A Snakes Crutch Book 2

Part 10: Quidditch Tryouts

Colin had rivers of tears running down his face while y/n helped him to the Hospital Wing, even though he was clearly trying to seem brave. She wished she could numb the pain from his arm, but she didn't know how and didn't want to use spells on him that might affect his ability to be healed. 

"What's this?" Poppy asked worriedly. "Heavens, what happened, y/n?"

"Crabbe and Goyle happened," answered y/n, leading Colin to the closest bed. "He broke his arm and probably broke a few teeth. All I did was wrap his arm."

Madame Pomfrey unwrapped and examined his arm. "I'm glad you didn't try to mend this alone. This is a nasty fracture. I won't teach you how to mend it today because this is too complicated a break to use for learning. I do want you to research how to do it on your own. It'll be your homework." Poppy looked like she had never assigned homework before and was very happy to do so now as she waved her wand, mending Colin's arm. 

Y/N was wrong in thinking it would be a long trip, but it felt long nonetheless. Colin was so excited to be healed with magic that he begged for a picture of her mending his teeth, hoping that when he developed it, the process would be fully captured in print. He'd also been very smitten by y/n, who found it flattering and a bit unsettling, as he seemed like he wanted to follow her to her next class just to ask her a few thousand more questions. 

"Do you like being a Slytherin? Are they all that mean? Why are you friends with Malfoy? Is he mean to you too? Do you not want to talk to me because I'm a Gryffindor? Are you going to take Madame Pomfrey's job when you're older? Do you like healing people with magic?"

And on and on he went without leaving room in between questions for y/n to answer, until Madame Pomfrey told him to hush up. Mercifully, she told y/n to leave before she let Colin go so he didn't follow her, though he'd surely find her later. 

When y/n got to History of Magic, she found that Draco had saved her a seat in the back of the class. Sarah had said 'here' when Professor Binns had called her name, so she wouldn't even appear late. The ancient ghost of a teacher wouldn't notice if someone walked through him unless it impeded his lecture, let alone a change in his student's voice. 

Y/N took her seat and was immediately greeted by Draco leaning in to whisper in her ear. 

"I just got a letter from Snape. He said my father's donation to the Slytherin Quidditch team was accepted," he said, leaning in close. 

"What donation?"

"My father put in an order for new Nimbus 2001's for the entire team. Snape said the headmaster had to approve the donation, and now he has," Draco whispered excitedly. 

"That's brilliant," y/n whispered back. "Now all that's left to do is try out for seeker and you'll be perfect!"

Draco's face fell, and y/n noticed him shove two letters into his pocket. "Father sent a letter too. Said that if I didn't make the team that I shouldn't even bother coming home over the holidays. It would be too embarrassing for him and Mum to face donating to a Quidditch team that their son wasn't good enough to be part of."

"Well then," y/n said, putting her hand on his arm to cheer him up a bit. "Good thing you're already the new seeker. Whoever tries out against you has no chance." As Draco smiled back, y/n felt butterflies awaken in her stomach and, though she was too preoccupied to notice, the tips of Draco's ears were turning pink. 

The rest of their lessons were nearly as uneventful as History of Magic. So was the rest of the day right up until dinner. Marcus Flint and the whole rest of the Slytherin Quidditch team, a bunch of huge boys, had sat down on Draco's other side to discuss early Quidditch tryouts. Though Draco was probably going to make the team, Marcus said they still had to hold some tryouts to keep up pretenses. 

Once the team had moved down to a group of girls and begun flirting, Draco suddenly put his head down, the color draining from his face. His foot began slapping the stone floor under the table and y/n had to put her hand on his knee to steady it.

"If you don't want people to know you're nervous, maybe stop stomping. You're turning heads," y/n whispered in his ear. Many of their friends had looked over. Pansy was watching him particularly closely.

Draco's knee stopped and his face filled with color again, his ears turning pink. "I'm not nervous. I just don't feel good," he muttered defiantly. 

"Well, what ails you?" Y/N retrieved her wand from inside her robes, trying to scare him into admitting his feelings. "I'm sure I can help."

"N-no. I'm fine."

Sarah and Astoria laughed together next to y/n, enjoying their own conversation about Astoria's first day. "It's too bad Professor Flitwick let the mud-blood down," Sarah said, apparently talking about Astoria's Charms class. Y/N coughed a little and Sarah looked at her, suddenly looking angry with herself before she mouthed, "Sorry."

But y/n wasn't paying much attention to Sarah because Astoria had gone quiet. She had stopped laughing and instead frowned into her plate when Sarah had said the word 'mud-blood', apparently just as affected by the word as y/n, though she herself was undoubtedly pure-blooded.

That night in the common room, y/n and Draco had met to do a bit of homework, but there wasn't much for them to do. She had to catch up to her Defense Against the Dark Arts class in Year with the Yeti, but had only gotten to the second paragraph before Draco took it from her. 

"If your scoffing gets any louder, the Gryffindors are going to come knocking, wondering who woke them up. Besides, we could probably convince him to start over for you anyway, the git."

The two of them made jokes with each other about their first day back, mostly giggling about Lockhart, but when there was a pause in conversation, Draco looked into the fire and the same look from dinner came over him again. 

"What's wrong?" Y/N asked, though she thought she already knew. 

"Flint said a few other Slytherins are trying for Seeker. One of them is a fifth year girl. I've seen her flying before, and she's really good," Draco replied quietly, as if talking to himself or the flames. 

"You're better," y/n said, matter-of-factly.

"Y/N, you've never even seen her fl--"

"Doesn't matter. I've seen you fly, and you're brilliant. Flint would be stupid not to put you on the team. With your skill on top of the donation from your dad, they might as well not even hold tryouts."

Draco didn't look any happier. "That's another thing. What if people think I just got on the team because of my dad's donation? I know I can ride a broom, but Father makes it look like I didn't even need to try out. Especially when Flint got Snape to agree to early tryouts. It'll look like they put me on as soon as the brooms came."

"Anyone who thinks that is an idiot and can come to me. You're good Draco. Don't worry about it," she said, smiling and hoping he'd finally feel better. He couldn't be in his head if he wanted to fly well tomorrow. He smiled at her weakly, but she could tell he was already feeling better, if only a little. 

The next morning, y/n got dressed early to go watch tryouts, and she met a large group of older Slytherins in the common room. When she walked up to Draco to say good morning, Flint noticed her and suddenly looked angry. 

"If you're here to try out, you can't. You're too young and we can't spare another broom."

It took everything in her not to retort. After all, Draco was only a few months older than her. However, she bit her tongue and stayed calm. 

"Keep your socks on, I'm coming to watch," she replied sarcastically, earning a few laughs from others in the room as they sauntered out of the common room, up to the Great Hall, and out to the Quidditch pitch. Y/N found a good seat in the stands and, after a few minutes in the changing rooms, the team came out and the balls were released, the golden snitch hovering for a moment, glinting in the sunlight, before it vanished.