The new Dark Lord of Slytherin

Chapter 12

As they entered November, the weather turned colder. The mountains around the school became icy gray and the lake like chilled steel. But the Quidditch season had also begun. On Saturday, Harry would be playing his first match after many days of training: Slytherin versus Gryffindor. If Slytherin won, they would move into second place in the house championship.

Ever since the episode with the troll, Hermione was with him everywhere he went, except for the classes they had apart. She was beginning to open more up to himself and Draco, mostly himself though. Hermione had told them that her re-sorting was scheduled for after the Christmas holidays, and that Professor McGornagal had asked her to reconsider many times.

In some of the time Harry spent with Hermione, she had borrowed him Quidditch Through the Ages, which he had taken great joy in reading. Harry had learned that people rarely died in Quidditch, but referees had been known to vanish and turn up months later in the Sahara Desert.

The evening before the match Harry stayed in his room, the common room was too noisy for him, and even though Harry normally wasn't really the type who was restless, he found it hard not to be for tomorrow.

The next morning dawned very brightly and cold. The Great Hall was full of delicious smells of food and cheerful chatter of everyone looking forward to a good Quidditch match.

"You've got to eat some breakfast."

"I'm not exactly hungry."

"Just a piece of toast" Draco said.

"I'm not hungry."

Grindelwald, you need your strength" said Flint "Seekers are always the ones who get clobbered by the other team."

"Just one piece then" Harry said and grabbed a piece of toast and some butter.

By eleven o'clock the whole school seemed to be out in the stands around the Quidditch pitch.

Hermione had gone with Draco, they stood in between the Slytherins and the Ravenclaws, the Ravens didn't seem to have anything against the idea, but some of the older snakes were giving Hermione the evil eye.

Meanwhile, in the locker room, Harry and the rest of the team were changing into their green Quidditch robes, Gryffindor would be playing in scarlet.

"This is the best team Slytherin has had in years, were going to win" Flint said.

He then shot them a glare as if to say "Or else."

"Right. It's time. Good luck, all of you."

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 all had gathered around her. Out of the corner of his eye Harry could see Draco and Hermione cheering at him.

"Mount your brooms, please."

Harry climbed onto his Nimbus Two Thousand.

Madam Hooch gave a loud blast on her silver whistle. The second she did, all brooms flew in the air.

Harry flew around the pitch, looking for the snitch, the only updates he got on the game was when the commentator said anything, or was occasionally yelled at.

After what seemed like a long time, he saw it. In a great rush of excitement he dived downward after the streak of gold. Luckily Gryffindors Seeker hadn't seen it yet. But one of the Gryffindors flew just in between him and the snitch, not only did he lose sight of it, but he was also just about to fall off his broom.

It was as harry dodged a Bludger, wich went spinning dangerously close to his head that it happened, His broom gave a sudden, frightening lurch. He had to hold tight not to fall off. After a few moments it happened again.

"Something is wrong with Harry's broom" Draco said to Hermione pointing at Harry, who's broom were now making dangerous swings.

"What is it?"

"I don't know, but only dark magic can do that" Draco stated, wich made Hermione grab his binoculars and look through the crowd.

"What are you doing?"

"There" she said and pointed at the teachers stand "Professor Quirrell and Snape are both chanting and holding eye contact with Harry's broom."

"It must be Quirrell then, Snape wouldn't hurt Harry" Draco said "we have to something!"

Hermione quickly made her way through the crowds and climbed up to the teachers stand, so quickly that Draco couldn't keep up with her.

Hermione crawled under the seats and pointed her wand at Quirrell's robes, muttered a spell wich set them on fire and went away before she could be discovered.

As Harry was holding onto his broom, hoping not to fall to his death, it suddenly stopped.

Harry had noticed it as he climbed back onto his broom, the Snitch was right below him, he dived. Unfortunately it was only just above the ground, and as Harry pulled up he opened his mouth to breathe and the next thing he knew he crashed on the ground, landing in all four, he then sat up and coughed the Snitch into his hands.

"I've got the Snitch!" Harry shouted, waving it above his head, and the game ended in complete confusion.

"He didn't catch it, he nearly swallowed it" Wood was still howling twenty minutes later, but it made no difference, Harry hadn't broken any rules, Slytherin had won by one hundred and sixty points to seventy.

Later in the evening, when some of the excitement had died a bit down, Harry, Hermione and Draco sat in the library.

"It was Quirrell who did it" Draco said, making sure they were alone "we also saw snape chanting a counter curse."

"And thank God he did" Hermione almost yelled "You could have died."

"Couldn't we talk about something a little bit different" Harry didn't really want to hear more about it "Like that three headed dog in the third-floor corridor?"

"What about it?"

"I went up there again, I found blood on the floor "Harry said "not much, but a bit, and in two different places of the room."

"Could it have bidden someone?" Hermione asked.

"I think I might know two" Harry said after a few seconds "Both Snape and Quirrell has been limping since Halloween."

"But why were they there?" Draco asked.

"Perhaps Quirrell was trying to steal whatever it is that it's guarding?" Hermione concluded.

"And Snape tried to stop him" Harry said "but the question is, what is it guarding?"

"We could go look, see if there are any clues" Draco said "I know a spell that would make it fall asleep, but only for a few minutes."

"If we do it, then it has to be now" Harry said with a serious tone.

His two friends exchanged a look before they both nodded. The three then hurried down to the corridor, Draco went in first and made it fall asleep, then they began searching.

"Whats this?" Hermione said, picking a piece of paper up from the ground, just as she did, the three-headed dog began to wake and the three friends ran out of the door and slammed it shut behind them.

"Nicolas Flamel" Hemione read from the paper "who's he?"