Saturday was freezing. It was time for the first quidditch match of the season, and Harry had contemplated for a few minutes not going; he had a rather long list of things to do for Snape. But one pouted stare from Carlisle had him nodding and agreeing to go.
Quidditch was always a nice change of pace for Harry. Even before his apprenticeship with Snape, the training sessions and games were a nice change of pace and a break from his studies. He could forget about any other drama or classes, and he would focus on his one task, catch the snitch. And it was something that he did very well. Riding a broom had been second nature to him when he was a child; his father would often encourage him to ride around whenever he could. They would even fly about White Oak’s grounds together, racing to see who was the fastest. But it had always been second to his books, so his father had no expectations of him even trying out for Quidditch at Hogwarts.
After watching the matches during his first year and cheering along with his housemates as Ravenclaw tried their best, he decided that when tryouts came around in his second year to give it a go. There were four positions up for grabs, and Harry hadn’t been sure. When their team captain had offered him a tryout for Seeker—since no one else seemed to want it—he couldn’t think of a good enough reason to say no, so off he went. To say that he had not only surprised himself but everyone else who had been standing on the Quidditch pitch when he managed to catch the snitch in less than forty seconds would have been an understatement. The moment his feet had touched the ground after catching the golden ball, he knew that he wanted to do it again. And do it again, he did. Every single game, Harry had landed his feet on the ground with the snitch in his grasp, and every time left him wanting more.
Saturday’s match was between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Harry knew that Carlisle would want him there, cheering his friends on; not that much cheering was ever heard over the booing at a Gryffindor and Slytherin game. And what he would never admit out loud—to anyone—was that he was curious about Harvey.
It had been brought to his attention by a grumbling Snape that McGonagall had made Harvey Gryffindor’s seeker after witnessing him catching something that belonged to another student. First years had been talking about it for weeks, and now that it was time for his first game, Harry was interested to see what Harvey could do. Harvey being good on a broom was something he had never dismissed; after all, James too had been on Gryffindor’s quidditch team, but he had never seen the boy play. Harry also wanted to know if he would be a challenge when their game came around.
The game wasn’t till eleven, and so Harry had spent the morning after breakfast in Snape’s lab. He had ticked a few things off his list before leaving. As he stepped outside, he saw Carlisle standing down the hall talking to Marcus Flint. Flint was already dressed for the match; the only thing missing was his padding. The two of them weren’t what you would consider friends or on good terms, but both of them played on Slytherin’s team together. On the pitch, they worked as a good team, leaving their disputes for other less important times.
“Have you seen if Potter is any good?” asked Flint. He was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed, facing away from where Harry had come.
“No idea,” said Carlisle.
“Still can’t believe that this was allowed. First years aren’t supposed to be allowed to play quidditch,” whined Flint.
Harry smirked and said, “Scared of an eleven-year-old?”
Flint jumped and spun around. “Black,” he spat.
Just like Carlisle, Flint disliked Harry. The two of them had butted heads after Flint had slammed his family name because his father had been sorted into Gryffindor. And no matter how long the family line had been in Slytherin, that had tainted them in Flint’s eyes. It was good for Harry that he really didn’t care about Flint’s opinion. He was a scared little boy that really didn’t have much bite.
“Scared of Potter?” Flint snapped. “He should be careful I don’t break his glasses when I make sure a bludger slams into his stupid face.”
Harry rolled his eyes. “Does that make you feel like a real man? Threatening a child?”
There were many things that Harvey did to annoy Harry, and there had been times in his life that Harry had wanted to smack Harvey in the face. But no one else got to threaten Harvey like that. He would never admit it, but Harvey was his younger brother, and he would keep him safe. A bully like Flint would need to get through him first.
“I don’t need to threaten anyone to feel like a man. And why so protective, Black? Have a crush?” Flint’s voice was mocking. “I thought you hated Potter just as much. Everyone has seen how you snarl at him whenever he comes over to you.”
Harry rolled his eyes. “Potter may be a brat, but he is still a child compared to you.”
“Yeah, well, we will see how he fares on the pitch then.” Flint pushes past Harry, knocking their shoulders and heading towards the Slytherin Common Room.
“Someone really needs to knock him off his high horse,” said Carlisle. He pushed off the wall and stepped up beside Harry. “Maybe when Ravenclaw plays against us, we can organize a bludger specifically for him.” Carlisle gave Harry a cheeky grin and winked.
Harry let out a small laugh and slung his arm over Carlisle’ shoulders before turning them around. “Carlisle, when do your plans ever go right?”
Carlisle frowned for a moment, and his shoulders sagged. He did tend to try too hard, but it was always for the best reasons. In the end, he always just ended up in detention. “They aren’t always perfect,” he said as they climbed up the stairs that would take them out towards the entrance of the Great Hall. “But I landed myself the girl, didn’t I?”
Harry nodded. He had gone through a very elaborate plan to get Amelia to notice him. It was before her Ice Queen exterior had melted, and Carlisle refused to stop gushing about the hot blonde with the best ass. He also seemed to enjoy the way that Amelia would rip him to shreds whenever he approached her. So, it surprised everyone when he laid out his plan and somehow completed it successfully.
As they reached the Great Hall, students were everywhere. Both Slytherin and Gryffindor students were all dressed for the occasion; painted faces, dyed hair, there were even banners all over the place.
“I better head down to the pitch, see you after the game?” asked Carlisle.
Harry nodded. “Of course, good luck.”
Carlisle smirked. “Please, those kitty cats don’t know what coming.”
Harry shook his head as he watched his friend walk away.
“Harry!”
Surprised, Harry spun around to see his mother and James walking towards him. James had a Gryffindor scarf draped around his shoulders that looked rather worn, and Lily was supporting stripes on both of her cheeks in red and gold.
“Mum,” said Harry.
Lily pulled him into a hug, smiley widely. “It’s so good to see you.”
“You too.” He stepped out of their embrace. “I didn’t know you were coming to the game?”
Lily shrugged her shoulders. “It was a bit last minute. I was able to get my shifts changed at St Mungo’s at the last second, so here we are. Have you seen Harvey?”
Harry shook his head. “Not today; I’ve been busy with Professor Snape.”
Lily frowned slightly and asked, “I hope he isn’t forcing you to spend all your free time in his lab?”
“No, I was just finishing off some tasks that needed to be done. I have plenty of free time,” explained Harry.
Lily smiled. “Good, I’m glad.”
“How has the apprenticeship been going?” asked James.
Harry was surprised for a moment. It wasn’t odd for James to try to hold a conversation with him; the older he got, it just seemed that the conversations always ended up awkward. However, he knew that this conversation was most likely something that his mum had told him to talk about before they had even left their home.
“Very well, I think,” said Harry. “Teaching first years has been an eye-opener to why Professor Snape is so…well, you know.”
James snorted out a laugh and said, “I don’t think that has anything to do with first years.”
“James!” Lily smacked him lightly on the arm.
James cringed at the contact. “What? He was like that when we were at school.”
Lily huffed. “Only because you were an ass to him.”
“He gave as good as he got,” grumbled James.
Lily shook her head. “You never grow up, do you.”
“Do I need to give you two a moment?” asked Harry.
“No, course not. Sorry.” Lily turned back to him and offered a smile.
It wasn’t the first time Harry had heard them argue about Snape. He had spent years listening to them argue about what had happened at school. The actual details of the events were always left out, but from what Harry could tell, a lot of insults and hexes were flung between them.
Lily asked, “Are you coming to the game?”
Harry nodded. “Of course. Carlisle would never forgive me if I missed it.”
Lily said, “I can only imagine the guilt trip.”
Harry laughed. “Tell me about it. Twice this morning, he has already asked me to make sure I would be there.”
James cringed and said, “He sounds a little needy.”
Harry shrugged. “It’s more of an act than anything.”
“Right.” James still seemed unsure.
“Anyway,” said Lily, “after the match did you want to come down to Hogsmeade? We are going to take Harvey out for lunch to celebrate his first game, win or lose.”
James puffed out his chest. “Win or lose, please. Lily, this is my son we are talking about.”
Lily gave him a strange look and just shook her head.
Harry bit back his laugh and said, “Thanks, but I’ve got plans with my friends.” He didn’t really, but he was already losing the battle of keeping the number of students who knew that he was related to Harvey to a minimum. If he went to Hogsmeade with them, then there was no telling how many students would see them, and the truth would spread.
“Oh,” said Lily, “no problem. Take care then; I love you.” She grasped his shoulder and pressed a kiss to the side of his head.
Harry gave her a warm smile and said, “Love you too, mum.”
“See ya, Harry.”
“Bye, James.”
Harry watched his mum walk away before letting out a deep breath. He wondered if things would ever be easy.
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Harvey was feeling overwhelmed. It had been difficult to eat anything at breakfast as the butterflies in his stomach fluttered around and made him want to vomit. It was his first quidditch game, and he wasn’t really sure what to expect. His mum and dad were both planning on coming to the match and then taking him out for a treat after the game, and while that was exciting, he had to get through the game first.
“You alright, Harvey?” asked Hermione. She sat across from him, eating a bowl of porridge.
Harvey frowned. “My stomach is full of butterflies,” he said.
“Go on, mate,” said Ron, “you’ll need it.” Ron placed a piece of plain toast onto the plate in front of him. “My mum always says that toast helps with the nerves.”
Harvey cringed at the food. He couldn’t picture anything helping him, but he picked it up. He took a bite and felt slightly better as he swallowed it down.
“Good luck today, Potter.”
Harvey froze and turned to see Professor Snape standing beside him. He didn’t know what to say. Snape tended to ignore him or pick on him; he wasn’t one to wish someone luck.
“Then again,” Snape continued, “now that you’ve proven yourself against a troll, a little game of Quidditch should be easy work for you,” Snape smirked. “Even if it is against Slytherin.”
Harvey watched as he walked away but noticed how he hobbled. Frowning, it seemed to make sense. “That explains the blood,” he mumbled.
Hermione and Ron looked at him strangely.
“Blood?” asked Hermione.
Harvey said, “The other night, when we faced the troll after Harry saved us and the teachers arrived, I noticed Snape had blood on his leg.”
“And?” asked Ron.
“What if Snape let the troll in and tried to get past that three-headed dog?” said Harvey.
Ron cringed. “Why would anyone be stupid enough to go near that thing?”
It had been an accident that the three of them had discovered it. Their intention was to get back to their common room but found themselves running into the third-floor corridor after the staircases changed. At first, the moving staircases was fascinating, but sometimes it was a bit of a hassle. They had all been lucky to not be eaten by the beast behind that door; then again, it had been locked.
Harvey explained, “I overheard Dad talking to Hagrid when we were in Diagon Alley getting my things for this year. Hagrid mentions taking something out of the vaults for Professor Dumbledore. Apparently, it was Hogwarts business, very secret.”
Hermione said, “So you’re saying…”
“I think whatever Hagrid took out of the vault is under the trap door, and for some reason, Snape wants it.” Harvey clenched his fist and glared up to where Snape had taken a seat at the teacher's table.
“I would have thought that a teacher would be able to get past the dog?” said Ron.
Hermione sighed. “Professor Dumbledore wouldn’t just let anyone get near something so important. If that dog is guarding something, then it most likely isn’t just protected by that beast.”
“Do you think I should say something?” asked Harvey.
“Maybe you should tell Harry,” Hermione suggested.
Harvey cringed. Harry wouldn’t believe him; after all, Snape was now his mentor. He would need hard proof before he could say anything.
There was not enough time to come up with a plan. Harvey finished forcing down the piece of toast Ron had given him before heading to the pitch. His nerves were still fluttering in his stomach, but the food had helped. But here it was, game day, and he couldn’t be more scared. The closer it came time for the kick-off, the more he felt it. It was all incredibly stressful, and now he had more concerns about Snape and what his plans were.
Harvey was ready for the game when Oliver walked over to him and told him his parents were outside. Seeing them felt good. Both of them hugged him close and offered their words of encouragement, and it helped. The butterflies seemed to relax as his dad waved his old Gryffindor scarf around his head, and his mum squeezed his shoulders and told him that she was proud. Harvey knew that his mum had concerns about him playing; after all, he would be the youngest on the field, and quidditch was rough. All of the training sessions had been brutal, but Harvey wouldn’t really know what a true game felt like until after today. But it meant a lot to see her excited to watch him play.
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The stands were loud and full of people cheering. Harvey had made his way through the crowd and found Jenna and Dylan standing against the rail along with Cedric. It seemed that the Hufflepuff had abandoned his own house to join a better cheering squad. The four of them would be cheering more for Carlisle than they would Slytherin, but it seemed that the house rivalries became brutal when quidditch was involved. Harvey honestly thought that the rivalries were a trivial thing and that unity was something that Hogwarts needed to promote more, but it sometimes seemed that certain students and professors enjoyed the tension it created.
“Who do we think will win today?” asked Jenna.
“I have five galleons on Gryffindor,” said Dylan.
Harry frowned at him. “Since when do you bet?”
Dylan smirked. “Since Carlisle called me a fun sucker. I think I should get something out of today when Slytherin loses.”
“What makes you so sure that they will lose?” asked Cedric.
Dylan shrugged. “I dunno.”
Harry rolled his eyes as the others laughed. More trivial things.
The crowd’s cheers grew louder as the players of both houses entered the field. It was hard to hear the chanting of either house over their loud cries and the swooshing of the player's brooms. Harry’s eyes found Harvey quickly and noticed that his broom was a shiny new nimbus 2000, the very same one that Harvey and James had drooled over in Diagon Alley.
“Hello, and welcome to Hogwarts’s first Quidditch game of the season. Today’s game, Slytherin versus Gryffindor!” called the commentator. “The players take their positions as Madam Hooch steps out onto the field to begin the game.”
Madam Hooch walked out onto the field and gave a stern glare at every player. She said, “I want a nice clean game from all of you.”
Harry sighed as he noticed Madam Hooch stare at Flint for a moment longer than anyone else. This game would be far from clean with him playing.
“The bludgers are up...” said the commentator, “followed by the Golden Snitch. Remember, the snitch is worth 150 points. The seeker who catches the Snitch ends the game.”
Harvey couldn’t help but follow the Snitch as it flew up and around the heads of both Seekers. He saw it sling across the field behind Gryffindor’s rings. He turned back to the centre of the field as Madam Hooch grabbed the quaffle and threw it into the air.
“The Quaffle is released...and the game begins,” cried the commentator.
Immediately Gryffindor grabs the quaffle. Harvey had seen Angelia Johnson play enough to know how quick she was. Carlisle tries to race after her, but a few seconds later, a ding sounds out as Angelia scored.
“Angelina Johnson scores! 10 points for Gryffindor,” said the commentator.
Dylan chuckled. “This game will be over quickly.”
Harry smirked. “Someone has to catch the snitch first.”
“Do you think Harvey will?” asked Jenna.
Harry shrugged.
The commentator continued, “Slytherin takes possession of the Quaffle. Bletchley passes to Captain Carlisle Flint.”
“Here we go,” said Cedric, “time for a foul.”
Harry chuckled.
They watch as Flint dodges people left and right before throwing the quaffle towards a ring. Oliver Wood quickly flew up, blocking the goal.
“Ha!” yelled Dylan.
“He deserved that,” mumbled Harry.
“The guys a cheat,” added Cedric.
No one argued.
Another ding as Angelia scored again.
Harry wanted to laugh as he noticed Flint’s annoyed expression. The guy hated to lose, and soon the Gryffindor’s would be paying for it. No one is really surprised as they watch Flint take the beaters bat and sends a bludger flying at Oliver. The bludger knocks right into Oliver’s stomach, sending him to the ground, unconscious.
“Where are the Weasley twins?” groaned Dylan.
“Second, thinking your bet?” asked Jenna.
Dylan glared at her.
The game doesn’t become any less brutal as the Slytherins force Angelia into one of the towers surrounding the pitch. With their keeper and a chaser down, it didn’t take much for Slytherin to start scoring and for the boos to get louder.
Harry leans against the railing and notices Harvey turning his broom around before quickly taking off. He keeps his eyes trained on him, and it only takes Harvey a second to notice the snitch hovering near the teachers stand.
“Looks like Harvey has seen the snitch,” claims Cedric.
“Appears so,” mumbled Harry.
It takes a moment to notice, but Harry finds himself cheering for Harvey—on the inside—to catch the snitch. While he would be happy if Carlisle won the match, but a jolt of pride in his younger brother seemed to strike him. It wasn’t something he could ever remember feeling before, and it startled him.
“What on earth?” cried Jenna.
Harry snapped out of his thoughts and found what had startled Jenna. Harvey’s broom was out of control. It was sliding up and down, trying to almost shake Harvey off.
“I’ve never seen a broom do that,” said Cedric.
“That’s because they don’t do that on their own,” said Harry.
“Think someone’s messing with it?” asked Cedric.
Harry frowned. “Possibly.”
“Flint?” Dylan asked.
Harry snorted. “The guys an ass, but even this might be too far for him.”
Harvey’s broom bucked widely and threw the boy off. He held onto the groom with only his fingers, and Harry heard a distinctive cry that was his mother’s voice. Harry spotted her standing in the teacher’s box, her hands over her mouth.
“Harry, is there something we can do?” asked Jenna.
He shook his head. They couldn’t interfere with the game. Harvey’s broom could be malfunctioning, and if anyone used their wands to interfere, the game would have to be forfeited by both teams.
The broom suddenly stilled, and Harvey was able to pull himself back up.
“What just happened?” asked Dylan.
He wasn’t sure. Harry felt like something was going on. A weird sensation had been building in his gut since he had returned to school. Something was going on, and it was bugging him. At first, he had thought that perhaps it was stress because of Harvey and his apprenticeship, but strange things kept happening. And he didn’t like it one bit.
“Woah!” cried Dylan.
Harry spotted Harvey as he pulled his broom out of a deep dive. He was barely a meter from the ground of the pitch and right on the snitches tail. Harry found himself surprised as Harvey carefully stood up on his broom and reaching out for the snitch. The brotherly pride seemed to swell in his chest, and as Harvey stepped forward, stumbling off his broom and hitting the ground with a hard thump, he didn’t know what to do.
The crowd seemed to fall silent as Harvey stood and seemed to convulse. Once, twice, and then a gold ball popped out of his mouth and into his hands.
“He’s got the Snitch!” cried the commentator. “Harvey Potter receives 150 points for catching the Snitch.”
A whistle blows and Madam Hooch yelled, “Gryffindor Wins!”
The roar from the students is deafening, and Dylan himself jumps up with glee. Harry shakes his head at his friend’s antics and finds himself watching as Harvey is smothered by the rest of his team.
Harry would never admit it, but he was proud of his little brother.
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Harvey couldn’t believe it. They had won. He had caught the snitch and won his first match. He was smiling ear to ear and couldn’t stop himself from jumping for joy. As he made it back to the changing rooms, he found both his parents cheering loudly.
“Well done, my boy,” said James. He pulled Harvey in for a big hug and lifted him off the ground. “You are spectacular.”
Harvey giggled and said, “That was the most insane thing I have ever done.”
“That it was,” said Lily. “But most importantly, we are so proud of you.” She pulled him into her own hug before frowning at his broom. “However, that broom needs to be checked.”
Harvey frowned. “Yeah, I don’t know what happened.”
“It was very strange,” said James.
“Snape was jinxing his broom.”
The three Potters turned and saw Hermione standing behind them with Ron.
“Hello, Ron,” said Lily.
“Hi, Mrs Potter,” said Ron.
“And what’s your name, dear?” asked Lily.
Hermione smiled and held out her hand. “Hermione Granger.”
“Pleasure to meet you,” said Lily as she shook her hand. “I’m Lily, Harvey’s mum.”
“Nice to meet you too.”
“What did you say about Snape?” asked James.
“He was jinxing Harvey’s broom,” said Hermione.
Lily frowned. “Why would he do that?”
“Because he’s my son,” grumbled James.
Lily smacked his arm. “Don’t start.”
James huffed but stayed silent.
“Why do you think Professor Snape would hurt Harvey? He’s a teacher,” said Lily.
“I know a spell when I see one, you have to maintain eye contact, and he wasn’t blinking.” Hermione crossed her arms.
“I think he is up to no good, mum,” said Harvey.
Lily sighed. “Harvey, I know Severus can be difficult, he is a trying man, but he is a teacher. In the end, he wouldn’t go out of his way to hurt you like that.”
“Maybe not if I was Harry,” mumbled Harvey. His mum might not believe him, but there was something going on that he was sure of.
“Alright, enough,” said Lily. “Ron, good to see you. Hermione, nice to meet you. Harvey, go get changed so that we can eat.”
Hermione and Ron waved goodbye before leaving. Harvey headed into the change room to change but couldn’t let it go. Hermione had said she saw Snape focusing on him. Was it possible that Snape had overheard them at breakfast? Or maybe Harvey had been the only one to notice the blood on Halloween? It scared him to think that Snape was after him, but he wasn’t going to let that stop him. He would find out what exactly was going on.
