The Last Black (Hermione Granger x Male Reader) Vol.2

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: January 1996

The first weekend back at Hogwarts was the Slytherin vs Gryffindor quidditch match. My team stood around me in a semicircle waiting for me to give a quick briefing. The day before had been the first full moon of the year. Remus had warned me that the first full moon of a new year was always difficult, and he had been right. Despite taking wolfsbane potion every day for the past week, the transformation had been more uncomfortable than it usually was. My bones ached, and my hip had become dislocated when transforming back. Madam Pomfrey had fixed it with ease, but still tried to persuade me to sit out of the quidditch match. Nothing she could say would prevent me from playing though. And now here I stood, trying to think of the correct things to say to my teammates.

"Astoria, I know I've done a few attack drills with you last term, but I think we'll play it safe, and have you focused on defence," I spoke clearly and calmly, "the Gryffindor beaters are really good." Astoria nodded as she twiddled her thumbs nervously. "Malfoy, do the same as you usually do, but make sure to..." Something pinned to the lapel of Draco Malfoy's robe distracted me. I stormed over to him and looked at the badge, turning around and noticing almost all of the team were wearing identical ones. "What's this supposed to be?" I grunted, ripping the pin from his robes, and reading the badge which read, 'Weasley is our King'. Malfoy and Terence Higgs snickered as I read the words aloud.

"To throw Weasley off his game," Draco hissed arrogantly.

I made one lap around my team, ripping off the badges from those who had been wearing them and dropping them to the floor. "Although some of us – Malfoy – may feel the need to tear our opponents down in order to win, I think we're better than that!" The whole thing had really pissed me off. "We're a house to be respected, and it's shit like this which makes everyone root for the other team." Some of the younger members looked a little ashamed of themselves for buying into Draco's stupid little plan. "Now I want a clean game, no bullshit or I'll simply replace you."

After picking up my broom and club, I led the team out of the changing rooms and onto the quidditch pitch. Three quarters of the stands were full of people holding Gryffindor banners and waving red flags, the only part supporting Slytherin house was the students sat in the Slytherin stands. My team mounted their brooms as I walked forward and shook the Gryffindor captain's hand. Angelina Johnson had replaced Oliver Wood after he had graduated in my fourth year. She was a pretty spectacular chaser, but I was determined for my team to beat hers.

Once I had kicked off of the ground and took up my position in the air, Madam Hooch blew her whistle and the game had begun.

The amount of action in the air had gone from zero to a hundred in a matter of seconds. One moment everybody was hovering on their brooms, and the next we were all zooming around the pitch. Within a matter of minutes, I was face-to-face with a high-speed bludger. I held my arm back before swinging it towards the bludger and sending it in the direction of Alicia Spinnet who was metres away from our hoops.

"And that's Alicia Spinnet taking the first savage beating from (Y/N) Black!" Lee Jordan commented from the commentator's booth.

Warrington, a lean seventh year, sped up to the Gryffindor's hoops and hurled the quaffle through the middle ring, almost knocking Ron Weasley off of his broom. The students in the Slytherin stand stood up and cheered before chanting.

'Weasley cannot save a thing,

He cannot block a single ring!

That's why Slytherins all sing;

Weasley is our King!'

I rolled my eyes at the disheartening lyrics. Of course, Malfoy would have shared his plan with the other members of our house. I could only hope that Bridgett wasn't joining them.