The Slytherin Quidditch Team

There were no classes on Saturday, and Mia had planned to sleep in, but she couldn't withstand Draco's relentless bombardment.

Now that he was finally in his second year, Draco could try out for Quidditch, and he was so excited that he pestered a whole bunch of people.

Mia had intended to pay Draco little attention, but he wouldn't stop pestering her, and she ended up being dragged out early in the morning to watch his tryout.

Forget it. He doesn't know anything; he's just a spoiled young master. Don't get angry. Even if I distance myself from him, he won't notice. I'd be better off spending that time thinking about how to deal with Voldemort when he comes back.

The group wolfed down breakfast in the Great Hall before being dragged off to the Quidditch Pitch.

Three people were trying out: Draco, Goyle, and Crabbe.

"Why aren't you trying out? I hear Quidditch players are more popular," Mia asked Blaise, lounging in her seat. Blaise was looking at the girls who had come to watch the tryouts, eager to make a move.

"Well, Mia, you should know it's not Quidditch that wins girls over. It's charm." Blaise winked at the girls, setting off a chorus of screams.

"All right, perhaps you're right."

Daphne wasn't interested in any of this and stayed close to Mia, discussing the latest fashions with her. Pansy and Astoria, meanwhile, were cheering for Draco's excellent flying.

Theodore flipped through a Potions book, looking as though the world had nothing to do with him.

"Hey, Mia, look! What do you think?" Draco swung the tail of his broom around and appeared in front of Mia, showing her the Golden Snitch in his hand.

"Mm-hmm, impressive, wonderful. Good boy, now get back to training."

"You're just humoring me," Draco muttered, displeased. "When I win a match, I'll give you every Golden Snitch I catch."

The Quidditch tryouts went smoothly. Draco became the Seeker, while Goyle and Crabbe became Beaters. After Draco made the team, Lucius made a generous gesture and sponsored the Slytherin Quidditch Team with seven Nimbus 2001s. Draco was certainly in the spotlight.

The Gryffindor Quidditch Team had won the Quidditch Cup last term, and Wood had drawn up a new plan over the holidays. Whenever there were no classes, he took the players out to train, and Harry even looked a good deal stronger.

But they ran into a little trouble today. Flint had a permission slip from Professor Snape and wanted to take over the pitch, and an argument broke out between the two teams.

Seeing that things were going badly, Hermione and Ron joined the argument.

"Gryffindor players didn't buy their way onto the team. They got in on real talent." Seeing the Nimbus 2001s in the Slytherin team's hands, Hermione spoke up for Harry.

"No one was talking to you, you filthy little Mudblood." Draco looked at Hermione disdainfully.

Ron couldn't stand hearing Hermione insulted and cast the Slug-Vomiting Charm at Draco, but his broken wand sent it back at him, throwing the scene into chaos.

After her little admirers tipped her off, Mia hurried over and heard about this exchange.

"Draco!" Mia had gotten into a fight in her first year because her family had once been insulted the same way.

"Mia! What are you doing here?" Draco turned and saw Mia, and his heart jolted.

"Draco got onto the team on his own merits," Mia said first, setting the record straight for him. Draco thought Mia hadn't heard what he had just said.

"Draco, apologize." Mia looked at him sternly. What he had just said was terribly hurtful, no matter who said it, and both Hermione and Draco were important friends to Mia.

"You? No way!" How could Draco possibly apologize? He was so proud, especially when Hermione had provoked him first.

"Fine. In that case, we don't need to keep seeing each other."

Hearing Mia's words, Draco's eyes widened in disbelief. "You're actually cutting ties with me for her?"

"Draco, have you forgotten why I dueled Pansy and the others in the first place?" Mia had nothing more to say. Ron was in bad shape and needed to see Madam Pomfrey first. The Gryffindor team couldn't continue training either, so they went along.

After Mia left, Draco's face darkened. "Hmph, fine, cut ties!" Though he said that, he felt some regret, but couldn't bring himself to back down.

The Hospital Wing

Madam Pomfrey prepared some medicine for Ron, and he was much better after drinking it. Only when they saw that Ron was all right did the Gryffindor team disperse.

The group then went to Hagrid's Hut.

"Who was he trying to curse?" Hagrid asked with concern as he looked at the very ill-looking Ron.

"Malfoy. What did he call Hermione?"

"I don't know what that means either."

"Mudblood. It means dirty blood. Mudblood is a derogatory term for Muggle-born children." Mia looked at Hermione and took her hand, her voice trembling.

"People whose parents can't do magic, like me. Well-mannered people don't say that." Hermione threw herself into Mia's arms and sobbed quietly.

"Then, Mia, you..." Harry remembered what Mia had said to Draco before they left. Mia had kept silent about why she had gotten into that fight.

"...Mm."

"I'll go find them!" Harry said, ready to go deal with those people, but Ron, Mia, and Hagrid stopped him.

"I already taught them a lesson. They don't dare offend me now."

"Some wizards, like the Malfoy family, think so-called Pure-bloods are superior to everyone else. All that talk of dirty blood is nonsense. Nearly all wizards these days are Half-bloods. And the point is, what magic can't our Hermione do? Come here, child." Hagrid pulled Hermione close.

"Don't think about it, Hermione. Don't take it to heart, all right?" Hagrid told Hermione gently, and she finally smiled.

Because of Hermione, Draco found himself rebuffed by Mia at every turn in the days that followed. Apart from Theodore and Daphne, no one could get a word out of her.

Draco got angry too and stubbornly held his ground against Mia.

In Herbology, they had to repot Mandrakes, working in pairs. Mia's original partner was Draco, but she ignored him and teamed up with Theodore.

A Mandrake's root looked remarkably like a human baby, gradually taking on the appearance of a little person as it aged. Its cry was deadly dangerous: any creature that heard it would fall unconscious or even die. Mandrakes therefore had to be handled with great care, and earmuffs were usually worn to block out the sound.

After putting on their earmuffs and Dragonhide Gloves, Mia and Theodore worked together remarkably well and earned five points for Slytherin. Apart from that, Draco curiously put his hand in a crying Mandrake's mouth and was bitten, though fortunately he was wearing gloves, and Neville fainted from fright.

Mandrake was a key ingredient in the Mandrake Restorative Draught, which could reverse petrification. Mandrake leaves were also an important part of becoming an Animagus.

Before class ended, Mia secretly plucked a few leaves to take with her. She had been watching the night sky lately, and the next few months would be cloudless for miles around, making it a good time to start becoming an Animagus.