Chapter 5: Malfoy

It had certainly been an interesting few days since Poppy was accepted into the Slytherin team. Flint had told the other players some time between his and Poppy's conversation and supper, just as he had said, and apparently word around Hogwarts spread quickly. When Poppy entered the Great Hall that gloomy Thursday night and made her way towards the Slytherin table, it was as if the dementors guarding Hogwarts were no more than a foot away. The reception was downright icy. Adrian Pucey was excited, naturally, and sat next to Poppy. She was glad someone was happy for her but had always felt she should try to let Adrian know she didn't like him in that way. It was just easier said than done.

They had gotten to know each other a year ago. Adrian had helped Poppy get a book from the highest shelf in the library and they had started chatting the day away. Poppy had felt as if she'd finally made a Slytherin friend until a few weeks into the friendship, he tried to kiss her and it was a big fiasco. Neither of them wanted to really talk about it so they avoided each other for a while and eventully settled on being casual acquaintances. They'd say hi to each other and act polite but Poppy knew Adrian still fancied her. She just didn't feel the same way. He was nice and he wasn't bad looking with his short, light brown hair and hazel eyes. He was tall and slender not as muscular as many other boys who played Quidditch but that didn't matter to Poppy. She had just kind of figured that if her first instinct was to quickly swerve away when he leaned in for a kiss, maybe he wasn't what she wanted. There was no spark.

So, Adrian was happy she was on the team. The rest were not. They weren't exactly vocal about the issue, but there was a lot of glaring and dirty looks. Until Friday morning. Students were waking up and heading for breakfast. The Slytherin common room was in a frenzy, just as any other morning. Poppy was just doing some finishing touches onto an essay, when Draco Malfoy walked out of his dormitory with his friends, not noticing Poppy on the couch.

"I can't believe that goody-goody is on the team, this whole place is going to the dogs," he said loudly and his friends snickered. "Makes you wonder how she got on in the first place. I guess a pretty face will get you anywhere."

"What did you say?" Poppy asked, jumping off the couch immediately. "You really want to talk about how someone gets on the team?"

"No, I don't believe I need to talk to you at all," Malfoy sneered and his loyal
followers patted him on the back. "Way to go, Draco," the taller one muttered.

"At least I have skills, all you have is your fathers money," Poppy said as calmly as she could muster. Students around them were listening intently, stopping whatever they had been previously doing.

"Skills? I suppose you have certain skills but that has nothing to do with Quidditch," Malfoy said pompously and smirked. She didn't like what he was suggesting. His friends laughed loudly and some of the other students joined in. Poppy was about to punch Malfoys smug face when their argument was interrupted.

"Malfoy! Back off and take your lackeys with you!" Flint's deep, raspy voice bellowed over the common room. He was standing in the stairwell leading down to the boys dormitories. "And Wood, I suggest you do the same."

"You can try to treat her as if she's just another player but we all know the truth," Malfoy mumbled under his breath. He was glaring at Poppy as he turned around and ushered his friends towards the door.

"What did you say, you little git?" Flint asked, grinding his teeth. He walked towards Malfoy and even though he was just wearing pyjama bottoms, he still managed to look intimidating. It helped that he was twice Malfoy's size.

"You heard me," Malfoy responded. He was trying to sound confident but he looked to be shrinking as Flint got closer. His voice turned weak. "I don't approve of this."

"I don't care what you think," Flint said. Malfoy scoffed and left with his friends tagging along.

"I had to get out of bed for this," Flint mumbled as he headed back to his dormitory without a word to Poppy.

After breakfast, Poppy had classes in Potions and History of Magic. She wasn't fond of either subject and was thrilled when lunch time rolled around. She didn't see Flint at lunch and he hadn't shown up for breakfast, either. Poppy ate her lunch as swiftly as she could and headed to the common room to finish the Herbology essay she had meant to do before breakfast but Malfoy had effectively ruined that plan.

Poppy entered the empty common room, got her essay out and started working. She hated doing schoolwork in her dormitory or the Slytherin common room but it was too windy to go outside and the library was so far from the greenhouses that it would've taken ages to get to class from there. She finished her essay in the nick of time and was just about to leave when Flint came up the stairs, still in his pyjamas.

"Oh, it's you. I woke up to someone rumbling around here," he said.

"Sorry. Didn't you go to class today?" Poppy asked, puzzled as to why he was
still sleeping.

"Nah, didn't feel like it," Flint answered.

Poppy nodded, trying to show she understood, though she didn't. Skipping class was something she had never done. There was an awkward silence between them.

"Uh, I'm sorry about Malfoy. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again," Flint finally said.

"I can take care of myself," Poppy scoffed. "You told me not to come to you if other players are mean, and I haven't. So don't come to me to say you're sorry. You made it clear we're not friends."

"I'm just trying to make sure you don't do anything stupid," Flint explained, scratching his head sluggishly. "You were about to punch him."

"What? No, I wasn't. What?" Poppy was taken aback by the fact her intentions had apparently been so clear to him. "And so what?"

"You heard how that hippogriff that supposedly attacked Malfoy is going to have a hearing and most likely end up with its head on the wall of the Malfoy manor?" Flint said. Poppy nodded, so he continued, "What do you think would happen to you?"

"He can't have me put down like an animal," Poppy argued. Flint smiled slightly.

"No, but he can get you expelled for a while if he wants to," he said. "So, maybe try to just tolerate him?"

"You're being awfully nice," Poppy remarked. "It's refreshing."

"Good mood, I suppose. I didn't suffer through classes and we start practice next week. Do you think they're still serving lunch?" Flint asked.

"I guess. Were you going to show up in those?" Poppy answered, eyeing his pyjama bottoms.

"Maybe," Marcus said, smiling a little. Poppy looked at the clock on the wall and realised she was running a bit late.

"I have to go," she said abruptly. "To class."

Flint didn't even have a chance to respond when she was out the door already. She was getting tired of Flint's ever-changing mood, one second he was the angry monster he was known as, and the next he was almost a normal human being. Poppy's life would've been much simpler if he could have just decided to either hate her or not.