Harry had never believe he would meet a boy he hated more than Dudley, but that was before he met Draco Malfoy. Whilst Harry and Tracey tried to study during History of Magic classes, Malfoy would be snickering near the back of the class with Crabbe and Goyle throwing crude drawings across the room at them. He had tried to tip ice water over Harry in their first week in the dormitory but Harry was used to Dudley, so was waiting to make sure that everyone else in the room was asleep before laying down himself. From the shelter of his four poster bed, he heard 3 sets of feet step out of their beds and out of the room then return. Harry opened his curtains when he heard the wheezing snicker of Goyle as Malfoy and his goons returned with a bucket. Though not strong, Harry had always been quick so had managed to knock the bucket out of Malfoys hands and, glad that it hadn't been one of the stronger boys holding it, returned to his bed.

The worst part of it was Malfoy seemed to be trying to turn the house against him. Harry would regularly enter the common room and hear Malfoy trying to convince others that "Potter isn't even a real Slytherin", "He was being friendly with Weasley", "Probably should have been in Hufflepuff".

At first the other Slytherins mostly ignored him. But after Malfoy had pointed out that Harry kept talking to Ron many began listening and even agreeing. Before long Malfoy had managed to surround himself with fellow Slytherins that if they weren't hurling poorly thought out insults at Harry were pretending he didn't exist. Even trying to walk straight through him as they passed in corridors.

Just after one of these occurrences, Harry was picking himself up off the floor Ron came running down the corridor tailed by the round faced boy Neville. Harry liked Neville, he seemed genuine even if he was a bit of a push over.

"Have you seen Harry?" Ron half shouted as he came near. "We've got flying lessons together starting on Thursday"

"Typical" said Harry darkly. "Just what I always wanted. To make a fool of myself on a broomstick in front of Malfoy."

He had been looking forward to learning to fly more than anything else.

"You don't know you'll make a fool of yourself," said Ron reasonably. "Anyway, I know you said Malfoy's always going on about how good he is at Quidditch, but I bet that's all talk."

Malfoy certainly did talk about flying a lot. He complained loudly about first-years never getting in the house Quidditch reams and told long, boastful stories which always seemed to end with him narrowly escaping Muggles in helicopters. He wasn't the only one, though: the way Seamus Finnigan told it, he spent most of his childhood zooming around the countryside on his broomstick. Even Ron would tell anyone who'd listen about the time he'd almost hit a hang-glider on Charlie's old broom. Everyone from wizarding families talked about Quidditch constantly.

Harry hadn't had a single letter since Hagrid's note, something that Malfoy had been quick to notice, of course. Malfoy's eagle owl was always bringing him packages of sweets from home, which he opened gloatingly at the Slytherin table.

On the morning of the first flying lesson Harry was eating breakfast with Tracey, when he saw Malfoy snatch something that looked like a glass ball from the Gryffindor table. Moments later McGonagall was there, and Malfoy dropped the ball and came over to the Slytherin table. "He probably forgot his name or something, the idiot.".

At three-thirty that afternoon, Harry met Ron and the other Gryffindors in the entrance hall and hurried down the front steps into the grounds for their first flying less. It was a clear, breezy day and the grass rippled under their feet as they marched down the sloping lawns towards a smooth lawn on the opposite side of the grounds to the Forbidden Forest, whose trees were swaying darkly in the distance.

The other Slytherins were already there, and so were twenty broomsticks lying in near lines. Harry had heard some of the older students complaining about the school brooms, saying that some of them started to vibrate if you flew too high, or always flew slightly to the left.

Their teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. She had short, grey hair and yellow eyes like a hawk.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" She barked. "Everyone stand by a broomstalk. Com on, hurry up."

Harry glanced down at his broom. It was old and some of the twigs stuck out at odd angles.

"Stick out your wand hand over your broom," called Madam Hooch at the front, "and say 'Up!'"

"UP!" everyone shouted.

Harry's broom jumped into his hand at once, but it was one of the few who did. Hermione Granger's had simply rolled over on the ground and Neville's hadn't moved at all. Perhaps brooms we like horses, and could tell when you were afraid, though Harry.

Madam Hooch then showed them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end, and walked up and down the rows, correcting their grips. Harry and Ron were delighted when she told Malfoy he'd been doing it wrong for years.

"Now when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," said Madam Hooch. "keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet and then come straight back down by leaning forwards slightly. On my whistle - three - two -"

But Neville, nervous and jumpy and frightened of being left on the ground, pushed off hard before the whistle had touched Madam Hooch's lips.

"Com back, boy!" she shouted, but Neville was rising straight up like a cork shot out of a bottle - twelve feet - twenty feet. Harry saw his scared white face look down at the ground falling away, saw him gasp, slip sideways off the broom and -

WHAM - a thud and a nasty crack and Neville lay, face down, on the grass in a heap. HIs broomstick was still rising higher and higher and started to drift lazily towards the Forbidden Forest and out of sight.

Madam Hooch was bending over Nevile muttering about a broken wrist and helping him up before turning the the rest of the class.

"None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You will leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch'. Com on, dear."

No sooner were they out of earshot than Malfoy burst into laughter.

"Did you see his facy, the great lump?"

The other Slytherins joined in.

"Shut up, Malfoy," snapped a Gryffindor girl, one of the Patil twins.

"ooh, sticking up for Longbottom? said Pansy Parkinson. "Never thought you'd like fat little cry babies, Parvati."

"Look!" said Malfoy daring forward and snatching something out of the grass. "It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him."

"Give that here, Malfoy" said Harry calmly. Everyone stopped talking to watch. A couple of the other Slytherins gawking at him.

"Standing up for little Gryffindor Squibs now, Potter?" Malfoy sneered. "I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to collect - how about - up a tree?"

"Give it here!" Harry yelled, but Malfoy had leapt on to his broomstick and taken off. He hadn't been lying, he could fly well - hovering level with the topmost brances of an oak he called, "Come and get it, Potter!"

Harry Grabbed his broom.

A hand gripped his sleeve. "Harry no." whispered Tracey. "We don't fight each other in f-"

She was interrupted by Hermione Granger practically screaming "No! Madam hooch told us not to move - you'll get us all into trouble."

Harry ignored the girls. Blood was pointing in his ears. He mounted the broom and kicked against the ground and up, up he soared, air rushed through his hair and his robes whipped out behind him - and in a rush of fierce joy he realised he'd found something he could do without being taught - this was easy, this was wonderful. He pulled his broomstick up a little to take it even higher and heard screams and gasps of girls back on the ground and an admiring whoop from Ron.

He turned his broomstick sharply to face Malfoy in mid-air. Malfoy looked stunned.

Give it here," Harry called, "or I'll knock you off that broom!"

"Oh, yeah?" said Malfoy, trying to sneer again. "Too late now Potter. you stood up for Gryffindors against your own house. You're done for. Catch it if you can." He threw the glass ball high in the air and streaked back towards the ground.

Harry saw, as though in slow motion, the ball rise up in the air and then start to fall. He leaned forward and pointed his broom handle down - next second he was gathering speed in a steep dive, racing the ball - wind whistled in his ears, mingled with the screams of people watching - he stretched out his hand - a foot from the ground he caught it, just in time to pull his broom straight, and he toppled gently on to the grass with the Remembrall clutched safely in his fist.

"POTTER!"

His heart sank faster than he had just dived. Professor Snape was standing at the edge of the flying field.

"Follow me. Now!"

Professor Snape led him back to the castle. Up the stairs. Harry was just starting to think he was taking him to Professor Dumbledore to arrange his expulsion when Snape wrenched open the door to the Defence Against the Dark Arts Classroom, causing Professor Quirrell to let out a yell, that sounded almost like a scream, and drop his wand.

"Flint! Now!" Snape called before continuing down the hall.

A confused looking Marcus Flint came out of the class room and glanced at Harry before the two students ran after Snape who was just entering a nearby empty classroom.

"Flint." Snape turned to the two as Marcus closed the door. "The other heads of houses are pressuring me to remove Higgs from his position of Seeker. His poor performance in the classroom does not bode well for his NEWTs at the end of this year, and he should use the extra time to study. Until now I have been resisting these requests."

"But Sir! We need him, he's the best seeker in the school" Marcus began to complain before Snape frowned at being interrupted.

"I have found a replacement. Potter here just caught remembrall after a fifty foot dive. He will be a better seeker after some training. You will arrange a session with him before the next team training session to explain the rules to him. I will deal with Higgs. Dismissed"

Marcus nodded looking worried before turning and leaving.

Harry stood nervously as Snape paced in front of him. He didn't have a clue what was going on, but he didn't seem to be being expelled, and some of the feeling started coming back to his legs. Until Snape stopped and fixed those piercing black eyes on him.

"This is not a reward Potter." Snape said curtly. "You are being given the duty and privelege of representing your house. If I hear or see this inflate your ego, If I hear you boasting about this to any of your little followers. If I think for one moment that you are becoming arrogant. I will personally throw you onto the train and see you leave Hogwarts forever. Tell no-one of what has happened here. You are dismissed."

Harry nodded, muttering a quick "Yes, Sir" before running from the room.

He ran a few halls before leaning against a wall to catch his breath and stop his legs shaking, feeling very much like he had just dodged a bullet.

Harry made it back to the Slytherin common room, as a crowd of students were listening to Malfoy. "I expect he'll be on the train first thing in the morning."

The wall grated closed as a couple of people nudged those next to them seeing who had entered. The room fell silent, as Tracey came up to him and grabbed his arm again.

"We need to talk." She pulled him back into the corridor outside.

Harry followed confused, "What's going on?"

"You've messed up Harry." She looked really concerned. "The other houses all hate Slytherin already, so there are rules that all Slytherins follow. One of those is that internal disagreements are settled internally. As far as the rest of the school should know, all Slytherins are on the same time. If you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us. You broke that rule today."

Harry was shocked. "You wanted me to just do nothing while Malfoy acted like a complete prat?"

"No Harry. But you're a Slytherin, there are more subtle ways to deal with problems like Malfoy. There are going to be consequences to this. And unfortunately Malfoy has already told everyone his version of what you did."

Harry swallowed as a lump began to form in his mouth. "What can I do?"

"Keep your head down for now? I'm not sure." Tracey shrugged before speaking the password.

Harry immediately walked straight to his dormitory, wanting to try to get some sleep. The adrenaline had drained him.

As he approached his bed he found the curtains ripped, and the bedding slashed apart. on the end of the bed were some rough words carved into the wood.

'HALF-BLOOD TRAITOR'

Not sure what else he could do. Harry turned and left. He left the dormitory, left the common room, and just walked. Blood pounding in his ears once again, trying to regain control of his anger.