The Boys Who Lived | The Philosopher's Stone | (Hermione X Male Reader)

Chapter 11: Quidditch

The temperature became extremely chilly as November arrived. The mountains around the school turned a cold grey, and the lake took on the appearance of chilled steel. Every morning, frost coated the ground. From the upper-floor windows, one could see Hagrid warming up the broomsticks on the Quidditch pitch while wearing a long moleskin jacket, rabbit-fur gloves, and big beaver-skin boots.

The Quidditch season had begun. After weeks of practice, Y/N would play his first match on Saturday which was against Slytherin. Gryffindor would advance to second place in the House Championship if they prevailed.

Wood believed that Y/N should be kept a secret as their secret weapon, so hardly anyone had seen them play. However, word of the fact that he was playing Seeker had somehow gotten out, and Y/N was torn between hearing that he would be brilliant or that people would be running below him while holding a mattress.

The fact that Y/N now had Hermione as a friend was a blessing. She helped him with all his homework because of the last-minute Quidditch practice Wood was making them do. She had also loaned him Quidditch Through The Ages, which turned out to be a very fascinating book to read.

Y/N discovered that there are seven hundred different ways to foul in Quidditch and that every single one of them occurred during a World Cup match in 1473. He also discovered that Seekers are typically the smallest and fastest players and that they are the ones who experience the most serious mishaps. Despite the low death toll in Quidditch, referees have been known to disappear and reappear in the Sahara Desert months later.

Since Harry, Y/N, and Ron saved her from the mountain troll, Hermione had been a little less strict about breaking the rules, and as a result, she had grown much friendlier. The four of them were outside in the chilly courtyard at break time the day before Y/N's first Quidditch match, and she had conjured up a bright blue fire that could be carried around in a jam jar. Snape crossed the yard as they were warming up while standing with their backs to it. Y/N observed that Snape was limping. The four of them gathered closer to conceal the fire because they were certain it wouldn't be permitted. Sadly, Snape's attention was drawn to their guilty faces. He limped over. He hadn't seen the fire, but he appeared to be looking for an excuse to reprimand them nonetheless.

"What's that you've got there, Y/N?"

It was Quidditch Through The Ages. Y/N showed him.

"Library books are not to be taken outside of the school," Snape said. "Give it to me. Five points from Gryffindor."

"He's just made that rule up," Y/N said as Snape limped away.

"Wonder what's wrong with his leg?" Harry said.

"Dunno, but I hope it's really hurting him," Ron said harshly.

•

That evening, the Gryffindor common room was quite boisterous. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Y/N sat together by a window. Hermione was looking over the boys' Charms homework. She never let them copy directly off her ("How will you learn?"), but she would read through it for them and correct anything they got wrong.

Y/N was agitated. He yearned to get Quidditch Through The Ages back, so he could relax and forget about tomorrow. Why would he have cause to fear Snape? He stood up and informed Harry, Ron, and Hermione that he was going to ask Snape for permission to have it back.

"Rather you than me."

If other teachers were there and listening, Y/N had a feeling that Snape wouldn't refuse.