A Heavenly Betrayal (Draco Malfoy Love Story)

Words and a Bag

Maria woke up the next morning and couldn’t help but feel extremely stupid. ‘What was I thinking? He’s a Malfoy! Of course he wasn’t going to just blurt out all of his secrets! Much less tell them to a total stranger…’ she thought now angry with herself. She felt uncharacteristically awake for a Saturday morning.

She entered the common room to see that a small crowd had formed in front of the billboard. She was about to try and get closer when Cho Chang grabbed her by the arm.

"Quidditch try-outs!"

"How many times do I have to tell you Cho? I want to be a beater!"

Every year, Cho harassed her to try out for the team. However, Maria was only interested in one position: being raised mostly ‘the muggle way’, she enjoyed baseball very much and therefore wanted to be a beater. The only problem was that Ravenclaw had always had the two same beaters since what seemed like forever.

"That’s exactly the point! There’s only one left!"

Oh no.’ Maria thought. She hadn’t figured out an answer to that. Yes, she secretly wanted to try-out for Quidditch, but she also didn’t want her grades to flunk - and she didn’t know if she could handle both.

"Oh come on Maria! Please! You’re the best b-bay, um, baits... whatever ball player here!"

"It’s baseball, Cho. And no, I’m not the best."

"But you’re good! You’ll get in for sure. Just give it a try! One year, that’s all I’m asking," she put on her best puppy eyes.

Maria looked at her friend, unsure. She really didn’t know about this Quidditch thing – but then again, it was just a try-out. Who said she would definitely get in?

"Alright."

"YAY!"

Cho quickly hugged her friend and started bouncing around in joy. A little involuntary smile came to Maria’s lips. Quidditch looked like fun. It was worth trying. She didn’t sleep very well that night; she had to admit she was nervous for the next day. It was the first time she would attend a trial for such a thing. She didn’t want to mess up - scratch that - she wanted to mess up for the sake of her grades. She spent part of the night arguing with herself, covering every possible outcome. Being who she was, she finally decided to give it her best shot; when she did something, she did it all the way. Giving up was never part of the equation for her. And so she fell asleep, smiling but still tense.

***

"Maria Cleaver!"

She was nervous, and more than for an exam. She had never done this kind of thing before and didn’t know what to expect.

"You’re trying out for beater, is that correct?" the captain verified after a quick look at his sheet.

"Yes."

"Okay, all I want you to do is whack that bludger as hard as you can. Try to aim for the hoops - if you can."

She grasped the heavy bat tightly, partly because she didn’t want to miss, and partly because her hands were shaking. Her heart was thumping even louder as the bludger descended onto her. She swung her bat with everything she had, but missed the left hoop by about two meters. Now that made her furious - and that was all she needed to get fired up. And so she kept hitting the bludger, sending it flying through the hoops every time. 

"Okay that’ll be it," Roger Davies said all of a sudden.

"What?"

She hit the bludger while turning towards the captain and missed her shot. This time, instead of going through a hoop, the bludger crashed into it, shattering it. Davies muttered ‘Reparo’ and started writing on his sheet. His expression was impossible to read. Maria put the bat down slowly and walked away, not sure if she should be happy or concerned. She looked up to the crowd and saw Cho clapping and cheering her. Another Ravenclaw, Bradley, a chaser, was also laughing and whistling. A small smile lit her face. 

***

Draco Malfoy was doing his homework in the library. Actually, he wasn’t really doing it, since his mind kept wandering off and simply refused to stay focused. This surprised him; he had always excelled at keeping in control. Nevertheless, Friday night’s encounter kept troubling him. He mostly wondered who was that girl and why she was ‘concerned’ about him – if she really was. He was also bothered by the fact that she had gotten the last word. ‘I’ve been completely thwarted by a filthy mudblood.’ He shook his head at the thought. He still wanted revenge… he wouldn’t let her have it her way. He picked up his books and left the library, eager to get out of this crowded place. Just as he did so, a loud crack echoed from the Quidditch pitch. All the students quickly headed for the nearest window to see that one of the hoops had been mercilessly broken. Apparently, it was the beater’s fault.

Malfoy decided to go outside; hoping the fresh air would help clear his mind. He had just walked out the castle’s front doors when he saw a particularly happy person. Malfoy frowned, hesitation numbing his body for perhaps a second. He finally put on a tough face and walked straight to her.

He came to a stop right in front of her with a defiant expression. He was usually good with insults, but somehow his mind was blank so he just stood there instead, confronting her silently.

Maria, who had joyfully been reflecting on her amusing try-out hadn’t been paying attention and almost ran into him. She stared at him surprised at first, but her gaze slowly became curious as he remained coldly mute. In a way, this demeanor was much more frightening than the usual angry and foul-mouthed Malfoy.

She said nothing. The silence stretched on as his bluish-grey eyes fixed her. There was no sparkle in them; no life. As she noticed this, Maria frowned. 

"You don’t want to mess with me," he finally spoke. His tone was flat instead of threatening; it truly startled her.

"Why?" she said, her voice quivering in spite of her. Intentionally or not, he was beginning to frighten her. 

As a smirk flashed across his face, Maria was, for perhaps the first time, relieved to see it. The tensed atmosphere blew away at once.

"Ha, not so brave in the daylight are we? No one insults a Malfoy without having to pay for it."

Her relief was quickly replaced by irritation. She knew this behaviour very well and it certainly didn’t intimidate her. She stared right back into his smug face.

"You’re mental."

His response was automatic.

"Mudblood."

Maria gasped as he smirked, pleased. Who did he think he was? Mudblood!? That was low. She threw him the nastiest look she could master and turned away.

"Poor excuse of a witch," he muttered under his breath. 

Still, Maria wasn’t deaf.

She turned around sharply, about to retort, but found herself accidentally swinging her loaded bag into his perfect, scar-less face. She stared aghast as they collided with a resonating oomph and Malfoy doubled in pain. Then what? She ran for it!