“Crucio,� Bellatrix Lestrange shrieked.

Draco Malfoy twitched and writhed in pain screaming in agony. The sight encouraged a smirk to grace his tormentor’s lips as she punished her nephew for his horrendous failure.

As soon as she lifted the spell, Narcissa Malfoy ran forward and cradled her son’s head in her lap. She then looked up at her sister with watering eyes and mouthed, “Bella. Please. He’s just a boy.�

“No Cissy. He deserves this,� Bellatrix replied in a cold, menacing tone, “Don’t you know how much the Dark Lord has been disappointed by his pathetic debacle? I don’t want it to happen again. I want him to be well acquainted with the consequences that await him if he even dares to bungle up this new assignment.�

Narcissa didn’t reply. She just sat there caressing her now unconscious son’s forehead. She blocked out the image of her fuming sister from her mind reflecting upon all the good times her family used to have. Lucius and Draco were her world. They were the perfect epitome of a happy family.

But all of it changed the day of the finals of the Triwizard Tournament.

She and Lucius were having a quiet dinner when suddenly he clutched his left forearm and his spoon fell off his hand.

“What happened?� she had asked.

He had looked up to her with eyes laced with fear, “The Mark.�

And he was gone. When he returned, he looked terrified. Looking deep in her eyes, he said, “He’s back.�

The realization of what he meant hit her like an oncoming Firebolt. She could see her precious world drifting away from her.

The Dark Lord had been vanquished by Harry Potter when Draco was barely a year old. Both Lucius and herself had been relieved and had done everything in their power to keep Draco in the dark regarding his father’s former associations. But after his return, she was filled with a sense of foreboding. She hadn’t allowed Draco to come home during Christmas and his session breaks were spent at the Zabinis who weren’t Death Eaters.

However, on Draco’s sixteenth birthday, the Malfoys’ quiet celebrations were interrupted by an unexpected visitor.

Voldemort took Draco to an empty bedroom and locked her and her husband out. Those hours were like a living hell for her. Lucius paced the room before her like a caged lion. But even she knew that he was powerless to act against the wishes of You-Know-Who. When Draco emerged after his discussions with him, his joyous expression was enough for her to know that she had lost him. She had later crept up to his room and while he was asleep had seen his branded arm. That night itself, she had gone to Snape with her reluctant sister and made him perform the Unbreakable Vow.

Suddenly, she was snapped out of her reverie by a sudden pop. She looked around and froze. In the doorway stood Fenrir Greyback.

Without looking at her he addressed her sister, “The Dark Lord expects the lad to move. Now.�

Narcissa’s eyes widened with fear. She had been dreading this moment since the day Voldemort had given Draco a new task. She knew that this task was dangerous. One slip and her son could land up in Azkaban or be killed. But she knew better than to disobey the Dark Lord’s orders. In a way, she was thankful to him for giving her son one more chance. So pulling herself together she pointed her wand at Draco and murmured, “Ennervate.�

Draco opened his eyes and sat up. He looked at his mother whose expression was enough for him to understand that the time had come for him to start working on his mission. Giving her a reassuring nod, he stood up, albeit rather groggily. But before he could regain his balance totally, Bellatrix held him by the scruff of his neck and marched him towards the door and his new identity.

Ron Weasley stopped scribbling and sighed.

It was a beautiful day. And also the day when the first Hogsmeade trip of the year had been organized. He looked out of the window, his quill dangling from his lips. The falling snow combined with the rare tranquility of the common room was lulling him into a deep sleep. Shaking his head, he stood up, yawned, stretched and strolled over to the window. He put his forehead against the cool glass and let out a deep breath.

He knew he was supposed to be completing his essay for Snape. But there was only one thought on his mind: Hermione Granger…

He had been harbouring a soft spot for her since their fourth year but had never gathered up enough courage to tell her so. It was a delicate matter capable of jeopardizing their friendship and he didn’t want to lose whatever relationship he had with her. But this time, encouraged by Harry’s constant egging, he had made up his mind to ask her to Hogsmeade but bloody Snape had to ruin it all.

Ron had accidentally caused a great havoc in the Defence Against The Dark Arts class last Thursday, pronouncing the sleep inducing spell wrong and managing to cover Gregory Goyle’s face (who happened to be his partner that day) with huge purple blotches. Snape had been furious and as a detention he had been detained from going to Hogsmeade and instead was spending his weekend writing a two feet long essay on ‘Pronunciation of spells, their importance and harmful consequences’.

Well, asking Hermione had been useless after the incident as he wouldn’t be going after all. Besides, she was also furious with him for botching up in class again.

He felt like strangling Snape to death by the strands of his own greasy hair. Or suffocating him by stuffing fistfuls of Gillyweed down his throat…

“That’s not a bad idea,� he wondered aloud, “I would be doing the world a favour.�

Quickly, he pulled out a fresh piece of parchment and wrote on top: A hundred ways to murder Snape in the most painful way possible. He then jotted out the two ideas he had thought of and started thinking hard about number three.

He had been so engrossed in his scheming that he never noticed a tawny owl float in till it nipped his finger.

“Ow,� he yelped and glaring at it, he ripped open the letter that it had dumped on his essay.

It read:

Dear Little Ronniekins,

Just heard from Ginny that you were detained from Hogsmeade and thus your plans to kindle a romance with dear Hermione went all amiss.

Being such caring, nice and helpful brothers we decided to do you a favour. Expect us in the Gryffindor common room fireplace any time.

Lots of sincere love
Fred and George

As soon as he read the letter, Ron felt his anger boil up. Trust Ginny to tell something like this to the twins. And trust Harry to tell something like this to Ginny. He was going to murder them both. Thinking that, he balled up the letter and threw it into the fireplace with all his might.

“Ow,� came a voice from there, “Is that a way to welcome your brother who has come all the way from Diagon Alley just to help you?�

“Tsk, tsk,� another well known voice joined in, “Where are your manners, little brother?�

Ron was aghast. He hurried over to the fireplace and sure enough, he found himself looking down at the heads of the twins. He had thought that was all a joke but suddenly he reminded himself: one should put nothing beyond Fred and George Weasley.

“So, getting straight to business, Ginny told us that you were planning to ask out Hermione on a date today,� Fred said.

Ron nodded in affirmative.

Both the twins grinned devilishly and George chimed in, “At last. Our ickle Ronniekins has grown up.�

Ron felt his ears turn crimson but maintaining his composure he replied indignantly, “So what? As it is I couldn’t do it because of this bloody detention. I don’t need you to hound me too.�

“Aw,� Fred said, “Don’t misunderstand us. We are the most considerate…�

“Loving…� George said.

“Caring…�

“Understanding…�

“Helpful…�

“And compassionate brothers you can ever wish for.�

Ron rolled his eyes.

“And thus we have a plan for you,� Fred completed with a grin.

Ron suddenly perked up. He knew that the twins were not trustworthy always in these type of matters but what was the harm in listening to their plans. Maybe, just a teensy-weensy bit of maybe, they had got something good up their sleeves.

Acting nonchalant while his heart was thumping madly, he said, “Okay. I will hear you out.�

“That’s like our brother. Now, listen very, very carefully. There is a secret passage from behind the tapestry depicting the Goblin War on the fourth floor. If you enter the passage and take three consecutive left turns followed by a right turn, you will encounter a trap door.�

“And that will lead you to a desolate shack some yards away from the Hog’s Head.�

“Are you sure?� Ron asked skeptically.

“Did you listen Freddie? Ron doubts us.�

“Yeah, Georgie. I guess this isn’t a world of goodness anymore.�

“Alright, alright. I trust you,� Ron said, more to pacify them than anything else.

“Good boy,� both the twins said in unison and with a last combined good luck and a suggestive wink from Fred later they were gone leaving Ron alone with his thoughts again.

---

The next ten minutes saw Ron furiously pacing the length of the common room with his hands folded in front of his chest and his brow furrowed in deep concentration.

“Maybe they do want to help,� Ron decided after a long time, “Couldn’t hurt to try, isn’t it?�

With that decided, he squared his shoulders and a light grin formed on his features. He checked the time and found out that it was quite late. The students will be already leaving the town. The first of the carriages will be arriving within a quarter of an hour.

But he knew that Hermione would be in the last ones because of Prefect duties. If he hurried now, he would be able to catch her. He had roughly a little more than an hour in his hand.

Adjusting his clothes and running his hand through his hair to straighten it a bit, he dashed out of the common room and towards the fourth floor.

He was going to sweep Hermione Granger off her feet.

---

Almost forty-five minutes later, Ron found himself moving up and down the labyrinth of the snow-covered streets of Hogsmeade trying to locate Hermione. Fred and George had been right. He had encountered no difficulty in reaching the town but now his nerve was failing. He knew that if he didn’t locate her fast and do it, he will not be able to summon up the courage again.

“But where is she?� he murmured aloud.

After searching for about fifteen minutes, he decided that it was a lost case. Agitated, he kicked a nearby dustbin which fell down with a crash. Swearing under his breath, he pulled his jacket a little closer to himself. It was getting very chilly as the night progressed and he was sorry that he had forgotten to bring his cloak in his haste.
Sighing, he decided to return to the castle. Suddenly, out of nowhere he heard a voice.

It was a girl giggling.

Intrigued and hopeful, he moved towards the voice and was overjoyed when he spotted her. She was chatting animatedly with Ernie MacMillan and a Hufflepuff prefect he didn’t recognize.

She was looking so radiant in her simplicity. Her nose had gone a little pink from the cold. She was rubbing her hands together for warmth and her laughter was echoing down the street.

Ron felt his heartbeat quicken. For him, she was the epitome of perfection. Her bushy hair and her carefree grin always left him mesmerized. He felt as if he could stand there forever watching her like that.

Suddenly it struck him. With a jolt he realized what his feelings for her actually meant.

It was not a simple crush or an attraction. He didn’t just like her.

He loved her

Yes.

Ron Weasley was in love.

With Hermione Granger.

And that was when he decided that he had to come out with it. He was going to proclaim his love for her and leave everything rest to fate. The setting was perfect. The weather too was pleasant.

He took a deep breath and conjured up a bouquet of red roses. He smelled them and found that they were fresh and heavenly. Next, he conjured up a small card and waved his wand over it twice and smiled inwardly. It was the perfect gift for her. With determination written large on his face, he took a step towards her.

But before he could go any further, he heard a faint rustling behind him. He turned to investigate, all senses on alert and wand at the ready.

But all he could see was a flash of platinum blond hair before something hit the side of his head and the world went black.

---

Hermione Granger waved away the second last lot of carriages and was waiting with her fellow seventh year prefects for the last batch to arrive. She had been chatting with her friends when out of the corner of her eye she spotted something on the sidewalk about twenty yards away.

“Hey, Ernie,� she whispered to the Ravenclaw prefect, “Save me a seat, will you? I will be right back.�

“Sure, Hermione,� Ernie smiled back, “But come soon.�

Assured, Hermione walked up to the spot that had drawn her attention. Looking around, she spotted no one in her vicinity. Just when she had blamed it all to her fatigue and was turning to go, her feet hit something very soft.

Curious, she bent down and picked up the object.

A smile formed on her lips when she saw that it was a bouquet of roses. She smelled it and her senses were overcome by its sweet scent. She turned it around to find a small card poking out of the midst of the roses. She plucked it out but before she could open it…

“Hermione, come on. The last carriage has arrived. Hurry up if you do not want to freeze to death here,� came Ernie’s voice.

Shivering lightly, she realized that it had started to drizzle a little. Normally, she loved rains. As a child, she would often go out and enjoy the feel of the cool showers on her skin.

But today it filled her with a strange sadness and a sense of foreboding. She felt as if something important has been taken away from her. A certain type of void formed in her as she looked at the beautiful flowers in her hands again.

She heard Ernie’s voice again and shaking herself out of her thoughts, she gently laid the flowers on the road again. On a sudden impulse she withdrew the card from the bunch and pocketing it, ran to board the last carriage.

---

“Where. Is. Ron?� Hermione asked for the hundredth time to no one in particular. Behind her, Harry exchanged knowing glances with Ginny.

She had been pacing up and down the length of the common room for the past half hour, ranting about Ron’s lack of punctuality and discipline, occasionally glaring at her constantly sniggering friends.

“Only fifteen minutes left until curfew. Where is that idiot?� she seethed.

It took Harry a moment to realize that he was being spoken to this time, but before he could reply, the common room door opened and two giggling third-year girls entered, followed by the subject of Hermione’s anxiety.

“Where have you been?� she demanded in what Harry thought was a very Mrs.Weasley-like fashion.

Ron looked taken aback. He looked around as if he had entered into a room full of strangers. His eyes continued to dart around helplessly, and Harry could almost hear the wheels in his head turning furiously.

“I..umm...I was j-just taking a s-stroll by the lake and... I am... r-really very tired now. So... good night,� he stammered and hurried up the boys’ dormitory, following Dean and Seamus.

“What’s happened to him?� Hermione wondered, slumping onto the couch beside the fireplace. “He looks a bit peaked.�

“Well, I think he is just cross because he couldn’t go to Hogsmeade with us,� Ginny said, flashing Harry a grin. He felt the tips of his ears go red. He remembered that he had told her about Ron’s plans to finally ask Hermione out. Ron was going to kill him if he ever found that out.

“And also there’s the upcoming Quidditch match against Slytherin,� she continued. “What do you think, Harry?�

Harry nodded his consent. He had known Ron to behave very strangely before any Quidditch match. Maybe that would explain Ron's weird mood. Shaking his head a little, he looked up to find a very agitated Hermione scowling at the fireplace and a pre-occupied Ginny barely noticing his presence.

“Ginny is right. It’s going to be a tough game. We had anticipated that, with Malfoy gone, it will be easier to defeat them. But just look at their game: they have improved tenfold!� Harry said sitting down beside Ginny. His arm brushed against hers in the process and he felt a tingle go up his spine.

“It’s just because they are playing dirtier now,� Ginny said gruffly, “Didn’t you see how they defeated Ravenclaw? And they're damn good.�

Harry never noticed Hermione grimace loudly and leave the room. He stared into the fireplace at the dying embers. Something about Ron’s demeanour still puzzled him.

“He will come around in the morning,� he mused aloud.

Yawning and stretching, he got up from his seat and, bidding Ginny goodnight, climbed up to his own dormitory.

---

In the morning, Harry woke up with a feeling of dread. It was hour before dawn, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep now. He knew he'd had a weird dream, but he couldn’t remember it. The only thing that remained in his memory was the feeling that Voldemort was very happy for some reason. And that thought unnerved him.

He felt compelled to talk about it, so putting on his glasses, he turned towards Ron’s bed, only to find him gone.

Harry was shocked. Never in their six years of friendship had Ron woken up at such an early hour, not even before a Quidditch match.

Pushing this thought at the back of his head, he lay back on his bed and thought about his dream again. He wanted advice badly. Suddenly, Hermione’s wise face swam into his view, but before he could consider her, her obvious reply sounded in his ears,

“Oh, no Harry. You are letting him inside your head again. Go talk to Dumbledore about it. It’s not right.�

He knew he was in no mood to listen to her reasoning. Sighing, he decided to wait until he next saw Ron. It was now nearly six, so he dragged himself out of bed and began to get ready for the day.



Twenty minutes later saw one Harry Potter ambling into the Great Hall for breakfast, his mind already distracted from Voldemort and other such morbid thoughts as the delicious smell of food wafted towards him.

He was so occupied that he didn’t even notice the unusual silence at the Gryffindor table. If he had done, he would have seen that most of the Gryffindors were staring at one Ronald Weasley, who was reading a Charms textbook propped against his water jug. The boy in question was completely absorbed in the chapter and oblivious of his surroundings.

Soon, Harry noticed that something was amiss. Clearing his mind of the image of a certain red-head offering him treacle tarts and chocolate muffins, he turned his gaze towards the table and almost tripped over the hem of his own robes as he too saw what the others were watching.

Recovering quickly, he sat down beside a wide-eyed Hermione, gaping at their mutual best friend. He nudged her, bringing her back to earth. She started at once, “Harry, did you see that Ron…?�

“Is reading?� he interrupted, buttering his toast. “Yeah, I know it’s strange." Jokingly, but with a tinge of genuine concern, he said, "Maybe we should immediately take him to the hospital w--�

Ignoring him, Hermione addressed the object of their puzzlement. “Ron? Are you all right? You are reading a book and… a textbook at that?�

“So what’s your probem?� he snapped without looking up.

“I was just asking,� Hermione huffed.

Harry could see the beginnings of a row, but he was not in a mood to play mediator between his friends again. From the corner of his eye, he spotted Ginny heading towards the great double doors and, hastily wolfing down his toast, he slung his bag over his shoulders and followed her out of the Great Hall.



As the day progressed, Harry grew more and more frustrated. Ron seemed attentive in every lesson -- especially Charms. But he hadn’t talked to Harry in more than monosyllabic sentences.

Harry was by turns shocked, annoyed, and amused, but the biggest surprise came in Potions. Ron didn’t grumble once about slicing the lacewings into perfectly symmetrical threads. Nor did he mind when old Slughorn asked them to shell off the skin of some nasty-looking beetles.

At the end of the lesson, he had brewed a perfect potion, second only to Hermione’s. (Harry had at last given up the Half-Blood Prince’s book). Slughorn was so impressed with his sudden interest that he granted twenty points to Gryffindor. This made all the suspicions fly around in Harry’s head as he proceeded down the corridor after the lesson, with Ron and Hermione on either side of him. Hermione was going on and on about assignments and fast approaching deadlines. He was in the process of tuning her out when she said something that caught his ears.

“Ron, how did you make this potion today,� she asked, looking at Ron accusingly. “Just last Friday, you were complaining that the Euphoria Draughts were a nuisance if you had to brew them yourselves.�

Harry looked at Ron and noticed what appeared to be streaks of panic flit across his features.

“Um...� he started, but was cut short by the arrival of his sister. Harry just noticed his shoulders slump in obvious relief before the presence of Ginny took over all his senses.

“Hey Harry, I've been wondering when Quidditch practice is scheduled for?�

Harry felt like kicking himself. He had totally forgotten about it.

“I haven’t decided yet, but I will let you know, Ginny,� he said, and she retreated, flashing him a dazzling smile that made his stomach somersault madly.

“Whoa! Quidditch practice. I had completely forgotten. I just hope Dean’s in form this time. He really is an excellent Chaser. What do you think?� Harry said, rounding up on Ron.

“Yeah, he’s good,� Ron relied hastily.

“And Ron, please don’t get nervous this time. You are the best Keeper we've ever had. You just need to have faith in your abilities.�

“Sure. I really am confident this time. Ravenclaw won’t get a single Quaffle through the hoops, Harry,� Ron said grinning,

“Ron, the match is against Slytherin, not Ravenclaw.�

Ron’s grin faded.

“Are you two done? Can we go to Transfiguration now?� Hermione put in exasperatedly, and all three of them headed to class.



After all the lessons were over, Harry was exhausted. It had been a tiring day. But the thing that cheered him a bit was that Ron was slowly getting back to normal and had even discussed Quidditch tactics with him.

“It was the Quidditch anxiety, after all,� Harry thought as he listened to Ron ramble away about the impending match as they made their way towards their dormitory after dinner.

Halfway to the Gryffindor tower, Ron suddenly stopped him.

“Bloody hell, Harry, I think I have forgotten my Charms textbook in class. I will just go and get it. Don’t wait up for me,� he said.

Harry shrugged and proceeded towards Gryffindor Tower, anxious to get into his comfortable four-poster and retire for the night.

He didn’t even pay much attention to the fact that Ron seemed to be going towards the completely opposite direction of the Charms classroom.

---

About a hundred miles from Hogwarts, the night was exceptionally quiet. Not even an owl hooted.

Suddenly, the stillness was mercilessly pierced as a boy with shocking red hair and piercing blue eyes let out a bloodcurdling scream.

---

Ron Weasley woke up only to find himself in the grips of a splitting headache. Opening his eyes a little, he saw dust and darkness all around him. He groaned and closed his eyes yet again, massaging his temples.

“Still in the hell-hole,� he muttered.

The memories of the last time he was awake were starting to creep back slowly.

“Was it last night or is it still night?� he wondered.

He had no idea of time in this place. The last thing that he remembered clearly was finding Hermione in Hogsmeade. He remembered hearing a noise and then blond flashes and then darkness…

The next time he had been conscious was something that he couldn’t remember fully and neither did he want to. He still ached all over from the multitude of Cruciatus Curses the hooded figure had inflicted upon him. (He was sure it was Bellatrix Lestrange given her penchant for torture). Strangely, his ankles pained him the most.

Gathering every ounce of will-power he possessed, he coaxed his eyes open and squinted in the dark. After his eyes got accustomed to the dark atmosphere, he tried to sit up but found that he had difficulties in moving his legs. Fear gripped him but on looking at his legs, he instantly sighed with relief.

He discovered that the extreme pain in his ankles was due to the fact that he was shackled with chains attached to the floor. The heavy metal was biting into his flesh painfully and he could feel the beginnings of a slight numbness in his legs. He shook his head to regulate his blood circulation and almost immediately felt better when feeling returned in his legs. He flexed his toes and looked around to inspect the place.

The room was small, about 8x10 feet, with a single door opposite him well outside his reach. The door had no handles, no bolts, or anything whatsoever, that could open it from the inside. Not surprisingly, he did not have his wand on him.

The room had a great height. He could hardly discern a small window located at the topmost corner from where slivers of light were falling. But disappointingly, these did not reach him. Apart from this, there was nothing else in the room except for a tattered old blanket and a broken jug.

Suddenly the room was flooded with light and he had to blink several times to register this sudden assault on his eyes. A hooded figure was standing at the door. The person entered the room and to Ron’s immense surprise, put a plate of food next to him. It turned to leave but sensing his apprehension, it spoke in a hoarse voice, “Eat it. It’s not poisoned.�

Ron was startled. He had recognized the voice to be that of Narcissa Malfoy.

But, before he could even process the situation, she was gone and he was once again plunged into darkness.

---

Ron was confused. The food he had been given was surprisingly good and as soon as he had completed it, the plate had vanished on its own accord. He hadn’t intended on eating, but there was something in the way Narcissa Malfoy sounded that assured him of its edibility.

Satisfied, he started to think.

Contrary to popular belief, Ron wasn’t stupid. He had deduced that if they were feeding him, they weren’t planning to kill him in the near future. Then there remained only one thing they would want: information.

Everyone in the wizarding world, especially Voldemort and his Death Eaters knew what Ron and Hermione meant to Harry. Everyone knew that whatever Harry knew, was bound to reach them both too.

Ron was sure that his abduction was for the same reason. They would torture him for information about the Order. They would use every method they would have to before he would submit to their assaults and tell them anything that they wanted to hear. They would use him to the fullest and then discard him.

But what they didn’t know was that Ron Weasley wasn’t so easy to break. He resolved to not let out even a word of what he knew. He had been gaining Occulumency training as were the other Order members and had become quite good at it. As for Veritaserum, they would have to ask the right questions to obtain the right answers and Dumbledore had taken care of that.

Professor Snape had, on his command, concocted a potion to dilute the effects of Veritaserum. The potion needed to be taken only once in a lifetime. When taken, it forbade the drinker from letting out the darkest of secrets until they were asked the question set as password called the ‘Breaker’. Ron was confident that they would never guess his Breaker. It was something no one in the world except him and Dumbledore knew.

All the Order members had been administered that potion long ago and the effects had been tested to generate positive results.

“Dumbledore was really a genius,� Ron grinned at the thought.

Besides, he knew that he would be missed. Harry and Hermione were sure to notice his absence, as would their other classmates and friends and not to forget his family. They would inform the Order and soon Ron would be the subject of a massive man-hunt.

It was all just a matter of time.
Meanwhile, he would try to escape as well, trying to make it easier for them to find him. He was sure that advanced magic had been used in the place. He could feel its vibes. The forces were so strong that they were subduing his magic. All his non-verbal spells hadn’t worked. Even the magical aura around each wizard that kept them strong seemed to be ebbing away slowly.

He needed to escape fast. Who knew how much time it would take them to find him?

This was his last thought before he drifted away.

---

Little did he know that he wasn’t being missed as this possibility had already been taken care of by his captors.

---

“The weather’s picture perfect!� exclaimed Ginny Weasley, looking out of the window of the Gryffindor changing room.

She turned towards her other team-mates and beamed at them. It was Saturday and they had all assembled for a rigorous practice session for their upcoming match against the Slytherins.

“You are right, Gin,� Harry replied grinning at her.

Ginny smiled back at him as Harry addressed the whole team, “So, listen all of you. The match with the Slytherins is going to be rough. There is no doubt about it. They have always played this way but since Malfoy has left they have become rougher. I hate to admit it but I think Malfoy played it a bit fair.�

Murmurs of reluctant agreement met his last remark.

“Sweet,� Draco thought.

“Well, I just want to say that play your best, give your best and show everyone that we are the best. We have the best team ever and there is a big chance that we will win the Quidditch Cup this year,� Harry concluded and his words were followed by loud applause.

“So let’s get going,� Dean shouted amidst claps and whistles.

Ten minutes later saw seven figures clad in scarlet leave the room and with broomsticks in one hand, come out on the pitch. Ginny being the referee for the game blew her whistle and all of them shot up in the air simultaneously.

Draco felt a familiar sensation of the air ruffling his hair. He looked down and saw the ground rushing under him. It was almost a couple of years ago that he last rode his broomstick but it seemed to him that a century had elapsed between that moment and this. He started thinking about all the matches he had played with his father when he was little. They used to have so much fun. He could almost picture his mother sitting at a distance watching their game with wild interest and cheering madly each time he scored or saved. He could remember his father teaching him all the rules and regulations of the game.

“Life is never fair, Draco,� he used to say, “So at least try to keep the game fair. Remember that. Always.�

“Ron? What are you doing?� Ginny’s voice broke his reverie.

“What?� he asked and then instantly understood his mistake. Instead of positioning himself in front of the goalpost he had positioned himself at the middle of the pitch right next to a surprised Harry. He apologized and quickly sped towards the hoops.

The game started soon after. Draco was surprised to see that even after a constant lack of practice he was soon able to accustom himself to the game. Although he had been a Seeker for the Slytherin team, he used to play Keeper with his father sometimes. He closed his eyes and tried to remember everything he had been taught.

At that instant, he decided that just for some time, he would forget all about his mission and the threats on his life and instead enjoy the game. He was determined to make the most of the couple of hours he was airborne.

At the next blow of Ginny’s whistle, the game commenced. Draco could see that the game was going to be good. He could see Demelza passing the quaffle to Ginny who in turn passed it to Dean who then gave it back to her. He saw her nearing the hoops in full speed dodging the bludgers and the Beaters’ clubs. She made as if to throw the quaffle towards the left hoop. But he knew that feint well. He dived towards the right hoop and swinging wildly on his broom threw the quaffle back into the midst of the game preventing it from entering the hoop. This was met by surprised congratulations from the other six airborne Gryffindors. Draco swelled with pride and he could predict that he was going to be the star of that day’s practice session.

---

“You totally rocked the game, mate,� Harry exclaimed thumping Draco on the back.

Even Ginny could not help but compliment him, “There was not a trickle of nervousness in you Ron. I told you that you are brilliant when you keep your head cool and focused.�

“Yeah. Guess you were right, sis,� Draco said. He too was pleased with himself. He had seen the games of all the other Gryffindors and he could easily deduce that he was the best.

“If you don’t count Potter or the Weaselette, of course,� he muttered under his breath.

“What?� Harry asked.

“Nothing,� he replied quickly.

They had reached the Gryffindor common room. Draco barely had time to step inside before Hermione threw herself at him and hugging him tightly said, “You were outstanding, Ron.�

“It was j…just a p…practice session. N…not a big deal,� a stunned Draco managed to blurt out.

“Um… Hermione. Will you please let the guy breathe?� Ginny asked trying hard to maintain a straight face but failing miserably. Beside her Harry cleared his throat.

A completely embarrassed Hermione released the still dumbfounded Draco and said, “Oh yeah. I am so sorry.�

“No, it’s all right,� he replied recovering a little. He saw Harry and Ginny roll their eyes behind Hermione.

“Well if you both are done, can we go and eat something?� Ginny said.

Hermione turned a shade redder but before she could even open her mouth, Harry interjected, “Is food the only thing that you Weasleys can think about?�

“There are other things too which we think about. You must know some of them very well, Harry Potter,� she said taking a step towards him and poking him in the chest, her other hand casually resting on the hilt of her wand.

Immediately, Draco remembered his fifth year and the ‘littlest Weasley’s’ extremely powerful Bat Bogey Hex. Instinctively, his hand went up to his face. The memory only was enough to make him wince. His face had taken two days to recover fully from those hideous flappy things.

Harry’s expression changed and all colour drained from his face and glancing at Draco he said nervously, “Wh… what do you mean?�

“I meant hanging out with friends, playing Quidditch…but…what did you think?� she asked him with narrowed eyes.

Harry looked like he wished nothing more than to disappear inside the floor. Draco had a sneaking expression that neither these things nor the hex were the things on his mind. He suppressed a snigger that threatened to escape. But Ginny laughed out loud and soon Hermione joined her too.

Draco was shocked. He had never noticed how pretty Granger looked when she laughed. Her whole face scrunched up in delight and the way her voice tinkled was music to the ears. Aghast at the turn his thoughts were taking, he shook his head and tried to wipe off the stupid grin he knew was forming on his face.

“Et tu, Ron,� Harry said, dramatically clutching his chest.

That did it. The laugh Draco was trying so hard to suppress overcame him and he burst out into loud guffaws.

It was the first time in years that he had laughed so openly.

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