The Pieces Fall Into Place

Draco's smug smirk wouldn't go away!!! Although no words were spoken, Draco's knowing, superior grin made Harry want to hex it right off of his face. He was pretty sure that Malfoy wouldn't look so arrogant once his face was covered with hair.

Harry tried to ignore it, tried to pretend nothing was wrong, but it was like a huge thorn in his side. As the day progressed, it became more and more unbearable. When Draco began humming the tune of "Weasley is our King" during their last class, Harry nearly snapped. He was so close to adding a nice black eye to Draco's face except for the fact that he had Potions and really didn't need the detention. As soon as they were released from the dungeons, Harry nearly bolted for the quidditch pitch and got out his broom even though practice had been canceled that night. Racing around at recklessly high speeds did wonders for tension. His eyes were watering, he was completely deaf at the moment and his hands were numb from the wind. Actually, his entire body was tingling with the numbing sensation that he had hoped for. Harry slowed to a more moderate pace after a half hour of neck breaking velocity, and the first thing he noticed was someone clapping.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Draco was definitely at a big emotional high. He had defeated Potter, gotten a perfect score on his Potions quiz and had the enjoyment of watching Potter squirm with the knowledge that he, Draco, was superior. Watching Harry nearly run out of Potions in an effort to get away was one of the largest jewels on Draco's crown of happiness.

Draco had hung around the Slytherin Common Room after class, decided there was nothing to do there and had gone out to the quidditch pitch to get in some practice. He had definitely not counted on seeing the blur that was Harry racing round and round the course of the field. Another opportunity, thought Draco, to rub his poncy face into the ground.

He watched with slight amusement as Harry raced around and around, finally slowing down after approximately 5 minutes. Draco leaned on his broomstick and gave Harry the just applause he deserved, and he deserved the most sinister, sarcastic, superior applause that Draco could muster.

"Training Potter? Good thing too, so that maybe next time you'll actually be some sort of competition and I won't be bored for a game."

"Sod off Malfoy. It was ONE game, not even for the House Cup. Get off your high horse you conceded git. Remember who won the Cup last year."

Draco flushed a bit red but easily retorted, "That win was definitely no thanks to you Potter. I seem to recall someone assaulting me and getting 'permanently' banished from quidditch."

"Shut up Malfoy." The thought of his "permanent" banishment from quidditch was a nightmare from Umbridge that he had wanted to completely forget.

"Ooh... I see that someone's a bit sensitive about that," Draco said to no one in particular, the smug smirk gracing his features. Harry rolled his eyes and began to turn away when Draco made a proposition.

"Well Potter since you're convinced I have no talent, let's have a bit of a competition shall we? No tricks. No games. This will prove who's the better seeker. I happen to have a snitch on me" Draco reached into his pocket and withdrew the tiny golden ball. "First to three captures."

Harry's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "How do I know you haven't jinxed the snitch?"

"You have my word as a Malfoy."

Harry scoffed and spat out "That means nothing to me. Actually, it's less than nothing."

"Fine. On my honor as a pure blood." Malfoy said with perfect seriousness. Harry weighed it out in his mind. He could play Malfoy and humiliate him for the rest of his quidditch career. But Malfoy could have jinxed the snitch. Harry knew how important Malfoy's "pure blood" status was to him. The temptation of total Malfoy humiliation was to enticing.

" You have a deal. But if you cheat, I automatically win."

"I'm insulted Potter. To think that I would cheat. I gave you my word that there would be no tricks. I have my honor and reputation at stake. Oh and by the by, the same goes for you. You cheat, I win."

"Deal." Draco and Harry traveled to the center of the pitch and faced off, each mounting his respective broomstick.

"I'll release the snitch and we will wait five minutes." Harry gave his nod of agreement to Draco, and the snitch was released.

They both looked at their watches, staring at its blank face, trying to will the second hand to tick faster. It took forever and a day for five minutes to pass. But finally, after several millennia, the hands of the clock were closing in on the five-minute mark.

The watch's second hand seemed to have stopped. It was stuck at 4 minutes and 59 seconds. Harry gripped his broom. Then with one tremendous effort, the second hand hit the five-minute mark and two blurs were off in a flash.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Harry began with his normal routine for snitch seeking. He flew up high and circled around the pitch, looking for the faint shimmer of gold that would tell him where the snitch was. His heart beat a little faster than it normally would in a game. He gripped his broom a little tighter as well. This was his reputation at stake. Reputation was the part of him that would remain long after he died. And Harry wasn't about to lose it to Malfoy.

Draco had a slightly more hands-on technique for finding the snitch. He flew lower and weaved in and out, scanning the field and stands for the golden ball. There were more than a few tense, silent moments as Harry and Draco searched for the snitch.

Then out of the blue, a golden speck appeared almost directly below Harry. This was it! The snitch had been spotted! Harry pointed his broom almost vertical and began to dive. Draco was a little slower on the uptake, being across the pitch. He too, eventually sped off towards the little golden ball that was currently speeding its way towards the ledge surrounding the field.

This was almost a repeat of Draco and Harry's first match against each other. Both were racing in the bowels of the pitch, dodging support beams and poles, although this time, Harry didn't have to worry about a rogue bludger taking his head off. He did, however, have to worry about his opponent more. Malfoy had developed into a much better seeker than he had been during their second year. And the fact that he had managed to shorten Harry's lead down to a few meters and closing proved that fact.

Harry and Draco raced after the snitch, egging their brooms to speed off as fast as possible, and blurring the line of impossibility. They swerved, rolled and darted towards the almost invisible flying blip of gold.

The snitch had apparently wizened up as well. It was shooting off and making their path all the more difficult by looping around posts and zigzagging in the oddest, most erratic directions. Harry and Draco were neck and neck their battle faces set as they tried to lie flat to their brooms to become more aerodynamic and each chanting silently to their broomsticks in the vain attempt of edging in front. The brooms were giving it their all and, short of strapping a rocket to their tails, they were carrying the seekers as fast as their wooden legs...err...twigs would go.

The snitch suddenly reared up and reentered the main field. Harry and Draco followed suit as the snitch flew up, up and away. The snitch made a beeline for the Dark Forest. It glanced through Harry's mind that a lot of flying, enchanted things tended to fly towards the forest like the Weasley's car which was still somewhere in there.

Draco and Harry continued flying towards the snitch, which kept flying deeper over the forest. The sun was beginning to set and the blinding light from the West wasn't helping the catch-the-snitch mentality. The snitch began a steady decent into the forest. Draco barely noticed that they were over the Dark Forest, only that there were more trees than usually found on the pitch. It wasn't until both Harry and Draco had been chasing the snitch and dodging trees instead of support beams that they almost realized where they were.

Harry had been in the Dark Forest before and so the sight of the trees that usually instilled a varying sense of fear amongst the students was really nothing to him. Draco might have been afraid of the forest before, but he had realized that the Dark Forest was really no different from the Haunted Forest surrounding the Malfoy Manor he had played in so often. The snitch was still buzzing away, leading deeper and deeper into the green depths.

Harry and Draco raced through the boughs, not really caring if they got scratched by the branches or whipped by the leaves. Both of them believed that catching the first snitch would spell doom for the other. Occasionally glaring at each other, they continued their mad flight after the snitch, a flight that was dragging on for quite some time. Harry was beginning to lose his patience. Draco had lost his soon after they entered the forest. All they could see was the snitch and the green and black blur of the trees. They didn't notice the shimmering light pooling in midair above a clearing. Even if they had noticed it, they wouldn't have cared.

The snitch flew directly at the glimmering light and Draco and Harry followed like a magnet; flying straight into the light. They zoomed right after it without a second thought. Or a first thought for that matter.