ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴅʀᴀᴛᴛᴇᴅ ʟɪʟᴀ ʜᴏʟᴍᴇꜱ || ᴅʀᴀᴄᴏ ᴍᴀʟꜰᴏʏ x ᴏᴄ || ʏᴇᴀʀꜱ 1-3

study group

Gryffindor ended up winning the Quidditch Cup, despite the insanity of the game itself. I'd gone this time to watch so I could report back to Sirius, and was very glad I did. It was the most intense game I'd witnessed yet.

While this outcome was very exciting for my friends in Gryffindor, it was absolutely detrimental to mixed study group.

The first session, scheduled the day after said game, started off already terribly tense. Malfoy was in a sour mood when we arrived, Pansy with him. I yawned as I sat down, still yet to recover from the limited sleep I'd had. We'd partied well into the morning.

"You're chipper," Malfoy remarked, likely irritable at the reason for my exhaustion. It wasn't Malfoy's fault that Slytherin lost, by any means. He tried his best to keep up with Harry's Firebolt, and didn't stoop to his team's level of underhanded tactics. He'd been close to the Snitch, but Harry was closer.

"I'm wiped," I admitted. "Long night."

"It was a long night for us too," Pansy glowered at her best friend. "Because we had to listen to this git moan about it the whole time."

"You saw the speed of his broom!"  Malfoy retorted, cheeks flushed. "How was I supposed to compete with that?"

"Your team did a bloody good job of compensating." Seamus remarked with a smirk. "There are rivers shorter than the list of fouls they pulled during that game alone."

"Don't rope me in with them." Malfoy berated him. "I'm the only one competent enough to handle a broom."

"I wouldn't go that far." Seamus replied coolly.

Malfoy cocked his head. "Don't see you on the team, Finnegan."

"Firebolts are a little more expensive than Nimbus 2001's." Seamus was quick to counter. "You don't even have one yourself."

"Alright, enough of you two." Blaise Zabini came out of nowhere and plopped himself right across from Seamus, his arms crossed over his chest until he started wagging a finger in his face.

"Draco is the best flyer on that damn team, Finnegan. We all know it, even if you lot like to let Potter overshadow him. And Draco," Zabini rounded on him next, "the only reason Potter's on the team is because he's like the Boy Wonder of Quidditch. Wood sacked their old Seeker for him. I don't think he's got the heart, or the courage, to do the same to Gryffindor's Triple Threat for Finnegan."

If either Slytherin was alarmed as to how Zabini knew where they were, they didn't look it. Instead, they both just seemed mildly peeved. Seamus took my attention away from both of them.

"How'd you know I play Chaser?" Seamus raised an eyebrow.

Zabini shrugged noncommittally. "I've seen you."

A small smirk glanced his lips. Something about his response must have gotten to him, because Seamus broke eye contact and immediately reached over to grab papers from his bag. When he realized everyone else was staring at him, his face went bright pink.

"I thought we were all here to study?" He snapped.

We all started to follow suit, though Dean and I exchanged glances. What was happening?

"We specifically didn't invite you to this," Malfoy said pointedly, as though finally realizing Zabini's presence was not accounted for. "Why are you here?"

"Yeah, I only realized how rude that was after it happened." Zabini pouted childishly. "What if I needed to study too?"

"You keep the rest of us from studying," Pansy griped at him. "We'd have let you come along in one of the later sessions, after we've warmed up. It's already been terribly unproductive without your influence thanks to these two."