Dreams

Chapter 17: Just When We Thought Everything Was Going For Mr. Potter...

Disclaimer: All I own is the plot. JKR owns Harry Potter and Co. I hope she finishes OoP soon...

A/N: Just reminding y'all that two asterisks mean thoughts. I'm still trying to figure out what's going on with Word. On to the story...

Harry was nervous. Harry was beyond nervous, he was frantic. He was in the Great Hall barely touching his breakfast. His Quidditch match was finally here, but that wasn't his only problem. Instead of playing the Hufflepuffs, as originally planned, he had to play Ravenclaw. He had to face Cho today, even shake her hand. The sinking feeling of defeat was in his stomach; he still wasn't sure of his abilities since losing to Malfoy.

"Harry...woohoo anyone home," Hermione asked, snapping her fingers. It was the first thing anyone had said to him all day. She noticed that he hadn't touched his breakfast.

Harry snapped out of his train of thought. He felt a goofy sort of grin settle on his face while he answered teasingly, "No need to treat me like a five year old Herm."

"Good, I thought I was going to have to force feed you." Harry glanced at his plate and saw what she was talking about. His fave, pancakes, links, and toast, lay on his plate untouched. He gave her a shy smile and started to wolf down his breakfast. It seemed like his sense of taste had left him too.

"That's better, Har." **Well I might as well ask the million dollar question.**

"Soooo, how are you feeling about today's match?"

"Umm, okay I guess. Where's Ron?"

"Do you take me for some sort of idiot, Harry? Don't try to change the subject. I know you feel at least a bit weirded out, having to go against your ex and all..."

"It was worth a try," Harry grumbled. What Hermione did next surprised him. She got up and engulfed him in a hug. After the hug, she proceeded to bring his face to hers by putting her thumb and index finger on his chin.

"Look Harry." Harry started to try and look away but Hermione held on to his chin tighter.

"Harry James Potter! I'm sure that you can follow directions at least once a year. Read my lips. (**I don't just want to read your lips Herm**) You. Will. Do. Fine. I'm sure that Cho will be crushed into the ground. Now finish your breakfast. Ron's coming down a bit later, he said he doesn't feel too great."

"Geez Herm, when have you become so assertive? I like this new Don't-Take- Shit-From-Even-Their-Best-Friends Hermione. Oh and be sure that Cho will be in the ground."

"That's the spirit. Now you better win," she said with a toothy grin. "I need to have another party. Snape's homework is getting to me."

"Okay where's my Hermione? **I can't believe I just said my Hermione** You know the one that LIKES homework."

"I never said I liked homework, I like learning. Even we all need to just let loose sometimes. It looks like Katie wants to talk to you, so I'll leave you here. Good luck, ok?". She got up and gave him a kiss on his scar. He was able to mumble a thank you before his face could burn in a low hue of scarlet.

"So you like Hermione," Katie started.

"I haven't the slightest idea of what your talking about," Harry was able to lie through his teeth. His body betrayed him however by turning into a stronger shade of scarlet.

She managed to cough her reply of bull. "Keep kidding yourself Harry. Anyways that isn't what I wanted to talk to you about. I just wanted all of the team to come down in half an hour so we could go over our strategies. I still can't believe that they would change teams for the match so suddenly. All the Hufflepuffs sick, my ass. They looked just peachy today at breakfast. Anyways, I digress. So I'll see you in (she looked at her watch) twenty five minutes."

"Yeah, I'll be there Katie."

Katie started to leave but stopped abruptly. "Oh and Harry?"

Harry turned around to face her again. "Yeah, Katie?"

"You and Hermi would look much better together than Hermi and Ron any day." She winked leaving a startled, no, stunned Harry. He decided to hit the locker room earlier for a shower.

***Gryffindor Boys Dorms (while Harry was having his meeting)***

"Ron, you have to tell her. You can't just keep avoiding Herm," the slightly chubby Neville Longbottom said.

"Nev's got a point. It's not like she's going to hate you," Dean added.

Finally Ron started to talk. "Oh no she won't hate me...she'll DESPISE me. She won't want to even be my friend anymore. What am I supposed to say. Hey Mione, I don't think that we should a couple anymore. I haven't felt anything for you, I just wanted to make out with you. No Dean she won't hate me then. " Every word was spread thick with sarcasm. Little did he know that the same conversation was happening in the girls dorm...

***Gryffindor Girls Dorms***

"Well this is bloody fantastic! I have just realized, with your help Lavender, that all this time with Ron has been a waste. We have been best friends all along, we just had some extra privileges."

"Look Hermione, I'm just as weirded out as you are. Who woulda thought that you really wanted Harry," Lavender added. She was secretly happy that Hermione had come to her senses. Now, she could have a chance with that gorgeous red head.

A very unhappy Parvati added,"Great, I just lost five galleons to Seamus."

"You guys had a bet?". Hermione was trying to scowl but it came out as a chuckle.

"Yeah, Seamus was saying that he thought you and Harry would hook up. He said and I quote, 'I have proof'."

"Interesting.." Hermione said with a toothy grin, rubbing her chin as if she was thinking hard.

"Do I feel a rare mischeif Hermione moment coming on," Lavender said, laughing a little.

"Well, where do you think Seamus is at," Hermione asked.

Parvati glanced at her watch and giggled. "He should be at the Quidditch meeting. May I ask why you want to know, fair Mione?"

"I want to know what his 'proof' is," Hermione replied simply.

"Pssh, I know that," Parvati retorted.

"Well, don't leave the girl hanging, Vati," Lavender, eager to know what the answer was too, said.

"Hehe, Seamus said that..." Parvati couldn't continue because she was giggling madly now.

"God, Parv, you've got me foaming at the mouth. What is it," Hermione asked in a half impatient, half excited voice.

"He said that he heard Harry talking about you in his sleep Herm. He didn't get into the details of this alleged conversation but you can just imagine."

Hermione whispered something to herself and then said (while having an embarrasing hue of red creep on to her cheeks) ,"Wow... my shoes, they are so interesting right now."

The other girls started to crack up while Hermione said she was going to go search for Ron.

"Well Hermi, he should be at the Quidditch match and that starts in about fifteen minutes. Just tell him at the match."

"Yeah you're right. I might as well be to the point about it. I feel kinda bad about it though...."

"It just wasn't meant to be."

While the girls kept talking about other cute guys in the school, Hermione had to keep wondering how she got to be such good friends with such shallow people. Don't get her wrong, she loved Parv and Lav but the truth of the matter was their conversations never extended to much anything else then guys.

**The bonding powers of hormones and guys...**

***Quidditch Match Harry's POV***

**So there she is. Cho Chang. The one who actually had my heart during fourth year, the one who I thought was so beautiful, the one who I pitied because of Cedric's death. The one staring daggers at me right at this moment. Great, just bloody fantastic...I have to go shake her hand now.**

"Hello Cho. Good luck."

"Same to you Potter."

**Whoa she must be getting lessons from Malfoy on sneering and sarcasm. Ahhh, I just have to provide a sportsman-like handshake, not a supportive father-to-be hand for a pregnant woman! Woo, at least that's over. Time to mount my broom. Okay, just follow Katie's strategy...**

***Quidditch Game Lee Jordan's POV***

"Welcome everyone! Today we are going to see the glorious Gryffindor go head to head with the rabid, I mean racy Ravenclaw. I think it'll be pretty interesting for the the seekers, who formally were a couple, to go against each other. Ok ok Professor McGonagall no more gossip. Whoa look at Chang, she's staring glaciers at poor Harry. Ok Professor that really is it. Madame Hooch has ordered them to their brooms and they are off. Ravenclaw has the Quaffle, wait no one of the Weasley's were able to throw a bludger right at Patil...Ouch! It looks like Spinnett has the Quaffle. Reverse pass to Johnson and is that the Porskoff Ploy?! 10 - 0 Gryffindor. Ravenclaw is in possession now. Patil and Turpin, oooh watch out Alicia it's the Pincer...Ha! It doesn't trick Finnagen. Bell has it now. It's Bell, Johnson, back to Bell, to Spinnett, there goes Potter. It looks like he has spotted the Snitch. Here he goes...wait he's pulling up... Ouchies! That's going to leave a mark. Chang has been fooled by Potter's Wronski Feint. Potter's speeding to Ravenclaw territory...I do believe he has spotted the Snitch this time. It looks like Chang is trying to blagg Potter but Cho's Nimbus 2000 is no match for Harry's Firebolt. Potter has caught it! Wait, wait, not only did he catch it, he did it Plumpton Pass style. Gryffindor wins 160 - 0. Way t'a go Gryffies!!

**Must get to the kitchens...PARTY TIME!**

***Quidditch Game, Ron and Hermione Time***

"Ron...oh geez, Ron, come over here."

"What's up Mione?"

"We need to talk..."

"After the game...GO GRYFFINDOR!"

"Look you big git, NOW!" **Typical, just typical**

"Fine, fine. What is sooooo much more important than the Quidditch game? Hmm, Mione, what?"

"Our relationship...**Come on Herm you can do this** I think that we should just be best friends."

**Thank god she has more of a spine then I do** "Hehe, I was going to talk to you about the same thing, whoa there goes Harry!"

"GO HARRY! You mean you're not mad? Like, at all?" **This seems a little bit too easy**

"Nope. This, and I hope you don't slap me for this, but this was just us being best friends with privileges...Not that you weren't a bad kisser."

"You took the words out of my mouth. Are you a mind reader or something?"

"I don't think so...Maybe, I'm getting better at Divination."

"Ron, divination and I don't mix so if you don't have any death wishes, please shut...THERE GOES HARRY! I think he sees the Snitch this time...Yup, he's got it ."

"He just did the Plumpton Pass! OH MY GOD! Do you know how hard that is Herm ?!?"

"Nope but I have a feeling you're going to tell me. Lets go rescue him from Creevey."

***Back to Third Person POV***

"Harry, "Ron and Hermione yelled over the crowd. Poor Harry was being bombarded by all the Gryffindors, congratulating him left and right.

"Woo, it's a jungle out there. Lets go have a P-A-R-T-Y! Looks like Gred and Forge are already getting it started," a new, confident Harry replied. He couldn't have been happier. He won, Cho crashed into the ground, and Christmas was in two weeks.

The Dream Team was making their way up the stairs. Everyone kept praising Harry, the crowd seemed endless. Ron and Hermione practically had to drag Harry away from the crowds. They finally were able to reach The Fat Lady and her new 'friend' Barnacle Bob. The two opposites had fallen head over heels in love and, with Dumbledore's permission, were living in the same portrait. The trio always had to be careful when sneaking out at night because the Fat Lady always managed to escape with her new 'friend' doing, well the trio didn't really want to know. Either way it didn't really matter since the two were here now. It happened to be Barnacle Bob's turn to make up the password.

"Password, ya scurvy curs!"

The Dream Team shouted in enthusiasm and unison,

"Barnacle Bob says:

I LOVE to drink. I LOVE to fight. I LOVE to collapse in a pool of my own vomit."

"Very good laddies and miss, please step inside."

The trio still loved that password. While they were wheezing with laughter, Harry started to feel dizzy. Herm (of course) noticed.

"Harry, you okay?"

Harry would've answered but he blacked out.

"Oh bloody hell, not again...," Ron muttered. Hermione silently agreed and started waving her wand to take Harry to the Hospital Wing...

***End of Chapter Seventeen***

A/N: Ha! A cliffie. Wondering what's going on with Harry? Review quickly and you'll find out. Did anyone like Barnacle Bob? Anyone think that Ron and Herm's breakup was just a little TOO serene? Let me know what you think. Thanks to all those who have already reviewed!

A/N2: The reverse pass, Plumpton Pass, etc. were borrowed from J.K. Rowling's Quidditch Through The Ages. Get it if you haven't already!