Chapter 8

Hermione leaned against the doorframe, watching silently as Ron plucked on his keyboard. Every now and then he would scribble something into his notebook then go back to playing music that only he could hear. She wished he wasn't wearing his headphones so she could hear it, too.

"Are you going to come in or just stand there?" Ron snapped.

Hermione jumped. "Oh, well I was just wondering what you're working on."

"A song."

"Well that was obvious."

"Then why did you ask?"

Hermione was hurt by his tone. "Why are you so mad?"

"I can't think of any lyrics to go with it." Ron huffed.

Hermione walked over to the small bookshelf in the room and fingered through them. She pulled out a small blue book and handed it to him. "Here's a book of poetry. Maybe you can use some of these." She smiled and walked towards the door. "You finish what you're doing, I'm going to put Faith down for her nap, and then I'll be ready to teach you how to play basketball."

He sighed as she left and looked at the book of poems. "I hate poetry, ugh." He threw the book on the bed, not noticing a piece of pink paper fall onto the keyboard.

Ron stood up and pulled on his muggle sneakers, "There's no sport I can't learn." He mumbled walking into the nursery.

Hermione was leaned over Faiths crib, singing softly. Ron smiled, there was something about a woman who could carry a tune. He cleared his throat and Hermione jumped about a mile before turning to face him, her cheeks bright red. "Oh… hi, Ron, didn't see you there."

Ron grinned, "Do you think you'll want one of those when you get older?"

"A baby you mean?" Hermione whispered stepping away from the crib, holding a white object in her hand.

"Yeah, hey what's that?"

"A baby monitor. It lets me hear Faith if she cries."

"Oh."

"Come on, I'll grab the ball, and then we'll play."

Hermione walked out the front door with her hair pulled back and an orange ball in her hand. "Ready to learn?"

"As long as you don't call it that."

Hermione laughed. "How about this: Are you ready to play and lose?"

"Well I don't think that's any better…"

"Okay, see what I'm doing?" Hermione said bouncing the ball.

"Yeah."

"That's called dribbling. You can only use one hand, but you can switch hands and go between your legs like this." She said demonstrating each different instruction. "You can only run with the ball if you're dribbling. If you run while you're holding it, it's called traveling and you are penalized. If you stop dribbling and pick the ball up you have to stop and can only pivot. Which is keeping one foot grounded and moving the other. Then your only choices are shooting or passing… but as seeing it's only you and me you'll have to shoot. Got it?"

"That's easy enough."

"Okay. Next is fouling. You can't grab your opponent. If you do they get to have two free shots that are worth one point each. You can guard though. Here hold the ball and try to keep it away from me."

"Okay." Ron said taking the ball and holding it above her head.

"Ron!" She huffed. Her face scrunching up the way he liked. Damn he had fun tormenting her.

"Okay, okay…" Ron began dribbling the ball. Hermione pressed against him and reached around trying to grab the ball. Ron gulped. Basketball was up close and personal.

Hermione grabbed the ball from hit and threw it into a net, "Swish!" She said happily, "Now I get two points."

"Two points?"

"Yes, there are two point and three point shots." She grabbed a piece of chalk from a bucket in her garage, then she wandered a little way down the driveway and drew a line, "Behind this line is a three point shot. Okay?"

"Yeah."

She tossed him the ball. "Shoot."

"Um…"

"Here give me the ball, I'll demonstrate."

Ron threw it back to her. "Now watch, it's different from throwing a quaffle."

Ron watched as Hermione held the ball in both hands, steadying the ball with one hand and propelling it with the other. The ball hit the backboard but missed.

"If you hit that square on the board most of the time it will go in. It's all geometric really. You can hit the board anywhere as long as you have the correct angle and it will go in. Similar to billiards where you-"

Ron held up a hand to stop her. "No more."

"Sorry." She said with a blush. "Here take a shot." She threw the ball at him again.

He held the ball the way Hermione did and threw it into the hoop. "That wasn't so hard."

"Nothing but net." Hermione said. "You're a natural."

Ron grinned, "Of course I am."

"Let's see if you're really as good as you think you are" Hermione rebounded the ball. "Let's play."

"All right," Hermione panted, "Next basket wins."

"Come on Hermione, it's only been forty-five minutes."

"Stop teasing me, I'm tired."

"I'll believe that when I see it."

Hermione bit her tongue in concentration and dribbled the ball towards the hoop. Ron reached around her to grab the ball, Hermione clutched it in her hand and pivoted so she was facing Ron. Ron reached for the ball accidentally taking Hermione's hand. Hermione drew in a shaky breath. His hands were on hers and he wasn't moving them.

It appeared the game had stopped. She looked at him, everything around her slowed down. She felt as though a magnetic force was pulling her toward Ron. Or maybe Ron was leaning towards her… He must have been because she was not that tall… They were only inches apart when,

"WAAAA"

The two teens bother jerked, their foreheads knocking together.

"Ow!"

"Ah! Bugger!"

"That's Faith," Hermione said letting go of the ball and running into the house.

Ron sighed and rubbed his head and grumbled. "I swear that kid is ruining everything." He snatched up the monitor and followed Hermione inside.

As he walked up the stairs he heard her talking to the baby, "I swear, Faith, you have the absolute the worst timing."

"So," Ron's voice made Hermione jump, "you never answered my question before."

"What question?" Hermione asked holding Faith in one arm while searching the crib for the pacifier with the other.

"Do you want a baby when you're older."

Hermione laughed, "Not if they're as impatient as this one."

Ron nodded.

"Why do you ask?"

Ron shrugged, "I'm going back outside to practice. Next time we play I want to beat you on my own, not by default."

"You did not win, Ron Weasley."

"Oh yes I did."

"We'll finish the game tomorrow."

Ron was confused, "Why not tonight?"

"Because my parents are coming back tonight and they were going to bring us out to a buffet."

"Food, eh?"

"Yes, Ron, food."

"Great, sounds good to me."

"Of course it does."

Figures Hermione would like sports that are associated geometry right?

Lenny