Disclaimer:  I own the plot.  That's about it.  Oh, and I own the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone movie, which my sister and I are going to watch tonight (yeah!) but other than that, I'm pretty broke.

*** Special thanks to Triniroo, ScotchTapeLvr, and Roxy for reviewing!  It means a whole heck of a lot to me, thanks so much!

Chapter 11: Early Morning Quidditch

Ron woke early.  He was nervous for Quidditch tryouts.  He was really nervous.  In fact, he was pretty sure that if he was going to eat anything that morning he would throw it up.  The only consolation was that Seamus didn't seem to be fairing any better.  Seamus was quite green in fact.

Hermione smiled helpfully and Ginny ruffled Ron's already messy hair.  "You'll do fine," she said encouragingly.  "You've been playing Quidditch since before you could speak in full sentences," she teased.

"Yeah Gin, but he didn't speak full sentences until he was nearly eight!" Fred put in unhelpfully.

Ron smirked.  "Oh you guys are just so funny.  My sides are splitting from laughing so hard," he said sarcastically. 

Hermione giggled; Harry grinned.

"You'll do fine mate," Harry agreed with Ginny.  "You've got nothing to worry about."

"Easy enough for you to say Harry, you've been playing Quidditch for years now," Ron said.

"Yeah, and you grew up knowing what Quidditch was," Harry said through a mouthful of food.

"Harry, don't talk with your mouth full," Hermione reprimanded immediately.

Harry leaned into Ron's ear.  "Yes, Mum," he whispered.  Ron cracked a smile at this and Hermione peered at them suspiciously.

"What did he just say Ron?" she prompted.

Ron looked at her blankly.  "What did who just say?" he asked innocently, widening his bright blue eyes and blinking several times to add to the effect.

Hermione sighed impatiently.  "You two are horrible, absolutely horrible."

"Which is why they have to hang around a Mudblood such as yourself Granger," Malfoy put in, walking very purposefully past them.

Hermione narrowed her eyes.  "Thank you for that assessment, Malfoy," she said in a near growl.  "I suppose the reason you hang around your two fat lackeys, which by the way, where are they?  Anyhow, as I was saying, and I suppose the reason you hang out with your two fat, stupid lackeys is because you are their equal, correct?" she asked in a dangerously low voice.

Malfoy sneered.  "You'd better watch it Mudblood."

Ron stood up suddenly, knocking his chair over but the noise in the Great Hall covered the echo up well enough that only a few people truly noticed.  Harry also stood up.  "Don't ever call Hermione that again, Malfoy," Ron started.  He lowered his voice an octave. "If you do, I swear I'll tell everyone what your home life actually is like," he threatened.

Malfoy paled considerably and left like a dog with his tail between his legs.

Hermione and Harry stared at Ron like he'd grown a second head.

"What?" he asked with a shrug.  He apparently also found his appetite again because he started shoveling food into his mouth.

"What do you know about Malfoy's home life?" Harry asked curiously.

Though he was eating like he had been starving, Ron shrugged.  "Nothing, I was just bluffing," he admitted through bites of omelets.  He didn't seem to be the least bit ashamed of himself.

Hermione didn't even scold him for talking with food in his mouth.  She wouldn't have had time to anyway for Quidditch tryouts were about to begin.

***

Hermione brought a cozy blanket from the chest at the foot of her bed.  It was the fourth week of September so it was still warm, for the most part, but the mornings were cold and today proved no differently.  Damp and windy, Hermione was glad she had thought ahead and brought the wool blanket.

She found a seat next to her roommate Parvati Patil and behind Ginny, who was watching the warm-ups intently.

Parvati eyed Hermione's blanket jealously.  Then she looked up her roommate and offered her a pretty smile.  Then again, this was Parvati; any smile she gave couldn't not be pretty.  She always smiled, except for last night, the night Lavender was taken to the Infirmary.  Hermione had stayed up with Parvati, talking and asking Lavender's best friend anything that might be of any interest.  Hermione had even gone so far as to explain to Parvati what she suspected happened and asked Parvati if Lavender had a boyfriend.  Parvati said she didn't, but that she would keep an ear out to hear if perhaps Lavender did have some secret boyfriend. 

During this question and answer time, Hermione learned things about Parvati she didn't know.  Sure, the girl was still vain, but she had a slightly deeper side too.  She had a side that really did care about her friend Lavender, which Hermione admired.

Parvati leaned over into Hermione's ear.  "Lavender would love to be here right now, Hermione."  She pointed to Seamus, who was flying really well for a halfblood wizard.  "She really liked Seamus, you know," Parvati informed Hermione.

Hermione nodded.  Lavender had never made any special mention of Seamus ever, except for when they went to the Yule Ball together last year, but Hermione had always suspected her roommate liked the funny Irishman.

"I think he's doing really well, don't you?" Parvati asked.

Hermione nodded.  "Yeah, Seamus does well for himself.  I think he'd be a good Chaser…"

Parvati's smile limped.  It was a terrible reminder of what had been happening to students at Hogwarts lately.  Parvati shivered and Hermione noticed, and offered Parvati half of her blanket, which Parvati took gratefully.  "I wish Dr. Braddock would figure out how to cure them," she said while adjusting the blanket.  Hermione wished the doctor would figure it out too.  She hated not knowing.

Madame Hooch blew a very loud, shrill whistle, calling all those flying to halt and thus the tryout began.

Even if Hermione didn't understand every little nuance about the game like her boy counterparts, or even Ginny and Parvati, she could see that Ron was easily the best Keeper.  He didn't let one goal past, even though his broom was hand-me-down.  Ginny looked up at Hermione from the bench below.

"If Ron gets chosen, which it's almost a sure thing he will be, Fred and George are going to surprise him with a new broom.  A Firebolt, I think is what they were going to buy him," Ginny whispered.

"Does Ron know?" Hermione asked.

Ginny shook her head, red hair flying all around the place and then she turned to watch the tryouts continue.

Parvati was cheering for everyone she knew and Hermione found her enthusiasm to be contagious and began cheering for everyone she knew, although her blanket partner took notice of how often she shouted Ron's name.

"I-I-I'm not even going to explain," Hermione stated, turning her eyes back to the Quidditch Pitch.

Parvati laughed and didn't say anything more to Hermione.  Instead she continued screaming and yelling for everyone she knew, boy or girl.

By the time Madame Hooch blew her whistle an hour later Hermione knew Ron had made Keeper.  He was just that good.  However, she wasn't quite sure who had made Chaser.  On one hand, Seamus was fast but on the other hand, there was this fourth year girl who Hermione didn't know who was also really fast.  It was going to be a close call and positions wouldn't be posted for two days, meaning the team would have a full day to deliberate over the two new teammates.

Still, she waited for the boys on the field.  Ginny was waiting for them also and Parvati was hanging out Hermione, supposedly waiting for Seamus, Hermione figured.

A wet Ron came into their view first.  He was wet due to sweat and the slight drizzle in the air but a grin was plastered across his face like he had just won the lottery.

Ginny tore off up to him and threw herself in his arms.  He swung her around happily and Hermione's heart warmed.  He could be such a sweetheart.  Without meaning to, her mind wandered to last night in the hall.  He had hugged her so softly; they had clung to each other a little longer than they should have.  At least she hadn't wanted to stay in Harry's arms the way she had Ron's.  Just thinking about his arms around her caused her to blush.  Not noticeably, mind you, but enough for her heart to thud as he walked closer to her.

Hermione hung back, watching as Parvati hugged Ron and told him how wonderfully he had done.  "You were great.  Seriously," she said, nodding her head rapidly. 

Ron grinned even more.  "Thanks Parvati."  He then sought out Hermione's eyes.  His eyes seemed to drink her in, and Hermione gulped.  Her heart was pounding so hard she couldn't hear the grumbling thunder way above their heads.

Suddenly, it was like she was eleven again and boys were icky.  Except that Ron wasn't icky.  Later on, she would reflect on what she had done then, and how juvenile it was.  She stuck out her hand, grasped his rough, callused one and shook it.  She actually shook his hand!  Ron looked down at the hand that was holding his and blushed.  He blushed very red.

Behind the two young friends, Parvati and Ginny rolled their eyes, both of them semi-wishing they'd have the gall to shove Hermione into Ron's arms.  Harry interrupted any plotting the two might have been doing.

He clapped Ron on the shoulder.  "Great job!" he exclaimed excitedly.

It was the first time any worry showed on Ron's face.  "You think?" he asked.  "I mean, seriously Harry, do you really think I did that—

Two whooping redheads completely interrupted conversation when they jumped on Ron's back, causing him to tumble forward.  "You were awesome little brother!" George said, ruffling Ron's hair, which was by now soaked in mud.

Angelina and Alicia saw this and laughed at the three brothers.  "Good job Ron!" they called out happily, although other than that there was no indication they were giving any second thoughts to the youngest Weasley boy, but Ron was too distracted attempting to throw the twins off of him he didn't even feign worry.

"Geroff!" Ron groaned, finally throwing his weight into standing up.  The twins rolled into the muddied field, laughing and throwing mud at each other.

Hermione, a smile crinkling the corners of her eyes turned and saw Parvati hugging a somber looking Seamus.

"You did well, Seamus," Parvati said into his ear.

Seamus squeezed the dark-haired witch.  "Thanks," he said, kissing Parvati's cheek.

He then saw Ron and pounded his roommate on the back.  "You were great," Seamus said.  Ron smiled and attempted wiping the mud from his robes and hair, but instead smattered the group of friend's surrounding him.

"Hey!" they exclaimed, all jumping away from him.

Ron grinned sheepishly but didn't apologize. 

His and Ginny's brothers were still rolling around in the mud, howling with laughter.  They'd even gotten Angelina and Alicia to throw thick mud at them after much begging.  All four of them were laughing very hard.

They stood around talking until Madame Hooch told them they had to leave if Slytherin tryouts were to happen in a half an hour.  Ron, Harry, and Seamus shared a roll-the-eye look before waving the girls to go inside while Seamus brought his broom to the broom closet.

"We'll be in the Common Room!" Ginny told them, having to yell over the wind.

"Thanks for sharing that with us," Malfoy spat out.

"Malfoy, how is it every time I turn around your ugly ass is right there?" Ginny quizzed.  She said it with such a straight face; Hermione and Parvati had to fight laughing.

The pale blonde boy didn't respond other than making an obscene gesture to Ginny, who had the good graces to return the gesture with a smirk.

She turned back to Hermione and Parvati.  "I love how Quidditch brings us all together, don't you?"

So, how was that chapter?  I hope it didn't bore you; I'm trying really hard to keep everyone's interest.  Did I?  Well, be kind and review!  It really means so much to me and thank you, seriously.