Author's note- I'm going to try something new in this chapter-combining
Quidditch with ga-ga love. I hope it works!
Lars saw the grounds in an ominous red glow from his owl eyes. So, THIS was the school that his Mary had gone to. It was as perfect as she said it was. He flew over the lake that she had described to him in a letter during her first year and to the Quidditch pitch a few yards away.
* * *
Even though Harry was doing quite well at catching the snitch and then letting it go free again-for every time you caught the snitch, you got a point- he couldn't help but watch Ginny. She wasn't hard to miss as her red hair flew behind her.
He was even keeping score of how many times she threw the quaffle into the goal hoop- thirty six- wait, no, thirty seven- Harry marveled as she flew directly into the hoop and did a loop around the top to celebrate hitting forty.
She caught him staring at her from across the field and waved happily. Harry waved back wildly, almost losing his grip on the broom. Ginny's quaffle seemed to fly right back to her as she scored another perfect goal.
* * *
Hermione had gone back to staring at the fields, not noticing Ron still staring at her. That smell- she was the one. His senses were fogged; all except for smell. Hermione seemed to be the only thing present in the noon sun. Everything else was gone.
Ron drew in a sort of croaking gasp that made Hermione turn towards him again, her eyes shining.
"Everything all right?" she asked questioningly. So caring. So loveable. She was beautiful. Ron nodded tensely. Everything he was feeling right now was alien to him, but somehow he knew that they were right. This was supposed to happen.
He couldn't see how he had been so blind all these years; Hermione was an angel in disguise. He could almost see a halo above her head, wings attached to her shoulder blades, and her hair floating in some magical wind radiantly.
"Go Harry!" she shouted. She gave a sigh as he scored twice more. Then it seemed that something hit her. "Ron, why didn't you try out? You might have made it," she said.
Ron said nothing and stared at her. Was she talking? Her lips- pink, full and made for giving smiles- seemed to be moving.
"Ron!" Hermione said. Everything came back to him in a whirl and he answered her question; at least he thought, he only seemed to be about half there.
"I decided to study more," was all he could manage. Hermione smiled at him proudly.
"I always knew I'd get to you."
"You have no idea."
"What?"
"What?"
"You said You have no idea."
"I did?"
"Yes, you did."
"I- wait, what?"
"Ron, You're stuttering."
"I- I am?"
"Yeah."
"I'm sorry."
"It's-it's okay, you don't have to say you're-,"
"I love you."
"What?"
"What?"
Hermione couldn't believe her ears. Did Ron just say he loved her? It was too good to be true. And then she remembered- the smell. Flowers, Honey and pine sap.
Ron came back to his senses quickly.
"Oh, I'm so sorry Hermione, I-I just couldn't stop thinking of you-dreaming of you- looking at you-Ah-," he said. Obviously he had not completely come to his senses.
Hermione, despite herself, despite Ron, and despite the situation, giggled. Oh no- she was having a stupid giggle fit. She started to laugh harder than ever, tears crowding her eyes. Ron looked at her for a moment, gave a snort, and began to laugh too.
Together and without noticing the disgruntled crowd of Gryffindors sitting in their box, they laughed madly and without stopping. And, when Hermione thought she could stop, she just kept on laughing- and laughing, and laughing.
Then, Ron stopped. Just like that. And Hermione quieted with him.
"I wasn't joking," he said seriously.
* * *
"Oh," Hermione managed to say in trembling squeak of a voice. "Ron, I-," she couldn't bring herself to finish. She didn't know what to say. Her heart pounded so rapidly she thought the whole stadium would hear it.
Her stomach jumped in and out of her throat and a hot sweat broke out on her forehead. It was happening- it was really happening. Hermione had dreamt of this moment night and day, playing it over and over in her mind. But now that it was happening, all her plans were erased from her mind.
The game that was going on fifty feet below her seemed like a game of marbles played by small children- it meant nothing. Without a word, both of them stood up on legs made of water, climbed down the stairs of their box and ran to the castle as fast as their jelly-legs would carry them.
* * *
Harry gave a silent laugh as he saw Ron and Hermione sprint up the castle hill- obviously that was settled- Finally!
As he caught his snitch again and again, He glanced at Ginny for every time she made a basket- which was quite often, indeed. The game seemed to be going quite well- Harry, with seventy three points, Ginny with seventy- and it looked like the future was bright for both of them.
As Harry caught the snitch with two fingers easily, however, things took a horrible turn. Harry knew that once again he was staring death in the eye as Ginny's broom gave a lurch on it's own and sped straight for the whomping willow spontaneously a hundred feet in the air, with Ginny still attached.
Lars saw the grounds in an ominous red glow from his owl eyes. So, THIS was the school that his Mary had gone to. It was as perfect as she said it was. He flew over the lake that she had described to him in a letter during her first year and to the Quidditch pitch a few yards away.
* * *
Even though Harry was doing quite well at catching the snitch and then letting it go free again-for every time you caught the snitch, you got a point- he couldn't help but watch Ginny. She wasn't hard to miss as her red hair flew behind her.
He was even keeping score of how many times she threw the quaffle into the goal hoop- thirty six- wait, no, thirty seven- Harry marveled as she flew directly into the hoop and did a loop around the top to celebrate hitting forty.
She caught him staring at her from across the field and waved happily. Harry waved back wildly, almost losing his grip on the broom. Ginny's quaffle seemed to fly right back to her as she scored another perfect goal.
* * *
Hermione had gone back to staring at the fields, not noticing Ron still staring at her. That smell- she was the one. His senses were fogged; all except for smell. Hermione seemed to be the only thing present in the noon sun. Everything else was gone.
Ron drew in a sort of croaking gasp that made Hermione turn towards him again, her eyes shining.
"Everything all right?" she asked questioningly. So caring. So loveable. She was beautiful. Ron nodded tensely. Everything he was feeling right now was alien to him, but somehow he knew that they were right. This was supposed to happen.
He couldn't see how he had been so blind all these years; Hermione was an angel in disguise. He could almost see a halo above her head, wings attached to her shoulder blades, and her hair floating in some magical wind radiantly.
"Go Harry!" she shouted. She gave a sigh as he scored twice more. Then it seemed that something hit her. "Ron, why didn't you try out? You might have made it," she said.
Ron said nothing and stared at her. Was she talking? Her lips- pink, full and made for giving smiles- seemed to be moving.
"Ron!" Hermione said. Everything came back to him in a whirl and he answered her question; at least he thought, he only seemed to be about half there.
"I decided to study more," was all he could manage. Hermione smiled at him proudly.
"I always knew I'd get to you."
"You have no idea."
"What?"
"What?"
"You said You have no idea."
"I did?"
"Yes, you did."
"I- wait, what?"
"Ron, You're stuttering."
"I- I am?"
"Yeah."
"I'm sorry."
"It's-it's okay, you don't have to say you're-,"
"I love you."
"What?"
"What?"
Hermione couldn't believe her ears. Did Ron just say he loved her? It was too good to be true. And then she remembered- the smell. Flowers, Honey and pine sap.
Ron came back to his senses quickly.
"Oh, I'm so sorry Hermione, I-I just couldn't stop thinking of you-dreaming of you- looking at you-Ah-," he said. Obviously he had not completely come to his senses.
Hermione, despite herself, despite Ron, and despite the situation, giggled. Oh no- she was having a stupid giggle fit. She started to laugh harder than ever, tears crowding her eyes. Ron looked at her for a moment, gave a snort, and began to laugh too.
Together and without noticing the disgruntled crowd of Gryffindors sitting in their box, they laughed madly and without stopping. And, when Hermione thought she could stop, she just kept on laughing- and laughing, and laughing.
Then, Ron stopped. Just like that. And Hermione quieted with him.
"I wasn't joking," he said seriously.
* * *
"Oh," Hermione managed to say in trembling squeak of a voice. "Ron, I-," she couldn't bring herself to finish. She didn't know what to say. Her heart pounded so rapidly she thought the whole stadium would hear it.
Her stomach jumped in and out of her throat and a hot sweat broke out on her forehead. It was happening- it was really happening. Hermione had dreamt of this moment night and day, playing it over and over in her mind. But now that it was happening, all her plans were erased from her mind.
The game that was going on fifty feet below her seemed like a game of marbles played by small children- it meant nothing. Without a word, both of them stood up on legs made of water, climbed down the stairs of their box and ran to the castle as fast as their jelly-legs would carry them.
* * *
Harry gave a silent laugh as he saw Ron and Hermione sprint up the castle hill- obviously that was settled- Finally!
As he caught his snitch again and again, He glanced at Ginny for every time she made a basket- which was quite often, indeed. The game seemed to be going quite well- Harry, with seventy three points, Ginny with seventy- and it looked like the future was bright for both of them.
As Harry caught the snitch with two fingers easily, however, things took a horrible turn. Harry knew that once again he was staring death in the eye as Ginny's broom gave a lurch on it's own and sped straight for the whomping willow spontaneously a hundred feet in the air, with Ginny still attached.