Chapter Seven: Quiddich Lecture
In the beginning of November the Quiddich season started. The tryouts had been held and the teams formed, although the most interesting part was the Captain's Voting. Nobody knew where the roots of this ritual came from, but still it was a much respected tradition. It was quite simple though. The member of the team must have three features and only then could he be elected as a captain. Certainly these features were special for every House.
Ravenclaw had rationality, calmness and persistence. Hufflepuff had stubbornness, fitness to work and team spirit. But this doesn't interest us as much as the other two Houses, which are always in the Finals and who's matches students and even professors came to watch every time. For Gryffindor, the features the Captain needed were bravery (who could have thought otherwise), faith and fairness. Of course, slytherins valued features far from these: cunning, mercilessness and, as strange as it may sound, ability to take great risks.
Each team held the Voting separately, but only on one day, or on Monday to be precise. But we won't get acquainted with this lovely tradition, because, practically, there is nothing so fabulous about it. Who can say that the President's votes are interesting, only if you are eager to know about his program of governing us all, right? And here there were no programs proclaimed. So as it was held on Monday we can go and visit our favorite students in the dungeons.
Draco and Ginny were working on another assignment in silence, Ginny was researching and Draco was mixing something in the cauldron. The silence was unbearable for Ginny, as usual, because she was quite sociable.
"I will have problems coming here, because my Quiddich practices may be on Mondays and Thursdays. I can't tell Harry that I simple can't be there because of the mysterious reason that I can't tell anyone. This will be suspicious and knowing our Dream Team, they will track me down and blow everything we have worked so hard on," she said from behind the volume that oversized even her head.
"So Potter was elected as a Quiddich Captain? What a surprise," replied Draco sarcastically without taking his glance off the cauldron. "As for me, I won't have trouble with my practices."
"And why is that, may I ask?" Ginny was already looking from the corner of the book, trying to make a normal conversation, where each participant was looking at the other one, but it was pretty hard because Draco still stood with his back towards her.
"I will reserve the pitch on other days, as much as I like to observe some of his tactics."
Ginny was confused by his speech. "And since when do Malfoys reserve Quiddich pitches for themselves. Are you that special?"
"You definitely forgot your brains at your dormitory, Weasley. I won't reserve it for myself; I'll reserve it for the practice. I am the new Slytherin Quiddich Captain," he said with a bored tone.
"I don't hear any excitement in your voice, Malfoy. You are a Captain, just like Harry."
Draco checked the cauldron, looked at the watch, then came to her and copied her gesture patting her on the forearm. "This doesn't have anything to do anything with Potter, does it?" Then he turned around and headed toward their small living room. Ginny took this as an invitation for a talk and went after him.
After they settled down on the couches with cups of tea and biscuits, Ginny asked again, "Why aren't you excited or even flattered after receiving such a praised position?" She sipped her tea, not prepared for a story, or sort of, because she was talking with Malfoy, who was very far from telling stories to anyone.
"Because nobody chose me from others, this whole Voting tradition is pathetic in its very existence. You know the rules, that the Captain will become only that member that has specific features of the character. But I don't understand how very calm Ravenclaw or stubborn Hufflepuff can be a good Captain if he can't make a decent strategy for his team. There are no features that are connected at least somehow with Quiddich. I am sure that we would have had better Captains if they were chosen by their Quiddich abilities. Maybe the Captain tryouts should be held, you know, like if a person can do the Wronski Flint or Corkscrews or ten equal Death Hoops in a row. I am sure this guy can lead his team and win."
"But why were you chosen then?"
"I wasn't the best from the best. I am the oldest in the team, I am experienced, but now I don't know what I am more experienced in, playing Quiddich or in failing to Potter," Draco chuckled.
"Yes, right, I am sure this situation is in all teams. You can't become a Captain in your third year when there are sixth or seventh years in the team, it just isn't right."
"That's why this Voting tradition became only a tradition."
"What were those Quiddich tricks you mentioned, Corkscrews?" asked Ginny more interested in conversation, than in the tea she was sipping automatically.
"Well, it is my professional secret, isn't it?" he smirked.
"Uuuh, Malfoy, just tell, it won't hurt one bit. I am sure I won't accomplish them in my life time."
"If I were you, I wouldn't have said that with that carefree attitude of yours. They are not that complicated and very useful at times."
"So? You will tell me or not?" Ginny was impatient now because she always wanted to learn something new and useful, especially if it was connected with Quiddich.
"Ok. Corkscrews are used when you are falling."
"Falling! What should you need that movement for?"
"You are not a slytherin, that's why you don't understand the usefulness of them. You, gryffindors are brave and will fight to your last breath no matter what, but we slytherins are very selfish and cunning. We want to escape even death. That's why we have some ways of preventing it. We don't see any point in falling off the broom and then not be able to play if we can save our own skin with Corkscrews."
"Now they sound very useful, especially when you are doing everything to knock us off the brooms."
"The slytherins we are," he smirked broadly, very proud of his House.
"Now tell me all about them, if you want to have a potions partner till the end of the year."
"They are very simple. There are two of them, Horizontal Corkscrew and Vertical Corkscrew. The latter is used when you are falling. When you understand that you will fall, the first thought that must came to your mind, is hold onto your broom whatever happens."
"Hmpf, then I won't fall; my broom will keep me in the air."
"I don't think so. The broom can be unsteady or broken or anything else and you may be damaged also. What was I talking about when you so rudely interrupted me? Oh, Yes. Holding onto your broom. You must hold it very tightly and almost lie on it. When you are falling, you just fall with high speed onto the ground and then you may break something or simply die."
"Simply."
"Yes, simply, but when you are doing the Vertical Corkscrew and fall, then the speed isn't that high and you are in control of the situation. The main point of the Corkscrew is rotation around on your broom with the broom as an axes, with head towards the sky of course. You don't use a lot of energy on the rotation because once you've pulled yourself to do the first circle, the magic broom will understand it and do it automatically."
"Then why can't it do anything else automatically? It is magic and blah, blah, blah."
"It is put in every broom like a precaution trick. You only need to know that it is there, but, you see, not many know about it. It is like that when you do the first rotation and the broom will safely bring you to the ground and you land on your feet."
"But about the other one?"
"It is a lecture on Quiddich today, isn't it?" he stood up, went to the cauldron, stirred it a bit and came back.
'How could he talk about Quiddich and look after the potion at the same time?'
"Horizontal Corkscrew is used for a simple broom steadying when you are hit by a Bludger or a mate of the opposite team. You do two rotations like I said before, and then sit in the usual position. Your movements are quick and the enemy will think that you are doing something very complicated but you are simply saving your own life. Is it understood now?"
"Well, yeah. But I don't think that I'll manage to do it practically. I still can't understand how I could concentrate to do the Horizontal Corkscrew if my head is hit by the Bludger, for example."
"You do want to live, don't you?"
"Of course!"
"Then you'll do it."