After a short letter home, Draco had his father 'convince' the board of governors to change the ruling that banned first years from owning their own brooms. With that done, all Harry needed to do was decide what kind of broom he wanted.
"I don't know, the Comet 75 ex does have a very impressive top speed, but the handling stats are a little low." Draco said looking at his copy of D.D.S. 'Dragon Delivery Service', which showed a dragon chasing after a broom with the slogan in red letters;"Not even a dragon would stop your package, that's our guarantee!" On the front cover.
Harry was looking at his copy, thinking the Sparkshot 45 model S, for Seekers. It had a very sleek and fast design about it, but was not very strong and from what Harry could tell from the article did not take the turns well.
Blaise nodded in agreement at Draco's statement. "True, but it seems that the Comet 90 will have been compensated for handling as well." Blaise said, looking at his copy at a tilted angle. "Up side, the handling and the constant maintaining of the bristle and the alignment will be fixed. Down side, it doesn't come out until near the end of May."
Draco scoffed. "Yeah and the Season will be done or just about by then. Harry needs something out now or before the first game with the Gryffindorks, By the way we really need to think up a better insult for them".
The guys laughed at Draco suggestion. "You're completely right Draco" Harry said as he stopped his laughter for a moment. "We do need a new insult for them". Harry burst out laughing again causing everyone else to start laughing.
When everyone had stopped laughing and gotten back to looking for a broom, Harry had thought and had spoke his idea to the others. "I know this is probably very stupid, but what about a Nimbus 2000?" Harry asked, putting down his copy of D.D.R.
Draco looked at him like he had grown another head but Harry wasn't too surprised, Harry had learned that here at Hogwarts, that acquiring another head was quite a possibility. "Harry, what gave you that idea?" Draco asked while leaning further back in the recliner, giving him a more noble look somehow, like he was the big man in charge. Harry figured he got that from watching his father for so many years.
"Well it was just a thought, I highly doubt I could get a Nimbus 2000" Harry said picking up his magazine again. He started looking through it again when Draco started laughing at him. "What's so funny Draco?"
"I meant, what gave you the thought that a Nimbus would be a bad idea? It's a great idea, and I feel kind of stupid for not thinking of it myself." Draco stated as he made his way up to their room.
Harry raised an eyebrow, he was confused as to why Draco just got up and went to their room. Harry quickly dismissed what ever Draco was doing, he obviously had some idea of what he was doing and Harry trusted his best friend. "Any way, getting back to getting my broom, the Sparkshot model S looks like the best idea".
Draco rushed out their room, parchment in hand and a look of pure excitement on his pale face. "You're not getting a Sparkshot" Draco commanded, pulling up a chair to the coffee table they were sitting around.
"You are getting a Nimbus 2000." Draco said looking rather pleased with himself. Harry had gotten quite good at reading when he was actually pleased with himself not just pretending to be as his nature. "Your are going to write a letter to Gringotts explaining to them that you are planning to have a large amount of funds transferred, and it is not going to be a problem".
Draco then put the parchment in front of them with quill, ink, and a knife. "Draco, before we doing something stupid or do something just as stupid, what's with the knife?" Harry asked, wondering where he got the knife from.
Draco looked at him. "Oh, right, well they'll need a blood mark on the page to authorise that it's actually the right person so that they withdraw the correct money from the right vault".
After about an hour of explaining, writing, bleeding improperly, properly, sealing, and sending, Harry had sent off a letter that would get him the best broom he could get. The best broom anyone could get. And to thank Draco, when he wasn't looking he changed the letter for two brooms, instead of one.
"Potter lets get going" Flint said gruffly while walking by Harry at the Slytherin table. Harry was just about half way through his breakfast when Flint grabbed him by his collar and started dragging him away.
"But my breakfast, I'm still hungry" Harry said complaining trying to break free of Flint's grip. Harry stared at Draco, Blaise and Theodore. "You're just gonna let him drag me off are you lot" Harry huffed, having given up and was now literally being dragged away.
Draco looked to Blaise, who looked to Theodore, who looked to Draco, who then looked to Harry. "Yes" the three said in perfect sync. Pansy scoffed at the boys and continued to groom her nails to her liking, her abandoned cereal bowl next to her.
Flint had stopped dragging Harry about half way out of the castle. "Oh yeah, I kinda forgot to explain what I wanted you for." Flint laughed to himself, but stopped when he saw Harry staring daggers at him. "Sorry. It's gonna be your first Quidditch practice with the rest of the team. They all had their breakfast early, so when we are due for practice you had better be up and ready an hour earlier. Is that acceptable oh great and powerful Harry -Bloody -Boy who lived -Potter"? Flint asked with sarcasm dripping off each word.
Harry frowned at the ground. He hated it when people called him that. "Yeah, that's great" Harry said trying not to sound angry but not succeeding. He, really, really, hated when people call him that.
Flint scoffed at Harry attitude. "What's your problem?" Flint said as he shoved Harry in front of him. As crude and relentless as Marcus Flint was, Harry really did like him. You always knew where you stood with him. He never gave you the run around. If he was glad to have you around you knew it. But if he was pissed off at you, you were definitely running away from him.
"It's, I-just" Harry sighed,"I hate it when people call me that." Harry said in a low tone, not whispered or embarrassed but still low. Flint shoved him again, a little harder this time. Harry never did get mad at Flint's roughness. He'd always imagine this would be what having a rough older brother would be like, though he would never admit this to anyone, he barley let himself think it.
"Well that's to bad Potter." Flint said, again shoving Harry around. Harry was surprised; Flint usually doesn't intentionally piss off his own house, let alone his own players. "I'm gonna call you "Bloody" this and "Bloody" that when ever I feel like it" Flint said as he made Harry carry a large case that was almost as big as Harry's trunk.
Harry smiled and fought of unexpected tears. "Thanks Marcus" Harry said calmly. Flint frowned and rolled his eyes, followed by his head. This time when he shoved Harry, he fell, case and all, making a loud thud.
"What have I told you about using the first name"
"Alright you lot, here's our knew Seeker, selected, wrapped, and delivered to us by our great head of house. Severus Snape." Flint said shoving Harry to be gawked at like a piece of meat. Harry smiled and waved, still slightly dazed from dropping the large case of Quidditch things. "I'm Harry"
"Enough of that. Now Line Up!" Each member of the team seem to instinctually take a place in what seem like a broken line. "Potter meet, Montague and Pucey. These two are the other Chasers on our team with yours truly." Flint said faking pride. "Moving on" Flint pushed Harry ahead a little.
"Now you see this here is your standard Slytherin Beaters" Flint said trying to make a joke. The team just smiled nervously and Harry just laughed at his failed attempt and their nervousness. "Derrick and Bole". Both Beaters nodded at Harry.
"Our Keeper, Bletchley," Flint leaned in at him "who will be likely to lose his position if he doesn't bring his game up" Flint stared him down.
"OK, UP IN FIVE!" Flint yelled at them. They all moaned and made they're way to the changing rooms. "Make it three, Hustle" Flint yelled even harsher. "Now as for you Potter " Flint said as he opened the large case that he had made Harry carry down to the pitch. Inside the case was a large Slytherin Team set of gear.
"These are yours." Flint said pointing simply at the case.
Harry looked at Flint madly. "There's no way these are going to fit me, I don't even think they'd fit you!" Harry said incredulously, while picking up a very large pair of Quidditch gloves.
"What size are these?" Harry gasped while waving them around in the air, "They'd most likely fit Hagrid"
"Stop that! Give me those Potter," Flint snapped, while snatching them out of Harry's hand, " and who the hell is Hagrid, never mind, doesn't matter, If you damage these then you'll have to either repair them yourself or pay for a replacement." Flint said, but Harry was hardly paying attention, he was busily pulling several more items of clothing out of the case, all the while gaping in surprise.
"Who did these belong to?", Harry asked while holding up a pair of pants, "My whole body could fit in these, what did this person eat! Bloody hell, look Flint, I can't wear these." Harry exclaimed while holding the pants up to his body. They were indeed too big for him; the pant legs were on the floor while the waistband of the pants were up to his chin.
"Potter, stop being an idiot and put them down," Flint said, slightly frustrated, "These are auto adjusting Quidditch gear; meaning that when you go to put on each item of clothing, in order of course, they'll then set your correct size and then expand or decrease as you get bigger. I don't think that they're suppose to be that big...but they're only this size because no one has worn them before so stop flapping." Flint explained.
Harry nodded and tried to fold the pants back up, which wasn't easy and he placed them back in the case. Harry stopped when he heard Flint let out a bark of laughter.
"What on earth do you think your doing Potter? This is your Quidditch uniform, don't put it back; go put it on and joins us out here quick as."
Harry smiled.
Harry never imagined that he could be sore after flying for 6 hours, but as he slowly sat down in a his favorite comfy chair he felt his back and arms twinge in pain.
"So how'd it go Harry" Draco said walk in the Common Room with the others. Pansy was right at Draco's heels, Blaise had a small stack of Books under his arm, and Theodore also had some books. "Oww"? Harry said in a low moan as he slumped further into the chair.
The rest of the night was filled with Harry working out his soreness and studying the other. Harry wasn't the only one still awake after his friends had all gone off to bed.
"Hey, Potter." a seventh year Slytherin Harry had never spoken to waved him over. Harry wasn't quite sure what to make out of his housemates, especially the older ones. A lot of them were lying cheating fools, with out a pair between the lot of them. But the older students, were confident and cunning, some were even cruel. Something about them made Harry admire them.
"Yeah, what do you want"? Harry asked, surprising himself with what seemed like arrogance. Some of the other Slytherins laughed and joked at Harry's confidence. Harry didn't blame them; he might have done the same.
The one who call him over gave the others a stern and evil look resulting in them all quieting up and stopping their nonsense. "Ok well, for starters, names Brakoff, Ansem Brakoff. Second, I was wondering if you had any life-bonds?" Brakoff asked in a low tone, making it obvious that he did not want any one to know what they were talking about.
Harry had heard the term before, while walking by a lot of the older students, sometimes in the library, but he'd never bothered to find out exactly what it meant. "No, I don't" Harry said with a calm complacent tone. "Honestly I don't even know what it means" Harry said turning his heading away from Brakoff. "Would you care to fill me in?"
Brakoff made a strange face. Harry surmised that he was thinking on what to do. "Yeah, that seems fair; I ask you about something, I'd kinda be surprised if you asked me about something else". Brakoff snapped his fingers and one of the other students hurried and handed him a large black book that had a silver design on the front cover but Harry didn't get a proper look at it.
Brakoff started flipping pages, some were dog-eared, and some had strips of papers obviously for book marks. "Here we are" Brakoff said stopping at a page that had numerous markings and notes written on the page. "Life-bonds. Blah blah blah, danger this, and warning that. Boring, this is what I'm looking for. Life-bonds are the final steps of control on can have over another witch or wizard. It is the submission of ones own life into the hands of another. A similar act occurs with "Soul mates"(see pg.674). A life-bond can be created through different methods and is not a fair balance between two individuals." Brakoff said holding the book out in front of him.
"The first method is to freely give another the full and complete rights and dominion of ones own life. There is no possible chance of accident as the ritual would fail if the individual has any doubts or fears about giving they're life to the other. Second is to save another life and while the threat has just been vanquished" Brakoff stopped and frowned at the book. "Really? They used a word like vanquished, of all words"
"Yes they did, continue" Harry said irritated in Brakoff's pause, "please". Harry remembering who he was speaking to tried to make himself more respectful, even though he was a firm believer of giving out what was deserved.
Harry wasn't sure about Brakoff yet. He was obviously in charge of his year, and his authority was most likely not through kindness.
Harry started the next day still reveling in what he had learned. In his greatness he had learned from reading about himself, he could practically have anyone who thought of him as their savior, which he also learned was almost half of the wizarding world, as a life-bond.
But the trick would be convincing them of it, and being their at a pont where he could complete the ritual. Also Harry wondered if he was even capable of taking control of another persons soul. He smiled to himself. Since starting at Hogwarts and being in Slytherin Harry had done things he never in his wildest dream he could have.
So who knows, maybe he could take someone's soul and control it.