The usual disclaimers apply…alas, JKR's not mine!
I am thrilled you all enjoyed the last chapter so much - the charm will be important a little later on…Next chapter is almost on its way. Keep reviewing please, and I'll try and keep writing quickly!
Quarrels and Quidditch
Harry rapidly cast his mind back over the past few minutes of conversation, wondering what Ron had overheard. He had certainly seen him with his arms around his sister, and that was problematic enough, but had he found out about the charm as well? At that moment he barely understood the implications of the spell himself, and was totally in awe about what Ginny had done for him. However, he dreaded to think what Ron would have to say about him deliberately using his little sister to help him in his fight against Lord Voldemort.
Ron advanced on the two of them, red with rage to the very tips of his ears. The quietness made the room crackle with tension, but still the stifling, oppressive silence continued. Harry suddenly realised that it was imperative for him to stay calm, whatever happened. Ron's temper, he knew, was explosive at the best of times; he had witnessed that often enough in his rows with Hermione, but then there was also Ginny to contend with. He had never seen it himself, but he had heard all six of her brothers on the subject of Ginny's volatile outbursts. She rarely showed any indication of temper, but when she did it was spectacular enough to quash any of her siblings, and grind them firmly into dust.
"Ron, it's not what it looks like," Harry broke the silence, unable to bear it any longer. "Come on, we're playing Quidditch against Ravenclaw in a couple of hours."
"And here was me worrying about you," Ron said bitterly. "I guessed you were down here again because of your scar pains. It seems I was wrong."
"Well you didn't want me to wake the whole dormitory up because of a few aches and pains, did you?" Harry said, attempting to sound light-hearted. "I thought you needed to get a good night's sleep before the match."
"Oh yes," he laughed derisively. "I can see how it would have been very awkward to have me around. You're meant to be my friend, Harry. Why can't you leave her alone?"
"And what has that got to do with you, Ron Weasley?" a furious voice demanded an answer. Harry glanced in surprise to where Ginny was standing her ground. Her eyes were flashing dangerously with real passion, and she wore a look on her face, which was enough to make the bravest man quake in his shoes before her wrath.
"Everything," Ron yelled at her. "You're my little sister."
"Little am I?" she reiterated forcibly. "Since when does your eleven month advantage give you the right tell me what I can and can't do? You can stop thinking of me as 'little' right now because there is absolutely no way I'm going to put up with it. I'm fifteen, the same as you. Next time you're treating me like an imbecile, try to bear in mind that I'm only three months younger than your best friend here."
"I'm meant to be looking out for you; protecting you," he shouted at her. "Not that I get a lot of thanks for it."
"I don't need looking after," she hissed angrily. "Believe it or not, Ron, I'm perfectly capable of making my own decisions, and understanding what's going on around me. Not like some people I could mention. I mean, how long did it take you to realise how you felt about Hermione?" She glared at him.
"Oh yes, and you did really well with that enchanted diary," he retorted, stung by her comment. "Really understood what was going on there, Ginny. I'm trying to stop you making the same mistake and ending up in You Know Who's power again."
Ginny went white, her dark eyes glittering venomously as she stared at her brother. The silent hostility that followed was even worse than the shouting, as the pair of them faced each other down, fury blazing. Harry found himself glancing anxiously at Ron, hoping that he'd realised how much he'd hurt Ginny by that last comment, but knowing that any intervention from him would only inflame the situation. He fingered his wand nervously and waited.
"I know the risks, just like you do," she said at last in an oddly tight voice. "We both agree on one thing; a friendship with Harry is worth far more than fear of Voldemort."
Ron blanched at the sound of Voldemort's name; horrified to hear his little sister using it he gaped at her. Ginny took advantage of knocking him off balance and launched back into full attack with renewed vigour.
"Ron, you're just being ridiculous," she yelled suddenly at him, shattering the stillness. "You spend months not noticing Hermione right under your nose, then you get all over-protective with me over something that hasn't even happened. Harry would never see me hurt and if you'd bothered to think about it for a single second you'd know that."
"Oh I'm sure it's been very cosy practising that Imperius Curse every Thursday," he snapped back "Just the two of you." The unspoken implication was clear.
"Nothing like that is going on," she screamed at him in frustration. "Harry has been helping me, as a friend. It was your idea in the first place, remember?"
"Ginny, friendship is one thing, but this…" Ron's anger seemed to be fading a little as he struggled to find the words he wanted to say. "I saw you both, just now…"
"What did you see?" she demanded, shaking her head in disbelief and sending her fiery hair flying. "A hug? What's so wrong with that? You get them often enough."
"That's different," he argued half-heartedly. "I'm your brother."
"Harry's practically family, you say so yourself," she cried, gesticulating wildly to where Harry still remained rooted to the spot.
There was another pause, during which Ron's shoulders visibly relaxed, and Harry breathed again. He saw Ginny's eyes soften as she looked at her brother, knowing that the argument had been won.
"Ron," she said firmly, persisting to make sure he understood. "I need to live my life my way, and that includes any decisions I make about Harry, or anyone else for that matter."
"I just don't want anything to happen to you," he said carefully, not wanting to provoke another eruption of her rage. "It was awful last time Ginny, you have no idea."
She hugged him impulsively, taking care to keep her left wrist out of his sight. That was clearly a battle to be fought another day.
"I'll be fine," she reassured him. She grinned across at Harry, some mischief dancing in her eyes, then looked back at her brother with a far more innocent expression. "Ron, I was about to send a letter to Mum, but Errol collapsed again when he got here last night. Harry's offered to lend me Hedwig. Do you think it would be compromising my virtue to borrow his owl, or should I use Pigwigeon instead?"
Ron's face cracked unexpectedly into a grin.
"I get the point," he laughed. "Ginny, you choose whichever owl you want. I promise not to say anything." He looked over at Harry, reddening slightly. "Sorry I overreacted like that. Stupid of me really."
"Probably Quidditch nerves," he replied, thankful that Ron was still talking to him, for now at least. "Speaking of which, we'd better get moving. Ravenclaw aren't going to wait all day."
***
By the time Harry and Ron had got outside it had begun to drizzle, and a damp mist clung low over the grounds. As they hurried down to the pitch, the November wind whipped viciously around them, chilling them to their very bones. They spoke little. Ron was quiet after his outburst earlier that morning, and Harry was concentrating on the game ahead. This was the first match he was playing in as captain and was determined to make it a Gryffindor victory, even if he was playing as Cho Chang's opposite number. Harry's stomach gave a slight lurch as he thought of the pretty Ravenclaw seeker, but it was not the sensation of butterflies he remembered from last year, it was a feeling of dread. He had avoided Cho almost entirely this year. He knew it was cowardly, but even seeing her reminded him of Cedric, and deep down he still blamed himself for what had happened.
The others were already in the changing rooms when they arrived, calmly chatting about the forthcoming match. Fred and George's faces lit up in identical grins of mischief as they spotted their younger brother who was now looking almost green with trepidation.
"Have a piece of chocolate?" Fred offered, his mouth twitching in anticipation. Ron, having learnt by bitter experience never to accept anything edible from his twin brothers, regarded the offering in suspicion.
"It's only a bit of chocolate," George added swiftly. "We wouldn't do anything nasty to our baby brother, would we?"
"I can understand why Ginny finds it so annoying now," muttered Ron to Harry out of the corner of his mouth. "I'll never do it to her again." Harry snorted with laughter.
"Leave him alone," came Angelina's amused voice from the corner. "You were worse than this on your first match. I remember…"
"Ah, yes!" interrupted Fred quickly. "Well we don't want to go into ancient history, do we? What's the plan for today, Harry?"
"Same as practise," said Harry firmly. "We flew really well yesterday, and if we can keep that up Ravenclaw haven't got a hope."
They trooped out onto the pitch, drizzle still falling on them, and faced the other team. Cho looked across at him. She was thinner than she had been and very subdued.
"How have you been?" he asked her quietly.
"Not bad. You?" she responded with a small smile.
"Keeping busy. You know how it is," Harry explained. She nodded, understanding perfectly that to be occupied left no time to brood over what could now never be changed. His eyes left her to scan the crowd, and he felt his heart pound suddenly inside him when he caught sight of what was unmistakably Ginny Weasley's hair, bright and vibrant against the dullness of the day. He tore his attention away from her and focused back on the match. Madam Hooch stood with the whistle in her mouth, as the team captains shook hands, then she blew a sharp blast, they kicked off and rose sharply into the air.
Soaring above the game, Harry's eyes scanned the pitch for the golden snitch, knowing it was not going to be easy to spot in the murkiness of the morning. Cho was on his tail, following him, but Harry knew he could shake her off. Pushing forward into a sharp dive, he felt the exhilaration of the wind soaring through his hair, blowing away the dullness he had felt though lack of sleep, and making him feel alive. The Firebolt turned as if following his very thoughts, as he continued to search the area for the snitch, listening all the while to Lee Jordan's commentary.
"Spinnet passes to Bell. Nice swerve there around Davis, the Ravenclaw keeper. Easy does it. Watch out for that bludger, Katie! Good, she takes aim, and yes! Cleanly through the hoop. 20-0 to Gryffindor."
Harry smiled to himself as the crowd went wild. He shot up above Cho and sped off, constantly seeking the tiny winged ball in the mist. A bludger whistled past his own ear as he rounded the Gryffindor goalposts.
"All right there?" he yelled over at Ron.
"Better now we're up here," he shouted back, grinning but not daring to take his eyes off the game.
It was now beginning to rain, gently at first, but then increasing in intensity, soaking through his Quidditch robes and making his shiver in the sharpness of the wind. Eyes constantly surveying for the slightest sign of the snitch he heard Lee Jordan's magically magnified voice shouting excitedly about the goal Ron had just saved.
Suddenly Harry caught sight of a glimmer of gold, not far off the ground directly below him and noticed that Cho had seen it too and was far closer than he was. Forcing his broom into a near-vertical descent he plummeted down, causing gasps of alarm from those watching the match. Faster and faster he descended, eyes trained on the snitch beneath him, arm outstretched. His fingers closed around it, but for once he was slightly too late to straighten his broom fully, and hit the ground awkwardly with a dull thud. There was an ominous cracking of bone in his ankle, but they had won. Harry lay back on the sodden ground where he had landed, rain splashing down on his face. He grinned widely. They had won.
***
"Not you again," said Madam Pomfrey severely, as Harry hobbled into the hospital wing supported by Ron. "What have you been doing this time?"
"Quidditch," explained Harry, gritting his teeth in pain by this time. "Ankle."
"Sit down," she said in an exasperated tone, but smiled at him. "Honestly, I don't know what I'm going to do with you. I can't seem to keep you out of here." She examined his ankle carefully as he dripped mud all over the floor. "Yes, it's a nasty break, that one. Right then, let's get it fixed." Rolling up her sleeves, she cast the spell, and Harry instantly felt the damage repair. "Stay there until I come back," she insisted. "Give it a few minutes before you walk on it." And with that, she headed off into her office.
"Some capture that was," laughed Ron. "You should have seen the Ravenclaw's faces. They were convinced Cho was going to get it."
"Yeah." Harry's face lit up with enthusiasm. "I wasn't planning on such a dramatic exit, but it was well worth it; had to get the snitch somehow. Sounded like you had a good game as well."
They dissected every move of the short match between them, showing real excitement about their victory before Ron glanced sideways at Harry, a more serious expression on his face.
"What?" Harry asked, feeling slightly unnerved.
"I still feel bad about yelling at you this morning," admitted Ron. "I don't know what got into me."
"Forget it," said Harry grinning. "Ginny didn't kill you, so no harm done."
"She's got a real Weasley temper, no denying it" he laughed. "Just as well she's got her brothers to keep her in line."
"Ron, you couldn't keep Ginny in line if you wanted to!" Harry chuckled. "I learned this morning to never ever get on the wrong side of your sister. It's just not worth it!"
Ron regarded his friend thoughtfully, his brow slightly furrowed.
"Harry?"
"Yes?"
"What do you feel about Ginny? I mean, really feel for her?"
Harry caught his breath. There was no anger in Ron's tone, just curiosity, but his feelings for Ginny were so complicated it was difficult to articulate just how much she actually mattered to him.
"Ron, it's not an issue," he said carefully. "I don't want Voldemort to hurt her any more than you do. I promise you, we told the truth this morning; there really is nothing more to it than what you see."
"I believe you," Ron reassured him hastily. "It's not that. I was just wondering… If You Know Who wasn't around, then what would you do?"
"But he is, and there's no point thinking otherwise," Harry insisted, wondering why Ron was suddenly being so perceptive. Perhaps it was Hermione's influence?
"But what if?" Ron persisted. Harry sighed heavily and looked at him.
"I don't know," he said finally, knowing he had to be honest. "She means a lot to me, you know that. Without Voldemort to threaten her?" he smiled wistfully. "Yes, I'd want more than just a friendship if she'd have me, but as things currently stand I daren't even think about it. I want her to be safe."