A/N: Hi. This chapter is short and maybe crappy, but I like the end. Get ready for some drama next chapter! –janepotter22

Chapter Ten: First Love

At breakfast the morning of Harry's first Quidditch match, I had a big breakfast and with some tea. Harry also ate a lot, egged on by my big twin brothers, who warned him that he was definitely going to need the extra energy.

"But avoid –" Fred started.

"–Drinking too much." They finished together. Harry smiled at them nervously and then it was finally time to go out on the pitch.

I was stuffed and almost sleepy, but too excited to let that get to me. Fred and George had a surprise for me. "What is it?" I asked nervously. I knew to be wary of them, but for the most part they left the real pranks for everyone else. Fred and George absolutely spoiled me once I got to Hogwarts. They did a lot of nice funny things, and did really cool magic tricks. They were really good with charms and transfiguration and even making up their own spells, so every once in a while, they'd charm something I ate, like candy, to make me feel better, or transfigure a boring quill into a magnificent and exotic flower. Those were my favorites. Once, they saw that I was struggling with all of my books while I was on my way to class and charmed them to float all the way with me for the rest of the day. "Because we love you baby sister," they said in unison. They were late themselves, but then, they didn't really mind and since they were in their fourth year already, neither did their teachers anymore. With exception to Snape, but he hated most everyone.

So I followed them with the rest of the team, to the Quidditch Pitch, Harry and I exchanging confused glances. We all arrived at the locker rooms and I could see out into the magnificent pitch. I'd seen it the night before, but not in its magnificent splendor as the sun beamed down upon it. The field was made up of the greenest grass, with sand beneath the hoops on either side of the field. The poles stood so high, when you looked at them from the very ground. The locker room was divided between girls and boys, the girls having only a charmed curtain to cover them. I thought that was pretty unfair. I felt nervous and out of place, though, as all the other girls managed to leave the boys' side and I was the only one left, not to mention a non-Quidditch player.

"Hurry up you two," Oliver Wood, the captain and Keeper, said in his Irish lilt to my twin brothers. "I want you back in five minutes for the pep talk."
They smirked, but nodded to their captain… and escorted me right out into the field! I was really nervous, and I felt really small, not only because the oval field was so huge, but because of the stands that just towered above us all. It almost felt as if the stands were leaning toward me, ready to fall over, but I knew it was an illusion. "Oh…" I breathed. Once I was in the middle of the field, I spun around. When I stopped, Fred and George were in front of me, holding out a broom. "What is this?"

"We wanted you to try it out," George said. "We knew you'd like it."

Well of course I'd flown before, just not in a real pitch. I took the broom – it was one of theirs' – and mounted it. I felt wonderful power course through me, like when I'd first picked up my wand. "Thanks," I said before gently kicking off of the ground.

The ascent was gradual and just fast enough. Once I felt I was high enough, I leaned forward, putting on a burst of speed and quickly flew the perimeter of the oval. I saw that a few people were in the stands, not really paying attention, just enjoying the weather and the emptiness of the stands before it became crowded. I felt my hair rushed behind me as the wind I created whipped through it. I tried a few of the tricks I'd seen last night, like rolling and diving, and smiled when I heard my brothers whooping. All too soon, I heard a sharp whistle and then looked to see Oliver glaring at the twins. They reluctantly signaled to me, calling me down, and I even more reluctantly landed. They led me to an opening that led to the stands, and I climbed to the highest, but closest seat I could find, saving two for Collin and Luna.

I had waited minutes in the cold, and in anticipation for the game, for Luna and Collin and the general school. Finally, students started trickling into the stands and my two friends found me easily, on account I sent out ginger sparks. That also allowed Ron and Hermione to find me, but I didn't mind. Collin had brought his camera and I cursed myself for not bringing mine. Either way, Collin had taken some great photos of the game, which was against Ravenclaw, and which Gryffindor won. Harry had scanned for the snitch from the very beginning, as did the other Seeker, but Harry's eyes caught it in the end. He chased it around for a long time, all over the field and zooming on his broom. The other seeker caught on, but was really no match against my boyfriend. I had a strange sense that Harry could've caught it all along, but that the team's strategy was to build up a lot of points to get a nice lead in the series once the snitch was caught.

I found Quidditch to be fascinating and made a mental note to try out next year, praying that I'd get a broom.

Fred and George pulled some strings with the house elves in the kitchens and was somehow able to sneak a lot of food into the commonroom so that we could celebrate our victory and toast to many more. My new favorite pastries were there and I pigged out on those, washing them down with alternating pumpkin juices and butterbeers. After a while, I felt sick and just stuck to sitting and chatting in the commonroom.

Everyone went to bed late that night, and I was surprised I didn't retire myself. Pretty soon it was after midnight and I was alone with Harry. We were on one of the many couches in front of the fire and slowly I drifted asleep… A soft nudging at my shoulder woke me up and I looked around. It was so late the fire had gone out and I was in Harry's arms. He was whispering to me.

"I'll be right back," he said. "Stay here." He was only gone for a moment before he returned carrying the invisibility cloak and his broom. Without any convincing on my part, he threw the cloak over us and the broom and led us out through the portrait. I ignored the fat lady, focusing on Harry. This time, we didn't go very far, but we did go up a very tall tower on the other side of the seventh floor. It was chilly, because there was a doorless archway that led out to the parapet.

The first thing I saw was the moon again. She was slightly slimmer, her weight leaning to the left; a waning gibbous, but she was just as bright as last night, accompanied by her friends, the stars. The next thing I saw was the dark and lumpy expanse that almost seemed like a sea, but was actually the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid, the game keeper's hut was tiny in the distance, right at the edge of the deep wood. Harry took the cloak off of us and wrapped it around us in the inverse way, so that we weren't invisible and warmer, and mounted the broom.

"Hop on." He patted behind him. "And hang on tight." I mounted behind him, wrapping my ankles with his and gripping his waist.

"Are your hands tight on the handle?" I worried. He nodded and promised not to do any tricks unless I let him, and kicked off gently.

I felt no power coursing through my body as I was on the broom, but the feelings of freedom and weightlessness were still there just the same. Even though it was an early October night, and the wind whipped past us, I wasn't cold. I was in my beloved's arm and he was warmth enough. Being with him in this moment and flying beneath the moon and amongst the stars felt like Heaven.

"Oh Harry," I murmured, resting my cheek on his back and rubbing his stomach with my hands. I wanted to close my eyes, but they were looking in all directions at everything. The celestial dust and freckles of the stars, the smile of the moon, and the crisp smell of autumn. The castle against the night sky. The lake. The forest, the grounds. All of it mesmerized me. "I love you," I continued, knowing it was the first time I ever told him that. My heart raced when he answered.

"I love you, too."

I hugged him closer and tighter, and finally closed my eyes.