Chapter 4
"Blood?" Daphne questioned.
"Listen. Last night, I'm guessing Snape let the Troll in as a diversion so he could try 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?" Theo asked. "There's just a stupid Red Rock at the end."
"Theo! Stop insulting my awesome Red Rock!"
"Yes, Cassie."
"At Gringotts, Hagrid took something out of one of the Vaults. Said it was Hogwarts business, very secret," Harry said.
"So you're saying..." Daphne said.
"That Red Rock is what the dog was guarding and it's from Gringotts. It's something Dumbledore thinks is very important."
"That Red Rock is not important enough to put a three-headed dog that could kill someone in a school full of children," Blaise said and I stormed off. How dare he insult my special Red Rock! I'll have to ask Harry later if he likes the Broom I ordered for him. Mine came yesterday. Now, Harry and I both have a Nimbus 2000.
...
Miles Bletchley (Slytherin's Keeper), Harry (Slytherin's Seeker), Lucian Bole (Slytherin Beater), Peregrine Derrick (Slytherin Beater), Marcus Flint (Slytherin's Captain and Chaser), Cassius Warrington (Slytherin Chaser) and I flew onto the pitch opposite Olliver Wood (Gryffindor's Captain and Keeper), Thomas Hopkins (Gryffindor's Seeker), Fred Weasley (Gryffindor Beater), George Weasley (Gryffindor Beater), Katie Bell (Gryffindor Chaser), Angelina Johnson (Gryffindor Chaser) and Alicia Spinnet (Gryffindor Chaser). "Hello!" Lee Jordan spoke into the mic. "Welcome to Hogwarts' first Quidditch game of the season. Today's game, Slytherin versus Gryffindor!" We flew over to our places. "The players take their positions as Madam Hooch steps out onto the field to begin the game!"
"Now, I want a nice, clean game..." She looks at us all as she talks. "From all of you!" Flint and Warrington share a look. This is not going to be a clean game. Madam Hooch kicks the Trunk. The Trunk opens and Bludgers and the Golden Snitch fly out.
"The Bludgers are up, followed by the Golden Snitch. Remember, the Snitch is worth 150 points. The Seeker who catches the Snitch ends the game," Jordan said. Madam Hooch took the Quaffle out and threw it up. "The Quaffle is released and the game begins!" Flint, Warrington, Bell, Johnson, Spinnet and I chase after the Quaffle. Johnson got the Quaffle and Warrington tried to get it off of her but she dodged him. Flint and I flew to her but she threw the Quaffle through the middle hoop while Bletchley just missed it. "Angelina Johnson scores! Ten points for Gryffindor!" I snickered as Hopkins almost got hit by a Bludger because he was celebrating. "Slytherin takes possession of the Quaffle. Addams passes to Captain Marcus Flint." Flint dodged Johnson and Bell, a Bludger and he sends Spinnet into a tailspin by kicking her Broom. He dodges Bell again and throws the ball at the middle hoop but Wood blocks it with the back of his Broom and sends it back to Johnson. Flint is not pleased. I try to get the Quaffle from Johnson but the three Gryffindor Chasers keep throwing it between them. Johnson scores again. "Another ten points to Gryffindor!" Warrington tried to score through the middle hoop again but Wood saved it and threw it to Johnson. Flint growled at Wood.
"Give me that!" He grabbed Bole's Beater's bat from him and hit a Bludger right into Wood's stomach. Wood fell off of his Broom and Hopkins was pissed. Flint passed the bat back to Bole. I got the Quaffle off of Johnson as she tried to throw it to Bell. I passed it to Flint as he flew over a Weasley twin and he threw it through the middle hoop. Hopkins looked really mad. Johnson had the Quaffle so Flint and Warrington pushed against both sides of her Broom until she hit the stands and fell to the ground. Warrington got the Quaffle and scored again.
"Hey, Cassie," Harry said as he flew past me while his eyes were fixed on something in front of him. He ducked to dodge a Bludger and then his Broom started going haywire. I flew over to the Slytherins in our year who seemed to be focused on the Professors.
"What's going on?" I asked them.
"Professor Snape and Professor Quirrell are both focusing on Harry, not blinking and whispering under their breath," Neville said.
"One of them is jinxing him and the other is counter-jinxing," Theo said.
"But we don't know which is which. Harry said he thinks Professor Snape was trying to get past that dog but he wouldn't be stupid enough to do something like this in public," Blaise said.
"Theo, get Professor Snape and Professor Quirrell to stop." Theo nodded and left. "It's definitely Quirrell. His stutter wouldn't allow him to jinx or counter-jinx so his stutter is fake. There's no reason to fake a stutter other than to seem less intimidating and to make people underestimate you." I flew off and concentrated back on the game. A few seconds later, right as Harry was about to fall off of his Broom, Harry regained balance. The game continued for a while with Spinnet and Bell scoring a few times and Flint, Warrington and I scoring until we were 150 points up and then Harry and Hopkins saw the Snitch. They both flew towards it and it went into a nosedive. Harry and Hopkins both continued to fly after it while hitting each other. Hopkins pulled out of the dive faster than Harry and Harry was barely a foot above the ground. He stood on his Broom with his arm out to catch the Snitch but he took one step too far and fell off of his Broom. Harry stood up and it looked like he was going to throw up. The Snitch popped out of his mouth and he held it in his hands. That makes us 310 points up as Flint had scored while Harry and Hopkins battled for the Snitch.
"He's got the Snitch!" Jordan declares. "Harry Potter receives 150 points for catching the Snitch!" Madam Hooch blew her whistle as she flew around the pitch.
"Slytherin wins!" Madam Hooch yelled. Harry held the Snitch in the air and shook it to the cheers of the Slytherins, Ravenclaws and some Hufflepuffs and boos from the Gryffindors and other Hufflepuffs but they were drowned out by the cheers.
...
"Nonsense! Why would Snape put a curse on Harry's Broom?" Hagrid asked as we talked to him after the Quidditch Match. We were going to mention that it was Professor Quirrell but Hagrid seems super gullible so he would totally believe Quirrell's act.
"Who knows? Why was he trying to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween?" Harry asked.
"Who told you about Fluffy?" Hagrid asked.
"Fluffy?" Blaise commented.
"That thing has a name?" Draco asked in disbelief.
"Of course, he's got a name. He's mine," Hagrid said. Yeah. That tracks. That monster is totally something Hagrid would own and think is cute. "I brought him off an Irish fella I met down the pub last year. And then, I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the..."
"Yes?" Pansy asked.
"Shouldn't've said that," Hagrid said. "No more questions. Don't ask any more questions! That's top secret, that is."
"But, Hagrid, whatever Fluffy's guarding, Snape's trying to steal it!" Daphne said.
"Codswallop. Professor Snape is a Hogwarts teacher," Hagrid defended.
"Hogwarts teacher or not I know a spell when I see one. I've read all about them," Theo said.
"You've got to keep eye contact and Snape wasn't blinking," Neville said.
"Exactly," Tracey said as Millie nodded.
"Now, you listen to me, all twelve of you," Hagrid said. "You're meddling in things that ought not to be meddled in. It's dangerous."
"I like dangerous things," I said but Hagrid ignored me.
"What that dog is guarding is between Professor Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel."
"Nicholas Flamel?" Harry questioned.
"I shouldn't've said that. I should not have said that. I shouldn't've said that," Hagrid said as he walked away.
"Nicholas Flamel. Who's Nicholas Flamel?" I asked.
"Nicholas Flamel is the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone," Blaise said.
"The what?" Harry asked and Draco rolled his eyes.
"The Philosopher's Stone is a legendary substance with astonishing powers," Theo said.
"It'll transform any metal into pure gold," Draco said.
"And it produces the Elixir of Life which will make the drinker immortal," Theo said.
"The only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr Nicholas Flamel, the noted alchemist," Blaise said.
"Who last year celebrated his 665th birthday," Theo said.
"How do you three know this?" Daphne asked.
"Our parents had us taking classes together when we got our letters to Hogwarts on important people in history so we know what people to talk to if we come across any of their descendants," Theo said.
"So the Philosopher's Stone is Cassie's Red Rock?" Harry asked and Blaise, Draco and Theo nodded in awe.
"I still prefer 'Red Rock' over Philosopher's Stone," I said in irritation as I crossed my arms. Theo laughed and I let out a huff before storming off.
...
"Cassie!" Harry yelled as he came to a stop in front of me, Tracey, Daphne, Theo, Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle, Draco and Millie. Blaise ran over a few seconds later. Both he and Harry were heavily panting.
"Yes?"
"You know how-" Harry let out a heavy pant. "It was mine and Blaise's turn to watch Quirrell under that Invisibility Cloak Dumbledore gave me for Christmas that used to be my father's?"
"Yeah. It took me like five seconds to recognise the handwriting on that note. Why?"
"He was talking to himself again and he's going down the trapdoor tonight," Blaise said.
"Okay, Harry, Neville, Blaise and I are going to go down the trapdoor." The others looked like they wanted to protest so I continued. "Only three of us can fit under the cloak in one go and I can Disillusion myself. I'm not too good at Disillusioning others yet."
"The Disillusion Spell is a N.E.W.T. Level spell, Cassie," Theo said in awe.
"And?" They all chuckled at my response. Then, they all reluctantly agreed to my plan.
...
Blaise, Neville, Harry and I approached the door. I heard music coming from the other side so I opened the door. There was a golden harp playing. "Wait a minute," Harry said. "He's..." The cloak got blown off of Harry, Blaise and Neville. "Snoring." I took the Disillusion Spell off of me.
"Quirrell's already been here. He's put a spell on the harp," I said. The four of us approached the trapdoor and I opened it. I jumped in and was immediately followed by Harry. Neville and Blaise quickly followed and I heard the harp stop playing. Harry, Blaise and I immediately relaxed and dropped through the Devil's Snare. "Neville, just relax." Neville struggled a little bit more but then he relaxed and dropped through the Devil's Snare too. We quickly made it through the flying keys room with me picking the lock again. However, the Chess match seemed to be harder on Blaise this time. I had replaced the King, Harry replaced a Bishop, Blaise replaced a Knight and Neville replaced a Rook. However, Blaise was hesitating and it was our turn. Harry looked around.
"Wait a minute," Harry said in shock and disbelief.
"You understand right, Harry. Once I make my move, the Queen will take me. Then, you're free to check the King," Blaise said.
"No. Blaise, no!" Harry yelled.
"What is it?" Neville asked.
"He's going to sacrifice himself," Harry said.
"No, you can't! There must be another way!" Neville yelled.
"There isn't. Knight to H3," Blaise said and his horse moved him onto the space. "Check," he whispered before the Queen moved and destroyed the horse he was on. Blaise screamed as he was hit by several of the destroyed horse pieces as he fell off of the horse. Neville started to move.
"No, don't move!" Harry's yell stopped him.
"Don't forget, we're still playing," I told him. Harry moved over to the White King.
"Checkmate!" Harry yelled and the White King dropped his sword just as he had when Draco had previously Checkmated him. Harry stood still for a few seconds before he ran over to Blaise with me and Neville close behind.
"Take care of Blaise," I told Neville. "Then, go to the Owlery. Send a message to Dumbledore. I'm sure he'll be very concerned to find out where students are getting injured in his school."