"Alright! First up, a hundred laps around the field!"
At Flint-senpai's command, we all start running and loudly belt out the team's specialty, the Slytherin training song.
"Do you know the Slytherin team?"
"Do you know the Slytherin team?"
"This year's brooms are Nimbus Two Thousand Ones♪"
"This year's brooms are Nimbus Two Thousand Ones♪"
"They're seriously amazing!"
"They're seriously amazing!"
"We'll beat Gryffindor to a pulp♪"
"We'll beat Gryffindor to a pulp♪"
With Draco carrying the Slytherin house banner and me at the front, we jog along while everyone echoes Flint-senpai's improvised song.
It is far tougher than it looks, and our breathing quickly becomes ragged from the unfamiliar exercise. But with the upperclassmen firmly blocking the rear, we cannot slow our pace and can only keep moving forward, like sheep being driven on by hunting dogs.
By the way, this strange tradition of singing while running is not just about boosting teamwork and discipline through chorus. Singing also helps expel carbon dioxide from the lungs, and keeping a steady rhythm allows oxygen to circulate more efficiently through the body, making it surprisingly effective for maintaining stamina.
I do not know the details, but apparently it was introduced about half a century ago, when a half-blood top scorer with a Muggle soldier for a father became team captain.
After half a century, it barely qualifies as a "tradition," so even if someone occasionally notices its origins, the unspoken rule is to pretend not to know.
＊＊
So there we were, running in formation and drenched in sweat, when we spotted our classmates Millicent, Pansy, and the others approaching at a leisurely pace.
"Huh? What are Elaina and the others doing?"
"That's so stupid…"
"But somehow, that is… hehe."
After staring wide-eyed at the practice scene, Daphne burst out laughing, and that set everyone else off, clutching their stomachs and laughing uproariously.
"No way! That's so lame!"
"And both of their faces are bright red, too! Hahaha!"
It is mortifying beyond words to be seen in such a ridiculous state by people we know, but Flint-senpai's harsh training shows no sign of easing up.
"Second-years! You're too quiet! Project from your guts!"
"Yes, sir!"
"More! Even a couple of old geezers going at it have more spirit than that!"
"Yes, sir! Yes, sir!"
At this point, I have completely given up.
We just keep screaming Flint-senpai's bizarre song as we run laps around the field, so many that we have lost count.
"Ravenclaw's got no balls♪"
"Ravenclaw's got no balls♪"
"Hufflepuff's a bunch of losers♪"
"Hufflepuff's a bunch of losers♪"
"Slytherin! Strongest!"
"Slytherin! Strongest!"
Forced to go along with energy that clearly does not suit either Draco or me, we stagger along like zombies, wheezing and groaning. Seeing this, even Zabini and the others who arrived late were doubled over with laughter.
"So cool! I'm totally falling for you!"
"The shining man, Draco Malfoy!"
"Hey, handsome, give us a smile!"
To top it off, Nott even bribed first-year Colin Creevey, who happened to be at the field, with a silver coin, and we could see him snapping photo after photo with the borrowed camera.
"Our cute underclassmen came all this way to watch. Let's show them something cool!"
"Yes, sir!"
Meanwhile, the upperclassmen, as expected, were completely at ease, blowing kisses at Daphne and the others, whistling, and riding the high energy.
"Alright! Once the running's done, next is a hundred push-ups and sit-ups! After that, we'll take a short break and then mount our brooms!"
"Yes, sir!"
And so, as the seniors got more and more carried away, the new members, Draco and I, were put through relentless training until the sun finally set.
＊＊＊
And after practice ended, there were about two corpses with platinum-blond and ash-gray hair sprawled around the Quidditch pitch, like fish washed up on the shore.
After a while, Millicent and the others, who had been enjoying a picnic while treating our training as entertainment, came over.
"Hey, Elaina, you still alive?"
Millicent peered down at my face from above, and all I could manage was a nod. Some kind of liquid, whether sweat, saliva, or tears, covered my entire body, and my hair was plastered to my face.
"Here."
Tilting two bottles of Gillywater she had gotten from somewhere, Millicent splashed water all over my face and Draco's. I have my complaints about the rough treatment, but this time the cold water felt wonderful.
"Wow, Elaina, your clothes are getting see-through with the water. Kinda lewd… well, not really."
Daphne, go to hell. I thrust my left hand straight out in front of me, turned my thumb downward, and conveyed my heartfelt feelings with a smile.
"Good work, Draco. Want a drink?"
"Yeah… thanks."
Beside me, Pansy crouched down and pressed a bottle of Mana Aid from Greengrass Pharmaceuticals, the wizarding world's sports drink, against Draco's cheek.
Draco closed his eyes in relief, surrendering himself to the pleasant chill of the well-cooled bottle.
"Hey, Draco, I brought a towel too. Want it?"
"That helps a lot, Pansy."
As Draco raised his upper body, Pansy happily and carefully wiped the mud-covered back of his neck, looking just like a dedicated personal manager.
Ever since that pixie incident, Pansy has been unusually attentive, but only toward Draco.
"By the way, Pansy, don't you have anything for me?"
"Huh? Why?"
"..."
I see. So it's boys over friends, is it?
"Daphne, I'll leave those two to you."
I clicked my tongue loudly enough for everyone to hear and entrusted the rest to my reliable friend Daphne.
"Leave it to me!"
Daphne gave me a sly wink with one eye, approached Draco as he was being fussed over by Pansy, and smoothly slipped around to stand right in front of him.
Then she pressed the soft, supple body of a fresh young girl against a perfectly healthy adolescent boy.
"Malfoy-sempai♡ Could I wipe your sweat too, together with her♡?"
She leaned in close from below, looking up at him at point-blank range, using a syrupy, coquettish voice to shake the innocent boy's heart. Shameless. Truly shameless, Daphne.
"Wha…!?"
Draco was immediately flustered, his face turning bright red all the way to his ears. Between the nice smell and the softness, his brain, barely into puberty, could not withstand the sudden assault of worldly desires and was knocked out in an instant. It seemed to be extremely effective.
"Hey!? Daphne, what do you think you're doing!?"
"Senpai♡ By the way, there's somewhere I want to go with you later♡"
"How about some lemon honey preserves too, Dra-co se-n-pa-i?"
"That's not fair, Daphne and Millicent♡ Zabini wants to join in too♡"
Even a guy jumped into the mix.
"Wait, all three of you are too close! Back off!"
"Eek!"
"Ah, sorry, Pansy!"
"Oh my♡ Malfoy-senpai, you're so bold☆"
"Woo♪"
"Draco, do that shove to me too!"
"All of you, shut up!"
Draco and the others tangled together, yelling and making a racket. Seeing them like this, no matter how much they brag about being from noble families or elites, they are still just twelve- or thirteen-year-old kids.
Before long, a tall shadow quietly crept up in front of the four who were still fooling around, and a camera flash went off. The one who appeared, wearing a fearless grin, was Theodore Nott.
"Hmph. I've got photographic evidence. If you don't want this spread around…"
"Nott, you too!?"
Draco's scream echoed across Hogwarts in the fading evening light.
(End of chapter)
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