Snape's Secret and the First Quidditch Match

In fact, Ravenclaw was not playing in the first Quidditch match of the term. It was between the two bitter rival Houses, Gryffindor and Slytherin.

The day before the match, Harry Potter mysteriously sought out Ye Ting and Hermione in the library. He and Ron led them to a corner.

"Did you know? I just saw Snape with Argus Filch," Harry said in a low, furtive voice. "His leg was a bloody mess. It was obvious something had bitten him. I also overheard him say something: 'How could you possibly keep an eye on three heads at once?'"

Hermione was completely baffled. "What does that mean? I don't understand. What exactly did you bring us here for—"

"He said 'three heads'!" Ron emphasized, raising his voice slightly. "You know, Harry and I got caught by Argus Filch while sneaking around one night. That was the night we went into the corridor Professor Dumbledore had specifically forbidden anyone from entering. Guess what we saw?"

Clearly, because of Ye Ting, Ron and Hermione had not had much contact with each other. Thus, unlike in the original story, there had been no misunderstandings or major conflict between them—aside from that Charms lesson on Halloween.

Back then, Ron had harshly provoked Hermione. The proud little girl had stood alone in the corridor, heartbroken, and nearly been killed by a troll. Although Hermione did not take her anger out on others, she had disliked Ron ever since. Surely the original plot of "landing in cow dung" could no longer happen.

Of course, Ron himself had no idea of this.

At the moment, Ron thought of Hermione as an overly serious model student who was somewhat hard to get along with, but he did not dislike her.

Yet now, he was actually trying to play up the suspense before Hermione in a rather childish way.

Clearly, he had underestimated her.

"You mean the three-headed dog? I know. There's one in there. That's what you mean by 'three heads,' isn't it?"

"What? So you already knew." Ron was somewhat disappointed that he had failed to show off his knowledge in front of a girl.

"Then do you know what it means?"

Harry took over, holding his breath as he spoke.

"On Halloween night, he tried to get past that huge three-headed dog! When we saw him, he was heading there—he was looking for whatever the dog was guarding! I'd bet my broomstick that he let that troll in to distract everyone!"

Obviously, Ye Ting had not been the only one to slip away from the main group amid the chaos. The Savior duo had also taken the chance to go on an adventure.

But Hermione did not believe it.

"No—he wouldn't," she said. "I know he isn't very nice, but he would never steal something Dumbledore has guarded so carefully."

"Do you think so too?" Ron looked at Ye Ting expectantly.

To his disappointment, Ye Ting nodded in agreement.

"Snape may be gloomy, biased, petty, and unwilling to wash his hair, but he is a qualified professor. He has remarkable achievements in Potions, and he would never harm his students."

"To be honest, you always think every teacher is a saint."

Ron said this rather bluntly. "I agree with Harry. I think Snape is capable of anything. But what is he looking for? What is that big dog guarding?"

In the end, the four of them came to no conclusion.

Still, Hermione and Ye Ting thanked Harry and Ron for taking the initiative to tell them all this—what had happened to Ye Ting and Hermione on Halloween night was common knowledge throughout Hogwarts. Harry and Ron had taken a risk in telling them that Snape might be the culprit, which was considerate of them.

Then Ron and Harry invited the two of them to watch Harry's first Quidditch match.

Early the next morning, Ye Ting was dragged to the pitch by an excited Cho Chang, on the grounds that they needed to observe the opponents and gather intelligence.

Hermione came along as well. She had made several little flags with lions painted on them to show her support.

In truth, she did not support Gryffindor. But because of Draco Malfoy's long-standing discriminatory remarks about Muggles, as well as the way he had insulted Ye Ting, Slytherin had become the House she hated most.

Ye Ting enchanted the little flags. The lions on them began to move, pacing restlessly back and forth within the fabric and letting out majestic roars from time to time.

When Ron and several Gryffindors who had arrived at the pitch early saw the flags, they all crowded over. They spent several Sickles to buy them.

"Before the next Quidditch match, let's make more and earn some pocket money," Ye Ting whispered to Hermione. She smiled and nodded.

By eleven o'clock, it seemed that every teacher and student in the school had gathered in the stands around the Quidditch pitch. Many students had even brought binoculars.

The seats had practically been raised into the air, but it was still sometimes difficult to see what was happening in the match.

Madam Hooch, the flying instructor, was the Quidditch referee. She stood in the center of the pitch, holding her broomstick as she waited for both teams to arrive.

"Now then, I hope everyone will play fairly and honestly," she said as soon as the players gathered around her. Her words seemed aimed specifically at the Slytherin captain, sixth-year student Marcus Flint. The Slytherin team often used dirty tactics during matches, and Flint was especially notorious for it.

Madam Hooch blew her silver whistle sharply.

Fifteen broomsticks shot up from the ground and soared high into the sky. The match had begun.