| Puffskein
Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Canada
Posts: 2,438
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Chapter 10
The Confusion
“Great job, everyone. If we keep playing like that, we’ll get the Cup for sure this year.” Bryony told us as soon as we were in the prepping tent to the side of the pitch. We all stopped and either stood or sat on the benches, looking up towards our captain expectantly. She just looked back at us silently, seeming rather calm with a smile lighting up her heart-shaped, bronzed face.
“Ok,” she finally sighed and started into her routine corrections, her words running quicker together. “Dalson, pick up the speed next time. We wouldn’t have gotten that last point scored against us if you were leaning down more on the broom. James, when you swing don’t smash it with your elbow stuck out and your bludger into your body. Shift over to the side and extend; that way you don’t get your elbow shattered by a possibly roving bludger and it doesn’t make your arm tired faster...”
I tuned out the rest of her rants about what we could do to improve for next time. I perked up when I heard my name mentioned, though. “And Black... nothing yet. Keep it up. Again good game, we’re practicing next Friday evening at 7pm, don’t forget. Unless you’re dying in the hospital wing, I expect to see you all there.”
We all got up and walked out of the tent. Everyone else was chattering away to each other as we made our way to the broom storage around the corner. After I stowed away my broom, I lagged behind everyone, not in the mood to socialize. I wasn’t entirely sure why I felt so antisocial, let alone a bit down. We won for Merlin’s sake! Why can’t I be happy about it?
“Hey. Rosa!”
I stopped and turned around. Harry was jogging towards me. There were very few people coming now since the floodgates for spectators were opened a good 20 minutes ago. I managed a smile and waited for him to catch up to me. When he did, we continued walking away from the pitch at a bit of a slower pace.
“Great game. That last goal was well-done,” he complimented once he caught his breath.
“Thanks,” I responded.
This was probably the only moment in Hogwarts History that a Gryffindor complimented a Slytherin... ever. It had been a month since Harry showed me the kitchen and he felt hurt – for some reason I don’t understand – that I never told him I knew Draco Malfoy from before I got on the Hogwarts Express. It took him about 2 weeks to come around a bit more and finally things were back to normal, if not growing stronger. If that was possible that is; I really hated to think that was true.
“Have you ever tried being a Seeker?”
The question caught me off-guard. “I know you enjoy your position on your team, Harry, but that doesn’t mean I...”
“No, no...” he cut in. “I know Sirius was never into playing Quidditch on the house team, but his brother was, apparently.”
I turned to look at him, surprised. My father was a Quidditch player?
“It’s kind of weird to bring up, especially considering family history with Sirius and... the rest of the Blacks,” Harry continued.
He nailed that one spot on.
“But I just wondered if you ever considered that playing Quidditch is something in your blood and, considering someone close-in-blood was on the house team as a Seeker...”
“Regulus Black was a seeker?” I cut in, my voice still surprised.
“Yeah. You should ask Professor Slughorn about it; he’s the one with the pictures from when he was Head of House.”
“Huh.” I tried not to show too much interest in the matter in fear Harry might get suspicious. Now the thought badgered my mind; Quidditch? My dad? Really? Why is it I suck at seeking so much I once had a snitch knock me out, yet I’m an all-star in scoring?
“Anyways, I just thought of that while watching the match.” Harry blinked and shook his head. He stopped suddenly. I stopped a few steps ahead of him and turned around.
“What’s up?” I asked, shoving my hands into my pockets. The wind was rather brutal right now; it was freezing outside. At least it stopped snowing for this one day.
“You know about that dance in December? The one for right before we leave for the holidays?”
That explains everything! I wondered why I’ve been getting weekly requests from Draco to be his date since the flyers went up in mid-October. I forgot all about it. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
“Yes. What about it?”
“Are you... planning on... going?” he asked, struggling on his words.
Dear Merlin, was he trying to ask me to go with him? He is a nice enough kid – a little slow at times but manageable nonetheless – but to go out on a date with him?
“I got roped into it by Aurelia,” I responded.
“So you have a date?” his face fell slightly. I felt an odd sensation in my chest when I looked back at him, like something was being pulled every which way.
“If you consider a friend who is a girl to be a date, then yes.”
Honestly, Aurelia was asked to go by Goyle of all people. She was literally leaping for joy when he left the room, going on about how a guy finally asked her to go out with her and how it was her first time ever... considering how she was acting then, I couldn’t blame any guy for not approaching her in that way. I was currently dateless, but she was still determined to make me go. She’s actually been pursuing various Slytherins about it.
Maybe that’s why Draco’s been more insistent about being my date as of the past 2 weeks... she just had to blow it for me!
“Have you considering going with a guy?” Harry pressed, a hint of hope in his question.
I was softening. I couldn’t believe it; I told mum this would happen but she made me come to Hogwarts anyways! There’s no other explanation as to why I responded...
“I can save you a dance.”
Then again, I do tend to get word vomit. Maybe that was it. That must be it.
Harry’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. “I’ll hold you to that.”
“Ok.” I smiled back at him, trying to appear as though I thought it was as great an idea as he seemed to think it was.
“Hey! Harry!”
Harry looked past me. I turned to see who was calling him. It was one of his golden trio followers, the know-it-all. She hurried down the slight slope, skidding to a stop past me and landing in front of Harry.
“What took you so long? People have been looking for you,” she snapped.
“I apologize; I’ll reorganize my priorities straight away,” he responded sarcastically. He seemed to find it amusing when Granger turned beet red in response. “I’m kidding, Mione – what’s wrong?”
“Nothing, we’ve just been looking for you. You just disappeared after the match after all. Now come on.” She grabbed Harry by the arm and turned around. She looked at me, nodded curtly with an equivalently brusque, “Hello.” She dragged Harry away and towards the castle.
Chuckling to myself, I continued up the slope until I was in the castle. I shook off the bottoms of my Quidditch robes and continued down the corridor. I made it to the staircase leading to the dungeons without any issues.
“Hey, Rosa!”
Of course, it just had to be ruined right at the top stair. I ignored Draco’s voice and jogged down the stairs. Even power-walking down the corridor with my stubby legs couldn’t outrun Draco by far. I only made it halfway down the hall until I felt him touch my shoulder.
I wasn’t sure what was worse, him grabbing me and turning me around by force or just putting a hand on my shoulder to get my attention in the first place. When I was turned around, I looked at his hand and then at him, my expression hard. I knew damn well he got the hint; he was just so arrogant as to believe I wouldn’t do anything about it.
“What?” I snapped.
“That was a good match,” he said, smiling.
Now I was just plain confused. There was no hint of sarcasm, irritation, or smugness in his tone. Heck, he was even smiling... legitimately! The smile reached his twinkling grey eyes.
It freaked me out.
“Who died?” I asked flatly.
His eyebrows drew together, his smile fading. “What do you mean?”
“There has to be a reason why you’re suddenly so polite. What is it? Is there a date set in stone?” My last question came out harsher than the rest.
“No, just wanted to congratulate you for a good game. That was an amazing last shot.”
“Thanks...?”
“But speaking of dates,” he started.
Here it is!
“I still hear your friend Brunes is searching for someone for you. Seeing as she’s going with Goyle, my close friend, it only seems appropriate that...”
“I find a separate date, as to not make it awkward for them,” I cut in, knocking him off his high hippogriff for a few moments. His hand finally dropped from my shoulder, at least. I smiled sweetly and said, “It’s still the same answer, Draco; no. Good luck finding a date. In fact, I know someone perfect for you...”
“Oh, Draco, it’s lovely to see you!”
Speak of the devil; Pansy Parkinson was skipping towards us. She came up to Draco’s side, turning to face me, and looped an arm through his.
“Did you enjoy the match? It was rather intense, wasn’t it? Especially right at the end, when that chaser almost slid off the front of their broom to dodge that bludger.”
“And believe me, I didn’t know anything could be more slippery than that broomstick until now,” I muttered under my breath.
Pansy finally seemed to notice me. She smiled at me, polite as can be. “Congratulations on that last shot. It would’ve been a shame for the team if you did fall and break a bone.”
My eyes narrowed on her; that insolent tone just grinded my gears. “And it’d be a shame for everyone if I broke your jawbone right now,” I stepped up to her, looking up into her beady eyes with a glare, my fists tensed. “But just because something is close to happening, it doesn’t mean it will.”
Pansy’s face reddened and she gripped her wand around her fist.
“Nothing like perfect timing...” Aurelia seemed to appear out of nowhere and she dragged me down the corridor.
I didn’t resist her, even though I really did want to take my wand and shove it in a place that will make Pansy never forget why she should learn to keep her mouth shut. I was dragged right through the portrait hole. Once it shut and we were in the green-tinted common room, I was released.
“What did they want this time?” she asked with a weary tone.
“Draco was being polite. Pansy was being herself.”
“Woah, woah... Draco being polite? What happened?” Aurelia seemed rather intrigued now.
“He congratulated me on the match... and then proceeded to do what he has done weekly since October.” I shrugged.
“Ah. Well, it’s not too far away now. He’ll stop being such a nuisance soon.”
I scoffed. The day Draco stops being a nuisance will be the day he takes his last breath.
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Last edited by MalfoyzBeloved; 09-28-2010 at 10:11 PM.
Reason: deleting un-story-related comment
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