Author's Note: Happy New Year everybody! Here's a somewhat quicker update that I hope you all will enjoy and please don't forget to review! I sound like a broken record lol...anyways, will update again soon =)

Disclaimer (Repeat): I don't not own anything in the Harry Potter universe, just the story/OC I came up with.

Chapter 8

I heard the clock in our room chime a few times but I didn't bother to open my curtains. It was still dark within the confines of my four poster bed and I liked it that way. I managed to sleep some but I don't know for how long…for most of the night, I would drift in and out of consciousness. For most of the night and early morning, all I could think about was Harry and Cho.

My thoughts about Harry were obvious; I had developed deep feelings for in such a short amount of time. Over the past couple months, I grew closer to the boy who lived and got to truly understand that said boy. In return, I shared things I never got to share with another person. But the sad thing was that he didn't feel the same; he seemed to be leading me on and that's not right no matter who he is.

Now Cho on the other hand, my impressions of her were constantly negative. Even though I saw that she was close to Harry and seemed to have a history with him, I felt it was only mature to make peace and show kindness to her. But I wished she showed me the same courtesy. I'm sure she's a generally nice person but why would she be so threatened by me? Why was she sizing me up and acting so snobby? There was no reason for it…I had no shot unlike she did.

"Emma? Emma!" I heard beside my bed. I quickly placed a pillow over my head and covered my body with my blanket.

"Nobody's home; please leave a message after the: BEEP!" I responded but my voice came out muffled. The voice sighed and I heard the curtains open forcefully. I clenched my blanket tighter as I felt weight shift at the foot of my bed.

"Emma, I'm worried about you and I want to be a friend to you so if that means spending my Saturday in your bed all day, I will do just that." Hermione said simply and I groaned; she really knew how to make me feel bad. I kicked off my blanket, tossed aside my pillow and sat up. Hermione was smiling, he hair pulled back into a pony tail and she was already dressed for the day.

"What do you wish to know Hermione?" I asked simply before grabbing my pillow once more and hugging it snugly to my chest.

"Firstly, why the hell did you leave without telling any of us? We were all bloody worried about you! Especially Harry." Hermione snapped and I tried to suppress a glare.

"Ha, you could've fooled me! Why did you all leave me alone with Cho huh?" I snapped back and Hermione frowned. I instantly felt guilty for popping off at her so quickly. "Sorry…"

"No, it's ok." Hermione sighed. "None of us have the best history with Cho. Remember that club I told you about that we organized last year? Dumbledore's Army?" I nodded in response. "Well, Cho was a member and during one of the meetings, she and Harry got together. We were happy of course but as time passed by, we saw a different side of Cho Chang." Hermione said darkly and I urged her to continue.

"There were times when she would get obsessive and clingy towards Harry; I assumed it was over the death of Cedric Diggory but that was only part of it. Cho would constantly need and want Harry's attention but with all that was going on, sometimes that wasn't top priority. Then one day, Harry couldn't take it and broke it off. Cho was devastated. I felt so bad for her but she went too far.

She assumed that it was because of me or Ginny that he had swayed away from her but some things were more important and she couldn't grasp that concept. Cho eventually got over herself and still attended the meetings but everything fell apart when a good friend of hers spilled everything about the meetings to the former headmaster, Dolores Umbridge. To put things simply, words were said that couldn't be taken back and friendships were broken." Hermione finished with a shrug.

"To be honest, she is still a good person and still has some shred of loyalty, but some broken things just can't be fixed." She whispered and I nodded again in understanding. "Okay, now you answer my question."

I let out a breath and tried to get my thoughts together. "Being around Harry and Cho, I just felt…suffocated. I don't know if it was envy or something else that drove me to leave. The way Cho was acting was just…I don't know…it wasn't right. And Harry didn't exactly make it better." I sighed and she gave me another one of her knowing looks. "What?"

"I knew you liked him." My jaw dropped at her comment. Hermione reached over and closed it. "You're catching flies dear." She said with a smirk and I glared at her.

"When did you find out?" I asked.

"Well, I had my suspicions when I heard you leave the dorm room every other night but I knew it wasn't my place to ask just yet." Hermione giggled and I let out a squeak. "But I truly knew that you had feelings for him when you gave him the same looks I give to Ron whenever you both were together." I blushed and hid my face behind my pillow while Hermione continued to laugh at me.

"Ugh! This is so AWKWARD! Does anybody else know?" I groaned and Hermione's laughter subsided.

"Just me and Luna; Ginny may suspect as well but you can trust us to say quiet." Hermione responded as moved closer and I felt her arms wrap around me.

"Thanks Hermione, I appreciate it." I sighed and returned the hug. "But I'm not sure that my feelings matter anyways."

Hermione pulled away slightly and looked at me. "Why not?"

"Because Harry's feelings are strictly platonic and I don't think I have a shot with him." I stated sadly. I looked at Hermione and she looked like she was about to explode. "What?"

Hermione slowly grabbed another one of my pillows and smacked me upside the head. "Have you gone completely bonkers?!" She yelled. Shock took over my body and I found myself tumbling off the bed onto the hard wooded floor.

"Ow! What the bloody Hell?" I yelled back and tried to get up. I landed on my poor bum; rubbing it wasn't doing the trick.

"How can you say that? What makes you think he feels that way?" Hermione yelled again, still armed with my pillow and shaking slightly.

"Actually, I think that he's leading me on but I don't want to say anything else without getting whacked in the head again!" I yelled back feeling extremely frustrated. Hermione was breathing heavily but she calmed down just as fast. She sat back down on my bed and held onto my pillow. I was hesitant to do the same so I kept my distance.

"Emma, believe it or not, I know he has feelings for you." Hermione responded quietly.

"But Hermione-" I began but she held out a hand to stop me.

"I know that it seems that he's leading you on but he is only protecting himself." Hermione continued. "You should know that with Harry being a target, it's hard for him to get close to anyone; it's still hard for him to be friends with the rest of us. But surprisingly, he opened up to you which is beyond phenomenal and I'm very happy he did.

Ever since you came here and befriended us, I've seen a spark light up in his eyes. He seems a bit happier now. We've lost many over the past few years with the impending war and it's been even harder for him to open up or show his true feelings. I don't know what you've said to each other during those late nights and it's not my business to ask but I know you and Harry have a bond…a bond that none of us can share with him."

I was in awe at Hermione's words. So does that mean that I have a shot now? This was all way too confusing. I was still frustrated at how he acted last night but I couldn't deny how I truly felt. Oh what will I do?

"So you think I should give him time? Wait it out?" I asked after a few moments of pondering. She just nodded and I sighed. "Ok, I can be patient."

Hermione squealed and hugged me. "It will be well worth the wait! It took forever for Ron and me to get together." I smiled and returned the hug but then a thought popped in my head.

"Oh, I almost forgot…how did Ron like your costume last night?" I asked and Hermione blushed.

"He liked it…" Hermione whispered. I shoved her slightly and she covered her face with my pillow.

"And…?" I asked and she kept shaking her head. "C'mon!" I whined.

"He said that he liked it so much that he doesn't want me to wear it in public ever again." She whispered in response and I looked at her with a confused expression. Hermione peeked at my face from behind the pillow, still blushing. "He only wants me to wear it around him so he doesn't have to fight off every male in Hogwarts." I gasped and she only squealed at me.

"Ooooo! I told you he would like it!" I yelled while bouncing up and down on the bed.

"I know and thank you again for letting me borrow it. I may have to use it again on Valentine's Day." Hermione giggled and I cringed slightly but happy for her nonetheless.

"If you need it on that day, you can keep it." I said with a laugh and she joined in. During our shared laughter, the clock in our room chimed at the new hour. Hermione turned first and gasped.

"Oh no, we got to go or you are going to be so late!" Hermione said before jumping off my bed. I looked towards the clock and noticed that it was already past noon.

"What are you talking about Hermione? Are you afraid that I might miss lunch?" I asked still feeling confused.

"Emma, do you not remember what is happening today?" I racked my brain for a moment. To be honest, I was just going to avoid everybody and stay in bed…maybe do some homework. When I showed no sign of knowing what the day meant, Hermione placed a hand to her forehead and sighed. "Emma. It's the first of November." It took me another moment but then everything clicked.

"Oh crap, Quidditch tryouts are in another hour!"

"Correct!"

I jumped quickly out of my bed, went to my trunk and began to dig. I had a pair of 'Holyhead Harpies' official replica robes' set that I got from a game last year signed by the Captain Gwenog Jones and my favorite player/chaser Valmai Morgan. If I was to show any talent for practice, I needed my lucky Quidditch robes.

"What are you looking for?" Hermione asked as I tossed things aside, re-creating what I did the previous evening.

"This!" I yelled as I pulled out the dark green robes that had a large golden talon on the front. Hermione looked very closely at the robes and gasped once she saw the talon.

"The Holyhead Harpies! That's Ginny's favorite team! She will go into a fit when she sees those. I'm guessing they are your favorite as well?" Hermione asked, still awe stricken.

"Yes, partly because they are an all female team that are better than all the boys. The Irish National Quidditch team is a close 2nd." I responded. "I'll meet you in the Great Hall ok?" I asked looking in her direction. Hermione took the hint and headed out. I turned back to my robes with a grin on my face. "Oh, I have missed you."

3rd Person POV

"Afternoon Hermione, where's Emma?" Ginny asked as she scooted over for Hermione; Harry's head picked up at the mention of Emma.

"She asked me to go ahead, that she would be down in a few and you will freak when she gets here." Hermione said, trying to keep a straight face.

"Why will I freak?" Ginny asked feeling suspicious but Hermione kept her mouth shut for a change.

"No way!" Ron gasped as some food flew out of his mouth. Unfortunately, Harry was sitting across from Ron and had some of his rice hit his cheek. A few others nearby heard his outburst and turned to the entrance of the Great Hall. Some gasped, squealed or began to whisper.

Harry turned to source of the commotion and his mouth fell open. Emma was standing at the entrance dressed in official Quidditch robes with a black and silver Firebolt over her shoulder. Emma had not fully entered and was just standing there taking in all of the eyes that were on her.

At first, Emma appeared to be nervous but as she walked to the Gryffindor table, confidence was oozing from her body. She appeared to not mind the stares as she made a beeline for her house table and sat at the end closest to Ginny and Hermione. Ginny, as was Ron, both had their mouths open in awe at her appearance. Harry on the other hand had a neutral expression but was thinking the same thing as the rest of his house: we need to see her in action.

"Wow Emma, now I see why you told me to go ahead…nice entrance by the way." Hermione grinned as she slid some salad over to where Emma was seated. Emma could only blush as Hermione's words.

"Well, intimidation is my back-up plan if I perform poorly today." Emma smiled as she took a few bites of salad.

"Nice back-up." Ginny said as she examined Emma's robes. "The Holyhead Harpies are my favorite team as well…" Ginny whispered as she stood up and circled Emma for a moment. Ginny squeaked once she saw the hood that had the autographs on the back. "Oh my goodness, you have the Captain and Chaser's signatures on the hood!" Ginny yelled and Emma blushed a deeper shade of red than before; more students as well as teachers began to stare.

"Yes I do and I will let you exam it closer if you promise to stop yelling." Emma hissed. Ginny quickly snapped her mouth shut before returning to her seat.

"Sorry…" Ginny whispered.

"It's ok; I just don't want to be hexed into oblivion by crazy fans." Emma responded with a giggle and Ginny returned it with a small smile. Ginny proceeded to start an animated conversation about the team with Emma while Hermione merely listened since she didn't care too much for the sport.

The rest of the Hall got over the shock of Emma's entrance and went on with the rest of their lunch. The only one who seemed in a daze still was Harry. His eyes were constantly on her. Wow, she looks great in her robes. I hope I didn't screw up with her last night.

As soon as Harry realized that Emma had gone, he set out to look for her. Cho was upset that Harry was leaving her for the new girl but he defended Emma quickly. She is not some new girl; she is a friend to me unlike you. Harry was guilty for not speaking up when Cho was present and instantly regretted her departure; he was especially upset that he never got that dance.

"Harry? Earth to Harry!" Someone shouted snapping Harry back to reality.

"Sorry, what's up?" Harry responded, his mind still swimming over thoughts of Emma.

"We have to head out to the Quidditch pitch to set up; it's almost 1:30." Ron stated before getting up. Harry quickly followed behind Ron and waved at a few students.

"I hope to see the lot of you in a few for tryouts yeah?" Harry called out. Harry got a few cheers in response. While making his way to the end of the table, Emma caught his eye and they stared at one another for a moment before Harry had to look away first in order to avoid tripping over himself. Unlike Harry, it took Emma a moment to look away. Despite her anger towards Harry at the moment, she still liked him. Hell, maybe I'm in love with Harry Potter.

"Ready to go Emma?" Ginny asked after a few moments as she and Hermione stood up with a few other students following suit.

"Ready as I'll ever be…" Emma responded nervously. Must not be distracted, not today.

"Hello everybody and welcome to the tryouts for the Gryffindor Quidditch team!" Harry called out causing the large group to erupt in cheers. A lot more students showed up than expected, especially first years. Some giggling girls and a few from other houses were present as well but were dismissed quickly. "Now, we will need a lot of new players: 2 new chasers and a set of beaters; we also want to have a backup for each team position." Harry stated. The rest of the group either nodded or murmured a response.

"Ok then, let's get started; I am going to list off each position and when said position is called out, line up!" Harry shouted before listing off each position. About half the group went the position of Chaser including Emma, Ginny, Dean and Seamus while the rest of the group scattered somewhat evenly to the other 3 lines. Barely 10 people lined up for Seeker since nobody could measure up to the skill of Harry Potter.

With the help of Harry's co-captain Ron, Harry was able to have 2 sets of eyes when it came to picking new players. It didn't take long for Harry to pick since the lot of them clearly didn't know the game let alone how to fly Quidditch. But there was a select few that were perfect and Harry couldn't pass up. It had only been close to half an hour before Harry blew his whistle to cease flight.

"Very good everyone. I am glad so many of you were able to attend and I wish I could have all of you but I must select only a handful." Harry said sadly. Truth was, Harry's choices came very easy to him but he couldn't bring himself to say that most of the group needed more practice before trying out ever again.

"Firstly, the position of Keeper stays with Ron Weasley with Cormac McLaggen as the alternate." Ron whooped and Cormac did as well but not as loudly. "As for Beaters, I am proud to say we will be keeping a tradition by having a brothers' beater position so I award it to Colin and Dennis Creevey!" Both boys jumped and did a high five while a few people in the group groaned. "I also have Jimmy Peakes and Ritchie Coote for the alternates." Now all that was left were the Chasers. Both Ginny and Emma were shaking in anticipation, holding onto the other for support.

"Now last and certainly not least, the Chasers; it was a very hard for me to pick from this group since I was thankful to have more than I thought to choose from." Harry stated with a neutral expression; neither Emma nor Ginny could determine a thing from the look on his face.

"All the Chasers that played were very tough but these 2 in particular worked as a team as if they played together for years and once in the air with Katie Bell, they showed a bit more strategic effort and spunk." Harry said with a small smile before clearing his throat. "So I award the 2 remaining positions to…Emma Pendragon and Ginny Weasley!" Both Emma and Ginny screamed as their names were called out. They were both jumping and hugging each other closely. Harry and Ron both had big smiles on their faces each with hidden meanings.

"Yes congratulations! I also have Demelza Robins, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan as the alternates while Ginny Weasley will also be the alternate Seeker. Again, thank you all for coming out and I hope to see some of ya'll back next year." Harry called out as the crowd thinned out and headed back to the castle.

All that was left were the new team plus the alternates and Hermione as she made way to the pitch from the bleachers. Harry gave out the practice schedule and called out more congrats to the ones that made it. Emma and Ginny were still in a state of jitters before Hermione came to join in the excitement.

"Oh my goodness, congrats to the both of you!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Thanks." Emma and Ginny responded simultaneously. Hermione then turned to Emma and smacked her lightly on the arm.

"Hey! What was that for?" Emma responded, rubbing the spot on her shoulder.

"For thinking you wouldn't make the team! Both you and Ginny played the best and looked great together!" Hermione huffed and both girls blushed at Hermione's words.

"Yes, you both did." Harry said quietly. He paused as he gave Emma a once over before continuing. "You both worked very well together and seemed to anticipate each other's plan of attack."

"I guess it was all those practice sessions huh?" Ginny stated as she bumped her shoulders lightly with Emma's and was trying to avoid Harry's eye. An idea quickly formed in Ginny's brain as she exchanged a brief look with Hermione. "Please excuse me friends, I want to give a proper congratulations to my alternate." Ginny said with a wink before skipping away.

"And I want to do the same with my Keeper; see ya'll at the tower later." Hermione said quickly before running over to Ron. Only Emma and Harry remained; an awkward tension was shared between them. They exchanged a few glances before Harry spoke up first.

"I know it sounds bias of me but you played the best out of everyone today; our first game is with Slytherin in a few weeks and they won't know what hit them with you on the team." Harry said with a confident smile and Emma just kept her eyes low, cheeks pink.

"Thanks Captain Potter." Emma responded with a smile. "But you might not want anybody thinking you are playing favorites with the new girl; I don't want any enemies here or give the wrong impression." Emma said with a smirk and Harry's grin broadened a bit.

"Me? Of course I would never do that." Harry responded sarcastically. "Harry Potter doesn't play favorites no matter how much I may like them." At this point, Emma couldn't tell if Harry was still joking or completely serious; his face remained neutral. After a brief pause, Harry continued to speak. "Emma, I need to apologize to you."

Emma held her breathe and tried to keep her face as neutral as Harry's. She tried to keep her mind clear and not think of any unpleasantness from the previous evening; she was failing miserably. "No apologize needed." Emma said as she attempted to bypass Harry altogether but whenever she made move to leave, he blocked it.

"Yes, there is; it was rude of me to act the way I did last night. That person, Cho…we have history and it's not the best one. Whenever I'm around her, I don't know but…I shouldn't have acted how I did. I regret it completely and hope it doesn't change your impression of me; I don't want to lose someone like you." Harry said sadly and Emma just flared her nostrils at Harry. Her mouth was shut as she weighed in Harry's apology as she kept herself from lashing out.

"Harry, it is fine and I understand; we all have people like that in our lives at one point. Now, if you continue this, I will quit the team in a heartbeat." Emma responded while putting on her best poker face. For a moment, Harry looked worried.

"You wouldn't."

"Try me Captain."

"Ok, I'll stop." Harry smiled and Emma sighed in relief. There was no way in Hell she would quit the team; to be honest, Emma was just as worried he'd call her bluff.

"But, there is one more thing…" Harry stated with an unrecognizable look on his face. Emma sighed already feeling frustrated.

"And what would that be Captain Potter." Emma asked. A small smirk formed on Harry's face and Emma's heart began to beat a bit faster either out of fear or excitement.

"You still owe me a dance." Harry responded with a wink.

End of 3rd Person POV