Hermioiced Snape's lips moving slightly, muttering something while his eyes remained fixed ily on Harry.

  Could Professor Snape be trying to harm Harry?! Hermione was shocked, though it seemed pusible given how he always singled out Harry during Potions css.

  Well, if it's Professor Snape up to something, perhaps we shouldn't interfere...

  No, absolutely not! What was she thinking?!

  Shaking her head to clear away such thoughtless notions - since when had she bee someone who would ighers in danger?

  Besides, how could Professor Snape possibly harm a Hogwarts student? He rofessor, after all!

  Some might suggest Professor Snape would harm young wizards, but I, Hermione Granger, categorically refuse to believe it.

  Even if he is rather unpleasant, I must admit.

  While Professor Snape wouldn't harm Harry, his moving lips clearly indicated he was casting something.

  "ter-curse," Glenn expined. While Hermione had been lost ihoughts, he had already used his super-sensing to s the area in Hermione's line of sight. He discovered that not only was Stering, but Quirrell's lips were moving too, both men's eyes locked firmly on Harry in the sky.

  This immediately ruled out S had to be the suspicious Quirrell causing trouble. Given Harry's predit in the air, it was clear Quirrell was cursing Harry's broom, which meant Snape could only be attempting to stop him with a ter-curse.

  But why would Quirrell want to kill Harry?

  Glenn poi Quirrell, and Hermione shifted her gaze, firming what Glenn had said.

  "We must do something, at least disrupt Quirrell's spell-casting," Hermione said gravely. She might have stumbled upon this by ce, but she couldn't just stand by and watch. Whether Harry lived or died, it would leave an unbearable burden on her sce if she did nothing.

  That was just how Hermione was - always g, always involved. Once she became aware of a situation, she felt pelled to help resolve it, even if it didn't directly her.

  And this situation involved the life of a fellow student, even if she wasn't particurly fond of that point-losing little lion.

  Glenn nodded. If that's what the young dy wanted, he would help.

  He took a handful of soil from his waist pouch, pced it oands, and silently activated his alchemy.

  The soil gradually transformed, taking shape until a lifelike small cat statue appeared.

  Seeing this, Hermione immediately uood Glenn's pn. She drew her wand and gripped Glenn's hand.

  She wao cast a rather advaransfiguration spell, but her current magical reserves were insuffit.

  But that wasn't a problem - she had her personal magic battery right beside her.

  Glenn transferred his magical power to her as Hermione pointed her wand at the statue.

  "Kitty, obey!" she whispered. After spending time learning from Professonagall, she had gradually mastered the Transfiguration spell for animating and trolling statues. Now, with Glenn's magical support, she could barely mao animate small statues and have them follow her ands.

  The sto gradually came to life uhe dim light, its lifeless eyes being animated. It stretched zily, yawned, and following Hermione's and, padded stealthily toward the professors' stands.

  The cat successfully avoided everyone's notid reached the space beh Quirrell.

  Hermione celled the Transfiguration spell, taking small, quick breaths.

  After handing Hermione a magical power potion, Glenn released her hand and pced both palms on the ground, using alchemy to ect with his creation.

  "Stone pilr... transmutation," Glenn eled a rge amount of magical power, beginning to restruct the small cat statue in the distance.

  The cat statue gradually melted and quickly reassembled itself. Suddenly, a thick, solid stone pilr emerged from beh Quirrell.

  It rapidly grew both taller and wider.

  The moment, Quirrell, who had been quietly muttering spells, was unched into the air by the suddenly appearing pilr beh him. His expression was one of plete bewilderment.

  Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?

  One moment he had been fully trated on cursing Harry Potter's broom, the he felt a sharp pain from below as he was unched from his seat, causing Snape in front of him to stumble. Quirrell himself flew off, fortunately not falling from the high stands but sliding dowween the curtain and the wall, nding with a thud on the Quidditch field below, unscious.

  Snape looked around suspiciously. His attention had been pletely focused on Harry's predit, leaving him no time to sider who might be causing trouble, let aloice the surrounding otion.

  How did this garlic-reeking man suddenly go flying? Snape wondered, but didn't himself with Quirrell's fate, quickly turning his attention back to Harry.

  Thankfully, Harry's broom seemed to have returo normal.

  Snape unsciously let out a sigh of relief, regaining his usual posure. Something seemed to occur to him as he cast a suspicious g Quirrell.

  Could this all be ce?

  Snape's eyes grew cold.

  Up in the air, Harry had regained trol of his broom and suddenly dove toward the ground, tumbling as he nded.

  "Oh my, that must have hurt," Hermione winced, imagining the pain.

  Harry was coughing, spitting something out of his mouth...

  ...It was the Golden Snitch!

  "Incredible! Harry Potter has caught the Golden Snitch! He's ehe game with a twenty-point lead - Gryffindor wins!" Lee Jordan jumped up excitedly at the announcer's stand.

  The Gryffindor lioed in cheers, and Hermioedly hugged Glenn, screaming with joy, pletely fetting that Glenn beloo the losing side.

  Glenn couldn't care less whether Slytherin won or lost, fog instead on enjoying Hermione's embrace.

  As for Quirrell? Who was that again?

  That evening in the Gryffindor on room, the little lions were enthusiastically celebrating their Quidditch victory over Slytherin. Though it had been a close win, Harry had pyed a crucial role and was now Gryffindreat hero.

  But the hero himself wasn't present in the on room, aher was Ron.

  What did that matter to their celebration? They could still party to their hearts' tent!

  The Slytherin "traitor" was also there, quietly enjoying his dinner, seeing nothing wrong with his presence.

  The others had growo his presence - after all, Glenn barely spoke and couldn't even see, so they just let him be.

  Hermio beside him, her face red as she struggled to handle her friends' teasing. Seeing Glenn remain unmoved and unresponsive, she irritably gave him a light smack.

  Glenn's train of thought was interrupted - he had been trating oails of a particur spell, and now the magical circuit stru he'd been w on was disrupted.

  "What's wrong?" he asked, puzzled.

  The young girl rolled her eyes, while the surrounding girls exged gnces and broke into knowing smiles.

  At that moment, two young wizards climbed through the portrait hole - Harry and Ron. They both looked excited, as if a long-troubling question had finally been answered.

  But they seemed to be hiding something, looking around seargly. Harry's eyes lit up when he spotted Hermione, and he dragged a relut Ron through the crowd toward them.

  "Hermione," Harry called softly, "I know you're the smartest and most knowledgeable witch, and I wao ask you about Ni-"

  Ron noticed Glenn beside Hermione and his expression suddenly ged. He quickly covered Harry's mouth, nudging his waist auring tlenn's presence.

  Wait a mihis was the Gryffindor on room, what was this Slytherin doing here? Ron wondered, notig something odd.

  Harry also seemed to realize something, his expression growing strange.

  "What is it?" Hermione asked, fused. Harry was Gryffindor's hero today, so she had decided that just for today, she would mercifully ignore his previous poiions and answer his question. But Harry's question remained unfinished.

  "Nothing, nothing, I haven't thought it through yet. I'll ask you ter," Harry ughed awkwardly, pulling Ron away toward their friends.

  Hermione looked puzzled. Oh Harry, Harry, you'd better think carefully - after today, you'll go back to being that troublemaker who's always losing points.

  Of course Harry and Ron wouldn't dare mention the secret they'd discovered today in front of Glenn, a Slytherin wizard.

  --Fshback to Several Hours Earlier--

  Right after the match, Harry went to celebrate at Hagrid's hut with Ron and Hagrid.

  Ron told the others what he had seen.

  "I saw it - Snape was jinxing your broom!" he whispered, gng around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. "He was muttering, and his eyes never left you."

  "If Professor Quirrell hadn't suddenly gone flying and crashed into Snape, interrupting his spell, you would have been in real danger! Harry, he truly wao kill you!"

  "Rubbish," Hagrid said disapprovingly, pletely unaware of what had happened iands right beside him. "Why would Snape do somethin' like that?"

  "I found out something about him," Harry told Hagrid. "You might not know this, but there's a sealed door ihird-floor corridor at Hogwarts with a monster behind it! And on Halloween eve, Sried to get past that moo do something, but he must have failed - his injured leg is proof!"

  However, Hagrid's attention wasn't on any of this. He ignored Snape's injury and proudly said, "How could I not know? I bought three-headed Fluffy from a Greek chap I met in the pub st year - lent him to Dumbledore to guard the- wait, what am I saying?!" Halfway through, Hagrid clutched his head in dismay.

  This simple giant seemed to have grown up drinkiaserum - he'd spill everything with just a simple question.

  The information overload left both young wizards' heads spinning.

  "Wait, wait, wait - three-headed Fluffy? And what's Dumbledore having it guard?"

  "That's enough, stop asking!" Hagrid said roughly. "It's top secret!"

  "But Srying to steal it."

  "Snape's a Hogwarts professor, he'd never do that!"

  "Then why did he try to kill Harry? He was cursing him all afternoon!" Ron protested angrily, frustrated that Hagrid kept defending Snape.

  "Impossible!" Hagrid bellowed. "I don't know what happeo Harry's broomstick, but Snape would ry to kill a student!" He was breathing heavily with anger.

  Impossible! Ab-so-lutely impossible!!

  "You're meddling in things that don't you. It's dangerous - fet about Fluffy, fet what it's guarding, this is between Professor Dumbledore and Niel-"

  Damn.

  Hagrid spped himself - why couldn't he trol his mouth!