Chapter Seventy-two

"Harry! Draco!" Araminta exclaimed with pleasure. She was happy to see them both, and even happier that they didn't appear to have beaten each other up since she last saw them. They were both wearing damp Quidditch uniforms, so they must not have changed at the end of the game.

"Araminta!" they cried out and ran from the door to her bedside.

"We're so glad you're okay!" Harry said.

"You really had us worried there for a while!" Draco said.

"I don't know what I would do if I ever lost you," said Harry, his eyes softening from fiery to emerald green. He twined his fingers with her. "I couldn't stand it," he said in a wistful voice.

"Me either," Araminta said, her throat feeling tight. "Can either of you tell me what happened?"

"It was awful," said Harry.

"Really terrible," Draco added. "We saw you diving down to catch the Snitch--"

"And we both decided to go for it too, of course," Harry continued.

"I was obviously going to get to it first, and so I wasn't surprised to see Potter not paying attention." Draco sneered at no one in particular. "But then I realized he was looking at you and he looked like he was looking at the worst thing in the world."

"I was," said Harry. "I saw your stupid face, Malfoy!"

"All right, stop it. Tell the rest of the story," said Araminta.

"Anyway," Harry continued, "I was going for the Snitch, and I saw that you were closer, and when you grabbed it you made a funny face, like you had a bug in your mouth or something."

"It wasn't very becoming," Draco added. "But still better than Potter's usual expression."

"Be quiet. Anyway, you grabbed the Snitch but then your eyes closed and you slid forward off of your broom, plummeting toward the ground like a ton of bricks!"

"I, of course, forgot about the Snitch and came to your rescue..." Draco started, but then he saw Harry's angry expression and started over. "Oh, all right. You fell off your broom holding the Snitch and Harry and I caught you at the same time and flew you down to safety on the ground." He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Harry.

"So, the match? Who won?" Araminta asked, curiosity after her like she had whiskers and a tail.

"It was a tie," said Harry. "You split the points evenly, and since we also saved your life at the same time, Dumbledore awarded more points to our Houses evenly. Everything's tied up for the Quidditch Ball."

"That's wonderful!" Araminta hugged Harry and Draco separately. "This makes things absolutely perfect. So, when are you two going to reveal your costumes to me? I promise I won't tell anybody else..."

Draco and Harry just laughed. "'Night, Araminta. Get some sleep. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow!"

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