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Lyssa's summer was decidedly terrible. It had started out okay, Lyssa had come out at the top of her year and even her mum congratulated her on her exceptional grades. But two days after she returned home Lyssa's parents received an owl explaining the incident with the philosopher's stone, particularly, Lyssa's involvement in it. That's when the arguments started. At first, her parents fought in harsh whispers behind closed doors. But, it wasn't long before the whispers evolved into shouts that Lyssa had no problems hearing.
"I told you that magic was dangerous!" Mrs. Wiley would shout.
"Everyone was safe in the end," Mr. Wiley would counter, "Lyssa did a very noble thing."
"They were safe this time Colin!" Mrs. Wiley wouldn't yield, "Tell me, how safe can their world really be if the last line of defence against wizard Hitler is our twelve-year-old?" She had a point, but neither would give an inch.
Mr. Wiley was certain that the safest place for Lyssa was at Hogwarts, while Mrs. Wiley thought that if they got Lyssa out now they would all be safe. They went back and forth at all hours until the day Lyssa's school supply list came by Owl. That day Lyssa finally put in her two cents. She told her parents that last year was a fluke, that her education should be up to her, and that most importantly she felt safe at Hogwarts. Luckily, her mother finally admitted defeat.
She couldn't stay away now anyways, now that she knew what was possible, she would never be able to return to her life as a muggle. Hogwarts might not be entirely sunshine and rainbows but it was the gateway to the rest of her life as a witch.
Not even the day after Lyssa's book list arrived so did another owl bearing a small handwritten note. The envelope was addressed to Lyssa Wiley
Can you be in Diagon Alley next Wednesday? I need to go over some quidditch proposals with you. I need you there around 10 am. Send your reply back with Gordon. - Flint
Lyssa found this rather odd. She knew Flint was still the quidditch captain but she didn't know what could be going on that he needed to see her in person on summer holidays. She hadn't even spoken to him since their conversation on the train. Lyssa was also questioning how he had found out where she lived. She threw all these thoughts aside, however, deciding that if Flint needed something it was probably important.
Lyssas quickly ran downstairs and confirmed with her father that she could be there that day before she hastily scrawled her reply and tied it to Gordon's leg. He flew off into the distance and she returned to her summer reading.
"Gordon is a very odd name for an owl," Lyssa mused as she settled in to finish the potions book that Professor Snape had given her before she left. To give her more of an edge the next year, he had said.
𝀈𝀈𝀈
The next Wednesday Lyssa sat at a small table in the Leaky Cauldron and waited for Flint. He appeared right at ten in a puff of smoke in the fireplace.
"Wiley, good you're here!" He walked right over and clapped her on the shoulder.
"I said I would be Flint," Lyssa shrugged his hand off her.
"Now I don't have a lot of time to prep you for this okay, so just be quiet and follow my lead," Flint was talking quieter now and before Lyssa could even question what he meant a voice called out from behind them.
"Ah young Mr. Flint, wonderful to see you." The pair turned slowly towards the voice which belonged to a tall man with long white blond hair dressed in all black. Lyssa momentarily wondered who he was until she saw who he was accompanied by.
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.
"Whoever said anything about extortion, Mr. Malfoy?" Flint raised an eyebrow. "I have something that you want and I just told you exactly how you can get it." Lyssa was rather impressed by how well Flint was playing this game. It dawned on Lyssa that he must have been playing all his life, for all the idolization these long-standing pureblood families received their lives seemed like something out of soap opera.
Mr. Malfoy clenched his teeth, "Seven new brooms it is, Mr. Flint."
"Six actually," Lyssa corrected, "My broom was brand new last year and I believe it would be a waste of a perfectly fine piece of equipment to replace it now. Plus I'm sure I'll still be able to fly circles around Draco here"
"Fine then, six new brooms," Mr. Malfoy looked as if he was about to explode with fury. "If you would care to meet me at the quidditch supplies store in an hour to procure them, I have some business to attend to." Mr. Malfoy stood to leave, "Come along Draco." He stood as well and they moved to venture into Diagon Alley.
Once they were out of earshot from the Malfoys Lyssa burst out laughing. "You played him," she stated in awe.
"I did didn't I?" Flint laughed, "You were pretty great though too,"
"Who did you have in mind instead of Malfoy though?" Lyssa asked him, "If they're that much better than him are the brooms even worth it?" Flint shrugged.
"I was bluffing. Malfoy's probably the best we'll get, not exactly the cream of the crop in Slytherin I'm afraid. You would think natural athletes would be pretty ambitious but turns out they tend to be more idiotically brave and impulsive."
"Who would've guessed that the people who like to dance around on broomsticks fifty feet in the air with nothing keeping them up would tend to be brave and impulsive?" Lyssa laughed.
"Can I ask you something?" Flint asked her when their amusement died.
"Only if I can ask you something after," Lyssa said.
"Deal," Flint agreed, "Why didn't you want a new broom? The Nimbus Two Thousand and One's are supposed to be great."
"I didn't think being in any sort of perceivable debt to Lucius Malfoy was a good idea." Lyssa explained, "Given who I am." she added.
"Fair enough," he said, "What was your question then?" Lyssa levelled her gaze at her captain. Flint got the feeling that her question was going to be very serious.
"What kind of person names an owl Gordon?"
𝀈𝀈𝀈
A little while later all that Lyssa had left to get were her books. Which regrettably were bloody expensive. Practically the whole booklist was written by a wizard named Gilderoy Lockhart. The subscription to Witch Weekly that Lyssa had started back in May gave her the impression that this Lockhart guy was something of a celebrity, a heart-throb to middle-aged witches everywhere.
This assessment proved to be true because when she entered Flourish and Blotts the store was filled with throngs of witches clamouring to get their books signed by him. Lyssa wanted to wait until the crowd thinned a little bit to seek out her books but the sign outside told her that Gilderoy Lockhart would be there til the early evening.
GILDEROY LOCKHART
will be signed copies of his autobiography
MAGICAL ME
today 12:30 - 4:30 pm
"Great," Lyssa mumbled as she forced her way into the shop. She was able to pull a box set of Lockhart's books from a shelf near the front, an over-eager sales clerk tried to get her to buy a copy of the autobiography as well but not only did Lyssa not want it, it was half the price of the box set for the one book.
Luckily, the only other book she needed was in the lofted section of the store. So after ascending the steep ladder-like stairway out of the main area, Lyssa had escaped the madness that Lockhart had inspired. There was only one other person in the loft which would have been fine if they had been anyone else.
"I thought you'd be broom shopping," Lyssa said as she began to peruse the shelves for a copy of the second volume of The Standard Book of Spells. Malfoy whipped his head in her direction.
"They'll buy whatever is most expensive," Malfoy explained, "No need to pretend I have any say in it." His words felt heavier than they should have like he was trying to tell her something else. Lyssa couldn't quite figure out what though.
"Well," she shrugged, "Either way you'll have a brand new top-of-the-line broom and a spot on the team, so I would start the whole woe is me routine yet." Malfoy seemed mildly offended by this remark. "People might begin to think you're spoiled," she added for good measure. He was a little more than mildly offended this time.
"I'll have you know-" Malfoy was cut off by a commotion downstairs. A good thing too, Lyssa hadn't realized that she was picking a fight with Malfoy until she was offered a much-needed reprieve. The first rule of self-preservation had always been not to pick fights.
The two of them looked over the banister to see what all of the fuss was about. As it turned out this particular Wednesday in the middle of August was a popular choice among Hogwarts second years. Harry Potter was being pulled to the front of the room to pose with the famed Gilderoy Lockhart. Lyssa looked around and quickly spotted Potter's sidekicks amongst the crowd. She couldn't hear what was being said but there was no doubt that whatever was happening the pictures being taken would end up in The Daily Prophet. Just another day in the life of the boy who lived, Lyssa thought.
Upon seeing this Malfoy bounded down the stairs, it seemed he was keen to intercept Harry upon his escape. Figuring that whatever happened would be entertaining at the very least, Lyssa followed him.
"Famous Harry Potter," Malfoy spat at the dark-haired boy, "Can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page."
"Leave him alone, he didn't want all that!" the small redheaded girl next to him said. Whoever she was she had confidence in spades as she stared Malfoy down.
"Potter! You've got yourself a girlfriend," Malfoy drawled as Ron and Hermione made it to where they were all standing.
"Looks like I'm not the only one," Harry retorted nodding at Lyssa. Draco scoffed at the insinuation.
"I don't consort with inferiors, Potter, you know that." This comment earned him a swift kick in the shins from Lyssa.
"I don't know how you stand him, Lyssa," Harry glared.
"Lesser of two evils," Lyssa remarked, "At least this one knows that he's sitting on a high horse." She made sure to stare down each member of the trio as she continued, "Pompous assholes I can tolerate, hypocrites however." She didn't need to finish her sentence, the message was clear and so she moved past the group to pay for her books.
Lyssa left just in time too as she noticed a small brawl broke out between Mr. Malfoy and a man who appeared to be Ron's father just after she exited the shop. With her school shopping complete Lyssa walked through the Leaky Cauldron and onto the streets of muggle London. Her dad's office was a few blocks over and she was going to wait there till he was finished for the day before driving home with him. On the way home she thought about what Flint had said on the train in June. She had gotten a jump start on the whole giving hell thing already, maybe this year wouldn't be quite so bad as the last. She would let herself hope too much though for fear of being wrong. At least pessimists were never disappointed.