I do not own Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, or any canon characters.
Note: I had a terrible day so wanted to post an extra chapter this week. Thank you all for your views, your kind words, reviews, and encouragement. They've helped me get by the last few weeks and I'm so happy you enjoy my fanfic.
I hope everyone has a nice weekend!
The Family that Chooses You
Chapter 37 – Purity of Cruelty
Harry dove.
It was at an angle, he did not feel confident in a dive straight down quite yet, but it was still a sharp dive. He flattened himself against the broomstick, feeling the wind pull at his robes and pads, whipping through his hair. The ground came up alarmingly fast. The long flags that draped down the front of the stands in the pitch slipped past him, the colors nearly blending together at that speed.
He pulled up on the stick, and the angle flattened, rising easily from the dive without a kick or shudder. With both hands together on the stick he was able to make small course corrections, making sharp turns in flight. He pulled hard with his right hand while pushing with his left. He neatly turned to the right, the front of his broomstick angled directly where he wanted to go.
Twisting on both hands in the same direction had the broom roll. For a brief moment he felt he would fall off but clenching his thighs on the broom helped him maintain his seat before he twisted back the other way, straightening up. He repeated the gesture the other direction, rolling to the side and holding it there for a few long seconds before rolling upright.
"Thattaboy!" Oliver crowed. He had been following Harry at a distance and watching proudly as he executed the exercises. The notes he had taken at the Summer Quidditch Camp had been invaluable. Most thought he was crazy for attending the seminars and demonstrations for all the positions. They called him a fanatic.
They were not wrong of course. He still willingly went to them all to take as many notes as he could to give to his team.
Harry flew up to him, windswept and wide smiled. "You're right! Holding the middle of the stick with one hand in front of the other makes moving a lot easier. The broom is more responsive that way, I don't feel like I have to pull or push as hard."
"Grabbing the top is good for those minute changes and gives you enough control with one hand if you need the other for catching. For the longer courses the middle path is the way to go." Oliver showed what he was saying as he said it, flying slowly around Harry. "Plus it doesn't tire you out as much. Gives your upper body more flexibility."
"I'm so jealous you got to go to a camp," Harry said. "I'd love to go."
Oliver smiled sadly. "Well, maybe one day you can. Until then I'll pass along my knowledge with a much lighter fee."
"Do you take Snitch gold?"
"Any day," Oliver said and high-fived Harry. "Now do another quick circuit and try to double the exercises this time." He watched fondly as Harry sped off.
It was a beautiful day for practice. The sun was shining, conditions clear, nice and cool. The first practice after a summer break was always the roughest but the team had bounced back easily.
Oliver had idly thought about waking everyone up early but the night prior Alicia had warned him against that. Valuing his personal safety, he did in fact wait until a few hours after dawn to wake the team and start practice. He could not complain at all. His notes from the camp were well received across the board and everyone was happy to fly together and to play.
He was incredibly thankful that the team had remained intact from last year. Trials were always stressful things and he knew his team was a strong one and could only get better. There was no reason to replace anyone.
A loud whistle pierced the air and everyone turned. Fred waved his arms and pointed at the crowd of students approaching the pitch.
Oliver frowned, feeling his good will dissolving. Even far away he recognized the brutish form in the front. "This won't be good," he sighed to himself. He waved an arm around and pointed down, gather and descend. The team did as directed, flying to each other and down, landing neatly.
The Gryffindor team waited in silence, watching the Slytherin team approach. Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, and Colin Creevy ran up to the team. Ron and Hermione had come to watch and Ginny and Luna had tagged along. Colin Creevy had come as well, eager to take pictures of all the new things as well as his idol, Harry.
The Slytherins lined up in front of their rivals, sneering and sniggering darkly.
"Flint," Oliver greeted as cordially as he could. "Have a good summer?"
Flint grunted troll-like.
"Mine was good too, thank you for asking," Oliver replied blandly to his team's chuckles. "I had the pitch booked for my team today."
"Plenty of room for both teams," Flint said. "I have a written note. We have to help train our new Seeker."
"New Seeker? What happened to Pucey?" Oliver asked.
"None of your business," a cold clear voice said. A slight form pushed his way through the other Slytherin players and Harry suppressed a groan as he looked at Draco's sneering face.
To say Harry and Draco never got along would be a giant understatement. Since meeting on the Hogwarts Express before the beginning of their first year, the pair had butted heads. Draco never forgave Harry for refusing his so-called friendship in that compartment. Harry did not like Draco's attitude and slighting Ron within moments of meeting. Something about Draco always rubbed Harry the wrong way, an opinion that only strengthened throughout the year.
Harry never forgot how Draco tried to get him and Hermione expelled over the dragon incident last year. Nor did he forget the numerous insults the boy had thrown his way. He did not ignore all the other insults he aimed at Harry's friends either.
"Draco's the new Seeker." Flint looked smug while explaining the obvious. "We also need to train the team on our new brooms. A generous donation from Lucius Malfoy.
Everyone finally noticed the brand-new brooms that the Slytherins all held. They gleamed in the sunlight, polished ebony and mahogany wood with golden lettering.
"Those are the new Nimbus 2001s!" Ron exclaimed.
"That's right," Draco said. His tone was even more smug than Flint's a moment ago. "Top of the line. Only the best for the Slytherins. They are better by far than the old 2000 model," he looked down at Harry's broom. "Not to mention they sweep the Cleansweeps in every category." He sniffed at the brooms the twins held. "Might as well use those for kindling."
"You wouldn't know how to start a fire even if someone gave you a match much less kindling," Ron retorted.
Draco's face went pale as the Gryffindors and the Ravenclaw laughed. Some on the Slytherin team seemed inclined to snort too. "Why would I need to know? I, unlike others, can afford not to."
He looked like he scored a point while the Weasley's all went red. The other Slytherins snorted appreciatively.
"At least no one on the Gryffindor Team had to buy their way on," Hermione said clearly. She looked directly at Draco, a look of utter disdain on her face. "They earned their place with skill and talent."
Laughter rained from all sides, even from the students in green and silver.
Draco looked livid. "Don't you dare talk to me you filthy mud-blood!"
The laughter immediately stopped. A few of the Slytherins leered unpleasantly but the faces on a couple of them closed off completely.
The Gryffindors, as a whole, erupted.
Fred and George tried to jump at Draco but Flint and the second largest Slytherin blocked them. Angelina growled with outrage, stepping forward and rolling up her sleeves. Alicia cried out, "How dare you!"
"You'll pay for that Malfoy!" Ron yelled and his wand came up.
Harry pushed it down and everyone stopped to look at the boy, surprised by him doing that.
"I seem to be missing something," Harry said. He tried to remain calm. "What does that mean?" He had a guess that it was something incredibly rude given how his team was acting. He knew he was not the only one that did not quite know either. Hermione and Colin shared his confusion while the others who were from Magical Families looked incensed.
"It's a slur," Luna said softly. Her typically dreamy tone was sharper and more focused. "A dreadful thing to say in any company. It's what some people call a witch or wizard who is Muggle-born. It insinuates that they're unworthy."
Hermione started to tear up and Colin and Harry looked aghast.
Katie put an arm around the bushy-haired girl. "It's despicable," she spat, glaring at Draco. "It's used by people obsessed over blood status and that nonsense. Used to denigrate others. They claim your ancestry somehow matters if you're a good witch or wizard. If you have any Muggle family, your blood is considered dirty."
"What you call obsession is more like common sense," Draco drawled. "Your blood matters, at least, to proper wizarding families." He looked pointedly at the Weasleys.
"Not to all 'proper wizarding families'," Alicia drawled back, affecting the tone that Draco had. "Only the ones who are narrow-minded bigots."
"As if the Spinnets matter at all," Draco snarled.
"You know, I kind of feel bad for you," Harry said, heading off the building argument. Again, everyone went quiet and looked at Harry with surprise. "From the moment we met, there was something about you that I didn't really like. It's taken until now for me to figure it out, but I finally did. You remind me of people I already know."
Harry looked directly at Draco. "You like to say mean things and tear people down. You always talk about how important your family is and how 'Ancient' and 'Noble' your family name is. Every word you say out loud is you trying to prove how much better you are."
"Because I am better," Draco said.
"Even if you were, you don't need to rub it in everyone's face. Well, I guess you do, but you shouldn't. But because you do that, because you act like that, because all you say and do is to hurt, I finally realized why I think you're so familiar."
Everyone waited with baited breath.
"You're cruel."
Harry spoke without rancor, without hate. He spoke with barely any emotion, as if reading from a textbook. Katie and Angelina and Alicia stared at the boy with fear mingled with morbid curiosity. Never did they imagine he would speak out like this in front of so many, so open. The twins and Oliver looked apprehensive, as if they knew what was coming. The others stared at Harry uncomprehendingly though Draco was growing angrier by the moment.
"I know some people who are just like you. They say awful things. They never say anything kind to others, only to themselves. They bully everyone. They talk about how good they are but their actions never match their words. They hurt people below them just to prove they can. They do it to feel like they're superior."
Emerald green eyes met slate gray ones. "You're just like them. Not physically, but your attitudes and personalities are the same. There's only one small difference between you and them."
"And what's that?" Draco tried to sound condescending and disinterested and was failing spectacularly.
"They're Muggles. They don't have any magic."
The Slytherins gasped. Angelina stood right behind Harry and placed a hand on his shoulder. He gripped it tight. Luna and Ron and Ginny exchanged nervous glances. The twins scowled at Draco. Oliver looked at Harry with increasing respect while Alicia was smothering the biggest smile. Katie continued to hold Hermione and the two witches stared at Harry.
"Did you just call me a Muggle?" Draco's voice was low but it trembled with rage.
"No, I said you were cruel like Muggles," Harry corrected. "If you can act like them with all your magic and blood, yet," he gestured to his team and friends, "they're magical too and act the opposite, I guess blood purity doesn't really matter, does it?"
"Blood purity always matters!" Draco spat.
"Guess it doesn't matter to me then," Harry said simply.
The air felt still and heavy, the calm before an impending storm. Even the birds seemed to have stopped singing. The waves from the lake were distant and quiet. The sun was still bright but the rays felt cool.
Harry turned around and faced away from Draco.
He heard rustling and all of a sudden, he was falling down. Angelina had pushed him down and thrown herself over him. He could hear the twins cry out in anger and voices were raised. He heard Ron yell and could just see over Angelina's shoulder that the younger red-headed boy had tackled Draco. There was a scuffle and a large burst of light and sound before the two were flung apart.
"Harry, are you okay?!" Angelina asked as she rose slightly over him.
"I'm…I'm fine I think. Are you okay? What happened?" he replied, concerned.
Alicia had run over to help him up with Angelina. Katie had pulled Hermione away and gathered Ginny, Luna, and Colin behind her. The twins were looking to Ron and Oliver stood in the front with his wand out. The Slytherin team had spread out and back, letting Draco lie on the ground alone.
"The little jerk tried to hex you behind your back," Alicia said angrily.
"Are you okay?" Harry asked Angelina, eyes wide.
"I'm fine Rabbit, don't worry," she said comfortingly. "He missed us both."
He hugged her gratefully as the girls helped him to his feet. "Ron, are you okay?"
Ron shook his head dizzily. When he opened his mouth, he turned green and vomited a large slug out onto the grass. The twins hurriedly scrambled behind him, holding him up but aiming him to where no one stood.
The Slytherins began to howl with laughter but that changed swiftly as one of them who opened his mouth to laugh instead vomited slime and slugs all over himself. The older Slytherins howled in horror and scrambled away from Draco. The boy looked paler and horrified and opened his mouth again to scream but only let loose a wave of slime and slug.
Ron pointed at the vomiting boy, alternating between retches and guffaws. He was not at all bothered by his current predicament, eyes sparkling with satisfaction. "I got you, urp, you git!" He burped horribly. "You're finally as slimy on the outside as you are on the inside!"
Draco said nothing, trying to cover his mouth with his hands. His efforts did nothing to stem the flow.
"Well, on that note," Oliver said cheerily, "I think we practiced enough. Pitch is all yours Flint. Hope you have a good practice."
The crowd of Gryffindors and the lone Ravenclaw left laughing, leaving the Slytherin team standing well away from the boy who was trying, and failing, to recover any semblance of dignity.
Alicia whispered to Colin. "Take a few pictures, I'll pay handsomely for them."
The first year boy complied eagerly, surreptitiously aiming his camera around the grinning fourth year girl at the retching Draco. After Colin finished taking pictures he ran off towards the castle, eager to develop them. Alicia had mimed for him to make them as large as possible.
"Alicia," Oliver said, suppressing a smile, "I don't think that's a good example to lead."
"Don't care. Let's see how much the Malfoys matter after these pictures make the rounds."
Oliver shook his head but he knew better than to interfere with her fun, especially when she was in a dangerous mood. He turned to the twins, supporting a sickly, but happily, looking Ron. "Want some help taking him up to the Infirmary?"
"Nah we got him," George said proudly.
"Least we can do for the wonderful thing our little brother pulled off," Fred said proudly. He raised his hand to pound Ron's back but the second year boy held up his hand.
"Don't think that's a good idea right now," Ron said weakly.
"Good call bro," Fred chuckled. They left towards the castle, half carrying Ron between them. Ginny and Luna followed them, keeping close but taking care to avoid the trail of slime and occasional slugs Ron left behind.
Hermione looked shaken up still, eyes slightly wet. "Th-thank you," she said shakily to everyone. She rushed into Harry's arms when he opened them, stifling a sob.
Katie rubbed her back gently. "That was despicable of him, really. Unfortunately, there are some that still believe in that, usually the older families. You certainly don't deserve it."
"The fact that Hermione is the top of our year should prove that wrong," Harry said stoutly.
Hermione made a watery chuckle.
Oliver rested a hand on Harry's shoulder. "You okay?"
"I wasn't the one he was insulting for once," Harry said with some confusion. "Angelina protected me though." He looked at her and smiled as warmly as he could. "She deserves thanks."
"No one hurts my Rabbit," she said stoutly.
Oliver chuckled. "Still, you opening up like that. Standing your ground. The you from last year wouldn't have done it. I'm proud of you."
Harry blushed deep crimson. "Thanks," he stammered. "You're not wrong, I couldn't have done that before. I wouldn't know how to stand up to anyone. I couldn't stand up to the Dursleys. I didn't know how to stand up for myself."
Everyone went quiet. Hermione looked up at Harry with his arms still around her, her grief momentarily forgotten.
Harry had lapsed into silence, looking into the distance. He slowly came back to himself. "I learned how to do that from you guys. If anything, I should be thanking all of you." He looked embarrassed. "I don't think I've said it out loud yet. I haven't thanked you all enough."
Oliver ruffled Harry's hair. "No need to thank us for being decent," he said. His eyes glinted a little.
"I'll take his thanks," Alicia said pertly but also with wet eyes. "I need all the thanks I can get, I hardly get enough."
"And you say I ruin moments," Oliver snorted.
Katie and Angelina shook their heads in exasperation, but they looked fondly at Harry. They did not try to hug him while he comforted Hermione, but their looks said it all.
They slowly walked back to the castle, the older students keeping the younger ones safe among them.