Star-Crossed

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Mudbloods and Murmurs

It had been a couple of weeks since the incident in Lockhart's class, and everything seemed to have died down for the time being. As of now, we were trekking, Harry and I, side by side through the corridors toward the courtyard. Around us were the rest of the Quidditch team, all carrying our brooms and fitted in our uniforms, ready for a good practice.

Wood was rambling on and on, "I spent the summer devising a whole new Quidditch program. We're going to train earlier, harder, and longer-" Then he stopped, right as we turned into the courtyard, glancing to his left.

We followed his gaze, looking and finding the entire Slytherin team gathered and coming from the direction of their common room, all dressed in their uniforms and carrying brooms as well.

I narrowed my eyes at them. A bitter taste still flooded my mouth after the previous weeks and now, seeing them ready to steal our earned practice time, it really made me want to hex each and every one of them.

"What..." Wood uttered in complete disbelief, "I don't believe it."

Ron and Hermione were sitting nearby, chatting with Dahlia and Elena until they looked up and watched the unfolding clash between the two Quidditch teams.

"And where do you think you're going, Flint?" Wood spat, his jaw feathering as he set it hard.

"Quidditch practice." Flint snorted, waving an arm to the rest of his team, "would've thought that had been obvious to a keen lion such as yourself..."

"Snake," Wood hissed, "I booked the pitch for Gryffindor today. Slither off somewhere else."

"Easy, Wood. No need to flare your mane," Flint only scoffed, producing a sheet of parchment from his robes, "I've got a note." He handed the scroll off to Wood and the Gryffindor captain unravelled it, skimming the writing inside.

"Uh-oh..." Dahlia muttered under her breath, "I smell trouble brewing."

The four of them got up and walked toward the two teams, curiosity getting the better of them.

"I, Professor Snape, do hereby give the Slytherin Quidditch team permission to practise today, owing to the need to train their new...seeker and chaser..." Wood looked up, almost rolling his eyes as he looked Flint up and down, shoving the note back into his waiting hand, "You've got new players? Who."

Flint only smirked, obliging to Wood's question as he sidestepped out of the way and allowed their new additions to come forward.

I could nearly physically feel my heart drop into my stomach when Malfoy and his sister emerged from the Slytherin ranks.

I huffed, a breath puffing from my nose in complete anger as I took in the smug look on Cressida's face as she regarded me up and down, chaser's robes hung over her shoulders.

Damn it.

Malfoy only grinned broadly, basking in the anger on my brother's face, not paying me a single look, "That's right, and that's not all that's new this year." He held up his broom, brandishing it to the crowd like some kind of trophy.

It took me a second, but I noticed they were all carrying the same broom. Sleek and black, fitted with gold lettering at the top of the handle. Fancy brooms. Incredibly so. It was hard to believe they were playable; they looked too pretty.

"Those are Nimbus two-thousand and ones!" Ron gasped, as he shouldered through the Gryffindor team and came to stop next to Harry.

"How'd you get those?" Elena uttered in complete shock.