Summary: Draco Malfoy and Mackenzie Coleman are close friends and Quidditch teammates, doing their best to make it through the school year. Slice of life.

QLFC

Team: Pride of Portree

Position: Chaser 3

Main Prompt: [Past Round] What's In A Name? (Season 5, Round 5)

Other Prompts: [Character] Draco Malfoy, [Setting] Quidditch Pitch, [Dialogue] "You're the worst!" / "But you love me anyway."

INSPIRED BY HAMILTON: A CHALLENGE

Challenge Level: Elizabeth Schuyler-Hamilton

Song: Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story?

Lyric Prompt: It's only a matter of time

BUILD-A-BEAR

Bear: Vianna

Step: Cuddliness

Prompt: Write a fic about flying

NATIONAL WHATEVER DAY

Month: September

Day: 17

Prompt: National Pet Bird Day - Write about flying

Title: Ludus Fuga Et

Wordcount: 1073

A/N: 'Ludus fuga et' is Latin for 'Flight and the Game', so I apologise for any unintended insults or anything that may be in the title, as I am aware that some languages have words similar to those from the Latin language. The Quidditch Pitch is only mentioned by name once, but it is the setting for all the flight scenes. All Quidditch moves mentioned are officially recognised as Quidditch tactics on the Harry Potter Wiki.

The wind whipped through my brown hair, trying to release it from the ponytail it was currently bound in. The robes I wore were whirled around in the wind, as I stopped the Quaffles from entering the hoops with ease.

Terence Higgs, the Seeker, and Miles Blechley, the Keeper, had tried to placate Marcus Flint, the Captain, with money, but the whole house wanted to win in Quidditch, and Bletchley and Higgs' skills weren't up to snuff – they couldn't keep up with the rest of the Slytherin Quidditch Team.

The trials brought pressure from my friends for me to try out, and being complimented much more than normal – they definitely wanted me to do what they wanted, but they were going about it wrong. Still, I indulged them, so I'm sitting here on my Nimbus 2000, stopping goals at one end of the Quidditch Pitch, while Miles Bletchley used the other end.

A Quaffle appeared off to my right, heading straight for the right-most goal, and I swerved my broom over to the goal. Knowing I wouldn't get close enough to use my arm or hand to block the Quaffle, I stuck my leg out and knocked the red ball down toward the ground.

Luke Andrews seemed to have spotted the Snitch. With a smirk, he turned his new broom and streaked off after the golden ball. Higgs turned his Cleansweep Eleven to follow Luke, but he had already caught up with the Snitch, and the other boy had no chance. Luke's fingers closed over the golden ball, engulfing it in his fist.

With a spin, Luke's broom turned to where the Chasers were gathered, and he held his fist up at Marcus.

The whistle I had gifted him the year before was blown, bringing everyone down to the grass of the Quidditch Pitch.

"Alright, everyone, thank you for trying out. The list with the new team will be up by the end of the week. Now clean up, and get back to the common room."

With a round of cheers, everyone trying out landed and made their way to the changing rooms, and before long, everyone was in either the common room or their dorm.

Captain: Marcus Flint

Chasers: Marcus Flint, Samuel Grey, Michael Smith

Beaters: Zain Randall, Liam Tattam

Keeper: Mackenzie Coleman

Seeker: Draco Malfoy

Draco almost shrieked in excitement when he saw the poster on the notice board, but held back. He had to uphold all the expectations that were weighing him down, after all. He saw Mackenzie waiting for him by the entrance to the common room, and sped up to walk to breakfast with her.

"Mackie, you got Keeper!" With a small cheer, her pace picked up a little from excitement.

"I'm guessing Andrews got Seeker?"

Smirking, Draco replied with, "No, Father bought Nimbus 2001s for the whole team, and Flint put me on the team as Seeker."

"No way. Are you kidding? That's awesome!"

"I know, right?"

"I was talking about the brooms." They were speaking in whispers now, not wanting to spoil the surprise.

"That's what I was talking about!"

"Nah, I was also talking about you being on the team."

"Oh. Well, yeah, that's awesome too."

I was curled up next to Draco, as we had just finished Quidditch practise, and he played with my hair while I did the Transfiguration essay we had been assigned. My essay was three inches too short, and I was almost done.

Finishing off the last sentence, I moved my hand back to the top of the parchment and signed my name. This particular essay had had me stumped for quite some time – I had only finished now, the day before the essay was due, because of how difficult it was to write. The topic, 'Living to Nonliving Transfiguration', was difficult to interpret, but I was happy with what I had done.

"Hawkshead Attacking Formation!"

Flint, Grey and Smith moved to fly in a triangle, Flint taking point with the Quaffle. He tossed it toward the left hoop, the one I was furthest away from, and I sped toward the hoop. Yes! I just stopped it. The Quaffle dropped and Grey scooped it up before the three older boys moved back into formation, Grey taking point. This continued for a good ten minutes before they switched formation, rotating point each time.

The three Chasers started practicing the Porskoff Ploy, and the Quaffle came right at the right hoop. Too far away to get in front of the hoop in time, I attempted to do the Starfish and Stick maneuver, just missing the red ball.

"Try not to do that maneuver during a game, Coleman."

"Yeah, I wasn't going to, Flint."

"Good. Let's keep going, we've got twenty more minutes with the pitch before we have to vacate it, so get back to practice. Randall, Tattam, start hitting the Bludgers at us, to simulate a real game."

"You got it, Flint!"

Fifteen minutes flew by, when Draco suddenly dove towards me from where he had been hovering, 10 metres above my head. I caught a glimpse of the golden ball that was the Snitch in the corner of my eye and ducked out of the way when Draco skimmed over my head, allowing him to get to the flying orb quicker and easier.

The match dragged on, and Hufflepuff started to catch up to us as I circled the pitch, scanning for the Snitch. Cedric Diggory, the Hufflepuff Seeker, was in the corner of my eye, watching the pitch as well, though he remained in one place for a little too long. Staying stationary for that extra second would hinder him if he tried to take off toward something, as he wouldn't have any momentum to use to speed up as he took off, he'd be starting with nothing to go off of.

A glint of gold caught my eye, and I streaked off toward the Hufflepuff goals, dodging the Chasers and Beaters forming a bubble around the Quaffle. The Snitch zipped over Mackenzie's head, and I followed closely behind, nearly hitting her head.

"Be more careful, Draco, would you?"

"No, sorry."

"You're the worst!" Mackenzie huffed before putting all her attention back on the game.

"But you love me anyway." My fingers closed around the golden ball, securing a victory for Slytherin at 250-100.

"Why do I love you?"

"Because I just won us the match."