Slytherin Weasley

Chapter 38

The weather worsened steadily as the first Quidditch of the season match drew nearer. Undaunted, the team was training harder than ever under the eye of Madam Hooch, all except Draco, of course. He still claimed his arm hurt too much.

I was in a foul mood, Mandrake leaf left my mouth dry and bitter. Draco had told me he couldn't play the match, so I asked Madame hooch, what to do about it as there was no reserve chaser. 

In the end we had decided to swap Slytherin and Hufflepuff in the match order. We weren't going to play.  

At Gryffindor's final training session before Saturday's match, I went to the captain's office to give Oliver Wood the unwelcomenews. I was sat in the office, waiting for the to go out to practise afterwards, so I could make my escape unseen. I watched him out of the gao in the door, that had been left ajar. 

"We're not playing Slytherin!" he told the team, looking very angry. "Weasley's just been to see me.We're playing Hufflepuff instead."

"Why?" chorused the rest of the team. 

"Her excuse is that their Seeker's arm's still injured," said Wood, grinding his teeth furiously."But it's obvious why they're doing it. Don't want to play in this weather. Think it'll damagetheir chances..." There had been strong winds and heavy rain all day, and as Wood spoke, there was a distantrumble of thunder. I gritted my teeth.

 "There's nothing wrong with Malfoy's arm!" said Harry furiously. "He's faking it!" 

"I know that, but we can't prove it," said Wood bitterly, "And we've been practicing all thosemoves assuming we're playing Slytherin, and instead it's Hufflepuff, and their style's quitedifferent. They've got a new Captain and Seeker, Cedric Diggory —" 

The three girls suddenly giggled. "What?" said Wood, frowning at this light-hearted behaviour. 

 "He's that tall, good-looking one, isn't he?" said one of them. 

"Strong and silent," said another, and they started to giggle again. 

"He's only silent because he's too thick to string two words together," said Fred impatiently. I smiled. "Idon't know why you're worried, Oliver, Hufflepuff is a pushover. Last time we played them,Harry caught the Snitch in about five minutes, remember?" 

"We were playing in completely different conditions!" Wood shouted, his eyes bulging slightly. 

"Diggory's put a very strong side together! He's an excellent Seeker! I was afraid you'd take itlike this! We mustn't relax! We must keep our focus! Slytherin is trying to wrong-foot us! Wemust win!" I rolled my eyes.  

"Oliver, calm down!" said Fred, looking slightly alarmed. "We're taking Hufflepuff veryseriously. Seriously." 

Soon after, they headed out to practise and I scurried up the grounds. Muttering a quick "Pureblood" to the wall, I stomped down the steps and threw myslef into a chair next to Addy. 

"Where's Malfoy?" I demanded, and he shrugged. I rubbed my hands over my face, and my eyes, and when I removed them, Malfoy was making his way through the common room. 

"Oi!" I yelled, getting up. "Malfoy!" he turned at the sound of my voice and his eyes widened as I strode over to him. 

"I hope you're happy," I seethed. "Wood thinks that we're not playing because we're too pussy to fly in this weather." He opened his mouth, but I held up a hand. "You better hope to morgana that you're as injured as you say you are, otherwise your position on  the team is in danger." 

He gawked at me as I strode of to the girls dormitory, furious with being made a fool. 

The day before the match, the winds reached howling point and the rain fell harder than ever. Itwas so dark inside the corridors and classrooms that extra torches and lanterns were lit.