Chapter 5

The Try-Out

At 7:00 sharp the next morning Ginny Weasley's eyes snapped open at the sound of her alarm.

Hermione, was the first thought that popped into her head. She'd waited up all night but Hermione had never come up to the dorm. Ginny rolled over, shut off her alarm, and glanced into Hermione's empty bed.

"Ok, don't panic," she said to herself. "She must still be downstairs." Quietly she climbed out of bed and crept into the hallway. At the top of the stairs she saw Ron sitting in a chair near the unlit fireplace, glaring at the couch. He glanced up at he and motioned her to come down.

"What is it?" Ginny asked her brother. "Did you find Hermione?" Ron wordlessly pointed a grubby finger at the couch. Ginny glanced at it and gasped.

"Oh no!" she cried, her hand flying up to her mouth.

"'Friad so," Ron said. Lying on the couch, sound asleep and nestled in Harry's arms was Hermione, a peaceful smile on her face. Ginny noticed right away that her shirt was off her shoulder, her lipstick was smeared, and her bra was on the floor.

"Uh oh," she whispered, picking it up and shoving it in her pocket. "I wonder what they did last night?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Ron asked. "After we left the common room everyone else went up to bed, they started kissing and before you knew it they were at second base." There was a moment of silence, then Ginny spoke up.

"Do you think we should bring them upstairs?"

"Nah. They looked like they don't wanna be disturbed." He was right. They looked as peaceful as angels.

"But other people will start waking up soon. If they see the two of them like this rumors will spread like wildfire." Ron considered this for moment then agreed.

"Ok, I'll take Harry, you take Hermione." Ginny knelt in front of the couch and gently shook Hermione.

"Hey, 'Mione, time to get up."

"Mumph!" Hermione grunted. Ginny finally managed to wake her up and drag her up to the girls' common room while Ron escorted Harry to the boys'.

Ginny helped Hermione onto her bed while she sat on her own. Hermione was finally starting to come to.

"Ok, spill. What happened last night?"

"Huh? What?"

"You and Harry! Last I checked you two were turning rodents into cookies, then this morning I walk downstairs to find you wrapped in his arms with this on the floor!" She took Hermione's bra out of her pocket and flung it at her.

"Oh, that.." A dopey smile crossed Hermione's face. "Well, we were…then everybody leftt and he kissed me, so I kissed him, and before I knew it we were making out."

"And this?" Ginny picked up the bra and dangling it in front of Hermione's face.

"Well," she said, snatching it out of her friend's hand and tossing it into the hamper, "I felt his hand undoing it, and then he was reaching up my shirt-"

"That pervert!" Ginny screeched.

"Oh, for goodness sake, Ginny, we're fifteen," Hermione said airily. "It's really not that big of a deal. Now, I'm going down to breakfast. Coming?" Ginny shook her head. Hermione shrugged and headed downstairs.

Meanwhile, Ron was questioning Harry in the boys' dorm.

"So, did you get some action last night?" Ron asked with a sly grin.

"Maybe," Harry said. Ron glared at him.

"Ok, ok," Harry said with a laugh, and he gave him a play-by-play of the previous night.

"Wow," Ron said, looking extremely impressed. "So you felt her rack and everything?"

"Yeah…" Harry drifted off.

"What?"

"It's kind of a personal thing, Ron. I mean, this was no ordinary hook-up. I think me and Hermione really have something."

"Oh. Cool. Oh, did I tell you? While you were macking on Hermione last night I was thinking about this whole quittich thing and I'm gonna try out. I figure if we clear Fred's name that's great, if we don't and I make it then cool, I get to play, if I don't make it then Fred'll never know. I know George won't be at the try-outs to tell him."

"Sounds good to me," Harry said. "Now I don't know about you but I could use some food." The boys headed down to the common room.

"Hey, Harry!" Hermione called, running up to him from across the room and wrapping him in a hug.

"Hey 'Minone," he said, giving her a quick kiss.

"Oh, God, don't you two start," Ron complained, shielding himself from them with his hands. The couple touched heads and giggled for a moment, then strolled down to the Great Hall with Ron.

* * *

"Ok, Ron, remember, let the Firebolt guide you. It's smarter than you think."

"Be sure not to look into the sun or you won't be able to see the bludgers!"

"Use those muscles!"

"Don't forget that there are two bludgers!"

Ron's head was spinning with the last minute advice that Harry and Hermione were yelling to him as he mounted Harry's Firebolt at try-outs that afternoon. He was to roam the quittich field with the two bludergers flying around for five minutes. Basically, the person who hit the most bludgers in the time limit would become the new beater. Twelve people had gone before Ron and he was the last person to go.

"Wow, he really is good," Hermione said as Ron swiftly maneuvered the broom into the center of the field.

"On my whistle!" Oliver Wood yelled. "Three…two…" the whistle sounded and the bludgers were released. Rather than wait around for them to come to him as the others had done, Ron chased them one by one, cutting them off and smacking them out of the playing area.

"He's got a good arm," Harry said.

"Mmmmmm," Hermione agreed, snuggling up next to Harry. He kissed the top of her head, inhaling the sweet scent of her hair.

"Time!" Wood called. Harry and Hermione stood up and ran over to Ron as he dismounted.

"I hit 26 bludgers!" He cried happily. "That's twice as many as Amy Martson and she had the top score before me!"

"You're a natural," Harry agreed.

"The shoo-in," Hermione added.

And he was. Wood called Harry over to vote and they soon returned with the rest of the team. Harry excitedly told Ron that they had voted unanimously that he would be the new beater.

"I'll let you tell George yourself," Wood said. Ron's happiness dropped a few notches. His brothers were not going to be happy about this.

"I'll see you two at practice tonight," Wood added. "Our first match against Ravenclaw is in a month and we need to start conditioning. The boys nodded and, along with Hermione, followed the others inside to celebrate.