After everyone got their broom. Madam Hooch then showed them, how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end, and walked up and down the rows correcting their grips. Madam Hooch corrected Draco"s posture since it was a little off. Draco didn"t know why Ron and Harry were snickering at it but he just kept quiet and didn"t say anything. Madam Hooch surprisingly complimented Pansy, since her form was perfect."Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," said Madam Hooch. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle -- three -- two --"
But Neville, nervous and jumpy and frightened of being left on the ground, pushed off hard before the whistle had touched Madam Hooch"s lips.
"Come back, boy!" she shouted, but Neville was rising straight up like a cork shot out of a bottle -- twelve feet -- twenty feet. Draco saw his scared white face look down at the ground falling away.
Theodore and Pansy looked at Draco, who to their surprise was there just humming a tune.
"Aren"t you going to save him?" Theodore whispered.
Draco just looked at him for a second and went back to humming.
Theodore didn"t say anything after that. Then everyone saw Neville gasp, slip sideways off the broom and -- WHAM -- a thud and a nasty crack and Neville laid face down on the gra.s.s in a heap. His broomstick was still rising higher and higher and started to drift lazily toward the forbidden forest and out of sight.
Madam Hooch was bending over Neville, her face as white as his. "Broken wrist," Draco heard her mutter. "Come on, boy -- it"s all right, up you get.".
She turned to the rest of the cla.s.s.
"None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you"ll be out of Hogwarts before you can say "Quidditch." Come on, dear."
Neville, his face tear-streaked, clutching his wrist, hobbled off with Madam Hooch, who had her arm around him.
"So why didn"t you save him, Mr kind guy." Said, Theodore. Pansy was also looking at Draco wanting to know why.
"Well the teacher too could have saved him but she just stood there, so why should I?" Draco shrugged his shoulders, "Besides he needed to learn a lesson, to not be an air-head all the time. And I also wanted some revenge for my shoes, since his potion burned it."
Theodore snickered, "It was just for the shoes, wasn"t it?"
"Well, it was the first gift Pansy gave me, but he ruined it." Draco said with a stoic face.
Pansy blushed hearing that and she started fidgeting, Theodore laughed hearing that reason.
Some Slytherin students looking at that joined in, thinking they were actually making fun of Neville.
Suddenly Millicent Bulstrode, a girl who Draco remembered to be Pansy"s other roommate said, "Did you see his face, the great lump?"
The other Slytherins started to laugh harder.
"Eh! Why does this situation seem bad!" Draco was confused.
"Shut up, Millicent," snapped Parvati Patil.
"Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?" said Daphne. "Never thought you"d like fat little crybabies, Parvati."
Theodore quickly went to pull Daphne back, as he too felt that they were getting into some misunderstanding. But it was already too late, the Slytherins were already laughing their a.s.s off and the Gryffindor"s faces were ugly.
"Give that back, Parkinson!" Suddenly Ron"s voice came. Draco looked at Pansy who was picking Neville"s Remembrall.
The whole ground was quiet as Draco, went over.
"I was just picking it up." Pansy explained to Draco, she didn"t want him to misunderstand. Draco didn"t say anything but just smiled signaling her that he understands.
"Lies." Ron raised his voice, "Don"t think, I don"t know about you Slytherins, you probably want to steal it."
All the Slytherins were irritated as they glared at Ron like hungry wolves.
Pansy was getting angry as well but to her surprise, Hermione came in front of them, "Ron, I think she just wanted to give the Remembrall back to Neville, don"t make it a big deal."
Pansy looked at Hermione and didn"t say anything,
"Why are you supporting them we are all Gryffindor"s, remember." Ron whose face looked ugly now glared at Hermione, "Oh! I forgot you are also a supporter of the so-called genius."
Ron has been frustrated with Draco and his friends for days now. They do everything without any consequences and they still keep getting praised for it. Ron was insecure about other Slytherin students making fun of him and his new friend Harry. And he blamed it all on Draco. Draco, yes.. he was the center of all of it. Even though he only hung out with three of his friends, he knew how every Slytherin students respected him deep inside, The Slytherins were proud that Draco was in their house like how Gryffindor"s were with Harry. Even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students were fine with Draco and they all wanted to be friends with him. Because of him... Harry was getting pressured by other students. Even though no one said anything they could feel it. They could hear people talking how the Great Harry Potter wasn"t anything, he was just a stupid boy with a weird scar. Harry wasn"t affected by this rumors instead he was glad that people"s expectations of him were getting low but Ron was different. He blamed Draco, for affecting his friend"s influence. The last potion cla.s.s multiplied all the complains he was carrying about Draco.
Snape their professor, hated Gryffindor especially Harry but favored Draco in every way and what more, the professor didn"t need to cross a line, Draco was perfect himself, so Snape only had to throw bad comments at Gryffindor and keep praising Draco. The other person he was p.i.s.sed at was Hermione, even though he didn"t like her very much due to her bossy tone but seeing her act friendly with a Slytherin student made him dislike her even more. To add to the complain, Hermione"s bossy tone seems to be gone in front of Draco as she spoke normally with him. This made Ron feel that Hermione was looking down on him and Harry for not being as talented as her and Draco. And today he saw one of Draco"s lackey trying to steal Neville"s Remembrall but even though he caught her red-handed, Hermione still seems to believe in Slytherins lies that a fellow Gryffindor.
"I--" Hermione wanted to say something but under the glare of other Gryffindors, she couldn"t.
Draco seeing this was extremely annoyed, "Enough! Weasley." He said with a powerful tone.
"Do you think if you keep barking in front of me, I would just stand still and listen to whatever insults you throw at me and my friends. This is the last warning I will give you, Weasley; because next time I will throw you straight into the lake."
The Slytherin students impressed by Draco, stood behind him in support; glaring at Weasley with a nasty smirk. Ron seeing their faces couldn"t help but step back a little.
Draco didn"t want to waste his time on them, so he started walking away. But he stopped, hearing Harry"s voice.
"Then give it back!"
Draco gave a glare at Harry with his cold blue eyes, "Oh! Mr. Savior, please don"t bother with us. As you probably listened to what my friends just said, We will give it back to Mr. Longbottom when he comes out of the hospital."
Draco then started walking away with the Slytherin students smirking. Draco didn"t want to bother with him, He simply could have given the Remembrall back, but this was about Pansy and his pride.
"I said give it back, Malfoy." Harry said under the support of other Gryffindor"s. Harry couldn"t just sit there while his friend was insulted. Hermione just stood there neither supporting any sides.
Draco smirked, he now wanted to just destroy the Remembrall to show Mr. Savior here that he wasn"t someone he could boss around. But then he suddenly remembered Quidditch. In the books, Harry got to be in the Gryffindor Quidditch team, because of the whole Remembrall situation.
"Maybe I should steal the only things he likes in school, Quidditch as a punishment. But again, I am just delaying it... since after the first year, students can partic.i.p.ate in Quidditch themselves and with Harry"s talent he was sure to be selected. But then again, if I interfere with this it may disturb my plans.. since he wouldn"t get suspicious of Snape." Draco thought things through, and he turned his back to face Harry.
Draco looked at Pansy and said, "Give me the Remembrall, will you?"
Pansy nodded and pa.s.sed the ball to him, She and Theodore were sure that Draco will likely destroy the ball.
"Then Mr. Potter how about we have a challenge." Draco said smiling.
"What challenge?" Harry asked getting cautious.
Theodore and Pansy were surprised as well wondering what was going through the head of his.
Draco casually threw the ball in the air and caught it, with one of his hands holding the broom, "A simple challenge, I will throw the ball high up in the air, and as it begins to fall we will both compete to catch it on our brooms, and whoever does catch it is the winner, How about it?"
Harry nodded, Pansy, came forward and said, "Let me do it since the problem occurred because of me."
"Silly girl." Draco said flicking her head with his fingers, but he nodded none the less. She was doing this to keep her pride and Draco wasn"t going to stop her either. "So how about it Mr. Boy-who-lived, you vs Pansy."
"I want to fight against you." Harry said.
"Oh! Afraid of a girl are you, Mr. Savior." Pansy said, "Don"t worry, I will be kind enough to not leave a scar."
When it comes to comebacks, Pansy was way better than Draco. The result could be seen in Harry"s face.
"Fine!" Harry said gritting his teeth.
Draco smirked, The Slytherin students and Gryffindor backed off a little surrounding them in a circle. Draco in the center and Harry and Pansy in each corner on their broom.
Hermione suddenly came in front of him,
"No! Draco" Hermione came in front of Draco. "Madam Hooch told us not to move -- you"ll get us all into trouble."
Draco looked at Hermione and smiled, "Hermione, there is one thing you should understand, Pride is and always will be greater than rules."
Saying that he floated up and stopped in mid-air. Harry and Pansy got ready on their broom to fly up any second.
Draco was smirking while holding the ball as he was secretly pouring a large quant.i.ty of Mana into it. He threw the ball in his hand high in the air, then he spun in nearly 90-degree angle hitting the falling ball with the tail of his broom shooting it high up in the air.
"Go" He shouted and both Pansy and Harry shot up in the air.
Draco landed on the ground with some shocked faces looking at him. Daphne came up to him and said, "Wow! Draco, I didn"t think you would be great at flying as well."
Draco didn"t say anything and just smiled. He looked at Hermione who was glaring at him but as soon as he looked towards her she turned her head up to look at the match between Harry and Pansy.
Theodore came over and looked at Draco, "This is really different from you."
Draco was looking up so he didn"t bother looking at Theodore"s face, "Oh! How so?"
"Normally you would have thrown the ball far away or just destroyed it when Harry kept nagging. Since you are short tempered and childish." Theodore said, "But you came up with this compet.i.tion instead, I don"t know if you have matured or you just got more annoying."
"Maybe both." Draco replied with a slight smile.
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As soon as Draco said, "Go" both Harry and Pansy shot up towards the sky with great speed. Draco was surprised seeing Pansy"s talent in flying as she was going head to head with Mr. Savior who had a plot armor consisting of Flying genes,
(I was always confused about Harry"s talent in flying as he was able to defeat Malfoy by catching the remembrall with a smooth drive. Harry comes out of nowhere with no information about brooms other than things what the teacher told the cla.s.s a minute ago. I can see Magical talent being pa.s.sed from his father or mother but seeing flying talent supposedly being pa.s.sed is what I consider a plot armor, just to move the story forward. Even if you have natural talent, without any information about flying properly {Neville crashed before the teacher could teach anything about flying.} It seems impossible to me in any situation where he could pull that off.. Sorry Just a rant... I needed to get that off of my chest.)
Pansy was reaching her hand towards the ball when suddenly, Harry got ahead of her slowly. Pansy gritted her teeth as she tried her hardest to reach the Remembrall. Harry who was in front got hold of the Remembrall but it quickly slipped from his hand. Pansy took the advantage and tried to catch the falling ball but seeing Harry was going to beat her to it, she kicked the ball with the tail of her broom shooting it up and forward. Both Pansy and Harry chased after the ball which was shooting of towards a tower. Seeing the ball about to crash into the wall, Harry quickly went in front doing a quick turn, kicking the ball away from the wall so it won"t crash and break.
Pansy took the chance to catch the ball. But as soon as she did, Harry came flying forward straight for her, trying to dodge Pansy went sideways but her hand was. .h.i.t by Harry"s knee causing the ball to fall down. Both Pansy and Harry seeing that did a quick dive trying to catch the ball.
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Yo! since most people didn"t want Draco to play Quidditch... I had to give the power of Quidditch to someone else. Whether you like it or not, Quidditch has some importance to the story so I will need to involve Draco in some of it.