Waiting Arms
created: 12162001 2:30 PM finished / accomplished: 03012002 08:25 PM
CHAPTER ONE
"Ow! Careful Hermione!" Harry Potter exclaimed as his new girlfriend, Hermione Granger, applied a cold cloth on his forehead.
Hermione gave an exasperated sigh. "Look, I'm sorry it hurts. But there's nothing I can do." With this, Harry kept quiet.
"If you hadn't fought with Ron." Hermione's voice trailed off.
"I'm sorry Hermione," Harry said softly, stroking Hermione's cheek affectionately. "I only fought Ron because I love you." Then he gave her a quick kiss on the lips. Hermione smiled instantly.
Harry had just come back from the common room where he and his ex-best friend, Ron Weasley, had engaged in a boxing match fighting over the girl taking care of him at the very moment - Hermione.
Harry had been successful in making Hermione his; therefore, Hermione was now Harry's girlfriend. Ron was furious; he had been in love with Hermione for a very long time now, and he decided that she couldn't be Harry's. They were destined for each other.
The fight had begun the moment Ron lost his temper. He attacked Harry with a right hook contacted with Harry's stomach. Instinctively, Harry fought back. The two had an exchange of yells and blows, resulting in a boxing- yelling match that was witnessed by, luckily, only five people: Seamus Finnigan, Parvati Patil, Dean Thomas, Lavender Brown and Neville Longbottom.
Hermione entered the common room and found it in total chaos. She had been furious with Ron for hitting Harry. She led Harry up towards the boys' dormitories (though she knew she shouldn't be there).
Harry glanced around the dormitory. Seamus and Dean were hooked up on a game of wizard's chess while Neville watched intently, clutching his pet toad, Trevor.
"There," Hermione announced as she made the last strokes on Harry's face with the cloth. "All done."
Harry pulled her close to him and brushed his lips against hers.
Hermione giggled. "What was that for?"
"For being there for me," Harry replied plainly. "Thank you."
Hermione smiled. "You don't have to thank me. I'll always be here for you. Just promise me that you won't get into a fight with Ron again, OK?"
"OK. I promise. And Hermione?"
"Yes? What is it?"
"I love you."
"I love you too." Hermione stroked Harry's hair. "Well, I'd better get going now," she said, gathering her things. "Weasley might barge in here and challenge me to a boxing match." She said Ron's last name as if it were something totally revolting.
As soon as Hermione was out, Oliver Wood came barging in. "What was Hermione Granger doing in here?!" he bellowed. "I demand an explanation from you three!" Obviously Wood didn't see Harry lying in bed.
Harry scrambled out of his bed and walked over to Wood. "Oliver, you see." But Wood cut him off.
"Harry! What happened to you? Where on earth did those bruises come from? C'mon, let's get you the hospital wing. C'mon!"
"Not the hospital wing again!" Harry said exasperatedly. He was tired of the hospital wing. He had just come out from there a week ago. "Besides, I don't need to go there. I'm fine, Oliver. I really am."
"Fine." Wood knew better than to argue with Harry - he knew the argument would go nowhere. "Now," he said, addressing Dean, Neville and Seamus, "hear me out. I don't care what Granger was doing in here. But I do not, and I mean do not, want that to happen again! Am I understood? Finnigan? Longbottom? Thomas?" The three just nodded as Wood stormed out of the dormitory.
Harry walked over to Seamus and his company. "Thanks, guys," he said. "And I'm sorry. Because of me, Wood yelled at you."
Seamus looked up from the chessboard and smiled at Harry. "It's no big deal," he said. Then his expression changed. "Hey, um, is something going on between you and Hermione?"
Harry's eyes widened then narrowed. "Of course not! Hermione and I are just friends."
Dean and Seamus both shrugged. "Sure, whatever," said Dean.
"Trevor, no!" Neville shouted as Trevor hopped out of his reach, down the staircase and into the common room. Neville scrambled down the staircase, following the toad. Dean, Harry and Seamus all followed Neville with their gaze. A few seconds later, they heard Neville cry, "No! He's gone again!" They heard the portrait hole open and Neville's hurried footsteps echoing through the empty common room.
"I win!" Seamus declared as his knight checkmated Dean's king.
"You always win!" Dean whined. "Anyway, Harry, Seamus and I are going to the Quidditch field. Ravenclaw's having a practice session right now, and we're going to watch. Wanna come?"
Harry considered for a moment. According to Wood, their next match was to be held two weeks from now, against Ravenclaw. This would be a perfect opportunity to see Ravenclaw's strategic moves.
"OK, I'm coming with you," Harry decided.
"Great!" Seamus said. "Let's go." The trio climbed out of the portrait hole and walked towards the Quidditch field. The moment they reached the field, they saw the whole Ravenclaw team up in the air, practicing.
"The team's pretty good," commented Dean after a few moments of observation.
"Amen to that, man!" exclaimed Seamus. "But our own team can cream theirs anytime. Right, Harry?" he asked, winking at Harry.
Harry just nodded. Well, they are pretty good, Harry admitted to himself. I'd better tell Oliver about this.
After a few minutes the team started landing. The guy Harry recognized as the team captain noticed them immediately.
"What're you guys doing here?" he asked.
Dean and Seamus were cowering in a corner as Harry took a step forward. "Um, we're sorry for. uh. invading your privacy?" Harry stuttered unsurely. "But, um. I must say, your team's pretty good."
The captain chuckled. "Invading our privacy? Nonsense!"
"Hey, I know you!" said a guy Harry recognized to be one of the Chasers. "You're Harry Potter, aren't you?" Harry nodded.
"Yeah, I remember now!" a girl Harry presumed to be the Seeker chimed in. "You're the Gryffindor Seeker, aren't you?" Harry nodded as the Seeker turned to her team. "This guy's the youngest Quidditch player in about a century!"
"Wow!" commented the captain. "Your team's really good too. I've seen all your matches. You guys can cream anyone! Too bad about last week's match though. The one against Slytherin. Hey, you were hit by a Bludger then, weren't you? Yeah, you were!"
Harry nodded. "Not to be impolite, but I'd rather not talk about that event. Anyway, we'd better get going. C'mon you guys," he called for Dean and Seamus to follow him.
As they started to walk away, the captain called out, "Good luck for the match! It's two weeks from now!"
Harry turned around and beamed. "Thanks! You too! And I'm sure you'll do well!"
Once they were out of earshot, Seamus exclaimed, "You're playing against Ravenclaw in two weeks?" Harry simply nodded.
"Well why didn't you tell us?" Dean demanded.
"I'm not supposed to tell anyone yet," Harry explained. "I'm not yet informed of the exact date or time. I just know it's two weeks from now. So I'd really appreciate it if you guys didn't tell anyone about this. OK?" Dean and Seamus nodded.
"Thanks," said Harry with a smile.
created: 12162001 2:30 PM finished / accomplished: 03012002 08:25 PM
CHAPTER ONE
"Ow! Careful Hermione!" Harry Potter exclaimed as his new girlfriend, Hermione Granger, applied a cold cloth on his forehead.
Hermione gave an exasperated sigh. "Look, I'm sorry it hurts. But there's nothing I can do." With this, Harry kept quiet.
"If you hadn't fought with Ron." Hermione's voice trailed off.
"I'm sorry Hermione," Harry said softly, stroking Hermione's cheek affectionately. "I only fought Ron because I love you." Then he gave her a quick kiss on the lips. Hermione smiled instantly.
Harry had just come back from the common room where he and his ex-best friend, Ron Weasley, had engaged in a boxing match fighting over the girl taking care of him at the very moment - Hermione.
Harry had been successful in making Hermione his; therefore, Hermione was now Harry's girlfriend. Ron was furious; he had been in love with Hermione for a very long time now, and he decided that she couldn't be Harry's. They were destined for each other.
The fight had begun the moment Ron lost his temper. He attacked Harry with a right hook contacted with Harry's stomach. Instinctively, Harry fought back. The two had an exchange of yells and blows, resulting in a boxing- yelling match that was witnessed by, luckily, only five people: Seamus Finnigan, Parvati Patil, Dean Thomas, Lavender Brown and Neville Longbottom.
Hermione entered the common room and found it in total chaos. She had been furious with Ron for hitting Harry. She led Harry up towards the boys' dormitories (though she knew she shouldn't be there).
Harry glanced around the dormitory. Seamus and Dean were hooked up on a game of wizard's chess while Neville watched intently, clutching his pet toad, Trevor.
"There," Hermione announced as she made the last strokes on Harry's face with the cloth. "All done."
Harry pulled her close to him and brushed his lips against hers.
Hermione giggled. "What was that for?"
"For being there for me," Harry replied plainly. "Thank you."
Hermione smiled. "You don't have to thank me. I'll always be here for you. Just promise me that you won't get into a fight with Ron again, OK?"
"OK. I promise. And Hermione?"
"Yes? What is it?"
"I love you."
"I love you too." Hermione stroked Harry's hair. "Well, I'd better get going now," she said, gathering her things. "Weasley might barge in here and challenge me to a boxing match." She said Ron's last name as if it were something totally revolting.
As soon as Hermione was out, Oliver Wood came barging in. "What was Hermione Granger doing in here?!" he bellowed. "I demand an explanation from you three!" Obviously Wood didn't see Harry lying in bed.
Harry scrambled out of his bed and walked over to Wood. "Oliver, you see." But Wood cut him off.
"Harry! What happened to you? Where on earth did those bruises come from? C'mon, let's get you the hospital wing. C'mon!"
"Not the hospital wing again!" Harry said exasperatedly. He was tired of the hospital wing. He had just come out from there a week ago. "Besides, I don't need to go there. I'm fine, Oliver. I really am."
"Fine." Wood knew better than to argue with Harry - he knew the argument would go nowhere. "Now," he said, addressing Dean, Neville and Seamus, "hear me out. I don't care what Granger was doing in here. But I do not, and I mean do not, want that to happen again! Am I understood? Finnigan? Longbottom? Thomas?" The three just nodded as Wood stormed out of the dormitory.
Harry walked over to Seamus and his company. "Thanks, guys," he said. "And I'm sorry. Because of me, Wood yelled at you."
Seamus looked up from the chessboard and smiled at Harry. "It's no big deal," he said. Then his expression changed. "Hey, um, is something going on between you and Hermione?"
Harry's eyes widened then narrowed. "Of course not! Hermione and I are just friends."
Dean and Seamus both shrugged. "Sure, whatever," said Dean.
"Trevor, no!" Neville shouted as Trevor hopped out of his reach, down the staircase and into the common room. Neville scrambled down the staircase, following the toad. Dean, Harry and Seamus all followed Neville with their gaze. A few seconds later, they heard Neville cry, "No! He's gone again!" They heard the portrait hole open and Neville's hurried footsteps echoing through the empty common room.
"I win!" Seamus declared as his knight checkmated Dean's king.
"You always win!" Dean whined. "Anyway, Harry, Seamus and I are going to the Quidditch field. Ravenclaw's having a practice session right now, and we're going to watch. Wanna come?"
Harry considered for a moment. According to Wood, their next match was to be held two weeks from now, against Ravenclaw. This would be a perfect opportunity to see Ravenclaw's strategic moves.
"OK, I'm coming with you," Harry decided.
"Great!" Seamus said. "Let's go." The trio climbed out of the portrait hole and walked towards the Quidditch field. The moment they reached the field, they saw the whole Ravenclaw team up in the air, practicing.
"The team's pretty good," commented Dean after a few moments of observation.
"Amen to that, man!" exclaimed Seamus. "But our own team can cream theirs anytime. Right, Harry?" he asked, winking at Harry.
Harry just nodded. Well, they are pretty good, Harry admitted to himself. I'd better tell Oliver about this.
After a few minutes the team started landing. The guy Harry recognized as the team captain noticed them immediately.
"What're you guys doing here?" he asked.
Dean and Seamus were cowering in a corner as Harry took a step forward. "Um, we're sorry for. uh. invading your privacy?" Harry stuttered unsurely. "But, um. I must say, your team's pretty good."
The captain chuckled. "Invading our privacy? Nonsense!"
"Hey, I know you!" said a guy Harry recognized to be one of the Chasers. "You're Harry Potter, aren't you?" Harry nodded.
"Yeah, I remember now!" a girl Harry presumed to be the Seeker chimed in. "You're the Gryffindor Seeker, aren't you?" Harry nodded as the Seeker turned to her team. "This guy's the youngest Quidditch player in about a century!"
"Wow!" commented the captain. "Your team's really good too. I've seen all your matches. You guys can cream anyone! Too bad about last week's match though. The one against Slytherin. Hey, you were hit by a Bludger then, weren't you? Yeah, you were!"
Harry nodded. "Not to be impolite, but I'd rather not talk about that event. Anyway, we'd better get going. C'mon you guys," he called for Dean and Seamus to follow him.
As they started to walk away, the captain called out, "Good luck for the match! It's two weeks from now!"
Harry turned around and beamed. "Thanks! You too! And I'm sure you'll do well!"
Once they were out of earshot, Seamus exclaimed, "You're playing against Ravenclaw in two weeks?" Harry simply nodded.
"Well why didn't you tell us?" Dean demanded.
"I'm not supposed to tell anyone yet," Harry explained. "I'm not yet informed of the exact date or time. I just know it's two weeks from now. So I'd really appreciate it if you guys didn't tell anyone about this. OK?" Dean and Seamus nodded.
"Thanks," said Harry with a smile.