The last two weeks had been utterly bizarre for Neville Longbottom. He had gone from being viewed as someone bland and below average and made them wonder why he was put into Gryffindor to something of a local hero. People held out their hands for high fives as he passed, or patted him on the shoulder. His Gran had even sent a letter talking about how proud she was and how much he was taking after his father.
Like he said, utterly bizarre. He was used to letters or comments berating him for not being more like his father. And honestly, that and all the praise he was getting at Hogwarts was stressing him out.
Harry, luckily, had apparently decided to play beater. When younger students tried to stop Neville, Harry guided him firmly forward. For older students, he had no problem using his mass, and there was no denying that as skinny as Harry seemed, he was seemingly nothing but muscle, to shove past them. Hermione, who was now following them around, had called him a brute the first few times it happened, but eventually gave up and accepted that Harry wasn't going to let anyone harass Neville.
Harry had even, after a conversation with Dumbledore, gotten permission for Neville to stay with him at night if Neville wanted to. And given the fact that he didn't have Harry to intercept people in the common room or dorms, he did more often than not. He was still plagued with nightmares of the Troll's death, and I was nice to be able to wake up and have Harry ready to comfort him.
The trio sat down at the Gryffindor table, eating breakfast. Luckily, today everyone was too busy chatting about something else to bother Neville and risk provoking Harry. Today was the first match of the interhouse quidditch cup, Griffindor vs Slytherin.
Casper Bitterwood, a fourth year who was their new Seeker, looked pale, people crowding around him like they had Neville that first day.
Finishing their meal, Harry said, "Shall we go find good seats then? I want to see what this game that's so beloved is about."
"Is it just me," Hermione asked quietly, "or has Professor Snape been limping? You don't think-?"
"What?" Neville asked.
"I'll tell you after," Hermione said.
—
Harry settled into the chair in the stands, breathing in the crisp autumn air as he did. People were filtering in to the stadium as the time for the match approached. He tried to ignore the prickling on the back of his neck, but didn't quite manage. Something was going to go wrong here, he could tell…
"So just to make sure, three Chasers, one Keeper, two Beaters and a Seeker to a team, right?" Harry asked.
"Right," Neville said.
"Your father was a Chaser, Harry," Hermione said, "there are at least four Quidditch trophies in the Trophy Room with his name on them."
"Hmm," Harry grunted, but didn't verbally respond. He didn't particularly care what role, if any, his father played. He wasn't even sure he would have the stomach for Quidditch.
"Budge up, budge up," a familiar gruff voice said, and Harry turned to see Hagrid sliding in behind them, a pair of binoculars in the massive man's hands, "'Ello you three! Good to see ya. Neville, how are ya doin'"
"What do you mean?" Neville asked.
"Can't help but notice ya 'aven' been training with tha' scythe o' yours lately."
"I haven't… Haven't felt up to it, since-"
"Right can' say I blame ya, nasty business tha' was. Wish I knew which git leaked your name, I'd introduce them ta Fang nice and quick. I know, why don' you three come by me hut after? We can have tea and desserts. Beaky's been missin' ya, Harry."
"Yeah," Harry said. He might not drink the tea, though he was starting to trust Hagrid enough to maybe trust him, but dessert and seeing Buckbeak was a good time in his opinion, "We'd love to, right guys?"
Neville nodded, while Hermione looked up from the tenth tome on Fundamental Thaumaturgic Principles, "Sorry, what?"
"Tea and dessert at Hagrid's, after the game," Harry said.
"Oh, that sounds lovely," she said, before returning to the book.
Harry turned back to the pitch where Gryffindor in scarlet red robes were squaring off with Slytherin in emerald green. Madame Hooch came out dragging a trunk behind her, and, with a charm to enhance her voice, said, "Now, I want a nice, clean game. Am I understood?"
There was no verbal response Harry could hear, but all 14 players took to the sky, four, two on each team, holding clubs in their hands. The Weasley twins for Gryffindor and two trollish looking young men for Slytherin. Madame Hooch opened the trunk, undoing a small clasp and letting a glint of gold, the snitch, fly into the air, then she threw up a red ball, the Quaffle and finally, undid two clasps and stepped back as two balls, the Bludgers, rocketed upwards and the game started.
Harry watched the Quaffle be passed between the Gryffindor chasers before a black girl with dreadlocks, Angelina Johnson, scored, earning ten points for Gryffindor. Within seconds of Marcus Flint taking the ball, Fred Weasley smashed a bludger into his gut and caused him to drop it. Katie Bell immediately caught it and flew up to try and score only for Miles Bletchley to knock the ball away and back towards a winded Flint, who caught it in immediately flew towards the Gryffindor goalposts, barely dodging a bludger flying by his ear.
Harry realized, a second later, that Marcus hadn't been the target of the Bludger as he followed the trajectory of the second Bludger.
He was.
Throwing up a Manaward just in time, Harry watched the balls crash into the crystalline barrier. Causing the barrier to explode, Harry forced the balls back, barking, "Behind Hagrid, you two! Hagrid, I'm trusting you with their safety, don't worry about me!"
"Right 'Arry," Hagrid picked up Neville and Hermione and hoisted them behind his bulk. At the same time George Weasley and Peregrine Derrick sent the Bludgers flying for Harry again. Switching Jobs on the fly, Harry poured Aether into his arms as he stood up, everyone else in their stand running away, and landed a pair of hammer blows on the Bludgers, causing them to explode in a shower of shards.
Fred and George Weasley flew straight at him, clubs raised. When they swung, Harry caught the arms, yanked them off their broomsticks and slammed his feet onto their backs, dislocating their arms. At the same time, Derrick and Boyle flew at him.
Harry swept one leg up, hooking it around Boyle's neck and threw him into Derrick sending them slamming into the ground unconscious. As Fred and George got up, apparently unfazed by their dislocated arms, Harry rushed into Fred's guard and landed a series of hits on his chest with the speed of the wind, knocking him out.
Harry span in place, kicking George upside the head and knocking him unconscious.
"What the hell was that?" He demanded.
"Harry!" Dumbledore called as he rushed into the box, wand out, before stopping and wrapping up the Weasleys, Derrick and Boyle with ropes that burst from his wand, before causing them all to rise in the air, "I don't know happened to cause them to attack you, but we'll get to the bottom of it. THIS MATCH IS CANCELED!"
—
"It appears to have been an Imperius Curse, Professor," Albus stopped his pacing as Severus and Poppy came out of the hospital wing. The words from Severus sent Albus's mood from thunderous to downright calamitous.
"You mean to tell me," he said, voice deathly calm, "that someone put four of my students under an Unforgivable curse, and used them as tools in a flagrant assault, if not murder, attempt?"
"Yes," Severus said as if addressing the weather, "I have undone the curse on them."
"I'm still keeping them the night," Poppy said, "Mr. Potter brutalized them. Boyle had whiplash, George had a concussion, and Fred had internal bleeding. On top of, of course, their dislocated arms."
"I doubt Harry will apologize, he was, after all, fending off an attack."
"I didn't say I expected one," Poppy sniffed, "I'm strict, not cruel, Albus. Mr. Potter was protecting himself the best he could. Given the assortment of weapons he owns and can summon at will, he was cleared fighting to incapacitate."
"So we're giving out prizes for the basic decency of not killing someone under the Imperius now?" Severus sneered.
"That is unfair, Severus. Harry waa fending off four students, and given what he told me of his life, a more lethal response would have been absolutely a reaction he viewed as justified. The four are now free of their curse?"
"I performed the Counter Curse the moment we identified it," Severus said, "all four should be in complete control of themselves when they awaken."
"Very good, I shall inform Harry of what has happened. Then, I must write to all four's parents to inform them of what happened. I'm not looking forwards to this reaching the Prophet."
"Professor, Professor!" Albus turned to see Flich hurrying towards them, "There are two strange people attempting to enter the grounds, they won't take no for an answer!"
"I'll go see to that immediately," Albus said, walking quickly out of the castle and towards the front gate. Sure enough, there were two people standing at the gate, one rapping her fingers on the wrought iron bars.
Ths one on the left was a handsome young man in his mid twenties, red haired and, fascinatingly enough, with cat ears and a tail of the same color, a black scarf around his neck, a red sleeveless coat, and a staff with a roughly hewn crystal at the tip, alongside a more elegant staff.
The one on the right, looking far more irate, had pointed ears, white hair tied in a braid, sharp blue eyes, a red jacket over white and a rapier at her side. She was someone Albus knew, but definitely shouldn't, "Miss Leveilluer, I wasn't expecting you today. I take it you're here to see Harry?"
"See him, support him, stay with him," Alisaie said.
"And may I ask who you are?" Albus asked tbe man.
"Ah, G'raha Tia, friend of Harry. A pleasure," he said with a bow, revealing a satchel stuffed full of books.
"Well, come in," Albus tapped his wand on the gate, unlocking it, "Harry is at Hagrid's hut. I actually had something to discuss with Harry himself, so I will escort you there."
—
Hermione watched Harry take the tea with a smile, and she asked, "Are you sure you're alright?"
"I'm used to being attacked, Hermione. I just want to know why they did it. By the way, didn't you have something about Snape you were gonna say?"
"Oh, yes, you see," Hermione wrung her hands before blurting out "Thereta three headed dog guarding something on the Third Floor. I think Snape let the troll in on Halloween to attempt to steal it!"
"How do ya know 'bout Fluffy?" Hagrid asked, putting a large amount of Treacle fudge on the table, which Harry immediately helped himself to.
"I… Me and Ron saw it wjem I was trying to stop him from dueling Draco Malfoy."
"Yeah, well, don' worry 'bout it Hermione, what Fluffy is guardin' isn't any o' your concern. It's strictly between Dumbledore an' Nicolas Flamel," There was a beat before Hagrid said, "shouldn't 'ave said that. Anyways, Snape is one of the people guarding it, he wouldn' try to steal it."
"Does this Draco kid know?" Harry said in between bites of Treacle fudge as he pet a dog sized hippogriffs. Apparently he literally hadn't noticed Malfoy's attempts to mock him
"No, at least I don't think he does."
"Well all right then, you'll have to keep a closer eye on Snape since you're the only one who takes his class. I'm sure Hagrid checks Fluffy regularly to make sure he's fed?"
"Yeah."
"Then we'll know if someone hurts it," Harry said, "unless things gef worse, we won't do anything."
There was a knock on the door, and it swung open to reveal Professor Dumbledore and two clear non-humans. Harry's eyes lit up and he rushed forward pulling the red headed cat person onto a hug, "I missed you, brother."
"And I you, Harry," the man said, returning the hug, "which one is learning Black Magic?"
"Hermione," Harry said, pointing to her. The man stepped in, giving Hermione a hug as he slung a satchel fit to bursting onto the table, "The next twenty tomes of Thaumaturgic Principles. I'm G'raha Tia, it's nice to finally put a face to a name, and you're Neville, right?"
"Yes, Mr. Tia?" Neville said, causing Tia to laugh, "what?"
"Tia isn't my last name, my folk don't use those. Tia just means that I'm not a breeding man, though the term is quite antiquated nowadays. Call me G'raha, I won't take any offense to it."
"Ok, G'raha?"
Hermione focused on the other girl, who seemed to be sharing a tender moment with Harry, both of them talking quietly as Harry brushed some hair out of her face.
"Harry," Dumbledore said, "I have important news. The four who attacked you were under the Imperius Curse. It's a Curse that allows the caster to take over his target complet. In all likelihood, none of them would have harmed you if they were in the right mind. As for Alisaie and G'raha, they may stay in the guest rooms next to yours, I'm sure they braved a lot to get here, and I wouldn't dream of separating you. While they won't be students at Hogwarts, perhaps they can get wands of their own and practice with you.