Draco Malfoy and the Gryffindor Chaser

Chapter Seven: An Excess of Phlegm

"y/n?"

You groaned and clutched at the sheets, still in sleep. A hand went on your shoulder and started to shake you slightly. "y/n..."

You slowly opened your eyes to see a ginger-haired head peaking between your curtains. You opened wide eyes and opened your mouth but he put his finger against his lips in a hush movement.

You sat, which made him get straight.

Everyone in the girl dormitory was asleep, and you could see through the white curtains that the day was rising.

He whispered: "Join me in the common room..."

He then tiptoed to the door and got out. You swore as you pushed the bedsheet with your feet and put on your nightgown. You moved the door the quietest you could and went down the stairs. That's when you laid your eyes on him that you noticed he was wearing a Quidditch outfit. It didn't prevent you to ask him: "Ron, can I know why you wake me up that early on a Saturday morning?"

He opened his arms like he wanted to show his whole body as an answer. "I want you to train me. The test is after tomorrow."

You blinked, taken aback. "I thought Harry trained you."

He passed his hand in his hair, looking embarrassed. "Yeah, but you know... He's sleeping. And right now, you're not."

You raised an eyebrow.

"Please?"

You rolled your eyes and complied, what made him take you in his arms.

-

Ron was clutching at his broom in front of the highest of the three huge rings. You were further, holding the neck of your broom with one hand as you were holding your wand with the other.

"Since how long you're training?"

He put back a rebellious ginger lock that escaped the helmet in place.

"I trained this summer at home. Charlie told me I was good at catching balls."

You nodded and gave him a cheerful smile: "That's good."

He took a breath; that was good this summer, yeah. But it was something else on the pitch.

"And with Harry?"

"Oh, you know, he doesn't have a lot of free time."

You frowned as he kind of eluded the question – you knew the Seeker had given his time to train him – but decided to not insist as you pointed at the ground.

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

You flicked your wrist and the six Quaffles you had placed on the grass below you rose and came at your side.

You raised eyebrows at Ron: "Ready?"

You swore you saw his Adam apple bobble in his throat from where you were.

"Expulso!"

The balls suddenly aimed at him.

You knew he wouldn't manage to stop each of them, of course; you wanted to see how many of them he could stop.

"Shit Ron! Are you okay?"

You went toward him as he was now holding at his broom with one hand, dangling in the void – after not having touched a single Quaffle.

He managed to get back on it from the time you approached, but you didn't dare to speak first. His traits had fallen; he was on the verge of crying.

"I'm rubbish. Why did I even apply? It's the biggest mistake of my life. Whenever I try to-"

"Would you stop?"

He looked at you as you suddenly cut him.

"Ron, it was the first try. Plus it's the stress. It's going to be alright." You smiled to cheer him up, but deep inside, you were kinda concerned.

You tapped on his shoulder and went back at your previous place.

"Let's start peacefully, right?"

He nodded, slowly finding back his colours.

Your worry slowly, but certainly disappeared as the hours of training him passed. He was still hesitant, but you saw what his brother saw in him this summer. His movements became more fluid and he prevented more and more the balls to enter the goal as the sun ran across the sky.

"Ron, what about we go back? I think it's nearly dinner ti-"

"Okay, but once again. Please!"

He sounded like a child and you complied, wishing he would be like that in two days.

You eventually went back on the grass after several hours in the air and put your brooms back in the changing room.

Further, you saw lights through some windows of the castle as you crossed the grounds, smoke escaping Hagrid's hut in your backs.

After talking about Quidditch, the conversation went on you.

"Did you ask Hermione if she knew about a potion to give you back the memory?"

You scoffed: "I think if she knew one, she would have talked about it. Shit, Ron. I think right now it's the thing I want the most."

You sighed deeply and followed an owl flying to the owlery.

"Well-"

You turned your face at him. "What?"

"The thing you desire the most you say?"

You squinted.

"Hum, well I didn't say it like that, but yeah."

He hummed, seeming to have an internal debate about whether telling you or not. You huffed loudly: "What? Ron are you serious, you can't say something like that and not carry on."

"y/n, I'm not sure."

You jumped in front of him and stopped him: "Hey."

He took a breath, trapped. "Well... I don't want to give you false hopes y/n. I just thought about it, but..."

You opened wide eyes to press him. He sighed: "There is this thing, Harry showed it to me during our first year. He fell on it during one of his nocturnal expeditions." You nodded. "It's a huge mirror. When you look into it, it shows you what you desire the most. It only works when you're alone in front of it though." Your heart skipped a beat. "Harry sees his family into it, and me, eh... I see myself winning the Quidditch cup." He smiled rather sadly.

You grabbed him by the collar and he suddenly lifted his chin, eyes wide. "Ron, is this mirror in a golden frame with weird inscriptions on it?"

"Hum, yes, why?"

"I know where it is."

This fact disturbed him, and he quickly added: "y/n, don't. It's dangerous, that's why Dumbledore hides it."

And what if it was why the Room of Requirement had appeared in front of you?

"I have to find it some night."

He opened wide eyes: "Night?"

You huffed: "You're not convincing in that role, Ron."

"Don't get caught. And I'm not saying it for the points we may lose... But after what happened to you lately, what if someone wanted to hurt you?"

You hummed, but got a flash of lucidity. "The Invisibility Cloak."

You darted your eyes into his and grinned.

He gulped.