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"Sit down, Draco. Don't be so tense. The practice match between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw is about to start. Let's watch it together. Cedric's an excellent Seeker; you might learn a thing or two from his techniques," Harry said. His tone wasn't overly enthusiastic, but it was warm and friendly. Draco, upon hearing this, nodded silently and then sat down to Harry's right.
"You look like you want to say something."
After Draco sat down, Harry glanced at him, then leaned back in his seat, waiting for his response.
"Y-yes," Draco replied, suddenly feeling nervous again. He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing, "I should have apologized to you a long time ago."
"What?" Harry raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"I mean… about what happened on the train last year. I think you were right," Draco said softly, his gaze lowering for a moment before he suddenly looked up at Harry. There was a flash of struggle in his eyes, but it quickly turned into determination.
"You're confusing me more the more you speak," Harry said, recalling their first meeting on the train. There had indeed been some tension, but it hardly seemed like anything significant. "You don't need to apologize to me."
"If you're talking about when I barged into your compartment without knocking…" Harry shrugged. "It's no big deal. It was ages ago. Let it go."
Harry reached out and patted Draco's shoulder, gesturing for him to look up. Cedric had just executed a 5.0 difficulty feint, successfully throwing off the Ravenclaw Seeker. If it hadn't been for the Ravenclaw Beater's quick reflexes, sending a Bludger at an awkward angle, forcing Cedric to move to avoid it, Cedric would have caught the Golden Snitch and ended the match in under thirty seconds.
"Cool! That was a Seelert Stalling Spin," Draco exclaimed. "I've never seen anyone use that move outside of professional matches."
"Seems like you really want to learn it."
"Y-yes," Draco nodded, then took a deep breath. Gathering his courage, he asked Harry, "Do you think there's a chance I could join your team?"
"I want to be a great Quidditch player," Draco said rapidly, "I want to play professionally. I want to compete in the World Cup. I know you're amazing, Harry. You have the ability to make others just as good as you. I know some of the things I did before were a bit foolish, but it was a misunderstanding. Honestly, at first, I just wanted to get to know you. I even wanted to be your friend, but I messed it up."
Having said everything he wanted to, Draco seemed to breathe a little easier. Yet, his body tensed more than before, as though anxiety had returned.
"You want to be a professional player? I thought you'd be taking over your father's business after graduation," Harry remarked.
"The Malfoy family already has an heir," Draco said with a bitter smile. "Cassandra is far better than I am. She's my older sister, the perfect heir. Father has always favored her. Even though I'll inherit a part, well…"
Draco shook his head forcefully. "I'm not jealous, not at all. That's the truth. The reason I even considered this idea was because of my mother."
"My mother is very ill, seriously ill," Draco said, his voice tinged with sorrow. "I thought she'd have recovered by the time I came home for the holidays, but she's still in bed. Dad said he found a solution, but it hasn't helped at all. In fact, after I came back, she's only become weaker."
"I've never done anything to make my mother proud. She probably won't last much longer, maybe only a few years, but I want to give her something to be proud of, just once."
"Even if it's just once, I think I need to do something for her," Draco said, his gaze falling to his hands, which were trembling slightly. He tried to clench them into fists but seemed to have lost the strength to do so. "But I can't do anything."
"Then why didn't you just say that from the start?" Harry asked, giving Draco a reassuring pat on the back.
"The team doesn't restrict anyone from joining. As long as you can handle the tough training and endure the hardships, you'll have a chance. Everyone has a chance. But I'll say this upfront—I won't offer you any special treatment because of your family situation."
"Last year, more than thirty people joined the team. After a year, only six remained as official members. I don't think that number will change much over the next few years. If you really want to do something, I can give you the opportunity and the stage, but whether you succeed or not will depend entirely on your effort, Draco."
Draco grabbed Harry's hand, his excitement barely contained, as he spoke rapidly. "Thank you, Harry! I didn't think I'd actually have a chance to go to the World Cup. If my mom knows…"
Harry didn't interrupt Draco's outburst of emotion. He waited for a moment, and as Draco gradually calmed down, a sheepish smile appeared on his face. "I got too excited. I thought you'd turn me down, after all…"
"After all, what?"
Draco's expression faltered for a moment. He sighed slightly, his voice carrying a mix of complex emotions.
"It's not about you. It's because of my father."
"He strongly opposed this, even threatening to disown me from the Malfoy family, to remove me from the family tree."
After a brief pause, Draco's voice grew more composed, even numb.
"Over the holidays, I heard about you buying the Falmouth Falcons and planning to take the team to the World Cup. I mentioned it at home…"
"Dad exploded. He got furious just because I mentioned your name—it was like a forbidden word to him. Even Cassandra…" Draco hesitated before continuing, "My sister isn't like that. She talked to me the other day. She said this is Hogwarts, not home. If I want to do something, I should just do it. She encouraged me to come talk to you."
"So, at home, both your father and sister were completely against it? No, I should say they just don't want to hear my name?" Harry asked.
"Maybe," Draco replied awkwardly. "The family lost a lot of money. Even though it was because of Sirius Black, they seem to think you're involved somehow. But I've never thought that. I really haven't," Draco said, his tone growing more serious as he finished.
"I believe you, Draco."
Harry nodded with a smile. "I understand how you feel. But you're luckier than me. I believe your mother will get better, and she'll be able to see her proud son holding the championship trophy in front of her."
"Let's talk about something else for now. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. You have the chance and the stage. The rest is up to you to work hard. I believe you'll do great."
Draco nodded vigorously. He truly wanted to do this, to see his mother smile at him one last time before it was too late.
"I'm actually curious, though. Why did they get so angry? Even threatening to disown you from the family? Isn't that a bit extreme?"
Draco didn't seem bothered by the question and even found it odd himself.
"I'm not sure, but I don't think it's just about money. Dad's expression when he got mad was terrifying. Honestly, before this, I felt like something was off with him. He's become more irritable, more emotional. He doesn't even seem to care about mom anymore. I don't know why."
"And Cassandra?"
Draco fell silent for a long time before answering.
"What's going on with her?" Harry asked, draping an arm around Draco's shoulder, as if they were just two good friends talking. "By the way, Cassandra has changed a lot. She's very different from last year."
"I get the feeling that the relationship between you and your sister is kind of complicated. What was she like before? Can you tell me about her?"
Harry had been curious about Cassandra ever since he saw her leave Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.
Draco's eyes suddenly narrowed at the mention of her name, and then he shook his head slightly. "I don't know."
(End of Chapter)