A/n: Sorry for the wait (again), but I'm already working on the next chapter. Should be up in the next week or two. I mean what I say when I say I am determined to finish this this year. I hope you all enjoy.

Chapter 46 - From Revision to Quidditch

"I'm going to create a revision schedule," Hermione announced in the library, "to prepare us for our O.W.L.'s." They had just over a month left before the O.W.L. exams were here, and the library was full of fifth years, as well as seventh years, studying for their N.E.W.T's. Other years, of course, had their own exams the week before.

Ron groaned. "A schedule? Why?"

"Don't you want to pass your O.W.L.'s?" she asked. "They're the biggest exams we've taken so far! Our future classes depend on this! Our future careers depend on it!"

"Hermione, you're the top student in the year," Ron reminded her. "Don't give me that look, Malfoy; you know it's true. She beats you in every class." Trying not to chuckle, Jacob squeezed Draco's hand as Ron continued talking. "What do you have to worry about?"

Hermione, to her credit, rolled her eyes. "Everyone worries about these. One mistake, and you're missing out on a class you might need!"

"For the record, she's not beating me in every class," Draco pointed out. He, of course, was the top student in Potions. Despite claims of favoritism - and they weren't completely unfounded; he had been on the other side - Draco was genuinely very good. He had hoped to stop Draco from pointing that out, but that hadn't happened; his boyfriend always needed to point out that Hermione beat him in every other class except that one.

Before Ron could retort, Jacob spoke up. "Come on, can we get back to studying? Hermione and Draco may not need it as much, but some of us need the work."

"Oh, your grades have been fine," Hermione told him. "Draco, do you want me to make you a schedule?"

"Not necessary, I'll be fine," he said, "and Jacob doesn't need one either. I'll make sure he stays on track." Jacob believed that, too. Even though he and Draco usually got distracted by snogging, he always made sure that they both got their work done. "I do like your schedule, though. Very efficient."

"Thank you," she said. "and, yes, Ron, I need it. It's a lot to study for. It's easy to get overwhelmed or distracted. I hear it happens all the time." The three of them had talked about their respective career advice sessions earlier that day while waiting for his father.

Hermione had received positive feedback from Professor McGonagall. She, like Draco, could take any class she chose next year. She said she wasn't sure exactly what she wanted to do yet, though he thought he heard her mention something about Charms being very interesting, though he wasn't sure why yet. On the other hand, Ron had mentioned possibly being interested in Auror work but knew that would probably not happen, as it required Potions; Ron was not likely to get an O on that . He had other grades he needed to bring up, too.

After that, the conversation turned toward schoolwork. Hermione had made a schedule for him and Draco, even though his boyfriend had said they wouldn't need one. Eventually, though, it was time for dinner in the Great Hall.

"So, how are things with Boot going?" Draco asked as they were picking their things up.

"Fine," Hermione said. "He and I haven't been able to spend much time together lately with all this preparation for the upcoming exams. But we're going to hang out a bit this weekend a bit, get some time in together."

"That's good," Jacob said. "At least you're making time for each other."

"Yeah, not everyone's boyfriend is in the same dorm," she said, smirking at him and Draco, holding hands as they always did as they left the library. That was true. It made hanging out much easier because they spent almost all their time together.

"Yeah, some people are just lucky like that," he said. Some people might find that suffocating, but it came in handy. He couldn't imagine things being any different now.

"Can we talk about something else?" Ron said. "Like Quidditch - your game against Hufflepuff is coming up. What do you think?"

"We're going to flatten them," Draco said. "We just need to be aggressive. They're good, but we have a better offense."

"Yeah, they have some pretty good defense, though, and their offense is good, too," Ron pointed out. "I don't think it's going to be that easy."

"I wouldn't say easy," Jacob pointed out. "They've been pretty good at both of their last matches. I think Slytherin has the edge, though. I would agree with Draco on that."

"As I already said, we have the better offense," Draco agreed, "but I might be biased there." He and Jacob were, after all, the center of their offense.

"You, I'm gathering?" Ron asked, rolling his eyes.

"Well, yes. I am the best Seeker in school, but also, we have the best Chaser in school."

Ron thought about that for a moment. "I don't know about that. Jacob's really good, but the Gryffindor Chasers have been together so long; they can be completely in sync sometimes," he said. "And Ginny's a very good Seeker, actually."

"Yeah, but we're not up against Gryffindor, are we?" Draco pointed out. "Also, I already beat your sister once, remember?" Before Ron had a chance to argue, Draco continued. "Her first game, but my point still stands. Besides, repeating myself yet again, I'm not up against her - I'm up against Summerby." Another point for Draco.

Draco and Ron spent the rest of their walk down debating. Jacob spent his time in between talking Quidditch with them, trying to stop them from arguing so much and talking to Hermione. The truth was, he was excited about the upcoming game. It was their last match of the season, and all they had to do was win, and the Quidditch Cup was theirs.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

That night, Jacob and Draco spent time doing homework and revising for the upcoming exams. He was trying not to get overwhelmed, but Hermione's schedule wasn't helping. He appreciated it, but when he looked at it, it seemed like so much work needed to be done. The only break they'd had was Salenia bringing out the newest set of hair color-changing combs - the summer set. He wasn't really in the mood for any of that, but Salenia didn't seem to care, and he ended up with Summer Green in his hair while the girls were playing around with other colors like Rose Violet and Azure Blue and a few others he couldn't remember.

"Don't think about the schedule and all the work," Draco said. "I'll make sure you stay on track. Just stick with me. That's worked well for you so far, hasn't it?" He nudged him.

Jacob smiled. "Yeah, you're right," he said. "I mean, yeah, I know I have some work in Transfiguration to do, but I'm worried about Potions."

"I know your father teaches the class, but I don't think he'll be too disappointed if you don't get an O in your Potions O.W.L. Most people won't," Draco said. "I also don't think you're giving yourself enough credit. You've improved a lot from where you started this year. Besides, you're with the Potions student in the year. I'll make sure you're up to scratch."

"Thanks, I appreciate that," he said. "I suppose we could change the subject since we'll be talking about the exams quite a bit." Draco raised an eyebrow. "You spent the night here. In my bed."

"I did," Draco said as they both lay down together. "Did you mind?"

"You know people will think we're… having sex," Jacob teased, "and of course, I didn't mind."

Draco snorted. "They already think we are, so what's the point? Besides, it's none of their business." The blond then kissed him firmly, making Jacob forget what he had been about to say. "Maybe we can talk more about that… this summer?"

Jacob squashed both his excitement and his nerves. "I can agree to that."

"Good." He kissed him again, and Jacob hoped they wouldn't be going to sleep for a bit yet.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

Between studying, Draco, and Quidditch, Jacob was kept quite busy. They had been working hard and practicing three or four nights a week since they returned from Easter Holidays. The practice was actually going really well. They were feeling pretty confident come the first Saturday of May. They were all in the Slytherin Locker Room, and Montague was giving an intense speech about how, for some of them, it would be their last game and how close they were. He specifically said that there was no way they could lose as long as no one fucked up too badly, and Draco caught the Snitch.

"No problem there," Draco said as they all stood up, hair all done in Slytherin Silver and Green. Jacob rolled his eyes, though he didn't doubt his boyfriend's abilities. Summerby was still a newer Seeker; Draco was more experienced and, quite frankly, better.

"Crabbe, Goyle," Montague said, causing everyone to freeze. "I want you on Loughton and Walton. You watch them as if your lives depend on it, you hear me?" They both nodded. "You keep them away from Snape. Understand?" Again, they nodded, clutching their brooms tightly. "If they so much as look at him, there better be a Bludger headed their way." It wasn't a secret that he was the best flier and scorer on the team, though they were good at splitting the goals and using fakeouts as much as possible. They were a pretty good team by this point.

They continued their walk out of the locker room and came face to face with the Hufflepuff team. Montague stood face-to-face with Zacharias Smith. "Welcome, everyone, to the fifth Quidditch Game of the season - last for both of these teams," Lee Jordan announced as the two Captains shook hands, squeezing a bit too tightly and making it look like they were trying to squeeze each other hand's off. "This match may decide the Quidditch Cup. If Hufflepuff can pull out a win here, it will even out the standings, but if Slytherin wins, the Quidditch Cup is theirs." Madame Hooch blew the whistle, and everyone shot up into the air.

Montague got the Quaffle, and the three of them quickly started moving the ball down the field toward the goal. They were doing well, dodging the Hufflepuff Chasers. Jacob had the Quaffle; they were aiming for the goal when a Bludger hit him in the shoulder. Pain shot through his arm, and he dropped the Quaffle. Smith was right there, and Hufflepuff had possession again.

"Good Bludger from Walton!" said Lee. "They are definitely on Snape - no surprise there. It's going to be hard for Slytherin to score. Walton and Loughton are excellent Beaters, and it seems like they will be waiting for Snape to get the Quaffle. He is Slytherin's top scorer."

They chased Hufflepuff as they moved back down the field. Snape saw his opening, and when they tried to pass, he grabbed it and flew in the other direction. Jacob quickly passed it to Pucey. They would need to be careful if the other team's Beaters were watching him. They passed quickly down the field. Pucey shoved Lunz over when he got too close to him before he threw the Quaffle to Jacob. Jacob passed it to Montague, who aimed and scored.

"Good teamwork from Slytherin - and they scored. It's ten to nothing," Lee said. "Great block from Crabbe there, stopping the Bludger. Looks like the Slytherin Beaters may be stepping up." Hopefully, because Jacob wasn't in the mood to get hit twice in one game.

The Hufflepuff Seeker, Montgomery, threw it back in. The Hufflepuff Chasers worked on moving it back down the field, but a Bludger from Goyle and Pucey intercepted. Jacob moved forward, waiting for the pass from Montague. When he did, he quickly flew forward and aimed for another goal. Montgomery tried to catch it but couldn't; it sailed right past her fingertips. "Two goals in a row for Slytherin. They are on fire today," Lee announced. Montgomery threw it right back into play. When they tried to intercept this time, Hufflepuff was ready for them and hit Pucey with a Quaffle. Hufflepuff got through and scored. "Score from Hufflepuff! The score is now twenty to ten to Slytherin."

Bletchley threw the Quaffle back in, and Montague caught it. He passed it to Jacob, who started to fly away, but Hufflepuff was waiting for that, and he felt another Bludger hit him in the shoulder. Damn, they knew they needed to keep the Quaffle out of his hands, but did they have to keep hitting in the same damn shoulder? He understood they were aiming for the side he held the Quaffle on, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

"Nice hit from Loughton; Hufflepuff is definitely watching out for Snape," Jordan announced. "Last game for some of the Slytherin team - Keeper Bletchley, Captain Montague, and fellow Chaser Pucey. You know they'd want to end on a win with an undefeated season." Hufflepuff had the Quaffle, and despite some back and forth with them, they scored again. "And another score from Hufflepuff! Good moves from them. They evened it out at twenty-twenty."

Two times in a row? No, they couldn't have that now, could they?

Slytherin worked their way back down the field, and from Jordan's commentary, he heard that Goyle had stopped a Bludger from hitting him. He didn't completely blame them for when one got through - they weren't all that bright, and Loughton and Walton were by far the better Beaters. They scored one via a fake-out - Snape had the Quaffle and threw it back to Pucey. Montgomery threw the Quaffle back in, but they were ready for that. Goyle hit Smith with a Bludger, and they scored again before their opponents knew what hit them. The Quaffle was thrown in again, but Slytherin tackled it away from them and took the opportunity to score once more.

"Three goals in a row from Slytherin! That makes it fifty to twenty to Slytherin," Jordan said. "Slytherin is very hungry, and Hufflepuff needs to get them out of their zone if they want to try and salvage this game. They - and Malfoy goes into a dive! The Slytherin Seeker has seen the Snitch! Summerby has seen it, too, and he's after him, and - ooh, great Bludger from Walton. Malfoy got hit, and both Seekers lost sight of the Snitch." Damn. "As I was saying, Hufflepuff has a huge opportunity here to even out the standings for the Quidditch Cup and give Gryffindor or Ravenclaw a chance. They are not taking proper advantage of it. That was too close of a call for Smith and his team."

Hufflepuff seemed to take that to heart because they were on them after Montgomery threw the Quaffle in again. Loughton and Walton were waiting, but Crabbe and Goyle were doing better at blocking them - or trying to anyway. Montague and Pucey both got hit, allowing Hufflepuff to make their way down to the other end of the pitch. They tried to stop them, but they managed to score as Bletchley failed to stop the Quaffle. That set off a reaction, and they had trouble getting the Quaffle from them. Every time they did, Loughton and Walton were there, and Crabbe and Goyle were no match for them. Luckily, Bletchley was, and he stopped their next two scoring attempts.

"Nice attack from Hufflepuff, but they're no match for experienced Slytherin Seeker Bletchley," Jordan said. "Let's see if Slytherin can rebound."

As soon as they said that they started working the Quaffle back down the field. They were more aggressive - or Montague and Pucey were - and Jacob was faster and quicker. Together, they worked very well, making it harder for Hufflepuff to keep up. Loughton and Walton were there, though. Crabbe and Goyle did their best but weren't always successful. It didn't matter, though, because they didn't let Hufflepuff keep the Quaffle for very long. They were getting frustrated.

"Ooh, rookie mistake there from Lunz. Hufflepuff is getting frustrated here. They need to get it back together," Jordan said. "Slytherin has the Quaffle, and - yes, another goal from Snape. Fourth of the game for him. That was the fifth goal attempt in a row, three successful, and the score now stands eighty to thirty to Slytherin. Hufflepuff has got to get it back together or hope for a miracle."

Hufflepuff managed to get it back after that and made their way down the pitch again. Every time they tried, Loughton and Walton were there. Another goal went by Bletchley's fingers, but Slytherin was still up by forty. "Hufflepuff is giving it their best shot here, but they're still too far behind. They need to hope that no one sees - and Malfoy goes another dive! Loughton tries to block, but no, Goyle is right there!" Jordan announced. "Nice save from Slytherin. Summerby is trying to catch up to him, but no. Malfoy has caught the Snitch. Malfoy has caught the Snitch. Slytherin has won the game 230-40."

The Slytherin side of the stands was almost deafening as they all sunk to the ground, going over to Draco and surrounding him. Jacob managed to get in there and kissed him as Jordan continued talking, speaking loud enough to be heard over the Slytherin side of the stands. "Hufflepuff has a really good team, but they were no match for Slytherin today," he said. "However, I will say that next year, they will be very dangerous competitors if Smith can fine-tune his team. This year, though, Slytherin has all but won the Quidditch Cup."

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

They were still celebrating in the locker room as they changed and showered. Finishing up, they were no longer in their Quidditch robes and taking the house colors out of their hair. Draco came over and wrapped his arms around him. "Basking in the glow of an undefeated season?" Jacob asked him as he leaned up against the wall.

"I suppose so. Maybe I just needed the right inspiration," Draco replied, leaning up closer to him with a slight smile.

Jacob snorted. Yeah, or the right lack of competition - with Jacob himself no longer competing for Gryffindor as Harry Potter. Not that he wasn't going to deny that Draco was flying better than ever, but he was still fairly certain he could beat him as Seeker if he wanted to, which he had no desire to do anymore. He also wouldn't deny that perhaps he had a positive influence on Draco.

"Hey, lovebirds, don't hang out in here all day, okay?" Montague asked, some of their other teammates chuckling as they walked out.

"You're hilarious," Draco drawled as they separated, hand in hand as they walked out. "How's your shoulder?"

"What? Er, no, it's fine," Jacob said, moving his shoulder a bit. Pain shot through his shoulder when he did, and he couldn't help but wince.

His boyfriend raised an eyebrow, but Jacob hadn't been that subtle. "Really? Are you sure? You got hit in the same shoulder three times . I'd be surprised if it weren't a bit sore."

Jacob put up his free hand and rubbed his shoulder, trying to ease some of the pain and tension. "Fine, it might be a bit." Loughton and Walton had hit him basically in the same spot. "I'm sure it'll be fine. I'll just sleep on it."

"Oh, and your father won't drag you to the hospital wing anyway? Or check it out himself?"

Draco had a point there. He could only imagine what Severus would say if he showed up for their normal Sunday together to tell him his shoulder hurt. He didn't need that lecture or Draco's haughtiness when he told him later.

Jacob groaned. "Fine. I'll go see Madame Pomfrey. Lead the way."

Draco looked rather pleased with having won that argument, and they continued their way to the castle. On their way up, they ran into Hermione and Ron. "Well, congratulations are in order, I guess," Ron said begrudgingly.

"Thank you," Draco said smugly.

"You both played very well," Hermione said. "Congrats on the win and the cup, too, I suppose."

"Next year will be different, of course," said Ron. "If Smith keeps his team next year, they'll be dangerous for the rest of us. We're both losing people this year."

"Ah, yes, Spinnet and Johnson are done this year, aren't they?" Draco asked. "As well as your brothers. That's a lot of people for Bell to replace next year. I'll have to replace three, as it is."

"What makes you think the new Slytherin Captain will be you?" Ron asked.

"It's the same situation your Katie Bell will be in - who else will they give it to?" That was a valid point. Draco was the only seasoned member of the team, like Katie. He, Crabbe, and Goyle would be the only returning members aside from Draco, and they all were new to the team this year. Katie would have Ginny and Teale, presuming Ron didn't want to try out again, but he figured he would.

They split from them, citing the need to go to the Hospital Wing for a check on his shoulder. Hermione was immediately concerned, but he assured her he was alright - he just wanted it checked out. Once they got to the Hospital Wing, Madame Pomfrey said that it was, indeed, bruised. She applied some salve, and they were on their way once he had been properly treated.

They had a good party that night, too. Slytherin parties were never quite as out of control as Gryffindor parties could get, but it was still pretty wild by the standards of that house. It felt good to let loose a bit, but this wasn't really his scene. For a short time, though, it felt good just to have some fun and not worry about tests or anything else. Tomorrow, though, it was back to studying. The O.W.L.s were coming sooner than he'd like.