Chapter 4
No quittin' Quidditch!
Philosopher's Stone
From there on out, things were not the same. Wherever Harry and Ron went, they'd always have Hermione in tow, the girl's intellect having been channelled to provide positive support and encouragement, rather than overt criticism, though the latter persisted some of the time, especially with Ron. It was a blessing for the two, and for their grades.
Then there was Marley, of course. Their distinction by house caused them to be separated more often than they'd like. The compromise was to meet as much as possible outside of their respective common rooms, both the trio and Marley ending up spending very little time in their assigned lounges. Whenever the Slytherin girl did remain in her common room, she would enjoy some quiet time with Sam, a third-year student whom she had very recently grown a liking to. His background was also a bit more modest, leading to him developing sympathies for the lonesome girl, though he didn't have the guts to tell her how some of the Slytherins talked about Marley behind her back. He reminded her of Finley, actually.
All in all, things were great. It was not that Marley spent as much time as possible with the trio, but that the quartet was missing its fourth member here and there.
The morning before Harry's first Quidditch game, was no such occasion.
"You're not eating.", Marley said in a concerned tone. In these past few autumn days, the girl had been paying more attention to her appearance, taking better care of her mahogany hair, adjusted in a sort of greaser look. Her warm beige skin also gleamed with newfound softness, though only Hermione took note of that. Ron was too oblivious, and to Harry the girl remained just as good-looking as always.
Right now, however, his focus remained with breakfast, or lack thereof.
"You haven't even touched your toast, mate.", Ron added.
"You're going to need your strength today, Harry.", Hermione spoke well-mannered, "You need to eat something, at least.
"Do you want to talk about it?", Marley inquired, perhaps a bit too directly. Harry merely shook his head.
"No, thanks. And I'm not hungry.", he defended his actions.
"Miss Verpe...", a deep, brooding voice sounded. Snape had appeared behind them seconds ago, sending all but Marley shivers down their spine. "Is there a problem with the Slytherin table or are you enjoying your breakfast here for leisure?"
She looked over to the mentioned morning banquet, catching Sam engaged in lively conversation while Malfoy happened to meet her gaze, casting a grimace.
"No, everything is fine, Professor.", she answered with an uncanny level of calm, at least according to the others, "I'm just sitting here with my friends."
Snape's brow moved upwards as Harry's expression remained ever so stern.
"I see.", the teacher surmised, "In that case, I hope your friendship with Mr. Potter doesn't spoil your enjoyment over today's game, seeing as Gryffindor is up against Slytherin."
He let the four of them dangle on that thought for a moment.
"In any case...", he turned with a cold stare towards Harry, "...good luck. I suppose after having proven yourself against a troll, a little game of Quidditch should be easy work for you."
With that, Snape finally departed, limping just ever so slightly. As soon as he was out of earshot, Harry let out a hearty scoff.
"Explains the blood then.", he mumbled, alerting mostly Marley.
"Blood?", she winced, as if disgusted by the word alone.
"Snape was injured on Halloween.", Harry explained, "That's why he has been limping the past few days."
Again, only Marley reacted intrigued.
"Injured? Why was he injured on Halloween?"
At her question, Harry shared uneasy looks with Ron and Hermione, the Slytherin girl clearly feeling left out.
"Hello? Guys?", Marley whimpered.
"We should tell her.", Hermione finally sanctioned.
"Tell me what?", her tone grew more impatient.
"We... didn't want to tell you because Snape is your house teacher but...", Harry very much did not enjoy her nervous expression at his words, "...we think he let in the troll. As a distraction."
Her eyes widened and she adjusted her golden-framed glasses.
"Distraction for what?"
Clearly a process of decision making was once again practiced via looks only. They all leaned in a little closer towards each other, speaking in a much quieter tone than before.
"The Philosopher's Stone is in Hogwarts.", Hermione finally revealed.
"The Philosopher's Stone?", Marley scrutinized, "I thought that was a myth. Isn't that... the stone you can use to live forever?"
The others nodded as it dawned on the girl.
"When I went to Gringotts, Hagrid had to deliver a parcel from vault 713.", Harry resumed, "The same vault was broken into a few days ago."
"And so, you think it's in Hogwarts?", Marley kept pushing. Two seconds later, the girl let out a comically theatrical gasp that caught a few eyes around them.
"That's why-", she blurted out, thankfully cutting herself off mid-sentence as she took note of many curious eyes. She finished her thought at the previously established quiet volume. "That's why the three-headed dog was there! It was probably guarding a door!"
"A hatch.", Hermione corrected her. With all the information relayed, the mystery began to take shape within Marley's head.
"Alright.", she calmly proclaimed, clearly finding it overwhelming.
"You have to keep it a secret, Marles.", Ron spoke with little confidence.
"Of course I'll keep it a secret, Ronald.", Marley gave back in a slightly harsh tone, "But... guys...", she looked to all of them with a concerned frown, "I don't think it's Snape. Injury or not, I simply fail to see why he would do it. Just for power?"
The other Gryffindors did seem to take the criticism to heart.
"She does have a point, Harry.", Hermione gave back, "Unless we know why he wants the stone, we can't be convinced for sure that it's him."
The boy appeared to agree only halfway.
"I know he can be rather nasty sometimes...", Marley concluded, "...but he's still a teacher at Hogwarts. He cares about us."
Her final verdict uttered, the girl rose from the bench, tossing a shoulder bag onto herself.
"But anyhow...", her mood lightened as she put a pin in it, "...I'll see you in a bit on your broom. I hope you guys are having fun without me."
"How will you be watching the game, Marles?", Ron inquired curiously. The girl shrugged before a smirk grew on her face.
"Well... I suppose one can cheer for their own team while also cheering for an individual player. Wouldn't you agree, Harry?"
The boy had some trouble readjusting from his nerves, to theorizing about Snape, to now returning to a normal, cheerful tone. Thankfully, the young witch's smiles never seize to be highly infectious.
"I hope so.", he bragged with a smirk of his own, "That way you won't be upset when Gryffindor wins."
Marley rolled her eyes in apparent distain, though her face spoke the opposite as she left.
With the match over and her fellow Slytherins in a discouraged mood, Marley did not hesitate for a moment to hurry down the wobbly stairs of the spectator tower, pushing past by groups of older students while constantly apologizing. Finally at the ground level, she felt momentarily overwhelmed by a crowd of people all collectively taller than her. There has to be an opening somewhere, she'll simply need to push through and-
"Can't wait to see your boyfriend already, Verpe?", a toxic voice sounded through a wall of people already talking. Marley turned around slowly and with a disgusted glare, staring down Malfoy, the boy flicking his brows provocatively at her.
"You're only jealous because he isn't your boyfriend.", she shot back. A few Slytherins around him started to giggle, turning Draco's head blood red.
"Filthy half-blood. You will regret talking to me like this.", he spewed out, rushing down the stairs with violent intent. Once finally in front of her, the boy halted, commencing an intense stare-off.
"You're a traitor to the Slytherin name, cheering for him like that.", Malfoy finally let out like a dog's bark.
"There's something seriously wrong with you, Draco.", she responded, "I hope that you will get the help you so desperately need."
She turned her back towards him again, hoping that the cruel boy had been put in his place.
"At least I always get the help that I need, or anything that I want.", he said with a smirk, forcing Marley to turn back around, "After all, my parents love me. Can't say I've heard the same about Mr. And Mrs. Verpe."
Her eyes widened at that and for a moment Marley felt two pits growing at the same time, one in her stomach and one below her feet. As she stood frozen in place and Malfoy walked closer, a surprisingly large hand firmly grasped the young witch's shoulder.
"Marley, there you are!"
She turned to find her knight in shining armour, Sam, who despite his small advantage in age towered above the other first year students, a calming smile on his rich, brown face, the very outdated hairdo on the top of his person giving him the appearance of a 70s Bollywood star.
"Sam.", she stuttered, feeling nothing but relief at his sudden appearance. Draco and his goons on the other hand reacted with an almost problematic level of distain.
"Why are you getting involved, Chatterjee?", he spit out, pronouncing his last name like a slur.
"I wouldn't talk to someone like that who's older than you, Draco...", Sam gave back with a level of reserve that stunned the blonde bundle of revulsion, "... that's not proper Slytherin etiquette. Or should we consult Professor Snape?"
His strangely posh tone appeared to be enough to shut down Malfoy and Co., allowing Sam to keep his hand on Marley's shoulder as he helped her through the dense crowd.
"Thank you.", she whispered, the phrase embedded into her vocabulary like a mantra.
"That Malfoy boy is a real pain in everyone's ass. Most of the other Slytherin don't really like him but are too afraid to speak up. His dad works in the Ministry, from what I've heard."
His exposition made their walk across several connecting bridges a bit easier, allowing Marley to get distracted by the increasingly stressful number of people. Now passing through the Hufflepuff section, Sam finally had the insight to turn back, not having gotten a response from Marley yet.
"Something wrong?", he politely inquired, "Did he say anything that got to you?"
She thought back to his nasty words, and the deep-seated fear that it triggered within the depths of her heart.
"I don't want to talk about it.", she quietly offered as her answer. Sam agreed with a gentleman's nod, as the two approached cheering in the distance.
"Uh. Must be the Gryffindors.", Sam declared.
"Thank you again.", Marley told him as she freed herself from his grip, "Is it okay if I go alone from here?"
"Not at all. Tell Harry I said 'Hi'. I quite like the lad. He seems well-mannered."
They gave each other a nod and Sam turned the other way. Getting through the Gryffindor crowd was a lot easier, as their constant jumping and yelling made for a squishier mass to slide through.
And there he was. Held up by two identical twins roaring his name, the boy painted with dirt, the saliva-covered snitch held in his right hand like a trophy.
"Harry!", she yelped with much more force than she wanted to draw from. It immediately got everyone's attention as they turned to the Slytherin girl, Fred and George lowering their Seeker right away.
"I told you we'd win, Marley.", Harry boasted in an overly arrogant tone, clearly only teasing her. To his surprise, rather than pushback, the girl stormed him, hugging him with the force of some kind of industrial equipment.
"I was so worried.", she cried into his ear, though everyone else heard it too. As she freed him from the embrace, he stared at her with something in between comfort and confusion.
"What happened?", she continued, "It looked like your broom was trying to kill you! I thought you were going to fall down and die."
Him lacking an answer, and just being enthralled by her sudden outburst, Hermione stepped in.
"We'll explain why later.", the girl spoke as Marley nodded.
"Do you want to go see Hagrid with us?", Harry cut in.
"Yes. Yes! I'd love to.", Marley responded, still quite shaken by the last 30 minutes of events.
"But before you can go on a date, Harry...", Fred announced.
"... we want to celebrate our hero a little more.", George finished his sentence. They hoisted him up again as the Gryffindor backstage area erupted into jubilance once more.
"It's a good thing you didn't have breakfast after all!", Marley shouted over the noise, making Harry smirk. For some reason neither of them minded Fred's insinuating comment. Probably because this time around it was actually just a harmless joke. Perhaps also because, to the both of them, the idea sounded so silly.
"That's nonsensical, Hermione. Why would Snape put a curse on Harry's broom?", Marley questioned her explanation severely, the quartet plus half-giant walking down an empty courtyard, all of the kids wearing their respective house scarfs.
"Marley's right.", Hagrid growled in a deep voice, "You three ought to be more like her."
She smiled at his comment, though turned her head quickly to a concerned-looking Harry.
"Listen Marley,", he began, the girl still expressing doubt in a frown, "I know this morning we didn't have much to go off of. But now..."
He shrugged as her pout intensified.
"It's true.", Hermione chipped in, hoping to come off as a bit more coherent, "We may not know why Snape did it, but he was the one hexing Harry's broom, I know it for a fact."
As she kept talking, Marley's features displayed more and more dislike.
"It still doesn't explain why he did it, which is the most important part.", Hagrid gave as a rebuttal.
"We don't know yet.", Harry continued, "We also don't know why he was trying to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween, but we know that he did."
Hagrid suddenly turned to them with a suspicious frown.
"Who told you about Fluffy?"
"Fluffy?", Ron made himself known, casting confusion upon the man.
"That thing has a name?", Hermione added, similarly baffled.
"That's adorable..."
At that last comment uttered, the entourage halted, four heads turning to Marley, the one who said it.
"What?" Noticing her faux pas, the girl flushed with colour. "It's a cute name..."
She held onto her necklace as they continued their stroll, Harry giving her a smirk that communicated sympathy.
"Of course he's got a name. He's mine.", Hagrid explained, "I bought him off an Irish feller I met down at the pub last year. Then I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the-"
As the bunch passed by a series of bushes, they stopped yet another time, the Keeper of Keys looking rather embarrassed, more so than Marley before.
"Yes?", Harry tried to push him.
"Shouldn't have said that.", the hairy man mumbled under his breath. "No more questions! Can't ask me any more questions. Those matters are top secret."
"But Hagrid...", Harry protested, "...Snape is trying to steal whatever Fluffy is guarding."
"Codswallop!", the giant roared, "Professor Snape is a Hogwarts teacher."
"Hogwarts teacher or not...", Hermione cut in sharply, "...he was using a spell on Harry, I've read all about it. You have to keep eye contact. And he wasn't blinking once."
For a moment, an uneasy aura crept across the grass, sending a chill down all of their spines. Hagrid let out a tired sigh, scratching his shaggy mane as his gaze wandered over to the Slytherin girl.
"Why aren't you saying anything?", he inquired, "You trust Professor Snape, don't you?"
Hoping to convince her with a smile and a nod, he instead found Marley sharing uneasy looks.
"I don't know.", is what she settled on. "I do trust him. But... I read that thing about blinking too. And Snape was injured on Halloween." The thought forming in her head, she was forced to calm herself with a sigh. "I suppose there might be an explanation. Maybe someone is making him. Or he's being controlled by a spell."
She looked to her friends for reassurance, thankfully finding it. Hagrid, in contrast, let out an annoyed grunt.
"Now, you listen to me, all four of you...", he burst out, "You're meddling in things that you don't understand. It's dangerous. What that dog is guarding is none of your business. Only concerns Professor Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel."
His jaw dropped the second his sentence fizzled out.
"Nicholas Flamel?", Harry asked after sharing some intrigued looks with the others.
"I shouldn't have said that.", the Keeper of Keys spoke under his breath, departing from the kids in shame, "I shouldn't have said that..."
With the massive feet stomping away, the gang turned to each other in a circle.
"Who's Nicholas Flamel?", Harry finally dared to ask.
"I don't know.", Hermione responded, having felt like the question was directed towards her.
"We need figure it out quickly, then.", Ron added right after. Spotting sorrow in her eyes, Harry spoke to Marley in a much softer tone.
"Are you alright?"
A few seconds of staring off into nothing later and Marley looked a tat bit more sure of herself.
"I want to know why Snape is after the stone. But I still think he's innocent."
Hermione nodded, while Ron shrugged, and Harry gifted her a smile.
"We'll figure it out, I'm sure of it.", Harry calmly expressed. The Slytherin girl felt the positive effects of this right away.
"And Fluffy is a cute name", the boy added, feeling inclined to say one more nice thing to her.