Chapter 8
Quidditch Tryouts
Harry had continued his role as Gryffindor Quidditch captain, and the team was fairing horribly. The only player he had that had been on the team before was Ron. Katie Bell had been a year ahead of him, so she was gone, and Ginny Weasley had not returned to school. The other members he had had the prior year, had just been temporary, and had not returned. He had already held tryouts weeks before, but it seemed like every practice he lost another teammate to injury. So yet again he was holding another tryout to replace the last practice victim. No one he had seen so far was ready to play on a house team.
“Who’s next?” He asked in frustration, burying his face in his hands.
“I am.” He heard a familiar voice. He looked up quickly and saw Val standing in front of him holding one of the practice brooms.
“Is this a joke?” He asked in exasperation.
“Why would it be a joke? I do ride you know.” She answered him mounting the broom and zooming into the air.
“Hell, why not. She can’t do any worse than the rest of them.” The tryout was for a chaser position, so Harry had Ron standing goal, as the two beaters hit the bludgers at the students who were trying to score. Each person trying out got five shots at the goal.
He watched as Val zoomed in and out between the beaters, dodging the bludgers, and attempting to score. He watched in amazement as she scored three out of the first four tries. On the fifth try she narrowly missed losing her head to a stray bludger, causing her broom to skid off in the wrong direction.
The amazed look on Harry’s face turned to one of concern as he noticed the way Val was tugging on the broom, which was not responding to her commands. Then the look became one of horror as the broom crashed into the empty stands.
Harry and Ron were the first ones to reach her. She was laying crumpled between the seats in the stands, and she was gripping her shoulder in pain. “Val, are you alright?” Ron asked kneeling beside her as Harry kneeled on the other side.
“I’ve been better.” She said groaning.
“What happened?” Ron asked. He hadn’t seen her struggling with the broom.
“Bloody broom froze on me. I couldn’t turn it either way.” Val said sitting up, still clutching her shoulder.
“I shouldn’t have let you use the practice broom. Some of them are getting old and worn out. I should have given you Firebolt.” Harry said berating himself.
“It’s okay, Harry. I picked it out. It’s not your fault.” Val said wincing in pain. “Do you mind helping me to the Hospital Wing?” She asked as a cold sweat broke out on her forehead.
“Help me, Ron.” Harry said grabbing Val around the waist and pulling her up. They each took one side being careful not to touch her shoulder, as they helped her out of the stands, and across the grounds to the school.
Madame Pomfrey pushed the guys out of the room as she inspected the injury. “Two injuries in one week, and two more in the past month. I’m afraid your house team seems to be cursed this year.”
After Pomfrey was done fixing Val’s shoulder she let Harry and Ron in again. “So what’s broken?” Ron asked sitting on the empty bed next to hers.
“Broken collarbone, and dislocated shoulder.” Val answered smiling. Madame Pomfrey had given her a potion for the pain, and she was feeling a little light headed.
“That’s it. I give up.” Harry said in disgust. Both of his friends looked to him in surprise. “Let’s face it. We don’t have a team this year, and every time I find a decent player they get hurt. The team is costing too much. I’m going to request that Gryffindor be removed from the Quidditch tournament this year.” Harry said in a defeated tone.
“No you’re not.” Val said shaking her head to clear her mind. “I’ll be completely mended by the time of the next match.”
“You can’t seriously be saying that you still want to play.” Harry said with a look of shock on his face.
“Why not? You broke your arm your second year. Did you quit playing?” Val said pointedly.
“Well no. But Quidditch meant everything to me.” Harry explained.
“Harry, I want to play. If I didn’t I would never had tried out. Beauxbatons didn’t have a Quidditch team, but Draco told me all about it. I’ve wanted to play for years now.” Val tried to reassure him.
“But you don’t have a broom.” Harry argued.
“I’ll ask Madame Hooch to pick me out a decent one from the practice brooms. She’ll let me use one.” Val suggested.
“The practice brooms aren’t good enough for the house games. You’ll get blown away.” Harry said trying his hardest to dissuade her.
“Well actually, Harry, she was doing a bloody good job, before her broom bugged out.” Ron said irritating Harry to no end.
“Well then. What excuse do you have for not letting me play?” Val asked in a sweet tone. She knew he had him. He could not argue anymore.
“None, I guess.” Harry said shaking his head. “Just don’t get your fool neck broken, okay.”
“I won’t, Sir.” Val teased.
“Not funny.” Harry scowled.
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Madame Pomfrey decided to keep Val overnight, so she would not put stress on the shoulder. Val laid very still, thinking over the events of the day. She hadn’t really wanted to play Quidditch. But she had seen all the trouble Harry and Ron were having with the team, and she had always been good on a broom. So she had decided to try it out. It had been fun, until she had crashed.
She did not relish the idea of trying again, but she felt she would let them down if she decided not to play. Her mind was so preoccupied that she didn’t hear the door to the Hospital Wing open. She was staring out the window, lost in thought, when a warm hand rested on her arm.
She turned towards the person, expecting to see Madame Pomfrey checking on her again, but gasped in surprise seeing Draco standing next to her bed. Draco held his finger to his lips shushing Val, then turned towards Madame Pomfrey’s office and whispered “Mufliato.” This spell would keep her from overhearing anything outside her office.
“Draco, what are you doing here?” Val asked.
“I heard what happened. I wanted to check on you.” Draco said sitting on the end of the bed facing her.
“But I thought you weren’t talking to me.” Val said sitting up and leaning against the brass headboard of the bed, so she could face him fully.
“I wasn’t.” Draco said flashing her a devilish smile.
“And now you’re talking to me again?” She asked looking down at the sheets, picking at a loose string.
“You know I can’t stay mad at you long.” Draco said reaching out and stilling the hand that was nervously pulling on the string.
Val looked up at him, swallowing hard. She opened her mouth to say something, but she wasn’t sure what, and closed her mouth again.
“Val, I don’t understand some of your decisions, but I’m sorry I was so cruel to you.” Draco said looking at her in complete sincerity.
“Draco, you can’t keep striking out at me. I don’t know how much more I can take.” Val said regaining her voice.
Draco closed his eyes for a moment and sighed heavily, then as he opened them again he said something she had not expected. “I don’t want to lose you, Val. I don’t want to live without your love, Sis. I can't live without you. I’m sorry.” Draco said in a pleading tone.
Val could hear the pain in his voice, and it matched the pain she had been feeling during the past few weeks. But there was one more thing she had to know. “And my friends.” She whispered.
Draco started chewing his bottom lip seeming to think of what to say before he opened his mouth. “I can’t say that I am pleased about your choice of friends. There has been too much bad blood between us.”
“But is it so bad that you would begrudge me their friendship? Draco, other than you, I have never had friends. They accept me. They like me. I like them. I need them, almost as much as I need you.” Val said grasping his hand as he started to pull away.
“Val, last year your friend Harry nearly killed me.” Draco said quietly. Val started shaking her head in denial.
“No. Harry may hate you, but never enough to do that.” She whispered.
“I admit that he didn’t know what the spell he cast would do. But I have never been in that much pain in all my life. If Professor Snape, hadn’t been near by, and hadn’t known the counter curse, I would not be alive today.” Draco said remembering the day that he and Harry had faced off in a bathroom. “I can’t forget that, Val.”
“No, you wouldn’t be able to.” Val whispered in despair. Her best friend had nearly killed her brother, and she was unable to choose between them. She knew Harry would never have done so on purpose. But still it had happened.
“Val, I can’t forget what happened, but I can try to put it to the back of my mind, for your sake. If you want them as your friends, I will not try to stop you anymore. Don’t expect me to start spending time with them, but I will not jump all over you anymore.” Draco said giving her a small smile.
She couldn’t believe her ears. He had actually said that he would not try to ruin her friendship with them. “Thank you, Draco. I missed you.” She said as her eyes started to water up, at his selfless offer.
He immediately leaned forward pulling her into a desperate hug. They sat like that for a few minutes. Val’s shoulder hurt from the pressure he was placing on it, but she didn’t care. She felt as if her heart was swelling at the way Draco had changed his attitude, and he had done it all for her showing her how much he truly cared. Maybe things would be okay.
He let go of her pulling back but not letting go of one of her hands. She reached up and rubbed her shoulder with the other hand, wincing slightly.
“d**n, I hurt you. I didn’t even ask what was wrong.” Draco said looking worried.
“It’s okay, Draco. I just hurt my shoulder when that crazy broom locked up on me.” She said not wanting him to know how bad she had been hurt.
“What broom were you using?” He asked frowning.
“Oh, it was one of the practice brooms. Father never bought me one. Harry said that some of the practice brooms were getting too old and warn to use. I guess I picked the wrong one. Don’t worry though, next time I’ll have Madame Hooch pick one out for me.” She said trying not to worry him.
“What do you mean next time?” He asked suspiciously.
“I’m playing chaser for the Gryffindor house team.” Val said nervously.
“Are you crazy? Do you want to kill yourself?” He said a little louder than he meant.
“Draco, I’m really good. I want to play.” She said seeing another argument brewing.
He began to say something but held his tongue, remembering his promise not to jump on her again. “Just, be careful, okay.” He finally said.
“I promise. I will.” She said patting his hand with a triumphant smile on her face.
“I got to go now. If Snape catches me out after hours, I’ll get detention.” He said standing, but leaned over placing a light kiss on her forehead. “Get some sleep. You look tired.”
“I will.” She said watching him sneak out of the room.
She could not help the bright smile that was covering her face. But that smile faded when she saw a shimmering object moving in the corner, as Harry suddenly appeared from under his invisibility cloak. “Sorry. I saw Draco heading here on the Marauders Map and thought I should check on you.” Harry tried to explain.
“How much did you hear?” She asked scowling.
“Most.” He answered her moving closer.
“Do you want to tell me your side of what happened between you two last year?” She asked feeling a small amount of anger.
“What he said was true. I went into the bathroom. He was talking to Moaning Myrtle and he was crying. I was shocked at first. But he pulled his wand, and I defended myself.” Harry explained.
“And the spell you used?” She asked as her voice started to fail her.
“It was called Sectumsempra. It was written in that potions textbook I told you about. I wasn’t sure what it did. It just said ‘for enemies.’ I reacted without thinking. I wish now I had never even thought to use that curse. I never wanted to do that to Draco. I got rid of the book after that.” Harry paused knowing that his excuses seemed feeble.
“You weren’t trying to kill him?” She asked hesitantly.
“No, never. I might have wanted to hurt him. But I never thought of killing him.” Harry said with a strong amount of conviction. “I don’t know what to tell you, Val. I can’t take it back. If I could, I would. I think I was more frightened at that moment, as I kneeled beside him in a puddle of blood, than any of the times I had faced Voldemort. I could not have lived with myself if he had died.”
Val nodded, deciding in her mind what she would do. “You heard what Draco said. He isn’t going to keep me from being friends with you.”
“Yes, I heard. But do you still want that friendship?” Harry asked nervously.
“Harry, I meant what I said. I need your friendship. But I will warn you of one thing. If you ever hurt Draco again, you will have to deal with me. I won’t tolerate this war you two have been waging on each other.” She said in an icy cold voice.
“Fair enough.” Harry said nodding. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He said pulling his cloak back on and slipped out the door.
“What have I gotten myself into, now?” She whispered after he was gone.