Early morning, Hermione sat opposite a very jittery Ginny Weasley at the Gryffindor table. While she tried to engage her friend in conversation, the younger witch alternated between gnawing on some toast and glancing over at the Slytherin table. Matches involving the two houses always had a great turn out from house members as well as the other students and as such, the Great Hall was packed with students grabbing breakfast before heading down to the pitch. The professors were also chatting away excitedly and a jovial Horace Slughorn appeared to be making a bet with a rather unamused looking McGonagall.
"How am I going to face that smug Slytherin arse if we lose to them today?"
Hermione raised an eyebrow at her friend while Ginny in turn narrowed her eyes at something or rather someone across the hall. Turning to follow her gaze, Hermione immediately spotted a smirking Malfoy staring at the two of them. Rolling her eyes at the pair's competitive antics, she offered some support.
"You've worked hard, Gin, I'm sure it'll pay off."
"But as much as I hate to admit it, they have him. Harry was the best seeker we had."
Hermione shrugged, a smile appearing. "I'm sure if you asked, he'd come back. Not to mention McGonagall would probably bend the rules for a Gryffindor victory."
Ginny fixed her with a pointed yet dejected glare. "You're a smart one but I already tried that."
"You did not." Hermione retorted, warm brown eyes widening.
"I begged him when we were at the Three Broomsticks. He was adamant that we'd manage just fine without him."
The brunette patted her friend's hand comfortingly. "Listen to him then, he clearly believes in you."
"We're all behind you and the team." Neville chimed in, taking a seat beside the redhead.
Ginny grinned at her friends, appreciating their confidence in her abilities as captain. She often had doubts having previously followed Harry's skilful leadership and now the burden had fallen to her she frequently questioned herself. "You two are going to be there, right?"
"Absolutely! Luna's just nipped off to grab her lion hat before we head down. We'll be there cheering you on." Neville announced cheerily, patting the youngest Weasley on the shoulder. The two of them had grown close ever since attending the Yule Ball together several years prior.
The two then faced Hermione, judging her carefully as she hummed in thought. The oldest witch was still not much of a fan of the sport but it meant a great deal to the school and in particular her friends. In truth, she enjoyed the atmosphere and the way it brought everyone together so she winked at her companions and muttered, "Of course."
It was chilly, not unbearably so but Hermione was definitely glad she'd wrapped up warm. Like nearly all of her housemates, she'd opted for her Gryffindor scarf in typical house pride and had donned a bright purple bobble hat to ward off the breeze that often rattled the spectators up in the high stands. Although her friend was captain, Ginny Weasley was easily identifiable instead by her fiery red hair that whipped in the wind and with the force of her determined flying. Similarly, Hermione could easily spot Malfoy amongst his Slytherin teammates thanks to his own distinct hair colouring.
While she still didn't really experience the hype most others did when it came to watching the sport, Hermione was diligent in her cheering for her team and her friends. This time, however, she admitted to herself that she wanted to see Malfoy play. In the past, she'd attended many a game against the snakes but as Harry was seeker and then with Ron joining the team as well, she had been far preoccupied with her best friends rather than the opposition. However, if Ginny and even Harry's comments were anything to go by, Draco Malfoy was indeed a talented quidditch seeker. She'd cruelly jabbed in second year that he'd had to buy his way onto the Slytherin team and Hermione had continued to believe that was the case for many years. Unbeknownst to her, Draco had in fact auditioned for the position and impressed the then captain Marcus Flint although her words had definitely stung him that day in their second year. One thing Malfoy prized himself on was his natural flying ability, something his money actually couldn't buy.
As the players took their places in the air and Madame Hooch gave her typical reading of the rules, Hermione could have sworn for the briefest of moments that Malfoy was actually watching her as he nonchalantly tightened his gloves and a wave of self-consciousness suddenly overtook her. She and Ginny had joked in passing that quidditch had certainly made him physically fit and the uniform too suited him greatly but seeing him now with those thoughts made her cheeks heat.
As predicted the game was a close one. There'd been scarcely a sighting of the golden snitch for the entire duration of the match and it was noticeable the seekers were getting antsy. Gryffindor had continuously edged in front with goals but the Slytherin's were quick to bite back and it was becoming more evident by the moment that the catching of the snitch would be the decider.
"Another goal for Gryffindor! Can they keep this lead? Looks like the Slytherin chasers are already in hot pursuit of the quaffle!"
Dean Thomas had taken over the job of quidditch commentator after the fantastic Lee Jordan had left and while many thought he wouldn't live up to the expectations, Dean had shone like a true sports fan. He'd mentioned to Hermione on more than one occasion that he loved West Ham United and went to as many games as possible when he could and she knew instantly that he'd have the same passion for his new role. Despite the match drawing on, Dean had remained animated and seemed to share the hopes of the spectators that there would be a flash of gold at any moment and the battle would really begin.
"What's this? Looks like Malfoy's burst into action, he must've caught sight of the snitch!"
Ginny's head whipped round at Dean's comment and groaned as she watched Malfoy deftly chase the snitch, her own seeker Ackles, was trailing after him in a much less talented manner. Up in the stands, Hermione's own gaze was fixed on the Slytherin as he expertly dodged and weaved and narrowly avoided a bludger to the head.
"Bloody hell, Ackles is giving it everything he's got right now but Malfoy's just outclassing him all over the pitch!"
Draco's chest felt tight, the adrenaline pumping through his veins making him grit his teeth and push on harder. His left hand held on to his broom with a vice like grip while the other remained at the ready to snatch the tiny golden ball at a moment's notice. He was so close, watching it flitter just out of reach and the Gryffindor seeker somewhere behind him, no threat at all. The sound of cheering from his housemates permeated his focused bubble and he held his breath as he spun and stretched just a little further and felt his fingers close around the shiny sphere.
"Malfoy's caught the snitch! Slytherin win!"
The Slytherin stands erupted into raucous celebrations as the Gryffindor fans and other house supporters dejectedly applauded the winning team. Settling on the ground, Draco was immediately swamped by his teammates and Hermione could see his proud grin even from her distance. It was one thing he rarely showed people; maybe because he was afraid his happiness would be ridiculed or perhaps he didn't deserve it, either way victory for his team brought unbridled cheerfulness. In typical sportsmanship, the two captains shook hands and Ginny reluctantly congratulated the opposition.
As she turned away, Draco too offered his hand to the redhead. "Good game, Captain."
Shaking his hand, she smirked back. "Good catch, Malfoy."
"Nice hat, Granger." Hermione spun to face the voice that addressed her and quickly became in close proximity to Draco Malfoy, still in his quidditch gear. "I thought that was you up in the stands today." He noted as she chanced a glance at his toned physique and immediately spotted a nonchalant raised eyebrow when she dared look back up at his face.
"Yes, well, you have to support your team, right?" She replied a little weakly, knowing he'd caught on to what she was doing.
"Absolutely true. No other reason though?" He teased, making her shake her head as he chuckled.
"I don't know what you're referring to." Clearing her throat, she continued more calmly. "Congratulations, by the way, you were rather impressive out there."
Always one to soak up the praise, he grinned and shrugged. "Yeah, it was a good performance by the whole team. I hope Weasley isn't taking it too hard."
Hermione had in fact seen Ginny before heading up to the castle and she was truly disappointed. However, not one to give anything away about her friends or offer him the satisfaction, Hermione merely shrugged in return. "She'll be ready for next time, you can be sure of that."
"I look forward to the challenge." Running a hand through his blond hair, he shifted his weight. "How about I see you on Friday?"
"See meā¦for?"
He wanted to snort; she was making it far too easy. Draco leant forward slightly and smiled. "A study session, Granger." Hermione mentally slapped herself and returned the smile politely.
"Of course. Sounds good."
"See you then." He uttered amusedly, playfully flicking the pom-pom on her hat as he stepped around her and headed in the direction of the dungeons. There would no doubt be a huge party awaiting him in the common room and he briskly set off down the steps, leaving Hermione alone in the corridor.
Trust her to make a complete fool of herself in front of him of all people. Despite his outwardly attractive appearance and evidently more pleasant personality and demeanour, Hermione vehemently reminded herself that he was still in fact the same arrogant snake that had intentionally berated her over her blood status for years. How long she could keep up that premise though, she wasn't quite sure.
A/N: I love quidditch so I indulged a little. Hope you're enjoying it so far.
