Harry was tossed aside again like a dung beetle nobody wanted to touch.
Fortunately, this was the Forbidden Forest, and the ground was soft with dirt. His backside escaped unharmed.
Harry was so dazed by the pain that he felt his soul might leave his body. After being thrown back and forth through the air like a ball, he landed on his backside in the mud. He stared up at the glittering stars and wondered if he was dreaming.
If he had done something wrong—fine, he had—then they could just lock him up in a wizard prison. Instead, he had met a hooded freak in the Forbidden Forest whose mere glance had nearly made his head explode, only to come out and be passed through the air between Eliana and Snape like a ball.
He was Harry Potter, not Harry Basketball.
The basketball got timidly to his feet. "Good evening, Professor Snape."
"Do you think I could be having a good evening when I have to come clean up your mess at this hour, Potter?" Snape's face was dark, and he looked sinister enough to eat ten young wizards in one sitting.
The basketball did not dare make a sound.
Eliana paid no attention to Snape's expression. She grabbed his cloak and launched into a loud complaint. "Professor, there's an absolutely shameless villain in the Forbidden Forest!"
Snape fixed his black eyes on Eliana and gave a smile that never reached them. "I know. She's standing right in front of me, isn't she?"
"Ritchie!" he roared, but before he could start scolding her, Eliana's even louder voice cut him off.
"Not me! Someone worse than me! A real villain—he killed a unicorn and drank its blood!"
Eliana jumped up and down in agitation, tugging at Snape's clothes to drag him