Draco Malfoy barely slept a wink, lying in bed, consumed by thoughts of how he would snatch the Golden Snitch right from under Potter's nose tomorrow.
The next day, Draco woke up exceptionally early. He carefully slicked his hair back with a generous amount of hair gel, grabbed his Nimbus 2001, and left the dorm.
In the common room, Blaise Zabini was slumped on a sofa, yawning miserably, his dark circles even more pronounced than Draco's.
"I didn't realize you were so keen on Quidditch," Draco remarked, surprised.
"It's alright, I suppose. Mostly, the girls who play Quidditch have really great figures, so—ah~" Blaise yawned mid-sentence.
"You mean those Gryffindor girls?" Draco said, a look of disgust crossing his face.
"Mmhmm. You can't deny Angelina's got a pretty hot figure," Blaise grinned mischievously.
"Heh, a half-blood?"
Draco couldn't be bothered to continue talking to his lust-crazed roommate. He instead scanned the room for his teammates, but was disappointed; only he and Blaise were there. Blast it, what's Flint thinking? So lax, how are we supposed to beat Gryffindor?! Draco cursed the Slytherin team captain under his breath, then decided to head to the Great Hall first. He intended to place his Nimbus 2001 in the most conspicuous spot.
Just imagining the surprised looks on Potter's and Wood's uncivilized faces when they saw his broomstick made Draco chuckle out loud.
As Draco Malfoy walked out of the common room, the smile vanished from Blaise's face, replaced by a grim expression as he sank into thought.
Thump, thump, thump~
Suddenly, a rapid series of footsteps echoed, and Blaise swiftly put on his mischievous grin.
He turned to look, and indeed, it was Pansy Parkinson. "Where's Draco?" Pansy asked directly.
"You're up late. Draco's already gone to the Great Hall—" Before Blaise could finish, Pansy dashed out.
In the Great Hall, Draco meticulously chose a prime spot at the Slytherin table, placed his Nimbus 2001 there, and repeatedly checked that anyone entering through the main doors would immediately spot it. Draco was quite pleased with his masterpiece. Now all he had to do was wait for Potter and his lot to arrive.
Footsteps sounded from the Great Hall entrance. Draco quickly put down his steak, picked up a goblet of pumpkin juice, and pretended to take a sip.
"Draco~ You're up early!" Pansy greeted him enthusiastically. Draco was a little disappointed it wasn't Potter.
"Pansy, good morning," Draco replied offhandedly. He then put down the dreadful pumpkin juice and continued eating his steak.
Pansy didn't seem to mind Draco's attitude. She simply sat down beside him and helped herself to a plate of the same steak. "Draco, you're definitely going to catch the Golden Snitch today..."
Draco half-heartedly dealt with Pansy's flattery. All he wanted right now was to see the expressions on those Gryffindors' faces.
The Great Hall gradually filled up. Everyone had been cooped up for a while, so many had risen early, eagerly anticipating today's Quidditch match. People continuously noticed the Nimbus 2001 in front of Draco, and the compliments made him feel immensely satisfied.
Seeing Draco laboriously eating his third steak, Pansy began to worry if he was under too much stress. "Draco, are you alright?" Pansy asked, concerned.
"I'm fine, Pansy. I'm just incredibly hungry. You know, Quidditch matches are very physically demanding." Draco said, stuffing another piece of beef into his mouth with effort. Confound those Gryffindors! Why aren't they here yet? I can barely eat another bite. Draco cursed the lazy Potter in his mind while forcing himself to chew the beef.
Just then, Gemma Farley, the Slytherin Head Girl, walked past Draco. She hesitated for a moment, then stopped and said, "Good luck, Malfoy!"
Draco saw it was the Head Girl wishing him luck. He quickly swallowed the beef in his mouth and gave a dignified nod. Pansy, meanwhile, glared at Gemma and possessively wrapped her arms around Draco's arm as a show of defiance. However, Pansy's perfume was so strong it almost made Draco throw up the beef he had just managed to swallow. He quickly pushed Pansy away.
Head Girl Farley scoffed at the sight and walked away. "Why, Draco...?" Pansy looked at him in disbelief.
Draco couldn't bother to comfort Pansy, as a large group of students in red robes began streaming through the Great Hall entrance. He started scanning the crowd for Potter.
"Fred, George, you absolutely must..." Wood was saying quickly, looking incredibly nervous.
"Wood, if you bother me and Fred any more, I'm going to hit you over the head with a Bludger later!" Fred complained, annoyed. Fred looked half-asleep, as Wood had burst into their dorm at dawn to forcibly wake him and George.
"Hey! I'm George!" George jabbed his twin brother, displeased.
The group noisily arrived at the Slytherin table. Draco immediately puffed out his chest, pretending to casually fiddle with his broom, but no one looked his way. Harry and the others already knew that the entire Slytherin team had been supplied with Nimbus 2001s.
Even after they had sat down at the Gryffindor table, Wood didn't stop his incessant chatter. Hermione was already a bit nervous, and in that atmosphere, she couldn't help but say to Harry, "Harry, don't be nervous. I know you're the best Seeker."
Harry, however, seemed quite calm in response to Hermione's comfort. He instead reassured Hermione, "Don't worry, that idiot Malfoy won't be able to snatch the Golden Snitch from me."
Faced with Harry's confident declaration, Pansy couldn't take it anymore. She stood up and loudly declared, "Draco is the best! And he has a Nimbus 2001..."
Draco, playing along, also raised his broomstick, and everyone in the Great Hall looked his way. Suddenly, Pansy's shrill yelling was drowned out by the hoot of an owl. A beautiful, snowy-white owl flew towards Harry, carrying a slender package in its talons.
Harry nonchalantly opened the package. Inside was a brand-new Nimbus 2001.
"I'm sorry, what did you just say? Could you repeat that?" Fred shouted towards the Slytherin table.
"She just mentioned a Nimbus 2001. Was she complimenting Harry's broomstick?" George added, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Pansy stiffly sat down, looking at Draco forlornly, hoping for some comfort. However, Draco had no time for Pansy; his face was ashen as he stared at the broomstick in Potter's hands.
"Harry isn't like some people who need a broom gifted to them just to get on the team!" Fred added another jab.
Draco felt like everyone around him was laughing at him. He abruptly stood up and stormed out of the Great Hall, determined to get his revenge by catching the Golden Snitch later and thoroughly mocking them.