Venom & Virtue

chapter 28

"Hurry up! We'll be late," Violetta called over her shoulder as she dashed out of the castle, running in the direction of the quidditch pitch.

Terence and I exchanged exasperated looks before running after her, trying not to slip in the damp grass as we went.

It was the day of the long-awaited match; Slytherin against Gryffindor.

Adrian had gone ahead of us hours ago, apparently a team meeting had been called to finalise the last of their strategy.

They were all more than keen to avoid any possibility of failure.

The tension across the castle had been palpable all day, our houses seeming to eye each other pointedly during breakfast, each believing the other would lose.

We soon reached the spectator entrance, dashing in with the last of the stragglers as we began to hear Hooch make her announcements.

We filed up into the Slytherin zone where a flurry of emerald green was scattered across the benches; flags, scarfs, bunting and face paint to denote house loyalty.

The three of us squeezed ourselves in between some fellow 6th years, panting for breath after our run through the grounds.

I gazed out over the pitch, noting Gryffindor on the opposite side, equally as adorned in red and gold colours.

Meanwhile, Hooch was standing in the middle of the grass, a wand pointed at her neck for amplification as she talked.

"... and so, without further ado, let's hear a warm welcome for the Gryffindors!"

Terence leaned over, offering me a fudge fly as we watched the team enter the stadium from their tunnel.

They swooped around the oval of the arena, hovering a few moments longer above their own house, receiving a smattering of applause and claps.

Eventually, they flew into the centre of the pitch, aligning themselves in their respective positions as their capes fluttered behind them.

I watched carefully as Harry positioned himself at the front, centred in wait for the opposition.

He seemed a natural on his broom, not caring that he was stationed several hundred feet from the ground, mere inches from death.

Hooch nodded in approval before speaking again, "and the Slytherins!"

We jumped up from our seats, whooping and clapping as our team emerged from their side of the pitch, adorned in our signature jewelled green.

The difference to their rivals was immediately obvious, even simply in the way that they moved.

Gryffindor had flown as comrades, each member equal to one another. Even as a captain Harry hadn't appeared to stand out much, choosing instead to blend into the line as a united force.

Slytherin were the opposite, swooping through in a perfect triangle formation, militant in nature, synchronised.

Their blonde captain was at the tip of the group, cutting through the air like a dagger, controlled and focused.

They didn't linger as they zoomed over us, immediately completing their lap and positioning themselves in the blink of an eye.

I watched as Draco hovered forward, coming to a stop across from Harry, each of the boys eyeing one another with blatant disproval.

Draco leaned back on his broom a fraction, releasing his grip on the handle as he pulled his leather gloves up, securing them.