Chapter 1 - Large
They say the defining trait of Slytherins is our ambition. We are the types that want more in life, and we will whatever necessary to get it. For most, that ambition is for power. Said power can take many forms—fame, wealth, beauty, connections—but without the influence over others, that power is useless. Yet, just as there are many interpretations for what power constitutes, there are many interpretations for ambition. Some of us may aim for more specific targets, maintaining devotion to a single goal. During my fourth year at Hogwarts, I found myself squarely in that latter category.
I knew exactly what my goal was, and I was willing to do whatever I needed to in order to achieve it. I was going to get girls onto the Slytherin quidditch team.
Fourth year was the perfect opportunity. With quidditch cancelled for the year because of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, there was time to ferment change. Captain Flint had finally graduated, and star chaser Ares Montague seemed a shoe-in for the job the next year. The only uncertainty hinged on the possible interference of the Malfoy fortune. While that was a distinct possibility, Draco knew me a little too well to not have any attempt at subtlety to be completely transparent. Better to focus my attention on Montague.
Besides, I'm pretty sure my odds of getting Draco to be attracted to me in the first place are practically nil. Ares Montague on the other hand, will be putty in my hands, come start of fifth year.
I know what you're thinking—your plan to get on the quidditch team is to seduce the captain? Wouldn't it be better to appeal to your house head, or get a bunch of other female quidditch-hopefuls together to protest, or something more direct?
Number 1, I'm not going to seduce him. Seduction is too unpredictable when it comes to the emotional reaction afterwards. I can fake a relationship for a year or however long I need to cement a spot on the team. Number 2, neither of those is an option for me. While Professor Snape obviously supports his house, his skill and knowledge of the sport is not of a degree that he wants to interfere with the students who are clearly more passionate than him.
While I'm certain there are several girls who would be interested in joining the quidditch team, the Slytherin's general strategy is set up to discourage most female players. The team has always sought to be a team more of size and brawn; intimidation and inertia are formidable opponents. The only position most girls could hope for is seeker, and good luck wrestling that spot away from My-Father-Bought-Me-Onto-The-Team Malfoy. Reserve seeker may still be an option, but that's still only one spot out of 14. To get enough angry girls together, you'd first have to change the team's overall strategy. Doing so would be damage the team's success in the short run, as adjusting to a new style of play would almost certainly guarantee losses early in the season. I highly doubt any of the girls want to force their team to lose just for the chance to play.
Out of about 30 Slytherin girls eligible for quidditch next year, I'm the only one with the strength necessary to play with the big boys. And I'm not just boasting. Crabbe and Goyle and I have been enjoying the spar in the common room ever since our first year (it was a dare), and I've always been able to hold my own—I win often enough for it to not be a fluke.
And let's be honest-I'm big, and I always have been. I was 5'3" and 10 stone when I was a first year, and it's not like a stopped growing then. Yes, I got made fun of a lot in primary school, but it's just something I've always had to deal with. It's one way I'm definitely a Slytherin. I may not be pureblood, but the hat placed me in Slytherin regardless. Slytherins don't play the angst game over silly things like self-image. Wanting is a waste of energy; the joy is in the getting. I have what I have, and bloody hell, I'm going to make it work to my advantage.
When I was younger, I used my size to become intimidating. I refused to let my obvious oddity allow me to be ostracized when I didn't want to be. You just don't tell somebody who's twice your size that she can't play with you, even if she is a girl (especially when the play in question is rugby!). I embraced being a tomboy; it was easy for the boys to ignore my gender then. Now that puberty has struck, ignorance is not so easy.
However, my inability to continue playing boy has only given me other advantages.
I suppose it would have helped to have had at least a little prior experience with boys and relationships before making my move, but testing my feminine wiles on somebody else seemed like a waste of time. I'm thinking long-term; it's hard to practice a year-long relationship when you only have a year to pull do it. I'd wing it. I'm a Slytherin after all; we're supposed to be resourceful.
Let's just hope Ares is attracted to the big girls.