The Slytherin team was also relentlessly training and booked the pitch every day. They always changed their times to Ron's schedule, but Ron did not think anything of it. He decided just to show up randomly to train. The Slytherin team did not like it, and tried to adjust by posting lookouts.
                              
Amazingly, Malfoy was not among the Slytherin conspirators. He had retreated into solitude and Crabbe and Goyle abandoned him for Nott, who had become "enemy number one" in the Gryffindors' books. The Slytherins would not forget Malfoy's current indigence. Some even refused to be in company with him. Nott was not as popular, because his dad was also arrested, but he was so outgoing that the Slytherins had to side with him. Crabbe and Goyle's parents were also wanted by the Ministry of Magic, based on Harry's identification, but never were prominent students in the first place. 
                              
Nott was not as bad as Malfoy had gotten over the years, but still caused problems. Only Harry, Ron and Hermione still looked at Malfoy as a threat. It might have been because of all the confrontations they had had over the years, but they believed that he was just waiting for the right moment to strike.
                              
It was a week until the holiday break, when Ron had just returned from the hospital wing. The new Slytherin Captain Adrian Pucey had hexed him, and Ron developed a large boil on his arm when he put it up to block the spell. Pucey was going to hex him again, but Ron Stunned him. 
                              
Snape, who somehow showed up right after it happened, tried to give Ron a week's worth of detentions, but Professor McGonagall saved Ron by announcing she had seen the whole thing and awarded Gryffindor twenty points. Ron said the boil was worth twenty points and a chance to Stun Pucey, who had gotten as bad as Montague was in the previous years. Montague should have been captain again, but he had not fully recovered after Fred and George threw him into a Vanishing cabinet last year.
                              
"Yeah, that bloke Pucey woke up to McGonagall yelling at him. It was great. You should have been there," Ron said, that night in the common room.
                              
"Potions was about to start, we couldn't have been there," Hermione said sternly.
                              
"I know. Snape wasn't happy," Ron said.
                              
"I bet. He doesn't like missing an opportunity to put you in detention," Harry piped in, enjoying the small victory over the Slytherins and Snape.
                              
"I still can't see why Dumbledore trusts him. He's a Death Eater. He's even got the mark. I wouldn't trust anybody who..." he said, starting his "Snape rant" again.
                              
"Ron! We've been over this a thousand times. Dumbledore trusts him. He hasn't done anything to us, but show favoritism and that does not make him a Death Eater!" Hermione insisted.
                              
"Well, what about what he used to be like, when You-Know-Who was around the first time?" Ron asked.
                              
"We don't know anything! You are just guessing!" Hermione half-shouted. 
                              
They went on until well after eleven. Harry toned them out. The common room was almost empty before then. Most of the Gryffindors knew Hermione's temper enough to get away. Others did not want to be around the noise, so the rest cleared out fast.
                              
"Oh, really? How can you think that? If you could just stop being so ignorant! Don't you realize that Dumbledore knows what he's doing! Snape is giving our side valuable information!" Hermione said, angrily.
                              
"I'm not ignorant! And you think you're always right! What kind of information is Snape giving You-Know-Who!?!" Ron shouted, his face was completely red.
                              
"Voldemort, Ron!" she snapped. "Stop calling him You-Know-Who! And you have no idea wh-"
                              
"Enough! You guys have been going at it for over an hour now. Please stop!" Harry shouted over them.