Tiger & Dragon
By loverstouch
Disclaimer: All the characters belong to J.K Rowling. The story is based on Rowling's work, but the plot of 'Tiger & Dragon' comes from my own sick brain.
Summary: In the summer after his fifth year Harry is taken from the Dursleys to live with the Malfoys. The next day the Daily Prophet's headline read 'Boy Who Lived Died In Death Eater Attack' …
Rating: R
This is my first "Slash" fanfiction and the first fic I have published at all, so please go easy on me.
The story begins in the summer after Harry's fifth year, which means yes; it is post OoTP, but has nothing to do with HBP.
I'd like to thank Draeconin for being the beta for my story. I'm really grateful for your help.
Hope you enjoy it!
Chapter 24 - Quidditch Tryouts
Tiger didn't go to breakfast that morning, or to his first class of the day. He stayed in his dorm until he was sure everyone was in class, and the corridors were deserted. Then he grabbed his Skybreaker and left for the Quidditch pitch.
In the corridors he had to dodge Mrs. Norris and Filch, who were looking for Peeves, and then the poltergeist himself, who was obviously planning a prank on whoever was unlucky enough to cross him next.
When he stepped out of the castle, Tiger stopped for a moment and took a deep breath. Immediately he felt lightened, as if something had been choking him and was now gone. Breathing in the cooling autumn air, Tiger walked slowly over to the Quidditch pitch, where he mounted his broom, and took off into the air.
The moment his feet left the ground, all his problems were gone. No Theodore Nott knowing about him and Draco, no Dark Lord wanting to recruit him, no fear of what would happen once his true identity was out, and no Draco wanting more from him than he was able to give; only him and the feeling of total freedom.
Over the summer Tiger had learned to totally relax on his broom. He often escaped into the air after a meeting with Narcissa, or an extremely tiring Occlumency lesson with Lucius. But most of the time he flew just for fun. Draco often joined him, and he often dared Tiger to do more spectacular and more risky moves.
One day Draco came up with something that would become their most trained stunt.
Flashback
"Come on, Tiger. I know you did it before I saw you doing it." Draco was hovering in front of Tiger, waving a scarf in front of him. "When you're really relaxed, you fly with your eyes closed. Why not now?"
"Because I can open my eyes any time I want if it feels too dangerous. With the scarf, I would still be blindfolded."
"You could remove it anytime."
"Why don't you try it yourself, if you want it so badly?"
"Because you're the better flyer, and you know that I could never orient myself without my eyesight."
"But I should try it?" Tiger asked, intrigued.
"You could do it," Draco said enthusiastically, noticing the rising interest in Tiger's voice. He flew closer to Tiger until their knees touched. "You know I won't let you get hurt, don't you?" he asked, a bit hurt, a small pout on his lips.
"You know I trust you, and you know that this is not fair." He reached one hand out and stroked his thumb over Draco's pouting lower lip.
"But it's effective?" Draco asked innocently.
"Yes, you little blackmailer, it is effective," Tiger said, annoyed, but laughed when Draco enthusiastically flew behind him and fastened the scarf over Tiger's eyes.
"Whoa, shit, I can't see," Tiger yelped, as the blond boy flew away from him. He grabbed the handle of his broom tighter.
"That's the idea," Draco laughed. "And now… follow me."
"You're really funny, Draco. How am I supposed to do that?"
"Concentrate on my voice. Move slowly. I will lead you. Don't worry. As long as you do what I say, there is nothing you have to fear."
"That's exactly what I fear," Tiger replied, as he started to move forward, still clutching his broom like a drowning person would clutch on a little stick.
"That's it. Follow my voice. Let's get a bit higher now." Draco rose further in the air, and Tiger followed, half-heartedly.
"I think that I like this," Tiger said after a while. "It's as if I'm dreaming…as if nothing matters anymore…just me in the sky…as if I have no worries at all. I feel as if I'm free for the first time in my life." He spread his arms to the side and let out a joyful scream.
But in the next moment he leant forward and clutched the broom handle again.
"That was a bit much, don't you think?" came Draco's voice from his left.
"Yeah." Tiger laughed. "But wait 'til the end of summer, and I will never fly with my eyes open."
"Are you sure of that?" Draco asked, now from Tiger's right, and much closer than the other boy had thought.
"God, don't do that!" Tiger exclaimed, and pulled his broom around so that he flew in the opposite direction from the blond.
"Tiger, wait!" Draco was at his side again, and now the two of them flew a few rounds over the ground of Malfoy Castle.
At the end of their flying session, Tiger wanted to try to see whether he could notice if he was near the ground or any obstacles.
"Come on, let's try it," he said enthusiastically to Draco.
"I don't know," Draco replied. "I think it's too dangerous."
"It's my life I'm risking. Anyway, it was your idea to try it in the first place."
"That was before you tried those stunts with flying with no hands and doing somersaults. All we need now is you trying to do the Wronski faint."
"That was my intention."
"You're mad, Tiger Ryan. I won't let you do that. Are you crazy?"
"I can't be totally sane when I'm a friend of yours, now can I?" Tiger laughed. He waited for a reply, but there was none. "Draco? Draco? Draco!"
"That's not funny," came the sudden reply from behind him, which caused Tiger to pull the broom to an abrupt halt. In the next moment, Draco crashed into him and two flew from their brooms, landing immediately on the ground.
"I knew I wasn't far from the ground," Tiger said joyfully, and took off his blindfold.
He turned and looked at Draco, who lay a few feet away from him on his back, all four limbs splayed out in different directions. Laughing, Tiger went over and looked down at him. "Your hair is a mess."
"I hate you," Draco said weakly, his hands flying automatically to his head."
"No, you don't." Tiger smiled and helped him up on his feet. "So, want to try again?" Tiger laughed as Draco gave him a disbelieving look, and stormed off towards the castle.
End flashback
Laughing at the memory, Tiger prepared to dive into total blackness. He had his tie wrapped around his eyes, and made one breakneck move after the other. He had totally lost track of time, and with his lack of eyesight he couldn't read the sun, either.
Flying one last circle around the Quidditch pitch, Tiger absorbed as much information about exactly where he was. He felt little irregularities in the air which he knew was one of the goal posts - the stands would have had a lot more air resistance. He turned his broom so that he was facing the pitch, and sped up. He flew forward for a few seconds before he dove down to the ground.
Tiger felt the adrenalin racing through his blood. He could hear his heart beating faster every second.
Tuning out everything else, Tiger concentrated only on the wind. He waited for the moment when he felt the headwind subside the tiniest bit, and pulled the broom up. He could feel the ground under him as he flew parallel to it. He slowed down and flew lower, until he felt the ground under his feet, and he came to a total halt.
The moment his feet touched the ground, Tiger's surroundings erupted into joyful cheers.
Startled, Tiger untied the blindfold around his eyes and was met with a good fourth of the school in the stands.
"Shit!" Tiger exclaimed, in disbelief.
"Shit indeed, Mr Ryan," said a voice from behind him.
"Madam Hooch!" Tiger turned around and faced the flying instructor.
"You're a very good flyer," Madam Hooch said, obviously impressed.
"Thank you."
"I assume you'll try out for seeker?"
"But Draco is seeker for Slytherin."
"You weren't in the Great Hall for breakfast?"
"No."
"Well, Professor Dumbledore announced that every position in every House is open this year. There are so many players gone, or simply not good enough, because they had only been temporary solutions."
Tiger knew she was not only talking about the Gryffindor team, but also about the Slytherin. Crabbe and Goyle had only joined the team last year because there was no one else who could hit the bludger harder than them. Technique wasn't necessary. And now that Warrington and Bletchley had left, Slytherin was in need of a new Chaser and Keeper. The Gryffindor team had even more positions to replace. Not only the Beaters and Seeker had to be replaced (Ginny wanted to play Chaser, Tiger knew, and neither Andrew Kirke nor Jack Sloper were actually good in their position as Beaters), but now with Alicia and Angelina gone, they were in need of two Chasers as well. Tiger didn't know about the other two teams, but he was sure Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw could do with some new players, too.
"That's why everyone is here," Madam Hooch said, pointing at all the students in the stands. "The heads of house and I will supervise the tryouts which the current team will hold. If there is someone better for a position than the present player, then we will see to an acceptable solution. Professor Dumbledore thought this way the four teams might become more equal and this year's Quidditch season won't be dominated by Gryffindor and Slytherin. Although both teams have lost some players," she stopped for a second, remembering why Gryffindor was in need of a new Seeker, before she continued, "they are still in better shape than the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw teams; not in the least because of the broom-standards both houses have. The Slytherin team has at least a Nimbus 2001, and I heard there is an order out for seven new firebolts for the Gryffindor team."
Tiger wanted to ask why this hadn't happened in the years before, even though the Hufflepuffs had the most horrible team the last few years, but at the last moment he remembered that he wasn't supposed to know about that. Instead, he asked, "Is this how it's worked every year?"
"No, this is the first time we've done this with all four houses. We had difficulties forming an acceptable team for one house or another in the past, but never for so many of them."
"What about classes?" Tiger asked suddenly. "It must be just after lunch." He assured himself by looking at his watch. "Classes start in ten minutes."
"Classes are cancelled this afternoon."
"Just for tryouts?"
"No, just for you to ask useless questions, and take up our time," a stern voice said from behind Tiger. Turning around, he found Professors Snape, McGonagall, Sprout and Flitwick standing there. "It would be very kind of you to join your house, so that we can begin the tryouts," the Potions Master snarled.
"How could I deny you anything when you ask so nicely?" Tiger smiled at Snape before he left for the Slytherin stands.
-------
After explaining once again how the tryouts would be held, everyone joined the current members of their House teams at one corner of the pitch, to start the tryouts.
When Tiger arrived at the Slytherin corner, the potential players were divided into groups by the position they wanted to try out for. He had stayed behind in the stands, grumbling about having to move again after he'd just sat down. So he waited until everyone was gone before he made his way down to his House members.
Sitting down on a bench in the corner of the pitch, he watched as the first group took off into the air.
He saw Madam Hooch release the Golden Snitch, and instantly the group flew after it. Tiger searched the sky for the familiar white-blond hair, but couldn't find Draco anywhere.
"Why aren't you in the air?" a familiar voice asked from his side.
"Why aren't you in the air?" Tiger turned to Draco, confusion written on his face. "They'll take away your position, if you don't hurry up." He pointed in the air where a fourth year was racing after the snitch, followed by everyone else who was trying out for the position.
"No, they won't. They'll take away your position. But they won't do that, either."
"What are you talking about?"
"You're going to be the Slytherin's new Seeker."
"What? But that's your position! You're Seeker."
"You're the better one. You'd catch the Snitch even if I tried out, too."
"But I don't want to take away your place on the team," Tiger said, miserably.
"You won't. I'll try out for Keeper."
"But you're a Seeker."
"I don't want to be one anymore."
"But why?" Tiger asked, noticing that there was something Draco wouldn't tell him.
"Because," Draco said simply. "Now go get the Snitch before Severus ends this charade."
Tiger looked first at Snape, who was glaring at him, then at the group in the air. They were still flying after the Snitch, in an even slower pace than before. He looked back at Draco pleadingly.
"Go," Draco insisted.
"Tell me."
"Later. Now, go."
Reluctantly Tiger mounted his broom, and raced after the group of potential Seekers. It took him only a few seconds, and he held the golden snitch in his hand.
Landing in front of Draco and Professor Snape, Tiger gave the Snitch to his Head of House, then he grabbed Draco's hand and led him up into the stands, where he demanded an explanation of him.
"Tell me why you don't want to be Seeker anymore. And don't even try to tell me that I'm the better one. We could have raced together for the snitch. Why haven't you even tried?"
Draco pulled his hand out of the dark haired boy's grip and tuned away from him. "Because I'm scared."
"What do you mean, scared?" Tiger asked, confused.
When the blond didn't answer, Tiger stood up and sat on his other side. He put a hand under Draco's chin and lifted his head to meet his eyes. He was shocked to find an expression on the boy's face he'd never seen there before - shame.
"Tell me what's wrong with you."
"Do you remember what you - that is; Weasley, Granger and Potter - said about my being a member of the Slytherin team in our second year?"
"Something about your father buying the position with new brooms for the team," Tiger remembered.
"It was true," Draco admitted. "I'd have never been on the team if there had been a tryout for the position."
"That is not true. You were… You are a good Seeker; a really good one."
"But not without help."
"Of course you had help," Tiger said. "There must have been someone who taught you to fly as carelessly and elegantly as you do."
Shaking his head, Draco said, "It was all a big cheat. It was a potion."
"What?"
"I took a potion every time I had to play."
"But what about training?"
"I never attended them. I'm a Malfoy: I didn't need to."
"What potion was it? What did you do?"
"Do you know the emendare potion?"
"I read about it in '1001 ways to cheat in Quidditch'. I found the book in your library." Draco's cheeks turned slightly pink. "But I can't remember what it was used for; only that in 1970 the Spanish team had been disqualified for using it in the finals of the World Cup."
"The emendare potion allows a player to intensify his or her skills from the point from none existing, up to professional player, depending on how much one took."
"Then why didn't you take a bit more, so that you could beat me?"
I took the biggest dose I could without collapsing from canere blood overdose."
"Oh." Tiger didn't know what to say. He couldn't have been that good, could he?
"Don't overexert your pretty head, Ryan." Draco smirked. "I've got a canere blood allergy. That's why I couldn't take more of the potion."
"Oh." Tiger sounded a bit disappointed.
"But even if I hadn't been allergic, just three more drops would have been too much for anyone." Draco smiled. Tiger smiled slightly, too, at the compliment. Then he remembered what they were talking about.
"But why haven't you played Keeper from the beginning?"
"As Keeper I wouldn't have had the opportunity to play directly against you. That was the point, after all."
"But why?"
"My father," Draco answered, as if that explained everything - and it did.
"Your father was still loyal to Voldemort." Draco nodded. There was a momentary silence, then Tiger said, "The day of our first match against each other I had to go to the infirmary because of my broken arm."
"You mean because of Lockhart, who removed all the bones from within your arm."
"Don't remind me," Tiger groaned. "Anyway, you were there, too. You looked really sick, but Madam Pomfrey said you were pretending. Was that because of the potion?"
"Yes. I was so afraid before the match that I took too much of the potion. The moment I was back on the ground I felt the nausea take over. I felt dizzy, and everything went black. Blaise and Severus brought me to the infirmary before anyone could notice."
"And Madam Pomfrey?"
"She gave me an anti-nausea potion, but the camomile root used in it isn't compatible with the canere blood in the emendare potion. I couldn't tell her why I still felt sick, so Blaise took me down to Severus, who gave me something for it. He said he should let me suffer for my carelessness, but after two minutes whining he pleaded with me to take the potion."
"Professor Snape? Pleading?" Tiger asked in disbelief. "That is a scene I would pay to see." They laughed.
They fell into a comfortable silence and watched the chasers try out. After a while, Tiger spoke.
"Is there a reason for your fear? I mean, obviously you have no problems with height, and you went flying with me of your own free will over the summer. You even encouraged me often enough to go flying with you."
"That's the problem. I love to fly. You saw me making a lot of risky moves. I just have this problem with speed."
"That's why you didn't want me to fly too fast while I was blindfolded."
"I feared that you would fly too near an obstacle. I would never have reached you in time."
"Draco, come on; time for your try out," Blaise' voice came from the stairs, just before his dark head came into view.
"Did you make it?" Draco asked him, standing up.
"I think so. Official results will be announced at the end of the tryouts. Good luck."
"Thank you," the blonde said, and went down to the pitch.
"You tried out for Chaser?" Tiger asked, as Blaise sat down beside him.
"Yeah, I did. You were really good up there."
"Thanks. I'm afraid I can't give you the same compliment. Draco and I had to talk. We hadn't time to watch you," Tiger said. He watched as Draco took off into the air.
"That's okay. Did he tell you about his little problem?" Blaise asked. He, too, was watching Draco and the other potential Keeper try out.
"You knew?" Tiger was surprised, but then he remembered what Draco had told him about their match in second year. "You knew about the potion. That's why you took him to Professor Snape."
"That's right. He told me the day we had our first flying lesson from his father together. We were five. He told me that he had been flying with his dad, and that he got violently sick when they flew too fast."
"Lucius flying; I can't believe that." Tiger laughed.
"Oh, he's a really good flyer. He taught us everything we know. He's a really nice guy."
"That he is." They were silent for a moment, and watched Draco catch one Quaffle after another. After a while Tiger felt Blaise' eyes upon him.
"Ask away," he said, without turning his eyes from Draco.
"What?" Blaise was startled at Tiger's words.
"You want to know what's going on between us, don't you?"
"Well, I don't want to be rude, but this morning you said you made a big mistake and all, but now you act like you're…" Blaise stopped.
"The best of friends?" Tiger helped out.
"Well, yes. I think so," Blaise said, reasonably. "But still, you have been totally distraught, and now…"
"Let's just say I had a change of mind."
"Don't tell me you've found your hidden feelings for Draco in the last eight hours."
"It is a bit more complicated than that."
"Explain."
Tiger didn't answer at first because he was too distracted by Draco's flying abilities. The blond was making one catch after the other with more and more risky turns, and looked as if he was having the time of his life.
"I've never seen him this happy on a broom before. He looks even more beautiful than normally," Tiger said dreamily.
"And you sound as if you are in love," Blaise teased.
"Not again, Blaise. Please." There must have been something in Tiger's eyes that told Blaise not to push it now, because the other boy changed the subject.
"What happened today, Tiger? Why weren't you at breakfast or in class? It couldn't have been because of 'you know what'; you're not the type to hide. There must have been something else this morning. What happened this morning?"
"Did something happen?" a new voice asked. The two dark haired boys looked up and found a scowling Draco standing in front of them. "Is it true, Tiger? Did something happen you haven't told me?" He sat down on the backrest of the seat in front of the two, and looked at Tiger urgently. "Tiger?"
Tiger sighed, and began to tell them what happened that morning after the two had left; what Nott had said. He gave Blaise a meaningful look so the boy knew that Nott had heard everything this morning. There was a long silence after Tiger had finished.
"That is not good," Draco said at last.
"Not good at all," Blaise added.
"No, it's not." Tiger looked at the two, then turned back to watching Theodore Nott trying out for Beater, just in time to see a Bludger coming his way.
The next moment, blackness overcame him.
x x x x x x x x x x x x x
A/N – That's it for now. What do you think?