Draco opened the letter he had received when Ron got his howler, surprised to see it was from his father.

Dear Draco,

I have tried to reason with Dumbledore about allowing you to have your nimbus 2001, he told me the rules are still as such that you can not have a personal broom on school property. I have arranged instead to have your new team of Slytherins all equipped with the same brooms. Please do not disappoint the team, I expect you to be on your best game.

Make me proud,

Lucius Malfoy

Draco smiled, so he had made the team. He would soon be seeker, and be flying against Harry Potter. Crabbe and Goyle both congratulated him on his entrance into the Slytherin Quidditch team, both proud to be friends with a seeker.

Their first practice was held only two days after he got the letter, and the Slytherins had gotten special permission to interrupt the Gryffindor play time for training Draco.

Draco looked on the field to see the red players talking in a circle hovering above the ground. A small boy was taking pictures, and watching from the stands. Draco felt a vein in his forehead pulse as he thought of breaking Colin's camera.

"I don't believe it!" Wood hissed in outrage, his face full of anger. "I booked the field for today! We'll see about this!"

Wood shot toward the ground, landing rather harder than he meant to in his anger, staggering slightly as he dismounted. Harry, Fred, and George followed.

"Flint!" Wood bellowed at the Slytherin Captain. "This is our practice time! We got up specially! You can clear off now!"

Marcus Flint was even larger than Wood. He was a hulk of a lad, with a huge scowl on his face as he replied, "Plenty of room for all of us, Wood."

The girls of the Gryffindor team came soaring down as well. There were no girls on the Slytherin team, but the girls from Gryffindor still took their place in front of them.

"But I booked the field!" said Wood, positively spitting with rage. "I booked it!"

"Ah," said Flint scoffed, feigning forgetfulness. "But I've got a specially signed note here from Professor Snape. 'I, Professor S. Snape, give the Slytherin team permission to practice today on the Quidditch field owing to the need to train their new Seeker'. "

"You've got a new Seeker?" said Wood, distracted. "Where?"

And from behind the six large figures Draco Malfoy strode out, grinning at the bigger kids on Gryffindor's team. Harry couldn't hide the small smile that came to his mouth, and Draco smiled back at him. Without words Draco knew Harry was proud of him for getting accepted to the team.

"Aren't you Lucius Malfoy's son?" said Fred, looking at Malfoy with dislike.

"Funny you should mention Draco's father," said Flint as the whole Slytherin team smiled still more broadly. "Let me show you the generous gift he's made to the Slytherin team."

Draco grabbed his broom, leaning on it slightly. Harry inched closer to Draco and looked curiously at the broom. Later Draco would tell Harry that it was the only way for him to keep the broom his father had bought him, but for now Harry's smile disappeared into disapproval.

"Very latest model. Only came out last month," said Flint carelessly, flicking a speck of dust from the end of his own. "I believe it outstrips the old Two Thousand series by a considerable amount. As for the old Cleansweeps" — he smiled nastily at Fred and George, who were both clutching Cleansweep Fives —" sweeps the board with them."

Draco watched as the Gryffindor team went completely speechless, just staring at the Nimbus 2001s.

"Oh, look," said Flint. "A field invasion."

Ron and Hermione were crossing the grass to see what was going on. Draco's face fell and he glared daggers at Ronald Weasley as he came closer.

"What's happening?" Ron asked Harry. "Why aren't you playing? And what's he doing here?"

Ron was looking at Draco, a smug sneer on his face.

"I'm the new Slytherin Seeker, Weasley," said Draco, sauntering closer to the red head. "Everyone's just been admiring the brooms my father's bought our team."

Ron gaped, open-mouthed, at the seven superb broomsticks in front of him.

"Good, aren't they?" said Draco smoothly. "But perhaps the Gryffindor team will be able to raise some gold and get new brooms, too. You could raffle off those Cleansweep Fives; I expect a museum would bid for them."

The Slytherin team howled with laughter. Draco dreaded what they would expect from him. Harry would not be pleased with the new lengths Draco would go to impress his team mates.

"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in," said Hermione sharply.

"They got in on pure talent."

Draco's face fell and he felt hatred boil up. He had worked hard to be recognized for his talents, his father had seen his progress, or else he wouldn't have wasted his money. "No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood," he spat. He regretted it as soon as he said it. Now that he had spit it out, there was no going back. He couldn't call her anything else, or the Slytherin's would think he'd gone soft.

Harry knew at once that Draco had said something really bad because there was an instant uproar at his words. Flint had to dive in front of Draco to stop Fred and George jumping on him, Alicia shrieked, "How dare you!" and Ron plunged his hand into his robes, pulled out his wand, yelling, "You'll pay for that one, Malfoy!" and pointed it furiously under Flint's arm at Draco's face.

Draco's eyes shot up at the angry boy, a small pang of fear setting in as the boy had a clear shot.

A loud bang echoed around the stadium and a jet of green light shot out of the wrong end of Ron's wand, hitting him in the stomach and sending him reeling backward onto the grass.

Draco couldn't believe it, had the bloke really just pointed the wrong end of his wand at him?

"Ron! Ron! Are you all right?" squealed Hermione.

Ron opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead he gave an almighty belch and several slugs dribbled out of his mouth onto his lap.

The Slytherin team were paralyzed with laughter. Flint was doubled up, hanging onto his new broomstick for support.

Draco couldn't help himself, he was on all fours, banging the ground with his fist. He had never laughed so hard, but it felt so good to have Ron curse himself. The Gryffindors were gathered around Ron, who kept belching large, glistening slugs. Nobody seemed to want to touch him.

"We'd better get him to Hagrid's, it's nearest," said Harry to Hermione, who nodded bravely, and the pair of them pulled Ron up by the arms.

"What happened, Harry? What happened? Is he ill? But you can cure him, can't you?" Colin had run down from his seat and was now dancing alongside them as they left the field. Ron gave a huge heave and more slugs dribbled down his front.

"Oooh," said Colin, fascinated and raising his camera. "Can you hold him still, Harry?"

"Get out of the way, Colin!" said Harry angrily.

Draco laughed even harder at this, "Yes… Please a picture… would be great!" The thought of keeping the image of Ron throwing up slugs pushed Draco over and he just couldn't stop laughing.

Practice was hard and grueling, it seemed that all the fun had been thrown out the window when Flint was in charge. He had taken to throwing things at his players if they happened to be in the wrong spot, and for Draco he began timing how fast the boy was able to catch the practice snitch. After four minutes without any sight of the bugger, Draco felt an excruciating pain over his entire body. Flint had cursed him with something, causing his muscles to seize and twist. "Faster Draco! I want your eyes searching for that snitch!"

When they were finally able to leave Draco felt like he was going to fall over. He dragged his body to his bedroom, thankful the bed was soft and warm for his aching body to relax on. Draco skipped dinner that night, feeling a more primal need to sleep off the day's work. Goyle had brought him back a sandwich, for when he woke up around 9.

As Severus made his way to the Great Hall for his own dinner, Gilderoy, in a lavish blue robe, called for the man to follow him into an empty hallway. Severus should have known better, but somehow he was still taken by surprise when the man pinned him against the wall.

Severus pulled away from the smiling Gilderoy, feeling disgusted by the man. "What do you want Lockhart."

Gilderoy picked at a strand of greasy black hair, showing a face of disapproval. "We both know what I want Sevvie… too bad your face didn't get any smoother…" Gilderoy's hand caressed Snape's cheek, "Those lines of age are starting to show…"

Severus smacked the hand away, and looked away the black curtains of his hair shielding his face.

" How long has it been? I know a woman's delicate hand would never touch you…" He whispered into Snape's ear, "Has anyone touched you since I have?"

Severus closed his eyes trying to will the bad memories away, locking them from himself. He snarled, "Fuck you Lockhart, I've had more then enough, I don't need you or anyone else for that matter." He shoved the flamboyant wizard out of his way, wishing to hide in his office, and to rip the memories from his mind.

Lockhart watched Severus walked away, a smile forming on his face.

Severus put his wand to his head, pulling out the memory. He felt sick as he relived the memory, he was in his third year only just turned fourteen. Gilderoy had been harassing him, telling him that he was the undesirable, but Lockhart would be sure to help him out. Severus felt tears sting his eyes, but he would not allow them to fall.

His fourteen year old self, shook as he pulled his pants up, Gilderoy looking smugly down at him. "We'll keep this little secret between us…"

"I…I'm going to tell Dumbledore…what you did…" Snape rubbed his bruised cheek, from where the older boy had hit him earlier.

"What will you tell the Head Master? Will you tell him you were taken… in the ass, raped like a woman? Then when in the heat of passion you called out for your best friend? 'Oh… Lucius…' Besides, who would believe that a creature like you would be desired by ANYONE. A greasy haired git like yourself, well I hardly have a reputation for going for that sort, don't you think?" Severus bit his lip, sinking into the shadows of the room. "Now there's a good boy…" Gilderoy gave him a small pat on his head, as the older boy left the room.

Severus, now a full grown man was hugging his knees in his office, disgusted with himself. It was a bad memory, but it was foolish for him to still be effected by what had happened. He was a grown man, one that could take care of himself. He didn't need her… he closed his eyes as he thought of how she had comforted him. She was his friends still then, before he messed everything up. So much of Snape's life had been mistake after mistake, regrets beyond regrets. Even being with Lucius was a mistake he wish he could mend, he felt horrible about sleeping with a married man, even if he did feel entitled to the blond. Snape looked himself in the mirror, Gilderoy was right… his face had become worn and aged. He had never been pretty, not like Lucius, not like anyone really. He hooked nose looked even more crooked and disfiguring, his eyes dark and sunken in. How could a man like himself ever expect to be loved… it was beyond him… love was meant of the Potters of the world, not for him.