Disclaimer: I know I'm supposed to, but I have been way too lazy to put one on. So sue me, ha ha. OK, if you recognize the characters, I obviously didn't make them up. They are the brainchildren of J.K Rowling. Also, I don't take the credit for anything related to Saturday Night Live. But I do own Felicia Ledger, although she is based on a real person, so I own her character, not her soul. Where is this coming from? But thanks so much for your amazing reviews, especially about Felicia.
"Harry. Harry? Yoo hoo?" Ron waved his hand in front of Harry's eyes.
'What do you want?"
"Harry, you have to get up. I mean, you've been lying in bed all day, and you're not even using the time to sleep. Get up! I'm going to open the curtains.' Ron moved to the window.
'No! Keep them closed!' Harry growled.
'Oh, get over yourself. Being all depressed and angsty does not flatter you. Don't just quit everything because Ginny dumped you.'
"Wow, Ron, you're sympathetic.' Harry turned over and faced the wall.
'C'mon, Quidditch time.' Ron walked over and pulled the blankets off Harry's bed. "Quidditch waits for no one.'
'Ron, I'm not going to practice. Just tell Wood that I'm sick or something. Don't worry, I'll be at the game tomorrow.'
Ron gave up. 'Suit yourself. But you better be at the game. Slytherin is our biggest rival, and we need you. I'm going to be late. I don't mean to rub salt in the wound, but you're not being a very great role model for the rest of us.' Ron walked to the door, where he stopped and turned back.
'Harry, I'm cool with what you're doing, but be nice to the rest of us and have a shower!'
***~~~***
'Harry? Are you all right? Ron told me that you didn't go to Quidditch practice? Are you okay?' Hermione asked as she poked her head around the door. There was no answer.
"Can I come in?'
'Mphm.' A muffled acceptance came from the pile of tangled bedclothes piled on Harry's bed.
'Harry? Are you in there?' The lights were low, and Hermione edged carefully towards the bed, remembering what had happened before with Ginny, and stupid big heavy solid things not being where they were supposed to be.
'Yeah, I'm here.' Harry's head poked through the pile. His usually rumpled black hair was impossibly messy. Hermione resisted the urge to smooth it down.
'Well Harry, what's the dilly-o? I heard that in a Muggle movie last summer, and have waned to say it ever since.' Hermione found a smooth spot on the bed and sat down.
'I think that's obvious, 'Mione. My life is going to the shits,' Harry said, blinking owlishly at her, as he refused to put on his glasses.
'No, Harry, your life is fine. Winning Quidditch, good grades. Its just your love life that's going to the shits.'
'Wow, so sympathetic, just like your boyfriend.'
"I guess Weasley traits rub off on you if you hang around them a lot, but then, you wouldn't know that, would you?'
Harry groaned and fell over. 'I'm feeling bad enough without that. DO you have no sympathy or mercy?'
Hermione leaned over and patted Harry on the back. "Not for you. You're one of my best friends, but right now, I think you deserved what you got.'
'Touché. Have you talked to Ginny yet?'
"Yes. Where do you think I've been most of yesterday and today? She's pretty much doing what you're doing.'
'And what would that be, Miss Granger?'
"Hiding out."
"I'm not hiding out!'
'What? Of course you are. What do you call all of this?' Hermione spread her hands, glancing around.
'All of what?' Harry's eyes peered out suspiciously from his cover of blankets.
"Hmm… where shall I being? Staying in bed all day, skipping Quidditch practices and school, not opening the curtains or turning on the lights. And Harry, not taking a shower is not the way to mope around.'
Harry sniffed his shirt. 'Do I really smell that bad?'
Hermione laughed. "Yes. I would rather not describe it. But this isn't healthy. At least Ginny has the sense to drown her sorrow in chocolate.' Hermione looked at her watch. "Well, I have to go. Want me to grab you some dinner?'
'No, I think I'll live like a starving artist for now. I don't think I'd be able to keep it down. But I do have this weird craving for triple fudge chocolate ripple ice cream with M&M's on it. Weird.'
Hermione laughed and walked out the door. Harry lay down and was about to shut his eyes when Hermione walked back in.
"Harry? For what its worth, I think everything is going to be fine. I know Ginny loves you, and its clear that you love her. I have a feeling that things will work out for the best.'
"Thanks, 'Mione. You're full of it, but thanks.'
Harry fell asleep, and didn't wake up when Ron came in.
***~~~***
'Whoa!' Harry felt himself fly through the air as someone dumped over his mattress.
'Come on, Harry,' Wood said, smiling evilly. 'You don't get a nice wakeup call when you miss, or shall I say skip, the last practice before a big game.'
'I wasn't expecting one,' Harry grumbled as he slowly and painfully got to his feet.
'Good. I hope you were at least practicing Quidditch in your mind, because the game vs. Slytherin starts in about an hour. Ron said you haven't been eating much or sleeping well so we thought it would okay if we let you sleep through breakfast. I brought you an apple in case you're hungry. Here's your uniform. Felicia already grabbed your equipment. People have already started heading out to this pitch. A game with Gryffindor vs. Slytherin is really hot! I gotta go over some plays with Felicia, so I'll see you in the dressing room.' With that, Wood tossed the uniform and apple at Harry and ran out of the room.
***~~~***
Harry walked down to the pitch deep in thought. He hardly knew where he was going, and bumped into a lot of people.
Harry turned back from waving at some fans and walked right into someone. As they connected, Harry felt a sharp shock, as if their skins had conducted electricity. He regained his balance, looked up, and saw Ginny.
'Hey,' he said shakily, and then faltered.
'Hey,' she said. No prizes for scintillating conversation here.
She stared at her feet, and Harry looked about, searching for something not idiotic to say.
'Um… how are you doing?'
'I'm…fine… I gotta go!' She ran off, leaving Harry feeling worse than before he had seen her.
Harry caught a glimpse of Ron pushing through the crowd. Well, even if you weren't as tall as Harry, you could still see Ron's tall frame anywhere.
'Harry!' He yelled. 'The game's about to start. Let's go! Wood's about to have kittens!'
Harry and Ron ran towards the sidelines where Wood, Felicia and the rest of the team were grouped. When Wood saw them, he was visibly relieved, and Felicia rushed over.
'Thank whatever you are here! We thought you were about to bail on us!' Felicia was so relieved that she gave Harry a hug.
'Alright team, no need for a pep talk. Just get out on the field and show Slytherin who's the boss!' Wood yelled, his Scots accent get broader as he got more excited.
The team jumped on their brooms and sped out onto the pitch. Dumbledore let out the balls and the clock was started.
But no matter how excited the Gryffindor team was, it appeared as if their hearts weren't in it. Slytherin scored a few quick goals and managed to keep the action in the Gryffindor end. Draco flew around Harry, grinning evilly and mouthing obscenities. More than once Harry felt like smacking Draco right across the face. Slytherin scored a few times more, while Gryffindor's score still stayed at zero. Time was running out fast.
Wood was running up and down the sidelines, yelling at Harry. 'Harry, get in the game! Stop moping around. Win this!'
But no matter how hard he tried, Harry couldn't see anything but Ginny. Suddenly, he heard her voice in his head.
'Harry, what are you doing? Why aren't you concentrating? I need you to win this! You've been ignoring me to concentrate on this game. Don't make me think I was ignored for nothing. I broke up with you because you were too busy, not because I didn't love you. If you wasted your time to act like this, I will lose all respect for you. You can't let Slytherin win this! Let's go!'
Harry shook his head as if to clear it. He now knew he could do it. He could win. He would win. Harry ordered his broom to go faster and flew in and around his teammates, shouting words of encouragement. Whatever he said must have worked because his teammates perked up with a seemingly renewed attitude. Amare Bell snatched the Quaffle while it was passing from one Slytherin to another and scored a quick goal before the Slytherin team realized what was going on. Once the Gryffindors had caught on to the scoring game, they weren't going to quit. Before Slytherin's very eyes, Gryffindor did the impossible: they tied up the game. Meanwhile, Harry was hell bent on grabbing the Snitch. It was a little hard as Draco seemed to enjoy flying into him at full speed.
Wood could not believe what he was seeing. 'What's got into Harry? Why couldn't he and the rest of the team have acted like that the beginning?'
'Who cares, baby?' Felicia said. 'What matters is that they're acting like that now.'
'You're right. You're so smart,' Wood said softly, pulling her towards him.
'You are,' she said back. They started making out immediately. (A/N: sound like anything familiar? Nomar!)
'Excuse me,' a chilly voice said behind them. The couple broke apart to see Professor McGonagall glaring at them.
'Mr. Wood and Miss Ledger, don't you have a game to watch and a team to coach?'
'Yes, Professor,' they said, shamefacedly.
'Well, see to it that you do,' she said. 'But they've rather turned the game around, don't you think?'
'Umm. I-' Wood was interrupted by a roar from the crowd, some in anger, some in excitement. The three looked up in time to see Harry fly in and snatch the Snitch, right before Draco's outstretched fingers closed in on it.
'GRYFFINDOR WINS! POTTER GETS THE SNITCH! SLYTHERIN SUCKS!-' Lee Jordan was shut off before he could make any other unflattering remarks about Slytherin.
Harry could feel himself being jumped upon by his teammates, and the group sunk to the ground under the weight. By the time Harry struggled out from under his teammates, the whole school had emptied out onto the pitch and he was swamped again. All of the Slytherins were grouped off to the side, making faces and obviously saying mean things about the Gryffindors. Strangely enough, Harry couldn't see Professor Snape among, which was surprising, as Harry assumed that Snape would be first in line for a Harry Potter/Gryffindor bashing fest. It took Harry and the team over a half hour to clear the endless parade of well wishers. Harry didn't really see any one as he was looking for Ginny. When he had all but given up hope that she would appear, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He whirled around to see Ginny smiling at him. His heart skipped a beat, and realized, like all the Weasleys, when Ginny got excited, her fiery red hair stuck out around her head and her green eyes almost glowed. Wait, when had Ginny got tall?
'How do you like the spell I did on you?' she asked, eyes twinkling.
'What spell?'
'Before the game, I put a spell on you that made me able to transfer my voice to your head, so I could talk to you. Hermione taught it to me.
Harry didn't know what to say. He had just assumed that since he had wanted Ginny to talk to him so badly, he had just imagined it. 'How did you do it? I don't remember anything about a spell. How could you perform it without me noticing?'
'Remember before the game, when you and I ran into each other?'
'Yes.'
'It wasn't an accident. But do you remember a shock?'
Harry remembered everything about that encounter with her. 'Yes, but I thought that it was just electricity.'
'No, it was my wand,' Ginny replied bluntly.
Harry looked deep into her eyes, and made a decision. He grabbed her shoulders, and leaned in close. 'OK, look Ginny, I'm sorry about everything that has happened. I don't know what got into me. Quidditch has never affected me like that before. I let Quidditch become more important to me than you. I hurt you because of some stupid game, but I can't do it without you. I can't do anything without you. All I could think of during the game was you. I almost screwed it up for everyone because I couldn't get you off my mind. I completely lost sight of what was actually important to me, and I almost lost you forever. Gods, I'm screwing this up too. Ginny, what I'm trying to say it-'
'Shh, I know, I understand. I don't want to think about our recent past, or talk about it, so let' s forget about everything that has happened. I love you Harry.'
Harry looked at her amazedly, and then shook himself out of his daze. 'I love you too, Ginny.'
'For some reason, I feel like I should be hearing a canned audience saying 'awww!' Harry, our last dialogue must be one of the mushiest ones ever written.' Ginny smiled up at him, obviously not caring.
'C'mere, you,' he said, and pulled her to him. Their lips met, and everything was forgiven.
