"Professor Snape, we booked the Quidditch pitch in advance," Harry said, forcing himself to speak. "Ron only attacked Malfoy because Malfoy called Hermione a Mudblood."
The Gryffindors were furious but restrained. Snape wasn't someone they dared openly challenge. Harry, however, refused to let it go.
Snape's gaze sharpened. "You dare lie to me?"
Before anyone else could speak, Rowan Mercer stepped forward.
"Malfoy," Rowan asked calmly, "did you call Hermione a Mudblood?"
Malfoy lifted his chin, emboldened by Snape's presence. "Of course. She is one. Hogwarts shouldn't even accept people like her."
"That is not for you to decide," Snape snapped, rounding on him instantly.
For a brief moment, something raw flashed through Snape's eyes. Lily Evans had been Muggle-born. Rowan noticed the shift and quietly stepped back, satisfied. Malfoy, sensing he'd misjudged the situation, shut his mouth at once.
Snape turned back to Harry. "The previous deduction is revoked. However, Potter, you spoke out of turn. Gryffindor loses five points."
Harry opened his mouth, but Hermione grabbed his sleeve. Five points was far better than twenty.
A wet retching sound cut through the air.
Ron doubled over again, slugs spilling from his mouth.
"Finite," Rowan said, flicking his wand forward.
Blue light washed over Ron, and the curse broke instantly. The slugs vanished.
"Thank you, Rowan," Ron said hoarsely.
Harry and Hermione nodded in gratitude. They both understood. Without Rowan's question earlier, Gryffindor would have lost far more points.
Rowan gave them a quick wink and returned to Snape's side.
"I wanted to test the general counter-spell I just learned," he said lightly.
"Rowan Mercer assisted a fellow student," Snape said flatly. "Five points to Slytherin."
The Slytherin players straightened at once, spirits restored.
"That's enough," Snape continued. "Slytherin will now train two new players. Everyone else, leave."
Wood ushered the Gryffindors away, but once outside, Harry, Ron, and Hermione doubled back, hiding in the stands. They weren't spying on tactics. They just wanted to know one thing.
Who would be Slytherin's new Seeker?
They'd heard Rowan was joining the team. They'd assumed he would take that role. Only today did they learn Malfoy had already claimed it, courtesy of his father's generosity.
Snape faced the Slytherin team.
"You've all heard about Rowan Mercer," he said. "He can perform international-level maneuvers using school brooms. I have decided he will be our new Seeker."
Malfoy's face drained of color. "You promised my father I'd be Seeker!"
"Derrick Pucey and Terence Higgs are stepping down to focus on academics," Snape replied without hesitation. "You, Malfoy, will play Chaser."
The decision had been made long before. Malfoy had talent, and Lucius's contribution had strengthened the team. Replacing Higgs, who'd already lost to a first-year Potter, served Slytherin's interests.
But Rowan was different.
The Seeker's position belonged to him.
"I won't accept that!" Malfoy shouted. "I want to face Potter as Seeker!"
Then, desperate, he pointed at Rowan. "He's friends with Potter. With Gryffindor. If he's Seeker, he'll hold back!"
Rowan stepped forward again.
"Are Slytherins forbidden from having friends in other houses?" he asked. "If the match is fair, friendship doesn't matter. And if it comes to it, marrying someone from Gryffindor wouldn't be a crime either."
The team froze.
Malfoy stared at him in disbelief. "That's ridiculous! A Slytherin marrying a Gryffindor? That's the funniest thing I've ever heard!"
"Enough," Snape said softly.
Then, sharply, "Levicorpus."
Malfoy shot into the air, hanging upside down.
"You will play Chaser," Snape said coldly, "or you will leave the team."
Rowan watched, lips curling faintly.
He'd baited that response deliberately.
Snape flicked his wand, lowering Malfoy back to the ground.
"Very well," Snape said at last. "One match. Mercer versus Malfoy. First to catch the Snitch becomes Seeker. The other accepts Chaser."
The air crackled with tension.