The Golden Snitch

Injury

'I nearly said something.'

'About what, Draco? To whom?'

'To Harry. We'd been practicing for the Quidditch match. The most amazing thing happened. I can't tell him, he'd be so smug, it'd be unbearable. Though, really, he knows already but I'm not adding fuel to his fire about it all.'

'What happened, Draco?'

'He made me try out for Chaser on the Quidditch team, he suggested that Marcus Flint, the old Captain, was a crap strategist and had got it wrong. He thought I would make a better Chaser. I was so close to having a major strop, I really didn't want to play Chaser. I nearly left. I'm such a proud prat. Anyway, I guess I didn't want to have a fight with him, so I stayed. We just flew up and down the pitch tossing the Quaffle between us. It felt so natural. He was right, it felt right for me to be playing that role. And when I shot the Quaffle home through the post, it was the best feeling in the world. I don't know why I've never even tried it before, its ridiculous, after all these years and the determination that I'm a Seeker, hey! Guess What? I'm a natural Chaser! It felt so good.'

'So, is this what you nearly told him?'

'Ha! No! Afterward, we were talking. He was playing with that damned lip-ring of his again with his teeth and I'm fairly certain he's fidgeting it with his tongue and its started to, I don't know, I watch, I want to...' Draco knew he was blushing, but there was also a stronger feeling that flushed through his body, dangerously, confusingly, heading towards his groin as he thought about Harry fussing his lip-ring with his tongue. 'Anyway, I nearly told that I have feelings for him, or rather, if he had feelings for me then I think it would be OK, that I'd be willing to try. I don't know what I was going to say, it was just a moment and I felt I could say it. I don't even know what I was willing to try. Now it sounds wrong, but it felt right at the time.'

'What happened?'

'We were interrupted. And now I feel confused about the whole thing.'

*****

The Ravenclaw team needed work, Harry thought, as he watched from the stands with their captain, Macy Greenhalgh. He wasn't entirely sure where to begin. For a House renowned for its intelligence, he was amazed at the distinct lack of common sense they were showing on the pitch. He was wondering if he was taking his life into his own hands if he decided to fly with them.

Macy was sat with her head in her hands. 'I don't know what to do,' was her muffled cry of desperation as yet another Beater and Chaser collision occurred mid-air, thankfully both incidents that morning had been mild, but still! this was with a reduced number of players out there too.

Harry put his fingers to his lips and gave a deafening wolf-whistle to bring the team back to the ground.

'Right! You lot are downright dangerous out there, you appear to have a distinct lack of awareness of other team members, I have absolutely no idea why, but its bloody terrifying.'

There was general grumbling but also a shuffling of feet and embarrassment showed.

'You're flying like first years, so simple exercises to begin with, in pairs, I want you to keep flying back and forth the length of the pitch, one of you, slowly, in a straight trajectory, the other corkscrewing tightly around your partner in a clockwise direction, if you collide you start again. Swap over when you reach the other end of the pitch.'

'NOT UP THERE! STAY LOW!' he shouted at them as two of the team flew practically vertically into the air to practice. 'Bloody idiots! They all fly like they've taken Bludgers to the head,' he muttered.