Hey everyone!
How you doing? Still hanging in there? Honestly the first half of the year has been chaos and I have no idea what awaits in the second half of the year but I get the feeling nothing could surprise me any more this year. I've had the notification that I will be back at work by the end of the month so we shall see how that goes. My latest AU will finally be uploaded next month and I hope that people will like it.
Stay safe!
Lots of love,
LM xxx
Finally Belonging Somewhere-Part 72:
A few days after the meal and Draco was returning to Quidditch training. Luckily he had a good co-captain who knew the plan and what to do. Draco had his arm around his sister as they walked towards the pitch with Astoria.
"Draco I won't let anything happen to her," she'd reassured him and headed to the stands with the youngest Malfoy before watching as Draco went up to the team.
"What's your sister doing here?" someone asked.
"She's here on Professors Dumbledore and Snape's orders," Draco said, "she's here to learn the game of Quidditch and to see if there's anything that we can improve on."
"What's the point when she doesn't understand anything?" Pansy smirked. Seeing Astoria and Draco together made her jealous but that made Draco furious and he pulled his wand and pointed it at Pansy.
"Don't you dare say that about my sister. Your cousin is to blame partly for her being the way she is. She's my baby sister and I love her so think carefully in future Parkinson," Draco snarled before ordering everyone into the air, hoping that Aurora hadn't seen him using his wand on Pansy. Astoria never missed a trick so she would have but it was doubtful Aurora would have seen it.
"So Aurora," Astoria said as the team headed up into the skies and level with them, "Quidditch is a very popular game for us witches and wizards. Now there's a red ball called a Quaffle and the idea is to throw it through the golden hoops," she said as she pointed the hoops out.
"They're like bubble wands," Aurora said as she looked, "I use them to blow bubbles in the orphanage!" she said, "so red Quaffle has to go between the bubble hole and that team gets the points?"
"Clever girl! I never said anything about points but you managed to guess," Astoria said wrapping an arm around Aurora.
"Well someone has to win so there has to be a way of scoring," Aurora said before falling silent as she watched the emeralds zipping around.
"That's right but in Quidditch there is two ways of scoring and indeed winning a match. Chasers use the Quaffle and there's three on a team," Astoria said, "but there is an element of danger in Quidditch," she said causing Aurora to look at her, eyes widening at the word 'danger'.
"What? No!" Aurora said as she turned to face Astoria, "where's the danger?" she asked.
"Well if you look you should be able to see some iron… grey balls whizzing around," Astoria said and Aurora looked before she nodded, "well they are sent hurtling around the pitch by Beaters. You see them there," she said pointing to a Beater close to them, "and they use bats to hit the Bludgers at anyone who's trying to stop their team winning," she said.
"Bludgers must hurt," Aurora looked, "and the Beaters must be strong," she said, "those balls must be heavy."
"They are and have to be firmly held in a crate when they aren't being used," Astoria explained, "now remember I said that there were two ways of scoring but one of these ways is also a way to end the match."
"Seeker and golden ball!" Aurora said, "Draco told me about that because he's Slytherin's Seeker."
"That golden ball is a Golden Snitch and often wins the match as it earns the Seeker that catches it 150 points for their team," Astoria explained, "now why don't you just watch the match and we shall see what you can see? It will also allow your mind to process what I just told you."
Aurora nodded before her eyes turned to the team practising and Astoria just watched as Aurora watched the practice and she settled back, happy that the girl appeared to understand something about the game.
After a while the team descended to the ground and Astoria led Aurora down to the changing room.
"What are you doing here Greengrass?" Pansy sneered.
"Bringing Aurora down Parkinson. Draco wanted her to come down and tell what she saw," Astoria said, "jealousy isn't a good look," she casually said before Draco smiled at Astoria and looked at his sister.
"What did you see?" he asked.
"Your Chasers are flying too close together," Aurora said, "you can't throw the Quaffle to another Chaser when you're too close together because you'll be boxed in with no way to break free."
"Flying close formation is the best way to get the Quaffle to the goal idiot," Pansy sneered.
"Is it?" A Chaser said, "I mean you can't get out of the trap and the opposing side would be able to steal the Quaffle… Having someone free would be an idea because we could lob the ball over and someone would be able to head towards the goals and the others would then be broken free," she said as she looked at Aurora, "she does has a point on that one and I think we should listen to her."
"Well I don't think we should," Pansy said as she looked at Aurora, "she's just here because she's his sister," she said before stopping as Aurora glared at her, just the way Narcissa would.
"I am a Malfoy so you shouldn't be rude to me. I am also a Black so you really should watch your step. You aren't in the good books with my mother anyway because of what your cousin did to me," she said before looking at Draco, "I will see you back up at the Castle," she said before she left with Astoria.
"Are you going to tell your sister off for that?" Pansy asked as she rounded on Draco.
"No. You know she's here on the Headmaster and our Head of House's permission so maybe you should have listened to what she was saying because I'm sure that she was listened to by most others here," Draco replied, "mess with one Malfoy you mess with us all," he said before going to get changed. This was news to tell his father for sure.