Chapter Five: Mudblood
There are several dialogue quotes taken from JK Rowling's Chamber of Secrets in this book. This is to convey the same story she wrote, but from another character's POV. The quotes taken directly from the book have three quotation marks (instead of two) around them to signify she wrote them and that I am citing them. Because I am transforming pieces of her work into something new this falls under the Fair Use Act. Additionally, JK Rowling has stated that she is okay with noncommercial fan fiction. All direct quotes, the Harry Potter storyline, and the characters all belong to JK Rowling.
Over the next few days, Draco continued to put the Chamber of Secrets, and even his own grades out of his mind. He knew that the thing he needed to focus on now, was quidditch. Every moment that he wasn't in class, he was practicing for tryouts. Technically anyone could try out for any position, but the Slytherin team was already pretty set with their players, and tryouts was more of a formality. The only position that was truly open was the seeker. After Slytherin's defeat against Gryffindor last year, the Slytherin captain, Flint, made it abundantly clear that he was ready to replace Terrance as soon as possible.
Luckily for Draco, Seeker was his best position. Additionally, Marcus seemed to like Draco, and for that Draco had a slight advantage. However, that would not be enough to secure him a position on the team. He needed to be better than anyone else who tried out.
Friday after class, Draco grabbed his Nimbus 2001 ,and Blaise grabbed his broom too. "Good luck mate," said Blaise as they made their way to the quidditch field.
"Yeah, may the best man win," Draco smiled.
"I don't have a chance mate," said Blaise. "Seeker is not my position. I'm a chaser, and I can do keeper, but I am not cut out for the precise nature of being a seeker. I'm just doing this to put my hat in the ring. Marcus is a seventh year this year, so a Chaser position will be open next year, and I want them to know me."
"I'm glad it won't be awkward when I win then," said Draco smugly.
"Oh shut up you smug prat," Blaise laughed.
They finally got to the field, to a large crowd of people. Theodore Nott, a Slytherin from their year, was trying out, as well as many Slytherins from all other years, besides first year.
"Oi, everyone shut it!," Flint spoke. "We need a seeker who won't let us down. We want the best of the best," he said pacing around in front of them. "And it has occurred to me that the only way to do that is by having you all go after the snitch at once."
There were several worried mummers among the crowd. "So," Marcus Flint shouted. "I am going to release the snitch in the air and I want everyone to go after it at once using any "legal" means necessary to get it. Whoever catches the snitch, will be our new seeker. Now everyone get in a circle and mount your broom."
The players did as they were told. "Oh my goodness is that a Nimbus 2001?" some fifth year girl asked, incredulously.
"Yes," said Draco with a smile.
She looked at her own Comet 260 broom with disappointment. "Well a great broom won't be enough if you don't know how to use it," she said, seemingly more to console herself, than to intimidate Draco.
"That's fair," Draco responded. "But I wouldn't count on that with me."
Flint made his way to the middle of the circle with the snitch in hand. "One the count of three!" He shouted. "One... two..." and instead of saying three, he threw the snitch up in to the air. Draco and the others immediately kicked off the ground.
It must have been quite a sight for the spectators down below, as around thirty Slytherins dipped, and dived, swopped, and sped for the golden snitch. Several players, unable to adequately maneuver their broom, ended up ramming into each other. Three of them fell off their broom toppling to the ground.
"If you hit the ground, you're out!" Flint shouted angrily. "I want to see SKILL."
Suddenly the snitch started hurtling towards the ground, and just on cue the Slytherins followed suit. However, as the snitch got closer and closer to the ground, each of them peeled upwards scared that they would smash into the ground. Draco almost did as such, but he thought back to Potter's first game. If Potter could dive down and pull his broom up parallel to the ground a mere inch before hitting it, so could Draco who had played quidditch his whole life.
Soon it was only Draco still diving for the snitch. He pulled his broom up parallel to the ground with half an inch to spare before he would have hit it. He had to stand up and balance on the handle just as harry had. He reached forward and grabbed the snitch. He didn't lose his balance and fall off like Harry had either. Instead, he continued riding his broom in the standing position, half an inch off the ground all the way over to Flint. He hopped off the broom and dropped the snitch into his hand.
Flint just stared at Draco, completely dumbfounded. The whole affair had only taken twenty minutes, and here this blonde twelve year old, that he had rejected last year, stood before him, having done what none of the other Slytherins could. Draco had used Potter's move, and did it better.
"You're on the team!" Flint shouted. He looked as if he could cry right then and there. The rest of the house team made their way over to shake Draco's hand. Several older Slytherins who did not make the cut stomped off angrily.
Draco looked to Blaise, slightly concerned, but was met with a huge grin from his friend. He waved to Draco, and headed off back towards the castle with the others who did not make the team.
"And to think that I was going to send these back!" Marcus said, picking up a broom from a pile and holding it up. The other Slytherin members whooped and hollered, each grabbing a broom from the pile.
Draco realized it was a brand new Nimbus 2001. Not just that, but the entire pile was made up of Nimbus 2001s. "Why would you send them back?" Asked Draco. "That's amazing that the Slytherin team got new brooms."
"Don't you know?" Asked Adrian Pucey, the other chaser on the team. "They came as a gift from your father."
"Flint was going to make us give them back," said Miles Bletchley, the Slytherin Keeper. "He said that keeping the brooms wasn't worth it if it meant we couldn't have the best seeker for our team."
Flint's face turned a little red, seeing the disappointment on Draco's face, "Yes, but er- now we know that you are the best seeker so no hard feelings right?"
"Of course not," Draco answered, trying his best not to seem disappointed. Flint had misunderstood why Draco was unhappy. It wasn't the fact that Flint didn't think that Draco would earn the position that bothered him. It was the fact his own father didn't believe he could earn the position for himself, so he tried to buy it for him.
"Practice starts tomorrow morning at nine," said Flint happily to the group of Slytherins.
"But the Gryffindors booked the court for tomorrow," Pucey interjected.
"No matter," answered Flint with a smirk. "I'm sure Professor Snape would override that for us, considering his favorite student is our new seeker. I want the Gryffindors to see that Draco is on our team, intimidate them a little. Until then, get some rest!"
There were mummers and nods of approval among the Slytherins, and then they all went their separate ways. An hour later, Draco was curled up in front of the Slytherin common room fireplace with his friends.
"He bought them all Nimbus 2001 brooms! Can you believe it? He didn't think that I could make the team myself," Draco groaned.
"But you did make the team by yourself," said Daphne. "Blaise told us all about what happened at tryouts. Everyone has been talking about it. No one thinks you got the position because of your dad."
"I bet Saint Potter and his disciples will find a way to make it look like I didn't earn my position." Draco sneered through his teeth.
Pansy just stared at Draco unsure of what to say. She looked as if she was ready to hex anyone who dared say Draco didn't deserve to be Slytherin's seeker. Blaise set down the book he was holding and said, "Enough with the pity party mate. You earned your way onto the team, so who cares what anyone else thinks."
"Not everyone shares your apathy," said Draco.
"Apathy, confidence, call it what you will," shrugged Blaise, as he returned to his book.
"Blaise makes a good point," said Daphne. "If you act like you don't care, people will get bored and stop talking about you."
"Well I don't want them to completely stop talking about me," Draco said, as a huge grin formed on his face.
"I don't know why you were so worried about getting sorted into Slytherin last year," Daphne laughed. "No other house even remotely suits you."
The next morning at 9:00am Draco was dressed in the Slytherin quidditch changing room ready to start practice. "Alright everyone settle down!" Flint shouted, "I could spend several hours going through different plays, but I'd like to take a more hands on approach to training this year. Professor Snape gave us permission to crash the Gyffindors' practice, so let's get a move on," Flint said with a smirk.
The seven Slytherins made their way to quidditch field, Nimbus 2000's in hand, ready to cause some problems. As they approached the field, the Gryffindors immediately halted their practice, and the Gryffindor Captain, Wood, came barreling towards the ground.
"'Flint!'" Wood screamed, sounding like a child mid temper tantrum. "'This is our practice time! We got up specially! You can clear off now!'"
"'Plenty of room for all of us, Wood,'" Flint said innocently, though his face held traces of smirk.
"'But I booked the field!'" said Wood, trying his best to hold back tears. "'I booked it!'"
"'Ah,'" said Flint. "'But I've got a specially signed note here fromProfessor Snape. 'I, Professor S. Snape, give the Slytherin team permission to practice today on the Quidditch field owing to the need to train their new Seeker.' '"
"'You've got a new Seeker?'" asked Wood in a slightly concerned voice. "'Where?'"
Draco made his way to the front of the crowd, and confidently stared Harry down with a smirk etched upon his lips.
"'Aren't you Lucius Malfoy's son?'" asked one of the Weasley twins. Draco couldn't tell them apart, but even if he could, he hadn't bothered to learn their names.
"'Funny you should mention Draco's father,'" said Flint arrogantly. "'Let me show you the generous gift he's made to the Slytherin team.'"
At this, Draco felt as if his insides completely flipped over. He knew that every person on the Gryffindor team would accuse him of buying his way on the Slytherin team, regardless of whether or not they knew how well he performed at tryouts. Draco continued to smile smugly, channeling all of his energy into keeping up his unbothered appearance. Draco was practically praying that no one would see how self conscious he felt in this moment.
"'Very latest model. Only came out last month,'" said Flint, trying his best to sound uninterested. "'I believe it outstrips the old Two Thousand series by a considerable amount. As for the old Cleansweeps,'" he said, looking at the Weasley twins who each held one, "'sweeps the board with them.'"
The next few moments of silence were the most awkward in all of Draco's life. This was not the reveal he had imagined or hoped for. As the Gryffindors stood there, mouths gaping, they weren't concerned by Draco's talent, just the expensive brooms they each held.
"'Oh, look,'" said Flint, lazily. "'A field invasion.'"
Draco turned to see Ron and Hermione running towards them. Draco let out a sharp breath of air. Hermione was the last person he wanted to see or deal with right now. To Draco, she was a loose cannon. A loose cannon who knew too much about his feelings.
"'What's happening?'" Ron asked Harry. "'Why aren't you playing? And what's he doing here?'"
"'I'm the new Slytherin Seeker, Weasley,'" said Draco. Flint nudged him, prompting him to say, "'Everyone's just been admiring the brooms my father's bought our team.'"
Ron's jaw dropped as he noticed that the handles of each broom read Nimbus 2001.
"'Good, aren't they?'" asked Draco. "'But perhaps the Gryffindor team will be able to raise some gold and get new brooms, too. You could raffle off those Cleansweep Fives; I expect a museum would bid for them.'"
The Slytherin team broke out into fits of laughter.
"'At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in,'" Hermione snapped. "'They got in on pure talent.'"
Draco finally snapped. She had hit a nerve, something that he was severely self conscious about, and in that moment he realized he could kill two birds with one stone: get back at Hermione for what she said, and ensure that she would never try to be his friend ever again. After this he'd never have to worry about her believing in him.
Draco spat out the worst insult he knew. A word that he had never said, but had heard his father use many times. A word that he didn't even fully understand, but knew would make any muggle born cry. "'No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood.'"
It didn't have the effect he thought it would have. Sure, everyone was immediately seething with rage... everyone except the one person he hoped to hurt. "I'm such an idiot," Draco thought. She's muggle born, of course she doesn't even know what that means.
However, his reflection only lasted a millisecond because a brawl instantly broke out. Flint dove in front of Draco to stop Fred and George, who were ready to pounce on top of him. Someone was shrieking "'How dare you!'" over and over.
Draco looked into Hermione's eyes and simply saw confusion. He wasn't sure whether he was relieved or disappointed. He needed her to stay away from him, but he wasn't sure he could have handled making her cry.
"'You'll pay for that one, Malfoy!'" Ron screamed, pointing his wand at Draco's face, but Draco barely noticed, he was too focused on Hermione who had locked eyes with him. She seemed as if she was trying to be angry, but didn't even know why she should be.
Suddenly a green light emitted from Ron's wand, but it didn't hit Draco. It backfired and Ron flew backwards several feet. Hermione looked away, and ran to his side. "'Ron! Ron! Are you all right?'" she asked.
Ron opened his mouth but instead of speaking, he vomited up several slugs right onto his lap. The Slytherin team roared in laughter, and as Flint finally let go of Draco, they both slipped onto the ground. Draco let out a laugh, blending in with his friends, but he didn't feel good. He just felt guilt about the whole situation. He felt bad about losing his temper, and about pushing her to hate him, but pushing her away was the right answer. It was the quickest and least painful way of dealing with the situation.