CHAPTER NINE: QUIDDITCH
~~~
Several days later, Draco Malfoy, the captain and Seeker of the Slytherin Quidditch team, watched from his lofty perch on his Nimbus 2001 broomstick as Madam Hooch stepped out onto the field. He made eye contact with his three Chasers and two Beaters for a few seconds each, and they all nodded at him. This game against Ravenclaw was vital. If they won, it would put them in second place, behind Gryffindor. They had to win, and not just because of the Quidditch Cup. The reputation of Slytherin house was at stake.
Albus Dumbledore had insisted that everything at Hogwarts remain functioning the same way it had since before Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Helga Hufflepuff had been resurrected. He saw no reason to hide in the school, and for once, Draco agreed with him. If Salazar Slytherin really had been resurrected, Draco wanted him to see that his house was and would always be the greatest of them all.
After looking at his teammates, Draco's gaze drifted to the Ravenclaw girl hovering on a broomstick across from him. It was their Seeker, Padma Patil. Cho Chang, who graduated last year, was the best Seeker Ravenclaw had in a long time, but Padma was rather good herself. She was small, light, and quick, which was always an advantage for Seekers. Draco had experience and a better broomstick on his side, but he had learned not to underestimate Padma. Earlier that year, she had almost beaten Harry Potter to the Golden Snitch, and Harry was the best Seeker to attend Hogwarts since Charlie Weasley, who could have gone professional.
Madam Hooch opened the box that contained the balls, releasing the Bludgers and the Golden Snitch. Padma watched the balls go up, then looked at Draco. For a few moments, the Seekers stared each other down, but their gazes broke at the sound of Madam Hooch's whistle, signalling the start of the game.
Slytherin took possession of the Quaffle immediately, and their Chaser team, led by a fifth-year named Cody Van Buren, sped toward the hoops at the end of the pitch. Cody passed the Quaffle to another Chaser, a sixth-year named Abby Gordon, one of the two girls on the team. Abby ducked a Bludger, a Ravenclaw Chaser, and Gregory Goyle, one of the two Slytherin Beaters, as she sped toward the goal. Goyle and the other Beater, Vincent Crabbe, were selected to be on the team for their sheer size and brute strength more than their skill, but when they managed to steer their broomsticks straight and hit the Bludgers in the right direction, they were not bad at all. Luckily for the other teams, this did not happen very often.
Abby swooped toward the goal, faked a shot, and tossed the Quaffle to Slytherin's third Chaser, fourth-year Timothy Brackett. Ravenclaw's Keeper, Terry Boot, fell for Abby's fake, and Timothy scored easily. Ten nothing, Slytherin.
Ravenclaw took possession of the Quaffle, and their Chaser trio of sixth-years Rory Milton and Jessica Wheeler and seventh-year Lisa Turpin moved the ball downfield. However, a pass between Rory and Lisa was intercepted by Cody Van Buren. Cody passed the ball to Timothy, who took a shot at the goal. Terry was ready, though, and blocked the shot easily.
Terry tossed the ball to Lisa, and the Ravenclaw Chasers raced downfield again. One of Ravenclaw's Beaters, Stephen Cornfoot, sent a Bludger flying at Crabbe. Crabbe saw it coming and tried to hit it at Jessica Wheeler, but his aim was off as usual, and the Bludger hit Goyle.
Draco groaned and slapped his forehead. Those morons. He heard the sound of someone giggling, and looked up and saw that it was Padma. "Shut up, Patil," he snapped. Padma stopped laughing, but the amused smirk on her face still remained.
Ravenclaw's Chasers took advantage of the distraction caused by Crabbe and Goyle and moved in on the goal, which was guarded by Slytherin's other female player, seventh-year Tracey Davis. Lisa passed the Quaffle to Jessica, who passed to Rory, who passed it back to Lisa, who took a shot at the goal. Tracey caught the Quaffle and tried to throw it to Timothy, but it was intercepted by Jessica. She tossed the Quaffle to Lisa, who took another shot. This time, it went in. The score was now tied at ten to ten, and Slytherin was down one Beater.
~~~
"Interesting game," Godric Gryffindor commented as he watched the game from his house's section in the stands with some of the seventh-year students. "It certainly has come a long way." The game now known as Quidditch was just beginning to form at the time of his death.
"Quidditch is really big," Ron Weasley said. "My brother Charlie could have turned professional, but he wanted to work with dragons instead."
"Really?" Gryffindor asked. "What position did he play?"
"Seeker," Ron answered. "The Seeker is the one that catches the Snitch to end the game. Harry's the Seeker for our team."
Harry smiled and waved.
"Do you play Quidditch?" Gryffindor asked Ron.
"Play?" Hermione Granger said. "He's the captain!"
"And a Chaser," Ron said. "It sort of runs in my family. My dad was a Chaser, too. Charlie was a Seeker, my brothers Fred and George were Beaters, and my sister Ginny is the Keeper for our team."
Gryffindor looked at Hermione. "What about you, Hermione?"
She shook her head. "No; I like to keep my feet on the ground." She paused, then admitted, "And I'm no good at flying."
"You could be," Harry said. "All it takes is a little practice."
"Easy for you to say," Hermione replied. "Professor McGonagall should have expelled you when you caught that Remembrall. Instead, she made you the Gryffindor Seeker! You'd been flying for what, ten seconds? Eleven, tops? They have a word for stuff like that: amazing."
Harry smiled and turned an interesting shade of red. For eleven years, potato skins had higher status in life than he did. Then, he came to Hogwarts, and everything changed. Fame was practically thrust upon him, as was a great deal of adventure. He wasn't used to that, and even now, after all he'd been through, he still felt awkward when someone commented on his achievements.
"It's not that amazing," Harry mumbled. "Neville's an Animagus, and that's way cooler than being the youngest Quidditch player for a house team.... in... a century."
Neville, who was holding hands with Parvati a few feet away, turned his head in their direction when he heard his name. "What was that?"
"You. Animagus. Very cool," Harry said, significantly louder.
"Oh," Neville said. "But I didn't become an Animagus last summer. Professor McGonagall's got me beat; she's been able to do it since her fourth year."
Parvati rested her chin on Neville's shoulder and said, "Nobody thought Professor McGonagall was a squib, Neville."
"That's true," said Hermione.
"Rowena was sixteen when Hogwarts was founded," Gryffindor said softly.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Parvati looked at him., then at each other, and then back at Gryffindor again. Ron said what all of them were thinking: "Yep, that definitely tops everything else."
~~~
Back on the Quidditch pitch, Timothy Brackett had scored again to bring the score to twenty ten, Slytherin. Draco thought he saw the Snitch, but the flash of gold he noticed eye was actually the sun reflecting off the gold ring Padma wore on her right hand. When he moved his head to see where it was coming from, Padma started looking around, too. Draco decided to take advantage of her distraction and fake her out. It was a good strategy - if one could pull it off.
Draco gripped the handle of his Nimbus 2001 and dove straight down. Padma hadn't seen the Snitch, but then again, she had been looking in another direction, so Draco could very well have spotted the tiny gold ball as far as she knew. She whipped her broom around and dove after him.
Draco could see the ground coming up fast, but continued to dive. If he stayed in the dive as long as possible, Padma might think he really was following the Snitch. The crowd gasped as he came out of the dive just inches from the ground. He smiled to himself as he began gaining altitude again. He'd worked hard to perfect that move, and although he didn't play to the crowd intentionally, it often came out that way.
Padma was far enough behind to see him come out of the dive in plenty of time, and pulled up before getting too close to the ground. Draco flew higher, then began zigzagging back and forth. Padma still couldn't see the Snitch. She knew she would have to get closer. She tried to follow Draco in a line as straight as possible, and slowly but surely, she began to gain on him.
Draco glanced back over his shoulder, and he almost couldn't believe what he saw. Was she getting closer? That wasn't supposed to happen. If she got too close, she would see that he wasn't really following the Snitch. So much for that strategy.
He looked forward again, just in time to see a Bludger coming at his face. Draco rolled to the side, and the heavy iron ball missed him by a comfortable margin. By the time Padma saw it, though, it was almost too late. Like Draco, she rolled, but she was just a fraction of a second too slow, and the Bludger hit her in the shoulder and nearly knocked her off her broomstick.
Draco came out of his roll and glanced back at Padma again. She had fallen behind, and her right hand was clasped over her left shoulder. He felt a pang of concern, but quickly brushed it aside. He could wait until after the game to find out if she was all right. Draco had never been what anyone would call a good sport, but he liked Ravenclaw better than Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, and Padma had never done anything to him. Her sister was in Gryffindor, but that was her sister. Why not ask her if she was all right at a more convenient time? It wouldn't hurt.
Draco made a wide arc with his broom and began flying back toward the center of the field. Ravenclaw had scored again, and the two teams were tied at twenty points each. He wasn't too concerned. All he had to worry about was beating Padma to the Snitch, and that wouldn't be too hard, especially now that she appeared to be hurt.
~~~
Parvati cringed when she saw the Bludger hit her sister in the shoulder. "That looked like it hurt," she said. "I hope she's all right."
"It wasn't enough to knock her off her broom," Ron pointed out. "I don't think it could be anything worse than a dislocation."
Parvati turned slightly pale.
"That probably wasn't the best thing to say, Ron," Hermione commented, poking him in the rib cage.
"It's all right," Parvati said. "I'm sure she'll be fine... eventually."
Harry was frowning, and the others noticed. "What is it, Harry?" Neville asked.
"The Snitch," Harry answered. "It wasn't even near them. Look, it's over there, down by the Ravenclaw goal."
"Malfoy," Ron realized. "That sneaky rat! He must have been trying to distract her."
"Which one is Malfoy?" Gryffindor asked.
"The blonde one," Ron asked. "He's their Seeker. His sole purpose in life is to make ours miserable."
Gryffindor nodded. "Indeed. Have you ever tried to make friends with him?"
"Well... no, not really, but that's all right because he hates me as much as I hate him. Our families have always hated each other, and besides, all the Slytherins hate the Gryffindors, and vice versa."
Gryffindor sighed softly and turned his eyes back to the game. It wasn't always that way. He remembered when he and Salazar Slytherin believed the students of their houses would love each other like brothers, as they did and as they were. He hated how history had been twisted over the centuries and that now, everyone thought he and Salazar were enemies. Yes, they disagreed on some things, but that didn't mean they hated each other. If only Rowena had survived. If only he hadn't been killed. If only Kedelor hadn't been a Muggle-born. If only...
~~~
Draco spotted another flash of gold out of the corner of his eye, and he was sure it wasn't Padma's ring this time. He swooped around Crabbe, who appeared to be lost, and zoomed toward the Snitch. Downfield, Padma saw both him and the Snitch and began flying toward him. She was coming up fast, but by the time she caught up to him, she would be too late.
Draco leaned forward. The Snitch was just inches away. Suddenly, the tiny gold ball darted to the left. Draco reached out and grabbed it, doing a flip in the process. He managed to stay on his broom, and held the Snitch up high for all to see. Madam Hooch blew her whistle. The game was over, and the final score was one hundred seventy to twenty, Slytherin. Draco smiled triumphantly. Hello, second place.
"You idiot," came a voice from below. "Watch where you're going!"
Draco looked down. It was Padma, lying in a crumbled heap on the ground and looking quite angry. Next to her was Crabbe, also on the ground. Draco flew down to them and hopped off his broom. "Is there a problem?" he asked.
"He flew into me!" Padma said.
"It was an accident!" Crabbe said defensively. "I was watching the Bludger, and I didn't see her!"
"Obviously," Padma grumbled.
Draco looked at Crabbe. "You did it on purpose, didn't you?"
Crabbe lowered his head and mumbled, "Yes."
Draco rolled his eyes. "I swear, Crabbe, between you and Goyle, it's a wonder we win any games." He extended his hand to Padma. She glared at Crabbe, then took Draco's hand, and he helped her to her feet. "Are you all right?"
She brushed some grass off her dark blue robes and replied in the affirmative without looking at him.
"How's your shoulder?" Draco asked.
Padma shot him a surprised look. "When did you start caring?"
Draco didn't get a chance to answer because the rest of his team, save for the unconscious Goyle (who had already been taken to the hospital wing), surrounded him and began congratulating him. "Way to go, Malfoy," Cody said, and slapped him on the back. "That was some catch."
"The flip was a nice touch," Tracey added, and the rest of the team laughed.
Draco peered over Timothy's shoulder to see if Padmawas still there, but she had already flown away. He saw something gold catch the sun and flash, but knew it couldn't be the Snitch because he was still holding it in his hand. He stepped around Timothy to get a closer look, and he saw Padma's gold ring lying in the grass. It must have fallen off when Crabbe flew into her. He picked it up and looked around for its owner, but Padma was long gone.
Draco slipped the ring into his pocket and mounted his broom to take a victory lap with the rest of the Slytherins. He could return the ring to Padma later, without the distraction of having other people around. For now, it was time to celebrate.
In the distance, a hooded figure holding a pair of binnoculars smiled maliciously.
~~~
Several days later, Draco Malfoy, the captain and Seeker of the Slytherin Quidditch team, watched from his lofty perch on his Nimbus 2001 broomstick as Madam Hooch stepped out onto the field. He made eye contact with his three Chasers and two Beaters for a few seconds each, and they all nodded at him. This game against Ravenclaw was vital. If they won, it would put them in second place, behind Gryffindor. They had to win, and not just because of the Quidditch Cup. The reputation of Slytherin house was at stake.
Albus Dumbledore had insisted that everything at Hogwarts remain functioning the same way it had since before Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Helga Hufflepuff had been resurrected. He saw no reason to hide in the school, and for once, Draco agreed with him. If Salazar Slytherin really had been resurrected, Draco wanted him to see that his house was and would always be the greatest of them all.
After looking at his teammates, Draco's gaze drifted to the Ravenclaw girl hovering on a broomstick across from him. It was their Seeker, Padma Patil. Cho Chang, who graduated last year, was the best Seeker Ravenclaw had in a long time, but Padma was rather good herself. She was small, light, and quick, which was always an advantage for Seekers. Draco had experience and a better broomstick on his side, but he had learned not to underestimate Padma. Earlier that year, she had almost beaten Harry Potter to the Golden Snitch, and Harry was the best Seeker to attend Hogwarts since Charlie Weasley, who could have gone professional.
Madam Hooch opened the box that contained the balls, releasing the Bludgers and the Golden Snitch. Padma watched the balls go up, then looked at Draco. For a few moments, the Seekers stared each other down, but their gazes broke at the sound of Madam Hooch's whistle, signalling the start of the game.
Slytherin took possession of the Quaffle immediately, and their Chaser team, led by a fifth-year named Cody Van Buren, sped toward the hoops at the end of the pitch. Cody passed the Quaffle to another Chaser, a sixth-year named Abby Gordon, one of the two girls on the team. Abby ducked a Bludger, a Ravenclaw Chaser, and Gregory Goyle, one of the two Slytherin Beaters, as she sped toward the goal. Goyle and the other Beater, Vincent Crabbe, were selected to be on the team for their sheer size and brute strength more than their skill, but when they managed to steer their broomsticks straight and hit the Bludgers in the right direction, they were not bad at all. Luckily for the other teams, this did not happen very often.
Abby swooped toward the goal, faked a shot, and tossed the Quaffle to Slytherin's third Chaser, fourth-year Timothy Brackett. Ravenclaw's Keeper, Terry Boot, fell for Abby's fake, and Timothy scored easily. Ten nothing, Slytherin.
Ravenclaw took possession of the Quaffle, and their Chaser trio of sixth-years Rory Milton and Jessica Wheeler and seventh-year Lisa Turpin moved the ball downfield. However, a pass between Rory and Lisa was intercepted by Cody Van Buren. Cody passed the ball to Timothy, who took a shot at the goal. Terry was ready, though, and blocked the shot easily.
Terry tossed the ball to Lisa, and the Ravenclaw Chasers raced downfield again. One of Ravenclaw's Beaters, Stephen Cornfoot, sent a Bludger flying at Crabbe. Crabbe saw it coming and tried to hit it at Jessica Wheeler, but his aim was off as usual, and the Bludger hit Goyle.
Draco groaned and slapped his forehead. Those morons. He heard the sound of someone giggling, and looked up and saw that it was Padma. "Shut up, Patil," he snapped. Padma stopped laughing, but the amused smirk on her face still remained.
Ravenclaw's Chasers took advantage of the distraction caused by Crabbe and Goyle and moved in on the goal, which was guarded by Slytherin's other female player, seventh-year Tracey Davis. Lisa passed the Quaffle to Jessica, who passed to Rory, who passed it back to Lisa, who took a shot at the goal. Tracey caught the Quaffle and tried to throw it to Timothy, but it was intercepted by Jessica. She tossed the Quaffle to Lisa, who took another shot. This time, it went in. The score was now tied at ten to ten, and Slytherin was down one Beater.
~~~
"Interesting game," Godric Gryffindor commented as he watched the game from his house's section in the stands with some of the seventh-year students. "It certainly has come a long way." The game now known as Quidditch was just beginning to form at the time of his death.
"Quidditch is really big," Ron Weasley said. "My brother Charlie could have turned professional, but he wanted to work with dragons instead."
"Really?" Gryffindor asked. "What position did he play?"
"Seeker," Ron answered. "The Seeker is the one that catches the Snitch to end the game. Harry's the Seeker for our team."
Harry smiled and waved.
"Do you play Quidditch?" Gryffindor asked Ron.
"Play?" Hermione Granger said. "He's the captain!"
"And a Chaser," Ron said. "It sort of runs in my family. My dad was a Chaser, too. Charlie was a Seeker, my brothers Fred and George were Beaters, and my sister Ginny is the Keeper for our team."
Gryffindor looked at Hermione. "What about you, Hermione?"
She shook her head. "No; I like to keep my feet on the ground." She paused, then admitted, "And I'm no good at flying."
"You could be," Harry said. "All it takes is a little practice."
"Easy for you to say," Hermione replied. "Professor McGonagall should have expelled you when you caught that Remembrall. Instead, she made you the Gryffindor Seeker! You'd been flying for what, ten seconds? Eleven, tops? They have a word for stuff like that: amazing."
Harry smiled and turned an interesting shade of red. For eleven years, potato skins had higher status in life than he did. Then, he came to Hogwarts, and everything changed. Fame was practically thrust upon him, as was a great deal of adventure. He wasn't used to that, and even now, after all he'd been through, he still felt awkward when someone commented on his achievements.
"It's not that amazing," Harry mumbled. "Neville's an Animagus, and that's way cooler than being the youngest Quidditch player for a house team.... in... a century."
Neville, who was holding hands with Parvati a few feet away, turned his head in their direction when he heard his name. "What was that?"
"You. Animagus. Very cool," Harry said, significantly louder.
"Oh," Neville said. "But I didn't become an Animagus last summer. Professor McGonagall's got me beat; she's been able to do it since her fourth year."
Parvati rested her chin on Neville's shoulder and said, "Nobody thought Professor McGonagall was a squib, Neville."
"That's true," said Hermione.
"Rowena was sixteen when Hogwarts was founded," Gryffindor said softly.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Parvati looked at him., then at each other, and then back at Gryffindor again. Ron said what all of them were thinking: "Yep, that definitely tops everything else."
~~~
Back on the Quidditch pitch, Timothy Brackett had scored again to bring the score to twenty ten, Slytherin. Draco thought he saw the Snitch, but the flash of gold he noticed eye was actually the sun reflecting off the gold ring Padma wore on her right hand. When he moved his head to see where it was coming from, Padma started looking around, too. Draco decided to take advantage of her distraction and fake her out. It was a good strategy - if one could pull it off.
Draco gripped the handle of his Nimbus 2001 and dove straight down. Padma hadn't seen the Snitch, but then again, she had been looking in another direction, so Draco could very well have spotted the tiny gold ball as far as she knew. She whipped her broom around and dove after him.
Draco could see the ground coming up fast, but continued to dive. If he stayed in the dive as long as possible, Padma might think he really was following the Snitch. The crowd gasped as he came out of the dive just inches from the ground. He smiled to himself as he began gaining altitude again. He'd worked hard to perfect that move, and although he didn't play to the crowd intentionally, it often came out that way.
Padma was far enough behind to see him come out of the dive in plenty of time, and pulled up before getting too close to the ground. Draco flew higher, then began zigzagging back and forth. Padma still couldn't see the Snitch. She knew she would have to get closer. She tried to follow Draco in a line as straight as possible, and slowly but surely, she began to gain on him.
Draco glanced back over his shoulder, and he almost couldn't believe what he saw. Was she getting closer? That wasn't supposed to happen. If she got too close, she would see that he wasn't really following the Snitch. So much for that strategy.
He looked forward again, just in time to see a Bludger coming at his face. Draco rolled to the side, and the heavy iron ball missed him by a comfortable margin. By the time Padma saw it, though, it was almost too late. Like Draco, she rolled, but she was just a fraction of a second too slow, and the Bludger hit her in the shoulder and nearly knocked her off her broomstick.
Draco came out of his roll and glanced back at Padma again. She had fallen behind, and her right hand was clasped over her left shoulder. He felt a pang of concern, but quickly brushed it aside. He could wait until after the game to find out if she was all right. Draco had never been what anyone would call a good sport, but he liked Ravenclaw better than Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, and Padma had never done anything to him. Her sister was in Gryffindor, but that was her sister. Why not ask her if she was all right at a more convenient time? It wouldn't hurt.
Draco made a wide arc with his broom and began flying back toward the center of the field. Ravenclaw had scored again, and the two teams were tied at twenty points each. He wasn't too concerned. All he had to worry about was beating Padma to the Snitch, and that wouldn't be too hard, especially now that she appeared to be hurt.
~~~
Parvati cringed when she saw the Bludger hit her sister in the shoulder. "That looked like it hurt," she said. "I hope she's all right."
"It wasn't enough to knock her off her broom," Ron pointed out. "I don't think it could be anything worse than a dislocation."
Parvati turned slightly pale.
"That probably wasn't the best thing to say, Ron," Hermione commented, poking him in the rib cage.
"It's all right," Parvati said. "I'm sure she'll be fine... eventually."
Harry was frowning, and the others noticed. "What is it, Harry?" Neville asked.
"The Snitch," Harry answered. "It wasn't even near them. Look, it's over there, down by the Ravenclaw goal."
"Malfoy," Ron realized. "That sneaky rat! He must have been trying to distract her."
"Which one is Malfoy?" Gryffindor asked.
"The blonde one," Ron asked. "He's their Seeker. His sole purpose in life is to make ours miserable."
Gryffindor nodded. "Indeed. Have you ever tried to make friends with him?"
"Well... no, not really, but that's all right because he hates me as much as I hate him. Our families have always hated each other, and besides, all the Slytherins hate the Gryffindors, and vice versa."
Gryffindor sighed softly and turned his eyes back to the game. It wasn't always that way. He remembered when he and Salazar Slytherin believed the students of their houses would love each other like brothers, as they did and as they were. He hated how history had been twisted over the centuries and that now, everyone thought he and Salazar were enemies. Yes, they disagreed on some things, but that didn't mean they hated each other. If only Rowena had survived. If only he hadn't been killed. If only Kedelor hadn't been a Muggle-born. If only...
~~~
Draco spotted another flash of gold out of the corner of his eye, and he was sure it wasn't Padma's ring this time. He swooped around Crabbe, who appeared to be lost, and zoomed toward the Snitch. Downfield, Padma saw both him and the Snitch and began flying toward him. She was coming up fast, but by the time she caught up to him, she would be too late.
Draco leaned forward. The Snitch was just inches away. Suddenly, the tiny gold ball darted to the left. Draco reached out and grabbed it, doing a flip in the process. He managed to stay on his broom, and held the Snitch up high for all to see. Madam Hooch blew her whistle. The game was over, and the final score was one hundred seventy to twenty, Slytherin. Draco smiled triumphantly. Hello, second place.
"You idiot," came a voice from below. "Watch where you're going!"
Draco looked down. It was Padma, lying in a crumbled heap on the ground and looking quite angry. Next to her was Crabbe, also on the ground. Draco flew down to them and hopped off his broom. "Is there a problem?" he asked.
"He flew into me!" Padma said.
"It was an accident!" Crabbe said defensively. "I was watching the Bludger, and I didn't see her!"
"Obviously," Padma grumbled.
Draco looked at Crabbe. "You did it on purpose, didn't you?"
Crabbe lowered his head and mumbled, "Yes."
Draco rolled his eyes. "I swear, Crabbe, between you and Goyle, it's a wonder we win any games." He extended his hand to Padma. She glared at Crabbe, then took Draco's hand, and he helped her to her feet. "Are you all right?"
She brushed some grass off her dark blue robes and replied in the affirmative without looking at him.
"How's your shoulder?" Draco asked.
Padma shot him a surprised look. "When did you start caring?"
Draco didn't get a chance to answer because the rest of his team, save for the unconscious Goyle (who had already been taken to the hospital wing), surrounded him and began congratulating him. "Way to go, Malfoy," Cody said, and slapped him on the back. "That was some catch."
"The flip was a nice touch," Tracey added, and the rest of the team laughed.
Draco peered over Timothy's shoulder to see if Padmawas still there, but she had already flown away. He saw something gold catch the sun and flash, but knew it couldn't be the Snitch because he was still holding it in his hand. He stepped around Timothy to get a closer look, and he saw Padma's gold ring lying in the grass. It must have fallen off when Crabbe flew into her. He picked it up and looked around for its owner, but Padma was long gone.
Draco slipped the ring into his pocket and mounted his broom to take a victory lap with the rest of the Slytherins. He could return the ring to Padma later, without the distraction of having other people around. For now, it was time to celebrate.
In the distance, a hooded figure holding a pair of binnoculars smiled maliciously.