Why We Fight

Part 11:
The Second Mission
(Saturday, September 3, 1977 - Continued...)

"I heard you and Hermione got in a little between-class snog," Sirius murmured teasingly to Draco.

Draco nodded. "Yes," he stated, playing the sappy love-smitten teen perfectly. I am going to have someone Obliviate every memory about Granger when this is over. I can't believe I kissed her, he thought. He licked his lips; he could still taste her. She had kissed him so innocently, so passionately. None of his previous lovers had ever kissed like that. Although, she did taste good...sweet, innocent. Bloody hell, what am I thinking? This is Granger! Know-it-all, beaver-toothed Mudblood Granger!

"Congratulations, already the talk of the school on your first full day," James stated. "Although, we Hogwarts students usually take our...er...shall I say...extra-curricular sessions to the Astronomy Tower."

Draco smiled. "What can I say, Mione's irresistible," Draco said. I can't believe I just said that, he mused.

"We've thought over your second mission," James said. "Got bored in N.E.W.T.-level Transfiguration."

"Okay, what's my second mission?" Draco asked nonchalantly; glad to no longer be discussing Hermione.

"You have to make the Gryffindor Quidditch team," James said.

"That's it?" Draco asked. "What positions are available?"

"Just the Keeper," James said. "And practically every single Gryffindor from second year up is going to be trying out."

"Well, mate, you're on," Draco stated. "You might as well just add me to the roster."

Remus frowned nervously and he and Sirius exchanged a look. Draco and James became involved in their own conversation about Quidditch. "I don't like this, Sirius," the brunette hissed to his black-haired friend. "They're practically giving him acceptance."

"Don't worry, mate, there's no way in hell he'll ever pass my test," Sirius stated as he started to think over the things he could do to Draco in his test as he watched Snape and Hermione talking. A smirk crossed his lips as he realized something. "He'll have to break into the Slytherin House and steal last year's House Cup."

A slow smile curved the werewolf's lips. "With all the hexes and charms Faust has put on it, there's no bloody way," he stated.

After lunch let out, Sirius walked over to Hermione. "Hello, Hermione, Sn...ape," he said amicably.

Snape glared at Sirius. "What do you want, Black?" he scowled.

"Just wanted to talk to Hermione here," Sirius stated. "So are you going to Quidditch tryouts tonight?"

"Why would I go to the Quidditch tryouts?" she asked.

"Your boyfriend's trying out for Keeper," Sirius said.

"He's not..." she trailed off, contemplating the avenues open. If she said that Draco wasn't her boyfriend, Sirius might hit on her; if she said that Draco was her boyfriend, she'd have to put up with Draco. She winced at both prospects, her lips stinging momentarily in reminder of Draco Malfoy kissing her. "Er...I'll see what I can do if I don't have too much homework."

She and Snape walked off, separating for their different classes. Sirius arched a brow in curiosity. She'd taken an awfully long time to answer his question. He was really beginning to wonder if Draco had been lying the night before. He didn't know why the boy would lie about who he dated though.

---

After much deliberation, Hermione decided to put in a short appearance at the Gryffindor Quidditch tryouts. She'd do her homework there and then retreat to the Head common room. It was simple. She sat in the Gryffindor bleachers and piled her books in front of her and half-listened as Professor McGonagall began to list the team's players.

"Welcome to the 1977-1978 Gryffindor Quidditch tryouts," Professor McGonagall's voice came, magically amplified by Sonorous. "Our current team is Seventh Year Captain James Potter, Seeker--" a gaggle of girls sitting in the very first bleacher of the Gryffindor stands began to giggle and sigh, moving closer to the edge to get a better look at James who flew around the pitch.

"Oh, wow, Lily's so lucky! She gets to share a bathroom with James!" a girl gushed. Hermione was reminded of Lavender Brown.

"And that new Gryffindor boy! He is so dreamy!" another girl that reminded her of Padma and Parvati Patil gushed.

"Draco Aquilus," another girl sighed and Hermione made a face. "I can't believe he's dating a Slytherin!"

"What a waste! Ugh, a Slytherin stealing our Gryffindor boys! Don't you agree, Violet?" yet another of the five girls frowned.

"And she's so...blah! She's not even pretty, all that frizzy hair and she's such a know-it-all!" Violet scowled.

Hermione glared at the girls, ignored them, and concentrated on McGonagall. "Sirius Black, Beater." The girls sighed again as Sirius Black flew onto the Pitch. He winked at the girls and one fainted. His eyes fell upon Hermione and he grinned widely at her.

The girls looked behind them to see Hermione. They sent her a cold glare before turning back to look at the Pitch. "Sixth year Owen Abercrombie, Beater," McGonagall said. The girls cheered for him.

"Seventh year David Stebbins, Chaser." Stebbins got a big grin from a girl dressed in Hufflepuff colors. "Fifth year Regulus Black, Chaser." The girls oohed and aahed over Sirius's younger brother flew by. "Seventh year Remus Lupin, Chaser."

Hermione's brows knit as she examined the werewolf. How can he be a Quidditch player with his lycanthropy? she wondered. Guess they don't have games on full moons.

Hermione lost herself in her studies as the game began. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of each Keeper as he struggled vainly against the onslaught of the Quaffle tossed by Regulus, Stebbins, and Remus and each failed horribly. Hermione set her books aside and got absorbed into the game as she watched the three fly around the field. They were very daring, she observed. They did complicated maneuvers that Hermione had never seen before.

She dug her journal from her satchel and began to write down the plays for Harry as he was now the new Gryffindor captain. She charmed the x's and o's to fly around the page in the complicated formations that the three Chasers created. The last Keeper trying out was none other than Draco Malfoy. Hermione leaned forward with the giggling girls as the white-blonde took his place.

Remus gave him a glare that Hermione barely discerned. He nodded toward Regulus and Stebbins, and they nodded back. The three began to lob the Quaffle at Draco much more brutally than they had at the previous Keepers. Draco's silver eyes hardened as they got the first Quaffle past him. I'm not a Weasley, he thought angrily as he missed the second Quaffle.

The three reformed in a v-shape that Hermione recognized from Quidditch Through the Ages as the Hawkshead Attacking Formation. She silently thanked her friendship with Viktor Krum that had ended up with her getting the book for Christmas last year. They tossed the Quaffle to each other and Draco floated in front of all three goals, his eyes never leaving the red ball.

Deftly, Remus tossed the Quaffle to Regulus and he charged Draco. Hermione winced, she was certain that the Quaffle would go through the goal as the others had. Draco swung the broom around, the bristles hitting the ball and sailing across the pitch and through one of the goals. The girls in front of Hermione cheered wildly, and even Hermione was impressed although she hid it.

Stebbins, Remus, and Regulus seemed shocked at the way Draco had defended the goal and scored. The rest of the team watched with interest, James smirking slightly at Sirius.

Hermione frowned as Remus's face hardened even more. The three Chasers rescued the Quaffle and looked even more determined to best the blonde. Draco had composed himself back to his usual aloof and indifferent demeanor although his stormy eyes were hard with anger.

Draco tossed his head back, getting a strand of his pale hair off his sweaty brow. One of the girls in front of Hermione mock-fainted and sent the rest of the girls into a chorus of giggles and sighs. The brunette Gryffindor-turned-Slytherin was sorely tempted to cast Silencio on them. Instead, she settled for a cold glare at the back of their heads.

Remus looked almost feral in the silvery light of the waning gibbous moon. She'd never seen him like this -- correction, she'd seen him like this once -- and it had been when he had turned into a werewolf the night that she and Harry had rescued Sirius and Buckbeak. Hermione had noticed the brutal way the sandy-haired boy was leading the two other Chasers against Draco. She wondered if his obvious aggression had anything to do with the moon's phase.

Before -- or rather, later -- she'd only seen him tired near the full moon. Hermione wondered if his tiredness was because he was older and wasn't energetic enough anymore to get as angry. She made a mental note to do some more research on lycanthropy later.

Draco caught the Quaffle that had narrowly missed knocking his head off. Hermione winced at the near-miss. She didn't know why Remus and the two others were being much harder on Draco than they had on the previous people trying out for Keeper. Her amber eyes widened...unless they had found out their secret. Oh Merlin, I hope not! Hermione thought.

Hermione sincerely hoped not. She had had a hard enough time explaining her -- well, their -- predicament to Professor Dumbledore. She didn't think she'd be able to get through the Marauders' questions without spilling everything that would happen in the next nineteen years and sobbing uncontrollably. She couldn't risk it...she didn't know exactly what had led up to that fateful Halloween that had ended up in the death of Lily and James Potter and Harry's now-infamous scar.

As the brunette pondered over thoughts of the Marauders' interrogation, Draco made another dramatic catch much to the delight of the girls in the front row. If I ever become like them -- I hope someone will kill me, she thought with a disgusted shudder.

---

James Potter and Sirius Black sat on the sidelines watching the Gryffindor Chasers face-off with Draco. "Well, Padfoot?" James smirked to his friend.

Sirius sighed grudgingly. "I can't believe he's good enough to beat them," he groaned. "Why are you so keen on Aquilus joining us?"

"He's a good player," James said with a shrug.

"Prongs..." Sirius scowled with an edge to his voice.

James's eyes left Sirius to stare at the blonde valiantly defending the three goals from Remus, Regulus and Stebbins. "I don't know...there's just something about him...something familiar...I can't really explain it. He's sneaky...he'd make a good Marauder."

Sirius sniffed. "He'd also make a good Slytherin," he stated.

"I can't see him as a Slytherin," James stated. "I can't believe he's even dating a Slytherin."

Sirius's eyes left James to seek out said Slytherin in the stands. He smiled faintly as he saw the brunette, engrossed in the game and gnawing her bottom lip. "She's not like other Slytherins, Prongs. She's different," Sirius said. "I can see her as a Ravenclaw...but not a Slytherin. Moony told me that she's Muggle-born."

James's eyebrows shot up. "She's a Muggle-born Slytherin. Old Sal must be spinning in his grave," he smirked.

"Or Satan's ice skating," Sirius added.

---

The next time the Quaffle came at Draco, it hit him hard in the stomach, momentarily taking his breath away. He glared at Regulus who had sent the Quaffle his way before tossing it back just as hard. He hit Regulus where it counted, right between the legs and sent a cold smirk toward the younger boy.

Stebbins smirked at this. "Serves you right, Reggie," he snarked. Regulus obvious didn't like being called "Reggie" and sent the Quaffle none-too-gently at Stebbins, who barely caught it. Stebbins scowled at Regulus, tossing the Quaffle to Remus. Remus rolled his eyes at his fellow Chasers.

Remus sent the Quaffle at Draco, this time Draco was unprepared and the Quaffle hit him in the temple. This caused Draco to lose his balance and he toppled off the broom.

The girls -- Hermione was ashamed to admit that she was one of them -- screamed. Remus's eyes widened in shock and horror as the blonde plummeted toward the Quidditch pitch. Remus, Regulus, and Stebbins flew down to the injured blonde as did the rest of the Gryffindor team.

Hermione raced down the stands and shoved her way through the players to Draco's side. He sat up slowly, breathing hard. He had a nasty bruise on the side of his face where the Quaffle had hit and Hermione wouldn't be surprised if he had broken his arm and a few ribs. She withdrew her wand and pressed it to the bruise. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Draco demanded.

"I'm going to heal that bruise," Hermione stated.

"And what if you screw it up like Lockhart," Draco scowled. "I'd probably end up with you zapping out my brain."

Hermione smirked. "Would that actually be much of a change?" she asked innocently.

"I'll have you know that I'm second in my class," Draco stated.

"Second only because I'm smarter than you. Now shut up, Draco," she said.

"You said my name," Draco said with amusement in his gray eyes.

"It's not going to happen again, I promise," she said. She spoke the healing incantation and the bruise faded to green and yellow then altogether disappeared. "I took a beginners' Healing course over the summer."

"Leave it to you to take courses over the summer," Draco stated.

She was about to do the incantation on his arm as well before Madam Pomfrey pushed through the students and examined Draco. The older woman used her magic to place the blonde on the gurney that had floated behind her.