Disclaimer: I can't think of anything to say, but don't sue me, because only Angela and the plot are mine. The rest of it belongs to people who make big money off of it…And that's not me.
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After Halloween time seemed to fly. In what seemed like the blink of an eye it was the week before the Quidditch match between Slytherin and Gryffindor. The air buzzed with a tension as the whole school prepared for what was always the best Quidditch game of the season. Several scuffles erupted in the hallways and Harry and Malfoy came very close to cursing each other on various occasions.
True to his word nothing had changed between she and Malfoy. Malfoy proved this one day at lunch when he walked up behind Angela and said "So, a freak, a bum, and two Mudbloods. What a combination."
Ron had turned a bright shade of red and had stood, ready to fight Malfoy right there, when Angela turned and said, "Malfoy, if I had blood as shitty as yours, I'd kill myself. Now, do us a favor and go the hell away. That is, unless you want me to make that pretty hair of yours stand on end again." Malfoy's nostrils had flared as he glared at her before walking away, fuming. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had laughed until they cried and were still talking about it days later.
Angela had gotten into the routine of homework and classes and though she didn't have to study for tests she helped the others occasionally.
One time Hermione had looked at her in amazement after Angela had answered a particularly difficult question on a study sheet with ease. "How do you do it? I mean, I never see you read, you never study for tests for yourself, you do homework, but it takes you a lot less time than anyone else. It's like you already know everything!" Angela smiled modestly at this and averted her gaze. She still hadn't told Ron or Hermione about her parents and she felt a bit guilty about it, considering she had told Malfoy. She would tell them eventually, just not now. She had to shake herself when she realized that Hermione was talking again. "…I mean, what did you get on your O.W.L.s? You did take the O.W.L.s, right?"
Angela felt herself turning red at this. She had kind of hoped that it would never come up. "Yeah, I took them at the end of the summer."
"What did you get? It can't be that bad."
"No, it's not bad, it's just…" Angela took a deep breath and said it, "I got fourteen "Outstanding" O.W.L.s."
Hermione looked at her for a moment, aghast. Angela felt Harry stiffen next to her, obviously remembering the night that she had gotten the news.
Ron was the first to speak up. "Fourteen? Can you do that? I mean, I know it's out of fifteen, but I don't think anyone's ever gotten fourteen before. Even Hermione."
Angela couldn't look at them. "I know. Dumbledore told me."
Ron didn't' seem to have heard her as he just kept talking, "And Hermione's only one of two to get a thirteen! I don't know who the other is, mind you, but…blimey! A fourteen?"
Angela just sat there, staring at her hands. Hermione finally spoke. "That's great! You shouldn't even be in Hogwarts if you can do that well! I mean, Dumbledore was going to let me skip a year, I'm sure you could have too."
Harry got up and walked out the portrait hole without warning. Hermione looked at Angela, confused.
"Actually, Dumbledore said I could have taken my N.E.W.T.s and left. I…I almost did it."
Ron looked as though a light bulb had just gone off over his head. "Is that what you two were fighting about?"
"Yeah, he was mad that I even thought about it and I was mad that he cared so much about what I thought and I said some things that I shouldn't have. I need to go…" her voiced trailed off as she looked at the door. Hermione and Ron nodded and Angela got up and quickly followed Harry's path.
When she was out in the hallway she realized that she had no idea where he was. She reached into her robes and pulled out the map that she had taken to carrying everywhere. "Spatior Illac," she said quietly, touching the map. Instantly she saw the map appear. She scanned it and saw Harry walking down the third floor corridor. She quickly headed in that direction, fully aware that it was after hours. She didn't want to get caught, but she didn't want Harry to get caught either, and he didn't have this map.
When she reached the third floor corridor she found Harry crouching in the middle of the hall, his head in his hands.
"Harry?"
He looked up slowly and she could tell that he had been crying. She knelt down by him and put her hand on his knee. "Harry, what's wrong?"
Harry just shook his head. "I don't know…I just…" he looked up at her with tears in his eyes, "I'm afraid of losing you Angela. And I haven't really faced it, and it just hit me tonight when you and Hermione were talking about…and then Hermione said she could have skipped a year, and…I couldn't imagine being here without her…or you."
Angela pulled Harry into a hug, with his head resting on her shoulder. She felt him crying on her shoulder. "It's ok Harry. I'm not going anywhere. It's me that should be afraid of losing you."
Harry looked up at her, confusion in his emerald eyes. "Losing me? Why would you lose me?"
"Well, Voldemort seems to be more adamant about killing you. Pettigrew would have that night if I hadn't taken his wand. Voldemort doesn't know who I am, he doesn't know that I'm the heir of two of the founders. He just thinks I'm a powerful witch in love with you. Which I am, but he'll concentrate on killing you the most. It would get you out of his way and hurt me, which I'm sure he would dearly love to do." By the end of this she had tears streaming down her face.
Harry cupped her face in his hands, and wiped the tears from her cheeks. She could still see tears in his eyes and raised her hand to touch the side of his face. Angela smiled sadly and started to say something before she was cut off by Harry's lips on hers. This kiss was different, somehow, than all the others that they had shared. This kiss held a promise that they would protect each other, or die trying. It said that neither would willingly live without the other. In that one kiss they found their future. And when it ended Angela felt as if something had been filled inside of her soul.
They sat there for several minutes, foreheads together, looking into each other's eyes before they stood. Angela looked down at her map and saw that Filch was somewhere on the fifth floor, chasing after Peeves. Angela had to laugh as she saw a little Filch shaking his hand at Peeves. Harry and Angela walked back to the Gryffindor common room, arms around each other, knowing they had both found what they had been looking for.
* * *
The day of the Quidditch match Angela woke early and couldn't go back to sleep. After lying in bed for ten minutes looking at the sky that was just beginning to lighten she got up and dressed, deciding that the common room would be a better place to wait. She made her way down the stairs and emerged at the same time as Harry. They looked at each other and smiled.
"I guess we both had the same idea." Harry said, walking over to her quickly.
Angela could see his broom in his hand and that he was obviously nervous. She met him halfway across the room and they melted into each other as they shared their first kiss of the day. The sat on the couch in front of the fire and Angela laid her head on Harry's shoulder, staring into the fire.
"Are you nervous?" she asked in a quiet voice.
"Yeah. I haven't been this nervous since…probably since I had to fight that damn dragon."
Angela couldn't help but smile. She lifted her head and looked into his eyes. "You're going to do fine. And even if you don't then I will still love you."
Harry smiled. "Then it doesn't even matter." He kissed her again and again, deepening each one. When he pulled back to catch his breath it was all Angela could do to get her eyes to focus on him. She laid down on the couch and pulled him down on top of her. Harry kissed her lips and then began trailing them down her cheeks and neck. He reached the top of her robe and kissed slightly below it. Angela couldn't help but gasp at the sensations that his kiss sent through her body. She wanted him to keep going down, but he started his way back up until her reached her lips again. He covered her lips with his once more before he leaned up.
"We shouldn't do this here. Or now," he glanced at the staircase and Angela knew what he meant. He looked back down at her and said, "Later." He kissed her one more time before sitting up and helping Angela sit up as well.
Angela laid down, putting her head in Harry's lap instead. He played with her hair while they watched the sunrise through the window.
Ron came down a half hour later, dressed but looking very sleepy. "Hey, what're you guys doin up alre-" he yawned, cutting himself off.
Harry looked over at him, "You know I can never sleep before a Quidditch match. And I guess Angela couldn't either."
Angela had her eyes closed and heard him say the words and was going to nod her assent when she fell asleep.
She was flying, soaring over the Quidditch Pitch. She could see the hoops and such below her but she must have been very high up because it all looked very small. Suddenly, Malfoy was there, right beside her. She was about to say something nasty to him when she felt a burning sensation race through her hands. She looked around trying to find Voldemort when she looked at Malfoy. His eyes were glowing bright red. Just then she gasped as she woke up.
She sat up quickly, scaring Harry and Ron who were talking about the upcoming match.
"Angela? Is there something wrong?"
Angela was rubbing her hands, trying to make the pain that she still felt go away. She muttered a pain relief spell before looking at Harry. "I'm fine, I just…it was my dream."
"Was it a dream dream?" Harry asked, a concerned look on his face.
"I…I don't think so. I was flying over the field…God, I must have been like half a mile up…and then Malfoy flew up beside me. I was going to say something to him when my hands started to hurt. I was looking around for Voldemort," she could see Ron flinch at the name "and then I looked at Malfoy and his eyes were glowing red. That's when I woke up."
Harry nodded, looking more concerned.
Ron sat back in the chair that he was sitting in, a contemplative look on his face. Just then Hermione came down the stairs to the girls dorms. Ron looked over at her quickly, getting a look in his eyes when he saw her.
Hermione looked at Ron with the same look and came over to where they were all sitting. "Hey, you guys couldn't sleep either I take it?"
They all answered at the same time.
"Nah."
"Nope."
"Not a chance."
Hermione laughed and sat down right next to Ron. Instantly, it seemed, their hands were intertwined. Ron leaned over and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Good morning," he said softly.
Angela and Harry looked at each other and laughed. It seemed like it had been so long since they were plotting how to get the two together. They all sat and talked for the next hour. No one else came down until it was closer to breakfast time. They all headed out the portrait hole as soon as they knew that breakfast would be ready.
They sat together silently eating. Well, Angela and Hermione were eating. Ron and Harry sort of pushed their food around their plates. Angela saw Harry picking at his food and she looked at him. He looked pale and, well, nervous.
"You need to eat! I don't want to have to save you from falling off your broom when you pass out from hunger." Angela said to Harry, sternly.
Harry looked at her and said, "If I eat I puke, and if I puke, I don't play."
He closed his eyes and looked like he was going to puke anyway. Angela reached up and brushed some hair from his forehead. "You're going to be fine, hon. Trust me."
Across the table Ron wasn't looking much better. Hermione was looking after him and Angela and Hermione exchanged a worried look. They knew that the boys were going to be ok once they were in the air, but getting them to the Pitch and up in the air without them passing out would be the problem.
About eleven everyone started to head down to the Quidditch field. Angela and Hermione left Ron and Harry just outside the locker rooms with final good luck kisses. As the boys stepped into the locker room Hermione voiced what they were both feeling.
"God, help them get up in the air."
Angela and Hermione headed up to the stands and sat together with some of the other sixth year Gryffindor girls. It wasn't long before the guys walked out of the locker room into the sunlight. Ron looked paler than ever, but Harry looked like he was feeling a bit better.
The teams gathered around Madam Hooch. Angela could see Harry and Malfoy, who was the Slytherin captain, shaking hands for a brief moment. Then Madam Hooch blew her whistle and threw the Quaffle up in the air.
Harry was off the ground and high in the air in no time flat. Ron took his place by the hoops and looked considerably calmer now that the game had begun.
Gryffindor got possession of the Quaffle first and the chasers quickly went down the field passing it back and forth to each other. They worked together seamlessly and even Hermione was impressed.
"I haven't seen a team work together that well since…since the world cup!" she said in an awed voice.
Gryffindor was soon up 50 to nothing. Slytherin had gotten the Quaffle only twice, but each time they tried to score Ron had made spectacular saves. Harry and Malfoy circled high above, looking for the Snitch. Angela caught sight of it a couple times, but she could tell that Harry hadn't seen it yet. Seamus and Dean proved to be deadly beaters, unseating Slytherin chasers on several occasions.
After another ten minutes Gryffindor had scored six more times. Slytherin had barely gotten one by Ron, and the score was 110 to 10. Angela watched Harry through the omnioculars he had lent her and she saw his eyes darting around, trying to find the Snitch. A couple times he had tricked Malfoy, who was just following Harry around, knowing that he would never spot the Snitch on his own. Suddenly Angela saw Harry's head jerk around. He went into a dive that looked like it was straight down. Malfoy followed him, and Angela could tell that this time Harry really had seen the Snitch. She followed his line of sight and saw it hovering about five feet off of the ground.
Looking back up at Harry and Malfoy she could now see that they were neck and neck. Malfoy had a faster, more recent broom, an Argentum 200, the newest broom on the market. Harry had a Firebolt, which was still a very good broom, but he was a better flier. Harry never took his eyes off of the Snitch as he zoomed towards the ground. The rest of the game had stopped and it seemed like the entire stadium was holding their breath watching the Seekers dive. They reached out their arms and Harry knocked Malfoys out of the way before grabbing the snitch and pulling out of the dive. The stadium erupted into cheers as Harry pulled out. But Angela was watching Malfoy. He didn't seem to be able to pull out of his dive. Angela saw that he was going to hit the ground going about eighty miles an hour, which she knew would kill him. Right before Malfoy hit the ground her arm shot out and she shouted "Retardo!" Instantly he slowed and hit the ground only doing about twenty.
The entire team flew over to Harry and were hugging him. They all landed together and all but the Slytherin section of the stadium were going wild. Madam Pomphrey was looking after Malfoy, and Angela could see that he was alive. "As long as he's not dead," she thought to herself. She and Hermione rushed down to the field, and were there to congratulate their respective boyfriends as they reached them.
Angela and Harry hugged and Angela gave Harry a big kiss. "Good job, Harry. I told you it would be fine, didn't I?"
Harry smiled down on her and said, "Yeah, I guess you did," before kissing her again.
They all went back to Gryffindor tower where a party started almost immediately. They celebrated for a couple hours before Angela and Harry slipped out to go get some food from the kitchens. When they returned half an hour later they were welcomed noisily back.
"You'd think that we never beat Slytherin!" Angela commented to Harry.
Harry just grinned and said, "That's how a rivalry is."
Angela remembered some of the football rivalries back home and nodded, seeing his point.
Hermione and Ron disappeared not long after Angela and Harry returned with the food. Angela had seen them slip out the portrait hole and smiled to herself, thinking that Ron was going to like his congratulations present.