Disclaimer: Harry Potter, plot and all her characters belong to JKR and her publishing companies, which's names I don't know. No copyright infringement intended. Don't bother suing, my "fortune" isn't worth the trouble. I only own the idea to this story.
Timeline: In their fifth year, 1995/1996
Rating: R for strong language
Chapter: 4/15
Pairings: Blaise Zabini/Neville, hints of Hermione/Ron
Summary: At their day two, or three, if you count the night of the resorting - I don't - Harry, Seamus and Neville apply for places in the Slytherin Quidditch team. If the chapter works out like I want, here will be the first H/D hints.
Silver Snake
By Artemis (Artemis1000@gmx.net)
Chapter four: Quidditch, Quidditch, Quidditch… - Wednesday
It's an icy-cold December morning at Hogwarts, snowing and windy. The Quidditch field was - like the rest of the school grounds - covered almost a foot deep in snow. It looked like a midwinter dream, but for the Quidditch players it's all but pleasant. Unfortunately, Christmas holidays were only a week away and they needed the training.
"Gryffindors, get the fuck away from our pitch!", shouted Draco. When he got no immediate reaction, he aimed a death glare at the collective Gryffindor team, that's just preparing to take off. Seemed like they weren't the only one testing today. But he didn't felt like being compassionate and understanding today, not when he'd had only had four hours sleep. Of course it wasn't his own fault that his dorm mates and him told each other horror stories until two in the morning, although they knew they'd to stand up at six in order to use their booking fully, which's from half past seven a.m. till ten p.m…
Ron hovered just above the blonde, returning the glare unimpressed. "You leave, Malfoy, we're here first. And by the way, Malfoy, it's not your pitch!"
This pieces of conversation - or rather exchange of colourful insults with other words in between - was the first thing Harry heard when he joined his team. In the locker room he'd taken his time getting used to the green Quidditch robes, so he's the last to arrive. Fortunately a Slytherin player transferred into Gryffindor had the same size and they switched robes. "Hey, what's going on?"
"Harry, good that you're here. This Slytherin gits want to use the pitch!"
"We "Slytherin gits" booked, if I'm not mistaken", commented Blaise dryly.
Being the good, kind and peace-loving person he was, Harry tried to mediate. "Let's make a bargain before we waste even more time arguing. Slytherin uses the pitch today, Gryffindor gets tomorrow and Friday."
"Friday is useless, we need some time to evaluate the results."
"Then you get Thursday, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw can fight over making their try-out Friday."
"But we booked the pitch, you didn't, we don't need to haggle at all", sulked Blaise.
"Ron, you really didn't booked, did you?"
"Of course we booked!"
"That's odd. I can't remember that the pitch was booked twice before."
A shy third year suggested, "maybe Madame Hooch played us a trick with that? Our teams made her a lot of trouble in the last years with our bickering and now she could pay both of us back without making one team lose."
"I'll give this old hag a piece of my mind!"
Just then Madame Hooch appeared behind them. "That won't be necessary, Mister Malfoy, I already can imagine what you're wanting to say. Yes, the pitch was reserved for two teams for the same time, on purpose, and if you want to go to Headmaster Dumbledore about this, you're free to do so - it's his idea. Gryffindor and Slytherin team came at the same time to us and we don't favour any teams. So we'd to find a compromise."
"And that is…?"
"…that you'll share the pitch like the sporting ladies and gentlemen you are. Give it a try, children, maybe you'll even enjoy it. For example, you could make a sparring game. But I'll leave that decision to you, Professor Flitwick invited me to breakfast. Have fun!"
"Blaise, Longbottom, stop that this very instant! We're here to play Quidditch, not to make out on the Quidditch pitch."
"Oh, Draco, cheer up! Just because you don't have any boyfriend to smooch with doesn't means the people in a relationship could restrain themselves." Blaise gave Neville another peck and wiped a snow flake from his nose. "And besides, I think this will become a great day. We have 13 hours to annoy the hell out of several dozen Gryffindors and they can't do anything against it…"
"If I were still in Slytherin, I would be at your side", remarked Pansy and joined the group. Only after she'd hugged all her four friends and greeted Neville a bit awkwardly, she realized that the whole Gryffindor Quidditch team was gathered additional to the Slytherin players. Well, at least what she believed it to be the team cause they all wore something scarlet. "And what is this, are you trying to bond with your opponents?"
"Hooch wants us to and booked the pitch for both of us. But Professor Snape will arrive any moment now, trust him to clear this up."
Seamus asked with chattering teeth, "Malfoy, can we just fly a bit around? It's bloody cold and I don't particularly fancy myself deep-frozen."
"Tell me if it helps", said Draco and nodded. He looked wistfully to the castle, wanting nothing more than to be in the Great Hall and have breakfast with the rest of the school. But he's team captain, he couldn't just leave. Well, maybe they would make a very long brunch break, preferably till lunch time…
Harry's mildly surprised at seeing Draco Malfoy so normal. But then again, in the last days he'd gotten used to finding all the time new things out about his Slytherin roommates. Slytherins were actually possessing a fine sense of humour, but it's such subtle and wry that you easily mistook it for the ever-present sarcasm. He'd also learned that they weren't quite as cold-hearted as they wanted you to believe - as soon as they're in the Common Room most let their icy mask down. of course there're also people like Malfoy, who he still couldn't figure out, but it's a start, wasn't it?
"Weasley, until Professor Snape arrives you can take the left side of the pitch. But don't get too comfortable, you only have a couple of minutes."
"Oh buzz off, Malfoy. Gryffindors, we use the right half of the pitch,
Slytherin takes the left. The experienced candidates please queue up here
and the candidates who want to play for their first time queue up there.
Please all mount your brooms now. Be careful, they're faster than you think.
Now we start with some easy exercises…"
It's a quarter to nine when Professor Snape and Professor McGonaggal arrived at the pitch. The teacher staff had had at short notice some important conference with Headmaster Dumbledore and they hadn't managed to send an owl before.
To the delight of the Heads of Gryffindor and Slytherin both teams were - more or less - peacefully testing new players instead of ripping each other's guts out - what they'd expected to see. Only if someone crossed by accident or on purpose the green-red line they'd magically drawn minor arguments broke out. The younger students were bewildered by the quarrels, but they're smart enough to say nothing.
Because everything had gone smoothly until now, the teachers decided they'd to share the pitch for the rest of the day as well. If any team needed the whole pitch, then they could do this exercises while the other was eating or made a break. And two hours before sunset they would start with four half an hour short games, so that every candidate could prove their skills on the desired position.
While Harry was trying to avoid Bludgers and catch the Snitch at the same time, Ron watched his team carefully. He's happy when Hermione and Ginny were drawn after breakfast with their Ravenclaw acquaintances to the Quidditch pitch. After explaining them the booking trouble and some chitchat, the girls went to the stands. Hermione had brought a big stack of books along and she planned on reading them all before lunch - although they'd this week no classes, she's working on her extra Arithmetic essay.
"You really don't have to work this much, Hermione. Yeah, we're in Ravenclaw now, but even Ravenclaws need occasionally fun."
"Oh, frankly, I'm only here for Ron and Harry. It seems like I'm rather immune against the fascination of Quidditch. Will you please hand me "Fascinating Stories of Japanese Arithmetic Band five"?"
"Here you are. How can you read so much, Hermione?"
"I don't know, I just love books and reading. Aren't you going to do any homework while we're here?"
"Nope, I'll just watch and when their tests aren't such hard, I'll maybe apply for membership in the Ravenclaw team."
"If you don't, you can still become cheerleader", joked Hermione.
"Huh? What's a cheerleader?"
"Just a Muggle thing."
"Oh."
Just then Pansy returned from bringing Draco, Blaise and the Slytherin candidates a picnic basket the House Elves prepared for them. They'd made sandwiches, pastries, chocolate frogs, sweet fruit tea, hot chocolate, pumpkin juice and other refreshments for them. "Hi, is this seat taken?"
"No, please sit down."
"Just tell me what you want and buzz off, OK? I'm working", snapped Hermione.
"*Herm*! Please excuse my friend. I don't think we're introduced before. Ginny Weasley from Ravenclaw."
"I'm Pansy Parkinson, Hufflepuff." With a dazzling smile she wouldn't have dared to show in public only a week ago, Pansy shook the offered hand.
"Oh, now I remember you. You're the girlfriend of Draco Malfoy, aren't you?"
"*Girlfriend*? Believe it or not, but I belong to the few girls who don't have any problems resisting Draco's charm. Besides, it would be really, really sick and perverted, we have feelings like between brother and sister."
"Oh. Do you like it in Hufflepuff? I wanted into Ravenclaw and I'm happy I did."
"Oh, it's nice. The people there are good company, kind, understanding, always nice… it's quite a change from Slytherin. Not that I haven't had - have - good friends at Slytherin, there're still two of the six most important people in my life, but the atmosphere is the total opposite. It's pleasant that you don't have to watch your back all the time."
"I can imagine."
Pansy took a small pack chocolate frogs out of her handbag. "Do you two want some? I smuggled them out of the picnic basket for the players. It's not fair if they get all the good stuff, they anyway never share."
Hermione eyed the Hufflepuff girl with distrust plainly visible in her
eyes. She didn't knew what to think about Pansy's sudden change. This was
a bit too fast to be believable, but the Sorting Hat wouldn't put her into
Hufflepuff without a reason. "Not that I suddenly forgot everything your
gang said and did, but we can't endanger the health of the Slytherin team
wantonly with letting them eat all this chocolate by themselves, can we…?"
"Do this charming ladies mind if an exhausted Quidditch player joins them for a few minutes?", panted Harry. Despite the icy temperatures sweat was running down his face.
"Sure, take a seat. You want a chocolate frog?"
Harry stuffed the chocolate into his mouth, gulped next some icy water down. "Sorry, I needed to catch my breath first. I'm sure that Draco Malfoy is a demon straight from hell and even more evil than Voldemort. It's just not fair that he chases us all over the pitch from his comfortable place, with drinks and biscuits…"
Pansy nodded wisely, muttering under her breath, "that's him all over!"
"I really don't know why Snape doesn't stops him. Oh wait, I forgot that Snape is a sadist…!"
"*Hush*! Harry, are you crazy? Do you really want detention right now, when your participation in the Quidditch team is at stake?"
"You're right, Herm, but they make me mad. Snape even forbid us to eat sweets in the breaks! Mean! Are you at least having a good time?"
"Yeah, we have a great time watching you taking great pains."
Harry glared for a moment playfully at Ginny, but then a smile forced it's way onto his face. "By the way, Miss Parkinson, you did a great job redecorating the Common Room."
"Thanks. It's kind of my goodbye present for Slytherin. I never liked our gloomy Common Room and I wanted it to look at least for the snake babes a bit friendlier. I believe our last interior designer was suffering from serious depression and wanted to make everyone who lived there also depressive."
"Potter, get going!", bellowed Snape all over the pitch.
"That's slavery!", muttered Harry, but he complied reluctantly.
"Slytherin candidates, you've now one hour break for lunch, relaxation and a change of robes. Don't stay out here, you'll only catch a cold. In exactly one hour we'll meet again, if you're late you're automatically excluded." Professor Snape glared another time at the students, then he turned around and stalked back to the castle.
"Neville, why don't you enrol yourself?"
"I thought I told you, Blaise."
"Yes, but you could at least give it a try."
"Quidditch is fun and all, but I'm just too clumsy. And falling from the broom will hurt more than making a cauldron explode and getting detention."
"Please?"
"Why is this so important for you, huh?"
"Oh, I'm not sure. I just want you to share my fondness for my favourite hobby. Besides, it would be nice if we're both at the team. We could spend more time together."
"Okay, I'll do it. But don't complain or be mad if I fail."
"I won't."
"Where did you left this stupid enrolment list?"
"It's not stupid. It's tasteful."
"Yeah, sure…!"
"I'm going to work with Draco on the intermediate result. See you at
lunch?"
Compared to the upsetting morning, the rest of the day was eventless. Slytherin and Gryffindor players busied themselves with glaring at each other whenever they'd a few moments time for it and Draco had to tell his people all the time off because they rather teased the Gryffindors than to watch where they flew. So it happened occasionally that an inexperienced Quidditch player ended up in the stands, at a goal post or somewhere else uncomfortable and painful.
Neville fell twice off his broom before he got the hang of it. After that he turned out to have considerable talent as beater. Under normal circumstances he would've to spend some time on the junior team, but this weren't normal circumstances, so he could likely join the senior team on condition that he stayed for Christmas and trained. Blaise was very proud.
Seamus was going to play chaser - there's no doubt that he would be on the senior team. He wanted to become keeper, but this was Blaise's position and Draco didn't wanted to make more changes than necessary. At least not in the middle of the season, if he became better till next school year he would reconsider it.
Harry's position was the cause of much tension. While Draco always claimed that Slytherin was more important to him than his personal success, nobody believed him fully. Not even his best friends. There's a difference between handing his position over to some better Seeker and handing it over to Harry Potter, his arch-rival for five and a half years. Besides, it's questionable if the Slytherin team would accept Harry as Seeker. No matter how good a player he was, he's still the hated goody-goody doer and perfect Gryffindor.
How the two empty beater and one empty chaser positions would be filled
the three examiners didn't knew. It's no help at all that Professor Snape
was too busy to get involved in the actual decision. He would only look
through the finished player list and give it his blessings.
So Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini brooded almost till midnight over their new team constellation.
"How do you feel about Potter as Seeker?"
"He's good."
"Yes, but I mean as our Seeker. You know, I always believed you should be Beater, so I'm maybe not neutral, but…"
"I know."
"Well?"
"He's the better Seeker and the team would get used to him."
"Yes. But how do you feel about it?"
"You're right when you say that I don't have the patience to watch the game pass by. And I never managed to beat him…"
"If we lead with 250 points it doesn't matters who catches the Snitch, so we need to have good Chasers, Beaters and Keeper. Potter won't always catch it and we need a good team, not mainly a good star."
"I can give Beater a try."
"Let's do it now, Draco? Tomorrow we won't have the pitch anymore and no one would see us right now." When Blaise saw that his best friend would disagree, he challenged, "what? Did you never did anything forbidden? Come on, Draco, don't tell me you don't have the guts!"
"Let's get our brooms and we can open the lock to the broom shed."
"Great!"
"Won't your boyfriend be jealous?"
"Draco, I thought we talked about this and agreed on not arguing about it anymore. Just trust me another time, give me a chance to prove you that I'm right. Unfortunately I don't have any proof now and you know that love doesn't works like this… I realize you don't approve of my choice, but I know that Neville is a good person and that I like him a lot. I can't say I love him, it's too early for that, we barely know each other, but there's just perfect chemistry. I know that this relationship is a good thing for both of us. I'm already now more happy than before, although three of my best friends aren't in my house anymore and that's straining. Trust me, OK?"
"I do trust you, Blaise. I just want you to be happy and I'm afraid that this Gryffindor will hurt you a lot more than he'll be good for you."
"So it's that - that he's a Gryffindor? We both know he's not anymore, the Sorting Hat will have some very good reasons for sorting Neville into House Slytherin. He's one of us now and I know that he'll prove it." A smug smirk appeared at the Slytherin's face, "and anyways, what is that between you and Harry Potter, huh? Giving me a sermon and yourself…"
"I don't like Potter! How many times and in how many languages do I have to tell you that until you believe me?"
"I just won't. Because I know that you have feelings for him, no matter how much you deny it. And I can understand it, if he wouldn't be taken by you already, I could be interested as well… I mean, Harry's a pretty face, well-formed body, he's not such dumb for a former Gryffindor and it should be still possible to corrupt him", he stated nonchalant.
"Do me a favour and don't ever talk to him like this, will you?"
Blaise knew it wasn't clever to tease a Malfoy. But he couldn't help himself. "What? Is someone openly showing his jealousy now?"
"No. I just don't want him to run to Dumbledore and cry about you being a sick pervert that has to be expelled", answered Draco without even blinking.
"Oh. Well, let's get our brooms."
Tbc…