QUIDDITCH SEASON HAD BEGUN.

Harper was happy that Hermione had joined them—it was more fun that way. Besides, since she and Harry were busy with Quidditch and homework, Hermione was helping them so they didn't fail.

Oliver was training them non-stop and Harper was getting tired. It was often that Hermione found her laying asleep on her finished homework. Hermione would then carefully put Harper's homework in her bag and lead her to her bed. Harper would always thank her for that the morning after.

Harper had seen Cedric in the halls sometimes, laughing with his friends. He would always smile at her and nod. She would smile back and walk past him. Sometimes she could feel his eyes staring in her back but she could just have been imagining that, she was, after all, sleeping on her feet from Quidditch.

Harry and Harper had been reading Quidditch Through the Ages in the Courtyard, until Professor Snape came by and took five points from Gryffindor because they supposedly broke a rule.

Harry went to the staff room to ask his book back but Harper didn't really have a good feeling about it.

When he didn't came back ten minutes later, Harper decided to check up on him. Hermione looked up. "Where are you going?"

"To see if Harry's all right. Wanna join me?"

Ron stood up. "I'll come with you. Hermione?" he asked, looking down at her. "You coming?"

She sighed but laid eventually her book away.

The three of them left the commen room and collided with a certain dark haired boy.

"Oof! Harry!"

Harper took a step back and tried to hold her balance. "How did it go?" she asked him while looking up. "Did you get the book back?"

"No," he replied, shaking his head and he then told them what he had seen. About Snape threatening Quirrel.

"You know what this means?" Harry whispered to them. "He tried to get past the three-headed dog at Halloween! He's after whatever it's guarding! And I bet he let that troll in as a distraction!"

Harper frowned. She didn't know how but something in her said that it wasn't Snape they should focus on.

"No—no, he wouldn't," Hermione stammered. "I know he's not very nice, but he wouldn't try and steal something right under Dumbledore's nose."

"I'm with Hermione on this one," Harper apologized to Harry. "Something in me says that we are focusing on the wrong guy."

Ron frowned. "What's so important for him that he would risk his own life to get past that beast?"

Harry shook his head. "I don't know . . ."

· · ───── · ☆ · ───── · ·

     TODAY WAS HARPER AND HARRY'S first Quidditch match. To say they were nervous, would he an understatement.

"Take a bit of toast, you two," Ron suggested, trying to get the twins to eat. "You'll need it."

"I'm not hungry," Harper replied, pushing her plate away. "Too nervous."

Hermione looked at them sideways. "Ron's right, Harry, Harper. You have to eat something, you'll need the strength."

Harper grunted but took a piece of toast and put it in her mouth. She felt someone tapping on her shoulder and she looked up right into Cedric's grey eyes.

"Good luck today," he said, smiling.

Harper smiled back, forgetting her stress for a moment. "Thanks."

He opened his mouth to say something but Oliver stood up and called the team together.

"I'm sorry," Harper apologize. "I have to go, I'll see you later?"

He smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'll support for you."

Harper grinned, gave him a nod and pulled Harry with her to Oliver.

Fifteen minutes later, Harry and Harper stood between the rest of the Quidditch team in their robes as they held onto their brooms tights.

"Okay men," Oliver began.

"And women," Angelina interrupted, earning a high-five from Katie and Harper.

"And women," Oliver repeated. "This is it."

"The big one," Fred butted in.

"The one we've all been waiting for," George continued on.

"We know Oliver's speech by heart," Fred told them, "we were on the team last year."

Harper rolled her eyes. "I think you mentioned that before."

"Shut up, you two," Oliver said. "This is the best team Gryffindor has had in years. We're going to win. I know it."

"We won't let you down," Harper replied.

He smiled at her. "I know you wouldn't." He then looked at the clock. "It's time. Good luck everyone."

Everyone mounted their broom and Harper quickly followed. As the tent door opened, she squinted her eyes from the light, though followed the others and flew out of the tent. Immediately, loud cheers surrounded them as they flew some laps around the pitch.

Harper laughed when she saw that Dean and Seamus had made a banner with Go Potters! on it. She waved at Ron, Hermione and Neville before turning to fly towards the middle. Harper hovered between Angelina and Katie as she took her place in the circle.

When she looked up, she saw Harry hovering above her and she gave him a thumbs up. He smiled nervously and returned the gesture. Harper looked back down when Madame Hooch walked onto the field.

"Now, I want a nice fair game, all of you." Harper and her teammates all looked at the Slytherin Captain, Marcus Flint, a fifth year.

Madame Hooch opened the crate, releasing the two Bludgers and the Snitch. She held onto the Quaffle and tossed it to the air, while blowing her silver whistle.

The game had officially started.

Harper lunged forward and snatched the Quaffle away right before Marcus Flint's nose.

"And the Quaffle is taken by our new Chaser, Harper Potter!" she could hear Lee yell.

Harper flew towards the hoops while passing the Quaffle to Katie and back. She caught the Quaffle and thew it past the Slytherin Keeper.

"And Harp scores! Ten points to Gryffindor!"

She grinned brightly, happy about her very first point ever and high-fived Angelina and Katie.

Harper avoided a Bludger and played further with Angelina and Katie. She continued to score, but also passed to Angelina or Katie, who scored, too.

Everything was going as planned until Harper heard some ooh's from everyone. She looked back and saw that Oliver laid on the ground, knocked out.

Shit.

Slytherin scored.

"Ten points to Stinky Slytherin," Lee mumbled.

"JORDAN!" Professor McGonagall said sternly.

"Sorry!"

The Slytherin's scored again and Harper snapped her head up to Angelina and Katie.

"You go and score some more, I'll take Oliver's place." Not waiting on their response, she turned her Nimbus Two Thousand and flew forward towards the hoops.

Marcus Flint was about the score again but this time Harper blocked him.

"And Harper Potter blocked Flint! That girl is truly amazing!"

She rolled my eyes at Lee's comment and threw the Quaffle to Katie.

They were leading by sixty—twenty.

Suddenly, the crowd gasped and Harper looked up to see Harry hanging from his broom.

"Harry!" she cried.

Fred and George tried to fly towards him, but the broom continued to go higher and higher. So Fred and George hovered under Harry just in case he would fall.

A Slytherin Chaser tried to score while Harper was distracted by Harry but she caught the Quaffle just in time.

Harper narrowed her eyes and raced towards the Slytherin hoops with the Quaffle under her arm. She threw the Quaffle so hard towards the Slytherin Keeper that he fell off his broom, through the hoops.

Harper grinned and turned around just in time to see Harry puking out the Snitch.

Angelina, Katie and Harper clung onto each other, cheering, but she let them go as she sprang into Harry's arms.

"We won! We actually won!"

Harper let him go. "Good job, brother."

Harry grinned. "You did a good job as well."

Two pairs of hands lifted them up and Harper recognized Fred and George.

She laughed and looked around, looking for her friends.

She saw Hermione and Ron smiling at her proudly and Dean and Seamus gave her thumbs up. The smile on Neville's face was so wide that it made her laugh even more.

Fred put her down again and she made her way towards the hoops where Oliver laid. She shook him gently by the shoulders.

"Wood? Oliver? You there?"

He groaned. "What happened?"

Harper grinned. "You got hit by a Bludger."

He rubbed into his eyes and sat up. "Who won?"

Her grin became bigger. "We did."

His eyes snapped open to look at her. "We did?"

Harper laughed while nodded. "Yeah, Harry caught the Snitch."

He scooped her up and hugged her tight. Harper's eyes widened, and for a moment, she didn't know quite what to do so she just patted his back.

He let her go but his eyes were still sparkling. Harper laughed. "Go, celebrate it with the others."

He stood up and held his hand out. "Only if you are coming with me."

"Of course," she replied while accepting his hand.

They walked back to the crowd and got separated when Harper walked over to Harry, Ron and Hermione.

Hermione squealed and hugged her. "You did great!"

Harper laughed and hugged her back. "Thanks!"

She let go and Ron scooped her up in his arms. "You did it Harp! Imagine what Mum and Dad will say of this! They won't believe it!"

He put her back down and Harper took a step back. Their faces became serious again.

"Guys, what's the matter? We just won a match! We have to go and celebrate!" Harper cheered.

Hermione took a step closer to her. "It's was Snape who hexed Harry's broom."

Harper looked at them in confusing. "What?"

Ron pulled her away with Hermione and Harry.

"We'll explain it at Hagrid's!"

· · ───── · ☆ · ───── · ·

"IT CAN'T BE!" Harper exclaimed while sitting on Hagrid's couch with a cup of tea. "Why are you thinking that?"

"Hermione and I saw him. Snape was cursing your broom, Harry, muttering some spell. He wouldn't keep his eyes off you," Ron said.

"Rubbish," Hagrid piped in. "Why would Snape do something like that?"

"Look," Harry began, "I found something about him. He tried to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween. It bit him. We think he was trying to steal whatever that dog is guarding."

Hagrid dropped his teapot.

"How do you know about Fluffy?"

"Fluffy?" Harper asked, narrowing her eyes at Hagrid. "That dog's name is Fluffy?!"

"Yeah," Hagrid replied, "he's mine, bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las' year—I lend him to Dumbledore to let him guard the—"

"Yes?" Harper asked eagerly.

"Now, don't ask me anymore." Hagrid said gruffly. "That's top secret, that is."

Harper leaned back in the couch, feeling robbed of something.

"But Snape is trying to steal it!" Harry argued.

"Rubbish! Snape's a Hogwarts teacher, he'd nothin' of the sort!"

"Look," Hermione began, "I know a jinx when I see one, Hagrid. I've read all about them! You've got to keep eye contact, and Snape wasn't blinking, I saw him!"

"I'm telling' yeh, yer wrong!" Hagrid said hotly. "I don't know why Harry's broom acted like that, but Snape wouldn' try an' kill a student! Now, listen to me, all four of yeh—yer meddlin' in things that don' concern yeh. It's dangerous. You forget that dog, an' you forget what it's guardin', that's between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicolas Flamel—"

"Ah!" Harper interrupted him triumphantly. "Who's Nicolas Flamel?"

Hagrid looked furious with himself so Ron, Hermione, Harry and Harper decided to leave him alone before a real argument was about to escalate.

Walking back to the castle, Harper's suspicious feeling towards Snape kept on growing.

Maybe Harry was right. Maybe Snape was the one that wanted to steal whatever that dog was guarding.

· · ───── · ☆ · ───── · ·

November 14th 2021
I hope you enjoy it & tell me what you think of it! :)