Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series in its print, e-book, audio book, or film versions. The Harry Potter series belongs to its respective author (J.K. Rowling), publishing company (Scholastic and its divisions), and film company (Warner Bros.). I am not making any monetary or other equivalent profit from this. Everything that is not recognizable as belonging to the aforementioned is the intellectual property of me, HowlingRain, and I do not give anyone permission to post this story under any other name or on any other site.

Source: the base of this story is drawn from this text-

Rowling, J K, and Mary GrandPré. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. 1998. Print.

and this film-

Heyman, David, Steven Kloves, Chris Columbus, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, John Cleese, Robbie Coltrane, Richard Griffiths, Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw, Julie Walters, John Seale, Richard Francis-Bruce, John Williams, Mark Radcliffe, Michael Barnathan, Duncan Henderson, and J K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Burbank, Calif: Warner Home Video, 2002.

Summary: AU. Harry Potter is not the Boy-Who-Lived, but his life isn't dull. The Potter Family has big problems; Voldemort and his cronies keep attacking his friend Neville, the Boy-Who-Lived; his other friendships are often troubled, and his schoolwork and other studies are difficult. Not to mention that he has Gryffindor Quidditch at school and International Youth Quidditch Camp in the summer. Yeah, Harry's life is never dull. Oh, and he might have discovered a cult in Hogwarts.

A/N: No, it's not an April Fool's joke. But oh my gosh guys! This has taken forever! Life got crazy busy, so I didn't have much time to write and then I had a ton of trouble getting this to upload on the site, but the new chapter is finally here! Sorry about the insane wait. I can't even remember if I replied to the last chapter's reviews, but I do have your names! So an extra big thank you to littlesprout and jayfeather63 for the kind reviews. Now I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)

The Curator Chronicles:

Year I – Cracking the Pot

By: HowlingRain

Chapter 13: Quidditch

Harry trudged across the frost-covered lawn to the Quidditch pitch. The twins walked on either side of him, pestering for information about the troll. Their already bright auras sparked with surprise when he told them about Ron knocking it out, and he had to look away. He wasn't sure why, but everyone's auras were stronger today. Or maybe he was just more sensitive to them. It was especially noticeable with Fred and George, who he'd already been becoming more attuned to, but he could easily see the others' as well when he'd had to focus fairly hard to do so before. Angelina and Alicia walked nearby, their auras less blinding as they fussed over him whenever he yawned. He still felt exhausted, even though he fell asleep immediately after returning the night before.

Ahead of them, Oliver stalked his way to the pitch, muttering to himself and reading something in a leather-bound book.

Once they were ensconced within the strategy room, Oliver went to the chalkboard and rounded on them. "As you all know, tomorrow is the first match of the season, in which, we will be playing against Slytherin." He turned to the chalkboard with a piece of green colored chalk and the leather-bound book in hand and began writing. "Today, we're going to study and strategize." The team gave a soft sigh of relief that Oliver either didn't notice or chose to ignore. "First, we'll start with a rundown of the players."

Oliver turned to face them and pointed at the first name he'd written. "Marcus Flint. What do you know?"

"He's ugly," Fred answered immediately.

"His teeth are huge," George added with matching hand gestures.

"Not his physical appearance," Oliver snapped without much heat. "His position, his flying style, you know!"

The twins said, "We do?"

"He's the captain and a chaser," Angelina answered.

"And he's foul." Alicia scowled. "He'll break any rule to win."

Katie sighed and picked at the bench. "And he's aggressive, and strong enough to make that a big problem."

"That's right!" Oliver pointed at the next name on the board. "Now, Kevin Bletchley?"

"Chaser, and his brother's Keeper," Katie answered.

Harry listened closely as it went on like this, trying to commit it all to memory. Slytherin's Chasers were Marcus Flint, Kevin Bletchley, and Adrian Pucey. The Beaters, Peregrine Derrick and Lucian Bole, were fairly new to the team. The Keeper was Miles Bletchley, younger brother to Kevin, and their Seeker was Terence Higgs. Apparently, Pucey and Higgs were the only two that played by the rules, while the rest were known for being big and mean.

After going through the players, Oliver talked strategy. Harry wasn't surprised to learn that Oliver had been sneaking into the stands during the Slytherin practices to study the other team. His captain detailed each formation he'd seen the Slytherins practice and how they could combat it. Then he turned to offence, and ran through all of the formations they'd been practicing as a reminder.

By the time Harry and the others escaped Oliver's clutches and ran off to breakfast, Harry was twice as nervous for the match as he'd been before. He also had a sneaking suspicion that the book Oliver had taken notes about the Slytherin team in was a grimoire, which only seemed fitting for Oliver. This discovery wasn't enough to distract him though, and he had trouble concentrating in his classes.

He was finally starting to relax during their break that afternoon. The previous evening's events had somehow drawn Neville, Ron, Harry, and Hermione closer together. Ron hadn't said a single mean thing all day, and Hermione had stopped filling every moment of silence with some fact or another. To combat this silence she clearly wasn't used to, she decided to lighten up about breaking the rules. She'd taken an empty jam jar from breakfast that morning, cleaned it, and then cast a spell that created bright blue flames that were warm, but wouldn't burn skin or other less-than-flammable objects. You still had to keep it away from cloth or paper, but in a jam jar it was the perfect thing to keep warm while standing in the courtyard's fresh air after being stuck in musty classrooms.

"This is brilliant, Hermione," Neville said as they crowded around the jar of flames.

Ron rubbed his hands together and held them closer to the heat. "Where did you learn this spell?"

"Oh, I was reading ahead in the Standard Book of Spells Grade 1, and after I read about the fire-making charm I looked up the further readings about it and found a book all about fire charms. This one looked the most useful, so I memorized it," she summarized, her aura glowing with happiness that left spots behind when Harry blinked.

"You'll have to show me that book sometime," Harry said, adjusting his grip on Quidditch Through the Ages. Oliver had loaned him the book over a month ago, but he still hadn't returned it. It had become somewhat comforting to read when he was feeling stressed.

"Sure," Hermione replied.

"What is going on here?"

At the familiar drawl of their potions professor they gasped, and Harry pivoted in place to see the man while hiding the jar of flames behind him. "H-hello, Professor," he said awkwardly, unnerved by the lack of vibrant aura around Snape after being nearly blinded by others all day.

The dour man surveyed them with a chilling look. Speaking slowly he said, "It's rather cold for students to be visiting out of doors... And what's this?" Snape's gaze had landed on the book Harry held. "Hand it over, Potter," he commanded. "Library books are not to be taken outside."

"But, sir-" Harry started, intending to tell him that it wasn't a library book.

"Hand. It. Over. Potter." Snape's glare was as unreadable as his aura.

Harry reluctantly held the book out, slightly unnerved, and Snape swiftly took it and turned away. He jolted at the suddenness and called out, "Sir! When can I-"

"It's confiscated, Potter. You can have it back when I decide you can." Snape left with a limping gait, and his robes billowed about him.

When Snape was out of hearing range Harry steadied himself and huffed, "He's such a git."

"I'll say," Ron agreed. "At least he didn't see the fire though. Who knows how many points he would taken for that!"

"I wonder what the specifics are for the rule about magic outside of class. The rules on the board in the common room are rather vague. They make it sound like any magic outside of class isn't allowed, but how are you supposed to practice then?" Hermione seemed to be asking herself more than them, but Neville answered anyway.

"Maybe you should check the school's charter? I think that's where all the official rules would be. That's what Gran told me to check if I had any questions, anyway."

Hermione brightened. "Do you think they'd have a copy in the library?"

Neville shrugged. "Probably."

"I'm going to go look! Umm..." Hermione looked down at the jar of flames in her hands. "Do any of you want to hold on to this?"

Ron asked, "Can you just put the lid on it?"

"Oh! Of course!" Hermione passed the jar over to Harry, and he held it while she rummaged in her tote for the lid. Once she found it she screwed it on the jar, and they watched for a moment to make sure nothing was going to happen. "Perfect," she said when it didn't explode or do anything else odd. She put it in her tote and waved at them as she walked away. "I'll see you later, then!"

"So..." Neville stuffed his hands in his pockets. "What do you want to do now?"

Harry readjusted the strap of his messenger bag and sighed. "I'm going to go to the staffroom and see if Snape's dropped my book off there yet. If I'm lucky maybe one of the other professors will give it to me."

"I'll come with you," Neville said, though his voice shook just a little.

Ron nodded. "Me too. If we're all there one of the professors will have to give it back."

"Thanks." Harry smiled, feeling grateful and a bit relieved that he wouldn't be facing Snape alone.

They started walking toward the staffroom, asking a few portraits for more detailed directions than 'the ground floor' on the way. When they reached the door, identifiable by two stone gargoyles dressed in the robes fashioned after the style of ancient scholars, they found it partially open. Harry motioned for Ron and Neville to be quiet and listened.

"Drat that beast," came Snape's voice. "The headmaster's insane to think it's a good protection."

Filch's voice drifted into hearing. "Aye, sir, that thing is a menace. Poor Mrs. Norris refuses to go near the door. I'm just glad I'm not the one that has to feed it."

The boys shared a look, and Harry reached out to gently push the door open further. Looking in through the widened opening, they could see a long, paneled room with a massive wooden table and many mismatched chairs. Sitting on the table was Snape. He had one leg propped up on a chair near him with his robe pulled back far enough to reveal a rolled-up trouser leg and bare calf. Snape's calf had a large gash on it. It was red and bloody, and the ragged skin around it was inflamed. Harry winced. It looked painful. Next to Snape stood Filch with a roll of bandages in his hands.

"I don't know what Hagrid sees in the creature." Snape was removing the lid of a small bottle containing an olive-colored liquid. "A cerberus does not make a good pet."

"Well, you know Hagrid, sir. He sees something hideously ugly and calls it cute!"

"Mrreow!"

Harry, Neville, and Ron jumped, knocking the door open further in their surprise as Mrs. Norris meowed loudly at their feet. The instant Snape saw them he covered his leg with his robe and glowered. "Get out," he ordered.

"I'm sorry, sir," Harry hurried to speak, "but my book!"

Suddenly the book was sailing through the air as Snape threw it at him. Harry caught it, and Snape commanded more virulently, "Get out!"

Quickly, Harry shut the door and the boys ran towards Gryffindor Tower.

"Did you see that?" Ron commented as they slowed at the staircases, "His leg was practically shredded!"

Neville, puffing a little, nodded. "It sounded... like the cerberus from the third floor corridor did it."

"But why would Snape go there?" Harry frowned.

"He must be trying to steal whatever it's guarding," Ron appeared surprisingly thoughtful. "When do you think he did it though?"

"Halloween," Neville stated. "It has to be. The instant Quirrell fainted he was up and moving toward the door. He would have had plenty of time to go to the corridor before he came to the girls toilet, too."

"Merlin, I really wish I knew what was under that trap door," Ron moaned, "It's got to really be something!"

"How did the troll get in anyway?" Harry couldn't remember hearing how the creature had managed to make it past the school's wards, let alone get inside the castle.

Ron and Neville both stopped walking and gave each other knowing looks.

"He must have let it in as a distraction," Ron said. "There's no way it could have gotten past the wards without Dumbledore knowing otherwise."

Harry caught on and was horrified. "You don't really think he'd do that, do you? He's a professor. I wouldn't think Dumbledore would let anyone dangerous be a professor, and he'd know if they were, right?"

"I don't know, Harry," Neville said. "Gran says he's awful busy. He's got Wizengamot meetings, and international stuff, and who knows what else. Maybe he hasn't had time to notice."

Ron looked a little horrified. "But it's Dumbledore! I think he'd notice no matter how busy he was if it was obvious. Snape must be tricking him somehow!"

"Well, maybe Dumbledore already knows," Harry said, frowning and holding his book close. "I mean, clearly Snape couldn't get past the cerberus, so maybe Dumbledore already knows, and is counting on traps to stop him until he slips up."

"Oh..." Ron sounded relieved.

"That makes sense," Neville agreed. "Still, I don't like it. If Dumbledore knows about it then why doesn't he catch him now?"

"Uh, evidence?" Harry said with a shrug. Evidence was always what the hero had to collect in the mystery stories he'd read.

"Yeah, I guess."

"So... What are we going to do with the rest of our afternoon, eh?" Ron asked. He looked at Harry. "And don't say assignments."

Harry grinned at him.

••••••••

Harry stared at the breakfast spread laid out before him. There were a few pieces of toast on his plate, put there by Hermione, all of them untouched. He was so nervous his hands trembled, and he highly doubted he could eat anything without it coming back up on his way out to the pitch.

Next to him, Hermione smeared another piece of toast with a different flavor of jam than any of the others on his plate. She seemed almost as nervous as him. Her hair was frizzier than usual, and she had spent the entire walk down to the Great Hall rambling about flight safety. He was glad the extra sensitivity he'd had to everyone's auras yesterday had calmed, though he hadn't figured out why it had happened in the first place. The Snitch would have been practically invisible to him if everyone in the stands was glowing, and that was only if the bright flashes Hermione's aura would have been giving off from her nerves hadn't blinded him first.

Ron and Neville were sat across from him. They had tried to get him to eat some of the toast Hermione gave him in the beginning, but after Oliver dropped by and said that he didn't remember much of his first game because a bludger knocked him out early on, they stopped and just let him be.

"Harry."

"Come on."

"It's time to go," the twins said as they flanked him on either side in their usual manner.

Nodding, Harry slowly stood up, and left with the twins. Shouts of "Good luck!" followed them out of the Hall, but he didn't feel any luckier for it. A flash of blond hair caught his eye, and Harry saw a glimpse of Malfoy and the other Slytherin first years obtaining little green and silver flags to wave during the match from an older student. Malfoy locked gazes with him for a moment, and the same cool calculating look he'd seen grace the pale boy's face before sent a nervous shiver down his spine. He wondered if Malfoy and the others were waiting for him to make a total fool of himself today.

The twins kept up a constant stream of jokes as they walked down to the pitch, but Harry was more focused on the tight feeling in his chest than what they were saying. Never before had the stands loomed so high against the cool clear blue skies as they approached the Gryffindor Quidditch Quarters, and a barely restrained urgency filled the locker rooms. Oliver led the team through a series of warm-up stretches before sending them off to change. Harry dressed in his official Quidditch robes for the first time and tried to distract himself by admiring the scarlet and gold uniform and making sure the straps of his gear were tightly cinched. Soon, however, he was more focused on the building rumble in the room as students filled the stands above them. When Oliver sat them all down so he could give his pre-match speech, the only thing that kept Harry's nerves from boiling over was how the twins seemed to know the speech by heart and were whispering it in silly high-pitched voices. Then it was time to go onto the pitch.

"Alright, chaps!" Oliver said, his face set in a determined expression but his voice giving away his excitement, "Everyone into formation! Once we reach the boundary line we mount up and go for a lap! Just like we rehearsed. Ready? Let's go!"

Harry felt his breath catch as Oliver opened the large door and the team walked onto the pitch. If it weren't for a subtle nudge from George he probably would have stood there, frozen while the rest of the team moved forwards without him. He'd never seen the stands so full, and it was a little overwhelming to actually see how many people where going to be watching him.

A second out of sync with the others, Harry mounted his Nimbus 2000 and took off with his team. The sensation of flying loosened the tension in his chest, and Harry finally felt able to breath. Glancing around while keeping in formation, he easily spotted the section the Gryffindor students sat in. Hanging over the side of the stands was a large, color-changing banner with a lion on it and the words Potter for President. His yearmates were standing behind the banner, visibly cheering although Harry had a hard time hearing them due to the wind. Instead, all he could really hear was a voice he recognized as belonging to Lee Jordan, who he then saw sitting in the Commentator's Box with Professor McGonagall.

There was the piercing sound of a whistle, and Oliver signaled for them to take their places on the pitch. Oliver landed at the center of the pitch near Madam Hooch, who would referee the match. Marcus Flint landed by Madam Hooch a moment later in his green robes, while Harry and the others took their positions in the sky.

He felt some of his anxiety return as he hovered above the teams with a menacing looking Terence Higgs floating across from him. While Madam Hooch said something about the rules, Harry let his gaze wander, searching the top boxes where professors and guests sat for his dad and godfather. They'd said they would come, but... A splash of red and gold caught his eye, and there were James, Sirius, and even Remus! Harry grinned. They'd come! And they were even wearing their old Gryffindor scarves. Next to them sat Professor Quirrell, whose turban stood out obviously amongst the other headwear.

Feeling somehow more secure in the fact that his dad, godfather, and unofficial godfather were there to watch him, Harry returned his attention just in time for the Golden Snitch to be released and the Quaffle to be tossed into the air. The chasers rushed after the Quaffle, and the match was on.

Harry rose higher above the pitch and started scanning for the Snitch while flying in a slow, almost lazy, pattern of circles. Meanwhile, Higgs was scanning across the pitch from him using a different searching method that had him zigzagging through the air with the occasional twist to look behind him. Five minutes passed with no sight of the Snitch, and Harry quickly decided that Lee's commentary was very unhelpful on the matter.

"Slytherin chasers are taking the Hawkshead Attacking Formation again!" Lee shouted before adding, "Don't they know any other formations?"

He looked down, and sure enough, the Slytherin chasers were in an arrowhead formation with Flint holding the Quaffle at the front of the trio with Pucey and Bletchley on either side of him. Alicia and Angelina charged towards them, but Pucey and Bletchley broke off from Flint to slam into them. Only the girls' quick broomwork kept them from getting knocked off their brooms, and they escaped relatively unscathed.

"That's Blatching!" Lee yelled angrily.

Madam Hooch didn't blow the whistle though, and Flint flew into the scoring area and threw the Quaffle. Harry's breath caught, expecting to hear the ding of a score, when Oliver suddenly appeared and caught the Quaffle. Harry released his breath, and Oliver tossed the Quaffle to Katie.

Lee announced, "Nice save by Oliver Wood! That'll show those Slytherins!" and faintly Harry thought he could hear McGonagall scolding him for not being an impartial announcer.

A Bludger went whipping across the pitch and hit the tail of Katie's broom, which caused her to drop the Quaffle while she tried to keep from losing control. Pucey scooped up the fallen Quaffle, and the Slytherins were rushing back toward the Gryffindor goalposts again.

Harry shook his head and tried to focus back on finding the Snitch. The breeze blew gently, and the sun shone brightly on many things in the stands that weren't the Snitch. During one of his circles, where he was trying very hard not to get absorbed in watching the rest of the match, a flash of gold caught his eye by the Slytherin goalposts. Leaning forward to pick up speed, Harry darted toward the Snitch, pushing the Nimbus as fast as it could go. He became unaware of anything but the sound of the cold wind against his ears and the sight of the Snitch hovering by the posts. The air screamed as a Bludger zoomed by his head, and Harry blinked. Suddenly Slytherin Keeper Miles Bletchley was blocking his path, and Harry had to pull up short to keep from colliding with the keeper. His heart pounding in his throat, Harry looked frantically for the Snitch, but it was gone. Bletchley was grinning darkly at him, so Harry shot him a scowl before ascending again to resume his search. Nearby Higgs was searching the area, probably hoping the Snitch hadn't gone too far.

"Damn, looks like the Snitch has been lost, folks," Lee said, "Potter blocked by keeper Bletchley."

"Jordan!" McGonagall scolded loudly enough for it to be picked up by the microphone's amplifying spell, "Do not swear! We discussed this!"

"Right, sorry, Professor. Wait! Katie Bell scores!" Cheering erupted from the Gryffindor section. "Ten points to Gryffindor!"

Harry grinned down at his team, but his teammates didn't have any time to celebrate. Already the Slytherins were on the offensive again. Fred and George hit Bludgers at the Slytherin chasers, but they either dodged them or one of their beaters knocked the Bludger away. Still, the green team was unable to score on Oliver, who caught and blocked Quaffles like he was born to it, even performing a perfectly executed Starfish and Stick, holding onto his broom with only one hand and foot each to reach a wildly thrown Quaffle.

The score was Gryffindor 10 : Slytherin 0, and it didn't seem like the numbers were going to change any time soon as Harry switched from his circling search pattern to a figure-8 one. Higgs was pulling a few stunts, pretending to dive like he'd seen the Snitch before pulling out of it and circling back up. Harry nearly fell for it the first time, quickly flying towards the Slytherin Seeker and looking about for the Snitch only to stop and sigh when he realized Higgs was trying to trick him. The brunet's actions kept him on the edge of his broomstick though, as one of those times Higgs really could spot the Snitch and Harry would have to hurry to catch up with him, let alone beat him to the Snitch.

A loud cry issued from the stands, and Lee shouted, "Wood's been hit!"

Harry spun around to look towards the goalposts and saw a red blur of robes fall through the air before landing heavily on the sand under the goalposts. A whistle blast pierced the air, and everyone halted in what they were doing, although some of them were already holding still in the air as they watched in either horror or glee. Madam Hooch flew down to Oliver and Madam Pomfrey came running onto the pitch.

"Wood's been knocked off his broom by a Bludger hit by Boyle," Lee announced grimly. "Hopefully he's all right. As for the Quaffle that entered the hoop after Wood's fall... Ten points to Slytherin."

There was a cheer from the Slytherin section, and a few moments later, Oliver was on a floating stretcher and being taken off the pitch by Madam Pomfrey, and Madam Hooch took to the air.

"Mr. Wood is unable to continue," Madam Hooch announced. "The match will resume shortly. Take your positions!"

Harry felt himself trembling as they flew back to the positions they'd started the game from, only missing Oliver. Oliver had fallen a long way, and it could be any one of them that might fall next. Was Oliver even going to be all right? Madam Hooch hadn't said.

The match resumed and Harry forced himself into a search pattern. The Slytherins were flying even more aggressively than before, and because they didn't have a reserve keeper, the Slytherins were soon scoring frequently while the Gryffindor chasers barely managed to score once more. When Harry looked for Fred and George he found the twins in a beater's battle with Derrick and Boyle, the beaters knocking Bludgers back at each other as quickly as they were returned.

"Ten points to Slytherin," Lee said without enthusiasm. "Slytherin's in the lead with sixty points, while Gryffindors far behind with twenty. Unless the girls figure out a strategy it looks like Slytherin won't need the Golden Snitch to win."

Harry growled under his breath and focused on looking a little harder. He knew what Lee said was true. If he didn't find the Snitch soon the girls would tire out and the Slytherins could easily score enough to surpass what Harry could gain them by catching the Snitch. The Snitch was nowhere in sight though, so Harry scowled and turned to look at Higgs, who floated about halfway across the pitch, looking bored as he swept his gaze through the air. Harry blinked and stared. Hovering right underneath Higgs, in the brunet's blind spot, was the Golden Snitch.

Slowly, Harry circled closer to Higgs, not wanting the other Seeker to realize the Snitch was there just as much as he didn't want to somehow startle the Snitch and make it take off. As he got closer and started to wonder when he should dart forward to hopefully catch the Snitch, it jerked left, then right, in a movement Harry recognized as one of the small ball's few tells that it was going to fly off soon, and then it shot downward.

Harry followed it.

"Hey!" Harry heard Lee shout even over the air rushing past his ears, "I think... Yes! Potter's found the Snitch, and Higgs is right on his tail!"

Harry sensed the bludgers coming at him before he saw them and swerved to dodge without taking his eyes off the Snitch as it continued flying straight down towards the earth. The bludgers zoomed past him, the air screaming as they cut their path, and Higgs knocked into his side. Harry spared the brunet only a short glance, knowing that dodging the bludgers had cost him enough speed for Higgs to catch up, and pressed his body as close to his broom handle as he could, trying to muster up as much speed as the Nimbus could give him.

The ground was coming up fast, and Harry felt Higgs pull out of the dive, but the Snitch was right there. The little golden ball pulled up with maybe a meter to spare, and when Harry pulled up after it the tail of his broom momentarily brushed the ground. The Snitch was flying in a straight line now, skimming above the pitch as fast as its silvery wings could take it. It was just barely out of reach, if he could get a little bit closer...

Without thinking it entirely through, Harry pulled a stunt he'd done only once before with Sirius when his dad wasn't home and he'd been going at a much slower pace. He removed his feet from the foot-grips and carefully lifted himself up to place his feet on the broom handle. Then, eyes focused on the Golden Snitch, Harry stood up, and reached out to grab it.

He must have overbalanced, because the next thing he knew he was sitting on the ground with a metal ball in his mouth. One of the Snitch's wings sticking out between his lips and the other triggering his gag reflex, Harry hurriedly spit the Snitch into his hand and made a face at the disgusting metallic taste left in his mouth.

"Does he... I can't tell. Does Potter have..."

Harry heard Lee and realized that he had the Snitch. He'd just scored Gryffindor one hundred fifty points. They'd won! As Madam Hooch flew over, Harry stood and held the Snitch up as high as he could.

"That... It is!" Lee yelled. "It's the Snitch! Harry Potter's caught the Golden Snitch! Gryffindor wins!"

The crowd erupted in cheers, or the majority of them anyway, and Harry was soon surrounded by his teammates.

"Wow, mate!" Fred shouted over the noise as he clapped Harry on the shoulder.

"A Wronski Feint-" George said.

"That wasn't a feint!" Fred finished.

"And where'd you get the idea to stand on your broom?" Angelina asked, shaking her head.

"Who cares?" Alicia broke in, "We won! Party in the Common Room!"

The rest of Gryffindor house swarmed onto the pitch, including Oliver, whose arm was in a sling, and Harry soon found himself with a face full of bushy brown hair as Hermione hugged him tightly.

"What were you thinking!" She yelled over the crowd, "That was so dangerous!"

Harry just laughed, feeling giddy, and joined Neville and Ron in chanting 'We won!' several times over. He wasn't even bothered by being surrounded by so many people, too happy over the victory to care.

••••••••

Harry left Gryffindor's Quidditch Quarters in high spirits and with Fred and George at his sides. However, they didn't make it very far before Harry heard a call of his name.

"Dad!" Harry shouted when he saw James approaching, Sirius and Remus with him. He waved Fred and George on, and the twins continued to the castle while Harry ran over to his family. James wrapped him in a hug the moment he was within range, and Harry hugged him back hard. Breathlessly he asked, "What did you think of the match?"

"You scared me half to death!" James said immediately, hugging him closer. "Don't you know how dangerous stunts like that are?"

"Well, yeah, but..."

"Ah, just leave him be, James," Sirius said laughingly, "It's not like you weren't just as bad when you were on the team." Sirius grinned. "Good job, Bambi. That was an impressive catch!"

"Yes, congratulations on your victory, Harry," Remus said as he adjusted his old Gryffindor scarf.

"Moony!" He broke away from James and gave his unofficial godfather a careful hug. "How are you?"

"What? No hug for me?" Sirius pouted.

Harry grinned and released Remus before giving his godfather a tight hug. He laughed, "There, satisfied?"

Sirius ruffled Harry's hair. "Now I am."

"Um, Harry, I wanted to talk to you about something," James said. Harry looked to him and found his dad rubbing the back of his head in a sort of nervous gesture.

Frowning at the rare sight, Harry said, "Sure, what about?"

"Let's walk a bit, yeah?" James suddenly started walking towards the lake, and Harry hurried after him, Sirius and Remus following a few paces behind. Once Harry caught up, James gave him a sidelong glance and started, "It's about your mum."

Harry felt as if all his happiness from catching the Snitch was blown out of him by a strong wind. "What about her?" he asked.

"I talked to her about how much time she spends with you. She said that she asks you to come along when she goes out, but that you generally choose to stay home because her friends are boring, and that you're old enough to be alone by yourself for a few hours, especially since the house elves are there." James paused. "I told her I didn't approve of you being left alone like that." Harry tensed, and James continued while keeping a watchful eye on him, "She wasn't happy about that. Or about any of the other questions I asked. She kept dodging around who her friends actually were. Harry," James stopped and placed his hand on Harry's shoulder, stopping him too. Behind them, Harry heard Sirius and Remus' footsteps halt. "Do you know who any of her friends are? Heard any names?"

A trembling started in Harry's hands, so he quickly clenched them into fists and shoved them in his robe pockets. He was being interrogated. Interrogated by his dad about his mother. It was there, in the tone of James' voice when he asked those questions, the Auror. It was something he'd only heard a few times before, mostly when James was regaling them with a tale about how a minor case had gone, but this was different. What should he say? What would happen if he told his dad the truth?

"You won't tell her?" The words seemed to pop out of him before Harry could really consider them. But they were out now. He looked up at his dad, and brown eyes with lines of worry around them, but there was a hard set to his jaw. "You won't tell Mother what I say?" Harry looked back at his godfather and unofficial godfather. Sirius looked dark, his aura kicking up, and Remus pained. "None of you will."

"No," James whispered.

Harry looked down and took a deep breath. There was so much that could go wrong, but... If his dad believed him, even just a little, maybe things would get better.

"I don't know all of them," he began, "there are too many. The house elves know more than I do. When I ask where she is sometimes they'll tell me a name. There's been a Mr. Leopold, I think he's new. Victoria Greengrass is a pretty common one. Um, a David, too. Those are the more recent ones, anyway, from summer." He started to fidget a bit, wondering what else he should say, when James gave his shoulder a slight squeeze.

James said, "Thank you, Harry, that's enough," but there was a sort of distant look in his eyes that Harry didn't like. After a moment though, James seemed to shake it off, and smiled at Harry. "Don't worry about your mother anymore. I'll take care of everything. It's probably my fault as it is," James said, his smile becoming self-depreciating. "I work too much. Lily's probably feeling a bit lonely and going out to compensate for it."

Harry heard Sirius snort derisively at his dad's words and found himself agreeing with his godfather. "It's not your fault," Harry said shortly. A stern note entering his voice. When James looked at him in surprise he reaffirmed, "It's not."

"Alright, Bambi." James gave Harry's shoulder another soft squeeze and cleared his throat. "Anyway, don't worry about any of that now. I'll have it well in hand, and if you ever need anything, you can always contact one of us," James said, turning to gesture to Sirius and Remus.

Remus nodded and said, "We'll be there in a heartbeat."

"Anything for you, pup," said Sirius, and Harry heard more than the usual amount of weight falling behind those words. But then Sirius smiled his crooked, mischievous smile. "Now, I think you have a victory party to attend," he pulled a brown-wrapped package out of his pocket and enlarged it with a quick spell before handing it to Harry, "and what's a party without some of Zonko's fireworks?"

••••••••

Harry hurried up to the castle with the package of fireworks tucked into his robe pocket, but he did not go to the Tower. Instead he slipped through some of the secret passages, avoiding other people, and headed back out of the castle. He passed through the Clock Tower Courtyard and walked quickly along the Wooden Bridge only to stop in the middle of it to look out over the deep ravine below. A vaguely sick feeling was settling in his stomach, but not at the almost dizzying drop beneath him.

After so many years of concealing things about his mother from his dad, it was hard to wrap his head around the fact that James now knew some of the truth and was likely going to find out more. It was all a bit overwhelming, and Harry was certain he couldn't withstand the cramped quarters of the Gryffindor Common Room with how he felt. On one hand, he was relieved that James knew some of it and that Harry wouldn't have to hide so much from him. On the other hand, Lily would likely be very angry with both him and his dad, and James hadn't asked about what his mother threatened him with to keep him from saying anything prior to now. These thoughts made his gut twist and confused him. What should he be feeling?

But, James had said to leave it all to him, and Harry trusted his dad. Taking a deep breath of the clear air above the ravine, he pushed all the awful thoughts away and stuck a hand in his pocket, feeling the package of fireworks inside. A smile worked its way onto his face. People at the party would surely enjoy the fireworks. He knew he would.

Turning to walk back to the castle, he was startled to see Hagrid moving towards him from the courtyard end of the bridge. The large man was wearing a clumsily knitted scarlet and gold scarf and called out to Harry upon seeing him, "'Arry, is that you? What are ya doing way out here? Thought you would've been at the party."

Harry shifted a little nervously and said, "It was a little crowded for me, so I thought I'd walk for a while."

"Oh? That so?" Hagrid said, stopping in front of Harry now. "Well if that's the case why don't you come down for tea? I've a fresh batch of rock cakes waitin', so long as Fang didn't get into 'em."

The very thought of rock cakes almost made Harry wish he'd gone straight to the party, and the fireworks in his pocket were another great enticement. However, with Hagrid standing there, his smile hidden by his beard but visible in how lines crinkled about his eyes, Harry suddenly imagined Hagrid giving that same smile to an overexcited puppy with three heads.

"Sure," Harry said, "that sounds great."

A/N: Is the idea of Hagrid with a three-headed puppy cute, or what? I hope my Quidditch writing didn't suck. I've never written a sports scene before, and that was the majority of this chapter lol. Anyway, reviews are very appreciated! Constructive criticism, questions (answered via PM), and other comments are welcome!

Thanks for reading! ~ HowlingRain