Quidditch Alliance

Even if Professor Snape couldn’t read minds, it should’ve been fairly obvious which students were up late the night before. You and Draco managed to get to sleep once his boils were removed by your potion. And while you were both slightly sleep deprived, you managed to pull through Potions since it was your first class after waking up. But the four Gryffindors all seemed to be showing signs that they hadn’t gotten any sleep. They were all alive and healthy but their extra wide-eyed expressions said that they had seen something that had kept them up all night.

Hermione Granger looked extra frazzled that morning and her hair was extra bushy. Her mood didn’t improve when Professor Snape announced the grades from the Boil Cure Potions. Granger glared at you when she learned that you’d gotten an eleven out of ten while she’d only gotten a ten out of ten.

The two of you were seated across the aisle from each other at the front of the room so you were able to lean closer and whisper to her while Professor Snape was busy collecting the essays from the students in the back of the room.

“Wow. I outscored you on an assignment. This is even better than beating you in that duel!”

The muggleborn girl’s face went pink as she remembered the ‘view’ you’d gotten up her skirt.

Things got even worse for her when Professor Snape came around the front of the room to collect the rest of your essays. You grinned as you presented him with the essay you had written last Friday during the two and a half hours you'd spent helping Millicent, Pansy, Vincent, and Gregory write their essays.

“Mr. Gaunt, you were excused from the assignment,” Professor Snape reminded you.

“I ended up writing it while I was helping some of my housemates with theirs,” you said. “It’s exactly three feet long and shows that I fully understand the purpose of each and every ingredient used in the Cure for Boils.”

Professor Snape’s lips quirked for a brief, unnerving smile. “Very well, Mr. Gaunt. Three points to Slytherin for showing extra initiative.” Three points to Slytherin and a grand total of twenty-seven house points to Marvolo Gaunt.

Granger stood up straighter and looked pleased with herself as she handed in her assignment. You could clearly tell that her roll of parchment was a lot thicker than anyone else’s.

“Miss. Granger, what is this?” Professor Snape asked curtly.

“That’s my essay, Professor Snape,” the bushy-haired girl politely replied.

“This seems to be a great deal longer than three feet, Miss, Granger,” Professor Snape stated.

“It’s five feet, professor,” Granger replied. The brainy girl was clearly attempting to earn some extra credit by writing a longer essay. Any other professor likely would have rewarded that which probably explained why Hermione Granger was already the top student in your year in every other subject. However, the overachieving muggleborn witch was underestimating how much of a biased, vindictive ass Professor Severus Snape could be.

“Did I, or did I not, specify that the essay was to be three feet long?” the professor demanded.

“Yes, but…” Granger trailed off and glanced in your direction.

“That’ll be three points from Gryffindor for giving a professor extra work,” Professor Snape said coldly. Granger’s eyes went wide and her jaw dropped at the blatant double standard. “The assigned length was three feet. Not two feet, not four, and definitely not five. Your failure to follow the guidelines of the assignment will have a negative impact on your mark.”

Granger’s face went red and she glared at you as though you were responsible for the Potions professor’s unfairness. You weren’t. You were merely the student that was benefiting the most from it. As a thirteen-year-old first year student who had been at Hogwarts for two weeks, you weren’t really in a position to do anything about Professor Snape’s unprofessional behavior. The reason that you put all the extra effort into Potions was to stay on your terrifying, mind-reading Head of House’s good side.

Professor Snape moved on and finished collecting the essays then he assigned a new potion that you had to work on in pairs. You were once again working with Goyle while Granger was stuck working with Neville Longbottom. Seamus Finnigan, who still had yet to replace the cauldron that Longbottom had melted the week before, had sought safety in teaming up with his friend Dean Thomas. You could tell that Granger wasn’t particularly thrilled with Potter, Weasley or Longbottom and blamed them for whatever she’d been through the night before. But she was extra angry at Harry and Ron which left her partnered with the worst Potions student in your year.

Despite both you and Granger working with partners who were essentially deadweight, you were the only ones whose groups managed to turn in perfect potions. This mainly came from the two of you doing most of the important work yourselves and giving your less talented partners menial tasks to complete.

Other than their brief partnership in Potions, Hermione Granger appeared to be avoiding Potter, Weasley, and Longbottom like the plague. She wasn’t talking to any of them. Longbottom, however, seemed to have gotten closer with Potter and Weasley. You observed the new trio over the next week and they often seemed to be huddled together discussing something. All you were able to make out from the one time you got close enough to hear a snippet of their hushed conversation were the words ‘dog’ and ‘trapdoor’. That didn’t mean anything to you so you wrote it off as unimportant.

At breakfast, a week after the midnight duels, everyone’s attention was drawn to the arrival of the post. Six large screech owls were carrying a long, thin package which they set down in front of Harry Potter. A seventh owl flew in and dropped a letter on top of the package before he had a chance to open it.

You glanced over at Draco Malfoy and saw that his attention was on Potter’s mysterious package as well. Harry, Ron, and Neville all seemed really excited when they read the letter. Draco motioned towards the door out to the entrance hall then ordered Crabbe and Goyle to come with him. You took one last glance at Harry’s group and saw that they were in a hurry to leave the Great Hall so you rushed to follow Malfoy out of the Great Hall.

“I’m gonna hang back,” you informed Draco as you passed him and ran up to the marble staircase then rounded the corner on the first landing just as Potter, Weasley, and Longbottom exited the Great Hall. They were halfway across the entrance hall when they found their way upstairs blocked by Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy struck quickly and seized the package from Harry and felt it.

“That’s a broomstick,” he said, throwing it back to Harry. “You’ll be in for it this time, Potter, first years aren’t allowed them.”

Ron couldn’t resist taunting Draco. “It’s not any old broomstick,” he said, “it’s a Nimbus Two Thousand. What did you say you’ve got at home, Malfoy, a Comet Two-Sixty? Comets look flashy, but they’re not in the same league as the Nimbus.”

“What would you know about it, Weasley, you couldn’t afford half the handle,” Malfoy snapped back. “I suppose you and your brothers have to save up twig by twig.”

Professor Flitwick appeared on the scene before the argument could continue any further.

“Not arguing, I hope, boys?” he squeaked.

“Potter’s been sent a broomstick, professor,” Malfoy was quick to rat them out.

“Yes, yes, that’s right,” Professor Flitwick said, “Professor McGonagall told me all about the special circumstances, Potter. And what model is it?”

“A Nimbus Two Thousand, sir,” Harry replied, you could tell from the sound of his voice that he was trying not to laugh. “And it’s really thanks to Malfoy and Neville that I’ve got it.”

Malfoy was left stammering in shock and couldn’t do anything to retaliate with Professor Flitwick standing there. Potter, Weasley, and Longbottom made their way up the steps and drew closer to you.

You finally heard Longbottom speak up. “Harry… I didn’t do anything to get you that broomstick…”

“Maybe not directly,” Harry chortled less than three feet away from your hiding place, “But if Malfoy hadn’t stolen your Remembrall I wouldn’t be on the team…”

‘On the team’. That last piece of information, combined with the conversation from down the stairs, was all you needed to figure out what had happened. Harry Potter had been sent the Nimbus Two Thousand so that he could play for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Professor McGonagall was clearly the driving **** being these ‘special circumstances’ which allowed Potter to have his own broom as a first year. You’d heard Marcus Flint boasting in the common room about how badly Slytherin had flattened Gryffindor last year. You hadn’t actually seen Harry fly but the fact that the Gryffindor Head of House was willing to bend the rules to get him on the team showed how **** she was to have a winning season in the Inter-House Quidditch Cup.

You held your breath as Harry, Ron, and Neville reached the top of the steps. But a new arrival kept them from noticing you.

“So I suppose you think that’s a reward for breaking rules?” Hermione Granger angrily scolded them as she came stomping up the steps.

“I thought you weren’t talking to us?” Harry asked.

“Yes, don’t stop now,” Ron said, “it’s doing us so much good.”

Granger marched away with her nose in the air. Which meant she didn’t notice you hiding nearby.

“You know… she’s not that bad,” Neville spoke up. “She’s always been nice to me.”

“She’s a bossy know-it-all,” Ron insisted. “Her not talking to us is a welcome improvement.”

“You haven’t met my Gran,” Neville said, “Hermione’s not half as bossy as she is.”

“My relatives are pretty rotten,” Harry reluctantly admitted. “I’ll gladly take Hermione Granger over my Uncle Vernon any day.”

“I suppose you guys have a point,” Ron relented, “Maybe she’s not the worst. My mum can be a right nightmare at times.”

“What? Ron, I’ve met your mother,” Harry pointed out. “She’s wonderful.”

“Yeah, well, you’ve never seen her mad,” Ron replied.

The trio were so caught up in their conversation about bossy relatives that they never noticed you as they continued up the staircase on their way back to Gryffindor tower.

Once they were gone, you dashed back down the stairs to where Draco was waiting.

“Way to be useless,” Malfoy grumbled.

“You won’t think that when I tell you what I overheard,” you informed him. “Potter got that broom because he’s going to be playing for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Based on what I’ve heard about the dive he did to catch the Remembrall, I’d guess that he’ll be playing Seeker.”

“That’s not fair!” Draco complained. “Everyone accuses Snape of favoring us but this is blatantly breaking the rules! First years aren’t allow their own broomsticks and they’re not allowed to play for their house team.”

You grinned because you knew that only half of that was true, “Tell me, Draco, did you pass your Remedial Flying Lesson?”

“Of course I did,” the other boy snapped. “The class consisted of Longbottom and some stupid mudbloods from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. I was easily the best one there.”

“Good,” you said, “because Madam Hooch told me that the rule is that first years aren’t allowed their own brooms. There’s no rule against them trying out for their house team.”

His eyes went wide, “There isn’t?”

“No,” you confirmed, “Since we’ve both been cleared to fly by Madam Hooch, we can borrow school brooms to tryout. The trick is getting the Team Captain to allow us to attend. That’s why we’re going to tell Marcus Flint about Potter being Gryffindor’s Seeker in order to win favor with him.”

Malfoy gave you a hard look, “What’s your angle, Gaunt? Why would you tell me this?”

“You’re family friends with Flint, aren’t you?” you reminded him. “That extra pull should help us a bit. He’ll be more likely to let us try out together than he would for either of us alone.”

“What position do you play?” Draco asked. ”If Potter’s Seeker then that’s what I’m trying out for. I still owe him for those boils.”

“Er… I actually haven’t played Quidditch before,” you admitted. “But I know a lot about Quidditch, I've heard dozens of matches on the Wizarding Wireless, and I even got to go to a Tutshill Tornados match last season as a late birthday present. Plus, Madam Hooch said herself that I’m a natural flyer.”

Your roommate looked thoughtful, “Well, if we’re in this together then we can’t afford to work against each other. Your best bet would be to tryout for Keeper. You’re only a first year so I doubt you’ll be strong enough to hit a Bludger as hard or as accurately as an older student. And I know you’ve heard the stories about how rough the Slytherin Chasers play. You could get killed playing with some of those older Slytherins.”

“Good points,” you agreed. Another benefit of trying out for Keeper was that it was the position that required the least flying. Your job was to float in front of the three hoops and defend them. The Keeper rarely left the scoring area which meant you didn’t have to fly around over the pitch like the Chasers, Seekers, and Beaters did. And as a direct result of that, flying on a school broom wouldn’t be too detrimental to your performance. “Ready to ask him? He should still be at breakfast.”

Draco nodded. “I like this plan better than your last one.”

“You would’ve liked that plan too if you had ducked,” you retorted as you led the way back into the Great Hall. Draco fell into step beside you while Crabbe and Goyle trailed behind you.

Your common desire to play Quidditch for Slytherin had been the motivation behind the forming of your latest alliance with Draco Malfoy. If you tried out alone and Draco learned about it, you never would’ve heard the end of it. It was much better to work with your annoying roommate than to work against him. Especially when the potential result could end up benefiting both of you greatly.

And thus the Gaunt-Malfoy Quidditch Alliance was forged.

Marcus Flint was easy to spot at the Slytherin table. The sixth year Slytherin was the biggest student in Hogwarts. You cautiously approached and took a deep breath when you drew near.

“Ahoy, Captain Flint, when are you holding Quidditch tryouts?” you inquired.

“First years aren’t allowed on the team,” Flint said without even looking up from his plate.

Draco blustered at being written off but you had a smooth response prepared. “I take it that means you haven’t heard about Harry Potter. The long, thin package that was just delivered by half a dozen owls was Potter’s new Nimbus Two Thousand.”

That got his attention. Flint turned to stare at you. “What?”

“We just found out that Potter is Gryffindor’s new Seeker,” Malfoy was eager to chime in.

“I talked to Madam Hooch about this last week and it’s not against the rules for first years to try out for their House Quidditch Team,” you continued, “It’s against the rules for first years to have their own brooms. That’s the rule Professor McGonagall broke when she bought Potter his new broomstick. Professor Flitwick called it a ‘special circumstance’ but the truth is that she’s so **** for a decent Seeker that she’s willing to bend the rules to get one.”

“Hmph,” Flint grunted, “We crushed Gryffindor last year. We’re the reason why Charlie Weasley abandoned Quidditch and fled the country.”

You remembered Ron saying something about his brother Charlie studying dragons in Romania while you were sharing a compartment on the Hogwarts Express.

“We just want a chance to try out,” you explained, “There’s no harm in that, right? We’ll be flying on borrowed school brooms so if we’re good it’ll be extra obvious.”

“And I’ll be sure to tell my father how you graciously allowed us to try out,” Draco added. “He was very pleased when I told him that you helped me learn the Leg-Locker Curse that he started teaching me over the summer.”

“Fine,” Flint said, “I booked the pitch for Saturday at two. I’ll let you try out but I don’t have to let you on the team unless you’re good.”

“Aye-aye, Captain Flint, we’ll see you Saturday,” you agreed. Flint gave you a weird look as you saluted. You and Draco rushed off in high spirits. You were going to Quidditch tryouts! The Gaunt-Malfoy Quidditch Alliance had paid off!

Professor Snape’s expression was almost comical during Potions that day. He was clearly unaccustomed to seeing so many smiling students in his class. You and Draco were both giddy about Quidditch tryouts and Harry, Ron and Neville were still extremely happy about Harry’s new Nimbus Two Thousand. The Potions professor compensated by being extra nasty and made it his personal mission to wipe the smiles off of all their faces. By the time the lesson ended he took a grand total of fifteen points from Gryffindor. The expression on Hermione Granger’s face as she stomped out of the classroom told you that Potter, Weasley, and Longbottom were in for another week of the silent treatment combined with angry, disapproving glares.

You were riding high all through the day and it wasn’t until lunch on Saturday that nerves set in. You loved learning about Quidditch and watching professional games. But you had never played it. There was a big difference between flying for fun and actually playing an organized game. You started to get nervous about the prospect of failing horribly and making a fool of yourself in front of Marcus Flint and all those older Slytherins.

“I’m sure you’ll do great, Marvolo,” Millicent attempted to encourage you.

Blaise chimed in and imparted his usual ‘sunny’ outlook, “And if you don’t… at least it’s only at tryouts instead of during an actual game where you could get brained by a Bludger.”

“How does that help!?” you snapped at him.

“I’m just saying it could be worse,” your morbid friend pointed out. “If you wind up being horrible and you do make a fool of yourself at least it’s only in front of other Slytherins. In an actual Quidditch match, almost the whole school would be watching.”

“Still not helping,” you insisted.

“Of course you’ll be fine,” Pansy Parkinson spoke up. “You and Draco are our best fliers.”

You blinked and looked at the hard-faced, short-haired girl in surprise. Was the Queen Bitch of Slytherin being nice to you!?

“And we’re all going to be there to support you,” Pansy continued.

“You are?” you asked.

“We are?” Daphne asked at the same time.

“Of course we are,” Pansy said. “Draco and Marvolo are going to be representing our year at the tryouts. The least we can do is go and cheer for them.”

“...” you were still trying to wrap your mind around Pansy being encouraging.

You looked over at Draco, who appeared to be grinning at your shocked expression. Maybe he was responsible for Pansy’s change in attitude? Another benefit of your Quidditch Alliance.

But then Pansy smirked, “And I’m sure Gemma Farley will be impressed if you make the team.”

And now she was back in form. “For the last time! I don’t have a crush on Gemma Farley!”

“Did I hear my name?”

You froze as you felt a familiar pair of hands grab your shoulders.

Pansy was all too happy to answer. “Marvolo’s nervous about trying out for the Quidditch team.”

“Oh, you’re trying out?” Gemma asked as she lightly squeezed your shoulders.

“Er… Flint said… we could,” you stammered, “No rules against it…”

“In that case, maybe I’ll come and watch,” the fifth year prefect said as she playfully ruffled your hair. “I’m sure you’ll do fine.” Her chest pressed into your back as she leaned in to whisper in your ear. “And if you get nervous… just picture the audience in their underwear.”

Gemma walked away and you were left with a bright red face as you pictured the seventeen-year-old girl’s skimpy black knickers. You didn’t like Pansy’s knowing smirk.

“Sh-shut up!” you snapped at her.

“I didn’t say anything,” Parkinson replied. There was a split-second pause. “Your blush makes it obvious.”

“Come on, Marvolo,” Draco spoke up before you could say anything insulting. “Let’s head to the broomshed now so we get first pick of the school brooms. If I’m going to be **** to fly on a relic then I want it to be the best relic there.”

You nodded and followed him. Despite her flaws, Pansy needling you over your ‘crush’ had provided a distraction and you were no longer thinking about how nervous you were. You felt a lot better knowing that your fellow first year Slytherins (and Gemma Farley) were going to be at the Quidditch tryouts supporting you. But just because the annoying girl had ‘helped’ you, didn’t mean you had to thank her.

“Right, I’m ready for this,” you resolved as you headed for the Quidditch pitch.

---

Marvolo Gaunt House Point Ledger

Severus Snape: +3

New Total: +27

Points awarded by: SS, RH, QQ