𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐀𝐦𝐞 | 𝐇.𝐏.

𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝟏 - 𝟓

"Take a bit of toast, mate. Go on," Weasley urged Potter.

"Weasley's right, Potter. You don't want to faint off your broom, do you?" I added innocently. He scowled at me.

"I'm not hungry."

I saw Professor Snape making his way over before the rest of them did, and I sat up just a little bit straighter. 

"Good luck today, Potter," he said, and I could hear the touch of sarcasm in his voice. "Then again, now that you've proven yourself against a toll, a little game of Quidditch should be easy work for you."

No one dared answer back.

"Even if it is against... Slytherin," he finished, staring right into me. I took a deep breath as he walked away, and Hermione gave me a sympathetic look.

"Well, that explains the blood," Potter mumbled.

"What?" Weasley asked him, speaking for all of us.

"Listen," Potter began, leaning in close and lowering his voice. "Last night, I'm guessing Snape let the troll in as a diversion so he could try to get past that three-headed dog. But, he got himself bitten. That's why he's limping."

I shook my head.

"Thats preposterous. Professor Snape's a teacher," I said to him. His assumption was laughable.

Potter looked only at me when he said, "The day I was at Gringotts, Hagrid took something out of one of the vaults. Said it was Hogwarts business. Very secret."

"But still..." I tried to argue, but Hermione cut me off.

"So you're saying..."

"That's what the dog's guarding," Weasley finished. "That's what Snape wants."

We sat in silence for a moment, staring at each other, nonplused over our discovery. I was about to point out that maybe it was just a miracle shampoo for even the greasiest hair, when an owl screeched over head. 

Hoping it was Nora, I looked up. But instead of her midnight-black wings, I saw Potter's snowy owl, Hedwig. She was carrying a thin, long object, wrapped in brown parchment. I noticed how none of the other owls had flown in yet, as she dropped the package into Potter's hands.

"Bit early for mail, isn't it?" Hermione commented.

"But I... I never get mail," Potter remarked.

"Let's open it," Weasley said excitedly.

We all took off a fourth of the wrapping paper, and Potter smiled bigger than I had ever seen him.

"It's a broomstick..." he whispered.

"That's not just any broomstick, Harry. That's a Nimbus 2000!" Weasley laughed.

"But who..." Potter began, and then trailed off. I followed his line of vision to see Professor McGonagall, smiling discreetly at him. Looking back towards Potter, I was met with Oliver Wood's flabbergasted face.

"Potter!" He exclaimed. "Is that a Nimbus 2000?" 

Which then caused the Weasley twins to crane their necks over. "Harry! You're going to be the fastest on our team with that broom!"

Soon, the entire table was huddled around Potter, and eventually, some students from the other house tables came over to see what all the fuss was about. I whipped my head around when I felt a cold hand on my shoulder. It was Draco. Of course it was Draco.

"Wow, Potter," he said, hiding the jealousy in his voice with arrogance. "You think you can handle that broom all by yourself? After all, you've never played Quidditch in your life before, have you?"