Wonder // Draco Malfoy

70. First Match

"He gave you a hoodie with his name? How adorable!" Rue coos, turning me around to see all of the hoodie. It's the first quidditch match of the season; the only thing on Draco's mind recently. He has been returning later than usual, sweaty and covered in either rain or dirt.

"Want a pin?" A Slytherin girl asks. It reads "Weasley is our king," and every Slytherin near us is wearing one as we make our way to the stands.

I politely decline. I know the Slytherins have been going out of their way to ruin Ron's confidence. By what George has told me, Ron barely had any in the first place. And he couldn't stop a score to save his life. Hopefully today won't be so brutal on Ron.

We find our way to the Hufflepuff section, going far up to get a better view. Since Draco is the seeker, I usually see him flying skyward in search of the golden snitch. Marcus finds his way to us, carefully climbing the stands to avoid the already excited audience. "Sorry, Valentine, but I hope Gryffindor wins," Marcus says, throwing my hood over my head and tightening the strings so I can't see. He laughs as I remove the hood and glare at him. "What? Malfoy was the only one mean to you and now he loves you. Someone has to put you in your place."

My heart jolts as Marcus says Draco loves me. Yes, he indirectly said it himself, but he hasn't brought it up since. Would he still love me if he knew about the group Harry and I are leading? I shake my head to rid myself of those thoughts. Come on, Valentine, you need to focus on the game. Draco prepared endlessly for this.

The game starts, and I distract myself by closely following Draco as he shoots around the sky. Within a minute, Slytherin scores. I feel compelled to cheer, although seeing Ron so frustrated and embarrassed upsets me. The Slytherins loudly sing a song that matches their pins and I roll my eyes. "They can be so cruel," I say. Rue doesn't hear me, though, due to her and Marcus loudly rooting for the Gryffindors.

Ron misses more shots, visibly looking defeated. I can see Fred and George try to comfort him, but it doesn't seem to be working well enough. Harry and Draco seem to be yelling at each other, too, and Draco has a smug look on his face. Can't they ever stop bickering? While I'm distracted by yet another Slytherin score and an even louder verse of Slytherin's song, Harry whizzes by so closely that the wind blows my hair from my face. Draco is a second behind. They've found the snitch.

I nudge Rue's arm and point to the boys racing after it. In turn, she shakes Marcus's arm and focuses his attention on the two. They're neck and neck now and I cover my face with my hands in anticipation, barely daring to peek. At this rate, the only chance of Gryffindor winning is if Harry catches it. I'm torn between who I want to win.

They bump into each other a few times but in the end, it's Harry's hand that reaches the snitch first. The roar of the crowd is deafening as they jump and yell in delight. I cover my ears to avoid going deaf. Something in Draco's face tells me he isn't going to take this lightly.

I excuse myself and try to push my way down the stands to get to the field, but too many students are in the way and Draco is already on the field shouting something at Harry. When I finally break free and run down the stairs, Ron and the twins have landed behind Harry.

When I reach the field, I push past the Gryffindors and find myself behind Harry. "Bug off, Weasley!" Draco shouts. "You lot are pathetic. If Harry hadn't cheated, we would've won either way."

A hand lands on my shoulder and pulls me back. "Valentine, you should stay out of there," Ginny warns. "This won't be pretty."

A loud thud is heard and when I turn around, Draco is on the ground fighting Harry and George. "Draco!" I yell. He doesn't hear me, and all I can see is his busted lip and blood puddles on the ground around them. When I try to run and pull Harry off of him, Ron and Ginny grab my arms and pull me back.