape didn't see the flames, but came over anyway - Hermione had a feeling he was just looking for a reason to tell them off. She also noticed that he was limping.
"What's that you've got there, Potter?"
Harry showed him Quidditch Through the Ages, a rather guilty look on his face.
"Library books are not to be taken outside the school. Give it to me. Five points from Gryffindor." Snape limped away, the book clutched in his hand. Hermione was fairly confident that wasn't a rule, but remained silent in case Professor Snape heard her say something.
"He's just made that rule up. Wonder what's wrong with his leg?" Harry said once the professor was out of earshot.
"Dunno, but I hope it's really hurting him," Ron answered. Hermione nodded in agreement.
...
That evening, the three of them sat next to a window, working on their Charms homework. Harry and Ron begged Hermione to copy hers, but all she retorted with was, "How will you learn?" She agreed to check them over, though, just to make sure they didn't fail. Hermione noticed that Harry seemed extra anxious tonight... maybe it was just the nerves of his first match tomorrow getting to him. He stood up suddenly.
"I'm going to ask Snape for my book back."
"Better you than me," both Ron and Hermione said together. Hermione was glad he was going to ask and turned back to the boys' Charms homework to continue making corrections.
"D'you think he'll let Harry have it back?" Ron asked her after a few minutes.
"I don't know, but that rule really wasn't fair," she answered, scribbling out an answer on his homework and adding a note for him. They both remained quiet for a long while, waiting for Harry to return. When he did, he was winded and took a moment to catch his breath.
"Did you get it?" Ron asked him. "What's the matter?"
"No. Snape was with Filch - he was bandaging his leg and talking about 'keeping your eyes on all three heads at once.' You know what this means? He tried to get past that three-headed dog at Halloween! That's where he was going when we saw him - he's after whatever it's guarding! And I'd bet my broomstick he let that troll in, to make a diversion!"
Hermione's eyes widened; it was an interesting theory, for sure, but she wasn't confident that a teacher would be trying to get past that dog. She trusted Dumbledore, and he wouldn't hire a dangerous person to teach.
"No - he wouldn't. I know he's not very nice, but he wouldn't try and steal something Dumbledore was keeping safe."
At this, Ron spoke up. "Honestly, Hermione, you think all teachers are saints or something. I'm with Harry. I wouldn't put anything past Snape. But what's he after? What's that dog guarding?"
Neither Ron nor Hermione had an answer for him. Later on, once she was finished with their Charms homework corrections, Hermione suggested they all go to bed - Harry especially. He would need his rest for his first Quidditch match the next day.
...
"You've got to eat some breakfast."
"I don't want anything."
"Just a bit of toast," Hermione pressed. She didn't want to see Harry pass out from hunger on the field during his first match! They were playing Slytherin and she knew everyone wanted to see Gryffindor win.
"Harry, you need your strength," this time, it was Seamus Finnegan who spoke. "Seekers are always the ones who get clobbered by the other team."
Hermione did not think he was being helpful and frowned.
"Thanks, Seamus," Harry said, watching Seamus eat but not touching a plate himself. Hermione managed to get him to eat a little toast, but he refused anything more.
At eleven o'clock, Ron and Hermione joined Neville, Seamus, and Dean (another Gryffindor boy in their year) in the stands, anxiously awaiting the start of the first match of the year. Dean, who was a good artist as it turned out, helped them surprise Harry with a banner made out of a bedsheet that Scabbers had ruined; it said "Potter for President" and had a large Gryffindor lion underneath. Hermione had even bewitched it so the paint would flash different colors. She hoped it would help raise Harry's spirits when he saw it.
Hermione was biting her nails nervously when the teams walked out onto the field. They were greeted by Madam Hooch and she saw the captains shake hands before they mounted their brooms and Madam Hooch blew her whistle.
"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."
It was Lee Jordan, a Gryffindor boy in Fred and George's year that was narrating the match. Hermione giggled at his comment about Angelina and then turned her attention back to the match.
"And she's really belting along up there, a neat pass to Alicia Spinnet, a good friend of Oliver Wood's, last 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's 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 - Quaffle taken by the Slytherins - that's Adrian Pucey speeding off towards 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 - GRYFFINDOR SCORE!"
Hermione cheered along with the rest of the Gryffindors. She wasn't sure how well she liked this game, but she was still rooting for Harry and glad to hear the moans from the Slytherin end.
"Budge up there, move along."
"Hagrid!"
Both Ron and Hermione squeezed together in order to leave enough room for Hagrid to join them.
"Bin watchin' from me hut, but it isn't the same as bein' in the crowd. No sign of the Snitch yet, eh?"
"Nope. Harry hasn't had much to do yet," Ron answered.
"Kept outta trouble, though, that's somethin'," Hagrid pulled out his binoculars to see the players better. Harry was just a tiny speck in the sky way above their heads.
"Slytherin in possession - Chaser Pucey ducks two bludgers, two Weasleys, and Chaser Bell, and speeds towards the - wait a moment - was that the Snitch?"
The Slytherin Chaser with the Quaffle dropped the ball as everyone's attention was drawn to the tiny golden ball that had fluttered by his ear. Hermione didn't realize she was holding her breath until she began to get a little dizzy; Harry and the Slytherin Seeker were both diving towards the Snitch -
WHAM.
The Slytherin Captain, Flint, had blocked Harry on purpose. All the Gryffindors roared with anger as Harry's broom spun off-course.
"FOUL!" Came a collective shout from the scarlet-and-gold crowd. Madam Hooch awarded Gryffindor a penalty, but the Snitch had been lost.
"Send him off, ref! Red card!" Dean Thomas was yelling. Ron looked at him.
"What are you talking about, Dean?"
"Red card! In soccer, you get shown the red card and you're out of the game!" Dean said furiously.
"But this isn't soccer, Dean," Ron said.
"They oughta change the rules," Hagrid said, agreeing with Dean. "Flint coulda knocked Harry outta the air."
"So - after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating - " Lee Jordan was saying, seeming to have a hard time being an impartial commentator.
"Jordan!" Professor McGonagall said warningly.
"I mean, after that open and revolting fowl - "
"Jordan, I'm warning you - "
"All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure, so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinnet, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession."
Hermione was watching Harry, though. For some reason, his broom seemed to start jerking around and it seemed to almost unseat him once or twice. Broomsticks shouldn't do that by themselves. Lee, however, didn't seem to notice this was happening.
"Slytherin in possession - Flint with the Quaffle - passes Spinnet - passes Bell - hit hard in the face with a Bludger, hope it broke his nose - only joking, Professor - Slytherins score - oh no..."
The Slytherins erupted with cheers, but Hermione's eyes were still on Harry. What was he doing? Was this a weird Quidditch play that Wood had given him? It didn't seem to be very effective...
"Dunno what Harry thinks he's doing," Hagrid said, echoing Hermione's thoughts. "If I didn' know better, I'd say he lost control of his broom... but he can't have..."
Suddenly everyone was watching Harry Potter jerk and twitch in the sky. His broom had started to roll over and he seemed to be hanging on for dear life. A second later, he was thrown off and just hanging on with one hand. Hermione clapped her hands to her mouth.
"Did something happen to it when Flint blocked him?" Seamus asked.
"Can't have. Can't nothing interfere with a broomstick except powerful Dark Magic - no kid could do that to a Nimbus Two Thousand." Hagrid answered.
Hermione grabbed Hagrid's binoculars and began to scan the crowd. If it wasn't a student, it had to be a teacher...
"What are you doing?" Ron had gone pale.
"I knew it," Hermione answered, her eyes still glued to the binoculars. "Snape - look."
She handed Ron the binoculars so he could look where she was. Snape had his eyes locked on the form that was Harry and was muttering under his breath without inhaling, it seemed.
"He's doing something - jinxing the broom." Hermione wracked her brains, trying to think of a way to help Harry.
"What should we do?"
"Leave it to me."
Hermione left before Ron could say anything, hurrying along the rows and heading towards the stands where all the teachers were sitting. She heard gasps and exclamations from the crowd and her heart accelerated as she now broke into a run. As she reached the stands where the teachers were, she hurried along the row behind Snape, not even stopping to apologize to Professor Quirrell for knocking him over in her haste. She pulled out her wand, pointed it at Snape's robes, and whispered the incantation for her trademark blue flames. The hem of Snape's robes caught fire and thirty seconds later, Snape let out a cry of shock. She scooped the flames into a jar and hurried back along the row and back towards the rest of the Gryffindors. She got back in time to hear Ron telling Neville it was safe to look again.
When she took her seat, she was glad to see that Harry was back on his broom and shooting towards the ground - had he seen the Snitch again? All of a sudden, he clapped a hand to his mouth and hit the field on all fours and coughed. Something gold fell into his hand. He waved it around and Hermione thought she saw him say, "I've got the Snitch" but she couldn't hear him.
Once the match had ended, Hermione, Ron, and Harry joined Hagrid for a cup of tea back in his hut.
"It was Snape. Hermione and I saw him. He was cursing your broomstick, muttering, he wouldn't take his eyes off you."
"Rubbish. Why would Snape do somethin' like that?" Hagrid clearly hadn't heard anything that Ron or Hermione had said in the stands. The Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other, not sure what to say. Eventually, Harry spoke up.
"I found out something about it. He tried to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween. It bit him. We think he was trying to steal whatever it's guarding," Harry explained.
Hagrid dropped the teapot. "How do you know about Fluffy?"
"Fluffy?"
"Yeah - he's mine - bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las' year - I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the - "
"Yes?" Hermione heard the note of eagerness in Harry's voice. Hagrid looked disgruntled.
"Now, don't ask me anymore. That's top secret, that is."
"But Snape's trying to steal it."
"Rubbish. Snape's a Hogwarts teacher, he'd do nothin' of the sort," Hagrid said stubbornly. Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"So why did he just try and kill Harry?" She cried, setting her tea down rather forcefully. After what she had witnessed at the Quidditch game, she had 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'm tellin' yeh, yer wrong! I don' know why Harry's broom acted like that, but Snape wouldn' try an' kill a student! Now, listen to me, all three of yeh - yer meddlin' in things that don' concern yeh. It's dangerous. You forget the dog, an' you forget what it's guardin', that's between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicholas Flamel - "
"Aha! So there's someone called Nicholas Flamel involved, is there?"
Hagrid didn't answer, but looked quite upset with himself.