Dark Fire

Chapter 7- The World Cup

The Malfoy’s sat together high in the middle of the Chudley Canon’s quidditch field for the best viewing. Draco always reserved an entire box for his family as Hermione frequently came and watched his games,cheering him on. Hermione was in a somber mood this day though because her husband had come to bed late in the night and then gotten up early to practice. She hadn’t spoken to him since the great feast the night before and this greatly bothered her. The Potter’s had not yet arrived for the big game so Hermione decided she would go into the locker room to wish Draco good luck before the game.

“I’m coming with you Mum. Maybe I can pick up some tips for my own big game against Gryffindor next week.” Scorpius played Seeker for the Slytherin house team and was quite good. He had been playing that position since his first year and both Draco and Hermione were extremely proud of his talent.

Just then Harry, Ginny and Lily arrived. Hermione hugged Ginny and Harry and then smiled at Lily who looked slightly embarrassed. This had been the first time they had all been together since the whole kissing event that had tested the two family’s friendships that fateful night last week.

“Well you go ahead, I’ll stay here Mum, somebody has to watch out for Isis.” Scorpius said as he stared at Lily who smiled from ear to ear when she saw Scorpius.

“I can take care of myself thanks,” Isis said rudely to her brother.

Hermione looked at Ginny who had a face that told her Harry was not be tested today.

“Come on Scorpius let’s go.” Hermione tugged at the back of his shirt and Scorpius reluctantly stood up and followed her.

“Draco, hey!” Hermione found her husband lacing up his shoes for the big match. He looked genuinely happy to see her and greeted her with a big hug.

“Hey Hermione I’m so glad you came to wish me luck!” He nodded to Scorpius and clapped a hand on his back as he did so. Hermione was really confused now. Yesterday he acted as if she was the plague and today he was her once doting husband again. She gave him a great big kiss that seemed to last forever and Draco grabbed her arse and squeezed hard.

“Now that’s my husband.” Hermione nibbled at his chin and he growled in her ear. “I love you babe.”

“I love you too Draco,” Hermione felt like a school girl again as she kissed her husband and left for the stands once again.

“Mom I’m going to hang with Dad down here for a while.” Hermione waved at her son and left saying she would see him soon.

Scorpius loved being down with the team in the locker room. He wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps playing professional Quidditch for the Canon’s so he frequently was a fixture in the locker room and the guys all welcomed him.

“Dad let me borrow your broom next week for my game.” Scorpius sounded excited as he held Draco’s broom up to the light.

“I bought you a really good one Scorp’s why do you want mine?” Draco asked as he put his cape on finishing off his sleek Seeker look.

“Yeah but this one is lucky.” Scorpius sat on the broom as it hovered slightly off the ground.

“Nobody flies my broom Scorpius. Hand it over.” Draco said kidding around just as the announcer called the team out to the field.

“Time to go! Go back up with your Mom,” Draco slapped Scorpius’s hands for luck and then left the underground locker room with the rest of the team.

“I want to hang here for a few Dad, good luck!” Scorpius was really proud of his father; he even grew his hair like his father’s, he idolized him so much.

It was a close match between England and Ireland. The fans were in rare form shouting for and against their team of choice. Hermione had never seen the fans so enthralled with a game. The Ireland chasers would put one past the Canon’s keeper and then the English chasers would slide one past them. The score was staying very close as Draco scanned the skies over the quidditch field for the snitch. Draco saw the snitch at long last and went for it just as the Irish beater whacked a bludger at Draco nailing him hard in the hand and Draco missed his chance at the snitch. Hermione and Ginny were screaming loudly for Draco who was replaced for a few minutes by the back up Seeker.

“Dad that was crazy, I’ve never seen that kind of action out there. That bludger looked wicked cool the way it went around their own seeker and then into you! How did he do that?” Scorpius was speaking very quickly to Draco who had come into the locker room to tape his hand up before going back and joining the game.

“Fuck! That really hurt, shit!” Draco bellowed as he set his own wrist rather then waiting for the medic. He was taping it back up as Scorpius watched, slightly appalled at how his father had just set his own broken hand.

“Dad, god, that must really hurt. I’m sorry I said it looked cool.” Scorpius now seemed genuinely worried about Draco who had a roll of magic mending tape in his mouth as he bit off pieces and attached it to his broken hand. Just then they heard the announcer say that the Canon’s Seeker had been knocked from his broom and lay in the field not moving.

“I have to go back now Scorpius. Tell your Mom I’m alright, I know she is probably frantic in the stands right now after seeing that bludger.” Draco got on his broom to leave and suddenly his body stopped and went very still and smoke began to rise from around his body as Scorpius watched in horror. The smoke cleared and Draco was gone. Scorpius stood looking at Draco’s broom and it dawned on him his Dad was not in the stadium, his father was gone, into the thin air.

Where is this place?

I know I’ve been here before

Draco had landed hard in the dirt. He stood up and looked around. Something moved behind him and he turned on his heels, and then something moved in front of him. Then something hit him in the head from behind and Draco collapsed into the darkness.

“Malfoy! Burns is out like a light in the middle of the field we need you out there now!” The coach was yelling at Scorpius to get out on the field.

“Draco? Now man! The hand will have to do for now.” The coach again called. He thought Scorpius was Draco.

Scorpius read the score board and it said one hundred ten to ninety Ireland was in the lead. They were going to lose if Draco didn’t get out there and catch the snitch but his dad was gone. Scorpius was scared. He didn’t know what had happened to his father and he needed to tell his mother. There was no time. He would take his father’s broom and ride up to the stands where Hermione sat and tell her what had happened. Scorpius hopped on Draco’s broom and took off out the locker room doors.

“Mum! Mum? Something bad has happened to Dad.” Isis had turned white as a sheet.

“I know honey but this sort of thing happens all the time he will be alright. I hope he’s alright.” Hermione was worried her self. She had seen the bludger catch him in the hand and she figured his hand was broken pretty badly. Hermione’s eyes were peeled for her husband,hoping to catch a glimpse of him. Hermione started to stand up to go down to the locker room when something else happened.

“Hermione, Isis it’s alright. This sort of injury happens all the time in quidditch.” Harry consoled them remembering his own experience with a rogue bludger and the damage it had done to his entire arm.

“No, look honey there’s Daddy he’s alright see!” Hermione pointed to Draco riding his broom fast across the field. He seemed to be coming towards their box.

“Malfoy is back in the game. The Canon’s still have a chance!” the announcer shouted excitedly over the microphone as the crowd started cheering “three peat, three peat!” Scorpius became immediately aware that everyone in the stadium thought he was his father. He knew immediately because a bludger came streaming past his face nearly knocking into his head.

“Shit, Dad what did you get me into?!” Scorpius flew out of the way and then again as the Irish beaters had honed in on him with furious effort to knock his body from his broom like the back up seeker. Scorpius flew to the box where his family sat.

“Mum something happened to Dad! He disappeared in front of my eyes in a cloud of smoke while he was taping up his hand.” Scorpius yelled to his shocked mother below.

“Watch out honey!” Hermione screamed as one of the Irish chaser’s ran smack into Scorpius with such force it spun him in circles on his broom. The Canon’s chaser banged into the Irish Chaser and stole the quaffle from his hands as Scorpius sat on his broom stunned at how fast this game was moving compared to the games he was used to at Hogwart’s.

“Hermione he can’t play with these guys he’s going to be killed, we have to get the minister to stop the game!” Harry and Ginny and even Lily looked terrified for Scorpius.

“Yes, Harry quick let’s go!” Hermione knocked into people’s bodies as she climbed down the stairs in the stadium stopping every few seconds to watch her son in the air being nearly pummeled to death in the quidditch World Cup. Harry was screaming at people to get out of their way as Hermione stepped on people not caring at all any more.

“That’s my son up there! You, yes you I am going to avada your arse after this game, do you hear me!” Hermione was screaming at the Irish beater who had smacked one so close to Scorpius that it would have killed him had it made its mark, her son’s head!

They could see the Minister of Magic laughing and enjoying himself in the Minister’s box. They were almost there. Suddenly the Canon’s crowd went wild and Harry and Hermione turned to see Scorpius hard on the heels of the Irish Seeker, the snitch right in front of the Irish Seeker.

“Oh God Harry I can’t look!” Hermione closed her eyes as Scorpius slammed into theIirish Seeker so hard the Irish Seeker lost his wood completely and sailed through the air. Scorpius reached out and snatched the snitch from the air and then crashed smack into the side of one of the Irish fans boxes.

“Hermione you are not going to believe this!” Harry was cheering wildly now for the Chudley Canon’s. Hermione removed her hands from her eyes.

“What happened Harry is Scorpius alright?” Hermione was frantic with worry.

“Look Hermione.” Harry pointed into the air above the stadium to see Scorpius flying with his hands held in the air holding the snitch just like he’d seen his Dad do thousands of times.

Hermione raced back to Isis and Scorpius landed in front of Hermione.

“You could have been killed Scorpius , never do that again!” Hermione said as she hugged and kissed her son. Isis was even hugging him and Scorpius hugging her back. Scorpius walked over to Lily Potter and Lily leaned up and kissed Scorpius on the lips quickly and as she blushed. Scorpius smiled and hugged her in his arms awkwardly.

“I think just this once it’s alright Harry. It’s not everyday a fourteen year old catches the game winning snitch at the World Cup." Harry growled but smiled on.

“Where are you Draco?” Hermine stood alone in the breeze at the top of the stadium gazing out into the night, the crowd chanting Malfoy all around her. Why did she feel so alone in a stadium of thousands?

“Where are you baby, come back to me.” Hermione’s face was wet with tears and she felt totally helpless. Isis had joined her and she too looked terribly worried.

“I know where he is Mum.” Isis said.

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