The House of Snakes: Book One

Slytherin vs Gryffindor!

"Don't worry, Harry, you'll be just fine! Your father was a chaser, so obviously Quidditch runs in your family," Harry felt as though he were going to be sick as Hermione gently rubbed his back. The excitement over seeing the plaque with his father's name on it had already been crushed by the fear and anxiety over that day's game. Harry and his friends were sitting outside on the grounds, listening more than watching the other students meet with friends and talk about their weekend plans and the game. Harry was staring at the fountain in the center of the courtyard when a loud eruption of laughter echoed across the yard. A large group of Gryffindors were making their way towards Harry and his friends, shoving each other as they laughed. When they came to a stop, the head of the group squatted down in front of Harry, a rather nasty grin on his face.

"So, Potter, you ready for the game tonight?" Harry recognized the Gryffindor Seeker Jonesy Jenkins immediately, the boy's face was so greasy the candle light always reflected bright enough to see from the other side of the Great Hall, he was impossible to miss even if you weren't looking for him. Up close, the boy looked even worse, his hair was greasy and his teeth yellow from lack of brushing and Harry had to fight the urge to cover his nose. Harry didn't bother answering, instead waiting for the torment to end so that he could go find a nice hole to hide in. "Well, if I were you, I would stay far away from the pitch tonight, got it?"

"Is that a threat?" Draco stiffened next to Harry and Crabbe and Goyle both shifted from where they were leaning against the low-raising wall to stand behind Harry. Jonesy's smile faltered and he quickly stood up, though it was obvious on his face that he hadn't expected the two first years to still be taller than him. He backed up into his group again, too coward to stand his ground. He straightened his robes and sneered down at Draco.

"You can call it what you like, brat, but I prefer to call it a warning," Jonesy glared at Draco before turning his attention back to Harry. "While no one has died in years, people do go missing in Quidditch, Potter, and I can't say just when exactly you'll show back up," Harry's face paled and Jonesy grinned. "Maybe in a month or two if the creatures of the Forbidden Forest don't find you first." Jonesy jerked his chin to the right and without another word, he and his friends stalked off across the courtyard before disappearing through an archway. Harry sat still for a few moments, his body numb before he shakily climbed to his feet. He did not hear his friends telling him to ignore them, asking if he was okay. No. The only thing Harry could hear was a small voice whispering "run" in the back of his head, growing louder until it was screaming in the front of his brain and Harry was running through the nearest archway. Harry's running was only stopped when he ran into something hard that would have knocked him over had something not caught him. When Harry's vision focused he found himself staring at Professor Snape.

Snape was holding onto Harry's arm, staring at Harry in obvious surprise. Harry tried to pull himself out of the man's grip but Snape held on tight. "Mister Potter, what has gotten into you?" Harry felt dangerously close to crying, so instead of speaking he shook his head as hard as he could, still trying to break free of his grip. Snape stared at Harry for a few more seconds before speaking again, simply saying "Come with me," before he was guiding Harry back into the school by his elbow. Harry's breathing was beginning to slow down by the time they reached the grand staircase, taking comfort in his Head of House's firm grip on his arm, grounding him. Once they got to Professor Snape's office and Snape let go of Harry's arm, the boy immediately made his way to Snape's desk. He could feel Snape watching him and he felt his face grow warm as he pulled out his chair and crawled under his desk. Pulling the chair back in to block him in, Harry let his forehead rest on his knees.

A few minutes passed before Snape made his way over to Harry, stopping beside the desk. "Mister Potter, may I make the assumption that something has happened to cause this behavior?" Harry did not speak so Snape pulled his chair out away from the desk and slowly kneeled down to peer under at Harry. "Has someone said or done something to you, Harry?" Harry looked away from Snape to stare at his shoes before nodding. "Can you tell me who? And what they have done? I cannot help you if you do not let me."