Book 1: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Hermione X Self Insert)

Chapter 13 - Gryffindor vs. Slytherin

The next morning, the children were seated in the Great Hall, eating. Today was going to be the first Quidditch match of the school year, and to say Harry was nervous would be a complete and utter understatement. The weeks of training leading up to this day were gruelling for him, to say the least. Dayton had joined him in the training sessions due to him being listed as reserve Seeker, just in case Harry couldn't play a match for whatever reason.

Hermione had tried to help Harry's nerves about playing by lending him her copy of Quidditch Through The Ages by Kennilworthy Whisp, which was a very interesting book, but also contained some very sickening information on just how many Seekers had been injured or killed in the past.

One good thing, however, was that Harry and Dayton learned all about the rules of the game, as well as how you can commit an extremely high number of fouls, all of which happened during a record-setting Quidditch World Cup match in 1473.

The final was contested between Transylvania and Flanders, and had gone down in history as the most violent of all time: all 700 fouls listed in the Department of Magical Games and Sports records were known to have occurred during the final. Many of the fouls then recorded had never been seen before; they included the Transfiguration of a Chaser into a polecat, the attempted decapitation of a Keeper with a broadsword, and the release, from under the robes of the Transylvanian Captain, of a hundred blood-sucking vampire bats. Dayton took a major interest in this pivotal event in the history of wizard sports, and read everything there was to know about it.

Hardly anyone outside of the Gryffindor team had seen Harry's skills on a broom, only those who were there during his first attempt in flying class. But even less knew that he was playing in this match, a tactic Oliver Wood decided to use, to have Harry as a sort of a "secret weapon."

But today, his nerves were ramming into him harder than ever, so hard that he was surprised he wasn't having an anxiety attack. As a result, he refused to eat anything for breakfast, much to the annoyance of Dayton, Ron and Hermione.

"Take a bit of toast, mate, go on." Ron tried to convince him.

"Ron's right, Harry." Hermione added. "You're going to need your strength today."

But Harry was stubborn and he shook his head. "I'm not hungry." He said.

Just then, Professor Snape appeared at the table. "Good luck today, Potter." He said. "Then again, now that you've proven yourself against a troll, a little game of Quidditch should be easy work for you, even if it is against Slytherin."

Snape walked off, and Harry and Dayton noticed he was limping considerably.

"You saw that too?" Harry asked Dayton.

The boy nodded. "That explains the blood."

"Blood?" Hermione echoed.

"Listen," Dayton said. "My guess is that last night, Snape let the troll in as a diversion so he could try and get past that three-headed dog. But, he got himself bitten, that's why he's limping."

"But why would anyone go near that dog?" Hermione inquired in return.

"The day Dayton and I were at Gringotts, Hagrid took something out of one of the vaults." Harry explained. "He said it was Hogwarts' business, very secret."

"So you're saying..." Hermione began.

"That's what the dog's guarding. That's what Snape wants." Harry finished it for her.

Dayton furrowed his eyebrows. This was the very same vault in which there was a reported theft in the Daily Prophet. But before he could say anything, there was a screech from Hedwig as she entered the Great Hall. She carried two very large, long parcels. She dropped them off at the table.