Chapter Four

Yay! Another chapter - you won't believe how long this one took to finish! Thanks to all of you who have reviewed so far (all three of you! The fewer you are, I love you all the more for giving me the courtesy!), and I hope that, after this incredibly long chapter, there might be a couple more to add to the list.

Disclaimer: Hmm… Obviously, the entire world of Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling (lucky her!). She owns all the characters save Alex(who has a stupid last name and needs a new one, thankyou very much!) and Carlina Adelina Gabriella Tyrsorg. I own Baby Billywig (*shudders*), Rydenfeld School of Rhetoric Reasoning, , "Marleena Tyrsorg, Elena Tyrsorg, Navon Tyrsorg…", the Dutch Quidditch team, and Samantha Martinez. And that's about it. The little song at the beginning of the chapter is "Colourblind" by Counting Crows, and is most commonly found on the Cruel Intentions Soundtrack. Meant to correspond with the chapter, of course.

I sincerely hope you enjoy this next chapter of all that is depressing, soul-searching, and sometimes plain annoying - "Playground Love"!

***

Chapter Four

"Of Snowballs and Quidditch"

I am colour blind

Coffee black and egg white

Pull me out from inside

I am…

"Ginny!"

Her soft brown eyes flickered open as the noise around her permeated her dreamless sleep. A bright dot flashed in front of her eyes, and she squinted past it, trying to take in the chaos swirling throughout the room. She focussed past the bright light and saw the face of Carlina, a girl with whom Ginny had never really had much to do with in her time at Hogwarts. Carlina was the type of girl who flirted with boys constantly, looked gorgeous the moment she woke up and always seemed to keep her grades above the 80s.

"Ginny! Quick, get up NOW!" Carlina lowered her wand, and the light disappeared from Ginny's eyes.

She stared at the girl questioningly, before retorting: "Well, maybe if you weren't sprawled over my bed it might be a little bit easier to accomplish."

Carlina rolled her eyes. "Gin, don't be such a loser. Look out the window!" The girl pointed towards the sole window of the dormitory, a large, floor-to-ceiling affair that was usually covered with thick, velvety curtains at this time of year. Today, this was not the case.

As she turned her head to the window, her mouth slowly dropped and she gaped at the spectacle outside. "Snow," Ginny breathed, and she felt cool air enter her lungs – cooler than it had been for a long time. Ignoring Carlina's smile, she walked, transfixed, towards the window, and, feeling slightly dizzy at the prospect, she held onto one of the red velvet curtains for balance.

The scene which lay below her was more perfect than any she'd ever seen before. Everything was covered in a blanket of white, and for as far as the eye could see. "There are no mountains, no valleys, no sky… just white." She smiled at the thought. Nothing but white… all clean, good, perfect.

She felt a tap on her shoulder, and Ginny turned away reluctantly from the beauty she had just witnessed. Carlina looked at her expectantly, and Ginny wondered what was up. Do I have something on my face? Or maybe my hair has decided to strike on me for today and I look like a bad imitation of Woozafurt the Ugly.

"So, are you coming down with me?"

Ginny's eyes widened. "W-with you? What do you mean?"

Carlina raised her eyebrows. "Down to breakfast, silly! And then we'll head out into the snow and beat the pants off of the guys in a snowball fight!"

Suspicion lurked in Ginny's mind. "Did I miss something? Or is today the British 'Redeem-a-loser' Day?"

The other girl laughed, and her light-blue eyes sparkled. "No, silly! I'm just trying to be friendly!" She looked around herself quickly, and then whispered, her tone serious. "Yesterday I realised that, out of every girl in this room, you're probably the only one I've spoken less than ten words to in the whole time I've been here." She lowered her eyes shyly. "Plus, I remembered how every time it snows, you're always the one who doesn't scream and shout. You just stand at the window and smile. Which, in my opinion, is better than all the screaming and shouting in the world. I wish I could be less brash and annoying, and be more like you. I'm sure if I did more people would respect me."

Ginny coughed loudly. "You? You're probably the person in this room who everyone adores; who everyone wants to be."

Carlina rolled her eyes. "Maybe. But, the way I see it… that's not a good thing to base a friendship on. You can't like people just because you're envious of them. That's why I'd rather be like you, Ginny… I'm sure that your friends don't simply want to discuss how gorgeous every other guy is, or how the latest Baby Billywig song is the best they've ever heard."

Her face turning nearly as red as her hair, Ginny looked at the ground. "Well… I don't know anyone who is a Baby Billywig fan, but I can assure you that I'm not exactly at scintillating conversationalist. In fact—"

Before she could finish, Carlina had grabbed her arm. "If we're not quick, Gin, we won't get breakfast! Let's get going, okay?" Not giving Ginny much of an opportunity to argue, she pulled her over to her bed and pulled open her chest of drawers. "Hmm…" she sighed, looking at the selection of black, brown and a ratty old pair of light-blue dress robes. Before Ginny could change into anything, Carlina had dashed over to her own bed and was searching through her cumulous piles of robes.

She finally stood, triumphant. "I've got something," she grinned.

As Ginny looked around the dormitory, she realised that Carlina and herself were the only people left. "You know, Carlina—"

"Carly, please. You have no idea how much I detest traditional names."

"Carly, then. I don't need to wear anything of yours… in fact, I'd rather not, since I'm a pretty messy eater and I'll probably destroy it and—" The words faded on her lips as she saw the robes that had been placed before her.

They were silvery-grey, and appeared to shimmer in the glare which streamed in through the window. Ginny stared at them, transfixed, hardly believing her eyes. She reached out and rubbed the material between her fingers, noting that it felt silky smooth yet thick enough to keep out the cold. "Carlina… I can't…"

"Put it on, before I hit you, Virginia," she said, and winked at her as she closed the curtains around her bed, allowing her to change in private. It was only then that Ginny realised that she was still fingering the material, and she dropped it quickly, letting it flutter down into folds on her bed. She meticulously smoothed the wrinkles she had created before staring back down at the robes.

Alright, she thought, today is simply going to have to go downhill from here. If it got any higher, I think I'd suffocate. I'm going to wear these gorgeous robes, and I am going to look beautiful in them, and then I'm going to eat my breakfast. After eating, Carlina and myself will go and have a snowball fight outside and then, I'll finally have a friend that I made of my own accord. And my life will be next to perfect.

A nagging voice spoke up in the back of her mind. Carlina Adelina Gabriella Tyrsorg the best friend of Ginny Weasley? I doubt it very much. But Ginny pushed this voice away with a quick, simple answer. No, Virginia Anne Weasley the best friend of Carlina Adelina Gabriella Tyrsorg. I doubt your opinion very much.

Slipping the beautiful robes over her head, Ginny smiled to herself. And, now… everything will be perfect. No Harry, no Alex… just a brand-new friend.

***

It was colder outside than he had anticipated. As he pulled his woolen gloves over his pale, quickly-turning-blue hands, Alex spotted a figure in the corner of his eye. At first he paid the figure no notice, until he saw the flaming red hair exploding in all directions. A grin spread across his face, and he began to call out to the girl. "Oh, Vir-GIN-iA!"

She looked up at him, and her smile appeared to falter somewhat. Alex narrowed his eyes as he saw the girl walking alongside her. "Oh, wonderful. Of all people…"

Ginny and Carlina approached, the former reluctant, the latter tentative. "Hey, Alex," Ginny murmured, her face suddenly appearing tired and lifeless. I wonder what's up with her, he thought, maybe she isn't feeling too well.

"Gin, are you okay?"

She was clearly taken aback. She stuttered for a moment, attempting to regain her composure, before replying: "Y-yeah. Why do you ask?"

Alex raised his eyebrows. "Are you sure? You don't look too good. Maybe you should go inside and get some rest."

Shaking her head, she glanced and Alex and then at Carlina. "Uh… have you guys been introduced?"

"No, we haven't," Carlina spoke, and forced a smile at Alex. "Hi, I'm Carlina Tyrsorg… I've heard a lot about you… through friends, at Rydenfeld."

Noticing Ginny's questioning look, Alex smiled weakly. "Uh… Rydenfeld School of Rhetoric Reasoning." She still seemed confused, so he elaborated. "It's sort of like a dramatic school which teaches normal magical studies as well. I went there about two years ago." He looked at Carlina, and faked recognition. "Oh, of course!" he exclaimed, "Marleena Tyrsorg, Elena Tyrsorg, Navon Tyrsorg… I should have guessed earlier. I'm Alex Kohl…"

"…quite obviously, I already am aware of that." Carlina's tone was ice-cold. She stared pointedly at Ginny, who nodded. "We're going to go talk to some of the others now. See you around." Grabbing Ginny's arm, she pulled her away from Alex and across the snow-covered lawn to a group of sixth years who were preparing for what looked like a snowball siege. He watched Ginny, who glanced apologetically back at him occasionally, who seemed so different today. She really didn't look well, he thought. I should have insisted she go inside. Plus, hanging around with a Tyrsorg won't do much for her but boost her reputation slightly and lower her self-esteem. Not a good combination, especially since I know the sort of crowd people like Carlina hang around with. He narrowed his eyes as he studied to boys the two girls were talking to – or, rather, Ginny was listening quietly while Carlina flirted obscenely.

Suddenly, he felt a pair of mitten-covered hands cover his eyes and a sweet, soft voice whisper in his ear. "Feel up for a snowball fight?" it asked.

Alex grabbed the hands and spun around, finding himself face to face with Hermione. She giggled as he stared at her, his face serious. "Always, my darling." He bent his head down to kiss her mittens, but she snatched her hands away and dashed into the snow, her pale blue cloak camouflaging her against the snow. Alex sighed as he stared after her, and he knelt in the snow, took and handful of icy snow and began to mould it into a ball. He looked around carelessly before walking towards the top of the hill and staring down on the lake, which had hardened into ice, and he smiled at the sight of people ice-skating, not particularly well, on the lake's surface. Strange, to snow in November… he thought, but, then, it's been a strange year so far, and I've only been here for a month.

A flash of brown caught his eye, and he saw Hermione several metres away, her brown hair poking out from under the ice-blue hood of her cloak. Pretending not to notice her, he casually dropped his snowball to the ground and looked around aimlessly, glancing up quickly to where Hermione stood, aiming her snowball directly at his head. Perfect…

His left hand hung at his side, poised and ready for action. Hermione leaned back and pitched the ball at him, and he jerked his arm up at the exact moment before it reached his head, then grinned at Hermione, who was gaping at him. Alex dropped the snowball to the ground, then shrugged at Hermione, who was striding over to him angrily. "Hey, you know what they say… beginner's luck and all…"

She ran at him and pushed him to the ground, and as the snow touched the back of his head he winced in pain. Hermione began to hit him, and his arms swung up, defending himself from her blows. "Hey, hey! What's wrong?" he asked, confused.

Staring down at him, fury flashing in her cinnamon eyes, Hermione said: "Why did you tell me you were such a good catch! You should tryout for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team! They need a Seeker, since Cho left last year… why don't you go for it?"

Alex shook his head. "Why would they want someone who'll only be here for a year? They need someone who starts in about third year and—"

"Alex, they need to win. That's all." Suddenly, Hermione gasped. "Oh, Alex! Don't tell me you've never played before!" She grasped him around the waist and pulled him tight. "I'm sure we could get someone to coach you… maybe Harry, even though he plays for Gryffindor I'm sure I could ask him and he'd say yes. Otherwise, we can get someone else. Someone good."

Exasperated, Alex put his hand over Hermione's open mouth. "No, I've played. I just don't want to play again." At her curious look, he sighed. "Three years ago, I played Seeker on the Dutch team for the World Cup. It was horrible, all the pressure, and all the animosity. It was all about winning… there was nothing to do with friendship. We had each other, and nothing else. Every other team was the enemy. After playing those games, and seeing what happened when we lost, I got so angry that I didn't want to play anymore. So I haven't since."

Hermione looked troubled. "I'm sorry, Alex. I didn't know."

"I know. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner."

She shook her head. "No, it's not your fault. It's nothing to do with you. I'm just so damn single-minded! I always let my tongue run away with me, but I promise that I'll try not to do it again."

Alex smiled. "Herm, I think you'll find that I love all the things you do that annoy everyone else. They don't annoy me… sometimes."

She hit him again, on the chest. "And just when I was starting to feel sorry for you!" Then she smiled, and looked down at Alex. "It's just… sometimes you have to get back in the saddle… or back on the broom, whichever analogy you prefer."

"You're right," he nodded. "After all, I'm sure school Quidditch can't be any worse than Pro-Quidditch at a World Class level!"

***

A little under two weeks later, the morning dawned bright and clear. Snow still glistened on the treetops and the roof of Hogwarts, but the lawn was covered in a layer of frost, and this was hardly anything to keep the first Quidditch match of the year from going ahead as planned.

A crisp breeze swept through the stands as they quickly began to fill. The sun was nearly at the designated position in the sky, and as it crept closer to the time, only a few late eaters were absent from the excited crowds gathered in the bleachers. Ginny glanced around the pitch, and saw Alex standing there. He raised his hand in a wave, and Ginny was about to do the same before she realised that he was blowing a kiss to her – or, rather, to Hermione, who was seated on her left. She heard Hermione giggle softly beside her, and sighed heavily. If I have to put up with this for the entire match, I think I'll gas myself.

Opportunely, Ron and Harry appeared at last, and began to fight their way through the crowd to the seats Ginny had reserved for them. Ron was speaking rather vehemently about something as he walked, but Ginny noticed as he glanced at Hermione his voice lowered. Harry sighted Ginny and grinned, which caused her to smile awkwardly and stare out at the Quidditch pitch once more. Ron plonked himself down next to his sister and looked past her to Hermione.

"And we thought Hermione would never go soft…" he whispered to himself, and Ginny glanced at her brother, and thought she caught a touch of pain in his brown eyes. Noticing her presence, Ron smiled at her and his eyes returned to normal. "Looking forward to the match, Gin?"

She nodded slowly. "It should be interesting enough, what with Alex playing and all. I heard from Samantha Martinez that he's quite good."

Ron's face hardened, and he narrowed his eyes. "Knowing those Ravenclaw girls, he probably only was accepted on the team because of his looks. They're all mad for him. I'd rather watch Malfoy play than that primped git, Gin."

Hermione, hearing Ron's comment, turned and glared at him. "You'd be surprised, Ron… I'm sure you'll find he's a better Seeker than Malfoy or Ernie."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Hermione. The only activities I've seen him proficient in are flirting with half the female population."

Eyes glinting dangerously, Hermione stared at Ron. "You're unbelievable. Why do you have to be this way with every person I ever have feelings for?" Tears began to form and spill down Hermione's cheeks, and Ron looked uncomfortable. "I'm sick of this, Ron! Sometimes, I really hate you, you know that?"

"You've reminded me often enough, Hermione." Ron sighed, then mumbled, "not that it matters anymore."

Jumping to her feet, Hermione wiped the tears from her face and shook her head. "No, it doesn't. I'm going to sit with Parvati and Lavender. I don't need this from you at the moment, Ron… I don't need it ever, but especially not now."

She walked away, her body shaking as she walked, and Ginny turned to Ron, eyes flaring. "What did you do that for, Ron? Why do you always have to push her?"

He shook his head, muttering to himself, "it doesn't matter anymore… there's no point lingering on it."

Ginny sighed, and was about to broach the subject again when the whistle blew for the beginning of the match. All fifteen brooms rose up into the air, but she kept her eyes fixed on the one who had risen the highest, clothed in bright blue robes atop his Firebolt3000 racing broom. He waved to the crowd and, judging from the giggles around her, Ginny wasn't the only one watching him.

"Oh! Immediately the Quaffle is taken by Emilia Abbott, of Hufflepuff, and she's really racing down the field towards the goalpost – and what's that?" The commentator paused and everyone's eyes focussed on the field, especially on Alex, who appeared to have lost control of his broom and was plummeting towards the ground. "Alexander Kohl, of Ravenclaw – " The commentator, as well as the rest of the school was speechless as they watched him fall to the ground, grasping his broom handle, one arm outstretched, supposedly to break his fall. Oh, Merlin, let him be alright!

Then, suddenly, he pulled out of the dive, his arm high above his head, a glimmer of gold clenched inside his hand! The entire school looked on in shock before the entire arena began to applaud. "And, it appears that, thirty-five seconds into the match, Alexander Kohl of Ravenclaw House has caught the Golden Snitch!" As the applause continued, the commentator sighed with relief and barely contained excitement. "No one's caught the snitch that fast at Hogwarts since… well, Harry Potter himself!"

Alex stared out at the crowd, a triumphant smile on his handsome face. Girls tittered at the sight of him, and they began to whisper amongst themselves. "Isn't he just the most gorgeous…", "I heard that he played for the Dutch National Team, which is probably why they got so far in the last World Cup…", "Maybe it's time I took an interest in Quidditch tuition…"

Ginny looked away, her eyes painfully filling with tears as she looked at the people surrounding her. How could she ever compete with the multitudes of people who whispered of him – they were beginning to adore him in a way that Ginny was guarding fiercely. I'm the only one… who should have the pleasure. The pleasure of him. The love of him… I guess this just goes to show how totally I don't deserve anyone as incredibly perfect as him…

As Alex flew around the pitch in a victory lap, Ginny wiped her eyes and looked up to see that even Ron was applauding, his face shocked yet his eyes bright with the victory.

In fact, as she stared around, she noticed that the only person whose face was as blank as her own was Harry Potter's.

***

Ooh! Rivalry abounds! Please review using the little box down there, since otherwise I've got no idea who's reading my story! (plus, if you do, I'll probably go and review at least TWO of your own stories…. That's how obsessed I am with both Harry Potter and fanfiction!)