After Our Eyes Met

Chapter Eleven

"Take a bit of toast, mate. Go on." Ron encouraged Harry to eat some food but he still refused.

"Ron's right, Harry." Hermione told him.

"For once." Hollyn added.

"You're gonna need your strength today." Hermione continued and ignored Hollyn's unnecessary comments.

"I'm not hungry." Harry insisted.

"Good luck today, Potter. Then again, now that you've proven yourself against a troll, a little game of Quidditch should be easy work for you...even if it is against Slytherin." Snape said and walked away from their table.

"That explains the blood." Harry said to himself.

"Blood?" Hermione asked.

"Listen." Harry leaned in so only they could hear. "Last night, I'm guessing Snape let the troll in as a diversion so he could try and get passed that three-headed dog. But he got himself bitten. That's why he's limping." Harry theorized.

"But why would anyone go near that dog?" Hermione asked.

"The day we were at Gringotts, Hagrid took something out of one of the vaults. Said it was Hogwarts business, very secret."

"So you're saying..." Hermione started.

"That's what the dog's guarding. That's what Snape wants." Their conversation was put on hold when Harry's owl flew in with a package.

"But early for mail, isn't it?" Hermione wondered after the bird dropped the wrapped item on the table.

"But I-I never get mail."

"Let's open it." Ron said with wide eyes as he ripped the paper it was wrapped in.

"It's a broomstick." Harry pointed out.

"That's not just a broomstick, Harry." Ron corrected and if it was possible his eyes got wider. "It's a Nimbus 2000."

"But who?" Harry followed Hedwig till the bird pest bed itself next to Professor McGonagall.

- - -

Hollyn, Hermione, and Ron sat in the stands waiting for the game to begin.

The music and crowds started to cheer as a group of red and gold flew out from under the stands and a band of green and grey took off into the air across from them.

They all gathered in a loose circle. The announcer announced Madame Hooch's presence on the field and she let the balls go into the air.

Their were people flying every which way. A girl from Gryffindor threw the ball into the hoop and Gryffindor gained 10 points.

Gryffindor was up by 20 until a ball gleams at the boy guarding Gryffindor's hoop. Now that Slytherin had every opportunity to get their points they took it.

Hollyn watched her brother flying after a small object until his broom started twitching from side to side as if it was having a seizure in the air.

"What's going on with Harry's broomstick?" Hagrid questioned and looked into the air at the boy who could barely hang on.

"It's Snape! He's jinxing the broom!" Hermione informed Aron and Hollyn.

"Jinxing the broom? What do we do?" Ron asked and stared at Harry.

"Leave it to me." Hermione assured and ran off.

Harry fell off and could barely hold himself up with his hands gripping tightly to the handle.

His broom soon stopped moving and he was able to get back on it properly. He chased after the object with the Slytherin seeker as his hip.

They were about to crash into the ground until the Slytherin flew away and Harry pulled his broom up. He carefully started to stand and reached for the small, golden ball.

His broom tipped and he fell onto the ground. He stood and held his hands over his stomach. Something flew from his mouth to his hand and the announce exclaimed that he caught the snitch.

"He's got the snitch! Harry Potter receive 150 points for catching the snitch."

Madame Hooch blew her whistle. "Gryffindor wins."

Everyone cheered for Gryffindor except for the Slytherin's who took the loss harder than expected.

- - -

"Nonsense." Hagrid responded to what they told them about Snape jinxing Harry's broom. "Why would Snape put a curse on Harry's broom?"

"The kill him." Hollyn shrugged a suggestion.

Harry looked at her with wide eyes and she shrugged it off. "Who knows." Harry shook his head. "Why was he trying to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween?" Harry questioned back at Hagrid.

"Who told you about Fluffy?"

"Fluffy?" Ron asked.

"That thing has a name?" Hermione.

"It is far from Fluffy." Hollyn added.

"Of course he has a name. He's mine. And he is very fluffy. I bought him off an Irish feller I met down at the pin last year. Then I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the..." Hagrid's voice faltered.

"Yes?"

"Shouldn't have said that. No more questions." Hagrid ordered. "Don't ask anymore questions. That's too secret, that his."

"But, Hagrid. Whatever Fluffy's guarding, Snape's trying to steal it." Harry insisted.

"Cadswallop." Hagrid stopped walking and turned to the four children. "Professor Snape is a Hogwarts teacher."

"Hogwarts teacher or not," Hermione stepped in, "I know a spell when I see one. I've read all about them. You've got to keep eye contact, and Snape wasn't blinking."

"Exactly." Harry agreed.

"And the mumbling to himself." Hollyn backed them up with more evidence.

Hagrid sighed. "Now you listen to me, all four of you. You're meddling in things that ought not to be meddled in. It's dangerous." He warned them. "What that dog is guarding is strictly between Professor Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel."

"Nicholas Flamel?" Harry repeated.

"I shouldn't have said that." Hagrid realized. "I should not have said that." Hagrid walked away scolding himself.

"You really shouldn't trust him with secrets." Hollyn commented when Hagrid was gone.

"Who's Nicholas Flamel?"

"I don't know." Hermione responded.

***

Sorry I took a few days off for mental and physical health enjoy this chapter.