A Snake's Crutch Book 1

Part 19: Bulgarian Nose-Bleed

Draco took y/n to the back of the shop away from the windows as a crowd of newsmen gathered outside the shop, trying to get glimpses of Mr Fudge, and sat her down on a throne like chair that reminded her of Dumbledore's own throne. 

"Darling, are you all right?" Mrs Malfoy knelt next to Draco in front of y/n, a very concerned look still plastered to her face. 

"Yes. I'm fine. Thank you Mrs Malfoy." Y/N knew no one believed her. She was still visibly shaking and fidgeting.

"You don't need to put on a brave face, my dear. That was terrifying and, as you are eleven, you have the right to be scared. And, please, call me Narcissa." Y/N knew she wouldn't be able to ignore that request like she had with Pansy's mother. Narcissa reminded her of her own mother.

"No, really. I'm fine," she said, glancing at Draco, meeting his eyes. He didn't believe her either. "Draco protected me and you all came just in time."

"He did indeed." Mr Malfoy said, eyeing Draco as if to say 'We'll talk about this later.'

"Well, we mustn't be late to the pitch. We'd best be off." Mr Fudge said. 

After that, the group apparated to the toll booth of the Quidditch pitch, where the Minister had a long, friendly conversation with the attendant, before they went inside. The Minister's Box was at the very top of the pitch and could see everything. The stands were already packed with pompous witches and wizards, their children playing with various trinkets and knick-knacks.

"Are you all right?" Sarah asked, her and Pansy finding there way to either side of y/n.

"I already told everyone, I'm fine!"  Y/N smiled, rolling her eyes.

"Well, yeah, but that guy was creepy. He looked at you all weird. I would have been screaming! You kinda just stood there and let him get in your face." Pansy seemed utterly shocked by y/n's bravery, though y/n didn't think she had been brave at all. If she had been brave, she would have put up a good fight. 

Draco, who stood next to his parents, seemed to have gotten tired of standing alone and turned to the girls.  "He was really creepy. And I have a feeling that, if y/n had lost her cool, he would've become much scarier."

"He would have become much scarier if you hadn't given him a piece of your mind. Seriously Draco. I owe you one." Y/N grabbed Draco's hand and smiled, looking him in the eyes. Draco stared back for a moment before a smug grin split his face.

"Can I get that in writing? I plan to use that one day!" 

Y/N punched him gently in the arm and the four of them laughed loudly together.

"Look! Bulgaria! They've just arrived!" Sarah squealed excitedly. 

And so the match began. Y/N pulled out her brand new Omnioculars and turned on play-by-play, before settling into her seat, Draco on her left, Sarah on her right. As the match began, older wizards passed Galleons around, placing bets on who would win, while their wives rolled their eyes with each other at their husbands. 

When the Quaffle was released, y/n had to slow down her Omnioculars because everything was happening so fast. One minute neither team had any points, but the next, Bulgaria already had twenty. More than once, the seeker for Bulgaria kept preforming the Wronski Feint, going into a dive as if he had seen the snitch, sending the other seeker barreling after them. Right before he hit the ground, the seeker turned completely around and bolted for the sky as England's seeker smashed into the ground. 

"Ouch! That's called a Bulgarian nose bleed. The seeker does that to one person every year. It isn't always the seeker, though. In fact, I think they had prepared for him to go for the chasers this year. He's probably trying to go for some sort of grand finale since he'll be retiring soon," Pansy rambled on and on, but y/n was too engulfed in the match to listen. At some points, she would even stand up at the railing to look at the field way down below.