Chapter Ten…
It was that time of year again when the houses battled to
win the glory of the house cup.
Harry played Quiditch with all his heart and soul because it
kept him sane with all the tension mounting up between his group. Like Hermione
dived into her books, Harry did the same with Quiditch. Day or night, the
Gryffindor team practiced hard, trying out new strategies and maneuvers. Even
when the team wasn't practicing, Harry would take up his broom and fly over the
field, mostly because he was lonely and depressed. He knew that this was the
biggest fight his friends had ever had. After all, it had been so long and they
still hadn't made up. But Harry was sick of them both, he was sick of being
nice to others, and he was sick of being hurt. So, instead of facing his
friends, Harry just went into his shell. He just couldn't take stormy attitudes
any more. Cho had deliberately led him to believe that she really liked him,
only to drop him like a hot potato!
It was as if his eyes had been opened. He now saw Cho not
through rose tinted glasses, but for what she was. She had used him and now her
confident attitude irritated him. She didn't seem like a loyal person at all,
she was as frank with everyone else as she was with Cedric. Maybe it was better
that she had told him when she had before he had really started liking her.
Still, with the House Cup Tournament being so close, the
teams were practicing hard and Harry had little time to worry over his troubles.
Like many times before, the match was between the
Gryffindors and the Slytherins. The Gryffindors were behind Slytherin twenty
points to begin with, but if they won the tournament, the cup would be theirs.
After working day and night, Harry was finally ready for the event.
Whenever a Quiditch match was near, the students would get
excited and restless. Everyone talked about it, studies slacked and everything else
seemed unimportant. The Slytherins would become bossier and the Gryffindors
felt like giving them all a swift kick. But, even Ron and Hermione couldn't be
sad forever. Even they cheered up and little, though they were still as hostile
towards each other. Still, they had started talking freely to the others, and
that was a good sign. Hermione was now more than happy that she didn't have to
spend so much time with Victor anymore; you didn't have to be a genius to deduce
how the festive air would affect him.
"Good luck, Harry!" called Hermione just before the match and
gave her friend a cheery smile. Harry looked at her, a trifle amazed. It seemed
like he had forgotten what Hermione looked like when she smiled! Breaking into an impish grin, Harry waved at
her and to Ginny who was sitting with a brown-haired boy he figured was a Third
year student.
As the whistle blew shrilly in the air, the game began!
It was truly a spectacular game, what with everybody playing
so magnificently! Even Victor was impressed with Harry's clever flying methods
and he was really enjoying himself. The way his eyes sparkled with enthusiasm
and some sadness, one could see he was wishing he could zoom into the air and
play too!
In another fifteen minutes or so, Harry made another one of
his spectacular dives and before Draco could even realize what was going on,
the whole crowd erupted with applause as they spotted a golden blob clutched by
Harry.
The Gryffindors had won!
Professor McGonagal happily announced the results and the
two teams reluctantly shook hands. Draco seemed as if he was going to explode
with anger! Another year the Slytherins had been defeated! Snape also looked as
put out as Draco.
There was a terrific noise then as people rushed onto field,
yelling, laughing and patting each other on the back. Even the teachers didn't
have the heart to shush them up! It was always a happy occasion whenever the
tournament was won! Most of the teachers went indoors while the students
remained outside, celebrating. The other houses joined in and it was great fun!
Strangely, Draco was still standing there on the field,
wearing a very smug expression. Crabbe and Doyle were as always standing by his
side, looking as intelligent as lumps of cabbage.
"Well, well, well," said Draco in a very loud voice. "Seems
like you've beat us again, Potter," he said nastily and scowled at Harry who
had been shaking Krum's hand.
"Yeah, Malfoy!" said the twins together.
"We kicked your ass-
again!" said George and his friends started laughing.
Draco gave him a patient smile. "It's good to hear that being
as poor as beggars, you still can afford a laugh, Weasley." Replied Draco, turning
up his nose in the twins' direction.
"But," he continued, in a louder voice than before. "Now's
my chance to give you all a good laugh. To prove how stupid Gryffindors are!"
Hearing theses words, most of the crowd angrily looked at
him, but he had apparently caught their attention.
"This," Draco continued, taking out something from his bag. "is
called a camera… it's a muggle thing. Though I hate to touch anything muggle, I
found it quite exciting. It's amazing how these stupid muggles can make
something so clever. My father got one for me. But you would know what it does
won't you, Granger?"
Hermione nodded and looked at Malfoy suspiciously. What was
he up to?
Draco then barked some orders to his two henchboys and soon
and huge screen was set up in front of the crowd. Whatever Draco was doing, he
had chosen a good time for it. None of he teachers were present and practically
all the students were.
"Watch and be amazed at the stupidity!" yelled Malfoy and
hit a button.
For a second, the screen went blank.
Then a picture came on. Everybody stared open-mouthed as a
movie of the Yule ball started playing. Malfoy's camera had caught everything
on film! Harry's surprise and Ron's jealousy at seeing Hermione dressed up were
shown first.
"What, Weasley? Seeing that mudblood for the fist time?"
sneered Draco.
Ron and Harry just stood there, too embarrassed to speak.
Draco on the other hand was acting as a commentator and was busy describing
each person's emotions. Everybody gasped as they saw Harry and Cho leave the
hall together and both of them got numerous scandalized looks.
Then Hermione went pale.
The screen had gone blank for a second but now a picture
reappeared showing Doyle sending a letter by owl.
A huge lump appeared in Hermione's throat.
Then the screen showed Crabbe put some letters outside the Gryffindor
girls' dorm.
He had apparently gotten the password from Cedric when Pansy
had lured him away from Cho during the Yule ball with her potion. Then the
picture showed Hermione picking up the letters and blushing furiously.
It then showed Draco writing the letters with a giggling
Pansy and sending them by owl to her. It even showed how he put the flowers in her
desk and her defending her 'admirer' in front of Harry and Ron.
Hermione was gasping for breath now as she suddenly found
she couldn't breathe.
Draco and his minions started laughing hysterically as they
saw a picture of Hermione looking over her shoulder as she entered the library.
"The idiot!" said Draco between fits of laughter. "She never
realized it was a prank! 'Secret admirer?' For that thing? Ha! She's even
hoping someone gawking at her! As if a Potter fan club wasn't enough!" he bellowed.
All the Slytherins started laughing crazily and then the
students from the other houses also started cracking up.
"Now look! She's having fun! Weasley's so wimpy he can't say
anything to her and she's playing around with Krum AND looking for her admirer!
This is rich!" cried Draco, wiping a tear from his eyes that was he result of
his constant laughing.
"So THAT'S what was bugging her!" cried a girl behind
Hermione and her group also burst into giggles.
Hermione put her hands on her face in shame and started
running.
She didn't care where she went… anywhere away from everyone.
Se ran on blindly and heard people laughing at her and Harry's calling out to
her.
She
didn't know where to go. She ran on, into the castle, up the stairs, through
the hole in the portrait, into the dormitory. She slammed the door and flung
herself onto a chair and started crying uncontrollably.
She couldn't help it. It was too much for a person. The poor
girl was so hurt; she could hardly believe it herself. It had all been a lie? The
letters, the flowers… everything? She had broken up with the greatest friend
she had ever had because of one of Draco's mean plans?
Hermione cried on, wishing the earth would open up
and swallow her. She wished she were back at home with her normal parents,
that she was back at her old muggle school. Hermione was so hurt, so deeply
hurt, she herself didn't know how to react.
Memories flooded back to her. She remembered the day she had first met Ron and Harry, how they
hadn't liked her at first. She recalled the times when she was lonely. She
remembered their killing the troll by themselves and becoming friends. Their
working together through the maze to defeat you-know-who. She recalled all the
times Ron had stuck up her in front of Draco, she remembered how he had reacted
when Draco had called her a mudblood. She remembered the secrets they had
shared, the fun they had had. She understood now that if it hadn't been for
Ron, she would never have such a fun filled life. She would do nothing but get
good grades, but would never live. Being with Ron and Harry had freed
her. She could be herself with them…
Understanding this now only made it worse for the poor girl.
She cried even more bitterly over what she had lost by her own stupidity.
*
Ron's
eyes blazed as he saw the film.
As it ended, he glared at Draco who was doubled over, still
laughing. Then before Ron could say anything, Hermione ran away, people still
laughing around them. Ron gave a group of girls such a revolted look that they
choked on their laughter and became serious. Fred and George were stunned,
their usual happy faces dead serious. Ginny was sobbing and a brown haired boy
was busy comforting her. Harry was also stunned and flushed. Cho and Cedric
angrily stomped away from the crowd as some Slytherins made fun of them too.
"Listen, you son of a bitch!" yelled Ron to Draco, his face
contorted into such a furious expression and Draco stopped laughing at once. "How-
dare- you- do –that," said Ron through gritted teeth, his hands clenched into
fists. Ron looked furious. His face was red, his eyes bulged and hair looked as
untidy as Harry's. Ron's fists were so tightly clenched that his knuckles had
turned white and veins were standing out.
Draco looked scared out of his wits, but naturally tried to
look as composed as he could… but he was a bit shorter than Ron and as he
brought himself up to say something, Ron cut him off.
"Only a sick minded bastard like you could've thought of
pulling such a prank," said Ron slowly and deliberately, his head bowed and his
voice low and steady, but husky with sincerity.
"Hermione is like no girl I've ever met. She's loyal, beautiful,
intelligent, witty, courageous, faithful and I- I love her," Ron continued and
the crowd gasped again at his words. The twins smirked and gave a high five and
most of girls had backed away because Ron looked lethal, but their eyes
sparkled with awe and admiration.
"You just hurt my friend. And now," continued Ron, turned
his head up, looking at Draco with eyes blazing with hatred. "I'm gonna hurt
you."
Before Draco could even back away, Ron slammed his fist into
the other's boy's face. Draco flew backward and fell unconscious, blood
dripping from his nose.
With a final poisonous glare at the filth at his feet, Ron
ran after Hermione.
The onlookers erupted into such a loud applause that it put
the one that they had done at the tournament to shame. Even some of Slytherins
were so awed by Ron that they also smiled.
*
