10 November 1991, Hogwarts
The two boys were later joined by Daphne and Tracy and just hung out. Telling each other stories, or just playing games. They spent hours just enjoying each other's company, and the pain that Harry was feeling was numb by the end of the night. It was nice, remembering that even with Hermione gone, he wasn't alone.
It was one of the happiest evenings he had ever experienced. And by the end of it, Harry realized that he had almost forgotten about his former friendship with Hermione.
The following day, Harry was convinced to attend the Slytherin game with his friends. Well, it was more like he was dragged to the Quidditch stadium by his friends. The match started off simply enough, if a little brutally. Harry still didn't see why half the population was obsessed with the sport, but he would admit that there was a little enjoyment in watching the chaos that was Quidditch.
Oh, Harry still didn't find it to be half as interesting as a good book. he was half tempted to just whip one out and start reading, but Daphne seemed to have seen through him and one glare from her stopped him from trying anything.
Still, all things considered, the game ended up turning into a mini battle, with the Slytherin Chasers being particularly brutal, but from what Harry could infer, it was normal enough for a Quidditch match.
Longbottom proved himself to be an adequate seeker, and a rough match to Higgs, the Slytherin seeker. He wasn't anything spectacular, but Wood's training seemed to be paying off. It was for the better, in Harry's opinion; the more time Longbottoms spends training, the more tired he is during the rest of the day, and the less bothersome he becomes. Oh, he was definitely getting more arrogant by getting the position, but he had to prove to the whole school that he didn't get it solely due to Dumbledore's blatant favouritism.
Still, like the stories, Longbottom's broom got cursed, by either Snape or Quirrell. Harry was pretty sure it was Quirrell since that was what happened in the stories, but this life wasn't a story, and he wasn't going to exclude someone just because he remembers a story from his past life that said so.
Although Harry did stifle a chuckle when he saw Hermione actually set Snape's robes on fire. To think that the shy authority-abiding bookworm could actually do something that could have gotten her expelled! She was a far cry from the shy girl that was his friend and that was a bitter pill to swallow. Hermione would have never broken the rules for him, not even once.
Harry squashed the envy that spread through his heart. It would serve nothing. Hermione had chosen Neville. It was a shame, and Harry wasn't enthused about it, but it was better now that he wasn't extremely invested in their friendship. It hurt but it was manageable. It could have been worse, all things considered.
Still, Neville ended up being catching the snitch by swallowing it, a veritable first in the history of Hogwarts, probably considering how unlikely it was. Still, the boy who lived survived and attempted murder, and he deserved some time off. It was odd how it happened in both the story and in this real life. Things should have gone differently, especially considering how impossible to accidentally swallow the snitch once was, let alone happen with two entirely different people, with different skills on a broom. Perhaps it was just fate. Perhaps the ball was enchanted to grant Longbottom an edge. Harry could see Dumbledore doing something like that to make sure that Longbottom endeared himself to his housemates, and still have a spot on his team, no matter how mediocre his talent was on a broom. Perhaps it was also done to Canon Harry to get more confidence. Honestly, the Potter scion didn't know, nor did he really care for that matter.
That night, Harry chose not to return to the common room since everyone was practically in a bad mood and itching for a fight. Harry couldn't handle another time of Malfoy exclaiming to everyone about how much better he would have done if he was the seeker instead of Higgs, and about the unfairness of Longbottom being in the Quidditch team when he's worse than him.
Harry just couldn't do it. He was one comment away from just cursing the boy, or just strangling him physically. By all that is good and holy, whoever raised Draco Malfoy was an idiot. Thankfully, the blonde was utterly terrified of Harry after their last encounter. He could barely make eye contact with him without flinching. At least he stopped bothering Harry, that was what mattered in the end.
And so, the Potter scion, distanced himself from his housemates to do something he has been itching to do for months: going to the forbidden corridor on the third floor. Dumbledore had explicitly warned everyone from visiting. Of course, practically everyone ended up trying to find out why it was forbidden, and there were a few stories going around about a Cerberus being there.
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