A/N: reminder: slytherin!miyuki is every other chapter.

Miyuki slumped down in his seat for Defense Against the Dark Arts. This weekend had been hell, having to deal with Quidditch and Mei separately and at the same time. The only time he got to relax was at that party, and that turned out to be a huge mess.

Speaking of, Kuramochi dropped down in the seat next to him right as the bell rang. Miyuki smirked as Kuramochi panted, obviously out of breath from running to class. He waited to make sure everyone's attention was on the professor.

Without turning his head, he said, "Made it by the skin of your teeth again, huh, Kuramochi?"

Kuramochi said nothing back, not even a growl. That was a surprise, since Miyuki couldn't sigh without getting a rise out of him. He must've not have heard me, Miyuki decided.

When the teacher turned around to write something on the chalkboard, he said, "That was some party on Friday. I've still got a headache from whatever was in those drinks."

Kuramochi stared straight ahead, no sign that he acknowledged Miyuki's words. He knew for a fact that Kuramochi had heard him that time, which meant Kuramochi was ignoring him on purpose.

"Did I do something to piss you off?" he asked quietly. "You know, more than usually?"

Kuramochi slanted his eyes in Miyuki's direction. "What do you think, asshole?" He didn't say anything else.

"Well? Tell me what I did. It's not good to keep all that anger bottled up inside."

"I knew you were an asshole," Kuramochi growled. "All Slytherins are assholes. But I didn't think you were as bad as your snake-faced boyfriend and his friends. Those guys get off on messing with people for kicks. I should've known you were just like them."

Miyuki paused. "Please tell me this isn't about the guy I danced with at the party."

"You don't even know his name."

Miyuki groaned as silently as he could. "My gravestone is going to say 'Miyuki Kazuya—danced with a Gryffindor boy once'."

"I'm not joking around with you."

"You'd laugh too, if everyone around made a big deal about an honest mistake."

"Yeah, out of everyone you "accidentally" picked one of ours."

"I'm being serious." Miyuki hissed.

"Miyuki, Kuramochi, do you have something you'd like to share with the class?" The professor interrupted.

Everyone turned to look at him, including Narumiya. He was sitting farther up, and narrowed his eyes at the thought of the two of them talking.

Miyuki put on his charismatic smile. "Sorry, Professor. Kuramochi was bothering me again."

"Perhaps your problem would be solved if you weren't talking at all." She went back to writing on the board. "Any more disruptions and I'll take points away from Gryffindor and Slytherin."

Miyuki waited until the class's attention was fully off of them before speaking quietly again. "All my problems with Gryffindor get handled on the Quidditch field. You don't have to trust me, Kuramochi, but you can trust that. I danced with that guy because I didn't know what House he was and I didn't care. I just wanted to have fun." And I did have fun. he thought, but he kept that to himself.

Kuramochi glared at him. "Do you mean that?"

Miyuki met his gaze. "I've got no reason to lie."

He'd like to pretend that he couldn't care less about what Kuramochi thought of him, that talking to him was a headache anyway. But he knew there was no point in lying to himself.

From his first year, Miyuki had always had Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Gryffindors. That beginning year, the teacher assigned seats so that no one would be sitting with someone in their house. Miyuki got Kuramochi. They truly did dislike each other at first—Miyuki thought he was too brash, Kuramochi thought he was entitled. Kuramochi took everything Miyuki said as a personal insult, so every class ended in a fight and detention.

Somehow, in between their fights they ended up having real conversations. He found out that Kuramochi loved watching Quidditch as much as he loved playing. Also, he could be pretty funny when he wanted to. Miyuki lost track of how many times he had to smother his laughter to keep from drawing attention to himself. The next year, they were allowed to choose their seats. They both ended up being late to class, and had to take the last two seats at the back of the class. They ended up sitting next to each other, the year after that, and the year after that, grumbling about it a little less each time.

As sad as it was to say, Kuramochi might be his only real friend. All his House friends were either Mei's friends first or wanted something out of him. He was the only person Miyuki could drop the mask with. He wasn't sure what he'd do if Kuramochi kept giving him the silent treatment.

So he let out an internal sigh of relief when Kuramochi said, "Fine, whatever."

Miyuki leaned back in his seat. "Good. It was an honest mistake."

"Yeah, it makes sense. Sawamura's the worse person to choose for a prank." Kuramochi snickered to himself. "He might actually take you seriously."

Miyuki hummed in agreement. "His name was Sawamura?"

Kuramochi's gaze turned fierce again. "Don't worry about it."

Miyuki shrugged. "Just wondering."

While the teacher droned on, Miyuki let his mind drift away.

Sawamura. he smiled to himself. The boy with the golden eyes.

History of Magic had been killing Sawamura lately.

He felt like he had a paper due every other week, on top of struggling not to fall asleep from Professor Binns' monotone voice. This time, he had to go to the library to look at some old newspapers for his research paper to get some "quality" secondary sources.

The periodical section was dusty and smelled as old as it looked, but surprisingly it carried recent newspaper editions. That was how Sawamura accidentally came upon an issue of the Daily Prophet that had Miyuki's face front and center on the cover. It was a great photo, taken in action. Miyuki was in full Quidditch gear, raising his fist up after making a stunning block.

Sawamura spluttered at first, not expecting to see Miyuki again so soon (whether it was in a picture or anything else). Quickly, Sawamura looked to his left and right to ensure that no one else was in the aisle with him. He reached out and picked up the newspaper against his better judgement.

It was an article from two years ago, about the Slytherins advancement into Internationals. Sawamura only vaguely remembered that event, since it was back when he wasn't into Quidditch much at all. He definitely remembered the mourning period his House went through, because it was supposed to be them going to Internationals. The article went on to talk about The Slytherin team's chances of winning it all and the rising stars within the team, one of them being Miyuki.

Miyuki Kazuya, Sawamura thought to himself. So that's his full name. He blushed looking at the pictures that featured Miyuki, including one where he laughed as his teammates picked him up. It wasn't fair that a jerk like him could be so attractive, especially when he's smiling. No, Sawamura wasn't allowed to think things like that anymore. Even if Miyuki's Quidditch uniform made him look that much more powerful.

Sawamura shook his head furiously. He slapped both his cheeks. Wake up! Slytherins are bad and Miyuki is awful! This had been his mantra every time Miyuki came to his mind. He didn't know why he couldn't get that jerk out of his head. It was bad enough being used for some sick game Miyuki was playing with his boyfriend, but worse was how bad the upperclassmen teased him afterwards. He had no good memories of that party, none! Except for maybe the excitement of being twirled around, and the sound of Miyuki's laugh. He allowed himself to think that, at least.

He didn't look like an asshole in these pictures, Sawamura noted. The pictures showed Miyuki and his teammates shoving each other playing and laughing. One showed Miyuki and Narumiya high-fiving, which made Sawamura feel funny for a second. In these pictures, the Slytherin team didn't look any different than the Gryffindor team, except for the fact that they were wearing green.

Sawamura put the newspaper back. He'd been reading the article for too long.

"Pick up the speed, Sawamura! You're in the first string now!" Coach shouted at him.

Sawamura gripped his broom tighter. The wood handle dug into his hands, leaving a small ache. Each breath he took physically pained him, but he pushed his pain aside to another corner of his mind. All he concentrated on was getting faster. The feeling of being faster than anyone on the field, the thought of being the one who won the game for the whole team, that was what kept him moving.

"You're going slower, Sawamura!"

The minute practice was over, Sawamura collapsed onto the ground. From his peripheral vision, he watched as cleats began to circle around him.

"Eijun-kun, let me help you up." Haruichi said. Sawamura groaned in reply.

Kuramochi poked Sawamura's side with his foot. "Get up, Sawamura! This is nothing compared to training camp."

Ryousuke added viciously, "No one said being in the first string would be easier. That's why Coach cuts people the first week."

Sawamura's face paled, which made Kuramochi laugh. "Cold, Ryou-san!"

Furuya and Haruichi pulled him up as the upperclassmen walked away. "Don't mind Aniki. I don't think Coach would cut players he just moved up to the first string." Haruichi assured.

It wasn't the most encouraging thing Haruichi had ever said to him. "I need to get better before Coach thinks he made a mistake moving me up."

"Don't overdo it, or you'll end up hurting yourself."

"You don't have to try so hard. I'll be the starting Seeker anyway." Furuya said, which got him a yelling Sawamura in his ears.

Despite his friends' words, Sawamura spent the next couple of days thinking about what he could do. Where he was at now, he couldn't compare to Tanba, Kawakami, or Furuya (though he'd never say it out loud). He knew Coach had his eyes on him, waiting to see if Sawamura would let him down. Sawamura wanted show him that he could be a Seeker Coach could depend on.

So, he came up with a plan. Haruichi would probably say it's a terrible plan and warn him not to do it, which is why he hid it from Haruichi. He felt guilty for keeping it from him, especially after asking to borrow his copy of Quidditch Through the Ages.

"You can borrow it as long as you like," Haruichi said as he handed him the book. "You read it more than I do."

Overcome with emotion, Sawamura hugged him with tears in his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Haruichi!"

Haruichi patted his back awkwardly. "No problem?"

The second part of the plan required stealth, luck, and his wand. He acted like his normal self after dinner and stayed up late chatting with his friends in the dorms. He waited patiently as his classmates fell asleep around him. Once Kanemaru began snoring, he sprang out of bed, grabbing his broom from where he stashed it underneath. Slowly, he slipped out the door and crept down to the common room.

"Aparecium," Sawamura whispered to himself. His clothes changed from his pajamas to his Quidditch sweater and pants. He glanced back to make sure no one had followed him, then rushed out the front door.

He kept running until he got outside, all the up to the Quidditch Arena. Sawamura took a deep breath and pulled out his wand.

"Kuramochi, you better not be lying." he said to himself. He pressed his wand against the lock and said, "Alohomora."

The lock clicked open. Sawamura cheered loudly before slapping a hand over his mouth. I can't believe it's that easy. he thought to himself. The field was his and his alone, just like that.

He pulled out Quidditch Through the Ages and flipped to a bookmarked page, the chapter on Quidditch tactics.

"Let's go!"

For the next couple of weeks, Sawamura snuck out to the Quidditch field after everyone went to bed. He spent most of his time improving his speed and picking up new tricks. Already, Coach had complimented him on his increased stamina. He still picked Furuya to start in the practice game against Ravenclaw, a sign that meant Sawamura still had a long way to go.

He yawned as he walked up to the gate. I thought those guys were never going to go to sleep. he thought. He tapped his wand to the lock, only to realize the gate was already open. He entered and saw someone zipping through the air. The person dived down suddenly before arcing up effortlessly, without losing their balance. Sawamura had to admire the person's mesmerizing form, until he remembered that he was supposed to be angry.

"Hey! You're not supposed to be here!" Sawamura shouted.

The person stopped where they were. "Who's there?"

"None of your business!" Sawamura responded.

The person shot forward in his direction and again Sawamura had to be impressed with his speed. Then he got a good look at the person's face.

"Miyuki Kazuya!"

Miyuki hopped off his broom. "It's good to know how popular I am."

"What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here after curfew."

"The same reason you're here, I'm guessing."

Sawamura rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. You're already a great Keeper, what do you need more practice for?"

"I didn't know you were a fan of mine, Sawamura."

He opened his mouth to tell Miyuki he was just as big of an asshole as people said he was. What he ended up mumbling was: "I didn't know you knew my name."

Miyuki chuckled. "I wouldn't forget it."

Sawamura forgot what he was going to say, and settled for stupidly staring at Miyuki. However, it seemed like Miyuki decided to the same thing because he wasn't saying anything either.

Then Sawamura shook off all his confused thoughts. "You should leave. I was here first."

"Technically, I was here first."

"You know what I mean! I've been coming here longer than you have, so you should be the one to leave."

Miyuki mounted his broom. "Look, I don't mind sharing. As long as we don't knock into each other, I'll stay in my lane and you can stay in yours."

Sawamura crossed his arms. "I'm not comfortable practicing Quidditch moves in front of someone from another team.

He turned red with anger when Miyuki laughed in his face. "Don't flatter yourself, Sawamura. My team did go to Internationals, and it wasn't from copying the moves of second-string rookie."

Miyuki flew up before Sawamura could say anything else. "I'm not leaving. If it bothers you so much, you should be the one that goes."

As frustrating as it was, he couldn't make Miyuki leave. The only thing left to was mount his broom and start practicing.

The next week, Sawamura ran into Miyuki again at the field. They stayed out of each other's ways like Miyuki promised. When he felt he had trained enough, he lowered himself back down to the ground. Miyuki lowered himself down too a minute after.

Sawamura wasn't sure if he should say goodnight or walk away without saying anything. He settled on simply stating, "I'm going to bed."

Miyuki gave him a brief nod. Sawamura headed to the gate and was about to leave, only to be stopped by the sound of Miyuki's voice.

"Put your right hand in front of your left when you're holding your broom and keep them an equal distance apart. That way, you'll be able to keep your balance when you try some of those trickier moves."

Sawamura's mouth flopped open and closed. "I don't want your advice!" he said, pointing at Miyuki.

Miyuki shrugged. "Whatever. I won't be the one to catch you when you fall."

"Wouldn't it be better for you if I fall?" Sawamura looked down at the ground. "I mean, we're enemies."

Miyuki scoffed. "I keep telling you, don't get ahead of yourself. You're nothing to me right now. And you're definitely nothing compared to Mei."

That pissed Sawamura off in all types of ways. It's not like he ever claimed to be better than anyone, he knew he was still just a rookie. But he was getting stronger, and soon he'd be able to wipe the smug look off Miyuki's face.

While Sawamura stewed in fury, Miyuki moved on ahead of him. He leaned on the gate and said, "At the same time, you've got potential. If you actually live up to it, you might be fun to play against. For me, that's what Quidditch is all about."

"You're a real jerk, Miyuki Kazuya."

Miyuki grinned. "Goodnight, Sawamura."

Sawamura came the next day. Miyuki wasn't there, thankfully. He couldn't think when Miyuki was around, too worried about doing something that would make Miyuki look down on him. It gave Sawamura the chance to try out the adjustments he suggested.

The changes did make his broom smoother to ride, annoyingly enough. When he decided to twist up into the air and fly in a loop, it was easier to catch his breath. That meant Miyuki had given him legit, good advice.

But why? I'm nothing to him. Sawamura pondered. Miyuki had said as much himself. Maybe this was somehow some sick, reverse psychology trick. Or maybe it was supposed to be bad advice. Or maybe, one last voice whispered, he really thinks I have potential.

Sawamura flew harder. It didn't matter what Miyuki thought. Sawamura had a new and improved goal: he'd get better, till Coach had to let him start a game. Then he'd keep starting games, till he started in the finals, most likely against Slytherin. Then he'd steal the Snitch right from under Narumiya's nose.

And then, Miyuki see him as a proper enemy.