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Chapter 15

Hermione took most of Friday off of work, much to her distaste but at the healers request. They had wanted her to take time off for the weekend, however Saturday was the Falcons first away game and with how the team had been behaving recently, skipping it was not an option. The portkey was set to leave at 7:30 that evening and at the urging of her closet friends, Harry would be attending the match with her just to be safe.

It wasn't that Hermione wasn't thankful for her dearest friends love and concern, in all honesty she'd much rather have Ginny accompany her however, since Ginny was still playing for the Harpies, they decided for the sake of a possible scandal, it would be better if someone else went in her place. They briefly discussed Ron coming with her but that idea was quickly thrown out the window by Hermione who was in no mood to deal with Ron's hateful attitude towards Draco. As Draco wasn't actually playing, she knew he'd be in a foul mood and it would only be a matter of time before he picked a fight with Ron.

Luggage gathered, they met the team down on the pitch. Two different portkeys would be used for their travel today as much of the staff would be in attendance.

"Miss Granger!" Nigel came running down to the pitch, bag in hand very out of breath. "You forgot, you're bag." He handed it to her, quickly placing his hands on his knees taking deep, heaving breaths. Clearly he'd run all the way down from her office. She gave him an appreciative thank you.

"Alright mates, it's time." Heeding O'Kelly's words, Hermione leaned in, grabbing ahold of the tire in front of her. She felt the familiar tug on her navel as the world started to spin. She had to admit, traveling by portkey was certainly not her favorite pastime. The continuous spinning left an unpleasant feeling in the pit of her stomach and at that moment, she wished she hadn't already eaten. Her discomfort however, was kept to herself. She would not be the only person screaming, wishing for the spinning to stop. The ground finally appeared and with a thud, she managed to stay on her feet, but grasped on to the nearest person for support.

"Granger, I already held you up once, let's not make a habit of it, yes?" His tone was unamused and she knew he was still fuming that she refused to let him play tomorrow. Draco yanked his arm out of her grasp and bag and broom in tow, followed his teammates to their rooms.

"Alright there Hermione?" Harry's sparkling eyes searched her face, concern evident on his. She gave a small nod and smile, hoisting her bag up onto her shoulder. They fell into step with Michael, allowing him to take the lead to their rooms.

When she awoke the next morning, she felt refreshed. Harry must have ordered breakfast to be delivered in the morning as it was already waiting for her. Turning on the radio, she happily munched away on her toast listening to the pregame show currently playing.

"Seeker Draco Malfoy will not be playing in today's game. No reports of an injury have been confirmed at this time. Many rumors have been surrounding the Falcons this season, fueled by Hermione Granger's appointment at General Manager of the team. We've already seen Bogomil Levski traded and replaced by a relatively unknown American chaser and now the team's starting seeker is benched. What's the deal here Lee?"

"Well, sources within the team have stated that Malfoy has been pushing all the wrong buttons since arriving about a month ago. Many were shocked to learn of Malfoy's trade to the Falcons after it was announced Hermione Granger had indeed been in position as GM at the time and requested a trade with the Meteorites specifically for him. I wonder if this move is a show of her regret."

"Could be Lee, could be." She tuned out the rest of the show, furious with the comments. This had to be why Michael suggested she not listen to the pregame shows. Hermione looked down at her buttered toast and put it back on the plate, appetite gone.

"Miss Granger I warned you about those talk shows." Michael turned to look at her as they approached the pitch, Harry in tow. Her face was down and her cheeks were tinged pink. "They dig for information and hardly check for facts because no one here holds them accountable. They are full of rubbish that the public just eats up."

"Why aren't they held accountable then?"

"Most host shows from undisclosed locations. The Department for Magical Games and Sports doesn't feel the need to spend their resources on a solution. To be honest, it has gotten quite out of hand."

"Maybe things should change then." Hermione stopped, turning to look at him.

"Hermione, I'm speaking candidly here. As a GM, that is not your concern and no owner wants a GM that can't keep her nose in her own business. Cries from one disgruntled GM will not get the changes you'd be satisfied with." His hand rested gently on her shoulder as he looked down at her. Michael was very happy when Hermione had been hired as GM. The last few hired were far from easy to work with. Granted, he'd taken on more responsibility when Hermione came aboard, acting as her hiring assistant, it was refreshing to have upper management as invested as he was. Dealing with players and their constant indiscretions was hard enough even with management on board. Before Hermione, the Falcons previous GM had encouraged inappropriate behavior such as Levski's. Hermione had nipped that in the butt within a month of being with the team. He would hate to see her replaced already.

The moment passed and the crew continued towards the pitch. Pregame interviews were just finishing up as they approached the team. Catching sight of the trio, cameras began flashing and the group was soon surrounded. Hermione was about to ask Michael what this was about when she remembered.

Harry was with her.

He sheepishly tried to hang his head and stand behind Michael and Hermione, but it was no use. The media had a field day any time Harry was caught out in public. Hermione couldn't really say her life was much different, however with as much time as she'd spent at work, she couldn't remember the last time her picture was taken for simply stepping outside.

"Potter! Mr. Potter! Are the rumors true? Have you sold your season box tickets to the Harpies as you've started a new relationship with Miss Granger?" A horrified placed itself on Harry's face. He looked questioningly towards Hermione who just shook her head in response.

"Are you out of you mind? I'm engaged to Ginny! She'd have my arse. I'm not daft." Harry had stepped out from behind Michael and was making his way towards the reporter when Michael placed an arm in front of his chest, stopping him.

"The Falcons as well as Miss Granger would just like to thank Mr. Potter for attending the match today and for his continued support of this team until the day we play the Harpies. Then we are well aware which team Mr. Potter will be rooting for." Pushing both Hermione and Harry behind him, they quickly headed towards the team huddle to wish them good luck before making the long trek up to their sky box.

The match was easier than Hermione had anticipated. It didn't take long for Rhys, Avery and Lance to start racking up the points. Whatever formations they'd been working on together this week, Hermione made a mental note to make sure they continue. Lance still seemed a bit unsure about himself still, but it was hardly noticeable. The few goals that had come Dillon's way, he'd easily blocked until a bluger came flying in his direction. In his process of dodging, the quaffle went flying through the hoop on the far right. Kenneth sent him a sympatric sorry and pointed to the opposing chaser he'd been aiming for. Kenneth seemed to be the only member of the Falcon team having an off day. Ritchie's blugers were all right on target, causing dropped quaffles and missed blocks by the Magpies chasers. Galvin had spotted the snitch and was in pursuit only thirty minutes into the game. His hand reached out, the golden ball inches from his grasp. Hermione's fingers dug into the arm of her chair, hoping the game would end when a bluger smacked him square in the back. He lurched forward on his broom, wind knocked out of him but never lost his balance. His breathing was ragged when a timeout was called and O'Kelly and the medics rushed to Galvin as he landed. Flat on his back on the pitch, Hermione could see his chest rising and falling heavily through her omnioculars. She watched in concern as a stretcher appeared and he was removed from the field. Flicking her omnioculars over to the bench, she saw O'Kelly instruct Draco to get ready to go in. She saw in grin as he grabbed his broom and hustled from the bench to the field.

"I thought you benched him for the game?" Harry turned to her questioningly.

"We don't have a choice. We only have two seekers, it's not like I have any other options."

"You could have put me in." She let out a laugh and turned, giving him her full attention.

"This isn't like Hogwarts, Harry. You're not a member of this team. You don't have a contract, you're not a salaried player. I can't just march you down to the field and put a team shirt on your back. Trust me, I would if I could. Besides, you don't play anymore." Harry's shoulders sank a little. Unknown to Hermione, Harry had been jealous of Ginny's career with the Harpies since she made it on the team. He tried his best to keep the jealous beast at bay around Ginny.

When the crowd roared back to life, Hermione turned her attention to the game. Draco had gotten very little warm up time, so she watched as he did laps around the top of the field, eyes on the prowl for the snitch. A hint of gold flashed out of the corner of her eye. She could see the snitch fluttering softly just to the left of their box. Hermione contemplated yelling out to Draco, but she knew her voice would be lost in the sea of noise. So instead, she found herself screaming in her head.

'Malfoy! Malfoy! Just look over here! We could win if you would just look over here!' She fought the urge to also wave her arms like a crazy person. Her heartbeat quickened as his lap brought him to their side of the pitch finally. She closed her eyes, just for a moment hoping he caught sight of the same glittering ball she had.

'SWOSH'

Her smile widened and her eyes popped open. Draco had just darted by them as fast as him broom would take him. She found her arms in the air and was jumping up and down as his hand closed around the snitch. The small Falcon section of the stands roared to life. Hermione threw her arms around Harry's neck as she continued her jumping. Michael was clapping his hands enthusiastically, talking over the final play with a few people in the box. Harry, due to Hermione's jumping, had to straighten his glasses once he finally got out of her grasp as she had knocked them wonky during her excitement.

The Falcons had won their first away game and as Draco flew down to meet the rest of his team, his hold on the snitch never loosened. He'd finally helped the Falcons win a game and the smile that currently graced his lips seemed a mile wide.