Cedric looked excited, while Harry wondered how he was going to do, already figuring that he was going to be playing – somehow, he didn't think that the book would put a whole chapter about it unless he was playing, since he kind of was the main character.
As they entered November, the weather turned very cold. The mountains around the school became icy gray and the lake like chilled steel. Every morning the ground was covered in frost. Hagrid could be seen from the upstairs windows defrosting broomsticks on the Quidditch field, bundled up in a long moleskin overcoat, rabbit fur gloves, and enormous beaverskin boots.
The Quidditch season had begun. On Saturday, Harry would be playing in his first match after weeks of training: Gryffindor versus Slytherin.
"Probably the one worst match in the game," Cedric said.
If Gryffindor won, they would move up into second place in the house championship.
Hardly anyone had seen Harry play because Wood had decided that, as their secret weapon, Harry should be kept, well, secret.
"Hardly anything stays secret at Hogwarts long, especially when it come to Quidditch things, since some people tend to watch the practices."
But news that he was playing Seeker had leaked out somehow, and Harry didn't know which was worse – people telling him he'd be brilliant or people telling him they'd be running around underneath him holding a mattress.
"Why would you think that people telling you would be brilliant is bad?" Cedric asked.
"Because it puts some pressure on me. What if I'm not as good as they all think I am?" Harry said.
"Somehow, I don't think Professor McGonagall would vouch for you unless you were brilliant," Hermione said.
"She's probably right," Luna said.
It was really lucky that Harry now had Hermione as a friend. He didn't know how he'd have gotten through all his homework without her, what with all the last-minute Quidditch practice Wood was making them do.
"Is all that I'm good for?" Hermione said, mock glaring at him. He began to stutter, but she didn't make him suffer long before saying, "I'm kidding. I know that it's just something that I'm helping you with, which I am happy to do…so long as you never ask to copy my work, and at least attempt to actually do the work."
She had also lent him Quidditch Through the Ages, which turned out to be a very interesting read.
"And you were getting on my case about reading it out loud," Hermione said.
"Well, you probably had some kind of tone about you that was annoying us," Harry said. "I mean, if you read it, but sound like a teacher, then we're not going to care much for it."
Harry learned that there were seven hundred ways of committing a Quidditch foul and that all of them had happened during a World Cup match in 1473;
"I wish I could have seen that," Cedric said.
that Seekers were usually the smallest and fastest players, and that most serious Quidditch accidents seemed to happen to them;
"That's definitely true in a Quidditch game outside of school" Cedric said, "since if you don't have a Seeker, the other team is sure to win, unless you have superb Chasers and a Keeper."
that although people rarely died playing Quidditch, referees had been known to vanish and turn up months later in the Sahara Desert.
"How…" Harry started, then decided that he didn't want to know.
Hermione had become a bit more relaxed about breaking rules since Harry and Ron had saved her from the mountain troll, and she was much nicer for it.
"Oh no, your going to be a bad influence on me," Hermione said.
The day before Harry's first Quidditch match the three of them were out in the freezing courtyard during break, and she had conjured them up a bright blue fire that could be carried around in a jam jar.
"That's advance magic for a first year. I don't think that spell's taught until second year," Cedric said, looking as if he was trying to remember.
"Yeah, well, considering how smart she is, I have the feeling that, if she put her mind to it, she could master any spell at a young age," Harry said.
They were standing with their backs to it, getting warm, when Snape crossed the yard.
"Uh-oh," Hermione said; somehow, she had the feeling that she was supposed to do the blue fire in the jam jar outside of class…or the common room.
Harry noticed at one that Snape was limping.
"Think he got hurt by the dog," Cedric said. The others nodded.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione moved closer together to block the fire from view; they were sure it wouldn't be allowed.
"It's not fully against the rules, as your not in the corridors, and your not performing magic on each other," Cedric said. "That's actually the only thing against the rules; performing magic in the corridors against each other. It's just easier to say it's not allowed all together."
Unfortunately, something about their guilty faces caught Snape's eye.
"We'll have to work on that," Harry muttered.
He limped over. He hadn't seen the fire, but he seemed to be looking for a reason to tell them off anyway.
"What's that you've got there, Potter?"
It was Quidditch Through the Ages. Harry showed him.
"Library books are not to be taken outside the school," said Snape. "Give it to me. Five points from Gryffindor."
"Okay, that's not true at all, otherwise you wouldn't be allowed to have library books in your bags when you go to classes outside of the school," Cedric said.
"So, basically, he's just abusing his powers, because he wants to take points away from Gryffindor," Hermione said. Cedric nodded.
"He's just made that rule up," Harry muttered angrily as Snape limped away. "Wonder what's wrong with his leg?"
"Dunno, but I hope it's really hurting him," said Ron bitterly.
Hermione wanted to say that it's not nice to wish harm on a person, but since the person was Snape…
The Gryffindor common room was very noisy that evening. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat together next to a window. Hermione was checking Harry and Ron's Charms homework for them. She would never let them copy ("How will you learn?"),
"Exactly," Hermione said, agreeing with her bookself.
but by asking her to read it through, they got the right answers anyway.
Harry felt restless. He wanted Quidditch Through the Ages back, to take his mind off his nerves about tomorrow. Why should he be afraid of Snape?
"Somehow, I can think of plenty of reasons," Hermione said.
Getting up, he told Ron and Hermione he was going to ask Snape if he could have it.
"Better you than me," they said together, but Harry had an idea that Snape wouldn't refuse if there were other teachers listening.
"That's actually true," Cedric said, a smile beginning to form on his face. "And it has the added effect of getting him into trouble with the other teachers when you explain why he had the book."
He made his way down to the staffroom and knocked. There was no answer. He knocked again. Nothing.
Perhaps Snape had left the book in there? It was worth a try. He pushed the door ajar and peered inside – and a horrible scene met his eyes.
"What?" Hermione said.
Snape and Filch were inside, alone.
Cedric's face went pale.
Snape was holding his robes above his knees.
Now, it twisted itself into a look of disgust.
One of his legs was bloody and mangled.
Oh thought Cedric, realizing that he had taken the previous two comments the wrong way. Thankfully, none of the others had noticed. That would have been an embarrassing conversation if they had, and had asked about it.
Filch was handing Snape bandages.
"Blasted thing," Snape was saying. "How are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?"
"I think the idea is that your not," Hermione said.
Harry tired to shut the door quietly, but –
"POTTER!"
"Uh-oh," Hermione said.
Snape's face was twisted with fury as he dropped his robes quickly to hide his leg. Harry gulped.
"I just wondered if I could have my book back."
"Well, your definitely braver than I am," Cedric said.
"GET OUT! OUT!"
Harry left, before Snape could take any more points from Gryffindor. He sprinted back upstairs.
"Did you get it?" Ron asked as Harry joined them. "What's the matter?"
In a low whisper. Harry told them what he'd seen.
"You know what this means?" he finished breathlessly. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog at Halloween!"
"Or he could have been trying to keep someone from getting past it," Hermione said, though her defense sounded a bit weak. Why would he bother going into the room if what she said was true?
"That's where he was going when we saw him – he's after whatever it's guarding! And I'd bet my broomstick he let that troll in, to make a diversion!"
'I certainly hope that, if your wrong, Ron and Hermione don't remember that bet," Cedric said.
"I'll have to be careful about what I say in the future," Harry agreed.
Hermione's eyes were wide.
"No – he wouldn't," she said. "I know he's not very nice, but he wouldn't try and steal something Dumbledore was keeping safe."
"Sadly, I do believe that's true, especially since it's Dumbledore who basically is making sure he keeps his job, despite the complaints he gets," Cedric said. "I don't think Snape would be stupid enough to truly risk his job by stealing from Dumbledore."
"Honestly, Hermione, you think all teachers are saints or something," snapped Ron.
"No I don't. I just have some common sense not to go jumping to conclusions without more evidence," Hermione said. "Or, without someone almost getting killed. If someone was to try and kill Harry – or Ron – then I'd believe it."
"I'm with Harry. I wouldn't put anything past Snape. But what's he after? What's that dog guarding?"
Harry went to bed with his head hurting with the same question. Neville was snoring loudly, but Harry couldn't sleep. He tried to empty his mind – he needed to sleep, he had to, he had his first Quidditch match in a few hours – but the expression on Snape's face when Harry had seen his leg wasn't easy to forget.
"It sounds like it was the stuff of nightmares," Hermione said.
The next morning dawned very bright and cold. The Great Hall as full of the delicious smell of friend sausages and the cheerful chatter of everyone looking forward to a good Quidditch match.
"Of course," Cedric said.
"You've got to eat some breakfast."
"I don't want anything."
"Just a bit of toast," wheedled Hermione.
"I'm not hungry."
"You should eat; you don't want to have an empty stomach, just in case the match takes a while," Cedric said. "Just because the match can only go on so long doesn't mean that it's a short time."
Harry felt terrible. In an hour's time he'd be walking onto the field.
"Harry, you need your strength," said Seamus Finnigan. "Seekers are always the ones who get clobbered by the other team."
"That's going to do nothing for my nerves," Harry said.
"Thanks, Seamus," said Harry, watching Seamus pile ketchup on his sausages.
Hermione involuntarily wrinkled her nose; she didn't care for ketchup much.
By eleven o'clock the whole school seemed to be out in the stands around the Quidditch pitch. Many students had binoculars. The seats might be raised high in the air, but it was still difficult to see what was going on sometimes.
"That's true," Cedric said.
Ron and Hermione joined Neville, Seamus, and Dean the West Ham
They snorted at this.
fan up in the top row. As a surprise for Harry, they had painted a large banner on one of the sheets Scabbers had ruined. It said Potter for President,
"I wonder why we chose that," Hermione said.
and Dean, who was good at drawing, had done a large Gryffindor lion underneath. Then Hermione had performed a tricky little charm so that the paint flashed different colors.
"Again, I don't think that charm's a first year one," Cedric said.
Meanwhile, in the locker room, Harry and the rest of the team were changing into their scarlet Quidditch robes (Slytherin would be playing in green).
"Of course; you play in your house colors, after all," Cedric said.
Wood cleared his throat for silence.
"Okay, men," he said.
"And women," said Chaser Angelina Johnson.
"And women," Wood agreed. "This is it."
"The big one," said Fred Weasley.
"The one we've all been waiting for," said George.
"We know Oliver's speech by heart," Fred told Harry, "we were on the team last year."
"I guess he doesn't change much, then," Hermione said, laughing just as the others were at the twin's actions.
"Shut up, you two," said Wood. "This is the best team Gryffindor's had in years. We're going to win. I know it."
He glared at them as if to say," Or else."
"I guess he's not willing to actually say it, though," Harry said.
"Right. It's time. Good luck, all of you."
Harry followed Fred and George out of the locker room and, hoping his knees weren't going to give way, walked onto the field to loud cheers.
Madam Hooch was refereeing. She stood in the middle of the field waiting for the two teams, her broom in her hand.
"Now, I want a nice fair game, all of you," she said, once they were all gathered around her. Harry noticed that she seemed to be speaking particularly to the Slytherin Captain, Marcus Flint, a sixth year.
"Of course. The Slytherins are usually the ones who cause the most problems," Cedric said.
Harry thought Flint looked as if he had some troll blood in him.
"I wouldn't doubt it," Cedric said.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw the fluttering banner high above, flashing Potter for President over the crowd. His heart skipped. He felt braver.
"At least we know it helped," Hermione said
"Mount your brooms, please."
Harry clambered onto his Nimbus Two Thousand.
Madam Hooch gave a loud blast on her silver whistle.
Fifteen brooms rose up, high, high into the air. They were off.
"And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor – what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too –"
"Okay, who's doing the commentary?" Hermione asked, sounding amused.
"Somehow, I think it's a Gryffindor," Cedric said; the previous commentator, a Slytherin who hadn't been completely biased against the other teams when the microphone was in hand, had graduated the previous year, after all.
"JORDAN!"
"Ah, him," Cedric said.
"Sorry, Professor."
The Weasley twins' friend, Lee Jordan, was doing the commentary for the match, closely watched by Professor McGonagall.
"Is he a prankster like the twins?" Harry asked. Cedric nodded his head.
"I also have the feeling that, while a good commentator, he'll be a bit biased toward Gryffindors," Cedric added.
"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,"
"I thought you said that the Gryffindor team didn't have reserves," Hermione said.
"They don't," Cedric said. "And she was the only one. Something happened the one of the chaser's last year, and Wood held tryouts to replace the team member, just in case he wasn't there for the game. She never got to play, though, since the one she was going to replace managed to get well just in time to play."
"– 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 sc- no, stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor Keeper Wood and the Gryffindors take the Quaffle – that's Chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Flint, off up the field and – OUCH – that must have hurt, hit in the back of the head by a Bludger – Quaffle taken by the 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"
"Everyone says that," Cedric said.
"– nice play by the a 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, Angelina – Keeper Bletchley dives – misses – GRYFFINDORS SCORE!"
Gryffindor cheers filled the cold air, with howls and moans from the Slytherins.
Cedric was clapping himself, able to visualize with Jordan's commentary, as were the others, though, to them, all of the characters were faceless in their minds.
"Budge up, there, move along."
"Hagrid!"
Ron and Hermione squeezed to give Hagrid enough space to join them.
"Bin watchin' from me hut," said Hagrid, 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," said Ron. "Harry hasn't had much to do yet."
"Kept outta trouble, though, that's somethin',"
"That sounds about right, considering how much trouble you've gotten in already, even if you didn't get caught," Hermione said. Harry just smiled at her.
said Hagrid, raising his binoculars and peering skyward at the speck that was Harry.
Way up above them, Harry was gliding over the game, squinting about for some sign of the Snitch. This was part of his and Wood's game plan.
"Keep out of the way until you catch sight of the Snitch," Wood had said. "We don't want you attacked before you have to be."
"Smart," Cedric said.
When Angelina had scored, Harry had done a couple of loop-the-loops to let off his feelings. Now he was back to staring around for the Snitch. Once he caught sight of a flash of gold, but it was just a reflection from one of the Weasleys' wristwatches,
"They should have taken them off. You're not supposed to have anything gold on during a match," Cedric said, shaking his head.
and once a Bludger decided to come pelting his way, more like a cannonball than anything, but Harry dodged it and Fred Weasley came chasing aver it.
"All right there, Harry?" he had time to yell, as he beat the Bludger furiously toward Marcus Flint.
"Slytherin in possession," Lee Jordan was saying, "Chaser Pucey ducks two Bludgers, two Weasley, and Chaser Bell, and speeds toward the – wait a moment – was that the Snitch?"
A murmur ran through the crowd as Adrian Pucey dropped the Quaffle, too busy looking over his shoulder at the flash of gold that had passed his left ear.
"Idiot," Cedric scoffed.
Harry saw it. In a great rush of excitement he dived downward after the streak of gold. Slytherin Seeker Terence Higgs had seen it, too. Neck and neck they hurtled toward the Snitch – all the Chasers seemed to have forgotten what they were supposed to be doing as they hung in midair to watch.
"And they could have scored more points if they hadn't forgotten their job," Cedric sighed. He seemed to be the only one making comments at the moment, as the others were imagining the match in their minds, especially Harry and Hermione, who had never seen one before.
Harry was faster than Higgs – he could see the little round ball, wings flittering, darting up ahead – he put on an extra burst of speed –
"Come on, come on, come on," Cedric muttered underneath his breath.
WHAM!
"Oh no," Hermione said.
A roar of rage echoed from the Gryffindors below – Marcus Flint had blocked Harry on purpose, and Harry's broom spun off course, Harry holding on for dear life.
"That is a definite foul, right?" Hermione said, looking towards Cedric for an answer. He nodded.
"Foul!" screamed the Gryffindors.
Madam Hooch spoke angrily to Flint and then ordered a few shot at the goal posts for Gryffindor. But in all the confusion, of course, the Golden Snitch had disappeared from sight again.
"Of course," Harry said, sighing.
Down in the stands, Dean Thomas was yelling, "Send him off, ref! Red card!"
"What are you talking about, Dean?" said Ron.
"Red card!" sad Dean furiously. "In soccer you get shown the red card and you're out of the game!"
"But this isn't soccer, Dean," Ron reminded him.
"Which he needs to make sure he remembers," Cedric said.
Hagrid, however, was on Dean's side.
"They oughta change the rules. Flint coulda knocked Harry outta the air."
"The game wouldn't be fun with the risk," Cedric said, shrugging. Then, he flinched when Hermione glared at him for those words.
Lee Jordan was finding it difficult not to take sides.
"So – after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating –"
"McGonagall's not going to allow that," Cedric said.
"Jordan!" growled Professor McGonagall.
"I mean, after that open and revolting foul –"
"Nor that," Cedric said.
"Jordan, I'm warning you –"
"All right, all right, Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure,"
"Of course, he's not just going to let it go," Hermione said.
"so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinnet, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession."
It was as Harry dodged another Bludger, which went spinning dangerously past his head, that it happened.
Everyone in the room suddenly straightened as the air around them seemed to become serious.
His broom gave a sudden, frightening lurch.
"What?" Cedric yelled.
For a split second, he thought he was going to fall.
Harry gulped, feeling fearful for his bookself.
He gripped the broom tightly with both his hands and knees. He'd never felt anything like that.
It happened again. It was as though the broom was trying to buck him off.
"But brooms don't just decide to buck their riders off," Cedric cried. "Not unless…"
But Nimbus Two Thousands did not suddenly decide to buck their riders off. Harry tried to turn back toward the Gryffindor goal posts – he had half a mind to ask Wood to call time-out – and then he realized that his broom was completely out of his control. He couldn't' turn it. He couldn't' direct it at all. It was zigzagging through the air, and every now and then making violent swishing movements that almost unseated him.
"Looks like this broom suddenly decided to, though," Hermione said, in response to Cedric's previous statement. She hadn't noticed that he had left a part of it unfinished, worried about Harry.
Lee was still commentating.
"He didn't notice. How did he not notice?" Hermione cried.
"Slytherin in possession – Flint with the Quaffle – passes Spinnet – passes Bell – hit hard in the face by a Bludger, hope it broke his nose – only joking, Professor – Slytherins score – oh no…"
The Slytherins were cheering. No one seemed to have noticed that Harry's broom was behaving strangely. It was carrying him slowly higher away from the game, jerking and twitching as it went.
"Dunno what Harry thinks he's doing," Hagrid mumbled.
"At least someone has. Now, Hagrid need to get a teacher's attention," Hermione said.
He stared through his binoculars. "If I didn't know better, I'd say he's lost control of his broom…but he can't have…"
Suddenly, people were pointing up at Harry all over the stands.
"Finally. Now a teacher needs to do something," Harry said.
"I don't know what they could do," Cedric said. "Especially since someone's cursing the broom."
"How do you figure that?" Hermione said.
"It's the only reason why the broom would suddenly go out of control," was her answer.
His broom had started to roll over and over, with him only just managing to hold on. Then the whole crowd gasped. Harry's broom had given a wild jerk and Harry swung off it. He was now dangling from it, holding on with only one hand.
"Oh no," Hermione whimpered, looking terrified for her friend.
"Did something happen to it when Flint blocked him?" Seamus whispered.
"Can't have," Hagrid said, his voice shaking. "Can't nothing interfere with a broomstick except powerful Dark magic – no kid could do that to a Nimbus Two Thousand."
"Which means that an adult at the match is the one responsible," Harry said.
"But I've never seen any adult there except for teachers," Cedric said. Hermione would have once said that no teacher would attempt to kill him, but this was after one of them – Quirrell was this person, of course – had let in a troll that could have killed her, so, to say that a teacher wouldn't do that, well, the fact that she suspected one of attempting to do it meant that they just might. And, now that she thought about that…
At these words, Hermione seized Hagrid's binoculars, but instead of looking up at Harry, she started looking frantically at the crowd.
Hermione nodded to herself; she was suspecting one of the teachers. Now, which one, she didn't know, though she had a horrible feeling that she already knew.
"What are you doing?" moaned Ron, gray-faced.
"I knew it," Hermione gasped, "Snape – look."
"You thought it was Snape? What happened to your suspicions about Quirrell?" Harry asked.
"Well, I don't think you told me that Quirrell was the one to mention finding the troll, and your already suspicious about Snape, so, when something like that happens, of I'm probably going to look at Snape. Since I don't have all of the evidence, I'm going to assume it's him because of you and Ron," Hermione said.
Ron grabbed the binoculars. Snape was in the middle of the stands opposite them. He had his eyes fixed on Harry and was muttering nonstop under his breath.
"And that right there says your wrong," Cedric said.
"How do you know?" Harry asked.
"He wouldn't be muttering under his breath if he was cursing the broom, since almost all curses only work once the incantation is finished. He's most likely trying to save you," Cedric said.
"But I thought he hated me?" Harry said. Cedric shrugged.
"I guess, even if he doesn't like you, he won't let a student die if he can prevent it," Cedric said. "In truth, that might be why he's more horrible to those who get their potions wrong. I mean, it only take one wrong move to ruin a potion, and that one wrong move can end up killing someone if the wrong potion blows up."
"Potions sound a lot like chemistry, which also have the same conditions and warnings," Hermione said. She was rewarded with two clueless looks, and one impressed look.
"He's doing something – jinxing the broom," said Hermione.
"What should we do?"
"Leave it to me."
"What are you going to do?" Cedric asked. Hermione shrugged; she didn't have any clue as to what she was planning on doing.
Before Ron could say another word, Hermione had disappeared. Ron turned the binoculars back on Harry. His broom was vibrating so hard, it was almost impossible for him for him to hang on much longer. The whole crowd was on its feet, watching, terrified, as the Weasleys flew up to try and pull Harry safely onto one of their brooms,
"Oh, I hope they can," Hermione said.
but it was no good – every time they got near him, the broom would jump higher still.
"Oh," Hermione said, realizing that the Harry was going quite high…and if he fell…
They dropped lower and circled beneath him, obviously hoping to catch him if he fell.
"At least there's that," Hermione said.
Marcus Flint seized the Quaffle and scored five times without anyone noticing.
'Does it count if no one notices?" Harry asked. Cedric nodded – the points were automatic, even if the announcer didn't notice, or pretended not to notice.
"Come on, Hermione," Ron muttered desperately.
Hermione had fought her way across to the stand where Snape stood, and was now racing along the row behind him; she didn't even stop to say sorry as she knocked Professor Quirrell headfirst into the row in front.
Hermione and Cedric shared a look: why mention Quirrell unless it was important?
Reaching Snape, she crouched down, pulled out her wand, and whispered a few, well-chosen words. Bright blue flames shot from her wand onto the hem of Snape's robes.
"Oh, you would be the envy of all students outside of Slytherin if they knew about that," Cedric said. "Now, to see if Snape realizes what you did or not…"
It took perhaps thirty seconds for Snape to realize that he was on fire. A sudden yelp told her she had done her job. Scooping the fire off him into a little jar in her pocket, she scrambled back along the row – Snape would never know what had happened.
"Yep, definitely the envy of the students. You set him on fire and get away with it," Cedric said.
It was enough. Up in the air, Harry was suddenly able to clamber back in to his broom.
"So it was Snape," Harry said.
"Actually, it could only seem that way. I mean, I did push Quirrell headfirst, interrupting his view of you," Hermione said. "And I obviously only checked to see if Snape was looking at you, none of the others before people began noticing you. And, you heard Cedric, most curses have to have the incantation finished before anything happens."
"Neville, you can look!" Ron said. Neville had been sobbing into Hagrid's jacket for the last five minutes.
Harry was speeding toward the ground when the crowd saw him clap his hand to his mouth as though he was about to be sick – he hit the field on all fours – coughed – and something gold fell into his hand.
"You caught the snitch…in your mouth!" Cedric exclaimed, eyes wide. "That'll definitely go down in Hogwarts Quidditch history."
"I've got the Snitch!" he shouted, waving it above his head, and the game ended in complete confusion.
"Of course; I don't think anyone's ever caught a snitch like that," Cedric said.
"He didn't catch it, he nearly swallowed it," Flint was still howling twenty minutes later,
"But he still got it. After all, it went straight to his hand," Cedric said. "And, even if he didn't, he still touched it."
but it made no different – Harry hadn't broken any rules and Lee Jordan was still happily shouting the results – Gryffindor had won by one hundred and seventy points to sixty.
"Congratulations," Cedric said, wondering if he would get on the house team for whatever house he was in if he wasn't in Gryffindor.
Harry heard none of this, though.
"Why not?" Harry asked, looking confused.
He was being made a cup of strong tea back in Hagrid's hut, with Ron and Hermione.
"Oh," Harry said.
"It was Snape," Ron was explaining, "Hermione and I saw him."
"More like I pointed him out without checking," Hermione said, slightly saddened that she hadn't made sure before accusing someone.
"He was cursing your broomstick, muttering, he wouldn't take his eyes off you."
"Again, that doesn't mean he's the guilty one," Cedric said. Then, he noticed Hermione's sad face. "Hey, it's not your fault you might have gotten it wrong. You not only don't have all the evidence, but what you have been told points to Snape."
Hermione looked a bit cheered after this. It was true, she didn't have all the evidence in the book. At least, it appeared that way.
"Rubbish," said Hagrid, who hadn't heard a word of what had gone on next to him in the stands.
"Of course he wouldn't," Harry said. "I mean, why would he listen to a conversation made by them. That would be too convenient, after all."
"Why would Snape do somethin' like that?"
"He probably wouldn't," Cedric said.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at one another, wondering what to tell him. Harry decided on the truth.
"I found out something about him," he told Hagrid. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween. It bit him. We think he was trying to steal whatever it's guarding."
Hagrid dropped the teapot.
"How do you know about Fluffy?" he said.
"Fluffy!" Hermione, Luna, and Harry said, while Cedric chuckled.
"Only Hagrid," he said. "Remember what I told you; it's the ones with the cute sounding name that you have to watch out for."
"Fluffy?"
"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 –"
"And here's a shining example of why you shouldn't give him a secret to keep," Cedric said.
"Yes?" said Harry eagerly.
"Now, don't ask me anymore," said Hagrid gruffly. "That's top secret, that is."
"But Snape's trying to steal it."
"Rubbish," said Hagrid again. "Snape's a Hogwarts teacher, he'd do nothin' of the sort."
"So why did he just try and kill Harry?" cried Hermione.
The afternoon's events certainly seemed to have changed her mind about Snape.
"That definitely is true," Hermione said. "But I think it would be that way for anyone of the teachers who did that, not just 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!"
"The same holds true for counter-curses, though," Cedric said. Hermione looked ashamed at herself for not realizing that.
"I'm tellin' yeh, yer wrong!" said Hagrid hotly. "I don' know why Harry's broom acted like that, but Snape wouldn' try an' kill a student! Now, listen to me, all three of yeh – yer meddlin' in things that don' concern yeh. It's dangerous. You forget that dog, an' you forget what it's guardin', that's between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicolas Flamel –"
"Another clue," Harry said. "Why does he sound so familiar?"
Hermione thought of where they'd heard that name before, and then remembered .
"On the train, when you and Ron were eating the Chocolate Frogs. He was mentioned on Dumbledore's card. I thought that was weird how they told us what the card description was," Hermione said.
"Somehow, I get the feeling that you, Harry, won't exactly remember it right away, though," Cedric said.
"I get the same feeling," Harry said. "And, Hermione wasn't there in the compartment at the point, so she wouldn't know about it, either, unless I showed her my cards when we became friends, or she has her own."
I doubt it," Hermione said. "I probably wouldn't be interested in it, plus, my parents are dentists. They don't like me consuming chocolate and sugary things. Something that can change once I go to the school."
"What did the card say, exactly?" Cedric asked. Luna, who still held the book, flipped back to that chapter, scanned it, and said, "'Considered by many as the greatest wizard of modern times, Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling.'"
"So, basically, we need to look for a book on alchemy," Hermione said.
"Of course, we're not going to know this in the book," Harry pointed out. Hermione sighed, admitting that he had a point there. Unless Harry remembered, the chances of them finding Flamel were rather low.
"We could ask the librarian for help," Hermione suggested. Harry shook his head.
"We would probably not want to be overheard by Snape," said Harry. Luna began reading again – since there were only two more, rather short, paragraphs left – before Hermione could say anything.
"Aha!" said Harry, "so there's someone called Nicolas Flamel involved, is there?"
Hagrid looked furious with himself.
"Of course he did. He just gave away something he wasn't supposed to," Cedric said.
"That's the end of the chapter," Luna said. She handed the book to Harry.