Ah yes, the time to update another chapter. No, I haven't written more; I'm still up to Chapter 29, but I'm kind of really unsure on whether to include ... or ... (sorry! That would only give it away!). Anyways, I thought that I had better upload given that it has been a while. Although I can only say that I perhaps won't update for a bit until I get another chapter written.
So, to all those who reviewed: thank you! I will try to answer your comments and things now...
Mirei Nochi: haha! I love those dreams. And such a lovely subject too! Yeah, I know what you mean about Ron; although this will sound weird; I didn't know that Americans used the word 'wanker'. I know that's gotta sound strange but it's just cos I've never heard it being used in movies or telly shows or whatever, so I just assumed that it was only used in Australia. Well, I guess it is!
HikoMokushi: Hmm, we won't go there (re: your first comment)... lol! although I completely agree with you... ;-) but I had better not update cos as I said before, I haven't written really anymore on it so I'm only causing more troubs for myself by uploading. Ah well, in the meantime, I guess I can simply sit back, become really lazy and not do anything... Hmm, kind of doing that now... woops!
KellyRiddle88: Aah, j'ai su que vous m'aviez demande cette question avant, mais j'ai oublie de la repondre. Woops! Alors, moi, je serrai tres heureuse comme 'Bride de Snape'... (hahahaha!), mais pouvez-vous me dire l'affaire de votre histoire? I gotta say that the title intrigues me. C'est pas grave, n'ecrire pas en francais, whatever is easiest for you.
Sayaku-chan: I know how you feel, honestly cos one of my favourite fics was finally updated since Feb just this past month and I was like Thank God! She didn't abandon it! But yeah, it's just that I've kind of hit a wall, not in terms of where it's gonna go but in terms of whether to skip a couple of days or carry on from where I am. Anyway, once I have that sorted out, things should be right.
Steelo: Yeah, although I think Harry will warm up a bit quicker than Ron. Green-eyed monster is playing a large part of Ron's life and I can't see him getting over it too quickly.
Ellie: Hmm, Snape liking Harry? I don't think that that will happen too soon but I just wish that they'd get over their differences. I honestly thought that Harry would feel better about Snape after the fifth book but his poor excuse to blame him for Sirius' death shat me. To answer your question, I can see (funnily enough), Harry and Draco being more friendly than Ron and Draco. I also think (as noted in my story and numerous others) that I reckon that Hermione and Draco can get along pretty well as well. I think it has something to do with both Hermione and Harry's wealth, as shallow as that sounds but Harry always has top quality books and/or brooms and even tho Draco feels threatened by this, he would be more inclined to hang around with Harry (if they were from the same house) than Ron. Same with Hermione, she obviously has money, given that again, both parents are dentists and she seems to be able to afford good things as well. I dunno, that's just an opinion. Also, cos I think that Harry at least listens to what Hermione says but I get the feeling that Ron doesn't, so if Hermione says that Draco has changed, even tho Harry doesn't want to believe it, I think he eventually would.
Alexis: I know and I'm also getting impatient (as I was writing the last couple of chapters) but I can only say, remain patient.
Lientje: Well, I guess it's better hearing 'I love your story' hundreds of times as opposed to 'i think you ought to remove this story, it sucks'. So I'm not fussed really. Hmm, interesting concept; maybe Ron, Harry and Draco do need to just give each other a severe beating, cos isn't that how most blokes solve problems? Just bash the crap out of someone? Perhaps Harry and Draco can but for some reason, I still don't see Ron being civil to Draco, especially because Hermione isn't with Ron.
snoopy: Hey that's good to know that it's quite convincing, that shows I've managed to keep within the storyline of JK. I can't quite remember but I think the two of them are slowly getting over their tension, or at least they are remaining more civil to one another as opposed to blowing up all the time. Or perhaps it is because Hermione can handle it better, I dunno.
xxxJustLikeHermionexxx: Yeah, I know, I just haven't gotten around to fixing it yet. That'll happen at the end I think.
Sheryvia: Haha! That's awesome! Although it can't do your sleeping pattern too good! I know what you mean; some stories have literally kept me up all night (also the crap prospect of doing homework has deterred me from going to bed as well). I'm glad this has had a similar affect. I only hope it continues to do so, as evil as that sounds! muhahahahahahha! No, it means I've done my job well.
twilights kiss: Hey, thanks for that. Hearing those sorts of things means a lot to me, so thanks again. Although I can't honestly say I quite understand about the Nazi thing; if I read it correctly, a Nazi welcomed into a Nazi family wouldn't create the same tension and awkward presence as what I mentioned, which was the kind of thing I was aiming for. Well, that is what I understood your note to be.
Amber Hermione: I don't know what they Tonks, Lupin and Ginny were discussing; that's between them but you are probably onto something...
rembrandt: Ah yes, Lucius. I am under the impression that he is still in Azkaban because seeing as it was no longer controlled by Dementors, I really thought that the governing wizards would ensure that no more Death Eaters would escape from there. Hence why Lucius as a person is only mentioned as a past figure, not someone around now. I know Draco seems close to his father in HBP, but I couldn't see him being like that in the previous books, which was when I first started writing this. As for the football/soccer, that's funny cos so many people have said how people change when watching a particular sport. What is it about it that has so many people going off their collective faces? It's funny tho.
CCoLoMBiAnMaMi11: Yeah it was just that I couldn't remember it being anywhere in the books and funnily enough, I still can't remember it anywhere in the books, even though I only read them all again not long ago. Ah well, hope you've got up to this point...
To everyone else who reviewed, I'm sorry that I couldn't respond to your msg's but hopefully it doesn't deter you from reviewing again; I like receiving them and it's interesting to read people's ideas about things. Thanks again and onto chapter 25...
Chapter 25: Backyard Football
Upon returning to the Grangers', Draco could think of nothing that he really wanted to do, except something that would keep his mind away from the meeting. Even though it didn't go as badly as it could have, he really didn't want to think about anything that had happened, given that he was going to have to go back there on Tuesday to sort out more stuff about it.
Hermione also appeared unsure on what to do. Truthfully speaking, Draco didn't really want to spend the rest of the day with her, simply because he didn't really want to be in a situation where the subject of the meeting could be brought up. Instead, he smiled sympathetically to her and went to find Robert in the lounge-room. Hermione appeared to have understood, making him eternally grateful, because she did not chase after him to ask what he felt about the meeting.
Hmm, maybe it is a good thing she's friends with Scar Head and Weasel. No, don't think that.
Robert was reading the newspaper when Draco found him. Upon hearing his arrival, Robert looked up at him, obviously surprised to see him back so early.
Before he could ask anything about the meeting, Draco cut him off and said, "I thought maybe we might have some time to play some football outside, seeing as it's still quite light."
Robert smiled at him, although to Draco it appeared that he was quite overjoyed at hearing this. He didn't say anything else except a small, "Of course."
He put down the newspaper on the small table beside the couch and slowly got up.
"Well then, I can show you a few things although it might be best to simply start with the real basics. Just let me get my ball and," he said, looking down at Draco's shoes and seeing the All-Stars on his feet, added, "you might want to change your shoes, only because those might be a bit good to wear. Are they All-Stars?"
Draco looked down at his shoes. "Yes, I believe so."
"My God," Robert exclaimed quietly. "They've been around for a good while now. I remember having a pair when I was about your age. They're comfortable though, aren't they?"
Draco couldn't help grinning at this. He knew that they were probably the most comfortable pair of everyday shoes he had ever worn, with the exception of trainers of course, but he wasn't going to admit that straight off.
"They're not bad."
Robert, thankfully, only smiled back in return and said nothing furthermore on the topic.
"Do you have any trainers with you?"
"Somewhere in my trunk. I'll just go get them."
"Good idea. I'll get a ball and my own football boots. See you down here in about two minutes? We'll play out the back."
"Okay."
Draco exited the room when his eye caught something. There was a sleeping bag folded up in its cover tossed to the side of the room, obviously having been used the night before. Wondering why as he continued up the stairs, it suddenly occurred to him that Jane was true to her word and that Robert certainly had slept on the couch that night. Grinning to himself but remembering that Robert hadn't mentioned Hermione to him, he resolved to let the matter go and instead concentrate on what the man in question was about to teach him.
Upon reaching his room, he tore off his All-Stars to put on his own runners but then remembered the Grangers' house rule about shoes on inside.
Woops, I better take them off again, even though it looks like they've let me wear them around inside before.
Running back down the stairs, he found Robert playing with the ball, bouncing off his head, knees and feet, behind him and in front of him, clearly not aware that Draco had just re-entered the room. Draco watched in amazement; Robert looked just like the players he had seen on the television screen.
It was only when Robert lost control of the ball, almost sending it into a vase in the corner of the room that he realised Draco was there and so too it seemed, was Jane.
"Christ, Robert!" she exclaimed, one hand on her hip. "Please don't do that in here! Remember that wooden giraffe your sister sent home from Africa that got broken a couple of years back? I don't want to have to explain to her that another gift of hers was broken again due to a lack of common sense inside!" and she went back into the kitchen.
"And what she doesn't know," Robert said quietly to Draco when she left, "was that whilst Jenny, my sister that is, was clearly annoyed, she really didn't get as agitated as Jane did. That's the thing about growing up with a sportsman, things will get broken and you live with it."
Draco wasn't really sure what to say to this, so decided on saying nothing. It was clear that Robert was in his prime at that moment; living, talking and playing football. Draco knew exactly what he was talking about; that was how he felt about Quidditch.
He quietly followed Robert outside, put his shoes on unbeknownst to Robert (who was still playing with the football the whole way along the back footpath) until they found a largish patch of grass that had obviously seen better times. It was not the typical green of the rest of the lawn but instead, a murky brown colour (as most of it was dead), and there was a goal up one end of it.
"This," Robert said, indicating the area, "is my haven away from everything. The place I go to really think things over. But enough about that; we're here to teach you a few of the basics of football.
"Firstly, you stand over near the goal post and I'll stand up this end. It might seem boring at first but I thought that it might be best to start from scratch to familiarise yourself with the ball as well as the concept of not using your hands. That can get a few people at first."
Draco did as he was told and stood near the goal post. As soon as he got there, Robert passed the ball quickly at him, causing Draco to almost miss it altogether. He managed to control it by blocking it with his toes, but still had to chase it a bit.
"Er, sorry Draco, maybe that was a bit hard. Ah well, pass it back and we'll have another go."
Draco kicked the ball back with his toes, causing his whole foot to almost seize up. It also caused the ball to sail over Robert's head and into a garden bed behind him. He didn't let his frustration show, but being shown as not knowing anything about something to someone who knew everything about it was almost as annoying as his first day in the Muggle World.
"Ah yes, forgot to mention, kick the ball with the side of your foot, not the toes. Whilst you can with your toes, your foot will become extraordinarily sore after only a few minutes." Something must have shown on Draco's face because Robert quickly added, "It's okay Draco. The first time I kicked a football, I managed to break my mother's best china jug. Needless to say I didn't practice inside for a long time after that."
Draco couldn't help but smile. He could see that Robert was trying to make things easier for him, but it was hard when he couldn't do it as easy.
That's stupid, he thought, this man even said that he could have played in the Premier League except for an injury. You've had one minute to practice, he would have had years.
Robert continued. "Have a look here. Place the ball a metre or so in front of you and step back. Now, take two steps up to the ball, so your preferred foot is the one striking the ball of course, so it might be three steps instead. By this stage your other foot should be about level with the ball but still pointing forwards. With your preferred foot, kick the ball with the inside of your foot and follow through. Like this," and he demonstrated with a pass that went directly and this time more slowly at Draco. This time, Draco had not as much trouble stopping it as he did previously.
"Hold up a sec," Robert quickly muttered, "don't kick it back to me for a second but just show me what to do first. I'll show you a way to stop the ball for next time."
Draco was a bit confused for a moment but went through the motions for passing the ball.
"So you place the ball about a metre in front," doing so as he said it, "then step back a bit. Taking two or three steps up to the ball, depending," he had a couple of goes at this to get his footing right, "so that the other foot is about level with the ball but facing forwards, strike the ball with the inside flat of my foot." He practiced doing this. "Is that it?"
Robert smiled. "That's it and by the looks of things, you seem a natural. The motion of your body as you went up to the ball seemed to flow. That just reinforces my beliefs that you are an exceptional Quidditch player."
Draco could feel himself going pink. At Hogwarts he usually boasted about how well he caught the Snitch in front of the Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff Seekers, however he had only ever caught the Snitch before Potter on one occasion. Admittedly, he made sure everyone knew about it that time but when it all came down to it, he really only did it to make sure that they knew he was good. Somehow, being told he was good, a natural even, made him not really want to abuse that but merely acknowledge it.
"I guess so."
"Well, I think that with a bit of practice, you'll definitely get much better at football. Anyway, I said I'd show you how to stop the ball."
Robert demonstrated this as he spoke. "You can stop it with the inside of your foot again but if you don't give a bit with your foot, the ball will simply rebound back against your foot, due to the rigidness of your foot. You need to cushion the impact. You're clever, Draco; although I don't think that Hogwarts offers Physics as a discipline, unfortunately. A handy thing, if I say so myself. Are you familiar with Newton's Laws of Motion at all?"
Draco had no idea what Robert was talking about and thought that it was better to swallow the Snitch than pretend. "No I don't."
"Ah see if you were, you would know exactly what it is that I'm about to tell you. Never mind; I'll give you a demonstration. Pick the ball up and throw it directly above you. When you catch it, catch it at the same spot as you have your hands now, that is, if you keep your hands at chest height, catch it in your hands at the same height."
He did this and felt the impact of the ball in his hands as he did so.
"Now," Robert instructed, "do the same thing but as you catch it, bring your hands down to about waist height."
Draco again followed the instruction and realised that when he caught the ball and effectively followed through, the impact on his hands was much less.
"Did you notice a difference?"
"Yeah, the ball didn't hit my hands as hard."
"That's what I want to hear. Same as if you caught the ball firstly at chest height but then brought your hands right down to the height of your ankles, you would barely even register the weight of the ball. Explaining this, you need an understanding of Newton's Laws of Motion. The first law is, 'A body will move in a straight line at a constant velocity through space unless there is an outside force acting upon it'. The third law is 'For every reaction force there is an equal and opposite reaction force'. The second law is a formula but still has significance in this case.
"In reference to the first law, the ball will continue in a straight line directly to you until your foot, the outside force, stops it. Although in this case, the outside force is actually the grass as well as your foot. The grass causes friction and will eventually stop the ball if your foot doesn't. Anyway, relaying it to the Third Law, as you stop the ball with your foot, or with your hand, you'll feel pressure build up against it. Well, the ball will exude an equal force against your foot or hand at not wanting to be caught. The force will be equal to that of your foot.
"The force itself is explained using Newton's Second Law of Motion. In other words, the total force applied on your foot is equal to the mass of the ball multiplied by the acceleration at which the ball is travelling. By softening the blow that the ball makes against your foot, it applies another force of deceleration on the ball. This deceleration increases the time in which the ball will eventually stop, which means that the ball is not travelling as quickly, hence reducing the force at which the ball hits your foot."
This utterly confused Draco. He had no idea that physics played such a big part of sport. He had only ever encountered simple physics before entering Hogwarts and quite probably wouldn't have minded studying it more but given he was entering Hogwarts, he saw no reason to. It seemed that the time had come where basic knowledge in it was needed, much to his surprise.
"I know," Robert sympathised. "It does seem confusing, doesn't it?" Draco nodded his head. "Not to worry; to put it bluntly, when you cushion the blow, it softens the impact at which it hits your foot and it's easier to control. Besides, it's better explained in practice, as with most things. Can you remember that as well as the way to pass the ball?"
"Yes."
"Great. Okay, pass the ball back to me just as you demonstrated before."
Draco placed the ball back in front of him and took a few steps back. As his foot struck the ball to pass it to Robert, he knew he made a good connection with it as it was delivered quickly and directly.
"Very good Draco!" Robert said in praise. "I noticed you also followed through with your kicking foot as well. That's the most important thing. If you don't follow through, the ball loses momentum and doesn't go as far, or as accurately. Right, now relaying that into Newton's First Law, the grass had slowed the ball down even a little, although over this distance it wouldn't be so obvious. But when the ball hit my foot, you heard the slap against it, didn't you?"
"Yes."
"That is the sound of the force of the ball hitting my foot. Okay, I'll pass it back to you. So, putting his Laws into practice, just do as you did before with your hands, when you caught the ball but gave a little bit but with your feet this time instead and I think you'll be right."
Robert passed the ball back to Draco and this time, when Draco stopped the ball, he brought his foot back a bit to cushion the impact, making the ball not rebound as far as before.
"That's it!" Robert smiled. "Ah, the joys of physics. Who would have thought that it would play such a big part in sport? It would for Quidditch too, you do realise."
Draco couldn't help but look back in slight shock. "Yeah, I never thought of it like this."
"It's a fascinating thing. It happens everywhere but people are just oblivious to it." Robert picked the ball up in his hands and started to play with it, just like he had in the loungeroom. Draco was once again looking upon this sight in awe, despite himself.
Robert continued. "But I digress; we're here to play football, not talk about physics. I'll make things a bit more interesting then. Oh and another thing. If you can, try trapping the ball with your foot instead of stopping it with the inside of your foot. That's another way of stopping the ball. Just make sure you keep an eye on it at all times and don't lose your focus."
Soon enough, Robert had Draco passing and receiving the ball as well as doing simple drills of running up and down the patch of grass with the ball in front of him. It was hard work; much harder than most of the Quidditch training sessions but that was probably due to the fact that Quidditch was all flying and no running. Either way, by the end of the afternoon, he had worked up quite a sweat but immensely pleased with himself with what he had achieved that afternoon. After the drills, Robert had him passing and trapping with his other side as well as his preferred side.
"Well, I think that that's enough for today," Robert announced after consulting his watch. "You've done well for yourself, Draco. Maybe we can go out another time shortly, would you want to do that?"
Draco looked at him in interest. It was obvious that Robert enjoyed getting out there and playing football again; even moreso for the fact that there was someone there to enjoy it with him. Needless to say, Draco himself relished the chance to get out and play, even if it wasn't Quidditch. It was a different way to bring forth a sweat; that was for sure and it was a completely new sport at the same time. He could tell that with a bit of time, he would enjoy more of these sessions with Robert.
"I'd like that a lot," he finally answered, smiling.
"Maybe during the week we can do something. I'm not sure if I'll be able to do anything tomorrow; I've a funny feeling I'm going to be paying for it dearly. I haven't been out there for that length of time since I was younger."
Draco grinned. "I know what you mean. That happens to me for the first few practice sessions during the year. After a bit though, I feel okay."
"Yes, the dreaded muscle stiffness. Unfortunately there isn't a great deal that can be done about it." By this stage, they were walking back to the back verandah. "Hmm," Robert said after observing their footwear, "I think we had definitely better leave our shoes outside. Jane won't be too happy if mud gets on the carpet."
Draco looked at his own shoes. They certainly had the appearance that he had been flying out in the rain all day. "Okay then."
Upon returning inside, it was almost time for dinner and Jane was in the kitchen, overlooking a rather large pot. Hermione was standing at the bench, chopping up carrots.
"Draco," Jane said as she continued to stir the contents in the pot, "come over here and try this. I wondered whether you had eaten something like this before."
He looked at her in mild curiosity. "What do you mean?"
"It's something that I'm not sure if you would have had before. Kangaroo stew."
Kangaroo stew?
He wrinkled up his nose in distaste. "Kangaroos? But aren't they Australian?"
"Which is precisely why I didn't think you would have had it before. Do try some, I'm sure you won't mind it."
Draco walked cautiously over to her where she held out a small spoon with some sauce and meat on it. Looking at it again in wonder, he slowly took the pre-offered spoon.
"Be careful, it's hot," Jane warned.
He raised the spoon to his lips and blew on it gently to cool it off. Again, looking at it in curiosity, he quickly shoved the spoon into his mouth as if to get the worst of it out of the way. However, he was shocked to find that the kangaroo not only tasted good, but that he wanted more.
Something must have registered on his face because Jane smiled and said, "Good?"
Draco merely nodded, still thinking about the taste of the kangaroo. It was kind of like a nice piece of steak, only it wasn't quite the same taste. Either way, she was right; it was something he had never had before and furthermore, was also correct in that he didn't mind it.
He noticed that Hermione was looking at him only after he finished the mouthful. She smiled at him and kept chopping up the carrots, leaving Draco with a curious feeling in his chest.
It wasn't long when dinner was finally served. The stew and salad certainly proved to be very good in a large quantity because Draco managed to eat close on two platefuls of the stuff, not leaving much room for the butterscotch pudding that was to follow.
This was duly noticed by Hermione, who only looked at Draco in amusement and muttered quietly, "Anyone would think that we don't feed you around here."
"Yes, well, when there's something I like," he said to her slyly and raising one eyebrow, "I don't mind getting it in big servings, even if that means acquiring more than I perhaps really need. You really ought to try it sometime."
She looked at him with mouth agape but shut it quickly again. Draco grinned at her, knowing that he had touched on something with the subtle but definite reaction that she gave him. He said nothing further on the subject but kept eating his pudding.
Comments:
I know I said that Draco bought One-Stars but I meant All-Stars. You know the ones, the high top basketball shoes. They are cool! Well, both are but All-Stars are what I meant in this context.
Kangaroo stew. It's quite nice if the kangaroo is cooked properly (tender enough to chew but cooked enough that it doesn't taste raw). I think a few places sell kangaroo overseas; not quite sure but I thought that the Grangers would probably try a few interesting and exotic dishes.
Really must head off and do nothing... have been finding myself doing nothing lately, not good. Anyway, adios all and hopefully when I update next I might have actually added a great deal more to the story.