Chapter 36 - The blonde boy chased by a blonde boy

While the last people were still in the arena, Harry was being made a cup of strong tea back in Hagrid's hut, with Thomas, Hermione, and Ron. The rest of their friends left once they heard that the Gryffindor trio and Thomas would go to Hagrid's hut.

"It was Snape," Ron was explaining. "Hermione and Thomas saw him. He was cursing your broomstick, muttering, he wouldn't take his eyes off you."

"Rubbish," said Hagrid, who hadn't heard a word of what had gone on next to him in the stands. "Why would Snape do somethin' like that?"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other, wondering what to tell Hagrid and Thomas what Harry found out. After a few more seconds, Harry decided to tell them the truth.

"I found out something about him," he told Hagrid. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog at Hallowe'en. It bit him. We think he was trying to steal whatever it's guarding."

"Snape tried to get past Fluffy?"

Hagrid dropped the teapot. "How do you know about Fluffy?" he said.

"That's kind of a long story, Hagrid. You know that big puppy?" Thomas responded with an embarrassed look on his face

"Yeah – he's mine – bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las' year – I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the –"

"Yes?" said Harry eagerly.

"Now, don't ask me anymore," said Hagrid gruffly. "That's top secret, that is."

"But Snape's trying to steal it."

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

"So why did he just try and kill Harry?" cried Hermione.

Harry, Ron, and Thomas shared a nervous look, wondering how to convince Hagrid of Snape's wrongdoing. Just as Hagrid was once more going to tell them that Snape wasn't like that, Thomas interfere, hoping to help Hermione.

"Hagrid, I saw Snape myself," he said, "He was muttering under his breath and wouldn't take his eyes off Harry. And then, when his broom started acting up, Hermione and I saw him cursing it. Besides, I know a jinx when I see one, Hagrid, I've read all about them! You've got to keep eye contact, and Snape wasn't blinking at all, I saw him!"

Hagrid looked skeptical but slightly troubled. "I can't believe Snape would do somethin' like that," he muttered.

Ron chimed in, "But Hagrid, Harry just told you he was trying to steal whatever Fluffy's guarding."

Hagrid still seemed hesitant to believe them, but then he noticed the determined look on Hermione and Thomas's faces.

"I'm tellin' yeh, yer wrong!' said Hagrid hotly. 'I don' know why Harry's broom acted like that, but Snape wouldn' try an' kill a student! Now, listen to me, all three of yeh – yer meddlin' in things that don' concern yeh. It's dangerous. You forget that dog, and you forget what it's guardin', that's between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicolas Flamel –"

Hagrid's voice had grown louder, and Harry could sense his anger rising. But Hermione was not one to back down easily.

"But Hagrid," she interrupted, "what if Snape is working for someone else? Someone who wants whatever is being guarded by Fluffy? Someone who might be a danger to the whole school?"

Hagrid seemed to consider this for a moment, his brow furrowed in thought. Finally, he let out a heavy sigh.

"All right, all right," he said, throwing up his hands in defeat. "I'll go have a word with Snape. But if you're wrong, there'll be trouble."

With that, Hagrid turned on his heel and headed for the door, his massive frame filling the small hut. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Thomas exchanged a nervous glance, wondering if they had done the right thing.

As they stepped outside, they saw that the sun was beginning to set, casting long shadows across the grounds. They could hear the sound of students laughing and chatting as they made their way back to the castle.

But Harry couldn't shake the feeling that something dark was lurking just beyond the edges of the light. He looked at his friends, and he knew they felt it too.

"We should stick together," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Just in case."

They nodded in agreement and started to make their way back to the castle. After they made their way back into the castle, Thomas said his goodbyes to Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and headed towards the Ravenclaw common room. However, as he was about to turn a corner, he spotted Snape walking towards him. Thomas felt a sudden urge to confront the professor about what he saw earlier that day.

"Professor Snape!" Thomas called out, walking briskly towards the man. "I saw what you did earlier today. You were cursing Harry's broomstick, weren't you?"

Snape stopped in his tracks, his face turned cold and hard. "I don't know what you're talking about, Mr. Grayson," he said icily.

"Please don't try to deny it," Thomas persisted. "I saw you muttering under your breath, and Hermione saw you too. Why did you do it?"

Snape sighed heavily, looking almost disappointed in Thomas. "I had hoped you were smarter than this, Mr. Grayson," he said, his voice laced with bitterness. "I wasn't cursing Harry's broomstick earlier. I was trying to counteract a curse that had already been placed on it."

Thomas felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He had been so sure that Snape was the culprit, but now he realized that he had jumped to conclusions without knowing all the facts.

"I'm sorry, Professor," Thomas said, feeling ashamed. "I didn't know."

Snape gave him a cold, hard look. "No, you didn't," he said, before turning on his heel and walking away, leaving Thomas standing there, feeling foolish and embarrassed.

Thomas watched Snape disappear down the corridor, feeling a mix of emotions: embarrassment, disappointment, and confusion. He had always been taught to trust his instincts, but in this case, his instincts had led him astray. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to the story than what Snape had just told him. As he made his way to the Ravenclaw common room, Thomas's mind was racing with questions. If Snape wasn't cursing Harry's broomstick, then who was? And why? And what curse had been placed on it in the first place? When he entered the common room, Thomas noticed that it was nearly empty, except for a few students who were studying quietly at tables. He walked over to his own table and sat down, still lost in thought.

After a few seconds, he was joined by his friend, Michael, who noticed the troubled look on Thomas's face and asked, "Hey, you okay?"

Thomas shook his head. "Not really. I just had a run-in with Snape."

Michael raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"

Thomas explained the encounter to Michael, who listened intently. When he was finished, Michael said, "Wow, that's intense. But you can't beat yourself up over it, Thomas. You had no way of knowing."

Thomas sighed. "I know, but I hate feeling like I'm in the dark. I wish I knew what was really going on."

Michael leaned forward. "Well, we could always try to find out."

Thomas looked at him skeptically. "How? We don't even know what curse was placed on the broomstick or who place it there in the first place."

Michael shrugged. "We could ask around. Maybe someone knows something. Thought I reckon we will new Adam's and James' help, just to cover more ground ."

Thomas nodded slowly. "Okay, I guess it's worth a shot."

Michael immediately pulled out his wand and conjured a piece of parchment and a quill. "Let's make a list of everyone we could ask," he said, handing the quill to Thomas.

Thomas took the quill and began jotting down names. "Well, we could start with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They were there when it happened. And maybe we could ask Neville and Seamus, too. They might have heard something."

"Good idea," Michael said, nodding. "And what about the professors? We could ask them if they know anything."

Thomas frowned. "I don't think the professors would tell us anything. They'd probably just tell us to mind our own business."

Michael shrugged. "Maybe, but it's worth a try. And what about the other houses? We could ask some of the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors if they heard or saw anything."

Thomas nodded. "Yeah, we could do that. And we could ask Adam and James if they've heard anything, too."

Just then, Adam and James walked into the common room. James immediately perked up when he heard what Thomas and Michael were discussing.

"Did I hear you guys talking about something interesting?" he asked, grinning.

Thomas explained the situation to Adam and James, who both agreed to help. "We'll ask around and see what we can find out," Adam said, nodding.

Michael handed them the list of names. "Here's who we're planning to ask. Let us know if you find out anything."

As Adam and James left to begin their investigation, Thomas couldn't help but feel grateful to have friends who were willing to help him out. He just hoped they would be able to uncover some useful information.

Over the next few days, Thomas, Michael, Adam, and James asked around and tried to piece together what had happened to Harry's broomstick. They talked to Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Seamus, but no one seemed to have any useful information.

They even tried to talk to the professors, but as Thomas had suspected, they were less than forthcoming. They simply told the boys to focus on their studies and not get involved in things that didn't concern them.

As the days went by, Thomas began to feel discouraged. It seemed like they were never going to find out what had happened to Harry's broomstick.

One night, as they were all sitting in the common room, Adam suddenly sat up straight. "Guys, I think I know who did it."

Thomas, Michael, and James all leaned in, eager to hear what Adam had to say.

"One of the Hufflepuff girls overheard Malfoy bragging about it to his friends," Adam said, his eyes narrowing. "He said he put a curse on Harry's broomstick during the match. Though I doubt that daddy issues blonde have the brainpower necessary for something like that."

James felt a surge of anger. "Malfoy did it?" he said, clenching his fists. "That fucking good for nothing."

Michael nodded. "You might be right Adam, but it makes sense, though. Malfoy has always been jealous of Harry's fame and success on the Quidditch team. He probably thought this was a way to get back at him. After all, even though it's not public, we all know how Malfoy got into the Slytherin team."

Thomas stood up, his mind made up. "I'm going to go talk to Snape," he said, his voice determined. "He needs to know what Malfoy did."

Adam quickly grabbed Thomas's arm. "Hold on, Tom. We don't know if Snape is on our side. He might not even believe us if we tell him about Malfoy." James nodded in agreement. "And even if he does believe us, he might not do anything about it. Snape has always had a soft spot for Slytherin, especially Malfoy's family."

Michael chimed in, "Besides, we need more evidence. We can't just accuse Malfoy based on hearsay. We need proof that he did it."

Thomas frowned, feeling frustrated. "But what can we do? We can't just let Malfoy get away with this."

Adam put a hand on Thomas's shoulder. "We won't let him get away with it. We just need to be smart about it. We can start by talking to the Hufflepuff girl who overheard Malfoy."

James nodded. "And we can also try to find out if anyone saw Malfoy near Harry's broomstick before the match."

Michael added, "And we can ask around to see if anyone else has heard anything. The more information we have, the better."

Thomas nodded slowly, realizing that his friends were right. "Okay, let's do it. We'll find out what really happened and make sure Malfoy gets what he deserves."

The next day, Thomas and his friends met up with the Hufflepuff girl, Hannah Abbot, in the library. Adam had asked her if she had any more information about what she had overheard Malfoy says, and she had agreed to meet them.

As they sat down at a table with Hannah, Adam got straight to the point. "Hannah, can you tell us exactly what you heard Malfoy say about the curse on Harry's broomstick?"

Hannah shifted in her seat, looking uncomfortable. "I'm not sure I should be talking about this," she said hesitantly.

Thomas leaned forward. "Please, Hannah. We really need your help."

Hannah looked at each of them in turn before finally sighing. "Fine. I was walking past the Slytherin table in the great hall when I heard Malfoy bragging to his friends about how he had put a curse on Harry's broomstick during the match."

James frowned. "Did he say anything else? Anything that might help us prove that he did it?"

Hannah shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. That's all I heard."

Michael spoke up. "Do you know who else might have heard him say something? Anyone who could back up your story?"

Hannah thought for a moment. "Well, there were a few other Hufflepuffs around, but I don't know if they were paying attention. And I don't think any of the Gryffindors or Ravenclaws were nearby."

Adam nodded. "Okay, thanks for your help, Hannah. We really appreciate it."

As Hannah left the library, Thomas and his friends sat in silence, thinking over what they had learned.

"We still don't have enough to go to Snape," James said, breaking the silence. "We need more evidence."

Thomas nodded. "I know. But we can't just sit around and wait for something to happen. We need to be proactive."

Michael agreed. "We should start by talking to the Hufflepuffs who were nearby. Maybe they heard something that can help us."

Thomas stood up, feeling energized. "Let's do it. We're not going to let Malfoy get away with this."

Over the next few hours, Thomas and his friends talked to as many people as they could. They questioned Hufflepuffs, Gryffindors, and even a few Ravenclaws who might have heard something. But despite their best efforts, they still didn't have enough evidence to prove that Malfoy had put a curse on Harry's broomstick other than what Hannah told them, which weighs almost nothing if used against him.

As they sat in the Ravenclaw common room that evening, feeling defeated, Thomas sighed. "I don't know what else we can do. We've talked to everyone we can think of, and we still don't have enough to go to Snape."

Adam put a hand on Thomas's shoulder. "We'll figure something out, Tom. We just need to keep looking."

James nodded. "Yeah, we can't give up now. We're so close."

Just then, Michael's face lit up. "Wait a minute. I just had an idea."

Everyone turned to look at him. "What is it?" Thomas asked eagerly.

Michael grinned. "What if we sneak into the Slytherin common room and try to find some evidence ourselves?"

Thomas's eyes widened. "Are you crazy? Did James infect you or something? That's impossible. We'll get caught for sure."

"Screw you too, blondy!" James lashed out at Thomas.

Michael shrugged. "Maybe, but it's worth a shot. We could try to find Malfoy's room and see if there's anything suspicious there."

Adam shook his head. "I don't know, Michael. That's a huge risk."

However, Thomas couldn't help feeling intrigued. He knew it was risky, but if they could find something that could prove Malfoy's guilt, it would be worth it. "I don't know," he said, his mind racing. "It's risky, but it might be our only shot."

James leaned forward. "If we're going to do this, we need a plan. We can't just walk into the Slytherin common room and start snooping around."

Adam nodded. "He's right. We need to be careful and plan this out."

Michael thought for a moment. "Tom, didn't you say that you and that girlfriend of yours trained before? Has she taught you some invisibility spell or something?"

Thomas's eyes widened. "Now that you mention it, I do remember Latia telling me about such a spell. It should work against anyone weaker than me, so it could get us inside as long as no older students are there to detect us."

James nodded. "Okay, so we'll use the invisibility spell to get in. But once we're there, we need to be quick and efficient. We don't want to get caught. I mean I hate the Slytherins, but I hate helping Hagrid clean creature manure all day long."

Adam added, "And we need to split up to cover more ground. Tom and I will search Malfoy's room, while James and Michael look around the common room."

Thomas felt a surge of adrenaline. It was risky, but it was their best shot at finding evidence. "Let's do it," he said, determination in his voice.

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