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Draco gritted his teeth. “Come on, Potter, she’s your best friend.”
Harry scratched at his cheek to hide his mouth.“And she’s your secret girlfriend.”
“We’re just friends,” Draco snapped quietly so the waiting crowd couldn’t hear.
“Yeah,” the Chosen One smirked. “This is your chance to show her that you want more.”
Draco sighed. “I’ll take Granger.”
Harry chuckled, and Draco elbowed him hard in the ribs.
“Alright, Ernie,” Harry coughed. “With me.”
Hermione rolled her eyes as she walked over to Draco and the rest of his chosen quidditch team. “Honestly,” she muttered, “let’s just get this over with.”
Draco clapped her awkwardly on the shoulder. “You can’t be as bad as Potter says you are. I was always going to pick you.”
Hermione eyed him. “Sure you were.”
Draco winced and then turned to the others.
Everyone had been looking forward to the Ministry picnic for months. Each department was tasked with a certain area of entertainment. Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures handled the food. The Department of Mysteries brought the many tables and chairs …
The DMLE’s job was to put on a fun and friendly quidditch game for the Ministry employees and their families to watch.
Hermione had been adamant to just spectate, Draco knew this, but Kingsley had required all his veteran and Head Aurors to play. So here they were.
Potter had told Draco how much Hermione hated flying, and for the past few weeks now he had watched her fume about having to play. Draco had even offered to try and convince Kingsley to let her off the hook. She’d told him to leave it alone.
It was all good fun—or it was supposed to be. The problem was that old rivalries died hard. And Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter had a rivalry legendary enough for the books. Literally. Their feud had been printed in history books of the Wizard War.
So, while in theory, it should have been only a delightful game, once they had gotten onto the field and had to pick their teams, all sense of mindless fun went out the window.
As captains, Harry and Draco had gone back and forth until … well—this.
Draco was aware he was probably going to lose. He told himself not to let it get to him. His friendship with Hermione meant more than a silly game. “Alright,” he said to his motley crew. “This is the plan—”
“How bad?” Hermione interrupted.
He turned to her. “What?”
She crossed her arms and tapped her foot. “You said Harry said I was awful. How bad?”
Draco grimaced, feeling like this was some kind of trap. “Eh—I don’t—he—well …”
Padma Patil rolled her eyes. “Harry’s been saying for weeks now that you’re bloody awful on a broom, Granger.”
Hermione frowned, then nodded. “Alright. Carry on.”
Draco stared at her for another long moment. He didn’t like the look in her eyes, the one she was infamous for having before she did something catastrophic.
In the past, her schemes had usually meant something bad for him, so he could only hope that this time it would be in his favor, seeing as they were teammates and all …
Thirty-three minutes.
That’s how long it took Hermione Granger to beat not only Harry Potter to the snitch but Draco Malfoy as well.
She landed, slipping off her broom with a grace that shocked everyone.
“But—Hermione, what the—” Potter spluttered as she walked over to him.
Draco landed beside Potter, equally surprised.
She tossed the small golden ball of the wingless snitch up into the air and caught it on its descent. She narrowed her eyes at Potter. “I’ve always hated flying. But I’ve never been bad at it.”
She tossed the snitch at Draco and he caught it, clutching it tightly.
She strode off to the sidelines of the makeshift pitch, handing her broom to a laughing Kingsley.
Draco and Harry watched her go.
“She wasn’t even your team’s seeker!” Potter said.
“I know.”
“You’re the seeker!”
Draco was grinning like a madman. “I know.”
Potter shook his head. “Wow.”
“Indeed.” Draco shoved his broom at his fellow Auror. “Potter,” he began, grin widening when Hermione glanced over her shoulder at them as she talked to Padma. “I’m going to marry your best friend.”
Harry wasn’t listening. “But she hates flying …”