𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒 | draco malfoy [3]

𝐗𝐈𝐈𝐈. QUIDDITCH AND MORE QUIDDITCH

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
QUIDDITCH AND MORE QUIDDITCH

§ § §

Sirius Black is all anyone could talk about for the next few days. There were theories of how he managed to get into the castle, but none that actually made sense.

The Fat Lady's ripped canvas had been taken off the wall and replaced with the portrait of Sir Cadogan and his fat gray pony. Nobody was very happy about this. According to Harry, Sir Cadogan spent half his time challenging people to duels. The rest was used for thinking up ridiculously complicated passwords, which he changed at least twice a day.

Sir Cadogan was the least of Harry and I's worries. We were both now being closely watched. Teachers found excuses to walk along corridors with the two of us, and Percy Weasley (acting, we suspected, on his mother's orders) was tailing us everywhere like an extremely pompous guard dog. To top it all off, Professor McGonagall summoned us into her office, with such a somber expression on her face I thought someone must have died.

"There's no point in trying to hide this from you any longer, Potters. I know this will come as a shock to you, but Sirius Black-" She began.

"He's after us. We know." I cut her off.

"Ron's dad told us. He works for the Ministry." Harry explained.

Professor McGonagall seemed very taken aback. She stared at Harry for a moment or two, then me and said, "I see! Well, in that case, you'll understand why I don't think it's a good idea for you to be practicing Quidditch in the evenings. Out on the field with only your team members, it's very exposed-"

"We've got our first match on Saturday!" Harry cried. "I've got to train, Professor!"

"My first match is coming up after his. I need to train, too." I frown.

"Hmm..." Professor McGonagall stood up and stared out of the window at the Quidditch field, just visible through the rain. "Well... goodness knows, I'd like to see us win the Cup at last... but all the same... I'd be happier if a teacher were present. I'll ask Madam Hooch to oversee your training sessions."

"Thank you, Professor. Even though we're still going to win the Cup." I grinned.

After that,The weather worsened steadily as the Gryffindor's first Quidditch match drew nearer. Undaunted, the Gryffindor team was training harder than ever under the eye of Madam Hooch. I came with them, since Gryffindor is the only team with one seeker. I helped Harry train, going against him for the snitch. Then, at their final training session before Saturday's match, Oliver Wood gave his team some unwelcome news.

"We're not playing Slytherin!" He cried angrily. "Flint just told me. We're playing Hufflepuff instead."

"Why?" The rest of the team asked as I hid my smirk.

"Their seeker's still injured. Malfoy." He scowled.

"Well, why can't they just use Giovanna?" Harry exclaimed, turning to look at me. The rest of the team did the same.

"Well, you see, I only play against Ravenclaw and some Gryffindor games. Draco plays against Hufflepuff and the other Gryffindor games. It was his turn to go first and play Gryffindor. I can't fill in, it will mess up our whole plan and schedule." I explained as innocently as I could.

"There's nothing wrong with Malfoy's arm!" Harry exclaimed, facing his team again. "He's faking it!"

"I know, but we can't prove it." Wood sighed. "And we've been practicing all those moves assuming we're playing Slytherin, and instead it's Hufflepuff, and their style's quite different. They've got a new Captain and Seeker, Cedric Diggory."

"I don't know why you're worried, Oliver, Hufflepuff is a pushover. Last time we played them, Harry caught the snitch in about five minutes, remember?" Someone spoke up. I laughed a little, because it was true.

"We were playing in completely different conditions!" Wood shouted, his eyes bulging slightly. "Diggory's put a very strong side together! He's an excellent Seeker! I was afraid you'd take it like this! We mustn't relax! We must keep our focus! Slytherin is trying to wrong-foot us! We must win!"

"Calm down, Oliver!" Fred exclaimed.

"We're taking Hufflepuff seriously." George nodded.

"Very seriously." The twins said at the same time.

As the rest of the team talked, Harry looked at me again. "How come you didn't tell me we weren't playing you?"

"I love you, you're my brother, just not when it comes to quidditch. On this field, we're enemies." I smirked, and Harry rolled his eyes.

The day before the match, the winds reached howling point and the rain fell harder than ever. It was so dark inside the corridors and classrooms that extra torches and lanterns were lit. The rest of the Slytherin team was looking very smug indeed, and none more so than Malfoy.

"Ah, if only my arm was feeling better." Draco sighed as the rain pounded against the windows. Harry glared at him as I suppressed a grin.

Harry, it seemed, had no room in his head to worry about anything except the match tomorrow. Oliver Wood kept hurrying up to him between classes and giving him tips.

The third time this happened, I was with him. Wood talked for so long that Harry suddenly realized we were ten minutes late for Defense Against the Dark Arts, and set off at a run with Wood shouting after him, "Diggory's got a very fast swerve, Harry, so you might want to try looping him-"

I raced after Harry, only praying Lupin didn't take off too many points.