Disclaimer: Guess you know it now...we don't own them!

Notes:Short chapter this time...sorry...I was busy! And yes, I know that it's lame and that there's not much action...*sighs* I would have liked it to write more interesting scenes, but school stress was catching me. Yaaargh!~Kaeera

Confusing Experiences and Hidden Feelings

by Kaeera & Latrisha

Chapter 3:...and an old Friend

Ron felt miserably. His first time in the muggle world - and he had already managed it to anger Hermione and to hurt his hand. Things weren't going well.
Luckily he had something to look forward to. The soccer game. After all, it was sport, and sport was always fascinating, never mind what Hermione might say. They couldn't fly, well, but maybe it was interesting.

He stared at the book Hermione's father had given him - Soccer Rules. He hated books. Maybe that was only because Hermione loved them so deeply - he didn't know. It always frustrated him to read; there were so many things to do, and it made definitely more fun to fly on a broomstick than to read some stupid stories. He sighed and glanced quickly at his hand, which was bandaged. It had stopped hurting right now, but he wished that he could visit Madame Pomfrey or another magical doctor. She would mutter a spell, and his hand would have been perfect. This muggle medicin was not very helping.

When Harry entered the room, followed by Hermione, they both found their friend in a very gloomy state. He did definitely not look very happy. Harry sighed. Somehow his friend managed it always to have bad luck, whatever he did. It seemed to follow him. Along with his temper and stubbornness, it was an explosive mixture. He hoped that the soccer game would lighten the mood a bit. He himself was looking forward to it. Although he knew soccer, he had have never the chance to watch it - either on TV or in reality. The Dursleys had always closed him away when they started watching - his existence was not desired.

Then he realised that it was actually the second time in his life that he watched a game, instead of playing. The first one had been the Quidditch World Cup - and now soccer. Compared to Quidditch, soccer was deadly boring, he had to admit, but maybe it was worth the visit. Hermione's father liked it.

"Ron, are you ready? We have to leave now if we want to get our seats.", Hermione said, studying the face of her redhaired friend. She couldn't help but feeling guilty for his injury - they were her guests, she should have cared for them, especially for Ron.
- Why especially for Ron? - a nagging voice in her mind whispered, and she couldn't find an answer. Maybe because he was a stranger in her world, like a small kid. But he always made her feel stupid and...he always fought with her. She didn't want it, but somehow it started. If he just wouldn't be so stubborn.

"Okay, okay.", Ron mumbled and stood up, leaving the book with soccer rules on the table. He had just read about red and yellow cards, but he didn't quite understand the sense of it. If the players couldn't defend themselves, they were not good enough - in his opinion. Relying on a referee was weak!

They left the house and entered the car in which Mr. Granger was waiting already. He looked rather enthusiastically - not a big surprise, Hermione admitted silently, for her dad loved soccer, and had always been disappointed that his daughter preferred books instead.

HERMIONE'S POV

"Are you ready?", my dad asked and grinned wildly. The two boys grinned, too, and I sighed. Sometimes it was really annoying to have boys as best friends. I somehow could understand Ron's love for Quidditch - it was a very famous and interesting sport after all. But my father's soccer love? Nope!
Somewhat happily I noticed that Ron didn't like it that much either. Harry, on the opposite side, seemed to enjoy the idea of visiting a game. He had never been able to go there, so it was understandable. Again I sighed, remembering all the things I had planned for them when they visited, A soccer game hadn't been on my list. I felt a little bit hurt - now I had made so much effort to show them(extremely to Ron, since he didn't know anything about muggles) anything interesting, like museums, things they could learn from, and they....honestly, I somehow can't understand them, and I often wonder why I, the bookworm, spends his time with people who hate books. Fights were programmed then. So why?

Because I liked them. Because it was funny to talk with them.

Because they were both great friends...

It didn't take us long to reach the stadium. Although we were quite early, many people were running around, and the parking lot was full of cars. I noticed that Ron's jaw was hanging open again, and I chuckled. His surprise towards all the muggle inventions was just amazing, yeah, and cute. He appeared like a small kid.

My earlier impression(that Ron didn't like the idea of visiting a game) was quickly proved wrong, when the two boys stumbled out of the car in a big hurry. Boys!! My father followed them immediately, with the same stupid grin on his face.

"Here, boys, I have something for you!", he waved with some packets and grinned. "You will need that!", with these words he put out some whistles and scarfs.

"My friend has lend them to me; you can wave with them and cheer for your team.", he handed them to Harry and Ron, and I groaned. This would be bad.

"What's that for?", Ron asked curiously and looked at the whistle.

"You blow into it.", Harry informed him kindly and admired his scarf. Ron just stared at him. Then he took the whistle and blew...

When the ringing in my eyes stopped, I glared at the two. Ron ignored it and smiled happily. "That's great!" Harry put the scarf around his neck.

"HEY! HARRY!", a somehow famous voice shouted, and we all three turned around. A...grotesque figure was running towards us. It seemed to be a boy with a huge(and I MEAN huge) hat on his head, the face painted with the same colors as the hat. He had a scarf similar to Harry's, plus he wore a shirt with the name of the team on it.
I just stared at him, my brain empty (for I didn't remember any walking hat I knew) when the realisation hit me.

"O-Oliver Wood?", I stuttered, confused and relieved at the same time. What was he doing here? The ultimate Quidditch fan....

"Oliver!", Harry greeted his former captain happily and asked: "What are you doing here?"

Ron just gaped. Wood laughed and pointed to his scarf: "Well, watching the game, of course!"
A girl appeared behind him, dressed in a similar way. Her hair was short and curly, with huge brown eyes and a nice smile. She took Wood's arm and asked: "Who are these people, Oliver?"

"This is Harry Potter, the seeker in the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and his two friends. He played in my team and helped us to win a lot of games!", he grinned enthusiastically, "Harry, this is my girl-friend Kristen!"

"Nice to meet you.", Harry answered politely, and I added: "But I have never seen her in Hogwarts. How did you meet?" Wood looked a bit embarrassed. "Ehm, well, Kristen is a muggle you know - and it was on this rainy summer day when I had this accident with my broom-stick...", he scratched his head, "She found me and well....you can imagine the rest!"

"And because I love soccer", Kristen fell in, "I dragged him to the first game in the season, against all his complains. And he became a fan like me!"

"What, you are a soccer fan?", Ron shouted bewildered, "But I always thought Quidditch was the one and only for you...", his voice trailed off.

"It is!", the taller boy calmed him down, "But soccer is fascinating, too - alone the atmosphere, with these scarfs!", and he watched his one full of delight. I had to grin. Ron groaned.

"Well", Wood stated matter-of-factly, after he had stopped admiring his scarf, "It's time to go in. We can sit together if you want!"

"That would be great!", Harry thanked and we all walked towards the stadium, followed by my dad who had remained still through the whole conversation.


HARRY'S POV:


Of all the things this was the one I had expected the last. Oliver Wood, the boy who had led our team for four years, the ultimate Quidditch fan/player/addict, had discovered the pleasure of soccer! And he had gotten a muggle girl-friend; I was quite curious how exactly they had met, but Wood had been a little bit embarrassed when Hermione had asked, so I didn't want to question him further. I grinned. The perfect proof that muggle and magic teens could live together - maybe Hermione and Ron should take this as an example...

I sighed. No. The two were just too stubborn. Sometimes I just couldn't understand them. They had each other; not like me and Cho. It should be the easiest thing on earth for them to ask, since they knew each other so good, but no! They had to quarrel every second of their life. It was so obvious! Like when Hermione had taken care of Ron after he had burned his hand - she had been so worried, but this insensible prat hadn't noticed it! Sometimes I really felt the urge to hit him...And she had been so guilty. I had felt - and still did - guilty, too. After all, I had been in the kitchen with him and I knew how clumsy he was. But well, you couldn't change the past.

"You have to pay attention to the LAOLA-wave.", Wood informed Ron. (A/N: I don't know the correct name. It's when all the people in the stadium get up and wave with their hands. Then they stand up and it looks like a wave going through the people...understanding what I mean?*scratches her head* I don't, either....hehe, just take it as a soccer cult/tradition.)

"LAOLA?", my red-haired friend repeated confused.

"You stand up and...you will see it! I was surprised at first, too, but it's great!", Wood grinned broadly. "They should add that to Quidditch!"

"Better not!", Ron answered shocked. I could imagine what he was thinking.

"Why not? It would be fun!", Hermione pointed out.

Ron looked at her and snarled: "It's a muggle thing!"

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "And everything about muggles is bad, or what?"

"Ahm...", I could see him gulping, "Yes?"

Again I felt the urge to slap him and groaned. Why did he have to act like such a jerk today? It wasn't his usal manner...a voice deep inside me told me that he just did this because he was afraid of the strange world around him(although he would have never admitted that!). But another voice insisted on the fact, that Hermione certainly wouldn't listen to this voice.
How right I was!

"Oh, how nice, Ronald Weasley!", Hermione fumed, and once again we had the pleasure to watch her in full temper.
She just glared at Ron, and then stormed away, heading towards the entry of the stadium.

"I didn't mean it like that.", Ron explained to no one particular, but his words came too late. Wood smiled. "My dear Ron, you certainly have to practise more!", he advised and followed Hermione, Kristen behind him.

Ron looked confused, and I snickered. "What did he mean with 'practise more'?", he wanted to know.

"I can't explain.", I grinned. "That's something you have to find out on your own!"

And I too followed my friends, leaving Ron with Hermione's dad behind, who seemed to be as confused as my friend.

I grinned again. Maybe this would be fun. And the game hadn't started yet...

To be continued....


Oh, and thanks to the reviewer who gave us the Legolas and Frodo clones*snickers* - we love them!*takes her Legolas clone and hugs him* This helps me writing *Legolas gasps for breath*
Latrisha: "Hey, you started without me!*pulls her Frodo clone with her*
Kaeera: *glares* If you are always too late...
Latrisha:*frees wordlessly Legolas out of Kaeera's grip*
Kaeera: "I didn't notice that he was getting blue!"
Latrisha: "You needed long to write this...you have no right to complain about me!"
Kaeera: "Oh really? And what's with the mangas I lend you a month ago - you didn't give them back yet! Or the Terry Pratchett book, you kept it for half a year!!!!"*stomps on the ground*
Latrisha: "Oups..."
Kaeera: "Hrmpfh!" *notices what she has written* Hmmm....*shrugs* We already told you that we are crazy - but then again, who is not on ff.net??


Don't mind our ramblings. Just review^.^ (Longer reviews are greatly appreciated!)