CHAPTER 20
September 22nd 2001
Draco Malfoy felt the crisp Scottish air brush against his pale cheeks. The Hogwarts scenery was a lot greener than he remembered, land and hills travelled for miles, while amongst it stood an all to familiar Quidditch pitch. After the war, McGonagall must have had it repaired to its famously glorious state, seeing as it looked untainted from the curse of Death Eaters. Memories of blood, sweat and broken bones replayed in the Slytherin's mind as he approached the field.
It was the day of the infamous Politicians vs Professionals annual quidditch match. Potter and Weasley first started the tradition a few years ago in order to bring unity between government and the public. The Hogwarts Headmaster was one of the first to jump on board and volunteer her school grounds as the playing field. Anything to kiss Harry Potter's arse, of course. This year, Weasley had encouraged Potter to invite Draco to play on the ministry team. How could Draco say no to getting an opportunity to chant 'Weasley is our King' once more?
Draco had decided that he would head to the grounds earlier than the start time in order to get warmed up before other plays arrived. He did not want to risk making a fool of himself, and years out of practice could very well do that.
On his arm clung, Astoria Greengrass, the witch who had most recently declared herself more than a receptionist, but a future politician's wife. Today was the day in which they would make their first public appearance as a couple, as a way to improve both of their reputations.
"Remind me why we decided to arrive before the sun was even awake." Astoria whined, teeth chattering into her heavy scarf.
"Because, darling, what kind of girlfriend would you be if you did not support your loving boyfriend as he prepares to make a fool of athletes?" Draco explained sarcastically, already getting a headache from this whole set up.
"How did we manage to sneak onto Hogwarts grounds? I thought this place was covered in wards."
"McGonagall loosened them for the event. Only via the entrance we came through."
"You should hope to win today. I would hate to make our couple debut as losers." She tightened her grip on his arm.
"That would be the aim of the game, Miss Greengrass."
"If you insist that I only refer to you as sir or Mr Malfoy, then you are not allowed to call me Miss Greengrass. Makes me sound like my mother."
"As you wish, Miss Greengrass." Draco smirked. Astoria slapped his upper arm in return as they approached the open field.
Draco's broomstick had been sitting in his guest bedroom for over a year, but feeling it clutched his right hand was nostalgia at its finest. The stadium felt so open with no one inside, and no doubt would be filled with hundreds of people soon. Students, teachers, ministry employees, coaches and many more were expected at the event today. All here in hope to watch the golden boys, Potter and Weasley, verse each other.
"Where do you want me while you warm up?" Astoria asked as she let go of his arm and stepped in front to face him.
"It will look best if you sit on the benches and watch. When people start to show I will come down to talk to you." He ran a hand through his hair.
"Lovely. Make sure you kiss me when you finish. It would look awfully strange of me to watch my boss without cause."
"Yes. How dreadful." He rolled his eyes.
Stepping away from Astoria, Draco braced his broom and took off from the ground. He could his
girlfriend' climbing the stairs, and taking her seat among the empty bleachers. The wizard prayed this fake courting would not go on for longer than it needed to. As fun as the girl was in bed, Draco did not care for the petty aspirations she pursued.
The sun had risen not long ago, turning the dark morning sky into a beautiful orange and from up high Draco could see the Black Lake shimmering in the distance. It was a pity the young boy was so self centred during his schooling years, he had never taken the time to embrace all the beauty Hogwarts had to offer.
The air was brisk as Draco flew from one end of the pitch to the other, swooping low and turning quickly to familiarise himself with the game. Although he was trained as a seeker, there was no doubt that Potter would be taking that position and Draco would be pushed to beater or some shit. It was not his expertise, but if there was a chance to mess up pricks like Weasley, he was going to take it in full stride.
An hour or so had passed of him practicing before he spotted the infamous red hair walking from the top of the hill. Potter and Granger were also with him. Draco felt a tickle in his stomach at the sight of the curly haired witch holding her fiance's hand. They had not spoken since she left his apartment the other night, after they had danced in his living room. Granger had not shown up for work the next day with reason for still being 'under the weather'.
From the sky, Draco could see Astoria waving at him from below. This was his queue to make way to her. Directing his broom to the ground, he stepped off with grace just as the golden trio entered the pitch.
Granger had her head low as they headed towards him. Today she wore a casual set of jeans and a cream sweater. Absolutely beautiful.
"Tryna get a head start before we smash ya, are ya Malfoy?" Weasley bellowed. A smug smile spread across his freckled face.
Draco simply raised his eyebrows and nodded. Not bothered by the prat's game talk.
"Good to see you here, Malfoy." Potter padded the his shoulder. Granger kept her eyes to the ground and avoided looking at him.
"Let's just make sure I don't regret coming, aye Potter?" Draco theatrened, still side-eyeing Granger.
"You were wonderful, Mr Malfoy!" Someone squealed, running up to him and jumping into his arms. Draco was thrown off and fell to the ground with an umph. Astoria laughed as she lay on his torso, before kissing his lips passionately.
He hated public displays of affection so he kept the kiss short before pushing her off. As Draco stood up from the grass, he threw a hand out to Astoria to help her to her feet. All three Gryffindors had mouths slightly ajar from what they just witnessed.
He cleared his throat and placed an arm around the lower waist of the black haired witch.
"Right." He began, a little embarrassed. "When will the rest of the teams be arriving?"
"Th-they-uh-they'll be here within the next half hour." Weasley stammered, Granger still holding his hand. Draco tried to look her in the eyes, but she refused to give him the chance.
You could cut the tension with a knife. Astoria held his left arm with both hands, squeezing it very tight.
"Let's head into the change rooms, Malfoy." Potter instructed. "I have a plan of action for the game to discuss with you. Ron, you head into the other tent."
"Right then! Guess we'll see you out there, Harry. I would say good luck mate, but don't wanna take any chances this year." The redhead chuckled.
The two Gryffindor men shook hands before Weasley and Granger began to make their way to the opposing team's tent. But not before Astoria Greengrass got her moment of glory.
"Oh Miss Granger! If you would like, you are welcome to come and join me on the benches while the boys prepare. It would be splendid to spend time with you outside of the office." She spoke with a little too much pep for a casual invite.
"Splendid?" Draco whispered lowly so only Astoria could hear.
"Shut up. Go with it." She snapped through a wide gritted smile.
"Oh." Granger replied, quite shocked by the invitation. "I-um-That would be lovely."
The Gryffindor had a touch of sadness in her voice. As to whether Draco's presence was the cause of it, he was not sure, but no doubt it had an impact. Granger kissed Weasley's cheek and started walking to the bleachers. Astoria mirrored the actions, pecking Draco's face and sped walked to catch up with her.
The three men watched the women, and then turned to one another. It was terribly awkward, feeling far too much like the idiocy of schooling days. Weasley nodded to his opponents and turned on his heel.
"Do I want to know?" Potter mumbled, indicating towards why Astoria Greengrass just jumped her boss.
"Don't ask." Draco groaned, already sick of today, and it was not even 9am.
Hermione Granger rubbed her upper arms to warm herself up as she sat with Astoria Greengrass on the quidditch field benches. Gathered by the kiss that the receptionist shared with Malfoy, she assumed that the two were more involved than she had anticipated. Seeing them leave the engagement party together was one thing, but going out to public events was a clear indicator that Malfoy and Astoria were dating.
Hermione felt humiliated for assuming that Malfoy would ever have feelings for her. He was the type of person that was a magnet for beautiful and rich pureblood witches, and Astoria met that stereotype perfectly. Hermione knew it was wrong of her to be disappointed, she loved Ron, she did not need the love and affection of a narcissistic Slytherin. But why did it ache her heart to see Malfoy close with someone else?
"Who do you think will win today?" Astoria asked, the first to speak since watching the boys enter their team tents.
"Well," Hermione laughed awkwardly, "I do hope that Ron's team wins. He is not the easiest to deal with as a sore loser."
"I understand completely. Mr Malfoy can get very grumpy when he does not get his own way, so for everyone's sake I hope the ministry team wins."
Hermione felt very uncomfortable.
"How long have you two being seeing one another?" She asked out of obligation.
"I know I said that he was not interested in pursuing a relationship, but I guess that I was wrong. Mr Malfoy knows a good deal when he sees one."
"If you don't mind me asking… Why do you call him Mr Malfoy? If you are in a relationship I would assume he would be okay with you calling him by his informal name outside of work."
"He actually asked that I do not. But I find it exciting."
Hermione frowned, confused by her statement.
"Right."
A few other players began to arrive onto the field and separated into their respective tents. Ron had recruited all of the best players in Britain that he had contact with, determined not to lose this year against 'washed up Hogwarts wannabes'. Harry had also done the same thing, so much so that he went out of his way to invite Malfoy. Hermione wondered if he would be forced to play a position he was not familiar with, depending on if Harry was gracious enough to step down himself. She doubted it, though.
It wasn't long before both teams were on the field, stretching and flying across the green. The Professionals were wearing all orange uniforms, an influence from Ron's favourite team, The Chudley Cannons. They were definitely eye-catching.
The Politicians were wearing an almost baby blue uniform. The colours were an odd choosing on Harry's part, but the team looked very dazzling. A specific blond player stood out to Hermione the most. Seeing Malfoy in brighter clothing was very distracting, she could not take her eyes off of him. As he took flight, she watched him zoom around in circles for several minutes. The only thing that broke her focus was a red-headed player waving at her frantically from the height of his broom. She awkwardly returned the gesture.
A memory of Ron's quidditch tryouts for the Gryffindor team replayed in her mind. It felt almost like a simpler time back then.
After an hour of small talk with Astoria and observing the team's warm up, Hermione excused herself and made way to the VIP box where Ron's family sat. The benches and private boxes surrounding were filled to the brim. Hogwarts students, ministry officials, family members, coaches and all sorts were in attendance today.
It was not long before all the players were hovering in a circle at the centre of the pitch, ready for the official start. Hermione felt butterflies fluttering in her stomach, nervous for the clean game that could soon turn sour before her eyes. Ginny was the commentary for this match, not wanting to play and ending up in a fight with her brother over poor captaincy like they did last year. George and Bill were seated on either sides of her, excited to see Ron make a fool of himself, or so they hoped he would.
Once the whistle blew, the crowd roared in anticipation. Hermione held her breath and squeezed her sweaty hands together tightly. She could see Ron taking his usual keeper position in front of the left side's goal posts, and Harry flying around looking for the snitch.
If Harry was the ministry's seeker, that meant that Malfoy was…
The blond was soaring at great speed, already with the quaffle in his clutch. He was a chaser. Bludgers were being thrown at him from every direction, the professionals determined to throw him off his broom. It was obvious they were given direction to be as violent as possible.
"Blimey! Malfoy's got a death wish being put as chaser!" George chuckled.
"Do you think he is going to get hurt?!" Hermione yelled back.
"Definitely!" Both George and Bill replied.
The witch groaned, but by pure luck or talent, Malfoy managed to swiftly dodge the bludgers and score the first 10 points of the game. The crowd went wild, clapping and cheering. Hermione leapt a little in her seat, but stopped herself in remembrance of whose team she was supposed to be rooting for.
Ron's face was red with frustration. He had failed to stop the goal, and Malfoy being the scorer only made it worse.
Soon enough the game was Politicians 80 - Professionals 30. The mood of the Weasley VIP box had come to a low, but Hermione remained on the edge of her seat. Harry had yet to find the snitch, but Malfoy kept their team ahead with his quick speed and near perfect aim. Ron looked like he could snap his broom in half.
"What'd you reckon Bill? Ron gonna have a tantrum before the game finishes?" George snickered across Hermione to his brother.
"Feel sorry for 'Mione over here. She's gonna have to deal with the aftermath." Bill replied, patting her knee with his hand.
"The game isn't over yet." She remained optimistic. "You never know, Ron's team could make a comeback."
"No chance." Bill shook his head laughing.
Hermione sighed, not ready to deal with an aggressive pent up fiance.
As Malfoy sought the quaffle again, the crowd gasped, noticing that Ron had come out of his goal boundary and caught a bludger mid air. The red-head waited for the blond to fly over with an evil look. Hermione felt her heart skip a beat.
Malfoy was making his way to the goals with great speed, not hesitating or stopping for anything. Bill and George started cursing, knowing what their brother's plan was going to lead to. As the blond lifted his arm to throw the quaffle, Ron hauled the bludger with force to his opponent's open rib cage. The crowd made a collective hiss at the sight of Malfoy being hit and crumpling onto the wood of his broom.
Hermione stood up straight, shaky fingertips on her lips. Blood filled her ears, a ringing noise resounding. It felt like she was punched in the gut herself.
Everyone in the audience was silent, watching Malfoy curled up in the sky. No one knew if he was okay or not. A few team members flew over to him slowly, checking to see if he was okay. The quaffle nor the flyer had fallen to the ground. Ron had no face of regret.
Suddenly, Malfoy sat up straight and threw the quaffle at the centre goal post. Keeper nowhere near his required position.
"By miracle alone, Malfoy scores another 10 points for Politicians!" Ginny bellowed over the commentary.
Screams and chants were heard from every direction of the stadium. Flags waving profusely, as Malfoy soared around the perimeter of the pitch with a fist in the air, and a hand on his probably broken ribs. Hermione let out a breath of relief and sat back down. All of the Weasleys were as quiet as a mouse, ashamed of the illegal maneuver Ron tried to pull.
"That's gonna bite him in the arse later on…" George groaned.
"Oh, God." Hermione exhaled, imagining the worst of the reprecuations for Ron's quidditch career.
Ron's head hung low while he flew back to the goals. The rest of the Professionals shook their heads in his direction. They could hear the poor Prophet reports about the game already.
Hermione saw in the corner of her eye Harry dive from his high point in the sky, plummeting towards the earth in pursuit of the golden snitch. The second seeker followed suit and turned his broom to chase his opponent. Just as Harry was a few metres away from going head first into the pitch's grass, he pulled up abruptly with the snitch in hand.
"Harry Potter has caught the snitch! 100 points to Politicians, winning them the game with 190 points to Professional's 30. Well done babe!" Ginny cheerfully declared to the audience, adding a personal touch to her announcement.
Hermione put both of her hands over her face, as the Weasley family behind her moaned in their loss.
"Cheer up everyone!" George smirked, "I've just won 10 galleons."
Molly hit her son on the back of the head with her bag. The red-head rubbed his neck to soothe the injury, but continued to laugh at his own joke.
All the players were now on the ground, Harry's team embracing and jumping in celebration over their undefeated win. It shocked Hermione to see Malfoy joining in on the fun, hugging all the other players, and patting their backs. The professionals, including Ron, made their way over and did the respectful congratulatory hand shakes with their disappointed faces.
The crowd began to cheer in unison.
"Weasley is our King,
Weasley is our King,
He always lets the Quaffle in
Weasley is our King."
They repeated it over and over again.
Hermione panicked at the sound, watching her fiance be humiliated in front of an entire stadium. Malfoy had his hands up in surrender, and a smile across his face. It was evident he did not start the chant, but the wizard looked pretty proud of himself that his song had stuck since their Hogwarts days.
Unsure of what Ron was going to do, Hermione leant over the edge of the VIP box, nervous for a fight to break out. But the redhead simply laughed. He laughed and Mafloy's hand. Hermione was in awe of their harmony. Ron had just tried to kick him off his broom not 5 minutes ago. This was weird, this was not okay.
From her view point, Hermione could see Astoria running onto the pitch, her long black hair flowing in the wind. Malfoy turned from laughing with Ron to see the girl coming towards him. He took a few steps and they met one another in an embrace. The blond picked her up from her waist, spun her around twice before placing her back on the ground and kissing her deeply on the lips.
Hermione felt her entire body heat up.