A Life Changing Story "Percy Jackson and Harry Potter"

Chapter 8

As they entered November, the weather turned very cold. The mountainsaround the school became icy grey and the lake like chilled steel.Every morning the ground was covered in frost. Hagrid could be seen fromthe upstairs windows defrosting broomsticks on the Quidditch field, bundledup in a long moleskin overcoat, rabbit fur gloves, and enormous beaverskinboots.
The Quidditch season had begun. On Saturday, Harry would be playing inhis first match after weeks of training: Gryffindor versus Slytherin. IfGryffindor won, they would move up into second place in the HouseChampionship.
But Wood decided that Harry should be kept secret. But it was pointless since the news that he was playing Seeker had leaked out.
Harry, Hermione, Percy and Ron became good friends by now. Hermione was more relaxed on rules. The day before Harry's first Quidditch match the three of them were out inthe freezing courtyard during break, and she had conjured them up a brightblue fire that could be carried around in a jam jar.
They were standing withtheir backs to it, getting warm, when Snape crossed the yard. The foursome moved closertogether to block the fire from view; they were sure it wouldn't be allowed.Unfortunately, something about their guilty faces caught Snape's eye. Helimped over. He hadn't seen the fire, but he seemed to be looking for a reasonto tell them off anyway
"What's that you've got there, Potter?"
It was Quidditch Through the Ages. Harry showed him.
"Library books are not to be taken outside the school," said Snape. "Give itto me. Five points from Gryffindor."
"He's just made that rule up," Harry muttered angrily as Snape limpedaway.
"Wonder what's wrong with his leg though?" said Percy
"Dunno, but I hope it's really hurting him," said Ron bitterly.
The Gryffindor common room was very noisy that evening. Harry, Ron, andHermione sat together next to a window. Hermione was checking Harry andRon's Charms homework for them. She would never let them copy ("How will you learn?"), but by asking her to read it through, they got the rightanswers anyway. Percy, who never needed help in his homework merely annoyed them by saying the wrong answers and laughing about it after they realized their error.
"I'm going to get the book back," Harry said standing up. They went outside to the quidditch field just for Snape to take the Quidditch Through the Ages book.
"Better you than me," they said together
A few minutes later, Harry came back sprinting out of breath.
"Did you get it?" Ron asked. "What's the matter?"
In a whisper, Harry told them about Snape's bloody leg and how he tried to get past the Cerebrus doppelganger.
"You know what this means?" he 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!"
"Harry. As much as I understand how much you hate Professor Snape. He wouldn't do such a thing."
"I'm with Harry," Ron said. "I wouldn't put anything past Snape. But what's he after? What's that dog guarding?"
They didn't answer.
The next morning dawned very bright and cold. The Great Hall was full of the delicious smell of fried sausages and the chatter of everyone looking forward to a good Quidditch match.
"You've got to eat some breakfast."
"I don't want anything."
"Just a bit of toast," wheedled Hermione.
"I'm not hungry."
"What's happening," Percy asked.
"Harry's not eating."
"Dude you have to eat. Seekers are the ones who often get clobbered. You need your strength."
"Thanks, Percy," Harry said and he took a fried sausage.
In the locker room, Harry and the rest of the team were changing into their scarlet Quidditch robes (Slytherin would be playing in green).
Wood cleared his throat for silence.
"Okay, men," he said.
"And women," said Chaser Angelina Johnson.
"This is it."
"The big one," said Fred Weasley.
"The one we've all been waiting for," said George.
"We know Oliver's speech by heart," Fred told Harry,
"We were on the team last year," said George
"Shut up, you two," said Wood. "This is the best team Gryffindor's had in years. We're going to win. I know it. Let's go!"
They walked onto the field to loud cheers. Madam Hooch was refereeing. She stood in the middle of the field waiting for the two teams, her broom in her hand.
"Now, I want a nice fair game, all of you," she said, once they were all gathered around her.
"Mount your brooms, please."Harry clambered onto his Nimbus Two Thousand. Madam Hooch gave a loud blast on her silver whistle. Fifteen brooms rose, 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 —"
Percy chuckled. It had to be Lee!
"What." asked Hermione.
"Nothing." he said. "Inside joke."
"And she's really belting along up there, a neat pass to Alicia Spinnet, agood find of Oliver Wood's, last year only a reserve — back to Johnson and— no, the Slytherins have taken the Quaffle, Slytherin Captain Marcus Flintgains 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 KeeperWood and the Gryffindors take the Quaffle — that's Chaser Katie Bell ofGryffindor 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 takenby the Slytherins — that's Adrian Pucey speeding off toward the goalposts,but he's blocked by a second Bludger — sent his way by Fred or GeorgeWeasley, can't tell which — nice play by the Gryffindor Beater, anyway, andJohnson back in possession of the Quaffle, a clear field ahead and off shegoes — she's really flying — dodges a speeding Bludger — the goalposts areahead — come on, now, Angelina — Keeper Bletchley dives — misses —GRYFFINDOR SCORE!"
"WOOHOO!" shouted Percy as Gryffindor cheers filled the cold air.
"Budge up there, move along."
"Hagrid!"
Ron and Hermione 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."
"Kept outta trouble, though, that's somethin'," said Hagrid, raising his binoculars and peering skyward at the speck that was Harry.
"Slytherin in possession," Lee Jordan was saying, "Chaser Pucey duckstwo Bludgers, two Weasleys, and Chaser Bell, and speeds toward the — waita moment — was that the Snitch?"
A murmur ran through the crowd as Adrian Pucey dropped the Quaffle, toobusy looking over his shoulder at the flash of gold that had passed his left ear
Apparently, the Slytherin seeker saw it too, because now Harry and Higgs were neck and neck they hurtled toward the Snitch — all the Chasers seemed to haveforgotten what they were supposed to be doing as they hung in midair towatch
"He found the snitch!" Percy shouted. "Come on Harry!"
But then. . .
WHAM!
A roar of rage echoed from the Gryffindors below — MarcusFlint had blocked Harry on purpose, and Harry's broom spun off course.
Foul!" screamed the Gryffindors.
Madam Hooch spoke angrily to Flint and then ordered a free shot at thegoalposts for Gryffindor. But in all the confusion, of course, the GoldenSnitch had disappeared from sight again.
Dean Thomas was yelling, "Send him off, ref! Redcard!"
"What are you talking about, Dean?" said Ron.
"Red card!" said Dean furiously. "In soccer you get shown the red cardand you're out of the game!"
"But this isn't soccer, Dean," Percy reminded him.
Hagrid, however, was on Dean's side.
"They oughta change the rules. Flint coulda knocked Harry outta the air."
Lee Jordan was 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 Spinnet, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession."
It was Then suddenly out of nowhere, his broom was completely out of his control. He couldn't turn it. He couldn't direct it at all. It was zigzagging through the air, and every now and then making violent swishing movements that almost unseated him.
Lee was still commentating.
"Slytherin in possession — Flint with the Quaffle — passes Spinnet —passes Jackson— hit hard in the face by a Bludger, hope it broke his nose —only joking, Professor — Slytherins score — oh no . . .
Flint scored and Percy could only watch the Slytherins cheer.
"Dunno what Harry thinks he's doing," Hagrid mumbled. He staredthrough his binoculars. "If I didn' know better, I'd say he'd lost control of hisbroom . . . but he can't have. . . ."
Suddenly, people were pointing up at Harry all over the stands. His broomhad 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 andHarry swung off it. He was now dangling from it, holding on with only onehand.
"Did something happen to it when Flint blocked him?" Seamus whispered.
"Can't have," Hagrid said, his voice shaking. "Can't nothing interfere witha broomstick except powerful Dark magic — no kid could do that to aNimbus Two Thousand."
"Or if it was jinxed." Percy said. "The brooms must have been cursed by someone!"
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.
"I knew it," Hermione gasped, "Snape — look."
Ron grabbed the binoculars, then passed them to Percy.
Snape was in the middle of the standsopposite them. He had his eyes fixed on Harry and was muttering nonstopunder his breath.
"He's doing something — jinxing the broom," said Hermione.
"What should we do?"
"Leave it to me."Before Ron could say another word, Hermione had disappeared. Percy shook his head and watched Harry, it wasalmost impossible for him to hang on much longer. The whole crowd was onits feet, watching, terrified, as the Weasleys flew up to try and pull Harrysafely onto one of their brooms, but it was no good — every time they gotnear him, the broom would jump higher still. They dropped lower and circledbeneath him, obviously hoping to catch him if he fell. Marcus Flint seized theQuaffle and scored five times without anyone noticing.
"Come on, Hermione," Percy muttered desperately
Then as if a switch was flicked, Harry's broom turned normal
"Neville, you can look!" Ron said. Neville had been sobbing into Hagrid'sjacket for the last five minutes.
Harry was speeding toward the ground when the crowd saw him clap his hand to his mouth as though he was about to be sick — he hit the field on all fours.
"Looks like he's gonna be sick!" Hagrid said
But something gold fell into his hand.
"I've got the Snitch!" he shouted, waving it above his head, and the game ended in complete confusion.
"He didn't catch it, he nearly swallowed it," Flint was still howling twenty minutes later, but it made no difference — Harry hadn't broken any rules and Lee Jordan was still happily shouting the results — Gryffindor had won by one hundred and seventy points to sixty. Harry heard none of this, though. He was being made a cup of strong tea back in Hagrid's hut, with Percy, Ron and Hermione.
"It was Snape," Ron was explaining, "We saw him. He was cursing your broomstick, muttering, he wouldn't take his eyes off you."
"Rubbish," said Hagrid, who hadn't heard a word of what had gone onnext to him in the stands. "Why would Snape do somethin' like that?"
The foursome looked at one another, wondering what to tellhim. Harry decided on the truth.
"I found out something about him," he told Hagrid. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween. It bit him. We think he was trying to steal whatever it's guarding."
Hagrid dropped the teapot.
"How do you know about Fluffy?" he said.
"Fluffy?"
"Yeah — he's mine — bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las' year — I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the —"
"Yes?" said Harry eagerly.
"Now, don't ask me anymore," said Hagrid gruffly. "That's top secret, that is."
"But Snape's trying to steal it."
"Rubbish," said Hagrid again. "Snape's a Hogwarts teacher, he'd do nothin' of the sort."
"So why did he just try and kill Harry?" cried Hermione.
The afternoon's events certainly seemed to have changed her mind about Snape.
"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 at all, I saw him!" said Percy
"I'm tellin' yeh, yer wrong!" said Hagrid hotly. "I don' 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 —"
"Aha!" said Harry, "so there's someone called Nicolas Flamel involved, is there?"
Hagrid looked furious with himself.