default Normal default 8 176 2001-11-11T20:27:00Z 2001-11-12T01:50:00Z 4 1126 6423 53 12 7887 9.3821 Print BestFit

Chapter 8

The days passed quickly and the beginning of the Round Robin tournament loomed nearer. Miraculously, Wood didn't get as crazy as you'd think. The teachers had lessened up on the homework, so the players could concentrate more on the game.

Every day after practice, the team retired to the Common Room, where they spent the next few hours discussing tactics, plays and studying the new moves they had learned from Felicia.

One evening, Harry and Ron were in a heated discussion about a move they had learnt that day.

'No, you have to move counterclockwise, fake, and then dive,' Harry said, and then felt someone tapping on his shoulder. He turned to see Ginny smiling at him.

'What is it, Ginny?' Harry asked, a little annoyed. He just wanted to get back to the conversation.

'I want to talk to you about something,' she said.

'I'm kinda busy now! Are you blind?'

'It's important. C'mon!' Ginny pulled Harry up, and pulled him into a corner.

'It better be!' Harry glared.

'Now, aren't you glad I got you away from all of that boring Quidditch stuff?' Ginny said, and then kissed him.

'Wait, what are you doing?' Harry broke the kiss and pushed Ginny away from him.

'Getting you away from Quidditch. I haven't seen you all day. I missed you. Besides, you didn't want to talk about Quidditch with my brother, did you? Quidditch isn't interesting.' Ginny lent in for another kiss.

'Ginny, Quidditch is interesting! And important!' Harry said.

'More important than me?' Ginny whispered.

'Yes! I mean, no. Well, right now, yes. Don't ever interrupt me when I'm talking about Quidditch!' Harry said sharply, and shook her, and then walked back over to Ron.

'God, your sister can be really annoying sometimes. Now, what were you saying?'

Ginny sat down dumbly, not knowing what to do next. What was happening between her and Harry? What was happening to the guy she fell in love with? Ginny could feel tears starting at the back of her eyes, and rushed up to her room before they started to show. Oblivious to her, Harry kept talking.

***~~~***

The Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw game got closer, and the rift between Harry and Ginny got bigger. As the days passed, Harry concentrated harder and harder on Quidditch and had less and less time for Ginny. Every time she tried to talk to him, he brushed her off like she mattered nothing to him. The trouble between the couple was getting so obvious that all of their friends were noticing it. Some days, Ginny would press an issue and Harry ignoring her for Quidditch escalated into a huge fight in the middle of the Common Room.

One night after a particularly bad fight that had left Ginny sobbing in her room and Harry deep in a book on Quidditch tactics, the entire room was talking. Seamus and Neville came over to where Hermione and Ron were sitting.

'What's up with those guys?' Seamus asked.

'Yeah, they used to be all lovey-dovey. What happened?' Neville poked in.

'I don't know. I keep feeling like something bad will happen between them. Harry has never been like this before, or Ginny for that matter. They need each other. I'm worried about them,' Hermione said as a frown appeared on her face.

'Don't worry,' Ron said as he pulled her close. 'Its true, though. Harry has been acting different. I think it might have something to do with Quidditch.'

'Then how come you don't act like that?' Hermione looked up at Ron.

'Well, I can multi-task.'

'But seriously you guys, what are we going to do about Ginny and Harry?' Seamus interjected.

'Seamus, I really think this is a situation that we just have to leave alone. I think we should leave Harry and Ginny to this out together. I really don't think either of them would appreciate our interfering,' Hermione said.

'Yeah,' Ron replied. 'Ginny is really sensitive about things like these, and Harry obviously doesn't know that they actually have a problem. Let's leave them alone, and see where this situation gets to.'

'Good call, I'm going to check on Ginny.'

***~~~***

When Hermione got up to Ginny's room, the lights were off and the blinds were closed. She could hear someone weeping. Hermione didn't want to scare Ginny by talking to her out of the blue. She tried to locate Ginny by following the sound of her crying. Hermione was halfway across the room when she took a wrong turn and slammed her shin into something big and solid.

'Shit! Oww! Bloody Hell!' Hermione screamed.

'Hermione?' A teary voice said from the darkness. Ginny flipped on the lights to see Hermione hopping around on one foot, clutching her leg and swearing loudly.

'What are you doing in here?' Ginny asked. She looked awful. Her hair was in tangles, her eyes were bloodshot, and her face was red, swollen, tearstained, and creased from being pressed against her pillow.

'I'm… oww… shit… oww… hear to see… oww… how you're doing… oww!'

'Thanks. But I'm ok, really,' Ginny said as she sat back down on her bed.

'Hah! I may be in pain but I'm not blind. I know, or at least, I can see that you feel like crap. Ginny, I'm one of your best friends. Please tell me what's wrong!' Hermione went over and sat beside Ginny.

'Nothing. Everything. I don't know, Hermione. You can see what's happening, can't you? I guess Harry isn't the guy I thought he was. Why is he acting like this?' Ginny broke down in tears again.

'I don't know what to tell you, Gin. He's just a guy. You don't need him.' Hermione gave her a hug.

'Yes, but I love him. I think I might love him too much. Its not like we have even broke up. He's just been ignoring me. I guess that's why it hurts so much. Why is he acting like this? Did I do something?'

'No, it's not you,' Hermione reassured her. 'It's him.' (This speech sound familiar?) 'Ginny, I know he still loves you. I just think Quidditch is going to his head. I know this may be hard, but I think you should try to be little more patient. Who knows? Maybe after the Ravenclaw game, Harry will be back to the same, sweet, caring Harry we all know and love.'

'I hope so. God, I hope so! But Hermione, he told me that Quidditch was more important than me!' Ginny started sobbing, and threw herself back on the bed.

'He what?' Hermione cried. She leapt up. 'I'm going to go and give him a piece of my mind!'

'No, 'Mione,' Ginny's muffled voice said. 'Please don't.'

But Hermione was already gone.

***~~~***

'Harry! I need to talk to you!' Hermione yelled as she ran down the stairs. Harry was still reading his tactics book.

"Hermione, I'm sort of busy right now!'

"I don't care! I have to talk to you!'

No sooner had Harry put down his book and gotten out of his chair, when Hermione shoved him back down.

'What the hell, Hermione? What is your problem?' Harry was angry.

'You are an asshole! You know that? I don't think I have a problem. You're the one with a problem. You told Ginny that Quidditch was more important than her! What kind of a person are you?' Hermione was right in his face.

'Oh, is that what this is all about? You interrupted me to talk about that? Come back when you have something more important to say.'

'God! You are an asshole! Before, I just thought that Quidditch had gone to your head, but now I'm beginning to think that you've been talking lessons in manners from Draco Malfoy! I can hardly bear to look at you right now! Do you know that your girlfriend is in her room, sobbing her eyes out, because you are breaking her heart? I bet you do, and like the shmuck you are acting like; you don't even appear to care. But I want to let you know. If you keep acting like this, you'll not only lose friends, but you'll lose Ginny forever.' With that, Hermione left to comfort Ginny, and Harry returned to his book, amid embarrassing glances from the other Gyrffindors.