“Harry, your on the reserves.  What have you got to worry about?”

“The Seeker gettin’ ‘it?

Niamh shook her head at her friend and said, “It’s very rare that something happens to the Seeker.”

“But this is Gryffindor we’re playing, Niamh,” said Thomas Ymber.

“Oi, stop insulting Gryffindor, Tom.  Me an’ Harry have got a friend in there y’know.”

“Sorry, Niamh.”

“Good.  C’mon, Harry!  Eat!”

“Can’t.”

“Harreey…”

“No.”

“Harreey…”

Harry scowled at her and she backed off, hands upraised.

“Okay, okay.  Your grumpy this morning.”

Harry’s scowl darkened.

“Och, sorry.”

Thomas looked from one of them to the other then said, “Y’know, you look kind of like Snape when you do that, Harry.”

Harry blinked, the scowl fading into an O of surprise.

“Wha’?”

“You do.  Maybe it’s the hair.”

Harry looked at his hair and said, “Wha’s wrong with me hair?”

Thomas cried, “Nothing!  I’m just saying you look like Professor Snape when you scowl.  Or glare.  Or sneer.  Or…”

“I ge’ the point.”

“Okay.”

“Potter!”

Harry looked up to see Marcus Flint glaring down at him.  Sighing, he got up and said, “See yer later.”

“We’ll be at the game, Harry!” cried Niamh cheerfully after him.

“Yeh,” grumbled Harry as he followed the Quidditch team out of the hall.

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/

An hour later he was sitting in the Slytherin changing room in his Quidditch robes, half listening to Flint as he practically yelled at the first team.  Leaning back in his seat, he ran his hand over the handle of the school broom he had been given.

“Potter!”

Harry’s eyes flew open as one of the reserve Beater’s, a third year named William Cleimh, shook him awake.

“C’mon, Potter, the games started.”

Harry got wearily up and followed William to where the reserves sat during the game.  As soon as he had a view of the stands, he began to look for Niamh.  He was still looking when there was a loud yell from the Slytherin stands.  Harry turned his eyes back to the game and saw the Slytherin Seeker Terrence Higgs falling from fifty feet up.  Yells erupted from around him as the seventh year landed on the ground with a loud crunch.  Madam Hooch hurried out onto the field and knelt by Higgs for a moment before she floated him off the field.  A moment later Flint flew down to where the reserves where and yelled at Harry.

“You’re up, Potter!”

Harry looked at him for a moment then leapt on his broom and kicked off into the air.

“And now here comes the reserve Slytherin Seeker, Harry Potter.”

Harry ignored the voice of Lee Jordan and began to look for the Snitch.  He spotted the Gryffindor Seeker across the field and ignored him, only paying attention to looking for the Snitch.

“GO HARRY!!”

Harry looked towards the Slytherin stands and saw Niamh bouncing up and down in her seat, waving a green flag wildly and waving at him.  He waved sheepishly back then ducked as one of the Weasley twins sent a Bludger his way.  Fred blew past him, yelling, “Told ya it was dangerous!”

“Only when yer playin’,” Harry shot back.

Fred only grinned and raced after the Bludger.  Harry shook his head and spun the school broom around as something gold shot past him.  As he barreled down the field after the Snitch he saw the Gryffindor Seeker race towards him out of the corner of his eye.  Gritting his teeth, he reached out to grab the Snitch –

And nearly got thrown off his broom.

Clutching tightly to it, he looked frantically around the field for what could be causing it.  As the broom bucked him forward he saw Snape in the stands, muttering nonstop under his breath.  His eyes and Harry’s locked for one fleeting moment before the broom rolled Harry over.

Then he saw Quirrell.  The Defense teacher also had his eyes locked on Harry but his lips weren’t moving.  However, his expression told wonders.  Harry hissed in anger then was suddenly thrown off the broom as it rolled over again.  He hung from it, grasping only with one hand as it continued to buck.  Sending a furious scowl in the direction of Quirrell, he waved furiously at Niamh, who was staring up at him in horror.  When he was sure she had spotted him, he pointed at Quirrell then had to stop as the broom jerked wildly.

Niamh looked where Harry was pointing then grabbed Thomas’ pair of Omnioculars.

“Oi!”

Niamh ignored him and focused in on the stand where Harry had pointed.  She gasped when she saw Snape and Quirrell both keeping their eyes locked on Harry.  Throwing the Omnioculars back at Thomas, she raced out of the stand and ran for the one where the two professors sat.  Drawing her wand as she bounded up the stairs, she quickly tried to recall the hexes from the book she had read and then given to Harry to read.  Not finding any that could possibly make a broom act against its user, she thought up another curse.  Scrambling up the stairs, she swung around, pointed her wand upwards at Quirrell’s feet and hissed out the words of the spell.

“Congelo!”

Above her Quirrell froze and she ran, knowing the spell only lasted twenty seconds.  Running back to where she could see Harry, she watched as he swung back up onto his broom then reached out his right hand fast as a striking snake at something in the air.  A moment later he held up the Snitch in his clenched fist and yelled, “I GOH TH’ SNITCH!”

The Slytherin stands erupted in cheers and Niamh bounced up and down as she watched the Slytherin team fly up and pound Harry on the back as he grinned widely.  Niamh cheered and waved up at him.  When he waved back she turned to see Quirrell fixing her with an icy glare.  Shivering, she turned and ran, missing Snape’s look of surprise cast in her direction.

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/

“Harry!”

Harry looked up as a tornado of black hair rushed up and plowed into him, knocking him back several feet.

“Geroff, Ni!”

Niamh ignored him and hugged him tighter.  She looked up at him, blue eyes wide.

“Harry, I was so scared!  I thought you were going to fall!”

“Same ‘ere.”  He looked down at her and asked softly, “Did ye see?  Did ye?”

Niamh nodded and replied, “I did.  It was Quirrell.  He glared at me and – oh, Harry.  It was worse than Snape when he looks at the Gryffindors.”

Harry nodded and said, “I’m okay now, Ni.”

“Your sure?”

“Yeh.  Ye think I would’n know if I was okay?”

Niamh laughed.  “No, I’m sure you would.”

“Good.  Now where’d Ron ge’ to?”

“I haven’t seen him.”

“’E was ‘ere jus’ a second ago.”

“Hmm.  Oh, here comes Flint.”

Harry looked up and saw Flint, disengaging himself from Niamh.  Flint looked at her then at Harry.  He said, “Seems you’re on first team for the rest of the year, Potter.”

Harry blinked and asked, “Wha’ about Higgs?”

“Broke both legs, his right arm, and cracked most of his ribs.  He won’t be flying again anytime soon.”  Flint paused for a moment then continued, “Practice is after dinner every Tuesday and Thursday and before breakfast on Friday.  You got that, Potter?”

Harry nodded.  “Yeh.”

“Good.  And nice catch by the way.”

With that Flint walked off and Ron ran up.

“Harry!  That was amazing!”

Harry grinned wryly and asked, “Do ye mean ‘ow I stayed on th’ broom or caugh’ the Snitch?”

Ron beamed goofily and replied, “Both!”  He then leaned close and whispered, “Y’know, I think Fred and George deliberately hit Higgs.  I think they wanted you out on the field.”

“Me?  Why?”

“You know Fred and George.  Nobody knows what’s going on in their heads.  Let alone them.”

Harry laughed and slung his arm about the shoulders of his two friends and said, “Le’s go back up ter the castle.”

“Alright then,” said Ron.

“Lead the way, kind sir!” cried Niamh with a wide grin.

Harry beamed and said, “Doan mind if I do,” and they began to walk.  As soon as they reached the castle steps he stopped.  Niamh looked up at him in confusion.

“Harry, what’s wrong?”

“Where’s Malfoy?”

Ron crinkled his nose and asked, “Why would you want to know?”

“’Cause he’d be ‘ere.  Tauntin’ me or somethin’.  Somethin’s na righ’.”

Niamh smiled and hugged her taller friend, saying, “Harry, you worry too much.”

“Maybe.  But I’d like ter know where Malfoy is.”

As they started up into the hall there was a loud screech and something fell from a window up above him.  A flock of giggling girls behind them shrieked as it landed in the midst of them.  Harry whirled around as one yelled, “It’s an owl!”  His face paled as he suddenly remembered something.

Ron frowned and asked, “Harry, what’s up?”

“Hedwig,” whispered Harry.

“Eh?”

“Hedwig.  I left ‘er in the dorm this mornin’!”

Niamh blinked then slapped her hands to her mouth.  Harry ignored her and plunged through the crowd of girl’s.

“Ge’ out o’ me way, ye bloody bint!”

Harry shoved a girl aside then choked as he looked down at his owl’s broken body.  Looking up at the window from which she fell he saw a pale, pointed face and white-blond hair.  Snarling, he shoved his way back through the crowd and charged up the stairs into the castle.  He heard Ron and Niamh yelling after him but ignored them

Charging up to the fourth floor, he caught sight of Draco scampering around the corner.  Pulling out his wand he roared, “Evincio!”  Ropes shot out of his wand and barreled around the corner.  A moment later he heard a muffled thump.

Rushing around the corner teeth bared, he leapt on Draco with a howl.  Draco shrieked in a girl-like pitch and writhed against his bonds but Harry held him down.  A moment later he was pummeling the other boy with punches and cursing him.

“Ye bastard!  Ye bloody bastard!  ‘Ow cou’ ye? YE BLOODY BASTARD!!”

“Harry!”

Strong arms pulled Harry up off of Draco but he kept flailing, trying to hit the other boy.

“NO!  LEMME’ GO!  ‘E KILLED ‘ER!  ‘E KILLED ‘ER!”

“HARRY!”

Harry was held tightly as he still tried to get away from whoever was holding him as Madam Pomfrey banished the ropes around Draco and examined him.  McGonagall, Sprout, Flitwick, and the other teachers appeared behind her.  Except for Snape.  But that thought didn’t register with Harry as he was still fighting mad.

“Dormio.”

Harry slumped in Snape arms as the man cast the Sleeping Charm on the boy.  Madam Pomfrey had already conjured up a stretcher for Draco and gave him a firm look.

“Bring him.”

Snape acknowledged her with a nod and swept Harry up into his arms, noting how light the boy was and a light tracery of scars along his left arm, from which the sleeve of the robes was torn.  As he walked past Niamh she asked, “Will he be alright, sir?  He won’t get expelled will he?”

Snape looked down at the girl and replied, “That is for the Headmaster and myself to decide, Miss O’Feir.”

Niamh ducked her head and Snape walked on, never noticing the limp bundle of snowy feathers the girl held in her arms.