For 16 Galleons

Chapter 12

Harry was nervous. He had hardly ate anything at breakfast. There was really no explanation for feeling this way. He had a good broom and was an excellent flyer. He knew he had a good shot at making the team. So why was his stomach doing flip-flops? He glanced around nervously. Dean, Justin and Lisa were the only other First Years trying out. They appeared to be pretty nervous, too.

Up in the stands, Masters Draco, Blaise and Theodore were sitting together and talking excitedly. Harry smiled to himself. Not all the masters had come to watch the tryouts, but his had. Draco glanced over and, seeing him, gave a thumbs up and a grin. Harry felt his stomach relax a bit. He could do this. He would do just fine.

Over the past couple of weeks, the boys had spent part of every evening talking about tryouts. They had discussed strategy to death. Apparently, there was a fierce betting pool throughout the school on who would make the slave teams. Draco had kept quiet about Harry's skill and hoped to make a killing today. Being a First Year, Harry was considered a long shot.

Draco had made the Slytherin team as a reserve Seeker the week before. Harry had watched those tryouts and was surprised to learn that he and Dean had better brooms than some of the regular students - another bonus to being a slave. Unfortunately, it looked like the other slaves had brooms just as nice as his. He figured they had probably also spent as many summers flying as he had so the competition was going to be tough.

Professor Lupin and Madam Hooch finally arrived with a large wooden chest and the tryout roster. As they called out names, team hopefuls took to the sky. Harry stood with his friends and tried not to fidget. It got even harder when he realized that there must have been over one hundred students in the stands. Betting must be fiercer than he had realized. He wished each of his friends luck as their turns came. Lisa and Dean were both pretty good Chasers, it seemed. Justin was awesome. Theodore hadn't been exaggerating when he said the boy would make a great Beater. Harry thought he would make one of the teams.

Finally it was time for the Seekers to compete. Everyone but two Beaters landed. Madam Hooch told Harry and three other slaves to take off and released the Snitch. It was simple. They had to avoid the Bludgers and get the Snitch before the other Seekers. They would have several chances.

Harry kicked off and immediately felt his tension leave. Here, he was in his element. He began slowly cruising around the Pitch, keeping his eyes open for Bludgers and flashes of gold. It didn't take long before a sparkle caught his eye and he was racing towards it, dodging a well aimed Bludger. He managed to snatch it out of the air just before the girl who had been less than 10 metres from it to begin with. He made three more catches and many more dodges before they pulled him out of the air to give the others a chance.

He looked up at the stands to see Draco cheering. He grinned at his master. Then he noticed ginger hair off to the side and realized that Weasley - or Weasel - as Master Draco had started calling him, and Smith were watching the tryouts. Both were scowling at him.

He walked over to where Professor Lupin was standing watching the remaining flyers. "Professor?"

Lupin turned to him and smiled. "Yes, Harry?"

"Sir, could I ask you a... sort of personal question?"

"You may, though I might not answer you."

Harry looked in the man's amber eyes and saw nothing to scare him off so he went ahead and asked about what had been bothering him since that first night. "Sir, sometimes you and Professor Snape look at me funny. The night of the Sorting Ceremony you pointed me out to him and he got angry. Did I do something wrong?"

"What? Oh heavens, no, Harry," Professor Lupin reached out and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "It's just that you look a little like a school friend of mine. Professor Snape hated him with a passion. That first night, I was teasing him that James had come back to haunt him."

"Oh. Is he going to be angry with me for looking like him?"

"Not at all. He teases me back about it now. Besides, you're nothing like James was. You just look a lot like him. If he and his entire family hadn't died a long time ago, I would think you could be one of his children."

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear they died."

Professor Lupin's face darkened a bit, "Don't be. It was probably for the best, all things considered." Then he smiled and patted Harry on the back. "You'd better get to lunch. That incredible display of flying has made you hungry, I'm sure."

Harry smiled with relief and thanked the professor. At least he hadn't made an enemy of the Deputy Head right off the bat.

**********

At lunch the tryout results were posted. Sure enough, Harry had made Seeker for one of the teams. Justin had made Beater, Lisa and Dean had both made Reserve Chaser. Harry grinned at Draco. His master was looking extremely smug. Harry followed Draco's line of vision and saw Weasel and Smith glaring back.

When the two boys got up to leave the Gryffindor table, Draco got up to follow. Harry, of course, followed his master. They caught the Gryffindors just outside the doors to the Great Hall.

"Cough it up, Weasel," drawled Draco.

"Bugger off, Malfoy," replied the red head.

"Now, now, Weasel. You lost fair and square. Pay your debts like a man."

Weasley, glared at Draco for a moment then reached into his pocket. "I don't know how you did it, but I know you cheated."

"I did no such thing," Draco answered, pocketing the money. "Your turn, Smith."

Smith grumbled quietly but pulled out his money and deposited it in Draco's outstretched hand.

Shoving the last of it into his pocket, Draco turned to leave the two Gryffindors. Then he paused and turned back to them. "You know, it's really sad when a pureblood is jealous of a slave. Of course, in this case, the pureblood has every reason to be jealous."

As the Weasel's face grew red, Harry and Draco started down the passageway to the dungeons. Harry walked a bit behind his master for a few moments, then caught up with him.

"Did you mean that, Master Draco?"

Draco slowed down and looked at him sideways. "Yeah, I did. He may be a pureblood, but you are better than him in every other way."

Harry thought about this for a moment and felt a huge grin on his face. "Thank you, Master Draco."

Draco grinned cheekily back at him, "Of course, it's only because I taught you everything you know."

Harry almost tripped and looked at his master in shock. Seeing the look on his master's face, he lurched forward with his hands in position to tickle the daylights out of the brat. "Why you..." he said. Draco squealed and took off down the passage. They ran laughing all the way to the Slytherin entrance.

***********

That evening, Draco told the rest of Slytherin a rousing rendition of Harry's tryout. The other students hung on his every word. His master was quite a good storyteller. Everyone seemed especially pleased that Draco had won a substantial bet with the Gryffindors. The two Houses were terrible rivals.

About an hour and a half after everyone had gathered in the Common Room, Harry noticed Miss Millicent and Hermione quietly leaving. He caught Draco's attention and nodded at the departing girls. The two boys waited about ten minutes, then followed them.

Harry and Draco crept cautiously up to Millicent's door. They listened intently but could not interpret the soft sounds they heard. Draco frowned and glanced at Harry, then reached out to grasp the door knob. It wasn't locked and turned quietly. He looked at Harry again with a grin and shoved the door to the girl's room open. The two boys tumbled in and came quickly to a halt, staring at the girls on Millicent's bed.

Hermione squealed and Millicent yelled. Harry shoved the door shut behind him. Having the rest of Slytherin show up due to the noise would be disastrous at this point.

Draco, looking shocked, asked, "What are you doing, Millie?"

"None of your business," she said, with tears brimming in her eyes.

Harry looked at Hermione where she was sitting terrified, clutching an open book to her chest... a 'student's' book, not a 'slave's'. He looked over at his master and saw Draco get himself under control.

"Millie, are you teaching Hermione 'student's' lessons?"

"Please, Draco, you can't tell anyone."

"But, why?" Draco asked.

"I, I need her to help me. My parents bought her because she's so smart. Draco, if you tell anyone they'll send her away and I'll never be able to learn to be a witch."

Harry was watching his master closely. He finally saw it, that look that said Harry was about to put his butt on the line again for one of Draco's stupid ideas.

"All right, Millie. I won't tell, but you have to let Harry and I join you."

Harry groaned. It figured. Master Draco wasn't about to let someone else do something like have a better educated slave than him. That meant that Harry would now have even more homework. Merlin, that sucked.

To be continued.