AN: Hiiiii everyone! If you were waiting for this, thank you! And I'm sorry it took me so long to translate it. It's a very long chapter actually.

Another big thank you to "bcain17" for being a really nice beta and be so fast correcting the chapters.

I hope you like this one as well :) Please let me know what you think so far!

Chapter 8: Dates and matches.

After witnessing Ginny head out the portrait, frowning Harry helped his aching friend walk to the couch. Ronald seemed to have been petrified in the same place.

"Hermione," Harry started saying. He was silent long enough to find the right words in his head. "Sorry, I had no idea."

"It's not your fault," she clarified as she sat carefully on the sofa. Slightly stooped, she brought her hand back to where the pain was in her back. "Ginny has felt such sick jealousy towards me practically since we met."

"I've never noticed anything..."

"She has been able to hide it perfectly... maybe she knew, even if it was deep inside, that everything she thought and imagined about me had no basis whatsoever."

"Are you saying that my sister has always been so hostile to you? And all for Harry?" Said Ron, who had suddenly come back to reality.

"I would say hostile is just an understatement..."

The boys fell silent for what seemed like an eternity. Hermionewould have loved to have put the redhead in her place, to have made her stand out in front of the two most important people for her in the castle... but now she had an appointment to go to. She rose slowly to her friend's worried gaze.

"You should rest after such a tremendous thud," Harry complained.

"Are you going to the infirmary? We can go with you," Ron offered. Hermione almost caught a hint of pleading in his voice. Perhaps he felt guilty about her sister's behaviour.

"No, the pain is already gone," she lied. "I feel like I need to take a bath."

Her friends were silent until they saw her disappear through the portrait.

Pansy was pacing the room, staring at her shoes and her hands clasped behind her back. There were a thousand possible ways that this could go wrong, Granger had already shown her that she was not the Merlin of her time when it came to plotting successful plans, and that it was taking her so long to return caused Pansy terrible anxiety at having no way to know what was going on in that tower.

Now that she knew of the harpy's intentions to approach Potter with dance lessons for the ball, it was imperative to shake her off to accomplish her goal. Damn, her idea of pushing Ginny down the stairs would have been faster and more effective. With a bit of luck she might even have finally wiped Ginny off the map.

"I'm here," said a suddenly broken voice. Pansy turned so fast that she could see the fading of the door behind the Gryffindor. She frowned slightly. She didn't miss the pained expression on her face.

"What's wrong?"

"Ginevra attacked me," Hermione replied. The pain was no longer as stabbing as when she had just hit the bookshelf, but it definitely wasn't going to go away entirely as quickly.

"What have you done to her?" Pansy asked again, eager to hear any wrong that might have happened to the Weasley.

Granger shook her head and tried to straighten her back without much success.

"Nothing. She caught me by surprise when she pointed her wand at me."

"Did you really think you could infuriate a girl in love without suffering the consequences? What did you expect, that she politely asked you to stay away from him? I would have ripped her hair out with my own hands," Pansy said, rolling her eyes. Then she became serious again. "But let's go back to what is really important... has the plan gone well?"

"Harry and Ron saw it all," the girl explained. "Harry seemed really mad at her, I don't think he wants to see her again for a long time."

"Well, a long period of time is all I need to make him mine. I'll make sure he doesn't even remember her afterwards."

"With her out of the game, you have free rein. Although I doubt very much that it would have been a problem that she kept hovering around him, Harry never catches the hints. I still wonder how Chang did to get him to notice her.

"It's a mystery," the Slytherin replied cynically. She didn't like to recall those times when she had to watch him walk hand in hand with another for some hateful and endless months. Since then her little obsession with him had begun to grow so much that she suddenly wanted him, him and only him. "Get dressed already or you'll be late."

Hermione agreed. She walked to the fitting room and closed the curtain behind her.

"I hope this date goes as well as the plan to get rid of Ginny," she commented as she undressed.

"Well, there was a time when I thought I wasn't going to make it," Pansy confessed. "When I realized I had Snape right next to me controlling all my movements."

A muffled scream was heard and Hermione poked her head out from the other side of the curtain.

"Did you let him 'see' our plan?"

"No, I was especially careful not to look him in the eye since I know about his skill in Legilimency... I suppose he would be standing guard, he would see me and take the opportunity to try to find out what I was up to at the moment."

"I don't know how you did it, but luckily everything went perfectly," said the Gryffindor, going back inside.

"All credit goes to Peeves. You know, he did his thing and distracted Snape long enough to carry out my assignment… by the way, I'm going to the library with Potter after dinner. I have something he wants."

"What Harry wants is to finish the Charms work on time."

"And I have the book he needs. It's something."

Hermione shifted the weight of her body to the other leg as she waited behind the counter and watched the chubby man prepare her order. She couldn't stop thinking about the surprise that had appeared on the face of the Slytherin when he saw her leave the fitting room in that shop. As immoral as it might seem to play with a person, she was determined to commit to her plan, and his reaction only gave her enough confidence to face that date with more determination.

A boy entered the store at that instant. Her heart raced, but she regained her normal rhythm as soon as she saw it wasn't the Slytherin... at least not the one that she expected. Although they had seen each other around the castle, they had never exchanged a single word. He was a couple of years younger than her, but that didn't stop him from sneaking glances at her as he came after her to wait his turn. Hermione hadn't seen him do it, but had felt his eyes on her. She shifted the weight from one leg to the other again. She felt how the pants fit her legs perfectly and showed all the curves that she used to hide under her Gryffindor robes. The shirt didn't fit her body in the same way, but the fact that it had no sleeves and its neckline was asymmetrical gave it a special touch.

The door opened a second time, and when Hermione raised her head to look there she met her date with a huge, bright smile. In a reflex act she concealed her nervousness by putting her hair behind her ears, but then she had to shake her head to undo it. Nott seemed impressed by her clothes, though he made no comment on it. He looked at the boy of his house behind her, put his hands in his pockets and walked over to Hermione to say something in her ear.

"Is this really your ideal place to meet someone?"

The hair on the back of her neck stood on end with that breath hitting her skin. Hermione breathed air into her lungs and shook her head as she bit her lip.

"Well, no. But I had promised my cat that I would buy him his favourite cookies."

Nott pursed his lips a little and nodded, convinced.

"Nobody wants an angry cat, right?"

"Yes, that's right," she replied as she picked up the package that the man held out for her over the counter and put it in her bag. Then she reached into the back pocket of her pants and took out her small purse, from which she took out just enough to pay.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed how Nott was giving the Slytherin boy a warning look before going out the door. She couldn't be sure, but it had given her the feeling that he had just threatened to kill him if he say a single word about the encounter.

"Where do you want to go now?"

"Somewhere remote would be fine," she said. She knew exactly where to go. "I know a small square at the end of the town."

"Sounds great," replied Nott, who made no secret of his desire to walk to a less crowded place.

They walked without speaking, keeping their distance for a few minutes, but when she made sure they had left the crowd behind and the typical prying eyes of the center of town, Hermione broke the silence. She knew she had to prove the ground before taking action.

"I thought you wouldn't agree to meet me," she commented, pretending to be distracted looking at the windows of the passing shops.

"Well, I'm not going to deny that it was a surprise that you asked me for a date…" Hermione put a hand to her lips and tried to suppress a smile. He raised an eyebrow as he looked at her amused. "What?"

"I also didn't think you were going to consider it a date... if I'm honest, I didn't know what to call this myself."

He smiled again.

"It's strange, yes. Who has seen the good old Granger go out with a Slytherin? What's more, who has ever seen her date someone?" From the tone of his voice, he seemed to like the idea of dating an inexperienced girl too much. "But at the end of the day it's a date, otherwise I wouldn't be here."

Now it was Hermione's turn to raise an eyebrow.

"What makes you think you're my first date?"

"The fact that I've never seen you with other boys than Potter and Weasley, perhaps?" He was silent for a few seconds. "Wait, did you have anything with...?"

"With them? No!" She shuddered just thinking about it. "No, but I met someone a few years ago. We were dating for a few months and then we kept in touch by correspondence... but the relationship got too cold. Maybe it would have worked without so much distance in between."

"A muggle boy?" He wanted to know.

"No..." She rambled for a moment whether to confess it or not. Finally, not without some hesitation, she decided to be honest. "Someone from Dumstrang. Everyone was so aware of the Tournament that nobody realized that I was seeing someone."

Nott seemed genuinely shocked at what she had just said.

"So you like bad boys?"

"I guess."

"Well, I like the challenge of trying to fit pieces that supposedly don't fit me... maybe that's why I decided to give you a chance." He was definitely trying to make himself interesting.

"Maybe I'm the one testing you," she warned him.

"I've said it before, I love challenges." He took the liberty of taking a lock of her hair and rubbing it between his fingers before releasing it again. "I think it's something innate to the Slytherins."

"Yes, you don't care to pass over anyone in order to reach your goal," said the girl with ease. She knew well the girl who had sold him for her own interests.

"The Gryffindors should learn a little from us."

"If I were a person doing those things the sorting hat would have sent me headlong into the dungeons... and maybe then we wouldn't be considering this walk as a date."

"Ten points for Gryffindor."

Hermione laughed heartily.

"I usually win them easily, but thanks for your input."

"You think you're smart, don't you? The smartest, I daresay."

Hermione decided to let out a hint of arrogance in her response. After all, she was talking to a Slytherin.

"You want to test me so we can check it out?"

They had just arrived at the square, so they both went to one of the benches.

Theo waved his wand and made a scroll and feather appear out of nowhere.

"You've missed the last few Potions classes, haven't you? I bet you don't know the ingredients or the way of elaboration of the potions that we have learned during these days."

Hermione took the things that were still floating in the air and showed him that her knowledge went beyond what was simply taught in the classrooms, making a perfect outline of each potion that he was mentioning and that she supposedly didn't know.

When she finished proving her worth as a Hogwarts student, when Theo finally admitted that she was as smart as they said, she wanted to brag about it. However, Hermione couldn't help but suppress a wince as she moved in the seat.

"What happens?"

"I don't know," she lied. "It must be some spasm from bad sleeping posture."

The boy's mischievous smile indicated that he was thinking of something very Slytherin.

"They usually give them to me, but... I can try giving you a massage if you like."

Hermione involuntarily held her breath. A massage? That would mean Nott putting his hands on her body to touch it as he pleased... And while it was true that her mission was to go fast on that hit date, maybe that was going too fast. She looked at his large hands for a moment before turning gently in response. Was she going to start setting limits when she had already sold all her principles for a boy?

It didn't take him half a second to remove the parchment from her hands, put it in his pocket and gently brush her hair aside. Hermione brought it to the front and her body tensed when she felt his fingers dig into her shoulders. He squeezed them enough to sink them into her skin, but not enough to hurt her. He began to move them in a circular way, also pressing the palm on her back and causing his touch to stop making her feel uncomfortable over time... because suddenly his touch began to feel damn good. Hermione shook her head a little and relaxed her body to feel his fingers more intensely. At what point had they passed to her waist? His thumbs were now pressed to just the point of her lower back and she, without knowing how, let out a sigh. When had it stopped being a simple massage to become something more sexual? How could he have made her feel that way without needing to stimulate her innermost area? Without even needing to get close to her?

Hermione turned to see him when Nott's hands stopped touching her. He did it slowly, and without taking his eyes off hers once their eyes met. She didn't make a move to walk away when she saw how close they were to each other, not even when his perfect features face came close enough for their lips to meet. She didn't know how it happened, but she did nothing to prevent it either. Hermione allowed her lips to part slightly, but the boy pressed the back of her head to draw her closer to him and make her have no choice but to let his tongue slip between them. She closed her eyes. The Slytherins were clearly not beating around the bush, but maybe she was starting to like moving fast.

"Remind me why I'm here," Draco demanded as he touched a completely smooth golden mask.

"Because I'm your partner at your post-graduation party. We have to go combined if you want to make an entry worthy of someone named Malfoy," Pansy replied, then grimaced at the one that had caught his attention. "Too simple for me."

"It was bad enough that my mother forced me to invite Lovegood, why did she also have to force me to have you as my partner at my own party?"

"Oh come on, she's your cousin and I'm your future wife, so don't make me mad," said the girl in a mocking tone.

"Distant cousin," he pointed out. "And I wouldn't laugh so much. Surely you aren't so funny when you have to tell your parents that you have a lover out there. I hope at least the guy is good enough to break the marriage agreement that our families signed when we were born."

Pansy knew the risks of going against her parents' wishes, but that didn't make her lose her smile at the time.

"I would never notice someone who wasn't."

Draco rolled his eyes and wandered around the store like if he were at home. His parents had always loved throwing parties in the mansion with the wizarding world's elite, and this was the only place they trusted to buy their accessories. They knew it wasn't cheap, but they bought what they wanted without stopping to look at the price. That store specialized in luxury parties offered its customers accessories that ranged from the most extravagant headdresses to the most expensive pearls on the market.

Pansy fluttered around him, pretending to pay attention to the Venetian masks that filled an entire wall of the store, then took a brief look outside through the window. She'd seen them since they'd arrived, but she wanted Draco to realize what was going on out there himself. She picked up a silver mask set with diamonds inlaid and tried it on. She tied a perfect bow behind her head and looked at herself in the mirror nearby. The mask seemed to have been tailored for her, her features matched perfectly, and the glow it brought to her face made her more than satisfied. Yes, she had found the ideal mask for her. Then she took the same for men and handed it to her friend... but he didn't take it because all his attention was focused on a point outside that premises.

"Is that Theo?" Draco asked. There was a hint of caution in his voice.

Pansy screamed internally because he would have finally noticed. Salazar, they were right in front! She approached him, narrowed her eyes slightly and crossed her arms.

"And under that tangle of hair seems to be Granger," she replied, seeing how at that precise moment the girl in the square opened her eyes and fixed them on her spectators. "Yes, it is definitely Granger."

Draco frowned and clasped his hands to his sides.

Hermione couldn't deny that she was enjoying herself, it was shown in her ragged breathing and the pounding of her heart. She never imagined kissing someone like him, but his lips had something that made her not want to detach herself from him. An almost wild flavour, a frenetic rhythm.

It had been a long time since she had seen Malfoy and Parkinson come out of that store and walk off towards Hogwarts. The boy's tense expression did nothing but make the matter more morbid. She didn't quite understand that reaction at the time, but the fact that he had seen her kissing his friend was most exciting to her. Her body sank into the bench and her sex burned against her underwear when the kiss ended. The boy's lips parted gently causing her to open her eyes again to look at him. They both tried their best to catch their breath as they looked each other directly in the eye.

"It's getting dark," he said at last.

"Yes, we should go back."

Getting up and making the way back was a little more uncomfortable than going there. There was hardly anyone in the street anymore and they could clearly hear each other's footsteps and breathing. Hermione adjusted her bag and decided to take a brief look at the boy walking next to her. He looked at her at the same time and she found herself in the position of having to say something to break the silence.

"Will you keep this a secret?"

"Sure, and I hope you do too," he said.

"Can you imagine what would happen if the rumour spread through the castle?"

"The scandal would be justified," Hermione nodded. She couldn't agree more with what he had just said. "But that we have to keep the secret doesn't mean that we cannot repeat it. We can keep all the secrets you want."

She tried to suppress a smile as she let her hair partially cover her face. That boy clearly liked her, and against all odds she liked him too... and although she didn't forget what her purpose was with all this, who said she couldn't have fun along the way?

When Pansy saw Granger enter the large dining room, she braced herself for what was to come next. It took a few long seconds for Theo to appear. Draco watched him approach as he stabbed his fork into the pie with more force than necessary. The fury in his gaze became more than evident when the boy sat across from him and carelessly ran a hand through his hair.

Pansy didn't say a word when Draco grabbed his wand and blew Theo's plate and silverware off and hit the ground as he was about to pour himself some chicken. The brunet looked up and stared at him in surprise, but the expression on his face soon became angry. Half a Slytherin table stopped eating to pay attention to the little altercation.

"What is your problem?" Theo asked with bewilderment.

"What you're doing is my problem," the blond growled.

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, you don't want me to say out loud where you came from."

Theo understood what it really was, a threat. His gaze became so bleak and gloomy that several freshmen decided to fix their eyes on their plates again.

"You said yesterday that you didn't care at all," he hissed.

"And I don't, but that doesn't make it less... abominable."

"You don't sound like someone who doesn't care," Theo reproached him.

Draco looked aggressively to either side of the table to make those who had watched the discussion go back to their own business. Then he leaned over the table a little and murmured:

"Your attitude seems detestable to me," he spat out that last word in disgust.

Theo also leaned down to bring Draco's face closer to his eyes.

"You should know by now that it's not typical of snakes to worry about what other people think," he said, then saw him grind his teeth for a moment. The tension between them could be touch with the tip of the wand. "If you care as little as you say then let me do as I please. After all, you won't be the one to face the consequences." He stood up and saw a clean plate and silverware appear in front of him. Then he instinctively ran his fingers over the knife. "Or is it that you want to be the one playing with fire?"

Hermione was still in the clouds when she went up to the seventh floor to meet Pansy. She would have had to be crazy to think that someone from Slytherin was attracted to her just a week ago, but not only had Parkinson been right in claiming that Nott liked her, Nott had agreed to meet her without hesitation... and Merlin that those kisses were not of this world.

"Here comes the hussy," the Slytherin announced as she entered, laughing outrageously. "You who have always been a saint and now eat Theo's mouth on the first date."

"Hush," said Hermione a little embarrassed, walking past her and dropping onto the sofa. "He started it."

"I imagine..." The girl sat next to her and nudged her in the ribs. "But you didn't step back to stop him, huh?"

"I just stuck to the plan," she excused herself. "I saw you through the window, was his reaction as expected?"

"No... it was much better. He is super jealous, it's more than evident."

"Really?" Hermione's heartbeat sped up considerably. Malfoy jealous for her? She would have to see it to believe it.

"Really. He almost kille Theo over dinner… he tries too hard to make it look like he doesn't care, and although he's always been a born liar it's clear to him that this time he can't hide it the way he wants."

Hermione didn't know whether to believe everything Parkinson was saying. What if she had illusions for nothing? What if Malfoy was just mad that Nott was dating a Gryffindor and would have been indifferent that it had been Lavender, for example? She would be cautious, she couldn't get excited that fast.

"We have arranged to meet again tomorrow."

"I can see in your eyes that you're wanting it."

Hermione snorted, though the smile hadn't disappeared from her face.

"Perhaps," she replied.

"Come on! I've never had anything with Theo, but since I know that Slytherins are the best lovers, I can bet that you loved it."

"It wasn't bad." Pansy raised an eyebrow. "Okay, do you want to hear how great it was? How fabulous? That I really want to meet him again? Well, there you have it."

"That was exactly what I wanted to hear," Pansy laughed before remaining thoughtful for a few seconds. "I wish your friend was as enraptured as mine. I have the feeling that I haven't advanced shit with him."

"You who say you are always right, there you are wrong. Even if you don't see it, you have made a lot of progress. With Harry you have to go slowly, but I assure you that he hasn't overlooked the little things you have done to get his attention. You just have to be patient."

"It's hard to be patient when your time runs out," the Slytherin complained.

"At least we've already gotten your potential competitor out of the way. Bring him up on the dance and offer to help him. I very much doubt that he still wants Ginny's help and, as I already told you, he surely feels he needs it. He hates not being moderately good at something, but he hates that others see his weak points."

"Yes, you've told me all that before," she snorted as she put her feet on the table. "But I am sure that he will reject me, and it's not that I take too well that someone could reject me. I think it has never happened, your friend would be the first one not to fall surrendered to my unquestionable charms."

Hermione coughed to hide the laugh that threatened to escape at any moment.

"He will reject you, that is clear… but you leave the proposal on the table. When he realizes he has no choice, he will crawl back."

"Great, I'm his last resort."

"You are… but I know you know how to take advantage of the situation to turn around and get what you want." Hermione unbuttoned the button of those very tight pants, sighed and also put her feet on the table. "You are a Slytherin, right? Show your cunning."

When Pansy arrived at the library Potter was already sitting at the same table of the other day. The place was completely silent, lit only by the torches hanging on the walls. She took a deep breath and started walking towards him, and even though she did it stealthily, Potter looked up from his scrolls and looked at her through his glasses.

She nearly gasped when his eyes locked on hers. She let the air out of her lungs and tried not to show an iota of weakness. She wasn't quite sure she had succeeded when she sat across from him and put the book on the table.

"Sorry for being late," she said quietly.

"Don't worry," he replied. "May l?"

Pansy nodded and Potter opened the book to the page where they had left the last time. They both started to work, though she wasn't fully focused on his presence. She hated feeling like this, hated that this boy had so much power over her and her feelings ... but there was nothing she could do about it. On the one hand, she longed to get up, hit the table with her fists, and scream at him to wake up right away, that she wanted to have something with him and that she didn't want to graduate and leave the castle forever without first having it among his sheets. Damn, she wanted him so badly that she'd just been daydreaming when she was supposed to be getting her work done. She couldn't help it. However, on the other hand, she knew that she had to listen to her friend's advice and keep waiting... but it was unfair that Granger had had one of those dates that make you wet your panties when she had to content herself with meeting Potter in the library... They couldn't even talk, what kind of date was that?

A hawk brought her back to reality. Pansy looked up to find him looking at her in an almost amused way.

"Did you say something?" She murmured.

"I was asking you what you think about what it is written here."

Pansy carefully read the paragraph pointing to her finger and pursed her lips a little as she thought.

"It is very subjective… it gives me the feeling that the author's opinion influences a lot here. I don't think it's a good idea to add it to the job, it's not very relevant information either."

"Yeah, you're right."

Pansy saw the perfect opportunity to bring up the subject of the dance. They had been silent for too long.

"This book is perfect for this job. I have the feeling that we are going to get a very good grade."

He smirked and she bit her lip reflexively.

"I just hope the effort pays off."

Pansy thought exactly the same.

"No wonder you're the best student in your house." Potter looked at her and she gave him a brief smile. "How are you doing about having to open the dance with Granger?"

The boy rolled his eyes and sighed.

"It seems that people no longer think about anything else… We are both embarrassed about dancing. I just hope that people look at those who really know how to dance."

"I know how to dance," she said quickly.

"Yes, I supposed..."

"I can teach you."

The boy frowned slightly.

"What?"

"I said that I could teach you the most basic steps in a dance... I mean, if you want. That way you wouldn't be so embarrassed."

Potter seemed completely baffled, but… could she blame him?

"Oh... thanks, but..."

"But no," she said, completing his sentence. "Okay, I was just trying to be nice."

"Thank you."

Pansy decided not to look at him again at the time. She dipped her pen in the inkwell and finished writing that sentence to cover her discontent. She knew that this was going to happen, but she never imagined that his rejection would hurt so much. Not that she was going to cry or anything like that, but his resounding refusal had definitely bothered her to the point of making her think of surrender. Was it really worth that much effort? At least Draco had begun to be somewhat jealous of Granger, but Potter clearly had no interest in her. She could start dating anyone and he probably never even noticed.

"I promised Ron I'd be rested for the game," he said suddenly, getting up from the table. She didn't look away from her parchment. "Good luck tomorrow."

Pansy nodded and continued writing as she felt him walk away. The great door to the library closed quietly, but it felt like a slam to her.

Hermione waited for her friends in the common room while giving Crookshanks the fish cookies she had bought the day before. When the cat finished eating, she brushed her tail across her leg in gratitude and disappeared after the people waiting for the rest of the team. As was customary on the days she had left, all the team members would go down to breakfast together. When Harry and Ron appeared up the stairs they did a quick count.

"Where's your sister?" Harry asked with a hint of disdain when referring to her.

Ronald shrugged his shoulders. They hadn't seen her since she fell into Hermione's trap and came out for the portrait, but Demelza Robins stepped forward to answer his question.

"We can go, she said that she'll be down in a moment."

Harry nodded and gave the order to get going. Hermione picked up her book from the table and followed them into the large dining room. Although she tried to pay attention to the games her friends played, she usually ended up reading in the stands.

When they arrived, the Slytherin team was already having breakfast, and as soon as they were aware of their presence, a loud boo was heard from them and from their table. Gryffindor students tried to counter their teasing with more yelling and booing. That only lasted a couple of minutes, but the tension between the two teams did not disappear at any time. The excitement of the people was evident as it was the last game of the year, but the nervousness that was experienced among the members of each team was unbeatable. Some yearned for the Quidditch cup of that year, but many others risked their reputations.

When Hermione finished eating her toast she glanced at the Slytherins wearing the kit. Parkinson and Malfoy seemed to be reviewing with each other the strategy to follow that morning, but there was a boy who couldn't keep his eyes on his companions for more than a few seconds. When Nott raised his head and saw her across the dining room, Hermione jumped a little in her seat. The fact that he smiled at her managed to make her blush slightly, but that he winked at her, caused her stomach to turn just thinking about seeing him again that afternoon.

Harry was giving the final directions to his team when Ginny crept up and sat down in a corner of the table.

Everyone was on their brooms and held their positions waiting for the moment when Madam Hooch launched the Quaffle to kick off the game. Potter and Draco held their gaze on either side of the field while Pansy couldn't take her eyes off a downcast and pathetic Weasley. Her eyes were sunken and her freckled cheeks were lighter than usual. Undoubtedly, Granger's plan had managed to destroy her. The Slytherin smiled at that. It was more than obvious that the game would be a piece of cake if, apart from previously knowing the Gryffindors' tactic, one of their best players was not in full swing.

Madam Hooch didn't delay that moment any longer and everyone followed the ball with their eyes. For a couple of seconds there was silence in the stands, but Pansy raised the corner of her mouth again when she realized that Blaise had been faster than the opposing team.

The game had already started and Draco shot past him to chase the Golden Snitch. Pansy knew exactly what her next move was. It was clear that the Weasley boy had not seen Theo coming, who had thrown the Quaffle over his head for Pansy to pick up and score the first goal of the game. An ovation screamed her name making her feel powerful, but a red and gold blur passed her so fast that she had to hold on to her broom tightly to keep from falling. She knew it had been Potter when she spotted a golden object moving very quickly.

"Draco!" The girl shouted, drawing his attention and pointing her finger at the direction in which he had gone… because it was one thing for you to like a boy and quite another to let yourself be defeated.

The blonde started up again and the girl moved across the field as agreed. Although she felt the freezing morning wind blow violently on her face, she didn't stop for a moment. Again, she got the ball and threw it at Blaise, who scored another ten points.

The Weasley girl managed to catch the ball by going through the ring of her field, moving between the players in a sad attempt to do something useful for her team... but she didn't count on Pansy Parkinson having certain issues to resolve with her, and it is not like she was going to do it peacefully. She bolted after her as she shouted for her team's hitters to attack her. She was so close that she knew that if she reached out she could touch the branches of the tail of her broom. Pansy was forced to duck to prevent a Bludger from hitting her entire face. She had brushed her hair in the wind, but she was so focused on her goal that she didn't even bother with the inept peers.

Weasley was about to reach the goal, she had to be fast if she wanted to stop her. Theo appeared just in time, giving her a push that made her swerve far enough for Pansy to seize the opportunity and catch up. She crashed her shoulder against hers as she was near the bleachers, causing the back of her broom to hit them and lose her balance. She gave a small moan, dropped the ball and plummeted the distance that separated it from the ground, and although at first it gave the sensation that it would stamp violently, in the end she managed to make a maneuver so that her fall was as painless as possible. Pansy picked up the Quaffle and passed it to her team with a grimace on her lips. From what she could see from above the Weasleys' little harpy was out of the game, but the fact that she had been able to leave the field on her own feet was almost a disappointment. At least she thought she saw her limp a little.

Pansy allowed herself a moment to look for Draco and Potter. They both climbed, descended, and made impossible turns as they tried to reach for the small golden ball. Euphoric shouts reminded her that she was still in the middle of one of the most important games of her life, the supporters of her house jumped and screeched with exultation, confirming in this way that someone from her team had just scored another goal. She spotted Theo looking for someone in the opposite stands, finding her almost instantly and giving her a huge smile that made more than one sigh. Granger closed the book on her lap and bit her lip with ill-contained excitement. Pansy arrived with her friend in less than fifteen seconds.

"Concentrate!" she shouted.

A Bludger raged between them, spinning them around to see where the ball had come from. The youngest member of the Gryffindor team seemed to be angry with himself for not being able to score. Pansy rolled her eyes. So attacking from behind... She also knew how to play dirty, and surely she was much better than him.

The game continued with a great offense from the Slytherins and a poor defense from the opposing team. If Pansy hadn't sneaked in between them that day they surely wouldn't have had a chance to win. Potter's tactic was terrific, but he had nothing to do against them having had time to prepare a counterattack. Gryffindor managed to score two or three times, but it was obvious that having one less player was wreaking havoc on the team.

The hearts of everyone present accelerated as Potter and Draco began to fly shoulder to shoulder, both with arms outstretched in the same direction. It seemed that one of them had managed to caress the Snitch with the fingertips, but everything happened so quickly that no one could say exactly which of the two had been. They had almost made it, but only one could be the winner that day.

A few minutes later, one of them stopped dead and raised his arm for the crowd to see how he had finally caught the ball between his fingers. Immediately afterwards someone whistled the end of the game, and a second later the Slytherins' stands almost collapsed in euphoria.

Pansy, Theo, Blaise and the others flew up to Draco and surrounded him. The enthusiasm and exaltation of the team were joined by that of the stands, who began to cheer their name out loud. You could hardly hear the booing of fans from the opposing team.

Once with his feet on the ground, the blonde left his companions to congratulate him for being the one who had led them to victory and had positioned his house at the top. Draco liked the attention he was receiving, the tapping on the back and the smiles of the girls in the stands... although only one got his full attention.

Pansy stopped screaming for a moment when she realized the situation. Theo and Draco were standing in the middle of the field, next to each other and both looking at the same person in the stands. She also thought she saw Granger holding her breath as the air tossed her hair aside. Viewed from the outside, the scene felt almost theatrical.

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Cristy.