Bride of the HP Dragon

Draco had to give credit to his players, they did a great job considering it was their first time playing as a team.

Ginny and Sharon were the Hogwarts side, aiming for the seventh goal, flying the ball up and down with admirably brusque fashion.Draco lingered in front of the Gryffindor guarded goal for a long time to talk to Ron before Ron was hit in the shin by the Bludger.

"The Snitch better show up soon," Ron grumbled, rubbing his calf. "I think Bligh is trying to kill me."

"Weasley, as far as batsmen go, you've taken on Crabbe and Goyle, haven't you?" Draco asked dryly, taking a deep breath, baring his teeth, At that moment Astrid Hudgens was intercepting a bold long pass from Sharon to Ginny. "

"Yeah, but with those two, what I felt was a general dislike for Gryffindors, and Bly's was more personal."

Draco looked back at Ron this time, with a sneer on his face: "Quidditch has always been a one-man show."

Ron waved his hand dismissively: "Can you catch the Snitch quickly? I don't know how long I can last. A goalkeeper only needs to guard against Quaffles, not Bludgers. By the way By the way, if you've noticed, the other Seeker, Tanner, has been bumming around, and I bet he's tailing you. He's not the hardest Seeker around the field," suggested Ron .

Draco noticed that both the Seeker and the Keeper had to rely on luck of timing or distance as they flew towards their target.Tanner, however, seemed intent on following Draco, hovering high above the field to get a good view.Draco didn't think he was a good Seeker, the man's size seemed more suited to a batsman, but he was undeniably quick.

"It's too risky to lose attention to the Snitch by tailgating. This man is just lazy, but not blind."

"Why is this a risk? Because of your weakness?" Ron asked with innocent curiosity on his exasperated freckled face.

"I saw her tell you.

"Ha, my sister will tell me anything."

Draco had to grin demonstratively: "Weasley, you innocent wretch."

Ron scowled. "You've got to trust me about Tanner. If he thinks you know where the Snitch is, he'll be your conjoined twin. If you find out where the Snitch really is in front of him , lead him in the opposite direction first."

"If you guess wrong, I'll have to change my mind to catch the ball in your crotch at night."

"This is Quidditch," Ron grinned, and countered in the same tone that Draco had spoken to him before: "Everyone benefits from each other."

That's when there was an eruption of boos from the audience as Hudgens hit her from the side as Sharon threw the Quaffle into the center of Oro's goal.Quartermain easily opened up the offense that didn't follow the ball, and the score was still tied.

"Good luck!" Draco took the lead and flew up.

"You too." Ron reciprocated.

The wait for the elusive Snitch to show up is actually very short.When all the attention of the audience was firmly focused on Ron, he was energetically posing as if he couldn't do anything, and Draco finally spotted the Golden Snitch.About ten meters below him, it was flying whirring.

Draco cast a quick glance at Tanner, the Oro Seeker acting so far in the dark.Draco pretended to look behind him suddenly, and then held the broom as if preparing to speed up and fly away.

The audience noticed, of course, that they seemed to collectively start to pant, and hundreds of pairs of eyes were looking at where Draco had given away signs of the Snitch, which was enough to prompt Tanner to fly in the wrong direction.

It's time for the grand finale, Draco thought happily.As it usually does, everything about the field fades into the background, the only focus is on Draco, as if there are no other Chasers in the field, and the fact is that the Snitch is close at hand.

Draco tilted the broom handle slightly, adjusted the necessary angle downward, and rushed forward like a rocket.The Golden Snitch also suddenly started.Even after dozens of games and hundreds of practices, its speed and agility are still dizzying.Draco sped up to catch up, and when his broom vibrated at high speed and the ground began to lift and almost hit him, he caught up just in time. Draco's body spun and landed hard on the left side, and the prey had already fallen tightly into his chest. Palm range.

Tanner was still in a daze, but Bly wasn't.Draco heard the batter attacking him before he saw anyone.

"Son of a son of a bitch, filthy Death Eater."

But Bligh's words are not surprising, his flying kick is shocking.Blaina kicked Draco in the chest and should have knocked Draco off his broomstick, but Draco presciently grabbed his own broomstick even if he flew out.

Before he had enough strength to brake, he rolled four or five times, and he was about to smash into the ground with about one meter left.

But the Snitch was gone, and Tanner had just reacted.

The sensation of the impact haunted him, and for a brief moment, Draco experienced a familiar, terrifying sensation of trying to take a deep breath, only to find his lungs weren't cooperating.He was only vaguely aware that Ron Weasley and Horace Somerby were shouting at him from some distance above, and that Somerby was uttering a stream of expletives that Hufflepuffs were not supposed to be good at.

Before Draco had a chance to distinguish the grass and the sky in front of him, and he was completely unaware of Mrs. Hooch's sharp whistle, Bly rushed over like an arrow off the string, and directly hit Draco with a broom handle. Raco's face.Then yelled at Tanner where the Snitch was, no doubt it was nearby.

Ginny was the first to appear, her relatively calm expression revealing that she was no stranger to Quidditch pitch violence and unsportsmanlike behavior.Draco threw his head back and roughly wiped his nosebleed with his right sleeve, while Ginny was frowning at him: "Malfoy, I think you've dislocated your shoulder."

Oh, it's dislocated.That would explain the blinding pain.Ignoring the bleeding nose, Draco began to reset his left arm.

"Er, maybe you can do it on the ground, we'll have Mrs. Hooch..."

Draco had reset himself enough times to know how to handle it efficiently, how to breathe, how to control the feeling of someone sticking a red-hot dagger into his knuckles and spinning.

Ginny wrinkled her nose. "Merlin's colored toenails, Malfoy! You really don't have to be so brash."

And a few steps away, Mrs. Hooch was making a beheading gesture to Bligh who was on the ground, just threatening him to let him go.

Ginny was sure Draco was about to pass out, his shoulders were in place, but he looked paler than she'd ever seen him before.He took a long, trembling deep breath, and slowly stretched his body.

Draco wanted to say something, wanted to tell a lie, but he was sure that if he did, it would be a little bit of pain.

"Look! The Snitch!" Ginny shrieked suddenly, sounding like Ron's little fool owl when he delivered his breakfast mail.

The sneaky little thing was hovering above their heads, spinning back and forth, as if listening.When it realized it had been spotted, it flew upwards at a speed reminiscent of the speed at which Granger raised his hand in answer to a question in Charms.

"Damn it!" Draco yelled, too exhausted to come up with any good ideas.The pain in his shoulder, like a bright white light blinding his vision, was just beginning to ease.If he tried the movement, his left arm seemed to fall out again, but he knew he had to.

"Grab it!" Ginny screamed at him, Ginny's eyes blazing impersonally with Quidditch fanaticism: "Grab it, Malfoy!"

Draco didn't have to turn to know that Tanner heard Ginny's yell, and flew towards them like a Muggle firecracker on full throttle.The booing of everyone at Hogwarts and the residents of Hogsmeade seemed to set his ass on fire.

The score was deadlocked, and if Draco caught the Snitch now, the victory would be Hogwarts'.

He did it, and Hogwarts won.

Being a Hogwarts Prefect is very rewarding, and if you happen to be a Weasley Prefect, it will earn you the immortal praise of Molly Weasley and an extra candy at Christmas.Good prefects are always alert and grateful for their privilege, and always careful to use their entitlement only for good.

On the other hand, the not-so-good prefects—in fact, there were only two—were paradoxical, more than mere corruption.Hermione and Blaise worked closely together, and the fact that they barely had a fight set an example (or precedent) for the students.

As an example of an affordable perk, the fact that Prefects are usually exempt from those pesky curfews, bedtimes and prohibitions.Prefects can let themselves disappear for a long time without anyone asking where they are, why they disappeared, or how.

Dumbledore had allowed his prefects considerable autonomy, a risky move, but the war had matured students, and the decision was a constraint when someone took advantage of it to break the rules.

Prefects are also occasionally rewarded with a haven of rest, such as the prefect bathroom, which is one such place.

Floor-to-ceiling white marble, every drop and splash recalls a delightful sound, like bathing in a private cave.The round dome of the room seems to have a climate control system, so it won't be suffocatingly hot in summer, and it won't be too cold in winter.In the middle of the room was a huge bath hollowed out and sunken into the ground, easily accommodating two Quidditch teams the size of Crabbe and Goyle.When Hermione was in sixth grade, the diving board was removed because no one was using it, and a drink cabinet was replaced in its place, suspended in a corner of the bath, stacked with names or unnamed drinks suitable for teenage wizards. sugary drinks.Alcohol is strictly prohibited, and Professor McGonagall checks regularly to make sure everything in the prefect's bathroom is functioning in a reasonable and serious manner.

After the match, it was Ginny who suggested that Hermione take a bath to ease the pain.

"You look feverish," she told the Head Girl, "and your hair needs a good wash."

Thanks to Ginny and her outspokenness, Hermione thought, realizing that the visibly limp, lifeless mess in her hand was her hair.This gave her a welcome excuse to avoid the loud, crowded Quidditch celebration parties that were being held in four separate common rooms at Hogwarts Castle.

Ron was glowing, Ginny's cheeks were pink, Harry was jealous and ecstatic, and the Gryffindor lounge smelled unmistakably of boyish sweat.

Considering that her senses seemed to be continually overworked, Hermione took the opportunity to carefully walk away from her classmate, silently said sorry, then patted Ron on the shoulder beamingly, congratulating him in the end.

The prefect bathroom is calling her.

As to why the bath is so large, the reason is obvious, although this special purpose does not mean that you will have an elegant companion.Ron was often seen as an impolite companion, and on more than one occasion yelled at the inference.

"Guess there's a burnt-out guy in there?" he asked during a sixth-grade afternoon Transfiguration class.

"Have you ever been exhausted?" Seamus Finnegan asked back, raising his dark golden eyebrows.It was a sensitive question, considering Ron was a prefect himself.Hermione couldn't remember his answer, and was suddenly thankful.

There was a time when dating Ron seemed like a logical and logical thing to do, but things changed in sixth grade.Things seem to be...well, easier.

Breaking up doesn't seem to be difficult at all.But Hermione knew that even though Ron usually put on a look of indifference, in fact Ron was not easy.

When she was amused by Ron's return to being a youthful Hogwarts bachelor, she found it unrealistic when she recalled Ron's lanky, freckled form doing sensual movements.Honestly, it made her throw up.

He loved her, Hermione was sure, and always had been, but she hadn't been able to find out if Ron was in love with her.Since the fourth grade, she has been afraid to ask this question for fear that he will answer "yes" and demand some exchange.

Ginny was convinced that the difference between one-sided love and mutual love was huge.Hermione might have to provide proof of her innocence to the junior girl, since Hermione couldn't seem to admit that she felt the same way about her...

Safely secluded in her bathroom, with a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door, she knelt by the faucets that circled the tub and decided a refreshing bath was just what she wanted. Yes, the wet weather also made her need a bath.

She turned on a series of green taps and inhaled the soothing scent of evergreens from the bubbling pool water, not the surging steam.The foam was huge and tough, which was what Hermione liked.Her slender hair responded instantly to the bright, fragrant steam and began to curl.

When the water level reached the ideal level, Hermione took off the barrette that held her bangs, stripped off her sticky uniform, and entered the bath.

Three quick breaststroke strokes took her to the far end of the pool, and she decided to soak herself until sanity returned.

Hogwarts Medical Wing.

"Mr. Malfoy! Shall I tie your disobedient body to the bed to check your shoulders?" Madam Pomfrey demanded.

She's had enough of this rough, sullen boy who refuses to admit to the pain.The troublesome shoulder had always been a problem for him.Malfoy was sitting stubbornly on the edge of the infirmary bed, and he should have said something obscene in reply, but his mouth was coldly drawn into a line from the pain.He looks terrible, but is in good spirits enough to give her a defiant look.

The girl named Parkinson was there too, like a hen busy feeding her rebellious chicks.

"Madam Pomfrey, I can take care of him," she assured. "I'm just taking him back to the common room, where they're celebrating his glorious victory. You see, he has to be there."

Poppy looked at the girl disapprovingly: "Obviously he doesn't have to go anywhere, Miss Parkinson, unless I announce that he can go out." She turned to Malfoy: "At least let me give you an ointment to rub on the affected area .You can go away for an hour after taking the medicine, or you can just rest for a while."

"Then we'll rub it on," Pansy said, snatching the small jar of ointment from Madam Pomfrey.

Pomfrey gave Malfoy another careful look, still in full Quidditch attire, gloves and everything.The poor kid was probably in too much pain to take anything off.

"Come on, Draco, your classmates are waiting for you." Pansy begged, ignoring Madam Pomfrey's displeasure.Apparently Malfoy was going to that party regardless of his injury.

Pomfrey would have been chattering long ago if he hadn't considered that he would appear impolite.Slytherin pride, sometimes devastating, is almost as bad as Gryffindor's reckless courage.

"Mr. Malfoy, I'm afraid I'll have to insist on some sort of cure. If that doesn't work, I'll have to report the matter to Professor Snape."

When all else had failed, the words seemed to catch his attention, that the man who had mentioned Snape to the recalcitrant Slytherin was too wise.

"What about your suggestion?" he whispered through gritted teeth.The gaze of the blue-gray eyes was as cold as ever, but with a hint of provocation.He knew she was trying to provide herself with an outlet, and he wondered if she could make it happen.

"Go take a bath," Madam Pomfrey declared authoritatively, "If you don't want me to watch you, at least take some time to put on the ointment before taking a bath. The analgesic ingredients in the ointment work best in high temperature of."

He stared at her: "then, I have to do it."

"But Draco..." Pansy began.

"You then go to the party and tell them I'm sorry, and they'll understand," he told Pansy, in a dramatic shift, wrapped in melted cream and warm honey.With this weight off, even the pain is noticeably lessened.

Parkinson replied with a sigh: "If you really insist..."

"I insist."

Completely ignoring Madam Pomfrey, Pansy shot him a helpless look, gently put the jar of ointment into his right hand, and left.It's clear she's eager to get back to the common room and join in on the festivities in person.

"Is taking a bath really useful or are you trying to do me a favour?" Draco asked, unscrewing the cap and trying to sniff the analgesic ointment. He tilted his head and gave Madam Pomfrey a pleasant and Willful expression.

At that moment, he looked so much like his father that Poppy had to resist the urge to take a step back in panic.

"My job is to help the sick, young man," she replied, her voice cooling, his characteristic slickness not working on her: "In fact, the unique analgesic ingredient in the ointment is the most effective in the heat." Good. That's what its maker, Professor Snape, assured me."

"If Professor Snape made it, then this medicine must be the best," Malfoy commented dryly, screwing back the lid of the medicine jar: "Thank you." He stood up slowly, looking still It was as if someone had pinned down his left arm with a metal rod.

Madam Pomfrey stopped him when he reached the door, and Merlin knew why she said that.Maybe it's just because it's the last moment of his school days, and it might just be the last time she'll ever see him alone.Maybe just because she had to say it.

"You know, Draco, you don't always have to do what people expect of you."

He didn't seem surprised or angry at this, just listened obediently: "If I do anything else, Madam Pomfrey, I think the world will go off the rails."

Draco headed to a place he knew would give him enough privacy to sink into a somber mood - the prefect's bathroom.

Avoiding the common room meant avoiding the benign slaps on the back, the hugs, the handshakes, the toasts and the sly stares of girls too young to even consider that they hadn't Up for grabs.

The pain in the shoulder is slowly decreasing, but the affected area is spreading.He felt that every step forward, every step up, every beat of the heart, would rush a stream of fresh blood to the injured place like a blood pump.

By the time he got to the fifth floor and approached the statue of Boris the Stupid, he had nothing to do but lie down in a hot bath, close his eyes, and plot a brutal revenge on the idiot Donald Bligh.

"Password?" Boris muttered, his huge hand still hard after three centuries, blocking the way of people coming and going.

"No password, you crazy old bastard, get the hell out of here."

"Wait, you can't go in," Boris told him.

"Why the hell?"

"Because there are already people inside."

Yes, there's a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the doorknob.And behind the door, Draco could vaguely distinguish the sound of water flow.

Oh please, Draco leaned his forehead against the door and closed his eyes.This damn room is taken?Who on earth must come to take a bath at this time? !Every normal student is now immersed in the joy of victory with his classmates.Draco was about to slowly leave the door when something stopped him.

His frustration was like a castle of sand, washed away by the ensuing waves.He found his cheek and palm pressed lightly against the door, and he didn't know how they got there.

"Granger," he said softly, as the realization that she was right behind the door swept over him, the exact opposite of a chill.In this wonderful moment, the pain in the shoulder is forgotten.

Wow, what a powerful spell, FidaMia.

There she is, alone.He was right across the door from her, and better yet, everyone else was somewhere else.

The road ahead led to trouble, and Draco's rationality reminded him that it might not even be just a trouble.Better get back to the cellar quickly, Pencey or someone must have left cold butterbeer for you.

I don't want butterbeer, the evil voice in his head retorted, I want the company of the girl who made me forget the pain.

When this idea came up, the rational part was put to the test like a rabbit in a vegetable patch.

Well, if you want to put it that way...

"Scrooge," Draco whispered, and the door opened after receiving the passphrase.Draco was going to use up his month's quota of evil.

Yes, it's nice to be a prefect.

The author has something to say:

Draco wants Hermione to be company, the word company is used here, back to the chapter where Dumbledore used the prefect bathroom as a benefit, company also appeared.That is to say, the principal's office tacitly allowed the prefects to take a "common duck bath" in it, and Ron obviously didn't enjoy it with Hermione, so he talked loudly with Finnegan for the sake of face.