Reuploading this chapter due to a weird bug that caused it to not show up sometimes.
[…][…][…]
Even with the Marauder's Map duplicate, keeping track of the DA proved far from easy. I still didn't know when to look for them. The closest I had gotten to catching a meeting in progress, had been when I saw Ernie Macmillan standing in the seventh-floor corridor, then disappearing off the map entirely. The room wasn't on the map, so I assumed he merely went inside.
However, by the first week of November, the DA had become less of a concern for me.
The first Quidditch match of the season, Gryffindor vs Slytherin, was now less than two weeks away, and Quidditch practice had started taking up more and more of my free time. The whole school was buzzing with excitement, and the fact that there hadn't been a Quidditch match at the school in so long only contributed to that.
A match like Gryffindor vs Slytherin always came with a whole lotta tension, and a number of 'accidents', all of them suspiciously involving members of the respective Quidditch teams.
And for the record, it wasn't always Slytherins doing this shit, okay? The other day, a fourth-year from Gryffindor did a trip-jinx on an unsuspecting Zabini causing him to fall flat on his face and break his nose. Unfortunately for the Gryffindor brat, Snape just happened to be around the corner.
You can probably guess what happened next. Something along the lines of fifty points taken from Gryffindor and a weeks' worth of detentions.
I was mostly safe from this kind of tomfuckery, though, since I was a prefect capable of docking points as well, and had something of a reputation for not being terribly nice or fair. Which, for the record, was totally the old Draco's fault. I have been quite nice these past couple months if I do say so myself.
The day before the match we had a particularly intense training session. Not only because of how long it was, but also because it was cold and wet. But at the end of the day, no one could deny it wasn't worth it. The team, and Astoria in particular, was performing excellently. By general consensus, this was the strongest side Slytherin had seen in several years.
After training, I spent a long time in the shower. In fact, most of the others had all finished and gone up to dinner by the time I stepped out. The reason for this was the prospect of a long, hot shower was extra appealing after the day's training.
Anyway, as I was getting dressed afterwards, I heard a moaning noise coming from one of the shower stalls. A while later a louder moan came, followed by Bethany McLoughlin's voice.
"Oh, fuck! YES! Graham! Graham!"
Oh fuck.
This was a mistake.
I got dressed at breakneck speed and left as fast as I could. I wasn't really bothered by her and Montague well… fucking. It was their business after all, and I guess it had something to do with all the adrenaline or whatever?
No, what had bothered me was… well, being there as it happened, even if I thankfully didn't see it.
It was a weird feeling, but it was enough to kill my appetite so I just went straight down to the common room instead of the Great Hall for dinner.
Inside the empty common room, I happened to notice a box with some colorful, crown-shaped badges inside them. I picked one up, the words 'WEASLEY IS OUR KING' were emblazoned on it.
Oh fuck, I forgot all about this shit.
Next to the box was also a piece of parchment; the lyrics for Weasley Is Our King.
Using my incredible gift of foresight, I realized this probably wouldn't look good for Slytherin come tomorrow. And trust me, our reputation did not need to get any worse. With a quick look around to make sure I was alone; I tore up the parchment and threw it in the bin. As for the badges, I went up into the dormitory and hid them under my bed. I'd figure out a way to dispose them later.
And with that, I changed into my pajamas and went to sleep.
[…]
The morning of the match came at long last. All thoughts that weren't about the match were driven from my mind as I made my way down to the Great Hall for breakfast.
Looking around the Great Hall, it was pretty clear Gryffindor was the significantly more popular choice. Almost all the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were supporting them. The ones that weren't were staying neutral.
And of course, there was Luna Lovegood's ludicrous hat, adorned by a life-size lion's head eating a snake.
Yikes…
I walked over to the Slytherin table but lacked the appetite to eat anything. I wasn't in the mood for much talking either, so I sat down away from most of the others.
I dunno why I was so nervous. Draco had done this before, and yeah while he had also been a bit nervous before matches, it hadn't been this much.
Maybe it was me, rather than Draco? Draco's personality had been removed, hence me needing a new wand and also being able to see the Thestrals. So, I suppose that made sense… or rather, as much sense as possible in this type of scenario.
Thankfully, I was still able to ride a broom just fine. Whether that was due to my own skill, or some remnant of Draco still inside me, I didn't know.
Frankly, I didn't want to, either. Shit was weird.
I was distracted from these thoughts with Pansy sitting down across from me.
"Eat, you'll need your strength," she said, pushing a nearby stack of toast towards me.
"Nah thanks I'm not hungry."
"Are you feeling alright?" she asked, sounding genuinely concerned.
"I'm fine. Just a bit nervous, y'know? Haven't played a proper Quidditch match in what, two years almost?" I replied.
"No, I mean, you've been acting… different, lately."
"Uh, what do you-"
"Hey, Draco! C'mon, mate, we're going!" Montague called from the other side of the table.
"See you later," Pansy said as I got up and jogged over to join the rest of the team.
"Draco! Wait a second!" Daphne called out as I passed her.
"Sure, what's up?"
"Listen, its Astoria's first game, and she's a nervous wreck," Daphne said. "I tried talking to her, but I don't think it helped. I don't really know Quidditch that well, you see. Uh, so I was wondering if maybe you could have a word with her if it's not too much trouble?"
"Uh… um, okay, I'll talk to her," I said.
"Thanks!" she said as I hurried after the rest of the team.
We made our way across grounds to the Quidditch pitch, the Gryffindor team some distance behind us. The mountains around Hogwarts were snowcapped now, and the ground was hard and frosty. The sky was an unbroken gray, and cold wind whipped on our faces as we walked.
Not the most ideal of conditions, but we had trained and even played in worse.
Zabini and Montague were laughing at a joke Miles Bletchley, the Keeper, had told, while the two Beaters, Jason Myers and Bethany McLoughlin were chatting casually. Astoria, on the other hand, was trailing behind the group, an uncharacteristic stiffness in her normally easy gait. Seeing her like that kinda made me forget my own nervousness… somehow. Remembering my promise to Daphne, I tagged alongside her.
"Hey, Tori, how're you feeling?" I said.
"Fine," she mumbled.
"You sure?"
"Well… no," she admitted. "I'm nervous. Like, really nervous… I can't help but think of all these awful scenarios where I screw up! What if I do screw up?!"
"You won't screw up, Tori," I said calmly. "You're the best Chaser the team's had in years."
Astoria scoffed. "I appreciate it, but we both know that isn't true."
I shook my head. "I'm serious, you're an amazing Chaser. Just keep a clear head today, and you'll do great. Alright?"
She just nodded feebly in response.
"Or at least," I said. "You can't do worse than I did my first match. Heh, I remember the snitch was floating right next to my head and I didn't even notice. Lost us the bloody match."
"Yeah, I remember that too," she said smiling. "I was in my first year then. Boy, you looked like an idiot, with the snitch floating under your nose and not realizing it. You had a dopey little smile on your face too, you were trash-talking Potter or something."
"Ha, yeah… See, that's the thing, I got distracted. Big mistake. Don't do that."
"Sure," she said. "Y'know, with pep talks like those, you'd make a great captain."
"Really?"
"Uh-huh. 'So, remember how we screwed up last time? Yeah, try not to do that again.' Flawless captaincy." she said, a mischievous grin plastered on her face.
"Okay, c'mon now, that's just mean. Also, I do not sound like that!"
We both talked all the way to the stadium, mainly bonding over our mutual support of the Puddlemere United Quidditch team. She seemed more at ease now, and honestly? Talking to her helped me a bit as well.
In the changing rooms, I slid into my Quidditch uniform as fast as I could and joined the rest of the team in front of the large wooden door that led out onto the pitch. The anxiety started to creep up again slightly. I was hoping Montague would at least give us a quick motivational pep talk before we started, but he didn't.
So yeah, that sucked, I guess.
When the doors opened and we kicked off the ground though, my mood changed drastically.
Once again, soaring into the air really helped me forget my worries. I quickly circled the pitch – over the crowds of red and gold and the sea of green and silver – before getting into position with the rest of my team.
Lee Jordan was doing commentary as usual. His voice rang out through the stadium, "Welcome everyone, to the first match of the 1995-1996 Quidditch season, SLYTHERIN VS GRYFFINDOR!"
The captains, Montague and Angelina Johnson shook hands. Even from above, I could tell Montague was trying his darndest to crush Angelina's fingers, but she didn't wince. The captain mounted their brooms as Madam Hooch blew her whistle, releasing the Quidditch balls into the air.
I zoomed higher, then set off on a wide lap of the pitch, gazing around for a glint of the golden snitch. On the opposite side of the stadium, Harry was doing the same.
"Aaand it's Johnson - Johnson with the Quaffle!" Lee Jordan's voice rang out through the stadium. "She dodges a Bludger effortlessly, what a player that girl is, I've been saying it for years but she still won't go out with me-"
"JORDAN!" yelled Professor McGonagall.
"-right sorry, Professor, anyway, Angelina's ducked Zabini, she passes Montague and – ouch – she's been hit by another Bludger from McLoughlin!" Lee cried out. "Possession of the Quaffle passes to Zabini, who zips past Katie Bell. It's just him and Ron Weasley now, c'mon Ron – and… he scores! Zabini scores! That's first blood to Slytherin. 10-0!"
The sea of green and silver cheered below, accompanied by a loud groan from the Gryffindor supporters. I kept my eyes peeled for the Snitch, as did Harry, who was hovering a short distance away.
Suddenly, Harry dived. Realizing he'd seen the Snitch, I followed suit, though due to his faster broom, I wasn't liking my chances.
Tailing Harry as fast as my broom would allow, I gazed ahead to see just where the snitch was, but saw no glint of gold.
And that's when it hit me; Harry hadn't seen the snitch, this was just a diversion – the Wronski Feint – to knock me out.
Realizing my potentially fatal error, I pulled up as hard as I could, just as Harry did the same.
"Oooh, that was a close one!" Lee exclaimed. "Potter attempted the Wronski Feint, but Malfoy realized what's going on just in time to prevent a crash! Nice bit of flying from both Seekers."
Meanwhile, possession of the Quaffle switched hands multiple times in a short span, before finally landing in the hands of Katie Bell who began zooming towards the Slytherin hoops. Fortunately, Astoria swooped in and knocked the Quaffle out of her possession. It passed to Montague who shot off towards the Gryffindor goalposts, guarded by a nervous Ron.
"-Montague in possession; dodges a Bludger from George Weasley – or maybe Fred? Well, one of them, anyway. And- HE SCORES! 20-0 to Slytherin. Bad luck Ron…" Lee Jordan's voice rang through the stadium again. "Oh, the crowd are loving this… what's that they're singing?"
Lee paused to listen, as did I, with a sinking feeling in my heart. The Slytherin section of the stands was singing in unison.
"Weasley cannot save a thing,
He cannot block a single ring,
That's why all Slytherins sing:
WEASLEY IS OUR KING!
Weasley was born in a bin
He always lets the Quaffle in
Weasley will make sure we win
WEASLEY IS OUR KING!"
"Oh my…" Lee Jordan said.
Ron's face had turned as red as his hair now, and he let in another goal from Zabini. That only caused the chorus to grow louder. I tried to signal to the crowd to stop, but predictably that had no effect. I had no clue how they were singing the song, after all I had destroyed the lyrics…
But I had no time to think about that right now. The rest of the Gryffindor team had heard the song too, and boy, were they pissed. Angelina took the Quaffle and shot off across the pitch towards the Slytherin goalposts. She threw the Quaffle with such force that it hit the ring and actually dented it, but the edge was still enough for the ball to make it in, which meant that Gryffindor were back on track.
Harry was hovering stationary in midair, aghast at the crowd's song. This was perfect for me, because I had just seen a flash of gold near the middle of the pitch. I set off towards the snitch as fast as I could.
"Harry, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! Angeline screamed at him as she zoomed past along with Alicia Spinnet, who had the Quaffle. "GET GOING!"
He looked around wildly for a moment, then began speeding after me, but that was fine. His broom may be faster, and he may be the better flyer, but I still had distance on him. The snitch wasn't so far away now, barely ten feet… five now.
Before I could grab the snitch, though, a shrill whistle rang out, and all the players stopped. Lee Jordan's commentary let me know exactly what had happened.
"Seems the Slytherin chant has the Gryffindor team a bit angry. A bit of comradery never goes amiss but Gryffindor might just want to slow it down a bit, they've been penalized for stooging – more than one Chaser in the enemy scoring area, that is."
I looked around again, but the Snitch had flown away. Dammit! Gryffindor couldn't have waited another five seconds?
Fuming, I flew up to get a better view of the penalty, which was being taken by Astoria, who I realized hadn't really been in the spotlight so far in the match.
"Greengrass taking the penalty… and… SHE SCORES! 30-10!" Lee cried out as the Slytherin crowd cheered and broke into another chorus of Weasley Is Our King. "It seems Slytherin's decision to finally prioritize skill over size is paying off!"
I gave a beaming Astoria a high-five as I flew past her. Slytherin was in the lead, but the snitch had vanished again, so it was back to circling the pitch.
This went on for… maybe ten minutes? Fifteen? I wasn't sure, but in that time both teams scored a ton of points. Ron managed to block a few, but he still let in more than he saved. Bletchley on the other hand, did a relatively better job.
At around 140-80 to Slytherin, I saw the Snitch again, this time hovering near one of the Slytherin goalposts. Harry was on the other side of the stadium, no way he could catch up in time.
"Malfoy takes off at top speed; looks like he's seen the Golden Snitch!" Lee cried out.
Naturally this caught the attention of Harry, but he was too far. In an almost exact repeat of what had happened barely fifteen minutes prior, I was chasing the Snitch and Harry was trailing far behind. But this time there wouldn't be a foul, surely not…
I turned out to be right in that regard, but not exactly in the way I was hoping. A foul didn't happen. Instead, a Bludger came hurtling out of the blue straight into my chest with a nasty crunch noise, knocking me off my broom. I fell to the hard, wet ground face up, and saw the red streak that I knew was Harry zoom by overhead in pursuit of the Snitch.
"Oooh! Nasty Bludger there, courtesy of – I think Fred Weasley but can't be sure from this distance. That ought to be a turning point in the match. Potter in pursuit of the Snitch now…"
I tried to get up as well, but got the feeling my internal organs had been rearranged and decided it was best to lie down.
"And he's caught the Snitch! GRYFFINDOR WIN 230-140!" Lee yelled into the mic as the stadium erupted in cheers from the Gryffindor supporters. I could even hear the lion roar from Luna Lovegood's hat through all the noise.
A few moments later, Astoria landed, and knelt down beside me, her face right above mine.
Not exactly the worst sight in the world, if I'm being honest.
"Draco! Are you alright?!" she said shakily, concern on her face.
"I'm… actually, no, I'm not fine. At all." I croaked. My entire torso was throbbing with unbelievable pain. "Probably destroyed half my internal organs, and lost us the match as well."
"Oh, screw the match! You're hurt!"
"I'll be fine," I reassured her. "Madam Pomfrey will patch me up in no time. Injuries like these are part of the game, newbie."
The other teammates landed besides me. Zabini and Astoria helped me onto my feet. Some distance from us, the Gryffindor team were celebrating their victory, lifting Harry on their shoulders. Ron seemed to be lagging behind the rest of the group a bit.
"You are in so much pain right now, aren't you?" Zabini said to me.
"Eyup," I said, and passed out, falling face first back into the ground.
[…]
When I awoke in the hospital wing, it was still daytime outside but it had started raining lightly. I wasn't in my Quidditch uniform anymore, instead I was in a pair of comfy pajamas. I sat up in bed. My body didn't hurt anymore either, so that was good.
Madam Pomfrey came bustling into the wing, with a goblet in her hand.
"Ah good, you're awake. Here drink this," she said, passing me the goblet. It was a reddish-purple liquid that had a fruity smell I couldn't quite place. I took a sip, and almost immediately spat it out. It was the most revolting thing I had tasted in my time at Hogwarts.
"Eugh, what was that?" I croaked.
"A special potion to help repair damaged tissue. With a tinge of cherry," she replied.
"It's vile," I said. Apparently, even in the wizarding world, cherry flavored medicines were the most disgusting things known to man. "How long was I out?"
"A day," she responded.
"Oh…" I had been expecting a few hours so this was a bit of a surprise.
"That was a nasty hit you took there," Madam Pomfrey went on. "Half a dozen broken ribs, shattered sternum, a ruptured spleen, a dislocated shoulder from when you fell off your broom, and lastly, a broken nose when you passed out face first into the ground."
"Right, so… can I leave?"
"We'll see about that. You drink up first," she said, bustling over to another patient a couple beds down from me.
After I finished drinking that horrible potion, Madam Pomfrey did a quick checkup to make sure everything was in working order, then sent me off.
On my way back to the common room, I glanced out a window into the grounds, and stopped to admire the view I saw.
White mist blowing off the snow-covered mountains in the distance, as rain pattered down on the surprisingly-still green grass. The trees of the Forbidden Forest were billowing in the wind, and the cherry-on-top was the smoke coming from Hagrid's cottage, adding an element of coziness to the scenery.
…wait a minute.
Smoke coming from the cottage? That meant Hagrid was back.
I figured a visit to Hagrid's was due. Draco had been a massive prick to him as well, and while I doubted a straightforward apology would exactly patch things up, it would be a start at least.
I dashed back to the dormitory and grabbed a rain cloak before heading out. I crossed the wet grounds all the way to Hagrid's cabin and pounded on his front door, prompting Fang to start barking.
"Oh, be quiet, ya dozy dog," came Hagrid's voice from inside. He opened the door.
"Back again, you three are you-?" his smile vanished from his bruised face as he saw me. "Oh, it's you."
"Hey uh… when did you get back?"
"Last night," Hagrid said gruffly. "Well? Whaddya want?"
"Uh, I… er, just wanted to say I'm sorry. For being a prat," I said.
"'Scuse me?" Hagrid said, confused.
"I said I'm sorry. For trying to get you sacked, and for being a pain in the ass. And I-"
"What're ye playing at?" Hagrid cut me off.
"Excuse me?"
"I've been seeing the way ya behave for the past four years now, Malfoy. Don't expect me to believe that all of a sudden, you've come to yer senses and decided to be nice to me," Hagrid said.
"Why else would I apologize to you, then?" I said.
"I dunno why, but I do know that people don't change so much so fast. Now if you're done wastin' my time you can go on and leave. I ain't got all day."
Seeing as how I never even had a welcome to overstay, I decided it was best to just turn around and leave for now.
I had a couple other things on my mind anyway. Namely the song, and the shitshow that it would undoubtedly have left in its wake.
Well… if there's one thing to learn from all this, between the match, the song and the talk with Hagrid, it's that things don't always go according to plan.
And man, does that suck.