The bright green Quidditch pitch lay pristine like fresh carpet, no doubt magically assisted,

bordered by 6 tall golden hoops on opposite ends, and a mass of cheering students who

waved gold and blue banners.

A brisk November wind whipped through the stands as Professor Granger scanned her

students, although they hardly noticed. The stands were alive with a ferver that only the first

Quidditch match of the season could conjure, and it seemed that each and every student had

their eyes on the guest referee.

Viktor walked out onto the pitch with great fanfare, although his demeanor was cool. He did

not address the crowd this time, but instead faced Morgan Palmer, Hufflepuff Captain, and

Talib Moussa, the Ravenclaw captain who both gaped, having clearly been fans of the

veteran Quidditch player since they were in nappies.

The Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff teams were standing in two rows on the pitch, broomsticks by

their sides, as their 7th year captains cordially shook hands.

Viktor held his wand to his throat and went through his obligatory list of rules and penalties.

"Hello players, I am Viktor Krum and I vill be your referee today. Let us haf a good and clean

match; no crashing into each other, no touching another player's broomstick, and absolutely

no cheating. I varn you now, I enjoy giving out penalty shots."

He glanced between the two teams, his brows furrowing, and then he smiled again. "But I

know that you are doing your best, and that we vill haf a great game. Fly hard, play fair, and

good luck!" Viktor blew his whistle and the stands erupted in excitement as the players shot

up into the air.

Hermione scanned the stands for Severus, not seeing him. His thoughts found her. Staff box.

She looked up to her left and spotted Severus' black cloak against the blues and yellows of

the box, decorated for Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. He was moving his wand subtly, refreshing

his wards.

A loud roar returned Hermione's attention to the pitch, where two players were clamoring for

possession of the Quaffle.

"Ravenclaw's chaser, Kiran shoots out ahead and captures the Quaffle. Lieran shoots - AND

IS TOO SLOW FOR LOTTIE MCDANIEL! HUFFLEPUFF HAS A REAL GIFT ON

THEIR HANDS WITH THAT ONE!"

McDaniel had knocked the Quaffle across the pitch effortlessly, much to the chagrin of the

entire Ravenclaw side. Their good luck did not last long however, when McDaniel was

smacked in the side by a bludger from one of Ravenclaw's beaters. Lottie tolled and toppled

over her broom, but recovered before she hit the ground.

"Bludger from Hollins. McDaniel's tough though, manages to stay upright. ROSS

SWOOPING IN FOR A GOAL AND RAVENCLAW SCORES! 10-NIL RAVENCLAW!"

Just then, when the match was nearly halfway through, and Hufflepuff had nearly caught up,

Hermione felt the tug of small hands on her robes. She looked around and down until she saw

a second-year Slytherin staring up at her. She could not recall the girl's name, but her large

hazel eyes were watered and her lower lip trembled as "Miss Granger, those boys are picking

on me."

Hermione looked up to the stands behind her where the girl was pointing, attempting to

decipher which students she was referring to, when a booming explosion sounded from the

Ravenclaw stands, shaking the stands beneath her.

The game halted immediately, all 14 players hovered in midair, staring open-mouthed at the

stands in shock. Hermione could see only smoke billowing from the student section.

Hermione burst into action, her wand was raised and amplifying her voice before she even

stopped to think. As much as she wanted to rush over and help, she knew that the safest

course of action was to follow protocol and evacuate the students in her section. "Attention

students, you are to evacuate immediately through the south staircase. Remain calm and

move in an orderly fashion."

The students, excitable as they were, barely listened, clamoring over each other to see the

commotion. "When you reach the lawn, find your prefects who are waving your house flags.

They will guide you to safety."

It took several minutes to get the last of the students - crying first years - out of the stands

and onto the lawn, where Hermione handed them off to their prefects. "Once you've counted

up all your students, report to your common rooms and wait for your head of house", she told

the prefects.

Severus, I'm approaching from the south. What's happening?

We've put out the blaze, but there are some students trapped under the debris.

Her charges at last accounted for, she at once turned and sprinted towards the stand from

whence the commotion rang, not caring for decorum as she squeezed in between the throngs

of students fleeing in the opposite direction. When she got through, she looked around at the

stands, the entire section had fallen and was presently heaped onto the ground. Her heart sank

as her thoughts went to the students who may have been crushed.

As Hermione rounded the corner she heard a shout. It was a girl's voice shouting from under

several planks of wood.

Hermione cursed and continued to lift beams off of the trapped students.

"Blast it!" Hermione strained to lift the beams faster. She moved the broken pieces of the

stands as carefully as she could while amplifying her voice. "Attention, students. Shout or

send up sparks if you can, we're coming for you. Please remain calm until we can remove the

rubble and get you to the hospital wing." She hoped none of them had been crushed. A

chorus of pleading yells came from under the largest pile of rubble.

Hermione moved a large piece of debris so that several students could crawl out. The first

boy dusted himself off, revealing his face. Hermione knelt to him, "Toby are you injured?"

The boy looked scared sick. "Professor, there are more students down there."

As Hermione lifted more of the collapsed stadium, a dozen or more students crawled out

from under the rubble. She quickly assessed each student for injury. Beyond some lumps and

possible fractures, no one was seriously injured.

She breathed a sigh of relief, too soon though, as her eyes fell upon the crumpled form of

Miss Dora Greenlee, a first year. Hermione rushed to the girls' side. She was unconscious. A

diagnostic spell told her that Dora has a concussion.

Just as she pulled the girl out of the rubble, a second explosion rang out on the other side of

the pitch. What on earth is happening? Hermione recalled the patrol schedule in her mind

and realized that it was Rowlands' section that had just been hit.

Hermione tensed up. "Rowland, check in!"

Nothing.

"Rowland! Your quadrant's just been hit. Check in."

Nothing.

Hermione needed to make some very quick decisions. "Toby, Flitwick tells me you're good

with charms. Levitate Miss Greenlee and lead these students to the Hospital wing. Do you

know the shortcut on the first floor?"

Toby nodded.

"Good, when you get there I want you to take down everyone's name. I will need to

interview them later." Toby nodded and led the group out.

Hermione ran full-out towards the pitch, her mind reeling with possibilities. What if a student

is hurt? What is Severus is hurt?

She was nearly there when Severus' dark form emerged from the smoke. There was

something, no someone, in his arms. Judging by the long dark curls that cascaded down from

Severus arms, it was Felicity. Alongside them, the unconscious form of Rowland floated

safely nearby.

"They're both alive." Severus said. "Rowland has been stunned, not injured. Not sure yet

what's wrong with Miss MacMillian."

"Did someone breach the grounds?" Hermione grabbed onto Severus' arm and she prepared

for apparition.

"No, the wards held. This was no outside job." Severus took them swiftly to the corridor

outside the hospital wing.

"Had to be a student, or a ministry guest." Hermione opened the door of the bustling hospital

wing and helped Severus lay Felicity down on an empty bed, and then Rowland only

another.

The Hospital Wing was alive with activity, with Madam Pomfrey moving about, healing

students. Hermione and Severus both jumped in to help without being told. The immediately

began to triage the students from most severe injuries to least, conjuring chairs for them, and

went down the line treating them with various potions and spells, occasionally asking Poppy

for her input.

"Is everyone accounted for?" Madam Pomfrey's voice was strained.

Severus nodded. "Yes, most students are just shaken. Aurors are investigating the grounds

now."

Poppy shook her head, muttering under her breath. "It's becoming oddly frequent, these…

incidents."

As for the group that Hermione had pulled out of the stands, none of them, save for Miss

Greenlee, had more than a few bruises or small burns. She asked them collectively, "How is

this possible?"

Little Veronica Henderson squeaked up at her from behind Poppy's shoulder as the

mediwitch treated her sprained wrist, "It was Toby! He did a spell!"

Hermione turned back to Toby, who blushed. "Which spell?"

"Protego Maxima." The sandy-haired boy said sheepishly.

"That is a very advanced spell," Severus said sharply, a glint of suspicion is his eye. He was

right, but to Hermione, this was not impossible - she herself had mastered the spell around his

age.

Toby blushed, but shrugged.

Hermione smiled. "Fifty points to Ravenclaw. Be careful, Mr. Burke, you're in danger of

impressing Professor Snape."

Severus scowled at her and continued to rummage through the stores, pulling out a lone jar.

"Poppy, where has all your burn cream gone? I brewed a new batch just a week ago."

Poppy answered over her shoulder, "Do let me know when you find out who's been pilfering

the storage cabinet, will you?"

Hermione took the jar from him and prepared to examine Toby. "Where are you burned?"

"My calf, I can take care of it."

Hermione held out a wooden tongue suppressor dolloped with burn cream to Toby. "Don't

leave until Poppy releases you. Did you gather everyone's names like I asked?"

Toby produced a small piece of parchment and gave it to her.

When the last of the students had been treated, Hermione sat down next to Felicity's bed,

pulling the curtain around them. Poppy had treated her for a concussion and a considerable

head wound, but she would recover after an induced sleep. At first glance, the freckled girl

could have been asleep, her dark hair splayed out of the pillow. Hermione knew only too well

that the girl may miss weeks of classes, and she thought back to her own second year.

Felicity's wand, a bendy thing made of willow, was sitting on the bedside table. Hermione

could not say what processed her to do it, but she picked it up and examined it. She glanced

at the passed-out girl and back to the wand.

She performed a Priori Incantatem, and a familiar runic symbol appeared in front of her. Her

stomach dropped, she knew that spell. "It can't be."

Cruciatus, the curse to induce excruciating pain. Hermione shuddered at the memories that

the symbol conjured in her mind. But that was far beyond the reaches of a second year. She

reached out mentally for Severus. The last spell that Felicity's wand cast was an

Unforgivable curse.

Silence, and then - Surely, she did not -

I agree. We shall have to see what Rowland says when he wakes up.