Pretty straightforward, folks . . . the first Quidditch game of the season!

***

The next morning in the Great Hall, the friends, along with the Gryffindor Quidditch team and Daphne and Blaise, were sitting at the Gryffindor table eating breakfast. Harry's twirling his food on a fork, his nerves too high to eat anything. The first Quidditch game of the season was today, and it was his first time playing in an actual game, and he was worried about how he'd do.

"Take a bit of toast, mate, go on." Fred said, handing him the piece of bread. "You're going to need the energy, Harry."

"Fred's right, Harry. You're gonna need your strength today." Hermione placed her hand on his hand, smiling at him.

"I'm not hungry, Mia," Harry sighed, but took a bite of his toast when he got several disapproving looks from the team and his friends.

Behind them, Severus appeared, placing his hand on Draco's shoulder discreetly, nodding his head to Harry. "Good luck today, Mr. Potter-Swan. Then again, now that you've proven yourself against Dumbledore, a little game of Quidditch should be easy work for you...even if it is against Slytherin." After a final nod at the group of Gryffindors and three Slytherins, he walked away and out of the Great Hall, limping as he went. He saw a flash of pain cross his face before he was fully turned away from them, and Harry frowned, concerned.

"Snape is limping," he commented, looking at his friends.

Draco looked up from his pumpkin juice, eyes wide. "What?" His voice was calm, but Harry and Hermione both could see that he was worried.

"Yeah, he was limping. I think he's one of the professors who was helping with guarding whatever the dog is guarding, so maybe he got hurt?" Harry explained, lowering his voice so only Neville, Draco and Hermione could hear him.

A thoughtful look crossed Hermione's face. "But why would anyone go near that dog?" she asked, looking towards the door Snape had gone through.

"Maybe whatever they are guarding is something that if fallen in the wrong hands, could destroy what they've built here, and someone tried to take it, so the professors protected it and he got hurt?" Harry hypothesized.

"But what could they possibly be guarding that's so important?" Neville pressed.

Harry went to respond, but an owl's screech interrupted him, and he saw Hedwig as she entered the Great Hall. She was carrying a very large, long parcel and she dropped it off at the table in front of Harry.

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Bit early for mail, isn't it?"

"Harry!" Draco grinned, nudging him. "It looks like a broom box!"

"Open it!" came Ron Weasley's obnoxious voice from a little ways from down the table.

Harry and Draco both roll their eyes, tearing the paper off of the package. "You were right, Draco! It is a broomstick!"

"That's not just any broomstick, Harry. It's a Nimbus 2000!" Ron shouted, and Harry winced at the volume.

"Yes, Ron. I know. Thank you. But who would-" He paused when he noticed Professor McGonagall up at the head table, stroking Hedwig as he ate a piece of bacon. She smiled at him, and Harry nodded back, a small smile on his face at the professor's kindness.

***

Two hours later, the Gryffindor Quidditch team was inside a tower on the edge of the pitch. The Gryffindor team was marching towards the starting gate and when they reached it, they stopped behind a closed double door that leads out to the vast Quidditch pitch.

Oliver turned to Harry, nudging his shoulder with a free hand. "Scared, Harry?" He asked, smiling at him.

"A little," the first year shrugged.

Oliver nodded, grinning. "That's all right. I felt the same way before my first game too."

"What happened?" he asked, looking up at him.

Oliver smiled sheepishly. "Er, I don't really remember. I took a Bludger to the head two minutes in. Woke up in the hospital a week later."

Harry gulped and looked straight ahead as the doors to the pitch opened. They mounted their brooms and fly out onto the enormous pitch to the screaming Quidditch fans and students. Harry saw Draco, Hermione, Seamus, Dean, and Neville standing close to the front of the stands of the Gryffindor section, the best seats on the pitch to see all the action. Harry grinned, waving to them. He laughed when Draco and Hermione grabbed onto each other, playfully swooning at his wave.

Lee Jordan, the Quidditch commentator, started announcing the teams from a tower. They could all hear the smile in his voice. "Hello, and welcome to Hogwarts' first Quidditch game of the season! Today's game is Slytherin versus Gryffindor!" he called, and the crowd roared again. Harry could see his friends cheering for the Gryffindor team, including Draco, who was wearing red and gold. Just like in their dreams. He grinned, feeling braver at the thought of his friends supporting him.

Harry and his team, along with the Slytherin team, took their positions in the air in a circle, Harry placed the highest of them along with the Slytherin seeker, who was in the same position as him.

"The players take their positions as Madam Hooch steps out onto the field to begin the game," Lee announced and Harry smirked.

"Now, I want a nice clean game...from all of you," she told the captains, which were Oliver and Marcus Flint, a 5th year Slytherin. It was telling when the rest of Harry's teammates, the Weasley twins and all three Chasers, glared in unison at the smirking Slytherin.

Hooch kicked the trunk at her feet, one Harry recognized from when Oliver was teaching him about Quidditch, and the Bludgers zoomed out and into the air. "The Bludgers are up, followed by the Golden Snitch. Remember, the snitch is worth 150 points. The Seeker who catches the Snitch, ends the game." Lee told the crowd, and Harry's heart beat a step faster, and he sighed heavily. Of course, the game-winning responsibility was on him.

The Snitch flew around each Seeker's head, and then disappeared. Harry watched it until he couldn't see it anymore. Hooch grabbed the Quaffle and threw it into the air, starting the game.

"The Quaffle is released...and the game begins!" Lee cheered, and the crowd cheered violently.

Angelina raced past the Slytherins towards their goal, and threw the ball, scoring.

"Angelina Johnson scores! 10 points for Gryffindor!" Lee called.

"Yeah!" Harry cheered. A Bludger suddenly whipped by him though, and he swerved to dodge it. "Whoa!" He stared wide-eyed at its retreating figure until he heard Oliver yelling at him to pay attention.

In the stands, Gryffindor cheered loudly over Slytherin's boo-ing.

"Well done, Angel!" Hermione cheered and clapped excitedly.

"Slytherin takes possession of the Quaffle. Bletchley passes to Captain Marcus Flint."

Flint dodged people and threw for the Gryffindor hoops. Oliver whacked the ball away with the end of his broom. He smirked at Flint, who glared at him meanly. Angelina and Katie passed the Quaffle back and forth as they zigzagged to score. Angelina caught it, threw it, and once again scored.

Harry grinned. "Yes! Take that, Flint!"

"Another 10 points to Gryffindor!" Lee yelled.

As the Gryffindors' cheers grew exponentially, Harry watched as the Slytherins decided to play dirty. They dodged Fred and George's Bludgers, kicked at Angelina and Katie, and tried to score. Oliver blocked them again.

Angered, Flint grabbed a beater's bat from a Slytherin beater, "Give me that!" The Bludger Flint hit heads right towards Oliver. It hit him in the stomach, and he plummeted to the ground, knocked out. Madame Pomfrey raced to him from where she was standing on the side-lines.

This caused the entire audience to boo, and Harry frowned as the Slytherins laughed. The Slytherin members flew off, and one of the chasers jumped over George and scored. Lee added 10 points to the plaque with Slytherin's name reluctantly and grumbling into the mic about how they were cheaters. Harry growled as Slytherin cheered.

Flint yelled for his teammates to box in Angelina, and when they did, they sent her into the tapestries covering one of the towers. She went down quickly and was knocked out. The crowd booed as Slytherin scored again.

Harry saw a golden glimmer to his right, and when he turned around, he saw the Snitch. He started racing after it and then, without him moving in any direction but straight, his broom started bucking and twisting, throwing him around. He yelled in shock as he tried to stay on his broom. "Whoa! Whooa!"

Theseus looks around and then at Severus. "What's going on with Harry's broom?" he demanded. Severus shrugged, black eyes locked on the swerving boy.

Hermione, who was looking through binoculars at Harry, turned her attention to the professors, seeing Quirrell muttering under his breath with a dark look on his face. She saw Theseus a few benches down, his eyes focused on Harry as he, too, whispered words, but she knew the Auror would never hurt his nephew. That left Quirrell as the culprit, the one who could be cursing Harry. Hermione narrowed her eyes and turned to Draco and Neville. "It's Quirrell! He's jinxing the broom!"

Neville's green eyes widened. "He's jinxing the broom? What do we do?"

Hermione smirked at Draco, and then at Neville. "Leave it to me!" She handed Neville her binoculars and rushed away from the stands.

Harry was being thrown around, and then he was knocked off, dangling by one arm from his broom. The crowd gasps and booing could be heard from everywhere. Draco looked at him, worried for his best friend. "Come on! Hurry up, Hermione!"

Hermione was hurrying as fast as she could up the tower structures. She made it underneath Quirrell and touched his cloak with her wand. She muttered a soft incantation, "Lacarnum Inflamarae!" and a spark ignited on Quirrell's cloak, and it caught on fire. Hermione quickly left before she was caught.

"Fire! You're on fire!" a man near Quirrell yelled.

The only warning Theseus had of what was about to occur was when Quirrell yelled in shock. "W-what? O-oh!" He flailed, knocking the man back, and fell into Snape and Theseus, the former Death Eater struggling to not crash into Theseus and break the Auror's precious concentration.

Up where Harry dangled in the air, the broom stopped bucking, and Harry grunted as he climbed back on. He saw the Slytherin Seeker after the Snitch, and Harry took off after him. Harry rammed into the Slytherin Seeker's side and was knocked away. He came back easily, smashing the Seeker again as the Snitch dove toward the ground. The boys both followed it, but they approached the ground extremely quickly. The Slytherin Seeker backed out and pulled away, and Harry pulled up his broom so it was parallel to the ground as he followed the Snitch, only feet above the ground. Harry stood up and stepped forward on the small handle of the broom, trying to grab the small golden ball. He went too close to the edge, though, and toppled off the broom with a yelp, tumbling onto the ground. He got up and keeled forward, almost landing on his knees, and the crowd gasped. Hermione appeared beside a tower, watching her best friend worriedly.

Harry lurched, and the Snitch popped out of his mouth and landed in his hand. Harry raised the Snitch into the air and the crowd and his team cheered as Lee announced what just happened. "He's got the Snitch! Harry Potter-Swan receives 150 points for catching the Snitch!" he yelled happily.

Hooch blew her whistle, riding her broom over and around the pitch. "Gryffindor wins!" She called.

The crowd cheered in joy as Harry pumped the snitch into the air. He saw Theseus nodding at him, proudness displayed on his face and he grinned at him happily. Draco cheered with Neville and the other boys as the winning team circled the pitch. The crowd repeatedly cheered for Gryffindor, chanting "Go Gryffindor! Go Gryffindor! Go Gryffindor!"

***

After the game ended, and Harry had showered and cleaned up, he found his friends and uncle in the room where Theseus had met all of Harry's friends the morning of the first day of school. He raced towards his friends, falling into them, taking them all down to the floor. Theseus laughed above them as Harry, Draco, Hermione and Neville all groaned in pain.

"Why, Harry. Why," Draco laughed, shaking his head as Theseus helped him up.

Harry got up and helped get Hermione stand. "My bad," he muttered sheepishly.

Theseus shook his head, a grin on his face. "Great job today, nephew. That last play was something I've never seen done before," he told him, and Harry shrugged.

"Me either. I didn't know I was going to do it until I did," Harry grinned when Draco and Hermione grabbed his hands. Harry looked up at his uncle, only just now noticing that he was wearing a traveling cloak, with his trunk off to the side of them. He sighed, releasing his friends and wrapped his arms around Theseus, who placed his arm around Harry's shoulders and placed his other hand in Harry's unruly and wet hair. "You're finally leaving aren't you, uncle?" he asked quietly, and Theseus kissed his hair.

"You'll see me before you know it, little one." He released Harry and kneeled in front of him and his friends. Harry sniffed at the nickname that Newt gave him, and now Theseus gave him when he was little. "Now, remember what I said yesterday, you four. If those dreams of yours start to become dangerous, you tell me or any of the adults in Draco's and my family." All four hugged him, and he hugged all four of them back.

Khione bounded up to them and licked each of their faces before she barked at them. She blew crystals at them, and Hermione laughed as they hit her nose.

Theseus stood after a minute and shrunk his trunk to put it in his pocket. "I love you, kiddo. Khione loves you, as well."

Harry smiled. "I love you both too, uncle. Write to me!" he called as Theseus walked out and to the doors of the castle. He saw Theseus nod and smile before he and Khione disappeared from sight. Harry sighed as he leaned against Draco. "I miss him already," he whispered, and Draco nodded.

Hermione took his hand, reaching up to play with his hair with her unoccupied hand. Neville placed his hand on Harry's back. "You'll see him again, soon, Haz." she whispered.

He sighed but nodded. He pulled away from his friends and wiped his eyes. "I know," he smiled at them. "Now, come on, let's go get lunch. I'm starved!" Harry pulled Neville and Draco along with him, and Hermione grabbed onto Draco's hand to avoid losing them in the crowd of vast students heading to lunch.

***

Hi, everyone! Been a while since I've written one of these. Been super busy with things after writing. Recently I broke up with my toxic as hell ex, so I was also kind of out of it.

How did you like this chapter? Aside from small edits and things from Miss Moffat, this was all me. I got bored, so I started writing.

So . . . Theseus is leaving Hogwarts, but don't worry. He'll be back soon. Our kiddos are getting closer to the truth of the Cerberus mystery. I'm pretty sure next chapter is Christmas, so watch out for that, everyone!

On an unrelated note, did anyone watch Lab rats/Mighty Med/Lab Rats: Elite Force as a younger you and ship Chase and Kaz? I did, and I've been writing for them (aka too many one shots) lately and I've already read all of the stuff in the Chase/Kaz tag on Ao3.

Anyway, gotta blast! I hope you liked this chapter, and as always, stay warm, stay awesome, and stay reading xx

~Miss Singer <3

***

So kudos to Miss Singer for writing this entire blooming thing in less than a day because holy crap, I can't remember the last time that happened with me O.O *salutes* Good job, girl!

Yes, Theseus is departing Hogwarts, but don't fret. Our favorite (elder) Scamander is not gone for long. He's in the main cast list (those who have read since we published this, he is now, we realized it was such a crime that he was not there to begin with), so he's still a major player in our story.

For those of you who didn't notice, we also added another cast list to the story! We figured if the familiars are going to be around, they needed voices, right? And now we've got them!

Be on the look-out for new chapters . . . hopefully we're getting back in the swing of things, so keep your eyes peeled!

~ Miss Moffat