A/N: Another multi-chapter day, woohoo! JKR owns the Potterverse; I'm just playing. Let me know what you think, & I hope you enjoy! :)

The next morning, Draco received a note over breakfast:

Malfoy,

Team meeting Tuesday night at 8, in the Charms classroom. Told you I'd be a fool not to pick you.

Little Red

P.S. I really need a new name for you – can't let you have all the fun. I'll work on it.

He chuckled at the fact that her postscript was just as long as the note itself, but the overwhelming majority of his brain could only focus on one thing – he was going to play Quidditch again! He couldn't resist showing Blaise the note, nor could he resist the grin that formed on his face as Blaise offered his congratulations. Over the next two days, he found himself constantly watching the clock in his classes, a fact that earned him a stern reprimanding from Professor McGonagall in Transfiguration, as he anxiously willed Tuesday evening closer. Finally, the appointed hour arrived, and Draco made his way to the Charms classroom. Ginny Weasley was already there, of course, plus Lisa Turpin and two students he didn't recognize but suspected were related, as they looked a lot alike.

"Hey, Malfoy!" Ginny greeted him brightly. "Still working on the new name, sorry. Have a seat; the others should be here in a minute or two." As if on cue, the door opened once more and the final students walked in – one, a tall, broad-shouldered boy with dark hair; the other, a tiny girl with large eyes and straight golden hair that just brushed her shoulders.

"Alright, then," Ginny said once they'd all settled in, "welcome to our first meeting – that is, unless any of you are considering other teams. Did anyone get any other offers?" she asked.

"I did," Lisa spoke up, "but this is my choice, hands down." Ginny looked pleased.

"Excellent. Anyone else?"

"I did," said one of the boys, "from that Smith bloke. I went to his team meeting last night but I didn't like him much – of course he didn't exactly give off the best impression that first day in Defense either – so I thought I'd come tonight and compare the two. So far, this one's winning hands down."

"Hang on, how do you not know Smith?" Ginny asked. "Aren't you in my year?"

"I was home-schooled until this year," the boy replied.

"Ah, that explains it. Anyway, you're all here, which is great, and since we're going to be seeing rather a lot of one another this year, I figured it'd be best if we introduced ourselves. I'll go first – I'm Ginny Weasley, if for some reason you didn't already know. I'm your Captain, a seventh year and previously a Gryffindor, and I play Chaser, although I've also played Seeker in the past. I've played Quidditch at Hogwarts since my fourth year and played at home long before that."

"I'll go next," Lisa offered. "Lisa Turpin, eighth year former Ravenclaw, and I'm a Chaser. I've played Quidditch in summer rec leagues since I was little, but I've never played here before."

"Why not?" Ginny questioned. "You flew brilliantly in the trials." Lisa shrugged.

"Thanks, but Davies didn't like my style. Which was fine by me, he was incredibly full of himself anyway."

"Ian Albertson, also a Chaser," the home-schooled boy said. He was of middling height with close-cropped sandy hair and bright blue eyes. "As Ginny already said, I'm in seventh year, House-less, for the time being, obviously never played here before, but I played in a league back home."

"Samantha Albertson, I'm Ian's twin." Her thick, honey-blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she had the same blue eyes as her brother. "Call me Sam. I've been playing Quidditch with him in the backyard ever since I can remember – I play Keeper. Played on a handful of rec teams as well, nothing too serious."

"Carter Johnson," the tall boy said next. "Fifth year, Beater. Played two years ago on the Ravenclaw team." It was Draco's turn next.

"Most of you probably know who I am already," he said with a sigh, "but in case you don't, I'm Draco Malfoy. Eighth year, played Seeker for Slytherin since second year."

"Second year?" Sam asked, an appraising look on her face. "You must be pretty good then." He merely shrugged.

"Stop being modest, Malfoy," Ginny said with a laugh. "It doesn't suit you. You know you're good – I wouldn't have picked you otherwise. Although you're still not as good as Harry." She couldn't resist throwing that last part in and winked when he glared at her. "Alright, Rose, your turn."

"Rose Zeller," the little blonde girl spoke up. "I'm a fourth year, Hufflepuff, Beater."

"Don't let her size fool you," Ginny warned. "She was an absolute beast at the trials." Draco had to agree – he might not have known her name, but as soon as the diminutive girl had stated her position, he'd remembered her instantly. He'd watched the entirety of the trials before his own, and Rose had been insanely good – she was at least half a head shorter than anyone else, and yet she'd overpowered almost all of them.

"Now that we all know each other," Ginny continued once Rose had settled back into her chair, "I need you all to sign this roster – it's a contract, of sorts, letting Madam Hooch know who's committed to my team. That is, if you've decided to stick around," she added with a glance at Ian.

"Oh don't worry, I'm in," he assured her. Ginny grinned as she passed around the parchment.

"Perfect. Now that that's all settled, we need to pick a name, and a mascot. I think Zacharias, the self-centered person that he is, picked his himself, but I thought we could pick ours together, as a sort of…bonding exercise, if you will. Anybody have any brilliant ideas?"

"Let's pick a mascot first," Sam suggested. "Finding a name to go with a mascot is always easier than a mascot to go with a name."

"A griffin?" Ian said.

"No – sounds too much like Gryffindor," Carter replied. "We're a House-less team, so our choice should reflect that."

"A manticore?"

"Ugh, no."

"A kelpie?"

"We're playing Quidditch, not swimming Loch Ness…"

The suggestions came forth sporadically for the next several minutes, but nothing seemed quite right.

"A phoenix," Lisa said suddenly.

"A phoenix?" Ginny asked. "Why a phoenix?"

"Well," Lisa said, choosing her words carefully, "this is a rebuilding year, yeah? And this team is sort of coming together out of the old to create something new – kind of like a phoenix."

"I think it's perfect," Rose said enthusiastically. Everyone else nodded his or her assent.

"A phoenix it is, then. What about a name?" Sam prompted.

"Hmm…well, what do we know about them?" Carter asked.

"They're magnificent," Ginny said with a sigh. "Their tears can heal almost anything, and their song is both the saddest and most beautiful thing you'll ever hear. They're incredibly loyal, and they burst into flames when they're ready to die, only to be reborn from the ashes."

"How do you know so much about them?" Ian inquired.

"Fawkes," Ginny replied. "Dumbledore's phoenix. He was quite the remarkable bird."

"You knew…Dumbledore's phoenix?" Rose asked in awe.

"Yes, I did," Ginny said softly. "I really wish you could have known him too."

"What about 'Phoenix Risen'?" suggested Sam. "You know, to go along with the whole rebuilding idea."

"I like it," Ginny decided, "but let's do 'Phoenix Rising' instead – 'Risen' implies that we're done, but 'Rising' says we're still going, stronger than what came before." She gave Draco a significant look as she spoke, and he nodded slightly, indicating that he understood.

"I think it's perfect," he agreed quietly. Ginny asked for a vote, and when the name passed unanimously, she scribbled it atop their roster.

"That's all for tonight," she said as she tucked the parchment into her bag. "Plan on practicing sometime next Sunday – I'll let you know the exact time soon." They bid each other goodnight and left. Draco hung back, wanting to say something to Ginny but unsure of how to do so. Finally, he decided to stop beating around the bush.

"Thanks, Little Red," he said. He didn't have to say anything more for her to know what he meant.

"Anytime. Harry told me all about what happened with Dumbledore, and Hermione seems to trust you on some level as well – they can't all be crazy." She shrugged. "Besides, I told you I needed the best of the best, which includes you. I'm not about to let petty grudges from years past get in the way of that." He nodded and made to leave. Just as he reached the door, Ginny spoke once more, so softly he almost didn't hear her.

"I'm glad you're bringing out your inner phoenix, Malfoy."