Weapon

22/03/2013

Thank you to everyone who reviewed.

Sailor Sol, I may just take you up on that offer :) Bella will have some rather large surprises coming her way, eventually.

Ch3rry, Thank you for the review. I hope I wasn’t too slow this time.

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Weapon LXXXVIII Quidditch: Draco versus Harry

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In the Slytherin dressing rooms, Draco sat alone as he pulled on his boots. The team didn't like him, but he was still the best Seeker in Slytherin and no matter what they thought, they were competitive enough that they wanted to win. That meant going with the best, so he was still on the team. And they mostly opted to ignore him when they weren't on the field. It was a slap in the face but with everything else that had happened, it suited him fine.

In the days since he broke that Gryffindork's charm, Draco had been trying to contact the vampires to tell them that he knew what they knew. But they were conspicuous with their absence where before Halloween they had been conspicuous with their presence. The difference was frustrating. He consoled himself with the thought that once they were working together, things should move much more quickly. And they would be at this game. The chance to openly watch the supposed Light Golden Boy would be too much for them to pass up. Especially with the knowledge they shared.

There had to be a way to trip the Gryffindork up. But in the two weeks since he'd freed his memories and could act on the truth, while Draco had watched Potter closely, the boy had not put so much as a hair out of place. It made no sense. No one was that good an actor! Were they?

Yet Potter had to be. Draco had seen the evidence of that himself. He paused, running one hand through his hair before he picked up a green Slytherin cap. It would not do for him not to see the Snitch because of his wayward hair. Once dressed Draco sat for a few moments, his grey eyes half closed as he considered what he needed to do. So… Potter was that good an actor. The Phoenix and therefore the Order and Ministry were completely fooled. They had no idea of the snake they had taken to their bosom. If the Malfoy's were still loyal to the Serpent Lord, Draco would have appreciated the sheer Slytherinness of the plan… Probably… Maybe… Argh! Since it involved Potter he didn't know. But right at the moment while he didn't like the thought of helping the Light he had no choice. If the Serpent Lord won, then there would be nothing left to fight which meant he had to somehow expose their precious saviour.

How?

That was the question.

With a huff Draco stood. He most likely couldn't do it today. Quidditch was quidditch and the war didn't enter into it. But he could use the game to test the Gryffindork. Ever since they'd duelled in second year he had wanted to truly know who was the strongest, who was the best. Thanks to his Mother he had enough skill and power to fight without alerting those watching the game. Potter was hailed as the Golden Boy, he should have at least that much skill and Draco would test it today. Once he knew the Gryffindor's power and more importantly his weaknesses, then he could prepare a proper plan to expose the traitor.

And that would be a very happy day!

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"I want a good clean game!" Madam Hooch shouted up at the two teams that hovered in the air, the two captains were hovering lower on either side of her. They had shaken hands earlier and Rolanda had not missed the way they had tested each other. Boy's would be boys no matter what happened, yet there was somewhat of a grim cast to her smile when she released the bludgers and snitch a moment before she threw the quaffle into the air.

There was the usual mad scramble before one of the chasers flew off with the quaffle and the others were left to follow. While Harry usually liked to be in the thick of it, for this game he had risen high above the scrum and was flitting back and forth as he searched for the snitch. Syltherin's Seeker had done the same and Madam Hooch turned her attention away from them. The shenanigans of the main team gave her more than enough to focus on.

She really should have taken the time to recall the history between the two Seekers. Publically, there was nothing but the entire Hogwart's community knew the animosity between them.

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Harry flew above the game. In the past he'd liked to speed through the play to help out the Gryffindor chasers but his new team weren't ready for that. Oh, they were getting there. The practices he'd put them though, in any weather was ensuring that but while they played well there was still a rawness in the way they flew that was detectable to the experienced eye. They needed more practice and he would make sure they got that practice.

Draco was flying with him but he didn't think that was unusual. The Slytherin had been following him for the last two weeks and there was really only one reason that would be. The boy had broken his charm but then he'd found out exactly how trapped he was in the existing situations. Draco was easy to predict. He wanted power. And he wanted to be the focus on that power. Harry almost grinned. Too easy. His linearity was almost refreshing in the face of the Order, the vampires and everything else that was going on.

Still Harry kept an eye on him. The boy was likely to do something stupid and Harry didn't seen some fool stunt to leave him having to make up yet more excuses.

It was not surprising then when Harry felt a charm in the air. Deftly he dodged, making the flick of his broom look random. He didn't even look up towards the blond. So this was the game Draco wanted to play? Wordless magic with all visual effects suppressed? It showed skill beyond what he thought Draco was capable of but it was hardly original and two could play that game. The blond had his wand strapped to his arm. Harry had his, but it was tucked into the small of his back. He didn't really need it and used it now mostly for fiddly, delicate work but it was close enough for him to use.

Most wizards and witches worked out sometime during their life that precise wand movements were not necessary. Especially on charms they used every day. Magic really relied on will, intent and focus. So long as those three elements were present, it would work. That's why wandless magic as children worked. It was usually unconsciously directed, but that didn't make the will or the focus any the less. Take one of his examples of wandless magic, when he'd let the snake out at the zoo. His intent had not been precisely to let the snake out, but the will and the focus were still there and there was enough of an intent that his magic had reacted. When you focused that and had the strength, greater things were possible. Draco had no doubt picked that up over the summer.

Still looking around for the Snitch, Harry smiled. What else had Draco learned over the summer? And was it him who had killed Xir? The assumption that both the Dark Lord and Harry had made was that it had been Narcissa… but what if it was Draco? Harry kept the frown from his face as he internalised the debate, pushing it down into his subconscious. Did it matter? Xir was dead.

Harry kept dodging as Draco cast further spells. He cast one eye up to the Slytherin with a small smile. It let Draco know that Harry knew what he was doing. The angry glint that flashed through grey eyes made it all worth it and Harry resisted the urge to laugh.

He could play this game, but he had to be careful with the Phoenix watching. It wouldn't be that unusual for him to take the challenge offered by Draco and while he had all the Dark Lord's ability at spell casting, Fawkes would get suspicious if he was too causal in using that knowledge. So dodging was the best alternative. Besides, it would play into the idea that he did not take Draco seriously and that they were just boys playing. That was a stupid notion. They had ceased being boys years back and it was time the Phoenix and Headmaster realised that.

:Don't do anything stupid,: the Shadow's warned suddenly and Harry took that to mean that the Phoenix was paying attention.

:Never,: he replied, keeping his voice light and happy. Draco cast another few charms which Harry adroitly dodged before he sent his broom into a dive. The blond boy cried out and followed. Regardless of what else was happening, they were playing a Quidditch game and catching the snitch was their job. Draco couldn't see the snitch but the way Harry was moving, he assumed the other boy did.

Down Harry plunged, gaining speed each second and he resisted the urge to laugh in sheer joy. He could fly himself, but there was something about riding his broom. It was the transient feel of freedom that he loved and he embraced it with all his heart. He felt the Phoenix respond. The feeling of joy was shared by the Phoenix and for a moment their hearts connected. Harry felt … Harry felt the same way as he had in the Chamber of Secrets, peaceful and courageous all at once. It was beautifully calming and inwardly he smiled at Fawkes. There was no use in denying what he felt.

He'd learned to live in the present. He'd spent too much of his childhood living in the future, imagining a time when he could get away. Even in his early years at Hogwarts, he'd spent too much time either thinking back to the past or again imagining what could be. It had taken a great deal of pain for him to learn to live in the present and to enjoy the simple things that life offered. Near freefall on a broom was just one of the things he could enjoy now.

Draco followed close behind him, but Harry was the better flier. Still he slowed down a little, allowing Draco to follow him closely. He needed the blond Slytherin to be right on his tail for this to work. Harry grinned when they flashed through the play, scattering both team's chasers in their wild descent.

When Harry automatically jinxed out the way of another hex he realised that Draco had put the game second to fighting him. It brought a chill little smile to his face even as he plummeted to the ground and the little jinx brought Draco enough time to catch up. His pale grey eyes were alight with fierce joy and Harry suppressed a chuckle as he realised the blond thought that flying parallel meant that he couldn't miss on his spells.

Time to teach a Slytherin what it meant to be a seeker.

Without warning Harry jerked his broom up in an almost perfect ninety degree turn. Draco wasn't so lucky and there wasn't even time for a startled cry before he ploughed into the ground. The spray of dirt was impressive. Hogwarts deliberately kept the Quidditch pitch turf rather soft, even in winter when the ground should freeze, simply for these occasions.

"By Merlin! That was a perfect Wronski Feint by Gryffindor's Seeker, Harry Potter!" Harry dimly heard the commentary over the screams of excitement from the gathered students as he pulled his broom up, shouting his own instructions to his team as he resumed his place above the play. There was a smug little grin on his face as he kept one eye on Draco even while he continued to search for the snitch. "You won't see that executed so well very often, even in professional Quidditch!" The commentator was gushing, completely oblivious to the fact that it was possible that Draco had injured himself quite severely.

The pale blond Slytherin wasn't injured but he'd definitely knocked himself around. Harry watched as he slowly rose from the middle of the rather impressive spray of dirt. Draco was covered in it and his green and silver Slytherin uniform looked blotchy. There were places that were completely covered in mud and there were others where his uniform looked like some spotted birds egg. There was a bit of pain in his movements, but to Harry's expert eye he could see no broken bones. After brushing himself off which consisted of mostly smearing the mud further over his robes, Draco reached again for his broom and Harry couldn't hold back a chuckle as the other boy realised it was stuck. The handle was wedged into the ground making the entire thing stand up and it was quivering as the magic reacted.

Merlin that was funny! And Harry wasn't the only one to think so if the gathering swell of tittering coming from the audience was anything to go by. Winter games of Quidditch usually attracted only the most hard core of the school's Quidditch fans, but a game between Gryffindor and Slytherin was always an event so was always well attended, so most of the school was watching as Draco ineffectually pulled at his broom, trying to work it free. Those who weren't watching, would know by tea-time. No doubt the grey eyed boy could hear the laughter as well and Harry could only imagine the roiling angry thoughts that the Slytherin was probably entertaining.

Good! It would make the prat amenable to his suggestion. Below, the play of the chasers and beaters continued and while Harry couldn't make out the words, he could tell that the Slytherin team was more than a little frustrated. Not with him, which was something of a miracle, but with their Seeker and Harry shivered involuntarily. The black haired boy knew how to react to bullying, he'd had much more practice than anyone should, though he rather imagined the next few weeks were going to be very difficult for Draco. Somehow, he didn't feel much sympathy.

Eventually, Draco worked his broom free. After all the ground was relatively soft and while there was still a bit of pain in the way he moved, the blond flew again, coming to a halt near where Harry still hovered.

"Have fun, Malfoy?" Harry asked with a sly smirk.

"Piss off Potter."

Oh, Draco really was worked up and Harry allowed a tiny cackle to slip past his lips. The snarl that greeted it was a bit of a surprise. Imagine that, Draco Malfoy, the perfect scion of the House of Malfoy, snarling in such an unrefined way. Why, the noise was almost animalistic!

"Look, Malfoy," Harry said, his voice serious and both green eyes speared into grey. "We're playing Quidditch here, not silent duels. If you want to duel me, that's fine, I'll duel you, if you actually show up this time."

Grey eyes widened in surprise and Harry took that as a signal to continue.

"Midnight, here," he gestured towards the Quidditch Pitch. "Plenty of space for us to really cut loose with charms so that you can't complain it wasn't fair territory. No seconds, no thirds, no one else. Just you and me Draco," he drawled the boy's name, "if you have the guts." Harry couldn't resist adding that last little jab.

There was a few moments of silence before the blond snarled again and this time Harry recognised words. "You're on." Draco barely got the words out before he turned away, moving forcefully to the other side of the Quidditch pitch to start his duties as Seeker.

Harry giggled to himself. Oh, this could be fun! And the best thing was, he could pass it off as youthful exuberance! Though he did intend to leave Draco bleeding on the ground it could be enlightening to see the extent of the boy's power. Heh, Xeoaph should thank him for this actually since no doubt the blond had been studiously avoiding the vampire to avoid the transference of what was no doubt a rather hefty debt left by his father. Broken and bleeding was not dead, and the debt could still be paid.

He turned his attention back to the game, watching as the chasers and beaters worked together. The scores were about even which Harry was thankful for. The Gryffindor team had seemed to take heart at his antics and were playing harder and faster than he'd seen them play before. Even Ron at the goal somehow looked more alert. In contrast the Slytherin team almost looked dull. Granted, the green and silver of their uniforms blended with the landscape more, the green merging with the grass and trees around and the silver with the overcast sky but they could at least be a bit more perky about playing. It's not like they liked Draco any more than he did, especially if Millicent's reports were to be believed.

Oh well… Harry didn't have to understand them to beat them. Nor did his team. They weren't quite up to the rate of scoring he'd like, though that could be because the Slytherin keeper actually seemed to be doing a decent job but they were working on it. Besides, he wouldn't say no to a three to two scoring ratio, especially when goals were rather hard to come by as evidenced by the score. After an hour of play 70:50, Gryffindor favour was not a great score-line. Maybe he should haze the Slytherin Keeper?

Black tresses shook denial after a moment. There was no real point and the game was going okay, especially when Ginny did an odd little broom flick and managed to pitch the quaffle under the Slytherin Keepers arm, straight through the centre goal. The scoring ding of magic sounded out on the pitch and Harry grinned. He did so love that sound. Green eyes met Ginny's blue, just for a moment in celebration and in that gaze he sent his congratulations to her, not missing the way Ginny blushed lightly at his attention. It was sweet and cute and everything an adolescent teen should be. In the depths of his mind, it made him feel sick. He didn't need cute and sweet, he wanted mature and understanding. He had mature and understanding and Ginny was a pale second.

The phoenix felt none of that. All Fawkes saw was a tender moment between young lovers and even though Harry would gag over this later, he intended to enhance that perception, going all out now that his relationship with the young Weasley girl was in the open. Or however one of the papers had said so quaintly.

Harry snorted to himself, focusing on trying to find the snitch, though he did spare a moment to examine the team. The Gryffindor beaters were keeping the bludgers away from the team admirably. Ron was doing a pretty good job as Keeper, though he had room to improve. The Chasers were working together reasonably well but they weren't quite a team. There was still some individual glory seeking there that they would have to lose in order to really be competitive. After another hour of flitting back and forth, Harry had had enough of the game. It had only been two and a half hours but it was long enough. He could almost sense time passing and the things he needed to be organising. It was time to end this and while he could have the Shadow's find the Snitch, that was hardly sporting. Instead he sharpened his senses, sweeping his eyes over the field, methodically quartering it as he searched for the snitch.

Draco was doing something similar. Every Seeker had their own methods for tracking down the snitch but no matter what method you used, it was partially a matter of luck. When the end of the game came, it was rather anticlimactic. Harry spotted the snitch and swooped in to retrieve it. The small golden ball almost seemed happy to be caught because it didn't dodge or weave to avoid capture as much as it usually did. As the chime to signal the capture of the Snitch sounded, Harry looked back up at Draco, only to find that the Slytherin had been focusing his attention, almost completely, on another area of the field. The blond wasn't even aware that Harry had found the Snitch and between the grin he gave the other boy, Harry mouthed 'Tonight' and was rewarded with an icy glare accompanied by the merest nod of Draco's head.

His appointment confirmed, Harry grinned, holding the Snitch aloft and swooping down to meet the jubilant cries of the rest of the team. All Quidditch victories were celebrated but a victory against Slytherin was always accompanied by an extra jubilant party from Gryffindor. Their traditional rivalry demanded no less. But Harry wasn't quite ready to accept their midair embraces but rather that pull away he showed them why he was the Seeker, dodging through them all until his broom was side by side with Ginny. Then his team miraculously understood and backed away a little.

With a flourish Harry presented the snitch to Ginny, allowing his green eyes to shine and a soft smile to crease his features. The Gryffindor team cooed, a sentiment that was taken up by the gathered students and Ginny blushed as red as her hair, but she accepted the snitch, returning his gentle smile with her blue eyes alight.

Fawkes fled from his mind which Harry took as a sign of everything that was wrong with the Phoenix. This was a scene the bird should be looking upon with an expression akin to those of the adult witches and wizards that were here. That look of indulgent understanding, because they'd seen it all before, but were touched by the display of innocent young love every time. That's what the phoenix should have felt, and if the bird had of been feeling that, then Harry would be having a much harder time steeling his heart for what he would do.

"Thank you, Harry!" Ginny finally managed to whisper and Harry allowed his smile to turn into a rare grin.

"You're welcome," he replied, leaning over, heedless of the empty space beneath them to place a chaste kiss on her forehead. If anything Ginny blushed harder and he pulled back with a little chuckle. She matched her uniform now. If he'd been in the situation, rather than it's orchestrator he'd been blushing for all he was worth as well, but perhaps being the centre of attention for all his wizarding life had desensitised him a bit.

"Urgh, break it up," the denouncement didn't come from Draco but the sentiment could have and the Gryffindor team parted to see the Slytherin Captain hovering at a short distance from them.

Harry didn't know them. They were a seventh year but it didn't matter. Most likely the instant they graduated, the Dark Lord would be testing the boy for a position. That was going to be an interesting time. The green-eyed Gryffindor Captain though nodded, affably, not showing offence which was pretty much what he thought they expected as he nudged his broom through the gathered team to where the Slytherin Captain hovered. He stuck out his hand. Hogwart's tradition required that the two captains shake on the result of the game. It was based on some nonsense of sportsmanship and school harmony, though Harry privately thought the tradition had most likely come about in a time when Slytherin were winning and was the result of their desire to rub it in. Oh how the tables turned.

There was the merest touch on his palm before the Slytherin Captain sent one final glare at him and veered away, landing and quickly packing up. Which was what the Gryffindor team should be doing. They had celebrations in the tower to enjoy.

Harry grinned. With the Twin's gone, enough Gryffindors had stepped up to the void left by the two Weasleys and for all celebrations there was more than an ample supply of butterbeer and other goodies! It made celebrations in the tower something to enjoy and he looked forward to it as he let his broom drop to land with a light touch down.

"What was the final score anyway?" He asked when he landed. He genuinely hadn't been paying that much attention.

"Three twenty to one thirty," came the drawling smug reply to his question from a variety of voices. Harry couldn't tell who answered because there were too many smirking faces around him. That was a good score line for a team that was new. Imperceptibly Harry frowned. That meant in the second part of the game Slytherin had gotten better while Gryffindor got worse! He'd have to work on that, because a victory made impressive by him catching the snitch was not much of a victory at all.

But that was tomorrow's task, along with a myriad of other things. For now, he could and was expected to indulge in a bit of celebration.

"Miss Weasley, Mr. Weasley," the voice belonged to Professor McGonagall and Harry wasn't the only one confused. Usually she appeared early in the celebrations in the tower to congratulate them and then left, knowing full well that what she didn't see, she couldn't punish for. This was highly unusual. "Your presence is required in the Headmaster's office." There was a chill little note in her voice that caught the gathered crowd's attention.

Harry looked at the feline animagus sharply. She looked as she usually did, straight laced and proper. There was something going on, however she was experienced enough to hide it. But Harry had more sources of information than they had eyes. :What happened?:

:There was an attack.:

Strangely the Shadows seemed almost reluctant to speak.

:I gathered that,: Harry retorted as he watched Ron and Ginny separate themselves from the gathered Gryffindors and head up to the castle in a fast trot. Minerva had looked around but wouldn't meet his eyes, before she turned to follow them. That only made the growing sense of worry greater.

:On the Burrow.:

Harry gasped sharply at that. :Who?: He demanded. He knew who attacked, maybe not exactly but it didn't matter which Death Eater it was, it mattered now who had been home.

:Molly.:

And just like that, it all came crashing down.

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