Golden Trio and Snape

When the sun rose, the kids hurried back to prepare for their classes. There, they were caught by Hermione.

"You look absolutely terrible," she commented, flipping through her Transfiguration textbook.

"Harry had another nightmare," Ron quickly explained everything to the girl. Like Weasley, Granger hurried to reassure their friend that everything would be fine and hugged him tightly.

After Hermione finished reviewing her homework, the trio headed to the Great Hall. Many students were already there, including Colin, who loved asking Harry questions about everything he had heard.

"Harry! Hi, Harry!" the boy greeted him excitedly.

"Hi, Colin," Potter replied much more calmly, sitting down at the table next to the other Weasleys and Oliver Wood. Honestly, he wasn't in the mood to deal with the hyperactive boy right now.

"Tell me, what does 'The Curse of Snakes and Lions' mean?" Creevey asked with genuine curiosity. His eyes burned with a thirst for knowledge. Those who had heard this phrase quietly chuckled.

"Where did you hear that?" Percy asked while spreading butter on his bread.

"I heard it from the Slytherins."

"I knew it," the eldest Weasley sighed.

"It's a joke that has been going around between the houses for a long time and has since turned into something more," Ginny chimed in, clearly intrigued by the conversation.

"So, what is this curse?"

"Eternal rivalry between snakes and lions since the first year at Hogwarts. Every Gryffindor has their own Slytherin and vice versa," Percy explained, finishing his breakfast.

"It's like looking into a mirror and seeing your opposite," Hermione drew an analogy, not even looking up from her book.

"Do you have your own Slytherin?" Creevey asked. The table erupted into quiet laughter again.

"We already said it's just a legend that students keep alive. But if you think about it, mine would be Marcus, the team captain," Oliver decided to join the conversation. The others nodded in agreement. They had already finished their breakfast, except for the Golden Trio, and were waiting for the conversation to continue.

"Then mine is Saville, the prefect," Percy said. "I have to go, see you later. Come on, Oliver, our class is about to start." Everyone nodded, and the young men disappeared through the doors of the Great Hall.

"The Paige twins," Fred and George nodded towards two girls sitting at a nearby table. The Weasley twins were always competing with them.

"And what about you?" Colin turned to the Golden Trio.

"The Silver Trio," Fred answered with a hint of mockery. He loved teasing Ron and his friends about this. The first-year looked at the twins in confusion, and they continued.

"The Silver Princes of Slytherin—Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini—and the Golden Princes of Gryffindor—Harry Potter and Ron Weasley," George announced in an absurdly pompous voice, making Harry extremely embarrassed while Ron growled quietly at his brother.

"I hate you."

"And also the top bookworms of the houses—Silver Princess Pansy Parkinson and Golden Princess Hermione Granger," Fred added, mimicking his brother. The girl blushed deeply and lowered her gaze.

"Instead of teasing us, you should hurry to class. It's starting soon," she said, glancing at the clock. The twins decided to take the advice and left for their lesson. The first-years followed, still discussing the curse with the Weasleys.

"Let's go. We don't have the first class, so we can rest," Ron suggested once the plates were completely empty. Harry and Hermione nodded. The boys really wanted at least a little sleep, while the girl was eager to finish reading her new book. They didn't want to return to the tower, so they chose one of the abandoned classrooms that hadn't been used for years. In the far corner, they spread out a blanket and collapsed onto it together. Harry and Ron fell asleep almost instantly on either side of Hermione. Their heads rested on the girl's shoulders, but she didn't mind—she was too engrossed in her reading.

When Granger finally tore herself away from the book and looked at the clock, she almost screamed. They were late for Transfiguration class.

"Hey, boys, wake up!" The girl shook her friends so hard that Potter's glasses nearly flew off his nose.

"What's wrong?" Weasley asked groggily, yawning widely.

"Class is about to start—we're late!" she informed them. They didn't waste any more time. Quickly throwing their bags over their shoulders, they rushed to the Transfiguration classroom.

The trio never liked running through the school corridors because of the high risk of bumping into someone. And this time was no exception.

"Ouch!" A loud echo of six children's voices filled the empty Hogwarts hallway. Ron, Harry, and Hermione had collided with someone and painfully fell onto their backs. Their belongings scattered across the floor like festive fireworks.

"You?!" the six of them exclaimed, staring at each other. Draco, Blaise, and Pansy had also ended up sprawled painfully on the stone floor.

"No time to argue, class is about to start," Hermione quickly got up and gathered what she thought were her things. The Slytherins nodded—there was no time for conflict.

"Then, as compensation, we'll have a duel. We'll discuss this later," Malfoy said before disappearing around the corner with his friends as quickly as they had appeared. A duel was the simplest way for houses to settle disputes. Gryffindor and Slytherin even kept their own record of such competitions. But there was no time to think about that now.

"You three are just in time," McGonagall said calmly as the teenagers burst into the classroom like a wild whirlwind. "Take your seats."

The kids quickly nodded and sat at an empty table in the third row.

"Now, before we begin, I'd like you to turn in your homework," the professor announced. The students rustled their parchment, and the trio did the same.

"You've got to be kidding me," Ron groaned when he saw that instead of "Transfiguration Homework, Ron Weasley," his paper had neat, carefully written words: "Potions Homework, Blaise Zabini." He had said it loudly enough to catch the professor's attention.

"What's the matter, Mr. Weasley?" she asked, approaching the trio's desk.

"Can we turn in our assignments after class?" Hermione quickly interjected. She had the same problem.

"What happened, Miss Granger?" the professor asked, puzzled. She was quite surprised that her best student hadn't completed her homework.

"On our way here, we bumped into some Slytherins, and our things got mixed up. Apparently, our homework is with them," Harry explained, showing the professor a parchment with Draco Malfoy's name in bold letters.

"Alright, turn it in after class," McGonagall sighed, adjusting her glasses. "Honestly, these students can never seem to avoid trouble." She then continued the lesson as usual.

They didn't see Draco and his group again until their third class—with Professor Flitwick.

"Are you sure Potter is the only one who needs glasses?" Blaise asked mockingly, taking his paper back from Ron.

"Shut up, Zabini."

"Because of you, Snape scolded us for almost half an hour because we can't keep track of our own things."

"Weasley, I want a game of chess, so I'm waiting for you in the abandoned classroom."

"Keep dreaming, I have detention with Filch until the end of next week, so forget it. I won't be able to play anytime soon."

"Ugh. You're the only opponent who even slightly matches my talent. And what am I supposed to do? Play against myself?" Like many Slytherins, Zabini loved to be arrogant. He never told anyone that the only person he really enjoyed playing chess with was Ron. It annoyed him greatly because only that plebeian and blood traitor could beat him.

It was the same situation for all the snakes—the lions hurt their pride by proving they were no less capable. That made Slytherins look for any opportunity to prove they were better. In the end, it all turned into an eternal rivalry between the houses.

"Potter, in a week. At midnight, we meet by the lake. I want to try a new trick. See you." The Slytherins left before anyone could say anything.

Everything went as usual after that. The school day was slowly coming to an end, and it was time for practice. The team went out onto the field, only to find the Slytherins with brand-new brooms.

"You've got to be kidding me," Oliver approached the Slytherin team captain. "What the hell are you doing here? I booked the field first."

"What a pity. Look at this," the teenager showed his opponent a permission slip from Snape. "And look at these brand-new brooms Draco's father provided for us."

"Make sure I don't shove those brooms down your throat, Flint," Wood replied irritably, clutching the permission slip in his hand.

"Rude. Since you're such a miser and so stubborn, how about a bet? If I win, the field is ours. If you win, we'll leave without any trouble." Marcus extended his hand to Oliver as a sign of challenge. Wood hesitated for a few seconds before agreeing.

"Alright. Both sides have witnesses, so everything is fair." As always, a handshake between the two captains felt more like a game of "let's see who breaks the other's fingers first."

"And our referee will be... Kessie!" A fifth-year from the Ravenclaw team happened to be passing by and was the only one available to be a neutral judge. Typically, students from other houses served as referees in duels.

"What is it this time?" the girl asked, slightly annoyed as she approached the crowd.

"Will you be our referee?"

"Fine. What are the conditions and the stakes?"

"The stake is the playing field, and the condition is..." Flint thought for a moment. "Parallel Dive. Two evaluation criteria: speed and execution accuracy."

"Great, but if someone falls off their broom, they lose automatically." Kessie nodded in agreement and grabbed her own broom. The Parallel Dive was a competition of speed and skill. The two participants had to fly straight down toward the ground, and the first one to swerve lost.

"Let's see how the proud lions turn into cowardly kittens," Marcus mocked as he climbed to the highest point. Both teams watched eagerly, cheering for their captains. Hermione and Ron joined them.

"Make sure you don't choke on your own poison, Flint."

"Ready?" The Ravenclaw girl raised her hand to signal the start. Oliver and Flint prepared for the dive. "Go!" A loud whistle echoed across the field, and the two sixth-years shot downward. The ground was getting closer and closer, but neither was going to pull away. The spectators held their breath, too tense to speak. When the captains were just millimeters from the ground, Wood swerved a bit earlier. The Slytherins were about to start mocking him, but Flint had gotten too relaxed. He thought victory was in the bag but lost control and crashed onto the grass. His broom fell right on top of him, hitting him straight on the forehead. The entire field erupted in laughter and applause, even the Slytherins.

"You alive down there, Flint? Your shiny new broom smacked you pretty good," Oliver smirked as he landed.

"Shut up, Wood. The field is yours, but don't forget—I will be back for a rematch." They shook hands again, still trying to break each other's fingers.

***

"That was amazing," Ron and Harry were discussing the bet after practice ended. They were sitting in the Great Hall, enjoying dinner.

"It was extremely dangerous. One of them could have miscalculated and gotten seriously hurt."

"Don't be a buzzkill, Hermione. It was awesome."

"Of course, I'm not denying that, but..." The trio fell silent as they sensed someone standing behind them. Turning around, they flinched slightly.

"I want you, Mr. Potter, to come to my office after you finish your dinner." The boy shuddered. The last thing he wanted was to go see Snape.

"Alright, sir," Harry nodded, unsure of what else to say. After that, he started eating even more slowly.

"Harry, Snape is waiting for you. If I were you, I wouldn't keep him waiting."

"I don't want to go. After that nightmare, he worries me even more," the boy complained, poking at his food.

"He probably wants to talk about guardianship," Hermione suggested.

"That's exactly what worries me," Harry sighed heavily, finishing his meal.

***

Ron and Hermione walked Harry all the way to Snape's office. Just like last time, they waited for their friend, sitting by the window. And once again, Potter knocked on the office door to find two people inside—Dumbledore and Snape.

"Congratulations, dear boy. Snape's guardianship has been officially approved," the headmaster smiled warmly at the student. "Professor Snape wishes to discuss it with you. Have a good day."

Professor Dumbledore disappeared again, leaving a stunned Potter and a thoroughly irritated Snape alone.

"Come, Potter. I have something to show you."

"I really hope Snape isn't planning to turn me into a potions ingredient," Harry thought grimly as he followed Severus into his private quarters.