Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

As October turned into November, the weather grew colder and the lake looked like a sheet of chilly grey iron, while the grounds were covered in frost every morning. Whenever I was upstairs, I could see Hagrid out the window on the Quidditch field, defrosting broomsticks and wearing what looked like a whole farm: a moleskin coat, rabbit fur gloves and beaverskin boots.

The Quidditch season had started and my cousin would be playing his first match on Saturday. What worried me was that he played against Slytherin.

"Slytherin always cheat and use dirty tricks," Kerri grumbled over breakfast a few days before the match. "Don't they, Ced?"

"Leave me out of this," Cedric said hastily and I laughed loudly while Kat pretended to gag and Molly snorted into her cereal.

Harry did have a lot of pressure on him, though - people kept saying that he'd be brilliant or, in the Slytherins' case, that they'd be running under him with a mattress.

"Honestly, how did you three end up in Slytherin?" I said to Sam, Aria and Syrena in disbelief as we met up in the Entrance Hall, where the Slytherins were jeering and bragging loudly. The three of them shrugged, embarrassed looks on their faces, and I got the feeling that they wished they were anywhere but there.

"I'm going to find my brother," Aria muttered as the Slytherins laughed particularly loudly and bolted.

I noticed that with Hermione as their friend, Harry and Ron actually managed to get their homework done. I got Harry - he did have Quidditch practice and Wood was, in my opinion, a bit of a maniac about it - but Ron was so lazy!

"You don't still hate him, do you?" Kat asked me in Herbology as Harry and Ron successfully produced their homework.

"No," I said, rolling my eyes. "He did apologise and everything…"

And he did; the next time Ron and I had ran into each other after Halloween, he'd apologised for being a git and we'd shaken hands.

Honestly, I thought Harry and Ron were a bad influence on Hermione - Kat, Molly and I knew for a fact that the 'no magic in the corridors' thing extended to the grounds, since Gabriel had drilled the rules into us so that we lost as little points as possible for Hufflepuff, but Harry, Ron and Hermione didn't seem to know that; Hermione had conjured up bright blue flames in a jam jar to keep us warm when we were out in the courtyard once.

As we were warming up with our backs against it, Snape limped across the courtyard and the six of us moved together to block the fire from view. Unfortunately, we really needed to work on our innocent faces - Snape limped over and though he couldn't see the fire, he found a reason to get us in trouble anyway.

"Library books are not to be taken outside the school," Snape said, upon spotting the book in Harry's hand. "Give it to me. Five points from Gryffindor." He looked at me, as if trying to find a reason to get me into trouble too, and said, "Dursley, take that thing out of your hair!" I scowled and removed my hairtie, which had a big, pretty flower on it.

"Things like that are not to be worn," Snape said. "Hand it over. Five points from Hufflepuff."

"He so made those rules up!" Kat hissed as Snape limped away.

"Yeah, did you see the way he looked at Harry and Celina? It was like he was trying to get them into trouble!" Molly added. Well, at least I wasn't the only one who saw that…

"Wonder what's wrong with his leg?" Harry frowned.

"Dunno but I hope it's really hurting him!" Ron glared. Hermione and I exchanged looks.

Later that evening, in the common room, I was playing with my curls while I worked on homework with Kat and Molly and I was scowling. That hairtie was a birthday present from my mother! She'd stuck that flower on herself and sprinkled glitter onto it! Who was Snape to take it from me - there certainly was no rule against wearing something like that! I took my suspicions up with Gabriel and Kerri.

"No, you're perfectly entitled to wear that," Gabriel agreed, scratching out a line on his essay. "Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find a way to get those points back."

"Go get it back from Snape," Kerri suggested. "If there are other teachers around, he'll have to give it back - after all, you'd have to explain what happened and he'd be seen as unfair."

"Thanks," I said happily and made my way up to the staffroom. When I reached the door, I bumped into Harry.

"Trying to get your book back?" I said and he nodded.

"There so isn't a rule against having a book outside!" he said angrily and I nodded and knocked on the door. No answer. Harry knocked. Still no answer.

"Maybe there's no one in there?" I said. "He could've left the book and hairtie in there."

"Yeah," Harry agreed and we pushed the door open, to be met with a horrifying sight. Snape and Filch were in there alone, and Snape had his robes above his knees! I turned green was about to bolt, when I noticed his bloody leg and breathed a sigh of relief.

I still reckon I'm scarred for life, though! I thought as Filch handed Snape another bandage.

"Blasted thing," Snape grumbled. "How are you supposed to keep track of all three heads at once?" Harry and I exchanged looks and tried to close the door quietly but -

"POTTER! DURSLEY!"

Snape was furious as he dropped his robes to hide his leg.

"We just wondered if we could have my book and Celina's hairtie back," Harry gulped.

"OUT! GET OUT!"

Before Snape could dock any more points from Gryffindor or Hufflepuff, Harry and I bolted to our respective common rooms.

"Did you get your hairtie?" Molly asked.

"What's up? Did Snape turn into a bat?" Kat added.

"No, nothing like that," I panted and told them what Harry and I had seen.

"I reckon he tried to get past that dog," I finished. "Though when, I don't know…"

"Well, we did see him heading to the third floor on Halloween, when we went to rescue you and Hermione," Molly admitted.

"That's it, then!" Kat declared. "He tried to get past the dog on Halloween and get whatever it was guarding! I reckon he let that troll in too, to serve as a distraction!"

"He wouldn't, would he?" Molly said hesitantly. "I mean, he's not very nice but - would he try and steal something that Dumbledore was keeping safe, right out from under his nose?"

"Honestly, Moll, you're too gullible!" Kat said and Molly and I glared at her. "Right…sorry. Point is, he was found at the scene of the crime and we have the evidence to prove it."

"Yeah, I really wouldn't put it past Snape to try and steal something," I agreed. "I wonder what the dog's guarding…"

The next morning was very bright but absolutely freezing. When we sat down at the Hufflepuff table, all we could hear was Quidditch this and Quidditch that.

"I don't know what the big deal about Quidditch is," I said as I piled my plate with bacon and sausages. Molly nodded in agreement as Kerri, Kat, Hannah, Susan and Ernie gave me scandalised looks.

"I'll forgive you this once, due to your ignorance, but never let me hear you say that again!" Kerri said and I shifted away.

"Leave Celina alone, Kerri, not everyone likes Quidditch," Cedric said and I shot him a grateful smile as I suddenly felt as if I couldn't stomach any breakfast.

Over at the Gryffindor table, I could see Ron, Hermione and Aria's brother, Seamus, trying to coax Harry to eat something.

"Harry really should eat something," Kerri frowned, watching him. "Seekers get the nastiest hits."

"Thanks," I said weakly, pushing my barely-touched food away. Gabriel shot her a look and she apologised to me.

At eleven o'clock, the whole school was out in the stands around the Quidditch pitch, many clutching binoculars. Kat was no exception.

"The seats might be high up but it's often difficult to see what's going on," Kat explained to me when I stared at her binoculars. Molly and I nodded in agreement.

I wished that I could sit with Ron and Hermione but by the time we saw where they were, the seats were already full and we had to stay where we were. One advantage was that we were sitting next to a large group of my friends: Sam, Syrena, Luke, Zachery and Isabel were there, and over near Ron and Hermione, I could see Aria, Amami, Melody, Seamus and Dean, all holding a large banner that said Potter for President in multi-coloured letters and had a giant Gryffindor lion underneath.

Soon, the players filed out onto the pitch and Madam Hooch appeared to speak to them. I played with my hair nervously.

"Nice hair," Isabel grinned and, a look of concentration on her face, she morphed her hair to look like mine. I smiled back at her. I'd managed to convince Kerri and Gabriel to turn half of my hair bright red, so that I had red and gold hair that matched the Gryffindor colours. Upon seeing my idea, Kat had asked for it as well.

"Oh, I can't wait to see the looks on those dear Slytherins' faces when they see this," she'd cackled evilly. Molly had opted to keep her hair strawberry blonde.

"After all, it's pretty much red and gold mixed into strawberry blonde!" she'd said and I couldn't argue with that logic.

The players mounted their brooms and Madam Hooch blew her whistle.

"They're off!" Kat squealed as the players kicked off and Molly and I grimaced at each other.

"And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor - what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive too -"

"JORDAN!"

"Sorry, Professor."

Lee Jordan, Fred and George's best friend, was doing the match commentary in the teacher's box, Professor McGonagall watching him like a hawk. Well, knowing that he hung around the Weasley twins, I could hardly blame her…

"And she's really belting along up there, a neat pass to Alicia Spinnet, a good find of Oliver Wood's, last year only a reserve - back to Johnson and - no, the Slytherins have taken the Quaffle, Slytherin captain Marcus Flint gains the Quaffle and off he goes -"

"Go Flint!" Syrena and Sam cheered and I shot them looks.

"What?" Sam said. "We're Slytherin, you know! It'd be base treachery to cheer for Gryffindor!"

"Right, I'll remember that," I nodded.

"- he's going to sc - no, stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor Keeper Wood and the Gryffindors take the Quaffle - that's Chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Flint, off up the field and - OUCH - that must have hurt, hit in the back of the head by a Bludger - Quaffle taken by the Slytherins - that's Adrian Pucey speeding off toward the goal posts but he's blocked by a second Bludger - sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, can't tell which -"

"Some friend he is!" Isabel laughed but Kat shushed her as she watched the game intently. I just rolled my eyes at Isabel with a grin.

"- and Johnson in possession of the Quaffle, a clear field ahead and off she goes - she's really flying - dodges a speeding Bludger - the goal posts are ahead - come on, now, Angelina - Keeper Bletchley dives - misses - GRYFFINDORS SCORE!"

Kat, Molly, Zachery, Isabel, Luke and I cheered loudly along with the Gryffindors and Gryffindor supporters, while Sam, Syrena and the rest of Slytherin howled and groaned.

"Hey, look at that!" I laughed to Molly, pointing in the direction of the large Potter for President banner. Hagrid was trying to squeeze in with Ron and Hermione and was almost squashing some students.

"Do you think he'll fit?" Molly said and I shrugged and turned my attention back to Harry, who was gliding around and doing nothing for now. I screamed when a Bludger zoomed towards Harry but one of the Weasley twins pelted it towards Flint and I sighed in relief.

"Slytherin in possession," Lee said. "Chaser Pucey ducks two Bludgers, two Weasleys and Chaser Bell, and speeds towards the - wait a moment - was that the Snitch?"

Everyone around us started muttering and Pucey dropped the Quaffle. As Harry and Terence Higgs, the Slytherin Seeker, dove for something invisible, everyone in the game stopped to watch.

"Idiots!" Kat hissed. "You don't stop playing when the Seekers go for the Snitch!"

"Calm down, Kat!" Molly said in alarm. "It's just a game!" Kat turned fiery green eyes on the strawberry blonde, who gulped and shoved Sam in front of her.

"Hey!" Sam protested but wisely shut up under Kat's gaze. I was barely paying attention to them, though - I was focused on Harry, who was neck and neck with Higgs.

WHAM!

"Foul!" we all howled as the rest of the Gryffindor supporters roared with rage - Flint had blocked Harry on purpose and my cousin span off course, holding on for dear life. Madam Hooch appeared to speak to him sternly and ordered a penalty for Gryffindor but Flint had achieved his goal - the Snitch was gone.

"Red card!" I screamed. "Send him off!" Sam was nodding furiously in agreement.

"What's a red card?" Kat frowned. Molly shrugged.

"If you get shown a red card in football, they take you off!" I said. "I'm glad all that watching sport with Dad paid off!"

"But this is Quidditch, not football!" Zachery said.

"Well, they should change the rules!" Sam said furiously. "Flint nearly knocked Harry out of the air!"

"Thank you, Sam!" I said and clapped him on the back. As I turned back to the game, I screamed again.

"Look at Harry!" I screeched. Harry's broom had started to lurch and it zigzagged and swished through the air. No one but me and my friends seemed to have noticed, however, and Lee was still commentating.

"What's going on?" Kat shouted. "He's lost control - but how could that happen?" Molly and Isabel, meanwhile, were turning to people around them and pointing out Harry. Those people would look up, gasp and tell their friends, and I hoped that word would spread quickly.

"NO!" I screamed as Harry was bucked off the broom and held on with only one hand. I turned to Sam, who was nearest, and I buried my face in his chest and clutched him tightly, not bearing to watch.

"Did something happen when Flint blocked him?" I heard Molly's anxious voice say.

"No, it can't have! Only powerful magic could interfere with a broom like that!" Kat said. I sobbed even harder and my grip on the back of Sam's robes tightened.

"At least Fred and George'll catch him if he falls!" Syrena said. That didn't reassure me at all. "And didn't some people say that they'd be running around with a mattress?" I dug my fingers into Sam's back as I resisted the urge to turn around the strangle Syrena.

"Syrena, shut up!" Zachery said.

"Sorry, Paul took over for a second!"

"You're not helping!"

"That little snake!" Isabel hissed.

"What?" I said in a muffled voice. Sam translated for me.

"Flint - he's scoring goals while everyone's focused on Harry!"

"I can't take it!" I screeched and I turned and tried to dive forward, not caring that I could very well break my neck, but Sam caught me.

"Let me go!"

"No! You'll kill yourself!"

"SAM, LET ME GO!"

"Look!" Isabel said, pointing at Harry, and I looked up. Harry had finally managed to climb back onto his broom and I saw a commotion and a speck of bright blue in the teachers' box but I didn't care. I started laughing in relief through my tears but stopped when Harry clapped his hand to his mouth as he sped to the ground, like he was going to be sick. He coughed and something must have fallen into his hand.

"I've got the Snitch!" he shouted and waved it above his head.

"No way!" Kat gasped, slapping her hands over her mouth. "He caught the Snitch in his mouth?"

"That's definitely going down in Quidditch history!" Zachery agreed as Lee announced the score: one hundred and seventy to sixty. None of us stuck around, though - Sam, Molly, Kat and I had joined Harry, Ron, Hermione, Amami and Melody at Hagrid's hut, where my cousin had a mug of tea in front of him.

"It was Snape," Ron said and I gasped.

"You're sure?" Molly said with wide eyes.

"Yeah, Hermione and I saw him! He was cursing your broomstick, Harry, he wouldn't take his eyes off you." I felt a rush of hatred well up in me and I wanted to curse Snape into a million pieces.

"Rubbish," Hagrid said. "Why would Snape do somethin' like that?"

"But we found out something about him," Harry said. "He tried to get past the three-headed dog on Halloween and it bit him. We think it's trying to steal whatever it's guarding." Sam's mouth fell open, Kat and Molly nodded along with Ron and Hermione and Amami and Melody blinked interestedly. Hagrid dropped his teapot.

"How do you know about Fluffy?" he said.

"Fluffy?" I choked out.

"Yeah - he's mine - bought him off a Greek chap I met in the pub las' year - I lent him ter Dumbledore ter guard the -"

"Yes?" Harry said eagerly.

"Don' ask me anymore, that's top-secret," Hagrid said roughly.

"But Snape's trying to steal it!" Kat said.

"Rubbish," Hagrid repeated. "Snape's a Hogwarts teacher, he'd do nothin' of the sort."

"So why did he just try and kill Harry?" Hermione cried. "I know a jinx when I see one! You have to keep eye contact and Snape wasn't blinking!"

"Yer wrong! I don' know why Harry's broom acted the way it did bu' Snape wouldn' try an' kill a student!"

"Unless that student's name is Harry Potter," I muttered.

"Now listen ter me, all of yeh - yer meddlin' in things that don' concern yeh. It's dangerous. Forget that dog an' what it's guardin', that's between Professor Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel -"

"Oh, so someone called Nicolas Flamel is involved, huh?" Melody said triumphantly, a cheeky grin on her face. Hagrid looked absolutely furious.

Hiya! No, I'm not dead! I know there's really no excuse for updating. I just lost my inspiration…well, it could happen to anyone! Anyway, I've been musing a bit and I've set up a poll on my page that isn't related to this story! Please vote in it!

On a side note…I'm getting a job at the end of this month :D Well, it's almost certain but it does mean that I won't be able to update as frequently (yeah…like I've been doing that lately XD)

Oh, and can I say a huge thank-you to Randy Butternubs, who PMed me today and kicked my butt into gear. Thanks for your help! :)

Envy Her: That's alright, I'm just saying that if someone spots a mistake and points it out, I can make sure I don't do it again, and if they tell me what parts they like and that…well, yeah ;)

Randy Butternubs: Yeah, she's all better, though I did have a drama queen moment a week ago when my stomach hurt so much that I couldn't stand up straight and we started worrying that it was appendicitis, before I ate and found out that it was just hunger pains XD
And thanks, I think of you as a sort of friend too :) I don't have millions of real life friends, though that's probably cause I'm a nerd and I'm in the virtual world and my own fantasy world much more than the real world XD
Hmm…Melody is friends with Celina, as are the other OCs, but no, she won't be like Kat and Molly are with Celina, mainly cause she's in a different house and it gets far too confusing if ten OCs suddenly jump in and surround Celina. And yeah, I could try and fit them into the library, but when I made notes on the characters (to organise info on them), I had her being best friends with Amami, Lavender, Parvati and Padma, though they are pretty good friends with Harry and Ron.
This story's from Celina's POV, so she wouldn't know what's going on in the Gryffindor common room, but I can tell you that Amami and Melody did hang with Hermione, and will whenever she is fighting with Harry and Ron. And I'm glad you love the Melody/Amami friendship :) Wow, long review response XD

Flower Power: Hmm, interesting name :) Yeah, Hufflepuff Trio ftw!