In the coming weeks, January slowly faded into February and Gryffindor won against Huffelpuff in the first match of the new term. For Tracey, that was fantastic news. She was looking forward to the idea of a rematch against Harry for the Quidditch Cup - but that would largely come as a result of how today would be.

"WEEEEEEE LIKE TO PLAY WITH DAVIS, CAUSE DAVIS IS OUR MATE! AND WHEN WE PLAY WITH DAVIS, SHE GETS IT CAUGHT IN EIGHT! SEVEN! SIX!"

Today Slytherin had it's second match of the term and if they lost this one, they were out of running for the cup. Not only that, but because of their previous loss, it meant even if she caught the snitch and won them one hundred and fifty points, they would still be sixty behind. So if they won in less than perfect conditions, they would still be out of the finals. The odds were working against them today, definitely. The pressure was on. Even though there was only so much that she personally could do to help the scoring, it also meant when it was her time, everything would be riding on her.

"FIVE! FOUR! THREE! TWO! ONE! EYYYYYYYY!"

They went early up to breakfast that morning. Even though they were the only ones up at that time, they managed to make enough noise that one would be mistaken thinking the hall was already full. Crabbe and Goyle were dealing with the pressure by singing as loud and obnoxious as they could, with Harper and Pucey laughing with them. On the opposite end was Blaise, who sat in silence to get himself into the zone and Graham, the team Captain, who ushered everyone to eat as much as they could. Tracey nibbled on some toast - she knew the extra baggage was the last thing she needed today.

"WEEEE LIKE TO WIN WITH DAVIS, CAUSE DAVI-"

"SHUT- shut up! Right, this is our last chance - my last chance - for a shot at the Quidditch cup! Chang will be at her peak! It's her last year as well so she'll be determined for a win. If it comes to it, play dirty! We can't let Ravenclaw stand in the way of the rematch against Gryffindor!"

Graham Montague was in his seventh and final year at Hogwarts, and thus there was depreciation in his voice. Shortly after he spoke, his eyes flickered to hers. He gave a nodd, as if asking for confirmation.

He may have been the captain, but she was the one that called the shots around here. Smiling, she nodded back at him.

"I ain't worried about Cho. S'long as you lot make sure we're sixty points up before I get the snitch. Better not let me down."

"EYYYYYYYYYYY!"

The team positively went wild around her.

She was unused to this feeling. She was unused to being the popular one. She was the only girl on the team and the other hulking members sat around her like praetorian guards. As much as she liked to pretend it was because she was a pretty girl and they all fancied her, she knew that wasn't true. She was getting the attention because she was bloody good on a broomstick. Ever since showing them what she could do they had treated her practically like the second coming. They weren't used to having a genuine skilled player on the team - even after she lost their first match, their attitudes towards her hadn't changed. They were absolutely convinced she was the one who'd lead them to victory and it was a role she was more than happy to fill.

However, that pressure wasn't what was causing the gooey feeling inside her this morning. The attention was nice, but there was something far larger lingering on her mind. Not only was today Slytherin's match against Ravenclaw, but it would also be the first time Daphne would see her play properly. She had been coming to watch them practise twice a week and, surprising everyone, even seemed invested in their chances at winning. If Tracey won today, she wouldn't just be validating everything the team thought about her, but she'd also be winning in front the entire school as well. It was about more than just having fun - this was about proving herself just as worthy as Daphne, and the breadwinner in the eyes of Dom.

It was on that note, as nervous as she was, that she finally started to feel the excitement only a Quidditch match could bring. The match started at half eleven, so at quarter to, as the usual students were beginning to drain into the Great Hall, they set off down to the changing rooms. As they went they received scattered rounds of applause from their housemates. The feeling that surged her system as people broke into smiles and cheered at the sight of her would be one that followed her the rest of her life.

High on dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, endorphins and just about any and every other positive emotion she could feel at the moment, her head was held high as they ventured into the grounds. Crabbe and Goyle continued to sing loudly on their way down, occasionally swapping each of the team members' names into their lyrics. And their positivity was well warranted - the weather couldn't have been more ideal. Winter hadn't entirely slipped away, but the snow had melted and the grounds were still and quiet. No visibility problems and not a breath of wind to be heard. Even the Whomping Willow was still and placid-looking. In weather like this she would make short work of Cho Chang's Comet Two-Sixty broom.

Today was going to be perfect, she could feel it.

As they filtered in, she broke away from the rest, into the girl's changing room. It was functionally part of the same room as the boys changing room, only with a neck-height wood separating them. Graham began his rally speech.

"WE KNOW WHAT TODAY MEANS TO US, LADS! IF WE BUGGER THIS UP WE'RE OUT OF THE RUNNING! PUCEY, HARPER AND BLAISE ARE GOING TO WIN US THOSE SIXTY POINTS, AREN'T YA LADS?"

"AYE-AYE!"

"BUT THEY CAN'T DO THAT IF THEY HAVE A BLUDGER UP THEIR ARSE THE ENTIRE TIME! CRABBE, GOYLE! I WANT YOU TO TAKE THOSE BATS AND KNOCK CHING CHANG BACK TO BLOODY CHINATOWN WHERE SHE BELONGS!"

"EYYYYYYYYYY!"

Tracey bit her tongue at the racism. She knew calling him on it would be more trouble than it was worth. If Chang had been with them at the moment it might have been different, but for now she simply pretended she hadn't heard it. Graham swung on her next.

"AND YOU! YOU GORGEOUS GIRL!"

It was a good job the half barrier was up - he chose the exact moment she stood in only a sports bra to drag attention her way. Then again, he was probably somehow aware of that. The lads ogled her over the barrier, their imagination filling in the blanks of what they couldn't see.

"LOSE US THAT SNITCH AND WE'LL BURN YOU LIKE YOUR FILTHY MUDBLOOD MOTHER!"

Graham burst into laughter at his own joke. Crabbe and Goyle joined in, but the others looked cautiously between her and him, checking they were allowed to laugh at that.

Tracey eyed him

"How is Andy doin', Graham? Haven't seen him in a while. Do give him a kiss for me won't ya?"

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHH!"

The team erupted around him. They jumped in place and bounced wildly around each other, as Graham's face became sullen. He leaned in, talking with a serious, alibet fragile whisper.

"Have you shagged my dad?"

She grinned harder back at him.

"A lady doesn't kiss and tell."

He fell back, but was then snatched up by the rest of the team, who threw him uselessly between themselves. Smiling to herself, Tracey went back to getting changed, removing her wand from her pants pocket and swapping it into her Quidditch uniform.

She most certainly hadn't shagged Graham's dad. But Graham didn't know that. And now she had that over him. If anyone came for her mum, she'd come back at them with the fury of a thousand Horntails.

Slowly each of her teammates simmered down as they changed into their emerald robes, the atmosphere of the game ahead now beginning to occur. The stadium could be heard beginning to fill up around now. Daphne, Dom and Harry would all be out there - picturing them all in facepaint, hats and scarfs as they cheered for her was an unrealistic prospect, but the idea of it brought a big smile to her face. On that note, Tracey wondered if any of her team were feeling like she was; as though she'd had something extremely wiggly for breakfast.

Changed and ready, she joined the lads as they fell into line and Graham began to rehearse their tactics. It was the same tactics they'd heard a dozen times before, and that she'd even help create, but the reassurance was comforting. But as he was nearing the end of their hypothetical perfect match, something unexpected happened. Though Severus Snape was the head of Slytherin house, Tracey had never seen him enter the changing rooms before. What didn't help the grave turn of events either, was the fact that Draco came in behind him

The group fell quiet. Graham approached nervously, knowing he was definitely not here to wish them luck.

"What's up, Professor?"

Snape's eyes crept over each of them individually, judging. Then he stepped aside and gestured to Draco, who looked bored.

"Mister Malfoy has informed me his prior arrangements are over and as such, he has time to rejoin your team."

Graham shook his head quickly, gesturing her way.

"Sorry, Professor, we've already got a new seeker. Davis is fantastic, no chance we're letting her go."

There was a unanimous nodding and mumbling of agreement. Draco didn't seem to mind this, until he noticed that Crabbe and Goyle were nodding the most, then his face turned to a sour scowl.

"She'll make an excellent reserve for Mister Malfoy, then."

The Professor spoke like it was the simplest thing in the world. He treated it so casually that the connotations were taking a while to strike Tracey what they meant. But Graham simply wasn't having it.

"You can't just do that!"

He took a step back, faking a look of shock.

"Oh, I am sorry... there I was thinking that I was the Head of Slytherin House?"

At this point Graham's face changed as the reality seemed to dawn on him. He looked like he was going to faint. The group burst to life around them, shouting in protest. Even Crabbe and Goyle looked to have turned on their master.

"She has done nothing wrong! You can't just take her off minutes before the match starts! She's been working hard for this!" a chorus of voices struck.

Finally, he rounded on her. She hadn't said anything yet, but he wasted no time coming at her like she was the only one arguing with him.

"Miss Davis, is it or is it not true that you were brought on as replacement Seeker during Mister Malfoy's absence?"

She stuttered before answering.

"Yes, but-"

"And is Mister Malfoy back, now?"

With energy equalling Graham's, Blaise shielded her behind his back.

"She's so much better than him! Why are you trying to sabotage your own house's chances of winning?"

But Snape sealed the distance, stepping forward with the menacing glare he had become known for.

"I beg your pardon, Mr Zabini, but I seem to remember a fair few Slytherin wins under Malfoy was Seeker. Would you do me the favour of refreshing my memory and telling me how many times Davis has caught us the snitch?"

Harker was the next to leap to her side.

"She's only played one match!"

"And she lost that match, if I'm correct?"

Despite everyone in the team rushing to her support, it did nothing to halt the sweeping of anger and sadness suddenly flooding her system. Her knees began to buckle beneath her.

As her teammates ran out of things to say, Snape took a step back, satisfied. With that, he left them to pick up the pieces of their team. Nobody was looking at Draco.

"ARSEHOLE!" Graham shouted after him, though only after making sure he was long out of hearing distance.

Slowly, they each turned towards her. Blaise was who she was closest to on the team, through their shared status as a minority in an intolerant world, and only one in Slytherin house other than Daphne she'd consider a good friend. He spoke first, and brought a tight grip to her arm.

""Trace, I'm sorry…"

"It's fine. It's fine."

But it wasn't fine. It was anything but fine. She was one of the lads. Just as hard and just as tough as the rest of them. They were most definitely not about to see the tears she could feel in her eyes.

"You guys do well… Stick to the plan…"

But it was all she was able to mumble out before her voice died, and she had to rush back out the changing room the way she came.


Hatred such as one she'd never known was coursing through her system.

She had no idea how she'd ended up by the Black Lake. She had started walking away from the changing rooms, her broom still in her hand, and kept going until she couldn't any more. Her head was pounding with the conversation she'd just heard.

She could see it right now, as clear as a cinema screen, Draco throwing himself off his broom at the last minute and catching the snitch. The stadium erupted in applause. Him laughing as he claims the victory. Her victory. Her applause. Her praise. Her validation.

She finally came to a stop when she reached the shore. She let her knees go, her broom fell pathetically to the floor and she fell into a cross legged position on the stony shoreline. Then she picked up a sizeable stone and with all her might and a morbid grunt, launched it into the lake. It splashed with a deep noise that reverberated across the grounds.

Finally, though the barrier of nonchalance she often had up, raw emotions were flooding through. There was a burning hot heaviness in her chest that was progressively becoming harder to bear.

She swung her head back and looked to the sky, slowing sucking in quick breaths. She tried muffling her cries as they came out - they seemed obnoxiously loud and obvious while out here on her own. She hated that she was an ugly crier. She imagined the way Daphne cried - not that she thought for a second she was capable of it - and pictured her stoned face, a slight dip in her brow and a lone tear making its way down her face. And then there was her, choking on her own tears and wiping the snot from her nose with a robe sleeve that wasn't hers.

She picked up another stone, but didn't throw it. Instead she squeezed it as hard as she could, imagining it to be Draco's head and popping under the immense amount of pressure she was subjecting it to. She didn't even know if she hated Snape for kicking her off the team, hated Draco for his role in it or hated herself for responding like this. God, she was pathetic.

So solemnly, she sat there. Time didn't feel like it existed outside of where she was. The changing room felt like seconds ago, yet the minutes since had simultaneously been the longest few of her life. It was probably for that reason her guard dropped enough that she wasn't able to hear the duo of footsteps approaching, ten minutes later.

"TRACEY!"

Like glass shattering around her, she was catapulted to the real world. She turned suddenly and, to her surprise, came face to face with a giant golden eyed serpent. She jumped on the spot.

"OH BLOODY 'ELL!"

Then, she spotted Dom's face inside the snake's mouth. She was wearing a large and obnoxious Slytherin hat, one that covered her entire head and only showed her face through the snake's large open mouth. Recovering from the scare, she spotted Daphne by their side.

"What on earth are you doing out here!?"

She was the one who had called out to her, and looked the most furious she ever had in her life. At the sight of her friends, Tracey dropped her rage, but her chest continued to rise and fall quickly. She did her best to look innocent, all too aware of her sweaty face and cheeks shining with fresh tears.

"Hey, guys."

But the state they'd caught her in was apparent to both the girls - their faces twisted around unpleasantly.

"What's wrong?" Daphne asked quickly.

She didn't answer her, but did give a small smile back.

"What did you do?" she then asked as a follow up.

Tracey chewed the inside of her cheek.

How predictable to assume she'd done something wrong. Everything always was her fault, after all. Well this time she hadn't done something wrong. For just about the first time in her life, she had thrown her full effort, passion and determination into something she truly loved. For the first time, she'd actually tried to go about doing things the proper way.

She tried organising her feelings, though it was futile. Even she didn't understand why she was reacting this way and attempting to just made her feel even worse. She just wanted to unload. She wanted to yell something very loud and very rude.

"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHIN'! THEY JUST LET HIM BACK IN!"

Her words echoed alone over the surface of the lake. Dom recoiled, but Daphne's face didn't falter from the usual scowl it held.

"Stop shouting. Explain to me what happened."

But she didn't want to stop shouting.

"SNAPE! HE JUST LET HIM BACK IN! DIDN'T ASK ME OR ANYTHIN! I CAME TO EVERY PRACTISE, I TRAINED EVERYONE! I WAS THE BEST ON THE BLOODY TEAM! THEN TEN MINUTES BEFORE AND THEY JUST LET HIM BACK IN LIKE IT'S NOTHING!"

Daphne squinted, trying to decipher her meaning.

"You're kicked off the team?" she asked, incredulously. "What happened?"

"NOTHING HAPPENED! I BEHAVED! I DID EVERYTHING THE WAY I WAS SUPPOSED TO!"

"That's… that's… What does your team say?"

"THEY ALL WANTED ME TO STAY!"

"I'm not going to ask you to stop shouting again."

Daphne's words had an air of finality about them.

Tracey sat back, no doubt her feelings written all over her face. Daphne moved to perch herself on a nearby boulder, while Dom dropped down into the pebbles with her. She tried vaguely to fumble her mess of emotions into words she knew how to say.

"I was gonna do so well..." she mumbled.

Daphne nodded sharply and without missing a beat.

"I believe you,"

"We only lost against Gryffindor 'cause Harry's broom is better than mine! Cho has the Comet Two-Sixty! She wouldn't stand a chance against me... I'm gonna absolutely kill Draco for this."

"Please do not start any trouble."

Her temper peaked again.

"He's a spoiled dick! I'm sick to death of him thinkin' he can just take what he likes! Blaise isn't gonna to be happy about this! He's gonna give him what he was comin', and I'm gonna help!"

"Draco is not somebody you need working against you! Take my word on that."

"Cut the cryptic bull, Daffy! Everyone knows what he is!"

Since sitting, she had been fiddling with something in her pocket for a few moments and finally seemed to have wrangled it. She produced a silver embroidered handkerchief and offered it politely her way.

After a second of stubborn hesitation, she took it and dried her eyes. Almost completely drowned out by the wind and the sound of the lake, Dom spoke quietly.

"I think he is rather sweet…"

Tracey went to round on her, but Daphne beat her to it, glaring with that terrifying face of she knew how to pull.

"Shut. Up."

Dom shrank back, but not completely away.

"'E does 'ave a sensitive side, though!" she tried back.

Tracey's distaste finally made its way up her throat and out her mouth. She looked at Dom with a rare gaze of contempt.

"Well why don't you go cheer for him, then?"

But as soon as it left her mouth, she left bad. She just liked Dom too much to stay mad at her, even though she was coming out with rubbish like that. Tracey's shoulders slumped and she sighed pathetically.

"Sorry… I was gonna to win in front of everyone and it was gonna be a big deal!"

She shouldn't be taking out on her friends what she knew was her personal issue. Truth be told, this was about way more than simply winning the match. She had a chance today to prove herself. She had a chance to stand on her own and become the person she wanted to be. She had a chance to earn her place in the world. And she'd been robbed of it.

There was a reason Tracey was so interested in Daphne's love affair, and why she was so into Dom. It was the same reason she even became an animagius in the first place. All out of sheer boredom and curiosity. Daphne and Harry seeing each other was exciting and dangerous. Dom had mysterious and aloof quality about her. Her life was spent eternally searching for a passion she could love and spend the rest of her life doing. Anything to spruce up her pathetically dull life. And just as she finally thought she had found it, it had been snatched away right under her nose. Wasn't she allowed anything?

Dom then decided to try and fix her verbal boo-boo from earlier.

"If you love zhe Qudditch zo much, why 'ave you not joined before?"

Tracey struggled to word her insecurities in a way that didn't make her sound like the vulnerable baby she knew she was being.

"I've always loved Qudditch, I'm genuinely good at it! I just never joined 'cause I knew I'd have no chance, not with Draco on it. No chance they'd pick me for a seeker over him, not when his dad bloody goes and get the whole team new brooms! And look now, the second he's back, I'm traded out for him! He's such an arsehole, it's bullshit! I have half a mind to transform and go screw with the match!"

Daphne tutted.

"That'll only get you in trouble. And found out."

Tracey slumped sluggishly. She was right - if she was discovered as an unregistered animagi, it'd be a little more than one Qudditch match she would miss out on.

She went to turn away from Daphne and go back to staring out over the lake, but something caught her eye. Though Dom looked cute in her large snake hat, her attention was being drawn to how Daphne had prepared for the match. Wrapped in her hand, gently blowing in the wind, was a small green and silver flag. It was obviously the kind audiences waved around in excitement, and the very last accessory she ever imagined her holding. Her eyes lingered a little too long, and Daphne noticed.

"Dominique had a spare! I thought - !" she spoke quickly, as if embarrassed by such a thing.

Tracey gave her first genuine smile in what felt like all day.

"Thank you, Daffy. It means a lot."

Her half sister's irritation gave way to an awkward and unsuccessful attempt to hide her feelings. Seconds tick by and Tracey watched her, trying to read her face, which had an odd mixture written on it. She seemed annoyed by all of this, but also somewhat confused. Like she was merely a mask, and the real her was a million miles away from their conversation.

Daphne really didn't deal well with personal topics - Tracey was surprised she'd gotten this far. When had she ever had to play the supportive one in their relationship? Put bluntly, the girl was emotionally retarded.

Beside her, Dom tentatively brushed her hand through the pebbles. In comparison, her presence was oddly small compared to Daphne's. Like her involvement in the conversation was only as an afterthought. It wasn't the role anyone she had to be; the third wheel. Both of the girls, clearly, were not comfortable with this turn of events. Daphne, while her heart was in the right place, was completely out of her depth. And Dom was catching up on years-worth of problems that she hadn't lived through. They were here supporting her though, even if it was at their own expense.

And those few seconds of those self aware thoughts were all she needed.

"Tell you what though - these pants are super tight! Look how nice they make my legs look!"

Both girls' heads raised abruptly. Daphne scoffed and Dom giggled, but it wasn't nearly as embarrassed of a reaction as she was hoping to get. So, she stepped it up a notch. Standing up, she stomped a foot between the two of them and slapped her thigh muscle through her pants, letting her entire leg jiggle in place.

"See? Go on, fancy a squeeze?"

Cringing, Daphne swivelled on the spot so she was facing out towards the lake. Dom laughed loudly. That was more like what she was hoping for. Satisfied, she brought her leg away.

"Why are you always so crass?" Daphne asked, shaking her head.

She pushed a prideful laugh from her the core chest, which echoed loudly across the grounds.

"Comedy is the key to anyone's heart, Padawan! And having a great butt helps too."

Daphne continued to look like she wanted to apparate out of there. Dom chimed in from beside.

"You make zhe jokes so zhat people like you?"

They both looked to Dom in unison.

The seriousness of her words made Tracey take a moment to respond. Surrendering her obnoxious front, she awkwardly scratched the back of her neck.

"That was deep, alright then. No… not necessarily so people like me, I just like makin' folks laugh."

Dom nodded, understanding.

"Comedy iz your defence," she said, then turned to Daphne. "Zhe same as you use being scary as one."

A long silence followed her abrupt and very harsh criticism. True as her words were, Daphne seemed horrifically offended by the allegation, and scrunched her nose like she'd smelt something nasty. She gave a derisive snort, as long bottled-up feelings came to a head.

"And you use being naive as yours?" she replied with a tone of accusation.

At this response, Dom was suddenly very quiet.

Daphne never set false pretences about how she felt about Dom - Tracey knew she only tolerated her out of respect for her. But Dom also hadn't done anything to warrant Daphne disliking her, and Tracey would stand up for that. She was impressed they had gotten this long into the year without Daphne saying something unforgivably rude to her.

She sought to mitigate the tension.

"Hey - we're all in Slytherin for a reason. We have our own ways of dealin' with things. Better people laugh at me than them hate me though, right?"

Daphne let her guard back down - not that her face showed it.

"Touche, Padawan."

She laughed abruptly, frowning.

"Don't say that word like you know what it means."

That part of the conversation was over, but she knew there was more that needed to be said. She didn't usually respond to stuff like this. She wasn't a crier, in fact it was very rarely she ever lost a situation she was in. Her behaviour would require explanation. Her team was still going to win - Draco had an even better broom than she did. So was she being selfish by being upset about that?

No, she knew all too well why she was as pissed as she was. A large part was why she'd been dismissed so casually from today's game - nobody ever took her seriously. That was why she never had any trouble following her, unlike Daphne. Nobody saw her as a threat. Nobody wanted to date the class clown, and nobody saw them as a danger.

Though she was previously unaware of it, the thought occurred to her now, maybe that was why today seemed so important? And why she responded so badly to being kicked from the team? It wasn't about Slytherin winning the cup - it was about proving herself. This was her chance to finally break the mold. To earn her place in the world. This was her chance to be taken seriously as a person. To make Dominique fall for her, to make Daphne to respect her, and for others to make her realise she was more than just the sidekick. She had a chance to change that, gotten excited for it, only for it to be wrongfully taken away.

A long silence hung in the air between them all. The noise from the lake and the distant chirping of birds made the scene feel strange, disconnected and alien.

Her heart had finally run out. What she said next was from the bottom of her heart, and with no filtered comedy.

"I'm sick of bein' a side character. There's nothin' special' about me. Everythin' I do is to try and give my life some reason or cause."

Daphne gave a small sigh, as if to quickly brush her feelings away.

"You are not a side character. You're an extremely important part of both our lives. I certainly wouldn't be where I am without you."

Tracey looked down, seeing herself reflected in the dark water of the Black Lake. Her hair was the longest it ever was right now. Any longer and she'd actually begin to look like a girly girl. She should definitely have taken her mum up on the offer for a haircut before the holidays. Even the small bit of blonde she had on her fringe was threatening to escape from under her beanie.

"You've got that edgy romance going on in your life..." she spoke to the reflection. "Poetic bullshit about heart over mind! You have a drive… And Dom is french! What do I have going for me? What, I'm bisexual? That's it!"

Dom tutted loud beside her.

"Ah am a little more zhan my country, thank you!"

She could also see Daphne's reflection in the lake surface, and could see the disapproving grimace on her face, and the strong feelings of disagreement in her general direction. Tracey would never give her the satisfaction of acknowledging it, but she could be quite scary when she wanted to be.

"You've been a rock to me the past few months," she said, stern as though it was a condemnation. "I couldn't have done them without you. You've got a good heart, which is more than I can probably say for myself."

At this point, she looked up and took a long gaze out over the lake before them, her face becoming more depressed than stern. Aside from the occasional powerful gust of wind or cheer from the Qudditch pitch, it was pleasantly still. If Tracey wasn't still wearing her Quidditch robes, she'd probably be freezing. The wind was a lot stronger by the surface of the lake than it was near the pitch. Daphne seemed completely unfazed by it, but Dom had been gently shivering since they had arrived.

Tracey wanted to respond to that, but felt useless. That kind of honest vulnerability from her half-sister was a rare one and she simply didn't have the experience to know the right thing to say back. So, she decided to fall back on her oldest, most faithful success streak.

"Oh bog off!" she laughed. "Self depreciation doesn't make others feel better 'bout themselves! But consider it noted! I'm not a literal nazi, that's good to know! That's a redeeming quality, I suppose. Christ, You two are awful at making me feel better. Why do I even hang around with you?"

Dom leaned in with a giggle, pushing her shoulder against hers. As much as that brought a flutter to her heart, it was seeing Daphne give a chuckle that felt the most like a personal victory for her.

"What time is it?"

Dom looked at her watch, being the only one in their group to carry one.

"Ten to twelve."

Daphne clearly had the same idea.

"The match will be over. Shall we go to the castle?"

Reluctantly, she nodded. There was nothing left to be said out here, and the cold was beginning to seep through her uniform.

"I guess."

As she brought herself to her feet and brushed the dirt from her legs, Daphne tired offering more words of reassurance.

"With any luck, maybe he won't be around for the next match? That way you can still compete for the cup?"

But whatever effect she had been hoping for, wasn't the one she got.

As soon as Tracey had stood up, a bubbling rage had begun to brew inside her.

Was she really just going to accept the fate that had been handed to her? Was her entire existence just going to consist of making other people's stories brighter? No, she deserved more than that. No amount of consolation could convince her that sitting down and accepting it was the right thing to do.

She would make herself happy. She would take what was rightfully hers.

"Tracey?"

She ignored her. With a new found inhibition, she gripped her broom tightly in her hand and began off back towards the castle.


"Tracey! Whatever you are doing, I'm asking you very calmly to think about this!"

Daphne was still being ignored by the time the trio had safely returned to the warmth of the dungeons. In a panic, she tried forcing herself in front of Tracey.

"I am a Prefect and I will have to step in!" she warned.

But she was no match for the ex-Slytherin seeker, who manoeuvred around her like it was nothing.

They found the common room alive with activity when they entered - apparently it hadn't taken the team long to get over her. They were in the midst of a impromptu party, with Graham, Blaise and Draco being hailed at it's centre. If Tracey was any less angry she might have seen the venomous glare Dom was giving to Pansy, who was currently attached to Draco's arm live an oversized leech. The attention gradually weened off it's victors, however, and fell onto the three new occupants.

A stunned hush fell over the common room as Tracey approached Draco, who stared curiously up at her from his position on the settee. She came to a stop in front of her, placed her foot on the arm of his chair and leaned closed to his face. She looked like she was going for a whisper, but she spoke loud enough for the whole room to here.

"You better watch your back."

She spoke in a tone quite like one anyone had ever heard from her before.

Draco didn't move, but squinted his eyes.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You 'eard me. Be careful out there, Draco. Dangerous world we're living in these days."

Without waiting for a response, she pushed herself back up off the settee and took towards the girls dormitories. Silence followed in her wake. She caught a few shocked faces from the corner of her eye on the way out. Daphne and Dom were quick to follow her up.

"That was a mistake," Daphne was quick to tell her.

Tracey smirked. Even from this distance, she could tell the common room was still quiet.

Now she knew what it felt like to be feared.

"No, it wasn't."


Silence is Betrayal. Stand With Us. BLM.