That same night, after talking with the twins. "Excuse me," Hermione said, to the red-head who was swallowing another one of his favourite dish, chicken leg.
"Can't a person eat in peace in this place?" Ron's dislike for her was not hidden in his tone.
"Watch your tongue, Weasely..." Lucifer in a threatening manner, which seemed to cause the red-head's whole body shudder, but it's not that he was feeling cold all of a sudden....
It's just this boy looked like.... he really would do something to his pink tongue. That's why, Ron shut his mouth instantly.
Hermione pressed forth as though they said nothing, "I couldn't help overhearing what you and Malfoy were saying---"
"Bet you could," Ron said.
"One more time, and see the magic happens," Lucifer was now really staring at his throat, with his fingers twitching, ready for some blood. The boy shrunk down even more, on his seat. If he went any further, they probably won't be able to see his face.
"And you mustn't go wandering around the school at night! Think of the points you'll lose Gryffindor, and you're bound to be. It's actually very selfish of you," She tried to explain to them.
"And it's really none of your business, is it?"
Harry said rather harshly to her.
Lucifer looked at Hermione and saw that she was unfazed, but he knew it really bothered her. He turned his attention back to Harry, "So was Snape right? You're so full of yourself that... you would do something so selfish that you'd risk being at Hogwarts for something stupid after what happened today--? I expected better of you."
He said to Harry, who actually looked regretful of the words he had said.
Out of the corner of his eye, Ron was about to say something, but Lucifer was quick on the draw of his wand, "I thought I told you to...."
Ron stayed quiet and other menacing looking boy put his wand away.
Lucifer and Hermione turned, leaving them to their own devices, "If they want to get detention and lose Gryffindor points... then that's their business, Granger, let's just leave them to their own idiocity."
Hermione said nothing, which worried him. He looked at her and saw that she was trying her best to not let their words get to her.
"You are too goody shoes, one day it's going to bite you in the back...."
She finally looked at her best friend with small tears in her eyes and threw her arms around his neck, she started sobbing slightly.
"..."
'This girl's emotional state is really out of this world....'
"Why does everyone hates me? I was just trying to stop them from getting into trouble?!" The boy who was just suddenly hugged out of nowhere, didn't know what to say. 'Is this some new kind of war tactic....'
"Even my roommates hate me, and call by names, like bookworm and a b-beaver!"
Lucifer's mouth twitched, slightly after hearing those words, and had a strong desire to protect this girl, causing him to rub her back lightly.
But the bushy-haired girl, didn't seem to stop his actions, she even leaned into his touch and hugged him even more tightly, "Granger, I assure you, those girls are most likely being jealous of your performance during the class...."
"It's Hermione....I have a name, you know...."
"Right, it's my bad habit. I'll try to correct this."
"Hmm? I don't have much hop-"
A low voice was heard.... and, since other person's face was buried into his neck.
"Hey!" There was immediately a shout, Lucifer didn't like this kind of pillow talk one bit, but it did cause Hermione to let out a giggle.
And, after some time, when she didn't have much energy left, reluctantly removed herself from him and went towards her dorm. But, Lucifer was still quite bored, and decided to hang around for an half hour or so.
xxxxxxx
Later in the evening, He and Hermione, for some reason, were going to talk other two Gryffindor's out of participating in the duel.
Lucifer was content to let them get caught and be done with it, but Hermione was persistent. It was almost Eleven-thirty when he spoke up, "Hermione?"
"Yes?" She asked, looking up from her book, and to be honest, Hermione's face looked quite ridiculous, when her name was being used.
"Are you trying to stop them purely for Gryffindor's sake? Or for their as well?" He asked straight-forwardly.
There wasn't a response for a moment,"Both, I suppose."
"I see..." Lucifer, just stopped talking when he heard footsteps descending the staircase from boys living area.
He stared into the fireplace, it's low flame crackling on wood that was almost used up. On the bright side, the illuminating light hid their presence in chairs.
When they were almost to portrait, Hermione spoke up, standing as she said, "I can't believe you're going to go through with this Harry."
A voice-female-cut through darkness, making both boys jump like they'd been hit with a Stinging Hex.
Spinning around, they saw....
Lucifer, also turned his head and saw she had turned on a lamp, that was placed on the table beside her, "You!" Ron almost sounded furious.
When, the footsteps were heard, towards Hermione, he also decided to reveal himself from behind her, "Hello there, Weasely."
The boy with red-hair just froze, and couldn't move his body at all. There was a sudden fear deep inside his heart, that told Ron to slowly back away, which he did.
Hermione looked at Lucifer for a moment before readdressing the other two, "I almost told Percy, you know? He's a Prefect, he'd definitely put a stop to this, without question."
She admitted shamelessly.
"Come on," Harry said to Ron.
Lucifer shook his head, "How stupid you are, you'll be really famous for sabotaging Gryffindor's chance at the House Cup, you know that?"
"You two-seriously," Hermione said, looking between them. "You barely know any spells. Are you really planning to just 'punch' Malfoy into submission? You're wizards, not boxers."
Harry and Ron looked suitably chastised, former nearly stopped but the red-head wasn't listening, on the other hand, the girl was persistent and followed them out.
Of course, Lucifer wasn't going to leave her alone after what Ron almost did, so he went with them. "Do either of you only care about yourselves? Is that it?"
"Go away," Ron said to boy who was real close to slit this bastard's throat and feed his body to the ravens.
"Fine, but we warned you, just remember what I said when you're on the----" Hermione and Lucifer turned around to go back into the Tower, but Fat Lady was nowhere to be seen.
"Oh, for fuck's sake..."
"Great, now what are we going to do?" Hermione said impatiently, she didn't even care about his rude language and what nonsense.
"Maybe, I should blo---"
"Shut up, Lucifer!"
"It' not our problem, we've got to get going," Ron said to them.
"We are going with you," Hermione said to them.
"Come again?" Ron was sure he'd misheard.
Hermione Granger, model student, nearly top of the class---second only to that know-it-all friend---volunteering for 'rule-breaking?'
"I said I'm coming," She repeated firmly, standing up for the house points she, and her best friend earned, doing hard work for Gryffindor'.
Harry narrowed his eyes, annoyed at her finger pointed their way, "You're not... trying to catch us red-handed, are you? Gonna report us to the prefects or a professor?"
"And who's going to stop us?" Lucifer asked him, but the boy in question chose to remain silent instead, turning a bit red just like Ron's hair from being unable to retort properly, "That's what I thought."
So, in this way, he and Hermione tagged along with them. And so, their two-man duel squad became a four-person expedition.
Harry consoled himself with the thought that numbers were on their side now. If Malfoy brought backup, they'd be ready.
The group moved carefully, hearts pounding every time they approached a corner, half-expecting Filch-or worse, Mrs. Norris---to be lying in wait.
By some miracle, they reached Trophy Room on fourth floor without incident. Unfortunately, Malfoy was a no-show, this place was where they supposed to be dueling in, and it was already past midnight---
"He's late, figures. Maybe he chickened out?" Ron's face nearly gleamed with delight at his cowadery.
"Or he lured you into a trap you little rascals," Lucifer said ruining his good mood while, "Malfoy set you up!" Hermione hissed, utterly furious, she knew she had a bad feeling, "This whole thing was a trap!"
Ron was about to reply, but something got their attention. It was a sound in the near distance, and it was---none of them wanted to hear; meowing.
Then they heard Filch talking to his cat, Mrs. Norris. And the way he and his cat were beelining toward the Trophy Room made it very clear they were on a mission.
The four of them quickly hurried away from there, not paying attention to where they were going. In their haste, Ron ran into a suit of armor, causing it to crash down,
"Run!" Harry yelled.
No time for anger-only running.
Hermione flung open the opposite door. "This way!" she barked, leading the charge.
Harry and Ron followed, scowling. The former was seething. He couldn't believe he'd fallen for one of Malfoy's tricks. He'd been nervously preparing for a duel-worried he'd embarrass himself by failing to cast a spell--when the real threat had been 'betrayal.'
They ran through doors and up a flight of stairs to get as far away from Filch as possible, breathing heavily and Hermione talked to the two idiots they were stuck with, "I... told... you," she said in between breaths.
Lucifer was the only one not inhaling as heavily as them, "Oh... I think... I think I might... pass out..." She complained about being out of shape when noticing this boy's relaxed chest, envious.
"Let's get back to Gryffindor Tower," He suggested with a roll of both eyes, only one thinking using a straight brain, but they didn't get very far as Peeves showed up.
When he caught sight of them, he almost exploded with glee.
"Peeves, please be quiet? You'll get us thrown out if we get caught," Harry pleaded with the poltergeist. Lucifer noticed his figure of talking, Chosen One was having a "change of heart."
"Wandering around at midnight, Ickle Firsties? Tut, tut, tut. Naughty, naughty, you'll get caughty!" Peeves was bursting at the seams, holding his voice at the level it was.
"Should tell Filch I should. It's for your own good, you know?" He said with an evil grin on his face.
Then Ron, surprise surprise, did and said something stupid, "Get out of the way!" He took a swipe at Peeves, who did not take kindly to that.
"STUDENTS OUT OF BED! STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!" Peeves bellowed out, drawing Filch to their location.
"This is a disgrace, first time I will be find out on a nightime stroll..."
Hermione nearly choked. How could Lucifer speak so righteously about something that so blatantly violated school rules? But before she could say anything, the sound of footsteps echoing down the corridor reminded her they still had pursuers behind them.
Grabbing her friend by the hand, she hissed, "Filch is right behind us---we have to hide!"
And so, with utter disbelief, Lucifer let himself be dragged along by three hopelessly directionless first-years right into a dead end, which they only found out after Ron smacked into it.
"This is it! We're done for, this is the end..." he said helplessly. His legs were trembling as he heard the distinct sound of footsteps---Filch and his cat were closing in.
"Move over, you dimwits." Lucifer said frustratedly. He pulled his wand out and aimed it at the door, "Alohomora." he whispered slowly, The lock clicked open and they pushed their way into the room, closing the door back behind them.
They heard Filch and Peeves argue back and forth for a moment before they both disappeared.
"Ha, he thinks this door is locked," Harry said smugly.
"That's because it was locked, remember?" She asked him fiercely.
Harry turned to say something, but then saw they weren't in a room, but another Corridor, "Where are we?"
Lucifer looked around and knew where they were, "The Third Floor that is forbidden, unless we want to find ourselves an untimely death," he then laughed evilly, creeping Hermione out.
"Not necessarily!" She snapped at him. But, all he did was smile at her which terrorised the girl further.
The corridor only had one other door in it, which was odd for Hogwarts standards. They decided to see where it led and went inside the door. It was dark enough that you couldn't even see a foot in front of you. There were no windows to illuminate anything.
"Are we saved?" Harry whispered.
'Gulp.' Ron swallowed hard. Tugging on Harry's sleeve, he said in a trembly voice, "No...we're doomed."
The others turned to him, puzzled, wondering what on earth he was on about---until they saw it for themselves. Suddenly, there were six eyes staring at the four of them. Lucifer was wide-eyed at what he was seeing.
Torches that had been lining the wall were flickered on and they revealed a massive three headed dog.
....The dog must not have been expecting to see them, otherwise it would have attacked immediately. It was quick to get over its shock and began growling.
Unblinking and full of menace. Its mouths were slightly open, strings of slobber glistening in the dim light. The way it looked at them...
...was exactly how they looked at a midnight snack.
RRRRRRAHHH!
The triple-throated roar shook the room. The real issue, in Lucifer's opinion? 'The smell....!'
That mutt clearly hadn't bathed in ages, and stench inside that enclosed corridor had been suffocating.
It completely threw off his concentration. Hermione'd already spun around, fumbling with the door handle, preferring Filch's punishment over becoming dog food. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she'd seen something glowing.
Lucifer heard the door open behind them and looked to see that she had opened the door. The three of them bolted from the room, Hermione slammed it shut, and all of them ran back to Gryffindor Tower.
When they got to the Fat Lady, she inquired, "Where on Earth have you all been?" Their disheveled looks piqued her interest as to their whereabouts to cause them to be in such states.
"Never mind that..." Harry was panting, "Pig Snout," he spoke the Password and she reluctantly opened the portrait for them.
Hermione looked around, realised something and shouted instantly, "Oh no, I left my Lucifer with that three-headed dog!"
"Your what, now?"
"Ronald, can't you keep that mouth shut, even for a second?!"
"..." Harry.
xxxxxx
Everyone quickly went towards that door again agitated, somehow with sheer luck Filch was nowhere to be on their path, but surprised at what they saw. Lucifer was patting three-headed dog's head like he found a lost puppy, who sounded almost sad.
The beast yelped---but aside from a white scorch mark, it barely flinched, if anything, it looked subdued.
"I knew, I was being too gentle...."
Harry and the others stood frozen, mouth agape.
"What? Portrait lady still giving you trouble."
"Huh? Oh---right!" Hermione snapped out of her daze, not wasting a second immediately seizing his hand and dragged him towards Gryffindor tower.
'Whimper----'
And, Harry started shouting, 'pig snout' again at the Fat Lady who was eyeing them even more suspiciously but said nothing.
"What kind of password is 'pig snout"?" Lucifer asked after they walked into the Common Room.
She, Hermione, gave him an incredulous look, "Out of all the questions, that's the one you ask? Also, you nearly gave me a heart attack. Don't do that again!"
"Hey, you were the who closed the door on me!" Lucifer complained, indignant at her outbursts near the staircase.
"Sorry.." She muttered quietly, slightly embarrassed. Then, collapsed into an armchair, as did Harry and Ron, all three of them trying to calm down.
"What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?" Ron asked after about five minutes of silence.
"You don't pay well enough attention, do you?" Hermione asked him, regaining her composure, "Did you not see what it was standing on?"
"The floor?" Harry asked, slightly annoyed, "I wasn't really looking at its feet, I was too busy staring at the heads. In case you missed it, there were three..."
"It's not the floor she's talking about. It was standing on a trapdoor. It's guarding something..." Lucifer said, his gaze staring out of a window.

Hermione smiled at him before standing up and glaring at the other two, "I hope you both are pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed, or worse, 'expelled'. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to bed," then she shifted her gaze back to Lucifer, "Good night, Lucifer, see you in the morning," she smiled at him before ascending the stairs.
He also smiled back in response, "Good night, Hermione," and went up the stairs to his dorm room.
"No, we don't mind," he heard Ron say, probably staring after Hermione, "You'd think we dragged her along with us, wouldn't you?"
The death stare Lucifer gave him from the middle of his way to reaching his dormitory----
Ron's hair stood on end, feeling goosebumps all over, as he paled.
Just with his eyes blazing, and then he turned back around, to move in direction of stairs. Ignoring, sounds of moaning, that came from behind him.
Then, Lucifer crawled into bed and wondered what exactly could be underneath that dog's feet.
He then remembered reading in the paper about break---in at Gringotts Bank, but nothing had been taken.
What if----remembering past conversation of what Harry once shared to Ron in the Great Hall, of Hagrid talking out something from a vault, same day on his birthday, and when the robbery happened----
Lucifer took a deep breath, and finally drifted off to sleep.
xxxxxx
Just minutes later, a new figure arrived at the same corridor where the dog lay curled up. It was Albus Dumbledore, clad in whimsical pajamas and a pointy cone-shaped sleeping сар.
He inspected the dog's injuries with a serious eye, then turned and held a whispered conversation with several nearby portraits.
When he finished, he stroked his beard and murmured to himself:
"Such promise in the young these days... truly extraordinary."
xxxxxx
Located on First floor of the castle, the library was vast. Thousands of shelves fill the space, organized into specialized sections, housing tens of thousands of magical texts.
You could say it holds the most comprehensive collection of magical knowledge in British wizarding world...
And the most remarkable part, if you ask Hermione Granger? Regardless of gender or status, as long as you're a student at Hogwarts, the library was open to everyone, no matter which house you're in.
Even some dangerous magic.
With a professor's approval, you can gain access to the Restricted Section and browse those books as well.
Simply put---If you were to truly master all the knowledge contained within these shelves...
You might not become a wizard as powerful as Dumbledore or the Dark Lord, but you'd undoubtedly carve out a place for yourself in the wizarding world.
Which was exactly why so many wizarding aristocrats are willing to send their children to study at Hogwarts.....
Hermione, now with no place to vent her frustration, puffed up adorably and widened her eyes in irritation.
Lucifer, however, figured she was just embarrassed...
"Where is this place? I didn't know Hogwarts had somewhere like this."
Her sudden question was expected, she was asking about the courtyard. Still, he didn't push her buttons.
"It's kind of like abandoned-exclusive courtyard. I've never seen students from other houses here... except you, of course...."
"I'm jealous. You've probably been to the central courtyard too, right? That place is... actually, never mind. Let's not talk about that."
From the scrunch on her face, it was clear Hermione understood what kind of place that central courtyard had become. She might've even accidentally witnessed something indecent there...
...
Ahem! Anyway.
After taking a moment to admire the assortment of unidentifiable flowers and plants, she turned to Lucifer with a serious expression, "So what did 'you' mean going out at night anyway?"
"Reading," Lucifer said smoothly, "I needed to check something in a book, but the one I had didn't have what I needed... So I went to the library. Problem?"
As an academic topper herself, the idea of risking Filch's wrath just to look something up in a book was... not beyond her.
'Heh. Gullible....'
Maybe Lucifer's words hit the right note? Even though Hermione's face was puffed up in frustration, flicker in her eyes and that unfamiliar feeling in her chest made her lips twitch upward before she could stop it.
But trying to look angry while also hiding her delight only twisted her expression into something caught between both.
Lucifer found the little witch oddly entertaining. A little foolish, but kind of cute...
She had no idea he had mentally added that strange label to her. After pulling herself together, she started rambling about what happened last night. Leaning close to him, she glanced around cautiously, then lowered her voice.
"I asked my roommates... about ever seeing a Three-Headed Dog? A huge dog. With three heads."
"...."
'Is that really what she's stuck on?' Lucifer's confusion wasn't about her description. What puzzled him was why a creature like that was even in Hogwarts, even ignoring doubts he had. 'Something like that shouldn't be here, should it?' And judging by dog's demeanor, it was definitely no harmless, playful pet...
While he frowned in thought, she continued.
"Not only that, there really saw a trapdoor beneath its feet. It was clearly guarding something!"
At that point, something seemed to spark in Hermione, and she got visibly upset, "If it hadn't been for that completely pointless duel, I could've been torn apart by that thing---or worse, expelled from school!"
Lucifer wasn't sure why, in her mind, being expelled was worse than being mauled, but it was clear just how furious she was at that red-haired Weasley who ignored her warning and left the common room anyway.
In any case---he wasn't about to provoke this feisty little kitten.
"Well, that's probably the only way to look at it. But why would that Greatest Wizard make a point of mentioning it? Especially knowing how Gryffindors act without thinking... Alright, alright, I'll stop."
After receiving a sharp glare from Hermione, he wisely dropped his commentary on Gryffindor.
"But more importantly---what a coincidence isn't it? How did we even end up there? Dueling spot was a good distance from that corridor..."
Hermione stared blankly at Lucifer as he mumbled to himself and scribbled something on a piece of parchment. For a moment, she felt completely thrown off. Was she overreacting? Or was it just coincidence?
The clever little witch quickly realized---this wasn't as simple as she'd thought...'is he implying stairs were being controlled? How foolish of a thought....'
Hermione didn't interrupt Lucifer's thoughts---she simply watched him quietly, taking in his focused expression. It was probably the first time she'd ever looked at his face, for this long.
His black hair was neatly combed, which made her instinctively smooth down her own slightly frizzy curls.
Those black eyes of his held a maturity and sharpness far beyond their age. The way he concentrated so intently made Hermione gently press a hand to her chest, where her heart was starting to beat a little faster.
Even if she claimed to "hate" Lucifer whenever they disagreed, she had to admit there was a reason those fox-like girls whispered about him like he was some kind of prince.
She shook her head quickly. Gave her cheeks a little pat. The moment Lucifer set down his quill, Hermione blurted something out---like she was trying to cover something up.
At the very least, when he was this focused, he really did have a strange sort of charm that was hard to look away from...
"Do you know where that Three-Headed Dog comes from?"
Lucifer didn't notice her flushed face---his mind was still elsewhere, "In ancient Greek mythology, the Three-Headed Dog is called Cerberus. Muggles know it as the hound of the underworld. In that sense, it really is a kind of gatekeeper. So, saying it was guarding something makes perfect sense...."
"A hound of the underworld?!"
Noticing the look of alarm on Hermione's face, he added, "Of course, that's just mythology. Real Three-Headed Dogs aren't nearly that terrifying or dangerous... At most, they're classified as magical creatures. And to a powerful wizard, it's still just... a dog."
"I see..."
Hermione was glad she'd a chance to talk most of her things out with him. For reasons unknown, she'd come to grasp Lucifer's knowledge of the wizarding world, was getting far surpassing her own.
Even though both were muggleborns.
Not like the other two who were running with her that night---they hadn't even known how to open a door with a spell.
For some reason....
The nervousness Hermione had felt began to fade after getting some kind of closure. 'Maybe---just maybe, we could uncover this mystery together...'
xxxxxxx
Lucifer was a bit uneasy. But it wasn't curiosity about what treasure Three-Headed Dog was guarding---it was suspicion about the reason for guarding it in the first place.
After all, under normal circumstances, with a Greatest Wizard overseeing Hogwarts, there shouldn't be any need for such theatrics.
If someone could break into Hogwarts, how could they possibly be stopped by a creature that even someone like Weasley could escape from? It was all too strange...'Unless there's some kind of backup plan?'
Even if Harry and Ron had almost gotten them killed, or expelled, Lucifer's mood brightened to see the shocked look on Malfoy's face at seeing both still at Hogwarts.
Hermione had told him the moment she entered Great Hall, she'd no interest in talking to Harry or Ron again, and he was honestly fine with that.
"Oye?" He got her attention, and she looked up from her breakfast at him, "If this isn't something you want to talk about, just tell me, but you remember the break-in that Gringotts had a little while back?"
"I do remember it, what about it?"
"Remember how the paper said nothing was taken from the vault?" Hermione nodded, "What if what was in that vault, is now underneath that dog?" He asked her quietly.
Lucifer could see the gears in her head working as she had shown some interest in it, "That's brilliant deductive reasoning, Lucifer, if I could I'd give you twenty points for Gryffindor!"
"Well thanks, that's awfully nice of you to say," he smiled and looked up when the mail arrived. As expected, he got nothing, again.
xxxxxx
But, what was surprising----
Harry Potter!
"Harry, we all heard-you've been made Seeker for our team!"
"Wood really kept it quiet. I mean, we're the Beaters---he could've at least told us!"
"Well, that's because Professor McGonagall told him not to."
The "Wood" Harry referred to was, in fact, the captain of Gryffindor Quidditch team. And the ones who had loudly approached him were none other than the infamous red-haired troublemakers of Gryffindor---
Ron's older brothers,
George and Fred.
What they were shouting about was loud enough for the entire Great Hall to hear, and chaos quickly broke out among students nearby.
Even Slytherin table, some distance away, could hear them clearly.
"What? A first-year made the Quidditch team?!"
"Who is it---Harry Potter?"
"That's incredible!"
"What's the big deal? I could've done that too..."
Quidditch truly was the national pastime of the wizarding world. It didn't take long before news of Harry Potter joining the team spread like wildfire.
It wouldn't even take until tomorrow for the entire school to know.
'Maybe this was exactly why she had insisted they keep it a secret until now?' But at this point, even if Harry wanted to keep it quiet, there was no way he could, Lucifer mused.
Because the first Quidditch match at Hogwarts was just around the corner....And just then-perhaps by coincidence- As owls were still pouring into Great Hall like they did every morning, all eyes were drawn to a long, slender package carried by six long-eared owls.
It was the first time any of young wizards had seen such a large delivery, and they couldn't help but be curious.
Even more surprising was that recipient appeared to be Harry Potter---who had already become the talk of the school.
Just as he reached out to open it, another owl swooped down, landed in front of him, and casually snatched a piece of meat off his breakfast plate....
"Harry, there's a letter with package, hurry, open it and see what it says!"
For whatever reason, Ron always seemed to jump in and make decisions for Harry at times like this, deliberately raising his voice to grab everyone's attention.
And just like that, every young wizard in the Great Hall was now staring their way. Hermione, sitting nearby, shot Ron an annoyed glare for taking over without asking.
"Uh, let's see... it's from Professor McGonagall. As for the contents..."
Before Harry could finish reading, Ron had already started tearing open the long parcel left by the owl.
'Maybe this kind of spotlight really was addictive to him?' Lucifer's eyes flashed a devious plan, freshly concoted. As that thought crossed his mind, Ron pulled the wrapping aside and finally saw what was inside...
"What's this?"
"A broomstick?!"
"This streamlined handle... the polished heartwood shaft... and look! It's got 'Nimbus 2000' engraved with magic!"
"There's no doubt about it-this is the brand-new Nimbus 2000!!"
The Weasley twins shoved Ron aside and crowded in. At that moment, the two of them acted like a comedy duo, taking turns dramatically announcing what Harry had just received.
Excited by the commotion, all students in the hall surged forward, eager to get a closer look at the Nimbus 2000...
"It really is a Nimbus 2000?!"
"Just let me touch it-just once!"
"Harry's my roommate. He'll let me ride it, right?"
"Yeah yeah, after you're done, let me have a go!"
"Hey, stop pushing!"
"Who just grabbed my butt?!"
The chaotic scene made Lucifer frown---he couldn't understand what everyone was getting so worked up about. Behind him, voices of Goyle and Crabbe were annoyed at how much attention Weasley was hogging...
"That so-called Chosen One not only broke school rules, he joined the Quidditch team as a first-year-and now he gets the latest broomstick too."
"So arrogant. Stupid Gryffindors."
Unlike rest of the excited students, the two gluttons beside Draco were clearly bitter about all the attention Harry Potter was receiving, like he was the star of the show. On the other side of the hall, Parkinson was sulking on Draco's behalf...
"Draco, aren't you going to do anything about this? I know how good you are at flying.... If you became a Quidditch player, I'd buy you a broomstick even better than the Nimbus 2000!"
At that point, Lucifer cut short his hearing long distances.
Snape's black robes and perpetually sour expression made him seem just like the "black bat" the Gryffindor students often whispered about---always appearing out of nowhere, silently and without warning.
If Lucifer hadn't pointed it out to the girl beside him, she hardly would've noticed Snape's arrival. After all, everyone in the Great Hall had their eyes fixed on Harry Potter---or more accurately, on the Nimbus 2000 that gleamed like the sun in eyes of every Quidditch fan.
Naturally, Harry, surrounded by the crowd, had no idea Snape was approaching. His full attention was locked on contents of the letter in his hands...
[Do not open the package on the table.]
Looking up, Harry saw Ron holding the Nimbus 2000 high like a sacred relic, a worshipful expression on his face. The corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.
Across from them, Hermione was already rolling her eyes so hard they could've hit the back of her head. She could see things were quickly spiraling out of control.
Regardless, the warning in Professor McGonagall's letter had clearly come too late---Ron's enthusiastic actions had already undone everything.
Sighing to himself, Harry turned his eyes away from Ron and kept reading...
[Inside is your new Nimbus 2000. I don't want everyone knowing you've received a new broomstick, or they'll all want one.
Oliver Wood will be waiting for you at the Quidditch pitch at 7 p.m. tonight to begin your first training session.]
That was the entire message. At the bottom was Professor McGonagall's signature, confirming that Harry's place on Quidditch team was official.
As he finished reading, a wave of joy washed over him. A new broomstick. The confirmation that he was now part of the team.
So much good news all at once---it nearly made Harry cheer out loud... What he didn't expect was how quickly that joy would be crushed.
And why did Snape have to show up right at that moment?
"Let's see now-does our arrogant Mr. Potter wants to make sure every wizard in school knows he got the latest broomstick model?"
"Professor, I didn't-"
"Everyone! Back to your seats! Now!!"
Snape didn't give Harry a chance to explain. His shout sent every student scurrying back to their house tables.
The longing gazes they threw at the Nimbus 2000 only made Snape's scowl deepen.
Over at the Slytherin table, students watched Harry with smug satisfaction. Especially Goyle and Crabbe. Lucifer had a sneaking suspicion they were going to laugh themselves right off the bench...
Once order was restored, Snape made it clear he had no intention of letting The Chosen One and his friends off the hook.
"If I were you, Mr. Weasley, I'd put that Nimbus 2000 away immediately, instead of parading it around like some trophy."
"Professor! Harry didn't-"
"For disrupting order, ten points from Gryffindor."
Hermione out of her daily routine by now, had spoken up in Harry's defense, was left speechless.
Harry and Ron, faces flushed with anger, could only lower their heads and quietly stash the broomstick under the table. They had no choice.
But Snape wasn't done. Fixing Harry with a look that was almost venomous, he struck again.
"Arrogant and conceited Potter... thinking he's the best Quidditch player."
Head bowed in frustration, Harry didn't notice the fleeting moment in Snape's eyes---a flicker of something distant, like a memory from long ago.
Those last words were spoken so only Harry could hear, or at least he thought he did, but there were students who had keen ears.
xxxxxx
Lucifer and Hermione stood up as well to go ahead and make their way to class, coming up to Harry and Ron just after a confrontation ending with Draco it seems.
She was about to say something, but he placed a hand on her arm, "Hm?" the girl looked back at him.
"We're not talking to them, remember? Don't give satisfaction."
He said and let go of her arm.
"But he's being rewarded for breaking the rules," She huffed angrily, and crossed her arms at him.
"I'm not saying I agree with it, but Snape did enough. We can't really do anything about it... Remember when Potter was saying McDonald should also favour Gryffindor ho----"
"It's Professor McGonagall!"
She almost gave him a swat.
"Right, I'm on a different earth," Lucifer muttered under his breath, and then looked at his friend again, "Well in a way, it seems just like Snape, McGonagall also favours her house indirectly... by not displaying it as obviously as him."
She knew he had a point, and huffed again, making her way to class, with Lucifer following right behind her.
He smirked, knowing that he had left her without a retort.
xxxxxxx
Q. What's your favourite moment of this one? And don't forget to throw some stones while you're at it...