Secrets and Dirty Deeds
By the Barefoot Pianist
Chapter 3
A few days later, after an intense few days of avoiding Carmen, and a few more intense days of Carmen's badgering and taunting, they came to set a date for the challenge.
The air was still crisp and cool as Malfoy walked onto the grass of the Quidditch Pitch – a good, clear day for Quidditch trials. Although the air was still chilly, a reminder of the harsh winter that had moved on.
He placed the huge Quidditch box on the ground beside him, adjusted his green "Quidditch Captain" pin and Quidditch robes. He took his Nimbus 2001 leaning against his shoulder, took it in both hands, mounted it and gripped the well-worn handle with both hands before kicking off from the ground. It was a familiar feeling; he'd done it many times before, indeed, before he even came to Hogwarts.
He started warming up, doing mock-attacks and pretending to be in the middle of an intense game. Diving, pulling up, changing directions at ninety degrees, shooting up sixty feet in a second, then plummeting down to the ground the next. But just before he came to ten feet from the ground, a blur shot past, right in front of him, forcing him to pull up in alarm. But just as he thought he had saved himself from breaking his neck, the tip of the broom got caught on the lawn and sent him cart-wheeling across the ground and smack! He came to stop, sprawled out, on his back and looking up to a figure who was hovering a few feet to his left. He lifted himself up and looked to see the face against the bright sky, of who had rudely interrupted his (imaginary) triumphant save.
"Very smooth, I must say," came Nott's voice, calmly, but trying very hard to hide his amusement.
"I've nothing to say to you," Malfoy said coldly.
Nott opened his mouth to dispute, but a group of Slytherin boys came onto the pitch from the Change Rooms, and quickly changed his mind and closed his mouth. Instead, he pointed his broom skywards and flew up. The group of boys also started to mount their brooms and started flying around the pitch. Soon, Malfoy too, was on his broom and started to shout names and directions.
"Crabbe, bludger to your left! NO! You're not meant to hit our players! Oh, bollocks. Oi, Higgs! Go right and defend Pucey! No, NO, your other right! Merlin!"
Carmen had finally arrived, riding on her broom in a comfortable pace like a Japanese tourist enjoying the scenery. She landed next to Malfoy and announced her arrival.
"You're late," Malfoy said, through clenched teeth trying desperately to tame his anger and embarrassment. The team had momentarily stopped training to look at the new arrival, some starting to wolf-whistle at their new arrival being a girl. Carmen kept her gaze on Malfoy but extended her arm towards the sky to show only her middle finger pointing up. Somehow, that only encouraged them more.
"Fashionably late," corrected Carmen.
Malfoy flushed. "Is an hour, out of an hour and a half session, what you call 'fashionably late'?" he asked. "Let me ask you something. Do you want to play on this team or not?" It was now Carmen's turn to flush. She looked defiant and answered yes. "Good. Then go sit over there," he said and pointed away to a bench.
"But I've come here to try out for-"
"Go sit down."
"But the challenge-"
"Just sit down!"
"Fine!" Carmen yelled back, walked to the bench and sat down in a huff, crossed her arms and legs, and glared at Malfoy.
"Having trouble taming your girlfriend, Captain?" asked the sly voice of Nott, among sniggers from the rest of the team.
"She is not my girlfriend," Malfoy directed to the team.
"That's very interesting…" Nott said quietly to himself.
A/N: Please R&R! And also, I just wanted to say a HUGE "Thank you!" to Stardrops for reviewing! You're awesome!