Welcome back my lovely Potterheads!
Happy September First! I figured I might as well upload a new chapter. I'll be uploading a little more frequently after this, I didn't mean to walk away from my fic for so long! Sorry it's a short fic, just needed to get myself back in the groove. Hopefully the next one will be a little longer!
Real quick: I'm aware that Snape was canonically bit by Fluffy on Halloween. No one come for me, I'm aware. That being said, I pushed the bite a week back just to give the quartet a little more time to become friends. As I've already established Thursday as Snape's usual patrol day, I figured his run-in with Fluffy could happen exactly a week later, with Snape doubling down on checking on the stone.
I hope you guys are staying safe, and that you enjoy this update! As always, I only own my OC.
For all my reader: Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home. No matter your gender, race, sexuality - any of it. The fandom has been bigger and greater than its originator for years.
November at Hogwarts brought cool weather and frost-covered grounds. Seriously, a switch had been flipped the first of the eleventh month, as dramatic as the shift between the four Gryffindors. While Ron and Hermione hadn't stopped bickering, the animosity had faded away to occasional rudeness. Ron even began paying attention to the Muggle-born in class, and his work ethic had improved in the week following Halloween. Harry and Hermione had gotten close as well, the girl having introduced him to the library copy of Quidditch Through The Ages. He quoted it more than Hermione had in the days leading up to their first Flying lesson.
But it was the friendship between Hermione and Susanna that really turned the heads of their teachers and classmates alike. Indeed, the Friday after Halloween saw them sitting even closer together in double Potions, their heads bent over the cauldron as they worked together to finish their Forgetfulness Potion. Neither one snapped at the other, nor did Hermione speak ill of Susanna's alleged distracted-nature.
Then they spent that Saturday in the library, teasing Ron as he grumbled about Herbology, laughing as he walked off to go hang out with Seamus, Dean, and Neville instead. This trend of working together continued through the next week, and Susanna's protectiveness spread to Hermione. When Lavender teased the bushy-haired girl "behind" her back - Hermione was in the bathroom, and Susanna knew she could hear the Patil twins laughing - the redheaded girl threatened them with the most colorful of pranks should she ever catch them talking about her friend like that again.
What certainly hadn't changed was Professor Snape's disdain for Harry - in fact, it somehow seemed to have worsened.
The day before Harry's first Quidditch game, the four Gryffindors found themselves in the frigid courtyard. They huddled around a jar containing a bright blue flame the girls conjured to keep the warm during break, their backs to it. Harry was flipping through Quidditch Through the Ages, Ron peering over his shoulder to read with him while Hermione and Susanna went over their Potions notes.
Susanna suddenly froze. "Oh, great - it's the dungeon bat. Act natural." She hissed under her breath, watching the black-cloaked figure come closer. The group moved closer to the jar, hoping to hide it from Snape's line of sight. They still couldn't quite mask the guilt from their faces, enticing Snape. He limped with a purpose, onyx eyes zeroed in on Harry as his cloak billowed behind him.
"What's that you've got there, Potter?" He asked, nodding down to the book in Harry's hands. Susanna's gaze lowered to Snape's knees, confused. He was walking just fine earlier in class. Maybe Peeves got to him? She'd pay good money to see that interaction.
Snape held out his hand, breaking Susanna from her thoughts. "Library books are not to be taken outside the school. Give it to me. Five points from Gryffindor." With that, he snatched the book from Harry and limped away, leaving the four students to glare at his back.
Harry fumed beside his cousin. "He's just made that rule up. Wonder what's wrong with his leg?"
"Dunno, but I hope it's really hurting him." Ron bit out.
Susanna patted her cousin on the shoulder, nodding along with the other redhead. "My money's on Peeves."
"He could've just tripped. The stairs are getting quite slippery." Hermione offered, and Susanna grinned.
"Do you think he took points from the floor?" She cleared her throat, lowering her voice quite a few octaves. "'Twenty points for being incompetent. You are not meant to trip professors, you insolent stone.' No, wait, that's too nice. I'm sure he threw in a few more of his creative insults."
"True. Of course, he wouldn't just blame the steps. 'And another thirty points to the handrails, for not reaching out to aid me.'" Ron added, the two redheads laughing loud enough to catch the attention of a few passing older students. They didn't calm down, though, Hermione and Harry rolling their eyes but smiling nonetheless as the ridiculous redheads continued on with their impersonations.
Susanna glared down at her star chart as yet another half hour of confusion past. Her Potions work was pushed aside, having been conquered relatively quickly. Ron rolled his eyes at her sigh and wiggled his fingers. She grinned and passed her paper to him, leaning back in her chair.
"This looks right, yes?" Hermione asked, showing Susanna Harry's Transfiguration work. The redhead girl's eyes scanned over the parchment, and she nodded.
"Yes. No doubt because of you." Susanna winked. Hermione snorted and lightly pushed her elbow.
"I can't do this anymore!" Harry threw his arms up as he stood, making all three jump. "I need the book back. I'm going to see Snape, try to talk him out of it."
"Better you than me."
"Good luck." Ron and Hermione responded, and Susanna snorted.
"Well, I don't think he entirely hates me, so I'll come with you. At least to give you some words of comfort when he says 'no'." His cousin teased.
"But your star chart -"
"You've got it, thanks Ron!" Susanna waved the other redhead off, ignoring his colorful insults as she followed after Harry.
"Should we check the dungeons?" Harry asked her as they walked down the steps, tapping their feet as they waited for the staircases to finish moving.
"We still have some time before supper. I'm sure he's in the staffroom."
"Hopefully along with some other teachers." Harry mumbled, growing paler as they walked closer to their destination.
By the time they reached the staffroom, Harry was shaking like a leaf in the breeze. Susanna wasn't much better, and she steeled her nerves as her cousin knocked timidly on the door. No one answered. He tried again, this time louder, and no one responded. Susanna sighed and twisted the knob and grinned wickedly when she found the room was unlocked. Harry rolled his eyes but pushed the door ajar, the cousins peering in with Susanna's head stacked above the Chosen One's.
They were met with an alarmingly horrifying scene. Professor Snape had one leg bent on a chair, the trousers under his robes rolled up to reveal a mangled, bloody leg - it was like something out of a slasher film Dudley had convinced their father to let him watch.
He was not alone. Filch was there as well, handing the injured professors some bandages. There goes Harry's hopes of getting the book back, she thought to herself, certain there was no way Filch would take their side.
"Blasted thing." Snape griped, wrapping some gauze around his leg and hissing as he worked. "How are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?"
Susanna jolted, tilting her head in surprise at the professor's words. Three heads - does he know about the dog?
With his cousin distracted, Harry tried to close the door quietly. It squeaked and the cousins winced, Snape's head swiveling towards the noise. "POTTER! DURSLEY!"
"Oops." Susanna muttered, Harry gulping as Snape rolled down the trousers to hide the wound.
"I just wondered if I could have my book back?" Harry asked, voice quiet. Susanna nodded next to him, flinching as their professor roared at them.
"GET OUT! OUT!"
"Right, sorry -" Susanna awkwardly responded, tugging Harry as they slammed the door closed. Shaking, the duo ran as far as they could from the staffroom, sweaty and red-faced by the time they reached Gryffindor tower. Panting out the password, they stumbled through the portrait-hole and over to their two friends.
"That was fast." Hermione commented, looking at her watch.
"Did you get it? What's the matter?" Ron asked, finally taking note of their haggard appearances.
"Wait - catch - breath." Susanna managed to exhale. Harry just sat on his chair, groaning. "Okay." She nodded, finally managing to breathe without sounding like the mountain troll. "We went to the staffroom, to go get the book -"
"And Snape was there -"
"So was Filch." Susanna reminded Harry, who nodded and continued his explanation, whispering.
"Yeah, like Suze said. Filch was there. Snape's leg - remember how he was limping earlier - it was all mangled."
"It looked gross." Susanna shuddered, Harry shivering in agreement.
"It was."
"How'd it happen?" Hermione asked, leaning forward. Ron copied her, eager for more information.
"Snape said, 'How are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?'" Harry whispered, and their friend's confused faces morphed into understanding. Ron's jaw dropped a little and Hermione's eyes widened.
"You mean he -"
Susanna nodded at Hermione. "The three headed dog. He went to the forbidden corridor. Unless there's another three-headed dog hidden in the castle."
Ron shuddered at the thought. "Let's hope not."
"You know what this means?" All three Gryffindors looked at Harry, once more breathless with his eyes a little crazed. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog! He's after whatever it's guarding! That's where we saw him heading, Ron, remember? When we were looking for Suze and Hermione? He must've tried it on Halloween, that's how the troll got in, only McGonagall must've found him before he got to the corridor. So he tried again last night."
Susanna watched her cousin, worry clear on her face the more he ranted out his suspicions. Snape certainly looked unbothered by the troll, she thought to herself, remembering how he calmly approached the sleeping beast while Quirrell cowered in a stall. Why hadn't he been looking for the troll? After all, Harry and Ron had told the girls the Defense professor had said it was in -
"No, he wouldn't!" Hermione argued, tearing Susanna from her thoughts. "I know he's not nice, but he wouldn't try and steal something Dumbledore was keeping safe."
Ron scoffed at her, earning a put-off glare. "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 dig guarding? Susie, you alright?" Ron looked at his fellow redhead, her pink lips pursed in thought.
"Suze?"
"Anna?" Harry and Hermione asked, shaking Susanna from her thoughts once more.
"Hmm? Sorry, just… thinking about how gross Snape's leg was."
"Right." Ron hummed, then sighed. "Potions class is bad enough without our professor being some dark thief. Who knows what else Snape'll let loose in the castle."
Susanna shuddered at the thought while Hermione rolled her eyes, picking up her friends' homework to continue her corrections. Ron reluctantly picked up Susanna's star chart while Harry pretended to read his Herbology book.
Susanna stared at a spot on the wall, mind on Snape's leg and the three-headed dog beneath the castle.
The next morning saw Susanna and Hermione shivering in their dorm, the cold November air finding its way inside. Hades mewled and curled up onto Susanna's pillow, pawing at the spot Susanna's head previously rested on.
"I can't believe Harry has to fly in this weather. If I ever decide to try out for the Quidditch team, I expect you to spell me out of it, because I've clearly been jinxed."
Hermione snorted at her melodramatic friend, and let the warmly-dressed girl lead them out of the girls' dorm.
Susanna grumbled even after they were joined by Harry and Ron, her cousin paler than usual. He kept gulping nervously, pushing his glasses up his nose and stammering out short answers when asked a question posed by random passersby. A few other students even threw in a few teasing remarks, all of which earned them the deadliest of glares from Susanna. She grabbed his elbow halfway to the Great Hall and didn't let go, Harry patting her hand in thanks.
"You're going to be great up there. Okay? If you could survive my brother and his friends, you can get through one stupid game of Quidditch." She whispered in Harry's ear, glaring at the fourth person to pass them and crack a joke about her cousin's potential death-by-broom. "I have total faith in you, Freak."
"Thanks, Suze."
She sighed as he kept walking, shoulders stiff and head down. "Hey. He'll be alright." Ron had noticed her falling behind, and Susanna exhaled through her nose.
"He better be. Come on, I smell sausages." The two redheads trailed after Harry and Hermione, the latter of whom was reciting another chapter of Quidditch Through the Ages. Finding some free spots close to the faculty table, the four Gryffindors sat down for breakfast. Ron piled his plate high with eggs, beans, sausages, and tomatoes. Hermione watched with disgust as he began stuffing his mouth before delicately taking a bite of toast. Harry poked around at his plate, his cousin making sure to add bacon. Susanna subtly glanced down at her stomach, feeling over it with her hand.
One piece of toast. Ten bites of egg. No meat, just some tomatoes, she ordered herself, ignoring Hermione's scrutinizing gaze.
"You've got to eat some breakfast." Susanna looked up, expecting the other girl to be talking to her. Instead Hermione was looking at Harry, who was as interested in his food as Susanna was.
"I don't want anything." Harry grumbled.
Ron made an effort to swallow before speaking. "Mate," he poked at Harry, "you've got to keep your strength up today. Who knows how long the game'll last."
"I'm not hungry."
"Just a bit of toast." Hermione pleaded, and she held her ground when Harry glared at her.
"I said I'm not hungry."
"Harry." Susanna snapped. "Eat. Now. If you don't, you'll get tired and you'll fall off your broom. Remember when I almost fainted during dance class? Why did that happen again?"
Harry sighed. "Because you hadn't eaten enough and your lesson ran long."
"That's right. Only my fall would've been shorter. Do this for me, at least. Please."
"I'll eat when you will." Harry huffed at her, nodding at her still full plate. Susanna spitefully stabbed her fork into her eggs, chewing loudly and with purpose until her cousin joined in. Their friends watched as they tucked in, eyes going back and forth between the Potter boy and Dursley girl as they ate through their glares.
"What's with them?" Susanna heard Seamus ask, watching him sit with Neville and Dean as she continued to eat what little remained on her plate.
"Cousins." Ron shook his head, smirking until Susanna tossed a piece of toast at his head. She and Harry laughed as he stuttered, pushing aside their empty plates. "You're awful, you know that Susie? Terrible. Mental. Rude." The red-haired boy complained, eliciting and impressively dramatic eye roll from the Muggle-born. "You sure you don't want more? The bacon's good."
"No. The way you just ate made me lose my appetite." Susanna bit back, receiving a nod of agreement from Hermione. Ron just shrugged and loaded his plate with his second - possibly his third, Susanna wasn't sure - helping.
"Harry, you need your strength." Seamus piped up, getting the four friends' attention. "Seekers are always the ones who get clobbered by the other team."
"Thanks, Seamus." Harry responded, and he and his cousin watched the sandy-haired boy smother his sausages in ketchup. He gulped before returning his focus to his half-eaten plate.
Susanna sighed and reached over to take Harry's hand. She squeezed it and waited for her cousin to peek up at her. "Hey. Don't worry. You'll be okay."
"He's going to be okay, right?" Susanna asked, a little out of breath as she and her friends climbed up to the Quidditch stands.
"Of course he will." Hermione assured her, swiping some bushy locks out of her eyes.
"If he doesn't take a Bludger to the head." Ron mumbled, earning himself a glare from Hermione and a panicked jolt from Susanna. Realizing he'd spoken out loud, the redheaded boy cleared his throat. "But he won't, of course! Fred and George are excellent Beaters!"
"That makes me feel loads better." Susanna muttered, and Hermione's eyes narrowed on Ron in disappointment as the Chosen One's cousin continued her ascent.
Neville and Seamus, waved the trio over, Dean holding up a tattered bedsheet. He and Susanna had worked together the evening before to create a large banner for Gryffindor's new Seeker. "Potter for President" had been painted across, a large Gryffindor lion drawn underneath. It's mouth was open, releasing a silent roar. Not blind to Susanna's distracted state, Hermione took the reins in charming the banner so the colors would change on their own accord. Meanwhile, the red-haired girl accepted a pair of binoculars from Seamus, fumbling with it.
She looked around the stands - Slytherin was buzzing with excitement, proudly waving their house's banners and sending jeering glances and lewd taunts at the Gryffindors. The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws seemed to mostly be cheering for Gryffindor, but their chants were drowned out by Slytherin's startlingly lion-like roars.
Susanna smirked at the idea of calling a Slytherin "lion-like" to their face - it was bound to be an insult.
"Susie, they're coming out, over there!" Ron shook her shoulder, jolting Susanna from her observations. She looked down at the field, letting out a loud cheer as the two teams marched onto the field. As Madam Hooch - the ref - spoke to the players, Susanna focused her binoculars on Harry. Even if he had perfect vision, he wouldn't have been able to return the favor, but his slightly-older cousin hoped he knew she would be looking out for him. Her hands shook with fear, her body tingling as she watched his lips twist.
"He's nervous." Susanna whispered, Hermione and Ron staring down at the red-haired girl. Her green eyes were wide as she lowered the binoculars. "Oh God, what if he falls? He's too far for me to catch!"
"Catch?"
"How on earth would you be able to catch him?" Ron and Hermione asked, the latter looking apologetic when she realized how tactless she sounded.
Susanna didn't notice her friend's tone, eyes still glued on her cousin's tiny figure. "It's how we figured out I was like him. I caught him when he fell. I can usually catch him. What if I can't catch him?"
"Anna, relax. There's no need to panic. Madam Hooch is here, as are the rest of the teachers - including Professor McGonagall. They won't let anything happen to Harry."
Susanna nodded at Hermione's words, then took a few calming breaths. Binoculars raised, she watched Madam Hooch press her silver whistle to her lips. The woman blew, the sound shrill as it echoed up to the crowd. Fifteen brooms - as the ref was flying with the players - shot up into the sky, streaks of scarlet and emerald green zooming around the stands.
Lee Jordan cleared his throat, and began his announcements. "And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor - what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too -"
"JORDAN!" Professor McGonagall roared.
"Sorry, Professor."
Susanna snorted, the exchange bolstering her spirits.
Lee pressed on. "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 score - No! Stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor's Keeper Wood and the Gryffindor's take the Quaffle - that's Chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Flint, up the field and - OUCH -" Susanna winced as she watched Katie Bell get smacked in the back of the head with a Bludger, Lee announcing it only a few moments later. "That must've hurt, hit in the back of the head by a Bludger - Quaffle taken by 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 -"
"FRED, LEE!" Susanna shouted, the binoculars clearly doing their job. Lee couldn't hear her over the crowd or his announcements, and she grumbled under her breath about his supposed best-friendship with the twins, getting a laugh from Ron.
"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, Angeline - Keeper Bletchley dives, misses - GRYFFINDORS SCORE!"
Cheering erupted in the stands, Susanna snatching a Gryffindor banner from a bemused housemate as she waved it proudly in the air, laughing at the Slytherins' defeated expressions.
"Budge up there, move along." A voice rumbled behind her, and Susanna turned to see Hagrid making his way through the throngs of students. She, Ron, and Hermione made space for the giant groundskeeper. "Bin watchin' from me hut," Hagrid informed them, 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. Harry hasn't had much to do yet." Ron answered.
"Kept outta trouble, though, that's somethin'." Hagrid hummed, then sent a concerned glance down at the Chosen One's cousin. Her normally sun-kissed complexion had gone ghostly white. "You alrigh', Susanna?"
"Hmm? Yeah. Good to see you, too." She dazedly responded, focus back on the Pitch, and up. Through her binoculars, she could see Harry just sitting on his broom, occasionally gliding over the game. His eyes were squinted as he searched for the snitch.
At least he's out of harm's way, she thought to herself, only to cry out when a Bludger came too close to Harry. He dodged just in time, Fred chasing after it. Susanna cheered when the older redhead sent it flying towards Marcus Flint.
"Slytherin in possession!" Lee announced begrudgingly. "Chaser Pucey -" Susanna snorted at the name, "ducks two Bludgers, two Weasleys, and Chaser Bell, and speeds toward the - wait a moment, was that the Snitch?"
Susanna's grin grew as she watched her cousin dive towards a streak of gold. Ron chortled beside her when they noticed Chaser Pucey dropping the Quaffle, distracted. Hermione huffed and covered her ears, glaring at the overzealous crowd. Harry's cousin began to jump around in anticipation, she and Ron holding onto each other as Harry and the Slytherin Seeker hurtled neck-and-neck after the Snitch.
Marcus Flint dove in front of Harry, sending his broom off course. As he spun out of control Susanna, screamed in fury, cursing Flint from the stands. Hermione did her best to cover the furiously-spitting girl's mouth, the redhead's usually warm complexion turning an alarming shade of purple as she shook with fear for her cousin. Hermione looked to Ron for help, but the boy was almost giving Susanna's rage a run for its money.
"Send him off, ref! Red card!"
"Yeah! Red card his arse, Hooch!" Dean and Susanna screamed.
"What are you two talking about?" Ron asked over the slow-fading roars.
"Red card!" Dean spit out, Susanna nodding as she looked at her cousin through binoculars once more. "In football you get shown a red card and you're out of the game!"
"But this isn't football, Dean." Ron argued.
Susanna looked up and back as Hagrid scoffed, expression nearly as vengeful as hers. "They oughta change the rules. Flint coulda knocked Harry outta the air."
Susanna shivered as she turned around, doing her best not to picture Harry on the ground, flatter than a pancake. Ron bumped into her, smiling comfortingly. "He's fine, Susie."
She exhaled, almost smiling at Lee's reaction.
"So, after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating -"
"Jordan!" Professor McGonagall growled.
"I mean, after that open and revolting foul -"
"Jordan, I'm warning you -"
"Alright, alright!" Lee Jordan huffed. "Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker - good luck with that, Flint, I'm sure his cousin has something planned for you - 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."
Susanna had managed a weak smirk at Lee's warning to the Slytherin Captain, but it faded as she watched Harry dodge another Bludger. It whizzed over his head, and Susanna swore she nearly fainted. Her worries weren't over, though. Harry's broom had begun to buck like a wild horse. She grabbed at Ron and Hermione, dropping her binoculars as she pointed at her cousin.
"Bloody Slytherin, useless cheaters - what?" Ron asked.
"H-H-Harry's bro-broom." Susanna stammered out, and Ron's eyes bulged when he noticed the Seeker's predicament. The rest of the crowd's gaze shifted as well, nearly everyone looking away from the game to watch Harry roll around on his broom.
"Dunno what Harry thinks he's doing." Hagrid mumbled behind her, Susanna shaking with fear as she stumbled towards the railing, as if she could reach him herself. "If I didn' know better, I'd say he'd lost control of his broom… but he can't have…"
"Can't have what?" Susanna asked, eyes wide with horror.
"Did something happen to it when Flint blocked him?" Seamus looked up at Hagrid, the giant shaking his head in return.
"Can't have." His voice shook as hard as Susanna's body. "Can't nothing interfere with a broomstick except powerful dark magic - no kid could do that to a Nimbus Two Thousand."
Hermione's gasp got Susanna's attention, and she watched as her friend grabbed the binoculars from Hagrid's lax grip. She didn't look up, though. Instead, Hermione's gaze swept around the crowd. "I knew it!"
"What?"
"What do you see?" Ron and Susanna asked, Hermione passing the binoculars to the redhead girl.
"Snape! He's jinxing the broom!" Hermione pointed to the stands across from them. Susanna watched as the greasy-haired Potions master muttered to himself, eyes unmoving from Harry's bucking.
"What should we do?" Ron asked, grunting as Susanna shoved the binoculars into his chest. "Where are you going?!"
Susanna paused long enough to look at her friends. "To save my cousin." She ran before anyone could stop her, mahogany wand clutched in her hand as she shoved her way through the crowded stands. Every now and then she'd catch sight of her cousin holding on for dear life. She silently thanked the Weasley twins as they tried to fly up to him, but every time they did the broom would fly higher and higher. So the red-haired girl sped up, climbing up and down stairs and running harder than she ever had to before. All she had to do was imagine running from her brother and his friends.
"Watch it, mudblood!" Parkinson shouted as she shoved the Slytherin out of the way, but Susanna only waved her off. When she reached Snape's stands, she hurried down the rows, wincing when she shoved Professor Quirrell out of the way. Crouching behind Professor Snape, she glared up at the man's back as she tapped the wand on the cloak's hem.
"Lacarnum Inflamarae." She ground out, putting all her hatred into the spell. Tiny flames lapped away at the fabric, and Susanna grinned as she blew on it. The flames grew and the professor above her yelped. Relieved gasps and cheers told her she'd succeeded, and Susanna ran up and away, stopping at a safe distance to watch her cousin.
Harry had managed to climb back aboard his broom, no longer dangling over the field. He was speeding towards the ground instead, and Susanna shoved her way down the next stand over, surrounded by Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs alike. Her eyes bulged when he flipped off his broom and sat up on the grass, covering his mouth with his hands. Her own stomach rolled and she winced, hoping he wasn't about to get sick - if he did, she would, too.
But no breakfast came out. Instead, her cousin held up his hand, something gold glinting in his grip. Susanna gasped, then let out a victory cry as Harry yelled, "I've got the Snitch!"
The Slytherin team groaned and griped, Flint complaining loudly over Lee's announcements as the Gryffindor team was awarded 150 points, winning the first game of the Quidditch season.
Susanna ran down from the stands onto the field, where what felt like half of Gryffindor had gathered around their house's team. She pushed her way through the older students and leaped onto her sweaty cousin, the two holding each other tight as the rest of their team and housemates cheered.
"I don't know what happened… my broom -" Harry gasped onto her shoulder, and Susanna nodded against his.
"I do. Let's find the others. Get you some tea. Okay?" Susanna dragged her cousin away from the cheering crowd, glaring up at Snape's stand as they left the pitch behind them.
Twenty minutes later, Harry was sitting on Hagrid's large couch, Susanna fussing over him while Hagrid brewed a strong cup of tea. He'd attempted to brush her off, but the redhead was nothing if not stubborn.
"It was Snape." Ron explained to Harry. "We saw him. He was cursing your broomstick, muttering, he wouldn't take his eyes off you."
"Rubbish!" Hagrid argued. "Why would Snape do somethin' like that?"
The four friends looked at each other, but it was Harry who decided to tell their host the truth. "Suze and I found out something about him. He tried to get past the three-headed dog on Halloween, but couldn't. So he tried a couple of days ago, and it bit him. We think he's trying to steal whatever it's guarding."
Hagrid dropped the teapot, and Susanna jumped at the sound. "How do you know about Fluffy?"
"'Fluffy'?" Susanna asked, tilting her head.
"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 -"
"Yea?" Harry asked.
"Now, don't ask me anymore!" Hagrid huffed. "That's top secret, that is."
"But Snape's trying to steal it." Hermione argued.
Their host shook his head. "Rubbish. Snape's a Hogwarts teacher, he'd do nothin' of the sort."
"So why did he just try to kill Harry?" Susanna asked, nearly throwing her arms up in frustration.
Hermione nodded along, her mind changed 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! We all did!"
"I'm tellin' yeh, yer wrong!" Hagrid snapped. "I don' know why Harry's broom acted like that, but Snape wouldn' try an' kill a student -"
"No, just bully them." Susanna grumbled, remembering every cruel thing he's said and done to Neville.
Hagrid inhaled sharply. "Now listen ter me, all three of yeh. Yer meddlin' in things that don' concern yeh. It's dangerous. Yeh forget that dog, an' yeh forget what it's guardin', that's between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicholas Flamel -"
"Aha!" Harry shouted, pointing at the man. "So there's someone called Nicholas Flamel involved, is there?"
Hagrid looked furious with himself, attempting to stammer out explanations. Susanna and Hermione ignored him while the boys continued to try and argue out more information. The girls stared at each other and nodded, understanding gleaming in their eyes.
They'd be spending the weekend in the library, looking up this Nicholas Flamel.
Again: I'm aware that Snape was canonically bit by Fluffy on Halloween. No one come for me, I'm aware. That being said, I pushed the bite a week back just to give the quartet a little more time to become friends. As I've already established Thursday as Snape's usual patrol day, I figured his run-in with Fluffy could happen exactly a week later, with Snape doubling down on checking on the stone.