Thank you so much to the Guest reviewer who reviewed the last chapter! Thank you for the compliments (hee hee) - I'm glad you notice changes, I started writing Unconditionally four years ago, and I'm eighteen now, so I like to think I'm a more mature writer (if that makes any sense at all). Reading back Unconditionally, I don't think Selene was a great character, at least in my first few chapters, and I definitely made her too likeable.

Not to mention the fact that I mentioned all my P.O.V. changes. But I digress. Truly, thank you! I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much.

Chapter 11: Dirty Tactics

If you mentioned 'Yule' to a group of people, not many would immediately think of a massive, magical Ball. Maybe they'd be thinking of Christmas trees, or massive log cakes, or cold halls filled with the slight warmth from a fire. But no, not a dance. Yet, that was the case with this particular Christmas holiday.

"Oh, Selene!" Cho gushed, pulling down the poster from the Ravenclaw Common Room noticeboard. "A ball! Can you just imagine how fun that'll be!"

"Not really, no," Selene sighed, tugging the leaflet from her friend's rapturous fists, and pinning it back up. "I can't see it being fun at all." Not least because Theodore Nott had been giving her some very pointed leers across the Great Hall at breakfast that morning.

"You are not getting out of this!" Cho insisted, grabbing Selene's hand. "I'm sure you can find a date. Roger would go with literally any girl, or you could just go on your own- although that would be a bit sad."

"What's wrong with someone going to a dance on their own?" Selene rolled her eyes, pulling her hand away. "Look, I'll be staying at Hogwarts this Christmas anyway. I'll come, but you are not allowed to pull me down to Hogsmeade for a 'full makeover'. Take Marietta."

Cho pouted and crossed her arms in mock annoyance. "But Selene," she winged. "If you just put a little more effort into your appearance, you'd be fighting the boys off!"

"Really?" Selene couldn't resist another roll of her eyes. "Cho, darling, you do know that I'm the the 'Ice Queen'? Boys don't like me because I don't like them. And, apparently," her voice dropped to a hushed whisper. "There's a large slab of snow where my heart should be."

"Make way, make way, ladies!" Roger called cheerfully, the crowd of younger year Ravenclaws parting like the Red Sea. "Ah, Malfoy, Chang… My two favourite fellow Quidditch players!"

"What do you want, Davies?" Cho questioned, turning to face the newcomer. "Have you seen the poster?"

"Yup!" Roger replied, giving the girl a dazzling, if somewhat creepy, grin. "Excited, Chang? Malfoy, you look like a wet blanket. No boy will ask you to dance if you look that angry all the time."

"That's the plan," Selene sighed, trying not to think about Nott and his bulbous eyes. "What did you want, Davies? Other than to gas at us about the Ball, of course."

"We've organised a friendly against Gryffindor," Roger yawned, stretching his arms above his head. "You two free? We wanted to get one in before the littlies go off home."

By littlies, he meant the newest member of the team, thirteen-year-old Randolph Burrow, a Muggleborn, and a born Chaser. As they weren't letting anyone below fourth year join in with the Ball, most of the younger years were leaving for the Christmas period.

The lack of Quidditch matches had incensed so many of the Quidditch players (and fans) of Hogwarts, that Professor McGonagall had been forced to allow some friendly matches to be played at suitable times in the year, with the agreement that the organisation, refereeing, and scoring would be left down to the players, rather than the frankly overworked Professors.

"I'm up for that," Selene nodded, glancing at the watch on her wrist. "Right now?"

"Yes, right now," Roger replied, somewhat condescendingly, reaching out to pat the girl on the shoulder. "Unless you're not willing to compete against your new boyfriends."

"Why does everyone think that I'm dating the fucking Weasley twins?" Selene pulled a face. "Shove off, Davies. I wouldn't go near them. I'm not a big fan of prickish, freckled redheads. Percy was the only half-decent one of that clan."

"Percy was a tosser," Cho rolled her eyes. "Penelope hasn't heard from him for weeks. He's just dropped her. Just like that! Like he's too good for her now he's got his high and mighty Ministry position."

Selene snickered to herself, remembering her father's less than complimentary words about the middle Weasley. "I said half-decent, not exactly likeable," she accompanied these words with another look at her watch. "Look, if you want this friendly, I'm going to have to go get changed and grab my broom. Meet you outside in fifteen?"

"Sure," Roger yawned again, shooting a wink at a third-year who was eyeing up his muscles rather admirably. "Can't make it ten? Or do you have to do your makeup for your twin lovers?"

"It'll be ten," Selene replied sourly, giving Roger a well-deserved stuck out tongue. "But don't blame me when I turn up with a stitch."

"Our Chasers need to be on the ball, Malfoy," Roger chuckled at his own joke before continued. "You should be keeping in shape!"

"Ten minutes," Selene repeated, looking sideways at Cho. "Come on. Let's show this idiot what good quality he's got on his team."

Indeed, when the pair arrived at the Quidditch pitch later that morning, Roger was, as of yet, nowhere to be seen. Instead, Cho and Selene arrived to a pitch mostly full of Gryffindor players, and their supporters, and a chillingly familiar face standing in the middle of the bunch.

"That's cheating," Cho said indignantly, cracking her knuckles. "They can't have two Seekers!"

"Who would you rather play against?" Selene questioned, leaning up against her Nimbus 2001. "The fourteen-year-old boy superstar Harry Potter, who is obsessed with you, by the way, or Victor Krum, the saviour of the 1994 Quidditch World Cup?"

"Harry, without a doubt," Cho scrunched up her nose. "I have half a mind to march over to Johnson and ask her what the hell she thinks she's doing!"

"If they use two Seekers, I will personally find Johnson and dangle her from the Whomping Willow," Selene swore, crossing her arms. "Look, our team has better brooms, better strategy - especially now Oliver Wood's gone - and better players. We're guaranteed a victory. If Krum joins in, it is foul play. This is a Hogwarts friendly, not a Hogwarts plus Durmstrang friendly."

"Jealous of our new Seeker, ladies?" George or Fred Weasley grinned, emerging from the crowd of Gryffindors with his twin, a broad smile affixed to both of their faces. "We'll win this match for sure."

"It's foul play!" Cho protested. "You can't just substitute a player. You have to go through channels. Unless the original Seeker is incapacitated or unable to play for whatever other reason, they must play the match or the whole team risks disqualification!"

"Ah, but Chang," the other twin cut in. "Do those rules apply to non-official matches as well?"

"They should," Selene interjected, raising an eyebrow. Both twins grinned in her direction, although it appeared to be more menacing than welcoming. "You know I can take points from Gryffindor for dirty tactics, right?"

"But you won't," the right twin, who appeared to be Fred, judging by the small red 'F' on the end of his broom. "Because you're a good 'un, aren't you?"

"Hurrumph," Selene grumbled. "If you have to descend to dirty tactics, then those brooms of yours must be even worse than they look."

The twins looked at each other, then down to their Cleansweep Sevens, then back to each other, then back to the blonde haired Malfoy standing in front of them. "Excuse me," they chorused, looking a lot less happy. "I'm sure these are just as good as yours," one of them added, pulling a face.

Selene gestured to her Nimbus 2001, enjoying the slowly sinking faces of the twins. "You were saying?" she asked jovially. "And Cho has a Cleansweep Eleven, don't you?"

"You don't have to be mean, Selene," Cho whispered, looking awkwardly at the ground, avoiding looking at the twins. She leaned in closer to her friend's ear, before continuing. "Don't you know, they're poor. They probably couldn't afford anything better."

"Do you want to swap?" Selene said quickly, ignoring Cho's comment. She held out her broom, pulling out a small handkerchief from her pocket and wiping off some of the fingerprints that were visible on the varnished wood. "I'm sure I could beat you, even on a Cleansweep Seven."

The twins looked at each other again, before the one on the left reached out a hand for a handshake. "It's a deal, Malfoy," he said, waggling his eyebrows. "If you lose the game, you have to become our new test subject. Voluntary position, of course."

"What for?" Selene asked, brow furrowing, pulling her beloved broom away from the twins quickly. "What would you test me with?"

"Oh, nothing," the other twin said swiftly, as the first opened his mouth to speak. "But are you sure you're happy to ride a Cleansweep Seven?"

"Flying depends on the skill of the handler, not the broom," Selene shrugged, pushing away her misgivings and offering the first twin her broom again. "I'm sure I can make it work." After all, they weren't going to lose."

The first twin nodded, spitting into his hand before holding it out again. Noting the girl's disgusted expression, he sighed. "You do it, too, Ice Queen," he sniggered. "Unless you're scared of catching Blood Traitor germs."

"No, I'm not," Selene replied defensively, shaking her head to accompany her words. After a moment's more hesitation, she licked her hand awkwardly, before taking the Weasley's, grimacing at the wet, sticky sensation.

"That'll do, Malfoy, that'll do," the twin sighed, looking resigned. They shook hands, once, twice, three times, before Selene quickly wiped her palm on the grass, and passed over her Nimbus 2001. The Cleansweep she received in return, although worn, did seem well looked after.

"Fred?" Selene asked, looking at the twin, who was admiring her Nimbus 2001 with amazement. He looked up when he heard his name, before grinning.

"You're getting it, Malfoy," he beamed, nodding at George, who was standing some distance away, speaking to Angelina Johnson. "If I wasn't such a kind man, I'd think you knew our secret."

"I don't even want to know," Selene grimaced again, crouching down once more and wiping her palm a little more thoroughly. "You're disgusting. The pair of you. Does your mother know how horrific your manners are?"

"Yes," Fred replied, grinning once more. "And she never stops telling us off for it."

"She must be a fucking saint," Selene muttered, already feeling a headache pulse at her temples. "You aren't using Krum though, really, are you?"

Fred just laughed, and a lead weight dropped in Selene's stomach. "Thankfully, he seems to like the company of a certain bushy haired Gryffindor," he said, still snickering, as he walked away.

oOo

Cho was not happy at the state of affairs. Even though the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw Chasers were very evenly matched, and Lee Jordan's commentary was slightly less barbed than usual, considering the lack of a Slytherin opponent, she was far outmatched by the Bulgarian Seeker.

Even though the Ravenclaw Chasers had scored three goals up on Gryffindor, the moment Krum saw the Snitch was the moment he caught it. Cho dismounted her broom, silently fuming, pushing her black hair out of her face. "Fucking cheats," she muttered darkly, turning away from the celebrations of the Gryffindors.

"Cheer up, Chang," Davies seemed nonplussed, compromising with a shrug. "They pulled dirty tactics, yes, but we got to play against a professional. How often do you get to say that?"

"Every day, Davies," Selene pointed out. "Considering Oliver Wood is playing for Puddlemere Reserves now, we can consider the last four years as playing against a professional." She looked down at the Cleansweep Seven and nodded to herself. Not a bad broom, if she was being honest with herself. It had nothing on her Nimbus, but it did the trick for a "friendly" match.

"Shut up, Malfoy," Davies replied, pushing Selene on the shoulder. "You take the fun out of everything, geez."

"Yes, Malfoy," the twins joined on now, their perfectly identical voices mimicking Davies's own. "You're such a spoilsport!"

"And you owe us a session of voluntary testing sessions," Fred (at least, Selene assumed it was still Fred) said, holding out Selene's Nimbus. "That broom is overrated. Fast? It hardly goes faster than our old Cleansweep Fives. How much did Daddy spend on it?"

"Ask him, not me," Selene sighed, gladfully taking her broom back from the freckled boy and checking it over for possible damage. "And you just don't know how to use it, Weasley."

"Don't I?" Fred smirked, running his hands over his Cleansweep Seven. "Have you had first-hand experience, now, Malfoy? Or have you heard tales of my apparent ineptitude."

She'd really made a bed for herself now. Selene pushed her blonde hair out of her face and looked Fred square in the eye. "No," she said, laying her broom on the grass before continuing. "I wouldn't want first-hand experience of your… Your broom, if you were the last wizard on earth. And if I was the only witch with viable ovaries."

"Wow," George appeared in the conversation now, holding one hand to his heart, apparently affronted. "Freddie, our little test subject seems to be a feisty one! Do you think she'll come around to the cause?"

"I am not joining a cult," Selene cut in, quickly, before George could get another word in edgeways. "Whatever cause this is, I have enough causes of my own, and I didn't sign up to a cause. A bet is a bet, but nothing more than that."

"A cause like Pureblood Supremacy?" Fred asked sarcastically. "Please, don't try to convert us, Malfoy. We like you because you're fun to mess with, not because we're interested in that crap."

"Trust me, I'm not trying to," Selene rubbed her eyes, stooping down to pick up her broom. "Believe it or not, I'm allowed to have friends without trying to convert them. Confusing, I know. Especially for people like you."

She turned away from the twins, starting up towards the castle, ignoring the absence of Cho, who was doubtless chewing Angelina Johnson out over their unfair use of a Quidditch professional for a seemingly non-competitive game. All Selene wanted was a warm bath, a good book, and an afternoon to forget about the upcoming ball.

But no such luck. "Awwwww, Malfoy!" one twin, probably Fred, appeared on her left side, grasping her hand. "Does that mean we're your friends now?"

"You know what, Freddie," George appeared on the right, sporting an identical eye-watering beam. "I think it does."

"I don't need friends," Selene grumbled childishly, but let Fred clasp her hand, in an excruciatingly tight grip. "Let alone Weasley friends."

"Calm down, sunshine," George snickered, linking his arm with Selene's. "You would have hexed us if you'd hated us."

Which was true. Selene almost stopped, dead in her tracks, considering this. Instead, she opted for a 'walk and think' approach, not least because she was mostly being pulled along by the twins. "You know what," she said suddenly, a plan forming in her mind. "I don't hate you guys."

"You don't?" the twins chorused, the confusion, and surprise, apparent in both of their voices. "Wow, the Ice Queen has feelings," Fred continued, snickering into his hand at George's expression (one of complete bewilderment).

"I don't," Selene repeated, the plan taking firmer shape in her mind as she paused, the walking ceasing to a halt. She turned to her left, looking Fred up and down. "In fact… Fred, would you like to accompany me to the Yule Ball?"

The silence pressed on the trio, with the only sound emanating from the Forbidden Forest, a few yards away. Selene waited patiently, watching the twin's face turn from pink, to a deep scarlet red. "U-uh…" he stuttered, and Selene smirked. "Um…"

"He's taking Angelina," George interrupted, scratching the back of his neck. "But, uh… If you want to take me, I'm free."

"Okay then," Selene nodded, biting back a snicker (Fred was still incapable of forming coherent sentences). "Weasley, would you like to come to the Yule Ball with me?"

"Charming," Fred muttered, with a face like thunder. "We aren't just… Interchangeable!"

"Of course not, Weasley," Selene patted the boy on the shoulder. "But you're the only two non-repulsive boys I know. It's both of you, one of you, or neither of you. If you wanted to at least attempt to be dateable, you'd need to cut that hair of yours."

"I don't like you," Fred continued, acting as if Selene hadn't said anything. "You can't just do that! We aren't your toys," he fumed, looking at his twin. "George is a person too, y'know? It's not FredandGeorge, you can't swap one for the other."

"Even though you do?" Selene raised an eyebrow, before shrugging. "Well, Fred, you're taken, and I need a date, so, George, what do you say?"

"He says no," Fred snarled, grabbing his brother's hand. "Come on, George. You're better than this. Don't let her get to you."

"Hey, Fred, calm down mate," George pulled his hand free and clasped his twin on the shoulder. "She makes a fair enough point. And you know I've been having issues getting a date for the Ball."

Selene sighed loudly, pulling the attention of the twins away from each other and back to her. "Look," she said, leaning on her broomstick. "It's you two, or it's Theodore Nott, my family's particular choice."

"Ew," George pulled a face, nodding sympathetically. "I totally get what you mean," he admitted. "But, I mean… Won't your parents be even more mad that you went with a Weasley?"

"Undoubtedly," Selene nodded, glancing for a second at Fred, and his slowly melting anger. "So, I mean, it would be a massive favour. In return for this testing. And I could make it worth your while."

"I don't want your Death Eater father's money!" Fred exploded, chewing on his bottom lip. "And I don't want to get implicated in this. Malfoy could seriously mess up dad's job. It's too risky, George."

"Yes," George replied, after a couple moments more thought. "I'd be happy to go to the Ball with you, Malfoy."

Fred's mouth opened and closed like a fish, with no sound coming out. Selene smiled a truly grateful smile, and tipped her broom over her shoulder. "I'll see you on the 25th then, Weasley." she gave Fred a smirk and a condescending nod. Oh, he wasn't happy. "I'll be wearing dark blue. Please don't clash."

"You know what, George," Fred said after Selene was a safe distance away. "I don't think that girl deserves to be the test subject for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, bet or no bet."

"Wow, Fred Weasley is breaking a bet," George snickered, absent-mindedly polishing his broom with the sleeve of his red Quidditch robe. "Be careful, or you'll turn out like Bagman."