The Girl Who Hid | ✓

|3| Mirror of Erised

The first Quidditch game, in November, was terrifying. The game was going well; I sat with Hermione, Ron, and Hagrid, the gamekeeper. We watched as Gryffindor and Slytherin played against one another. Everything was going well until Harry's broom started to go all wonky.

"Can't nothing interfere with a broomstick except powerful Dark magic— no kid could do that to a Nimbus Two Thousand," Hagrid commented.

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?" I asked her.

"I knew it," Hermione gasped, "Snape— look."

Ron grabbed the binoculars, looked through them, and then passed them to me. Snape was in the middle of the stands opposite us. He had his eyes fixed on Harry and was muttering nonstop under his breath.

"He's doing something— jinxing the broom," said Hermione.

"What should we do?"

"I've got it," I said and crawled down the stand.

Finally, I had fought my way across to the stand where Snape stood, and raced along the row behind him; I didn't even stop to say sorry as I knocked Professor Quirrell headfirst into the row in front. Reaching Snape, I crouched down, pulled out my wand, and whispered, "Lacarnum Inflamarae." Bright blue flames shot from my wand onto the hem of Snape's robes.

It took perhaps thirty seconds for Snape to realize that he was on fire. A sudden yelp told me I had done my job. It was enough. As I crawled back over to Ron and Hermione, I saw Harry was suddenly able to clamber back on to his broom.

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 — coughed— and 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.

In Hagrid's cabin, Ron, Hermione, and I told Harry all about what had happened during his game. Hagrid tried to deny it and when Harry told Hagrid the truth about a three-headed dog they'd seen the night of the false duel with Malfoy, he got really upset and warned us to forget about it.

Although I wanted to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas with Ron and Harry, who were both staying, I ended up going back home to see my godfather for Christmas. It was like how it always was: Presents, snowball fights, ice skating, and laughter— but this year I couldn't help but feel left out. I loved spending time with him, but I wish I had stayed at Hogwarts with my friends.

As I counted down the days until the holidays were over, I couldn't help but feel guilty that I didn't want to stay with Lupin.

"What's wrong, kiddo?" he said as he walked into the living room. I had been staring at the fireplace for the last hour or so, not really thinking about anything.

"I don't know. I guess I just miss my friends," I shrugged.

"And here I thought you loved my company," Lupin said in a teasing tone.

"Stop it, you know I do," I laughed.

"So who are your friends that you miss so dearly?"

"I made friends with Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and Harry Potter," I listed them. "They're my only friends but—"

"Harry Potter?" he butted in.

"Not you, too," I groaned. "Everyone did that the first week of term, constantly gaping and whispering."