Cursed|| Harry Potter [1]

Chapter 10

Chess was the only thing Hermione ever lost at, something Harry, Lyra and Ron thought was very good for her. 

Lyra sat next to Hermione and Harry sat next to Ron

"Don't talk to me for a moment, I need to concen-" Ron looked up and saw both Lyra and Harry's faces.

"What's the matter?" He asked.

"Snape's refereeing the next Quidditch match," Lyra whispered.

"WHAT?!" Ron and Hermione yelled.

"Shhhhh!" Lyra and Harry shushed. them.

"Wait, this means..." Hermione began looking at Harry, who nodded.

This means Snape had a better chance now to harm him.

"Don't play."

"Say you're ill."

"Pretend to break your leg."

"Really break your leg."

Hermione and Ron started suggesting.

"I can't."' Harry told them.

"There isn't a reserve Seeker," Lyra explained.

"If I back out, Gryffindor can't play at
all." Harry further explained.

"And Wood would kill him,"  Lyra concluded.

At that moment Neville toppled into
the common room.

How he had managed to climb through the portrait hole was anyone's guess, because his legs had
been stuck together with what they
recognized at once as the Leg-Locker Curse.

He must have had to bunny hop all
the way up to Gryffindor tower.

Everyone fell over laughing except the foursome.  Hermione leapt up and performed the counter curse.

Neville's legs sprang apart and he
got to his feet, trembling.

"What happened?"

Hermione asked him, leading him over to sit with Harry, Lyra and Ron.

"Let me guess, my brother?" Lyra asked.

Neville nodded shakily.

"I met him outside the library. He
said he'd been looking for someone to
practice that on." Neville trembling.

Lyra's heart ached for the boy. First, her aunt tortured his parents and now her brother was torturing him.

"Go to Professor McGonagall! Report
him!" Hermione urged Neville.

Neville shook his head.

"I don't want more trouble, "  he mumbled.

"You've got to stand up to him, Neville! He's used to walking all over people, but that's no reason to lie down in front of him and make it easier." Ron told him.

"There's no need to tell me I'm not
brave enough to be in Gryffindor,
Malfoy's already done that, " Neville
choked out.

"Who's he to say that?" Lyra growled.

Harry took a chocolate frog and gave it to Neville who looked like he was about to cry.

"You're worth twelve of Malfoy,
Sorting Hat chose you for Gryffindor, didn't it? And where's Malfoy? In
stinking Slytherin." Harry told him.

Neville's lips twitched in a weak smile as he unwrapped the frog.

"Thanks, Harry. I think I'll go to bed. Do you want the card, you collect them, don't you?" Neville asked.