As we 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. If Gryffindor won, they would move up into second place in the house championship.
I was torn about this, course I wanted to support Harry, but then again I was also a Slytherin, and I wanted to win the house cup.
Rona and I were a few of the only people to see Harry play because Wood had decided that, as their secret weapon, Harry should be kept, well, secret. But the news that he was playing Seeker had leaked out somehow. A few people were telling him he'd be great, and then others, like me, told him we'd be carrying a mattress in case he fell.
It was nice having Hermione as our friend now, as she was a big help when it came to homework, more so for Ron and Harry, but she'd also helped me out on a few occasions.
It was also nice that Hermione had become a bit more relaxed about breaking rules since Harry Ron and I had saved her from the mountain troll, and it was a good thing as well as I'd started to help the twins out more with their... "activities."
The day before Harry's first Quidditch match the four of us were out in the freezing courtyard during break, and she had conjured up a bright blue fire that could be carried around in a jam jar.
"I mean it's cool and all." I said to her as we were standing with our backs to it, getting warm. "But I mean if you can pick it up and put it in a jar how much can it actually burn?"
"That's not the point of it." Hermione said to me. "It's to keep us warm."
"Yeah but what good is a fire that can't burn anything?" I asked her.
It was just then that Snape crossed the yard. I noticed almost at once that Snape was limping, and by the look on Harry's face he noticed it too.
We moved closer together to block the fire from view; as I wasn't quite sure it would be allowed. Unfortunately, something about our guilty faces caught Snape's eye. He limped over, to us apparently not noticing the fire, but he seemed to be looking for a reason to tell us off anyway.
"What's that you've got there, Potter?"
Harry pulled a book out of his robes, it was called Quidditch through the ages, showing it to Snape.
"Library books are not to be taken outside the school," said Snape. "Give it to me. Five points from Gryffindor."
"Since when weren't they allowed sir? I thought school books were allowed anywhere on school grounds." I asked him innocently.
Snape looked me up and down, before staring at me. I calmly returned his gaze. "I do not appreciate your cheek Weasley. I hold my students to a higher standard than. Other. Houses." He said his gaze moving over to the other three, before taking the book from Harry.
"He's just made that rule up," Harry muttered angrily as Snape limped away. "Wonder what's wrong with his leg?"
"Maybe he tripped over his ego." I said glaring at him darkly.
"Dunno, but I hope it's really hurting him," said Ron bitterly.
The Gryffindor common room was very noisy that evening, and it didn't help much that I was there. Most people left me alone, but a lot of them still glared at me, muttering under their breath.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I sat together next to a window. Hermione was checking Harry and Ron's Charms homework for them, she would never let us copy but we had learnt that by asking her to read it through, we got the right answers anyway.
I could see that Harry was restless, he kept looking around every few minutes.
"You alright mate?" I asked him as he got to his feet.
"Yeah I'm just going to ask Snape if I can get my book back." He told us.
"Better you than me," both Ron and Hermione said together.
"You think he'll get it back?" Ron asked after Harry had left.
"Not a chance." I told him leaning back in my chair, glaring back at a third year who wouldn't stop glaring at me.
"Just ignore them." Hermione told me. "They'll stop eventually."
"Yeah I'll make them stop." I growled, feeling a weird anger I hadn't felt before, it was as though it were another person's emotion.
"That'll just make it worse." Hermione said not looking up from her paper.
"Are you alright?" Ron asked me sounding concerned, placing a hand on my shoulder.
In an instant the anger I felt moments prior was gone. "Huh oh yeah... yeah I'm alright." I told him with a weak smile.
"Did your brain get muddled again?" He asked me quietly. I just nodded, it seemed to be happening more frequently since I got to Hogwarts.
It was only a few minutes later than Harry burst into the common room out of breath.
"Did you get it?" Ron asked as Harry joined us.
"What's the matter?" I asked him.
In a low whisper, Harry explained to us that he'd seen Snape, Filch and another man in the staff room.
"You know what this means?" Harry finished breathlessly. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog at Halloween! 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!"
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."
"Honestly, Hermione, you think all teachers are saints or something," snapped Ron. "I'm with Harry. I wouldn't put anything past Snape. But what's he after? What's that dog guarding?"
"And who was the other guy anyway, I've never seen him around the school before." Harry said.
"What'd he look like again?" I asked him.
"He was tall, with glasses, he had the same colour eyes as you actually." Harry told me. "Oh and he wore these black leather gloves and a trench coat even though he was inside."
"That's Edgar!" I said recognizing the description.
"Who?" Hermione, Harry and Ron asked in unison.
"He knew our parents." I said. "He fought in the war against You Know Who."
"Well what is he doing helping Snape get past that dog?" Ron asked.
I just shrugged at this before packing up my things. "I should probably get going." I told them before leaving through the portrait hole.
...
The next morning dawned very bright and cold. The Great Hall was full of the delicious smell of fried sausages and the cheerful chatter of everyone looking forward to a good Quidditch match.
"You've got to eat some breakfast." Ron urged Harry.
"I don't want anything." Harry replied looking awfully pale.
"Just a bit of toast," wheedled Hermione.
"I'm not hungry."
"An egg?" I asked, Harry just shook his head.
"Harry, you need your strength," said Seamus Finnigan. "Seekers are always the ones who get clobbered by the other team."
"Yeah that's really reassuring Seamus." I told him with a slight glare.
"Thanks, Seamus," said Harry,
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.
Ron Hermione and I joined Neville, Seamus, and Dean the West Ham fan up in the top row. We had painted a banner for Harry, that read Potter for President, 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. It was a bit strange for me to be there in a crowd of Gryffindors, my emerald green tie standing out.
We sat making small talk for a while before Ron nudged me, pointing to a squad of people clad in red uniforms that were walking out of the changing room.
They were met with loud cheers from the crowd around us. As they were walking out the Slytherin team, glad fully in green, walked out from the other side, the two team meeting in the middle.
They stood in front of Madam Hooch, who was refereeing this match, broom in her hand.
The two teams then mounted their brooms, and I could see Harry clamber onto his Nimbus Two Thousand, and Madam Hooch gave a loud blast on her silver whistle.
In an instant 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 —"
"JORDAN!" "Sorry, Professor."
The Weasley twins' friend, Lee Jordan, was doing the commentary for the match, closely watched by Professor McGonagall.
"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 — 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 —
"nice play by the 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!"
I joined in on the Gryffindor cheers filled that cold air, countered by howls and moans from the Slytherins.
"Budge up there, move along."
"Hagrid!"
Ron Hermione and I squeezed together 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."
"Yeah he's just sort of hovering around up there." I said watching him. I'd never found seekers to be that much fun whenever I'd play I'd always want to be a chaser.
"Kept outta trouble, though, that's somethin'," said Hagrid, raising his binoculars and peering skyward at the speck that was Harry.
Way up above them, Harry was gliding over the game, not moving too rapidly, although when Angelina had scored, he had done a couple of loop-the-loops which I had to admit were pretty impressive.
"Slytherin in possession," Lee Jordan was saying, "Chaser Pucey ducks two Bludgers, two Weasleys, 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.
Harry must've seen it as he suddenly dived downward towards the ground. Slytherin Seeker Terence Higgs had seen it too, or perhaps he was just following Harry's lead.
Neck and neck they hurtled toward the ground — all the Chasers seemed to have forgotten what they were supposed to be doing as they hung in midair to watch.
Harry was faster than Higgs — he was pulling away, darting ahead — he put on an extra spurt of speed —
WHAM!
I roar in rage, which was echoed from the Gryffindors, as Marcus Flint had blocked Harry on purpose, and Harry's broom spun off course, Harry holding on for dear life.
"Foul!" screamed the Gryffindors.
Madam Hooch spoke angrily to Flint and then ordered a free shot at the goal posts for Gryffindor. But in all the confusion, of course, the Golden Snitch had disappeared from sight again.
Dean Thomas was yelling next to me, "Send him off, ref! Red card!"
"What are you talking about, Dean?" said Ron.
"Red card!" said Dean furiously.
"Ron in soccer you get shown the red card and you're out of the game!" I told him, astounded that he'd forgotten the rules of it.
"But this isn't soccer." Ron reminded us. "And how do you know anyway (N/n)?"
I opened my mouth to reply, but once again how I knew this evaded me, I just did.
Hagrid, was also on Dean's sids. "They oughta change the rules. Flint coulda knocked Harry outta the air."
Lee Jordan was also finding it difficult not to take sides. "So — after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating —"
"Jordan!" growled Professor McGonagall.
"I mean, after that open and revolting foul..."
"Jordan, I'm warning you—"
"All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure, so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinner, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession."
I watched as Harry dodged another bludger, before he seems to make his broom lurch around. I watched him in confusion. If I didn't know better it looked as though Harry's broom was trying to buck him off.
Lee was still commentating, not seeming to have noticed. "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 — A no..."
The Slytherins were cheering. No one else seemed to have noticed that Harry's broom was behaving strangely. It seemed as though 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. He stared through his binoculars. "If I didn' know better, I'd say he'd lost control of his broom... but he can't have..."
Suddenly, people all around us were pointing up at Harry all over the stands. 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.
"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."
At these words, Hermione seized Hagrid's binoculars, but instead of looking up at Harry, she started looking frantically at the crowd.
"What are you doing?" moaned Ron, gray-faced.
"Yeah Harry's imminent death is up there not over there." I told her.
"I knew it," Hermione gasped, "Snape — look."
I 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.
I pass the binoculars to Ron as Hermione said.
"He's doing something — jinxing the broom,"
"What should we do?" Ron asked.
"Leave it to me." Hermione said.
Before Ron could say another word, Hermione had disappeared.
"You're not going by yourself." I said rushing after her, as Ron turned the binoculars back on Harry. His broom was vibrating so hard, it was almost impossible for him to hang on much longer.