Sixth Year in the Life of Draco

Ella woke up early on the day of the match. Saying she was nervous would be an understatement. She glanced at the clock on the wall. The match started at ten and it was eight right now. She had an hour until she needed to be down at the field.

Dressing quietly, she tried not to wake Pansy and her other lovely room mates. They needed all the beauty sleep they could get. Ella dug under her bed and pulled out her new Slytherin Quidditch robes. She sighed as she flung them over her shoulder. She grabbed her broom and headed down to the Great Hall to try and force-feed herself some breakfast.

The Great Hall was already full of activity. Ella could hear snippets of conversation and all of them were related to the upcoming match. She tried to block them out and stay focused like she used to do. She wished Viktor was here... or Jack. They always seemed to know what to say to make her feel better...

~*~*~*~*~

"Yeah, Ella. They just think you have to have a flat chest to play Quidditch. It cuts down on your wind resistance or something," said Viktor, straining his brain to come up with something. Poor Ella was only in her third year and playing with much older kids. He could read the anxiety on her face.

"But they're so good! What if I totally screw up and just drop the Quaffle or I can't remember the flight sequence and mess up the entire play?" she said. Jack grabbed her hand.

"Ella, if you get nervous, look for me. I know my devilish good looks will make you weak in the knees, but just remember that I'm here for you," he said. Ella smiled. Jack's self-centeredness was enough to make any girl smile.

~*~*~*~*~

That seemed like it had been a lifetime ago. She didn't have any friends like that at Hogwarts yet. Well, Draco was her boyfriend, so he didn't count. Megan was off in the library studying with some other Ravenclaws, and Crabbe and Goyle weren't her friends... they were more like her bodyguards. So, that left Glen.

Ella scanned the Hall, looking for him at the tables. When she didn't see him, she grabbed some toast and sniffed it. She grimaced at it and took a tiny bite. She needed to eat something before the match.

As she walked from the room, a few people yelled good luck and she half-heartedly told them thank you. Right now, she needed to find Glen and talk with him about today. She still wasn't sure if Draco was going to be able to go to the match and knowing Glen, he had already talked to him.

She started her search on the front lawn. There were a few younger students, but she saw no sign of Glen. Mounting her broom, she began floating above the ground, letting her boots drag along the top of the grass. There was heavy moisture in the air and she could feel it on her face. The wind wasn't blowing and the sky was overcast. It seemed like it would rain for sure. She had almost made it to the Quidditch pitch when she spotted him.

He was jogging along in nothing but shorty-shorts. Ella stopped immediately on her broom and stared at him. What he was doing, she had no idea, but she found the scenario extremely amusing. She reminded herself to make a mental image of him for future reference. When she laughed, he finally spotted her and stopped dead in his tracks.

"Ella? What are you doing down here so early?" he asked, quickly putting his shirt back on.

"Well, I was looking for you, but I can see that you are busy... if you don't mind me asking, what the hell are you doing?"

Glen bent over his pile of clothes and began pulling on his uniform and pads. She could see a pink flush rise to his cheeks from embarrassment. He tried to mess up his hair as he prepared his answer. It didn't work. It just fell perfectly back into place.

"I read in one of my magazines that the Russian team used to run naked before every game. They were national champions once, so I thought I'd give it a try. It's stupid, I know..." he said, casting his eyes downward. Ella smiled, knowingly.

"Glen, I understand where you're coming from. I used to do some pretty silly things before major matches, too, but let's not get into that," she said with a smile. "I'd hurry up and get dressed if I were you. The rest of the team should be here in ten minutes," she said. Glen pulled on the rest of his clothes and plopped down in the grass. Ella did the same.

"Do you know if Draco is going to be here?" she asked finally. Glen sighed.

"I went to see him this morning. The nurse said she doesn't want him walking around until the sores on his legs heal. He was furious, I'll have you know. He was screaming at poor Madame Pomfrey, threatening to contact his father, and all kinds of nasty things like that," he said. Ella felt sorry for that poor nurse.

"Well, he's here in spirit," she said. Glen laughed and nodded his head in agreement. Just then, the other five members of the team could be seen walking down the lawn towards Glen and Ella. Leading the way was the replacement Chaser, Theodore Nott, who was flanked by Crabbe and Goyle. Ella wasn't too fond of him, but they had been desperate and beggars couldn't be choosers.

"What are you guys doing out here? You should be in the locker rooms. I bet Hufflepuff is already down there," Theo said to them.

"Excuse me, but we have an hour. We won't need an hour for briefing. Besides, you shouldn't be talking like that to us. You are not the captain," said Ella in retort.

"You're not the captain either. The only reason you made this team is because Draco is infatuated with you," he said. Glen stood up abruptly from his place in the grass.

"Shut your mouth, Theo. Ella has more talent in her pinky then you have in your entire body. You're here as a replacement, and only a replacement. Is that clear?" he said. Ella had never heard Glen raise his voice like that before. He was very intimidating. Theo put up his arms in surrender and walked slowly away from them. The rest of the team followed his lead. Glen held his hand out to Ella, who took it and was pulled to her feet.

"You didn't have to do that, you know. Scum like that isn't worth getting worked up about," she said. Glen just shrugged.

"He didn't have to talk to you like that and he didn't need to talk to you like that. It's just unacceptable," he said. He turned and began walking towards the locker rooms. After a few strides, he stopped and turned around. "Good luck today, Ella," he said.

Ella blushed and caught herself watching him go. She scolded herself and grabbed her broomstick. Students from the castle were already heading down to the pitch for the match. She drew in a breath and jogged into the locker room. When stepped in, she noticed that Glen was already giving the pre-game speech that Draco had prepared.

"Listen, guys, we need to win this game. This is basically a warm-up. We need to show that we mean business and aren't a force to be taken lightly. Draco believes you guys can do it and so does the rest of this school, so let's get out there and kick some badger ass!" he said. The guys erupted in applause. Ella just laughed at him. "Alright, you guys get laced up. Ella, I need to give you something," he said. The team whistled and jeered as they walked into the corner. Jokingly, Ella gave them the finger.

"Ella, Draco wanted me to give you this before the match," he said, pulling an envelope out of his uniform. Ella held it in her hands and tugged at the seal. She looked up at Glen, but he had left to go back to the team. She was left in the corner with Draco's letter. When she pulled the parchment out, she saw that there wasn't much writing, but she would most definitely savor ever word.

I couldn't be there today in person, but I am here with you. If I could be there, I would be. I'm not good at love note writing, so I won't get into that. Ella, don't be scared. Just look for the Snitch and know that I am guiding you. I know you can do this. I love you.

-Draco

She read his words a few more times as she let them sink in. It wasn't long, but it spoke to her. Ella knew he was watching what he could from his hospital bed. Smiling, she tucked his letter into her jersey and walked over to where Glen was briefing them on the game plan.

~*~*~*~*~

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another fabulous year of Hogwarts Quidditch! Today's match-up will feature Slytherin and Hufflepuff! Get ready for a showdown, folks," Draco could hear the announcer say from his bed. He had convinced the nurse to allow him to move his bed to face the window. He could see a small part of the field and he could hear the announcer. He heard the announcement that Hufflepuff had taken the field and knew the match was about to begin.

~*~*~*~*~

Ella stood nervously by Glen as they waited to be called. He had his head held high and looked almost as nervous as she was. She heard the announcer speaking into the microphone.

"Now, please put your hands together for Slytherin!" he said.

"Here we go!" yelled Glen as they flew out of the holding area to the applauding and boos of the crowd. They went through their starting flight pattern and paid special attention in scattering the Hufflepuff team. There were a few more boos from the crowd, but Slytherin was definitely cheering the loudest.

"Here we go, kids! Madame Hooch releases the bludgers, followed closely by the Golden Snitch. The Quaffle has been released, and the match has begun!"

The match started quickly and Ella had had to retrain her mind to stay away from the Quaffle. She found herself wanting to get into position for an upcoming play, but then remembered that she was supposed to be hunting for the Snitch. She didn't like this position much. It was too boring for her.

She circled the ground of the pitch for nearly twenty minutes and knew she would need to go higher, so she went to the level the Chasers were at. The Seeker from Hufflepuff was circling much higher overhead. She knew she had to be competitive, but she was taking it slow for now. Her time would come, but she knew she didn't have much time.

Even though Ella had been hoping it wouldn't rain, she could now feel little drops on her face. In a matter of seconds, it increased drastically and she could barely see ten feet in front of her. She had to end this match, or the team would be drowned soon.

~*~*~*~*~

An hour later, Draco was still sitting in his hospital bed waiting for the match to end. As far as he could tell, there had only been one sighting of the Snitch so far by Hufflepuff's Seeker. Ella was playing it safe and it was starting to effect their game. Slytherin so far was up one-hundred to fifty. Still, a quick slip by Hufflepuff and they could lose.

Draco furrowed his eyebrows. With the rain coming down as hard as it was, it was difficult to see even the outline of the pitch, let alone the players. It was even becoming harder to hear the announcer. He heard the crowd gasp and knew that something was happening. He crawled forward in his bed and pressed his forehead to the wet glass. Squinting his eyes, he tried to see the action. Then, the crowd erupted in cheers.

~*~*~*~*~

Ella was soaked to the skin and freezing cold. It was taking forever for this game to end. She had gone up over her comfort zone by quite a bit but her stomach was rejecting this idea. For around an hour, she did her best to ignore it. The rain still wasn't showing any signs of stopping.

She took a moment to take a break from flying. It had been nearly forty-five minutes since the last sighting of the Snitch. Since she wasn't allowed to carry a wand, she couldn't use a spell to block the weather. Over her shoulder, she could hear something coming at her awfully fast. When she looked over her shoulder, Ella was nearly hit by a speeding player in yellow robes. It was the Hufflepuff Seeker.

The draft he created caused Ella's broom to be shifted sideways. He was going up at a rapid speed. Without thinking about her fears, Ella's adrenaline took over. She wasn't thinking with the normal part of her brain as her broom accelerated. The world below was gone and all she could see was a glitter of gold about twenty feet ahead of her.

Her broom was a much better model than the other Seeker's, and she was a mere five feet from the Snitch... just a little farther... she just needed to stretch out her arm...

~*~*~*~*~

Ella ran through the halls of Hogwarts, soaked to the skin and frantically searched for the hospital wing. She knew that Glen was running after her, but she was so numb that it didn't seem to matter. The tears on her face were blending with the rain that still hung on her eyelashes.

"Ella Stone, for Merlin's sake! SLOW DOWN!" Glen yelled after her. She was a quick little bugger and he had almost had to fly after her as she ran off the pitch after the game. It had been so close...

Finally, Ella reached the hospital wing. Draco was waiting upright in his bed and didn't seem to be expecting it as she threw herself onto his bed and cried into his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and held her so tightly.

"Ella, you were amazing! Don't cry, Ella, please..." he said, stroking her back. He looked over her shoulder at Glen, who had just ran, panting, into the room. "Ella, it's ok... winning isn't everything."

Ella's head snapped up when she heard this. She sniffed and looked up at him with her red, swollen eyes. She smiled and held out her hand to him. He looked confused... until she opened her fist. A small, golden ball was sitting neatly in her palm. Draco's eyes got big as he looked at the Snitch. He threw his arms around her.

"I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!" he said. Ella giggled and they collapsed back on the bed. Glen even laughed. Ella kissed Draco sweetly.