– CHAPTER ELEVEN –

The Quidditch Quagmire

Though friendships between students of rival houses were encouraged, it was highly unusual for anyone from one of the other three houses to befriend a Slytherin; even more so vice versa. Neither Harmony nor Hermione had expected to count Pansy Parkinson as one of their closest friends, but in the weeks following their run-in with the troll, she had grown from a spoilt bully into just another one of the girls.

The other Gryffindor first-years didn't quite understand the friendship but, other than Ron, they all accepted it. For Pansy, it did lose her even more respect from Malfoy and his inner circle, but she didn't care. Even the upcoming Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin, Harmony's first of the season, did little to dampen their bond.

'Good luck, Harmony, even though you've got no chance,' Pansy said as they and Hermione sat in the courtyard outside the castle entrance, working on some Potions homework together.

'That confident, eh?' Harmony shot back. 'You haven't even seen me play.'

'Slytherin has won the Cup four years in a row,' bragged Pansy. 'Marcus Flint might be an absolute nobhead, but he knows how to run a team.'

Despite those daunting odds, Harmony felt as confident in Oliver Wood and her team as Pansy did in Flint and his. The Gryffindor team had quickly gelled and Harmony had found nothing but support within the team, especially from Katie Bell and George Weasley. Wood remained confident Harmony was the secret weapon to their success, even as much of the rest of Hogwarts still had their doubts.

As Harmony and Pansy continued their friendly debate, Professor Snape happened to pass by, moving with a distinct limp that Harmony was sure he didn't have before Halloween night. Snape looked at the trio with a mix of bemusement and disdain before moving on.

'What's with Snape's limp?' Harmony questioned. 'Almost like he got himself injured by, I don't know, a certain triple-headed beast?'

Pansy groaned in frustration. 'How many times do I have to tell you? Snape was trying to protect the trap door! It's Quirrell who wants whatever's under there!'

'Likely,' Harmony scoffed sarcastically. 'Quirrell barely has the stomach to fight a Niffler. Why would he risk going up against that monster?'

'You're blinded by hatred, Harmony. Snape's a miserable sod, even I'll admit that, but he's not who you think he is.'

'Really? But what about-?'

Hermione loudly slammed shut the massive tome she was reading in frustration, putting a stop to Harmony and Pansy's bickering.

'Oh, will you two just leave it? Whatever's going on and whoever's doing it, it's none of our business.'

Finally, the morning of the match came. Harmony was so nervous that she struggled to eat anything at breakfast. Thankfully, the Gryffindors put aside any squabbles they had and rallied around Harmony and the Quidditch team, though Ron and Hermione continued to act as if the other didn't exist.

Before she knew it, Harmony was in the changing rooms at the stadium as Oliver Wood went over their final plans for the game.

'OK folks,' Wood said with firm confidence. 'This is it. The big one. The-'

'-the one we've all been waiting for,' the Weasley twins said in unison.

'For Merlin's sake, Ollie, you need a new pep talk,' joked Fred.

'This time, I really mean it,' Wood snapped back. 'Gryffindor hasn't had a team this good in years. We're going to win. I know it. Just stick to the plan, and we'll be celebrating in Gryffindor Tower by the end of the night. Now who's ready to show these snakes how we lions roar?'

Wood raised his fist as if expecting a rapturous response, but was met with only tepid claps and cheers; it wasn't quite the inspiring captain moment he had envisioned. For Harmony, she certainly still had doubts about her abilities, but she had the utmost confidence in the rest of her team. She only wished Wood and the others hadn't rested so much of their faith on her.

The Gryffindor team made their way out of the changing rooms and into the stadium, which was packed to the brim with every student and staff member at Hogwarts, plus a few visiting parents and Ministry officials. The sheer scale and sound of the gathering only made the butterflies in Harmony's stomach flutter more, but she kept her head in the game as she marched to the middle of the pitch. They met there both the opposing Slytherin team and their referee for the day, Madame Hooch.

'Now I want a nice clean game from all of you,' she said sternly. 'Mount your brooms, and await my whistle.'

Harmony readied herself on her Nimbus Two Thousand. Madame Hooch opened up the chest of Quidditch balls, unleashing both Bludgers and the Snitch into the field. Harmony's eyes quickly affixed to the golden sphere, as did her rival Seeker Terrence Higgs, but in the blink of an eye, it was gone. Hooch then reached down to take the Quaffle, readying the whistle in her mouth. As soon as she threw the ball into the air, she blew, and the game had officially begun. All fourteen players, plus Madame Hooch, launched into the air, and chaos quickly ensued.

Way up in the staff viewing tower, Lee Jordan, a third-year Gryffindor and friend of the Weasley twins, was keeping score and doing commentary under the careful supervision of Professor McGonagall. As Harmony flew about the stadium and tried to spot the Golden Snitch, Jordan's enthusiastic ramblings were the only thing helping her understand how the rest of the game was unfolding.

'-and Spinnet passes to Johnson – now back to Spinnet – wait, no! Slytherin intercepts! Flint has the Quaffle and is gunning for the goals. He's absolutely skyrocketing his way over, he shoots and – oh, what a save from Captain Wood there! He passes to Katie Bell, who passes to Spinnet, who passes to Johnson, now back to Spinnet. Adrian Pucey is on her tail; he's going for the intercept! He reaches out – ouch! Tough luck! Pucey gets bludgeoned by a Bludger, courtesy of George Weasley! Or was it Fred? Honestly, at this distance, it's kind of hard to tell. Spinnet is at the Slytherin goals now. Bletchley looks ready for her, but wait! Spinnet last-minute passes to Johnson! Can Bletchley save it in time? Johnson shoots – Bletchley dives, and – it's in! Ten points to Gryffindor! Woo! Take that, you slithering sods!'

'Jordan!' snapped Professor McGonagall. 'No favouritism!'

'Sorry, miss,' Jordan apologised sheepishly. 'Anyway, Bletchley passes off to Pucey…'

Meanwhile, over in the Gryffindor stands, Hermione and Ron were enraptured by the game. Hagrid arrived late and squeezed his way through the benches to find himself a seat, almost squashing Neville in the process. He ended up taking a seat right between Hermione and Ron, who were both equally thankful that they had someone to break them up.

'What have I missed?' Hagrid asked. 'How's Harmony doing?'

'She hasn't done anything yet,' said Ron. 'We're in the lead, but that doesn't mean much right now.'

Hagrid took out a pair of binoculars and scanned the skies above the pitch, before eventually catching sight of Harmony hovering over the pandemonium. She had circled the stadium several times at this point and had caught a glimpse of the Snitch maybe twice, but it swiftly flitted away before she had a chance to react. Across the stadium, Terrence Higgs was doing much the same, though in his blind search he almost found himself hit by a rogue Bludger. Tired of the hopeless search, Harmony took a moment to rest and listen to Jordan.

'Flint is in possession. He passes to Pucey. Bell goes in for a tackle, but Flint swoops in to defend. Now Johnson comes in to flank the both of them. Wood prepares his defence. Can Pucey get out of – hang on, is that the Snitch?'

Harmony's eyes quickly shifted focus to the game below. For a brief moment, she spied a golden glint dart in between the battling Chasers, before swooping off towards the Ravenclaw stands. Across the way, Terrence Higgs locked focus on the Snitch too.

'And they're off!' exclaimed Jordan. 'Potter and Higgs are after the Golden Snitch. Higgs may have the experience, but what Potter lacks in knowhow, she more than makes up for in speed. Merlin's beard, that Nimbus Two Thousand is a real firecracker of a broom! Higgs doesn't stand a chance!'

'Jordan!'

'Sorry, McGonagall. I got carried away again, didn't I?'

Before they knew it, Harmony and Terrence were neck-and-neck, dodging and weaving their way through the other players as they chased after the elusive golden ball. Their pursuit took them dangerously close to slamming into one of the spectator towers, with Higgs' broom accidentally swatting a Hufflepuff second-year in the face whilst making a sharp turn. Harmony took advantage and zoomed ahead of the opposing Seeker. The Snitch was almost in her grasp, flying low to the ground away from most of the action. Harmony reached out as far as she could without losing control of the broom. Her focus was on nothing but catching it. She strained and stretched and then…

CRASH! Out of the blue, something, or someone, collided with Harmony. Luckily, she was close enough to the ground mid-flight that the fall did minimal damage. Her broomstick landed safely a few feet away; maybe a twig or two in its brush had become unkempt, but nothing that would affect its performance.

'Oof!' cringed Jordan. 'Oh, that is not good! Potter is down after a collision with Captain Flint! Hooch is stepping in to survey the situation and see if a penalty is in order.'

Over in the Gryffindor stands, everyone was livid and jeering at Slytherin's performance. 'That play was bang out of order!' blared Dean Thomas. 'Flint was way offside. Give him the red card, Hooch!'

'This isn't football, Dean,' Hermione corrected. 'Even I know that there are no sin bins or substitutes in Quidditch.'

'Is there anything you don't know, Granger?' asked Ron rhetorically. 'Oh, that's right: when to shut up.'

'Touché, Ronald.'

Ron grimaced in confusion. 'What kind of Muggle slang is that?'

'It's French, numbnuts,' laughed Seamus.

Back on the field, Flint tried to argue his collision with Harmony was a complete accident; that he suddenly lost control of his broom and was trying to steer clear of Harmony. Hooch, however, ruled there was no clear evidence of this and that he was illegally trying to interfere with a Seeker's play. As compensation, Gryffindor was given a free shot at the goals, which Angelina Johnson easily put away and notched another ten points on the board, before the game resumed proper.

Harmony was a little shaken by Flint's shunt but tried to get herself back in the game. Her eyes turned back to the skies as she once again searched for any sign of the Snitch. A Bludger suddenly flew past Harmony's head, which she saw coming and dodged just in the nick of time, but it wasn't the ball that was bothering her. It was her broom, which had started to list and was unresponsive to her steering after the manoeuvre. She gained back control eventually, but it started to worry her; maybe her crash with Flint had done some kind of damage to her Nimbus.

A few minutes later, it happened again. After doing another lap of the stadium, Harmony felt her broomstick suddenly veer off and high up into the sky. She tried to retake control, but any attempt only seemed to make the broom more erratic. At this point, it felt less like her Nimbus Two Thousand was out of control, but like it was deliberately trying to throw her off. As Harmony struggled to hold onto her life hundreds of feet in the air, none of the other players even seemed to notice. They were far too caught up in the main game, as Slytherin retook control of the field and scored two points, bringing them to a draw with Gryffindor.

Luckily, someone in the stands did take notice. 'Cripes!' bellowed Hagrid, staring in shock through his binoculars. 'Looks like Harmony's lost control of her stick!' His loud exclamation echoed through the spectators and others started to take notice of Harmony's dangerously out-of-control flying.

'Oh no!' cried Parvati. 'Maybe she's damaged her broom?'

'Nah, can't be,' Seamus rebutted. 'Even the most rickety-arse stick doesn't jerk around like that when busted. Some joker in the crowd is messing with her, I reckon.'

An idea suddenly sparked in Hermione's head. She hadn't wanted to get drawn into Harmony and Pansy's conspiracies, but she just had to be sure. 'Hagrid, can I borrow those?'

Hagrid handed over his binoculars, but Hermione didn't look up at Harmony or anyone else on the field. Instead, she looked up and across the pitch to the staff box and saw it for herself. Professor Snape's eyes were affixed upon Harmony, and he was muttering something over and over again. Hermione looked away and took a deep breath. Against her better judgement, she knew it was time to break the rules again.

'Hermione, what is it?' Hagrid asked with concern.

'Nothing,' she lied. 'I'll be back.'

As Hermione dashed off out of the Gryffindor stands, everyone's attention remained fixed on Harmony. After one last attempt to regain control, the broom suddenly jerked her off the shaft, leaving her hanging by just her fingers. Madame Hooch and some of the Gryffindor team had now arrived to try and safely catch her, but with every attempt the Nimbus bolted away and left Harmony in an even more precarious position. In her panic to quickly save her, Hooch had forgotten to call a timeout on the match, and in the meantime, Marcus Flint had taken it upon himself to score four goals without the referee even noticing.

Hermione had sprinted as fast as she could to the other side of the stadium, before starting her climb up the stairs to the staff viewing box. As she reached the final flight, she ran into a familiar face.

'Pansy?' said Hermione at room volume, before quickly quieting herself. 'What are you doing here?'

'Same as you, I hope,' Pansy whispered. 'Quirrell is jinxing Harmony's broom.'

'No, you've got it all wrong! Snape's the one messing with Harmony! I saw it with my own eyes!'

Pansy looked smug and dismissive. 'Well, you might want to get your eyes checked, 'cos I saw Quirrell as clear as day cursing the broom, so if you'd just let me-'

In a very out-of-character impulsive move, Hermione drew her wand on Pansy. 'I can't let you do this. Harmony's life is at stake!'

'I know!' Pansy barked loudly in frustration. 'Now let me save her!'

'What's going on down here?!' said a distinct, monotone voice.

Hermione and Pansy looked up to see Professor Snape sneering down at them. The two girls froze, unable to say anything, and for the first time Pansy seemed as scared of Snape as everyone else. Before another word could be uttered, a great bellow of gasps and screams came from the staff box above. Hermione, Pansy and Snape rushed back to the top of the tower to see Harmony now clinging to her broom by a literal finger.

Pansy's attention quickly turned to Quirrell, giving him a knowing grimace, but he looked far more frightened of her than anything. His attention quickly diverted back to the pitch.

'Oh, sweet M-M-M-Merlin,' Quirrell whimpered. 'The boy's going to f-f-f-f-f-fall!'

'Potter's a girl, you imbecile,' snapped back Snape in disgust, who then began reciting some kind of chant. Hermione quickly recognised it from one of her books: it was a counter-curse. She looked across apologetically at Pansy, who simply smirked knowingly at her, as if to say, 'I told you so.'

Slowly but surely, Harmony felt her Nimbus Two Thousand return to a steady hover. Madame Hooch blew her whistle to call a timeout before helping the young Seeker back atop her broom, then sounded it again to resume play. He quickly chased after and caught up with Higgs, who was once again on the tail of the Snitch. The pair were brushing right up against each other, each trying to be the one to catch it.

The Snitch's flightpath suddenly dipped. It was heading right toward one of the Slytherin goalposts at top speed. Harmony and Terrence played chicken as long as they could, waiting to see if the other would veer off to avoid impact. As they quickly approached the goal, Terrence called it first and swiftly dodged away, whilst instead Harmony leapt forward off her broom and at the Snitch.

'And Potter's gone for it!' yelled Jordan. 'She's off her broom and on the ground. She's lucky she didn't split her head open on that post. No sign of the Snitch. Potter's getting to her feet now. She – oh dear, folks. It looks like she's going to puke, and – wait, no – it's the Snitch! Potter's caught the Snitch! In her mouth! Oh my days!'

The crowd broke out into hysterics. Harmony held up the Golden Snitch for all to see, still smothered in her saliva, and smiled. A few minutes ago, Harmony thought she was going to die, but now instead she basked in glory. Madame Hooch blew her whistle one last time, signalling the end of the game. The final score was Slytherin sixty, Gryffindor one hundred and seventy; a very decisive victory for the underdog team. For the first time since arriving at Hogwarts, the whole school seemed to be united behind Harmony. For the first time, she didn't feel so alone.

Harmony was still riding high on the adrenaline of winning the Quidditch match as she sat in Hagrid's hut with a warm cup of tea. Accompanying her also were Hermione and Pansy, the latter of whom Hagrid was hesitant to invite inside until Harmony reminded him of his own words: any friend of hers was a friend of his.

Hagrid, however, was still not taken by Pansy's claims of sabotage and conspiracy. 'Quirrell? Trying to kill Harmony?' he scoffed. 'That's hogwash, I tell you. The snivelling sod couldn't harm a Cornish pixie.'

'I'm telling you, it was him,' Pansy insisted. 'As soon as the game ended, he left the stadium as fast as he could. He's guilty. I just know it.'

'At least we can be sure it's not Snape,' added Hermione. 'He was trying to save you, Harmony. Genuinely. He even called out Quirrell for misgendering you.'

Pansy rested her head on her hands in self-satisfaction. 'Told you the glum git had a heart.'

'Gals, thanks for looking out for me and all,' said Harmony, 'but we don't know for sure it was Quirrell who jinxed my broom. Heck, we still don't know what that three-headed mutt is even guarding.'

Hagrid nearly dropped his mug in disbelief. 'Who told you lot about Fluffy?'

'Fluffy?' balked Pansy. 'You called that wretched beast Fluffy?'

'Oy, he ain't no beast!' Hagrid barked back. 'He may be quite a handful and not too fond of strangers, but he's a real softie underneath. Kind of like your housemaster actually, Miss Parkinson.'

'So that thing…Fluffy, I mean,' said Harmony. 'He's yours, Hagrid?'

'Yeah, he's mine. Bought him last year from a Greek fella I met down in Hogsmeade. Was keeping him safe and sound in the forest until Dumbledore asked me if he could guard the…wait, no, you're not catching me out. That's top secret, what's under there.'

'But what if someone was trying to get past Fluffy, Quirrell or otherwise?' asked Hermione. 'Shouldn't we at least warn Dumbledore or-'

Hagrid put his foot down and, considering how big his feet were, it shook every piece of furniture in his hut. The trio shut up and listened as Hagrid took a deep, calming breath.

'Look, I don't know what's going on here, but you lot are messing in things you don't understand. It's dangerous, especially for you young 'uns. The only folks who should be concerned what's under that trap door are Albus Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel!'

There was a long awkward silence. Harmony, Hermione and Pansy all looked at each other in utter confusion. It took Hagrid a moment to realise what he had just said, before abruptly asking the children to leave. As he ushered them out the door and closed it behind him, Harmony could hear Hagrid muttering to himself, 'I shouldn't have said that. I should not have said that.'

'Nicolas Flamel?' said Harmony. 'Either of you know who that is?'

Hermione and Pansy both shrugged. For every question answered about whatever was going on with the third-floor corridor, a new one arose, and yet Harmony could not let this mystery go. At least now they had a firm lead to go off of.