Hermione's POV
I stood in front of my mirror, staring at myself. I was in a gold and red Gryffindor sweater, and skinny jeans for the match in an hour. I combed my hair, taming my wild curls and split ends. I was thinking about pulling it into a messy bun to keep it out of my face in the wind, but remembered something Ginny told me about 'looking presentable'. I laughed to myself. I figured I would humor her, so I put on a swipe of mascara and lip gloss. Why not, I thought.
I pulled on a scarf and a beanie, both Gryffindor colors, and left my room. I saw Malfoy sitting on the couch in the common room, and froze at the top of the stairs. Hey, I told myself, don't worry about him. He didn't notice me yet, anyway. A few steps down, the floor creaked and he looked back at me, and then stood up, surprised. "Hermione!" He exclaimed.
Draco's POV
I kicked myself for using her first name. She had paused on the staircase, and was looking at me. I could feel her surprise, it was, again, an interesting sensation. I wonder if she could sense my... apprehension. "Hey," I said, shifting back and forth on my feet, "I just wanted to... apologize, for before. I was... not myself."
Surprisingly, she smiled. "I understand," she said, cooly, "I could tell, and it's okay."
I smiled back, and tried to change the subject before it got awkward. I may be a Veela, but I'm still Draco Malfoy, and I don't do awkward around girls. "Going to the match, eh?" I asked with a smirk, "Excited to see your team lose?"
She laughed, but I could tell she didn't know if I was joking or not. She stopped abruptly when she saw my seemingly serious expression. "Well," she started slowly, "I'll be seeing you."
And she left through the portrait hole, just like that. I could feel her emotion turn happy, I assumed there was a friend waiting for her outside. I was glad she was coming to the match. But why? Maybe I wanted to show off. Speaking of Quidditch, I needed to get going. I rushed back up to my room to grab my uniform and my broom and went out to meet my team out by the field.
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Hermione's POV
I met Luna outside the portrait hole, and we walked down to the field together with the rest of the students. She was wearing her famed Gryffindor lion hat, it was quite a fashion statement.
I didn't have a chance to wish Ron, Harry, and Gin good luck before the match, so me and Luna just joined the rest of the Gryffindor fans up in the stands, and we waited for the match to begin.
After a few minutes of talking, the cheering from all ends of the stand intensified. I looked down into the field, and saw that the Gryffindor and Slytherin teams were entering onto the field. I all of a sudden felt nervous, but not for the players, for myself. That's never happened before. Odd. Before I knew it, Madam Hooch had released the Quaffle up into the players, and the match had begun.
Draco's POV
In minutes, we were already winning by 50. I felt pretty good about it, but I still didn't have the snitch. I saw Potter racing about, probably as clueless as to the bloody thing's location as I was. I flew above the action, looking around for a small gold and glinting object. I didn't have any luck, but I saw Potter's speed increase out of the corner of my eye. He's got it in his sights, I thought.
Naturally, I followed close behind him. I followed his gaze carefully, and saw the snitch. The sun shone off of it, making it easily seen. It's small, fast wings allowed it to dart to and fro, making it impossible to catch. Almost impossible. With incredible speed, it led us high up into the clouds. With the Malfoy fortune I had, I was able to buy the fastest broom available, and I was now gaining on Potter. We were almost side by side, now, but then the snitch started to dive.
Potter dove after it, and I followed close behind. The snitch continued in a downward spiral, but we were slowly catching up to it. I felt fear creeping up the back of my neck, but I wasn't sure if it was mine or Hermione's. Afraid for Harry, I thought. By now we were out of the clouds, and there were some gasps from the crowd at the sight of the two of us barreling towards the ground, chasing the snitch at a growing speed. Pull up! Some of the students yelled.
Me and Potter both knew that wasn't going to happen. I had passed him up, and I felt a smirk coming on. We were at a lessening distance from the hard ground. Two hundred feet, a hundred feet, fifty feet. I was beginning to think I wouldn't be able to follow it any lower when the snitch pulled up. I did the same, very gracefully I might add, but Potter wasn't so lucky.
The bloke pulled up from below me and hit me, knocking me off my broom twenty feet in the air, and he fell with me. There were screams in the crowd as well fell from probably thirty feet or more, and I wasn't conscious enough to know what happened next.
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Hermione's POV
"Do you see them, Luna?" I asked her, staring up into the sky.
"I've lost them," she explained, "they've gone up into the clouds."
While the chasers were still fighting over the Quaffle right in front of us, most of the crowd's attention was now directed to the two missing seekers. At this point, Harry would need to catch it if we were ever to win this match. "There they are!" I heard someone yell.
I turned my face back to the sky. Sure enough, the two seekers were plummeting at an alarmingly fast speed, obviously after the snitch that I couldn't see from that far. They came closer and closer to the ground, and I became increasingly fearful. But then, the snitch pulled up, and so did Malfoy. There were cheers from the Slytherin side of the stands.
Harry tried to follow, but hit Malfoy, knocking him off the broom. Harry himself was then thrown off balance, and they both were thrown by gravity down to the field, brooms hitting the ground seconds after them. There were gasps and screams from students, and almost as soon as I watched their bodies hit the field, I blacked out into Luna's arms.
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Hermione's POV
I felt tired. I was tempted to fall back to sleep in the comfy bed I found myself in but thought better of it as I was suddenly reminded of the events that brought me here. I opened my eyes, and met a pair of green ones staring back it me. It was startling, and I jumped, before I realized it was only Ginny. "Gin!" I sighed, relieved.
I looked around. I was in the hospital wing. "What happened?" I asked her.
"Well, there was an accident with Malfoy, Harry, and the snitch. No doubt you saw that bit, huh?" She asked, smiling.
I nodded, encouraging her to continue. "Well after they hit the ground, they were both knocked unconscious immediately. The game was put on pause for a bit, but we kept going. We lost, though," she frowned to herself.
"Yeah, yeah, but what about them?" I asked, gesturing to the two boys who I noticed were nearby, still asleep in their own hospital beds.
"Oh yeah," Ginny began, "They've got a few broken bones, nothing Madam Pomfrey can't handle. What happened to you though? Luna brought you here I heard, and I came here after the game to check on Harry only to find you here, too."
I thought back to that moment, but nothing out of the ordinary came to mind. "I was watching the game," I explained matter-of-factly, "And I saw them fall, and I saw them hit the ground. And that was it, I woke up here."
Before Ginny had the chance to respond, Madam Pomfrey came into the wing. "Ah, you're awake Miss Granger. I must ask, how do you feel? Any lasting effects?"
I shook my head. "I feel fine, only drowsy," I explained, and raised an eyebrow, "lasting effects?"
The woman sighed. "There's something I need to discuss with you," she looked at Ginny and smiled gently, "alone, please."
Ginny got the hint and walked over to Harry, who was beginning to stir, checking on him. I turned back to Pomfrey. "What is it?" I asked.
She took a seat on my bed, and looked at me as though someone I knew had just died. "It was about your headaches this morning," she began, "And now this."
I nodded, wanting to hear more.
"I trust you know what a Veela is?" She asked.
I nodded again. "Magical human like-people that mate for life with a person picked for them by fate; I think." Where was she going with this?
She nodded. Well, you are about to become 18, and you might also know that that is the coming of age for a Veela. Your headaches from before are a tell-tale sight of that," she explained.
I gasped. "Wait, your not gonna tell me I'm a Veela are you? Because, there are a few problems with that, logically."
Madam Pomfrey laughed. "No, of course not dear, I'm saying you were chosen as a Veela's partner. Quite recently, I may add."
"What?" I exclaimed, "Who?"
"Well," she said slowly, "Since you came in here at the same time as Mister Malfoy and Mister Potter, and I am decently sure Potter is no Veela based on his past and lineage, my best guess would be Mister Malfoy over there," she gestured to him with her head.
He was still unconscious, the only part of him visible out the the thick, white, comforter was his platinum blonde hair. I turned back to Madam Pomfrey. Him?!
I think I'm gonna be sick.