"Good morning and welcome to the very first quidditch match of the season! My name is Roger Cliffard, but you can all call me Cliff - everyone else does; don't ask me why, they just do. I'll be taking over the commentary for Lee Jordan this year, and I hope I can fill the hole in your hearts I'm sure his leaving has caused. Playing today is the amazingly talented Ravenclaw team versus the..." Here he paused, making a vague hand gesture. "...Slyther-something team. Anyone know who they are?" While the two teams walked out onto the pitch and mounted their brooms, he grinned cheekily at the stadium in general, but then he saw the murderous glares he was receiving from not only the entire Slytheryn team and house, but also their head. Several people would tell later that Snape had quite a pronounced facial twitch for the remainder of the day. At that sight, he grimaced, cleared his throat nervously and continued. "Anyway, there goes Madam Hooch's whistle, and they're off."

As they took off, Draco reflected on the fact that no matter who they were playing, the other houses always cheered for their opposition, even if it would mean that a Slytheryn loss would lower their own houses rankings. While wondering if things would be better if he'd been in a different house, he looked up and saw her. Seeing the shocked look on his face, she winked at him. The fact that it only baffled him further seemed to amuse her because she laughed as they sped up into the sky.

Putting everything else out of his mind, Draco concentrated on finding the snitch, not even batting an eyelid when Slytheryn scored two goals in close succession. That was until he heard a voice by his ear.

"We meet again Mister Malfoy." Draco nearly fell off his broom with shock. This was the last thing he needed! He turned; ready to deliver a crushing insult. "You're so jumpy! You really should think about your stress levels and take some time to chill out." The insult faltered at the last moment. How did she keep doing this to him?

"What are you doing here?"

"Well this is a quidditch match, and I am the Ravenclaw seeker." Draco's expression became suddenly determined. He had to beat her, prove he was the better seeker. And after all, his broom was still superior to most of those in the school. "By the way," she said casually, "Don't think you can rely on your broom for victory." She shifted slightly in midair to show the handle more clearly. "Mine is its equal."" On the handle of her broom were inscribed the same words that were on his. Nimbus Two Thousand And One.

"No matter. I'll just have to beat you with my superior skill. Shouldn't be too hard." He sneered his trademark sneer, getting in the first shot so far, confident it wouldn't be the last.

"And Slytheryn score another goal. Whoop-dee-doo for them." Cliff's voice was flat and somewhat bitter. "Come on guys! It's thirty-nil! Ravenclaw needs a win! Don't make me beg!" He paused slightly. "Cause I will!"

"Your team seems to be getting off to a wonderfully bad start this year, doesn't it." She glared at him.

"The team that deserves it will win. Just you wait and see." She turned her broom and took off down the pitch.

"Yeah it will! And it's the team that's in the lead right now!" He called after her, gleeful to have gotten in the last word. Going to return to his search for the snitch, he noticed that she'd come back. "Come back to admit that I'm the better seeker, have you?"

"Not a chance, slimeball. Just to say that I haven't forgotten about last night, I could tell everyone that you were out of bed and out of bounds." His good mood not altered in the slightest, Draco replied slyly.

"You wouldn't dob in someone so handsome and talented, would you?"

"No, but you aren't either." She knew that in this rage she was provoking, he'd miss the fact that the snitch was hovering only a few yards to his left, while he was facing her. The only thing that remained was the finishing touch. Ah yes... "DRACO MALFOY YOU HAVE A DETENTION!" She seized Draco's moment of shock and confusion to shoot like a bullet towards the little prize. Draco, realizing he'd been duped, spun and sped after her, but it was too late. By the time he got to where the snitch was, it was already clasped in her hand, her face triumphant.

"She did it! Ravenclaw's new seeker, Alexas McDougal, has just out witted... that other guy and has captured the snitch! That means the final score is one fifty to thirty! Ravenclaw win! Now let us all dance with joy!" He looked around him at the disbelieving stares. "No? Then I'll dance alone."

McGonagall put her head in her hands in despair. "I didn't think it possible, but he's actually worse." She groaned. Professor Flitwick put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I did try to warn you Minerva. At least the students seem to like him." He paused reflectively, looking at the booing and cursing Slytheryns. "Well, most of them."

Back in the air, Alexas was boasting. "I told you the best team would win. And they did so because their seeker is, in every way, better. Oh, and by the way. Don't worry about the detention, I was only kidding."

"You only won because you tricked me!" Draco spat, furious.

"What's this?" She exclaimed incredulously. "A Slytheryn disapproving of devious methods of winning? You just don't like the taste of your own medicine." She spiraled her way down to the ground to be surrounded by her exuberant teammates, who then escorted her out to the changing rooms.

Back in the Ravenclaw common room, Alexas couldn't help but think about Draco. He intrigued her immensely. She'd never met anyone with such a muddle of emotion, all at once, and all of them conflicting. Layers too. Anger and arrogance on the surface, but underneath, something deeper and far more vulnerable. "He'll be fun to mess with. I think I'll keep pushing him till I find out what it is that he's hiding; I bet it's good." She thought as she went to help herself to a cream tart. She hesitated and grabbed a first year by the collar. "Eat this." She ordered. She observed that seconds later, the first year was a canary. "I should have known." She put her hand to her mouth and yelled over the hubbub. "Hey Cliff! Is ANY of this food not boobytrapped?" He scanned the table.

"Uhhhhh... Nope." Was his shouted reply. When everyone edged away the table by a few paces, they both chuckled. Alexas continued to do so as she watched him turn back to his quest of trying to convince a poor first year into believing him that he was a responsible prefect and would never give her charmed food.

"How did you ever become a prefect Cliff?" He shrugged as the first year's tongue started to swell.

"Administrative muck-up? Or maybe it was my charming personality." They both laughed loudly.

"Well, probably a muck-up then."

"You are too harsh mistress." He said bowing. "But I will serve you still." Still laughing softly, they both turned back to their respective tasks. Alexas to her Herbology homework, and Cliff to the next gullible-looking first year.

Draco, on the other hand, was in one of the worst moods of his life. Pacing in an empty classroom he was currently using to avoid the rest of his house, he fumed. It was bad enough she got him once, but then she tricked him and bet him to the snitch! And to top that all off, he'd had to put up with the rest of his team sniping at him about not being distracted by girls and making jokes about him in detention.

"Why do I care? Maybe years of keeping score has become too much of a habit. To keep up with my reputation, I'll have to find a way to get back at her." He sighed and slumped into a dust-coated chair. "I just know this is gonna end up like the situation with Potter. Countless attacks hurled over some pointless slight so far back that either of us barely remember." He rose again and resumed his pacing.

"I could bluff it for awhile, just pretend that I've got something planned to scare her while I come up with what I'll actually do." He stopped for a moment. "It's probably safe to go back. The others should be in bed by now." Cautiously opening the door and checking that no one was in the corridor, he slipped out and headed off to the Slytheryn common room and his bed.

A/N: So what do we all think of Cliff? Love him? Lothe him? Let me know!