A "Lovely" little note: Thanks for the reviews so far. Please feel free to add more comments, please (hint, hint)!
Disclaimer: I don't say it often, but I so don't own these characters! I think that is stating the obvious.
Enough said, let the story continue…..
The Quidditch Match
The next morning Harry was up early. It was the first quidditch match of the season and Gryffindor was playing Slytherin.
He made his way down to the Great Hall. The tables were back in their usual position and the stage was gone. Everything looked normal. Students sat eating their breakfast. Harry managed to choke down a bit of dry toast and some orange juice. The thought of the ham and eggs in front of him turned his stomach. Harry wasn't the only one who wasn't eating. Ron was just pushing food around his plate. He, too, was nervous about this game. After all, he had never played for the school before.
Harry looked around the Great Hall. At the staff table Charlie was glaring at Professor Snape from the other end of the table. Snape was ignoring him, talking to Professor McGonagall instead. Miss Slayton was no where to be seen. Also noticeably absent from breakfast was Malfoy. His two lackeys were there, eating greedily, as if they hadn't eaten in months. The word had been spread that he hadn't been seen since he left the Great Hall last night. Some one had seen Professor Snape roughly escort him to Professor Dumbledore's office, but that was the last anyone knew.
Malfoy still hadn't been seen at 11 o'clock when everyone made their way down to the Quidditch field. The Gryffindor team changed into their scarlet robes and prepared to enter the field, when Katie Bell, one of the chasers came up and announced, "Slythrin is playing without a seeker! Malfoy is not allowed to play because of what he did last night. The snitch is yours, Harry! We are going to win!"
After playing for four hours, it seemed that Katie was going to have to eat her words. Slytherin was up 150 points, the snitch was nowhere to be seen and the Gryffindor team was suffering. Ron had taken a bludger in the stomach early in the game and had just returned. He was a good keeper, but the Slytherin chasers were better this year.
After another hour, Gryffindor had managed to narrow the lead by 80 points, if Harry could get the snitch now, they would win, but still no snitch was to be seen. The teams were starting to show signs of the long game. The flying team was flying slower. Everybody was tired and hungry.
It took another hour for Gryffindor to tie the game, thanks to the Slytherin keeper taking a bludger in the head and having to leave the game. If it weren't for the tremendous cheers from the crowd, Harry had a feeling that someone would have forfeited the game.
He took a minute to look over the crowd. He could hear Lee Jordan giving his colorful commentary, though he was beginning to get horse. Harry saw Charlie in the stands, decked in the Gryffindor colors, cheering his brothers on. There was Ginny Weasley standing next to her brother, also cheering enthusiastically. Hermione stood next to her cheering on the team.
He turned his attention to the other side. The Slytherin side was booing loudly, Gryffindor had just taken the lead, finally, for the first time in the game! Harry could see Snape booing with his students.
Just then Harry heard it. The snitch was flying just inches from him, speeding away quickly for the Slytherin side. Harry took off after it, weaving in and out of players. He hit a bludger out of the way with his bare hands when it came close to hitting him. His hand stung something awful now, but that didn't matter, he had to catch the snitch. He reached out, stretching his fingers as far as they would go, 'just a little further, come one...GOT IT!'
A roar erupted from both sides, cheers from Gryffindor, boos from Slytherin. None of it mattered though! Harry had finally caught the snitch. The longest game Harry had ever played was over.
That night the Gryffindor team ate their dinner hungrily in the Great Hall and then ran off to the common room to throw a victory party. Fred and George had left ages ago to go get food from the kitchen.
"What is taking them so long?" Dean Thomas complained loudly.
"They went to the kitchen hours ago! Hey, Ron! You and Harry go find them!" Lee Jordan told them.
Ron and Harry agreed. Fred and George had been gone for a long time. They decided to follow them and find out what was holding them up. They quietly down stairs and through the corridors to the entrance of the kitchen, a painting of a giant silver fruit bowl. They tickled the green pear and the painting swung open revealing a gold door knob, but before they could turn the knob they were pulled down by someone.
Fred and George yanked Ron and Harry down and drug them behind a large suit of armor. They motioned for them to be quiet. There were voices coming from beyond them in the corridor and one of them did not sound very happy.
"You of all people know why I wouldn't want to come back here. Why would I want to live like that- Ministry watching me, people whispering 'Oh look, that is LeAndra Slayton's daughter, the heir of Voldemort,' the taunts..." Miss Slayton said to some one Harry couldn't see.
"You accepted a substandard education and a job unworthy of your talents! Honestly, teaching wizard how to live as Muggles! Your mother would turn in her grave!" came the voice of Lucius Malfoy. 'This could be interesting' Harry thought. Every one knew that Draco Malfoy and Miss Slayton didn't get along and last nights presentation had been proof.
"I traded a lesser education for a life where I did not have to live Mother's shadow! How do you think that felt growing up? There wasn't a Death Eater out there that hadn't been with my mother. Shall I tick off names, Avery, Dolohov, Smith, Rosier, Karkaroff, Pettigrew, even young Barty Crouch! Then there was my father... It didn't take people long to figure out that my parents were seen together every Hogsmead visit. Why else would you be there? My mother had a reputation even then! Oh- and then I show up! Poof! Proof my mother was a wh...."
"Meagan" Lucius Malfoy said sharply.
Miss Slayton continued. She was mad and not about to listen. Harry could just picture her pink face and flashing green eyes as she got up on her tip-toes to try and look Mr. Malfoy in the eyes.
"Don't you try and act fatherly with me now! I know where your precious son got that information. He could have only gotten most of it from one of two places, you or your wife! But he doesn't know who my father is, now does he?"
"Meagan Morgana..." Mr. Malfoy warned.
Miss Slayton's voice turned ice cold, "Funny, even though she was with you, you weren't the one she wanted, not the one she loved. The only Death Eater she ever wanted was the one she never had. You never measured up to him and you still hold it against him, though you try to hide it. You didn't think I knew that did you? She was obsessed with him! Probably the smartest thing he ever did, turning her away.
"When we were in America there were others, lots of them, but she never forgot him. Even when we came back and you resumed your affair with her, despite the fact you had a wife and child! Your a dreadful man, remind me to thank you again for denying me. For once I am glad my parents hated me...
"She didn't hate you--I didn't--- Narcissa-- I couldn't, Meagan!"
"Narcissa wouldn't let me..." she mocked. "Don't try to lie to me Lucius. Mother would have killed me if Minerva hadn't found out about me! Why do you think she hid her pregnancy- for the image of Hogwarts, for your image after she turned you down? She didn't want me! You didn't either! Mother wouldn't marry you because you were weak, she told me that once..."
"Because I was weak? Look at the half-wit she was in love with!"
"Don't you start on him, Lucious! He is 10 times the man you could have ever been! He helped take care of me when no one wanted me, not you and certainly not your pretty little wife! She certainly has done a good job of keeping things quiet-- we wouldn't want to bust "poor ickle Draco's" bubble, would we? Don't worry, Lucius! I wont tell him! I don't want a brother and I don't want a father- Good Night" she said as she turned on her heel and stormed off, robes billowing behind her.
Lucius Malfoy stood there for several minutes, dumbfounded. He shook himself back to reality, as though still trying to process what had just taken place, and stormed off toward the front of the castle.
Ron and Harry just looked at each other, then to Fred and George. They sat there behind the armor for a minute before taking off toward Gryffindor tower at break neck speed, forgetting the reason they had gone to the kitchens in the first place.
