Lexie's POV: „Hey Lexie!" I turned around to see Draco strolling up to me in the hallway.
"Perfect Patronus in your first lesson? Not bad, Lexie, not bad." He smirked.
"It's been literally 10 minutes since we walked out of Lupin's classroom. How on earth do you already know about this?" I said, raising one eyebrow.
"Oh please, your 7th year in Hogwarts and you're still wondering about the speed at which information travels here? Don't you know, these walls talk?" Draco said, playfully petting the wall.
"Oh please, only your 3rd year and you're already talking to the walls? ... So, what exactly did they tell you?" I asked, still raising an eyebrow.
"Inspiring stories about a young warrior, fighting against the injustice in this world", he said dramatically.
I gasped and put one hand on my chest.
"Oh no, what an awful destiny."
"Indeed. It was a hard life, but thankfully she called one of the greatest wizards of her time her friend. An outstanding wizard, smart as Merlin and beautiful, with hair like liquid moonshine."
"But…Marcus doesn't have blonde hair." I said.
"Hey!", Draco protested "Is that how you treat your friends?".
"Why don't you ask your pal, the wall?" I winked.
"Ha ha." Draco laughed sarcastically.
I smiled. "Gotta go now, I've got Herbology next."
"Alright, see you after dinner? Marcus said something about a Quidditch team meeting."
I threw my head back. "Argh… I can't. My detention starts today."
"Oh, good luck with that," Draco said before leaving for his next class.
With sagging shoulders, I made my way to the greenhouses where I joined Marcus at a group table filled with pots and dirt. He gently nudged me in the ribs.
"Come on, it won't be that bad. You can use the time to figure out why he doesn't like you and if you don't like the reason why he doesn't like you, you can use the remaining time to figure out his weaknesses for further encounters in the hallway."
I just stared at him in response. "That's really not helpful."
He held his hands over his head playing defeated.
"I tried." He said, smiling. "Alright so maybe you won't have the greatest time in detention, but you can use the next two hours to tell me all about your ideas to save our Quidditch team."
That finally made me smile and not only for the next two hours, but during all remaining classes of the day, we talked about different Quidditch strategies and suggestions for the next game. After dinner, Marcus and I walked to the hallway.
"Alright Lexie, good luck and you know … at least try not to kill him or something."
"Wise words from a man who once made a Professor cry."
"Oh come on, Quirrell doesn't count."
I just rolled my eyes in response as Shelley walked through the hallway to the door leading outside.
"Family meeting of the forest trolls?" Marcus asked her.
Now Shelley was the one rolling her eyes. "Not that it's any of your business, but I'm on my way to the Quidditch field."
"I don't think so", Marcus replied. "Slytherin is using the Quidditch field tonight."
"Well, we'll see about that," Shelley said and walked out the door.
Marcus muttered something before following her outside. I took a deep breath and made my way to Professor Lupin's office.
Nicki's POV: I heard steps behind me and turned around. Flint came to a stop as well.
"Stop following me", I said. "It's none of your business what we're going to do on the pitch. You can fuck right off."
"Ugh, calm down, Shelley", Flint replied and started walking again, right past me. I growled and followed him.
"Calm down?", I repeated. "I'll calm down when I don't have to see your face anymore."
He looked at me, a smirk on his face. "Oh, then continue not calming down, I don't really care, you know? I just want to practice quidditch in peace." His strides got longer and I had trouble staying next to him.
"No, you're not", I protested.
"As I already told you, Shelley, the Slytherin team has practice. Are you too dumb to understand that when I told you the first time, or...?"
I snorted, frustrated. "Listen, Flint. We booked the field this evening to practice. And since it can't be double-booked, you got the date wrong or something." Then, quieter I added: "And I know you're dumb enough to mess something like that up."
Without getting slower, he shot me a glare: "I heard that."
"You were supposed to."
He rolled his eyes, then came to a stop in front of the field, where we already heard shouting.
"NO! PUCEY! GET OFF MY BLOODY PITCH!" That was definitely Wood.
I shared a look with Flint, then hastily looked away and grimaced. Ugh, where had that come from?
I walked a bit faster, so I would arrive ahead of Flint, but he seemed to have the same thought so we walked in together and everyone suddenly shut up to turn and look at us. Wood shot me a quick, questioning look, then focused his bundled anger on Flint. He strode over and waved a piece of parchment under Flint's nose.
"What is this?", he asked with barely suppressed rage.
He got another one of Flint's infuriating smirks. I wanted to slap it out of his face.
He said: "I don't know, Wood. If you would stop waving it like a madman, I could read it."
"Oh, I tell you what it is", Wood said, "a special permit to use the quidditch field from Snape? Are you kidding me? Since when are there such things as special permits? We have booked the field for today, it's our right to use it."
"Your right?" Flint looked at Oliver sceptically.
"You know, Wood is right", I said and went to stay next to Oliver. "As I already told you, you big cave troll, we have booked it. Have you not understood that the first time I told you?"
Flint's eyebrows rose as I flung his own words back at him. He took a step towards me.
"I understood you well, Shelley, but we have the special permit which you are lacking. So it is time for you to leave."
I balled my hands into fists and couldn't hold back an angry hiss. "We are not leaving."
Now Pucey, who had come to stand next to us (like every other member of both teams), said: "We could both play. I mean, we still have that open rematch, don't we?"
It was quiet for a few moments as everyone thought about his words. I exchanged a look with Wood. I gave a slight nod and he said: "Good. Be prepared to lose."
Another Flint-smirk. I would definitely slap it out of his face someday.
"We're a player short", he said. "That is not exactly fair."
"What isn't fair is that you're here but since we can't change anything about that, I'll just go and sit and watch the game. I can be a substitute", Alicia said.
I smiled at her and nodded thanks. Then I turned back to Flint and said: "We can beat you fairly. Something you're unable to do, methinks."
"As if you wouldn't play dirty tricks to win, Shelley. You're too ambitious for that to be beneath you."
Now it was me who took a step towards him so that by now I had to look up to him.
"Oh, just you watch, Flint", I growled and he replied in almost the same tone:
"Don't worry, I'll watch your every move, we want to play fairly, don't we?"
I wanted to reply something but Oliver took my arm and pulled me away.
"What's gotten into you?", he murmured. "Get a grip. I want to hit Flint in the face as badly as you want but now we play quidditch. If you still want to hit him later, I won't stop you. But now, concentrate! I really want to win this fairly... but in case they start fouling again, which they will. Foul the fuck back. There's no Madam Hooch here now."
I raised a brow but nodded. Oliver was apparently especially ambitious and focused today. We got dressed and walked onto the field, where the Slytherins were already waiting for us.