My Father's Only Rule || DRACO MALFOY X SNAPE'S DAUGHTER

Chapter Seventeen: Quidditch Rookie

February 1995 - Hogwarts

"Celestial Sphere," I said, quizzing Jane at lunch before our Astronomy quiz.

"I don't know," she said, quick to give up. "Just tell me."

"At least try," I insisted. She groaned.

"The brightest star known to man," she said.

"That's Sirius," I said.

"Yes, I am serious. I don't know," she said, frustrated.

"No, the brightest star known to man is called Sirius." She threw her hands up.

"I'm going to fail!" she said. "I hate this class. It's the only A I've ever had."

"An A?" Blaise interrupted. "You're worried about one A?"

"Listen, Blaise," she said. "I'm not Grace, okay? I'm not a straight-O person. I like to be a little more realistic with myself. But I've never gotten an A in my life. And I'll be damned if I let Astronomy be my first A."

"Draco, we've got a problem," we heard a voice say. We turned to see someone from the Quidditch team walking towards us to talk to Draco. "We're down a beater and we have a match tomorrow. Goyle failed the Astronomy quiz and isn't academically eligible to play anymore. You're captain now. What do we do?"

"Is the quiz that bad!?" Jane exploded. Then the guy from the quidditch team gave her a strange look. "Sorry. Quidditch. Obviously more important," she said, rolling her eyes.

"What's the difference?" Draco said. "It's against Gryffindor. We weren't going to win anyways.

"But Harry's not at his best right now, remember?" he said. "He's stressed about the tournament. If we beat Gryffindor, we've got a great shot at the Quidditch Cup."

"There's no point," Draco said. "Goyle was our only good beater. Roberts is terrible, we can't rely on him. So where are we going to find another beater?"

"I'll do it," I said. The boy scoffed. "What? You could let me do it or you can lose to Gryffindor without a fight. You pick." The boy looked at me, then at Draco, who was actually considering it.

"Do you even know anything about Quidditch?" he said.

"Draco could teach me," I said, looking at Draco.

"Before tomorrow?"

"Oh, he knows I'm a fast learner," I said, never losing contact with Draco. He choked on his water, then smiled. He liked the Idea. The boy panicked.

"Blaise?" he said, looking for help.

"Absolutely not," Blaise said without hesitation.

"I don't know, I think you'd look kind of sexy in that quidditch uniform," Jane said to Blaise.

"You won't think that when I'm falling off of my broom," he said.

"True," Jane sighed. "Plus, I think Grace would look sexier."

"Grace will do it," Draco said. I smirked at him.

"Really?" the boy said.

"Oh piss off," Draco said. And the boy did just that.

"So you're going to teach me how to play quidditch?" I asked.

"We have practice after school today," he said. "It's going to be a long practice. Our match is tomorrow and I have to teach you everything."

"Well like I said," I said. "I'm a fast learner."

*

I felt unwanted when I walked onto the quidditch pitch. The whole team looked at me, surprised. But I had Draco with me, and that was all that mattered. Draco had given me a broom, but it felt so strange in my hand.