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In the Great Hall of Hogwarts, Augustus was calmly eating his meal while Malfoy chatted away non-stop beside him. Lillian sat on the other side, looking visibly annoyed. Malfoy was enthusiastically introducing Augustus to all the major Quidditch teams in the world.
"Alright, Malfoy, just spit it out already. If you've got something to say, say it. Stop beating around the bush like a gossiping old lady," Lillian snapped, slamming her cutlery down on the table, clearly fed up with Malfoy's roundabout way of talking.
"Hehe…" Malfoy's face flushed a little, and he finally muttered, "I've been made Slytherin's new Seeker. This afternoon is our first training session. Can you guys come watch?"
He looked at them with hopeful eyes.
"Oh? You got picked as the Seeker? Not bad. Being chosen at your age is pretty rare," Augustus said. He didn't care about Quidditch at all, but that didn't stop him from offering a polite word of congratulations. Why Malfoy was chosen didn't interest him in the slightest.
"Wow, Malfoy, never thought I'd see the day. Feeling proud, huh? Bet your rival-slash-bestie Harry's gonna be real impressed now," Lillian teased with a smirk.
"Hmph! Just wait—when Slytherin faces Gryffindor, I'll show everyone who the real top Seeker is!" Malfoy said, full of confidence and determination.
"Sure, sure. Let's hope so," Lillian chuckled. "But honestly, I'm not putting my money on you. Don't forget the crystal ball incident—you totally flopped in front of Harry! I don't know where all this confidence is coming from."
Malfoy's pale face instantly turned red. He waved his hand in frustration and grumbled, "That was just a fluke! A mistake! When the real match comes, Harry won't stand a chance! Just wait and see!"
After a few seconds to cool down, he added, "So… you guys coming to watch my training this afternoon? It's my first session."
Augustus thought for a moment, then nodded. "Sure, I've got nothing else going on. I'll come watch."
Since Augustus agreed, Lillian didn't even hesitate before saying she'd come too. Malfoy's face lit up as he left the table, clearly riding high on their support.
That afternoon, Augustus and Lillian followed the Slytherin team onto the Quidditch pitch—only to be surprised to find Gryffindor already there, training.
The Gryffindor players spotted the incoming Slytherins from the air and immediately flew down to meet them.
"Flint!" Oliver Wood yelled at the Slytherin captain. "This is our practice time! We got up early just to be here! Get out!"
Marcus Flint, who was even bigger and bulkier than Wood, replied with a troll-like smirk, "The pitch is big enough for the both of us, Wood."
Alicia, Angelina, and Katie came over too. The Slytherin team had no girls; the boys stood shoulder to shoulder, shooting identical smug looks at the Gryffindors.
"But I booked the pitch!" Wood shouted. "It's mine!"
"Oh?" Flint replied casually, pulling out a note. "Well, I've got a signed pass from Professor Snape. It says, 'I, Professor S. Snape, hereby give permission for the Slytherin team to use the Quidditch pitch today for training their new Seeker.'"
"You guys got a new Seeker?" Wood blinked. "Where is he?"
From behind the six tall Slytherin players stepped out a smaller boy with a smug grin and a pale, pointy face—it was none other than Draco Malfoy.
"Aren't you Lucius Malfoy's kid?" Fred asked in disgust.
"You brought up Draco's dad? Oh, this should be fun," said a Slytherin, grinning wider. "Why don't you take a look at what dear old Dad gave us?"
All seven Slytherins raised their brooms at the same time—seven brand-new, gleaming, top-of-the-line racing brooms. Seven golden words shimmered in the sunlight: Nimbus 2001.
"Just released last month," Flint said casually, brushing a speck of dust off his broom. "I'm pretty sure it's way faster than the old Nimbus 2000 series. And as for the Cleansweep Fives…" He glanced mockingly at Fred and George, who were both holding Cleansweep 5s. "Well, those are better off used for cleaning the floor."
Augustus sighed as he looked at the two teams. If this didn't get resolved soon, it'd turn into another House brawl. Seriously—every time he was with Malfoy, something like this happened. Was Malfoy cursed or something? Just having him around guaranteed drama.
"Mr. Augustus, you're the hidden prefect of Slytherin, right? Can you step in and sort this out? We were clearly here first," Harry asked, trying to keep things calm.
"Don't try to stir things up, Harry," Malfoy cut in slyly. "This is between the two teams."
Ron and Hermione came walking over from the field, curious about the commotion.
"What's going on?" Ron asked Harry. "Why aren't you playing? And what's he doing here?"
Ron stared in shock at Malfoy, now dressed in full Slytherin Quidditch gear.
"I'm Slytherin's new Seeker, Weasley," Malfoy said proudly. "And everyone was just admiring the brooms my father bought us."
Ron gawked at the seven high-end brooms in disbelief.
"Pretty sweet, huh?" Malfoy said cheerily. "Though maybe the Gryffindors could scrounge up some gold and buy a few new brooms too. Or you could auction off those Cleansweeps. I'm sure a museum would pay for antiques like those."
The Slytherins burst out laughing.
"At least no one in the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in," Hermione snapped. "They got in on skill alone."
Malfoy's smug expression flickered for a moment.
"No one asked you, you filthy little Mudblood," he spat.
Harry immediately realized Malfoy had crossed a serious line. The reaction was instant and explosive. Flint had to jump in front of Draco to stop Fred and George from lunging at him. Alicia screamed, "How dare you!" Ron whipped out his wand and shouted, "You'll pay for that, Malfoy!"
He shoved his wand under Flint's arm, pointing it straight at Malfoy's face.
A loud bang echoed across the pitch. A flash of green light shot from the back of Ron's wand, hit him in the stomach, and sent him tumbling backward to the ground.
"Ron! Ron! Are you okay?" Hermione screamed.
Ron opened his mouth to answer—but instead of words, he let out a huge belch, and a few slimy slugs plopped out of his mouth onto his lap.
Augustus rubbed his forehead. Yep, just as expected. Ron's intelligence remained an ongoing issue. His wand had been busted ever since the flying car incident, and he still thought casting a spell was a good idea. Looks like Augustus would have to be the one to fix this mess… again.
"....."