"Sorry, Aunt Petunia."

Chapter 10: Sleepover

“Minerva, that is-”

“Unfair?” Professor McGonagall interrupted with a cockily raised brow. “A Gryffindor and a Slytherin, you can’t say it’s unfair.”

“Sweet Merlin.” Professor Snape raised his hands in exasperation, turning around.

“Seekers?” Malfoy whispered softly.

“But they’re first years!” the boy with the Slytherin crest said.

“And they handled their brooms better than some of your current players.” Professor McGonagall looked pretty smug. “Believe me, normally I wouldn’t do this, but the last couple of years…”

“I must agree.” It sounded like it physically hurt Professor Snape to say that. “But that is still not a reason to enroll two eleven-year-old boys into the school’s teams when they are not even allowed to keep their own brooms yet!”

“I mean, we have had a couple of players who have borrowed team brooms to fly,” one of the boys - the Slytherin one - said. “That way we wouldn’t break any rules.”

“See?” Professor McGonagall pointed to the student happily. “No troubles there. Admit it, you want to do this, too.”

Professor Snape sighed but didn’t deny it; for him, that was almost a confirmation.

“Umm.” Harry raised his hand slowly. “I don’t really know how to play Quidditch?”

All eyes landed on him.

“Mister Wood will explain the rules to you,” Professor McGonagall said.

“Basically, all you need to do is what we did today: catch a small object before the other Seeker does,” Malfoy added.

“Ah, thank you for reminding me of that, Mister Malfoy.” The voice of Professor McGonagall dropped, making Malfoy look even paler than he usually did. “There’s still the matter of your punishment.”

Harry gulped. They can’t expel you, he internally repeated to himself. They just put you on the Quidditch team, they wouldn’t…

“Mister Flint, Mister Wood, if I am not mistaken, you practice independently from your team every morning before classes, correct?”

The two older students nodded.

“Perfect.” Professor McGonagall clasped her hands together. “In that case, this is your punishment: Mister Potter, Mister Malfoy, you are to join Mister Wood and Mister Flint in their morning training until the winter break.”

Harry looked at her, shocked. That was their punishment for flying the brooms when they were without adult supervision? More broom flying without adult supervision?

He definitely wasn’t going to complain, and from the looks of it, Malfoy wasn’t going to either.

“Do not tell anyone of your being admitted to the teams,” Professor Snape said. “And when asked about the punishment, tell them that you have morning detentions. We don’t want anyone to complain about you getting the positions before the tryouts even take place.”

The boys both nodded.

“You may go back to your classes now,” Professor McGonagall added. “Work out the details of your morning practice and which brooms you’ll be borrowing.”

And with that, both of the teachers left the room.

“We meet up at six, finish by seven-thirty,” Flint grumbled out.