Mudblood

Brooms, Books, and Brawls

Draco Malfoy stood next to his father dressed in a similar palette of all-black. He had grown since June, at least by a couple of inches. Other than that Malfoy looked like the same pompous ass he always was, this time he was just wearing an expensive sweater.

"Mr. Malfoy," Flint greeted, "Why don't we take our seats?" They all took their places at a table in the middle of the room, Flint and Lyssa on one side, Malfoy and his father on the other. "You wanted to talk business, Mr. Malfoy," Flint prompted.

"Ah, indeed I did," Mr. Malfoy said, "But first I must ask who this young lady is, I prefer to know all who are privy to my business deals you see," He sneered at Lyssa but she sat silently where she was as Flint had instructed.

"This is my assistant captain," Flint explained, Lyssa was surprised to hear him call her this given that assistant captain wasn't an official role one could hold, more of an honorary title occasionally bestowed by the captain, "Lyssa Wiley," Mr. Malfoy's sneer turned into a fully-fledged grimace as he put two and two together. Lyssa had known Mr. Malfoy would not be her biggest fan but she was still failing to see why her presence was necessary here. "I wanted to hear your proposal one more time with her present." Flint continued, "She's a lot smarter than me you see, and I know she will operate in my team's best interests."

"Well then allow me to proceed," Mr. Malfoy was smiling now but it didn't reach his eyes, "Given that Terrence Higgs graduated in June your team unfortunately lacks a seeker. That is where Draco comes in, he is an excellent flyer and more than prepared to fill this role,"

"Then he should try out like everybody else," Lyssa remarked, "If he's as good as you say he is then he'll make it on the team no problem."

"I assure you he is," Mr. Malfoy was staring daggers at Lyssa now, "But I am offering you a chance to get a jump on the season. You can start practicing the moment you get back to Hogwarts. I am even willing to sweeten the deal and purchase brand new top-of-the-line brooms for your whole team. However," The dip in Mr. Malfoy's tone caused Lyssa to dread whatever he was planning on saying next. He turned to face Flint, "In exchange for my generosity, I simply ask that you ensure that every member of your team is of acceptable breeding. I would hate for my Draco or even you Mr. Flint to sully our families' good reputations by consorting with your inferiors." Lyssa understood why she was here now, Flint wanted Mr. Malfoy to buy the team new brooms without having to cut her. He was hoping Mr. Malfoy wouldn't have the gall to demand her removal to Lyssa's face. Flint was sorely mistaken.

"You see Mr. Malfoy," Flint began, "While we are perfectly amenable to Draco's desire to monetarily procure his place on the team, we are unwilling to cut any hard-working players who earned their spot on the team." Mr. Malfoy scoffed.

"Surely you can see the benefits of my offer?" Mr. Malfoy looked at Lyssa similarly to the way someone would look at a piece of gum on the bottom of their shoe. "There is simply no way she is that good."

"Let me put it this way." Flint stated, "I have given you our conditions and the choice of whether or not you are willing to accept them is entirely up to you. However, I can assure you that I will be able to find a much better seeker than your son should I be forced to hold tryouts for the position. Also, she really is that good." Lyssa detected a hint of threat in Flint's tone.

"I will not stand for extortion Mr. Flint," Mr. Malfoy hissed. It occurred to Lyssa at this moment that the younger Malfoy had remained unusually quiet over the course of this exchange. Perhaps the sweat dripping down his brow was due to anxiety, more likely he was dying of heatstroke. A knit sweater in August, honestly, Lyssa thought. She hadn't realized the filthy rich were exempt from the temperature.