Arduous - The 10 Rings (Book 1)

7 - Crimson Riot

- Elena -

I stormed out of transfiguration chasing goil  like a mad woman. Harry followed behind me, nose bleeding. "Elena! He's not worth it!"

I rounded a corner, out of his line of sight. I grabbed the back of his shirt, spun him around, and pushed him against the wall. I then got out my wand and pressed it to his throat. "I don't give a damn if your daddy is in the ministry. I will make you wish you had never been born."

He tried to seem tough by laughing, but I pressed my wand deeper into his neck. He cried out and his head hit the wall. "I have quite a few nasty curses up my sleeve."

"What? What do you want? I'll do anything." he begged.

I thought to myself for a moment. "How do I get into the Slytherin common room?"

10 minutes later the three of us were walking through a bare stretch of stone to where goil said the entrance to the common room was.

"They'll all be back soon. We come back after our second class to count how many points we earned." Goil  informed me.

"If I find out you're lying it will be the death of you." I scoffed and Harry shoved him up to the door. "Pure blood." he whimpered and the door swung open.

I rolled my eyes. Of course that's the password. "Wait here." I told him and disappeared through the door.

The common room was a dungeon-like room with greenish lamps and chairs. I know this dungeon extended part way under the lake, giving the light in the room a green tinge. The common room had lots of low backed black and dark green button-tufted, leather sofas, skulls, and dark wood cupboards. Marble floors with various symbols reflected the lights. The ceiling had a large chandelier with a crystal snake coiling around it. It was beautiful but so depressing.

I hopped up the steps as quickly and quietly as I could. Draco's room is to the left, I could tell by the heavy cologne. I slipped through the half open door and then spotted it. His Nimbus 2001. I needed it for practice if I was going to get the keeper position.

"You better get it."

I jumped and looked to my left. Lucas Snape was there leaning against the frame of the dorm. "The position I mean. You really shouldn't snoop through people's stuff."
"You can't tell Draco." I blurted knowing full well there was nothing I could do.

"Well, I could. But I won't. If you get the position, that is." he smiled.

I furrowed my brow and tightened my grip on the broom. "What are you going to tell Malfoy?"

"Nothing. I'm not even here." He smiled.

I blinked. Why was he being decent to me now of all times? I passed him and started down the stairs.

"Elena."

I stopped in my tracks.

"I look forward to playing against you."

I swallowed. I forgot. He's the chaser for the Slytherin team, and a good one.

"I'll meet you at the owlery tower to collect the broom for him after tryouts."

I ran down the remainder of the stairs and out the door where Goil was shaking and Harry looked bored. "What do we do with him?"

"Let him go." I shrugged.

Goil scrambled away.

"I have to go prepare for tryouts. Are you ready?" he glanced at the broom.
"Yep." I sighed.

My stomach twisted and turned as I walked out onto the quidditch field. There were a ton of kids there waiting to try out. I could tell they were intimidated by Draco's Nimbus 2001, especially Ginny weasley. She looked smug. Her eyes scanned me as I walked up to her.

"You're late. Tryouts were just about to end, thought you chickened out." she grinned.

"So close to being relieved."

"I'll be the one scoring on you. No one gets past my aim." she seems overconfident but kids around the field murmured in agreement. "Not one person here has been able to deflect all of them."

"I'm here now."

"Let's see how good you really are." she scoffed and swung her leg over her broom, taking off. I saw her preparing to throw the ball into the goal and I wasn't even in the hoop yet. I glared.

She raised her arm, preparing to throw.

I swung my leg over.

She released the ball from her hand.

I took off.

The ball was less than a second away from going through the hoop.

Thump.

The ball was buried in my arms, intercepted. I caught the ball before it could go through, I realized. I did it. I had beat her.
The stands around us of spectators seemed quiet at first, frozen with shock but then erupted with cheers and screams of joy and shock.

Ginny gritted her teeth. "Again."

The next 15 times from every angle were all caught with ease. Ginny looked angry, like she was about to kill someone. I could tell she had enough when she charged forward with her fist raised. At the last second I dodged, and she started tumbling to the ground several hundred meters below.

She screamed, arms flailing. Several shrieks erupted from the crowd.

I raced after her in a dive and caught her wrist.

Tears stained her cheeks and she looked up at me with pure hatred.

"No hard feelings. You are very good, I admit. I look forward to playing with you."

"Oh shut up malfoy! You're just like your brother." She yelled but didn't try to pull her hand away.

I removed my pinky from her wrist. "Draco would let you fall to your death."

Her breath hitched.

"I will let you down to the ground safe and sound despite how you called me a ferret."

The players below us erupted in cheers and ran over to greet us. Ginny was escorted away and her place by my side was replaced by two redheads, Fred and Goerge, Ron's older brothers and Jenyfer's friends. "Welcome to the team Elena or should we say, FLASH!"

"Yeah holy crap Elena, I didn't think I'd live to see the day someone lived through Ginny's pitch, let alone stop them! You were smiling, THE ENTIRE TIME!" a younger girl beamed up at me.

"You should have seen Draco's face in the stands." An older boy laughed. "How did you get his broom?" I was being drowned by questions but all I could do was smile. I did it, I'm on the team.