Chapter 6

"Look it's Ronniekins!"

"And, aww Fred, he got all wet!"

"Well you know, that's what usually happens when it rains, George." Mattie laughed at the enlightened expressions on the twin's faces.

"Ugh, I'm going to put on some dry clothes." Hermione turned and headed up to the Girls' Dormitories, but not before smiling at Ron.

"Me too." Ron turned in the opposite direction and went up to his own dormitory.

"Geez, those two need to get their act together." Fred shook his head, smiling.

"Oh, don't worry. I guarantee that by the time we go to Hogsmeade, things will have progressed considerably."

"OOO a plan!" George's eyes lit up.

"Do tell!"

"If I did that, then it wouldn't be a SECRET plan!" Mattie laughed and started for the portrait hole.

"Where you going?"

"To the Library, I've gotta talk to Harry." Mattie disappeared through the portrait hole. She found Harry sitting alone at one of the many tables, surrounded by immense piles of books. "Harry?"

He looked up surprised, "Oh, hello, Mattie." He turned to the chair sitting next to him and removed the pile of books. Mattie sat down and looked at the parchment and papers strewn around the table.

"What're you studying for?"

"Not studying ... term paper, History of Magic. Don't you have one too?" Harry glanced back at the parchment lying on the table, disgusted. He had barely written 3 feet; a mere chip on the 20-foot assignment.

"Yeah, it's almost done though." Mattie smiled comfortingly as Harry rubbed his forehead. "You'll get it done, besides it's not due until two weeks from Monday."

"Well, here's to hoping."

"Ok, you seem pretty busy so I'll just talk to you later." Mattie started to get up but Harry caught her hand and pulled her back down.

"No, I'm almost finished for the night. Let me finish this sentence and then we can talk ... somewhere where no one's breathing down our necks telling us to be quiet." Mattie smiled and nodded. Harry looked back to his parchment and scribbled a few more words. He gathered up his stuff and stood up.

"Ready?"

"Uh-huh." Once they were outside the Library, they were able to talk normally rather than whisper.

"So I ... helped Ron and Hermione take a little walk today."

"Helped them take a walk?" Harry asked skeptically.

"I said I needed my Quidditch gloves out of my locker in the locker room and asked them to go and get them. They were laughing their heads off when they came in; they got caught in the rain." Mattie laughed, remembering the strange site of two Gryffindor's dripping right outside the entrance to the Great Hall.

"Maybe we should leave ... it up to them?"

"HA! If we leave it up to them, they'll have it all worked out by Graduation night." Mattie and Harry laughed. "The ball's on Friday, that gives us six days ... Hermione and I still have to get permission to go to Hogsmeade tomorrow and get dresses ... what's Ron's favorite color?"

"Green ... well hunter green, more specifically ... wait, what does that have to do with anything?"

Mattie smiled innocently, "Nothing. What's yours?"

"Okay ... maroon. Are you sure McGonagall will let you go?"

"Well every girl in the school that's going to the ball is going, so I don't see why not." Mattie and Harry were heading back towards the Gryffindor Common Room.

"We do have Quidditch tomorrow." Mattie rolled her eyes.

"Come on Harry! We don't have game for like ... a long time! And we won't die if I miss ONE practice!" Harry laughed.

"Yeah ... whatever."

"See Harry, now that wasn't that hard! Remember that you have to ask Hermione soon. And that way Ron and I will have to go together, just as friends."

"I know, I was going to ask her tonight so you don't slip tomorrow. You know, like say anything about us going to the dance and give away the fact that you and I are in cahoots."

"Oh, please Harry! I'm a master of secrecy!"

"Right," said Harry skeptically.

"Where did you and Harry disappear to last night?" Hermione picked up a long, black dress and held it up. Mattie made a face and Hermione put it back.

"We didn't disappear anywhere ..."

"I went down to the Common Room after I changed and Fred and George said you were in the Library with Harry. I wanted to talk to you about Ron so I went to the Library and you weren't there." Mattie held up a red dress and Hermione shook her head.

"Oh, I'm sorry! We kinda wandered around the school ... we were talking and we meant to go back to the Common Room, but ... we didn't."

"Well that's definitive. It's okay, we've got all day today." Hermione picked up a teal sequined dress and she and Mattie burst out laughing.

"So what about Ron?"

"Oh ... ummm, thanks I guess."

"Thanks?!" Mattie picked up a purple dress but put it back down with a disgusted look.

"Yeah, for asking us to get your ... gloves."

"Does that mean you had a good time?" Hermione blushed as Mattie wiggled her eyebrows.

"Yeah ... except I scraped my leg. I was standing on that bloody boulder and I slipped ... but Ron ... caught me." Hermione blushed again.

"Aww! That's so sweet!" Mattie smiled. "So what're we going to wear? I thought you should maybe wear dark green ... it would really bring out your eyes."

"Umm ... okay. How about this one?" Hermione held up a dark green, sleeveless dress. It was a little longer than her knees and had an open back.

"Ohh! Very nice! Try it on!"

"What color are you wearing?" Hermione ducked into a dressing room and Mattie sat down in one of the chairs in the dressing rooms.

"I thought ... maroon."

"Oh no! I have Quidditch practice ... right now! Ahh! I'll see you at dinner, Hemione!" Mattie raced out of the Common Room, but had to run right back in and change out of her robes. A few moments later she emerged from the portrait hole in a pair of warm up pants and a t-shirt. She pulled a sweatshirt over her head and ran as fast as she could to the pitch.

"Mattie! You're here!" Mattie smiled at Fred, out of breath, and mounted her broom. Kicking off she flew up to him and George, and was immediately met by Harry.

"You're late ... 30 minutes late."

"Harry! I'm so so so so sorry! I was doing homework and I lost track of time ... I'm sorry!"

"5 laps around the pitch, after practice. Now, get started!" Mattie sighed sadly and flew over to where Ron, Alicia, and Angelina were practicing by the rings. Fred tried to make a joke about Harry, but she just shook her head.

After almost 2 hours, Harry finally told them to pack up, all except Mattie. She trudged to the locker room, put her broom away and changed into a pair of shorts. Glaring at Harry on her way out, she started running.

Harry felt guilty about being so mean, and decided to wait for her. He sat down in the bleachers and watched her run around the pitch. He noticed not only that she ran fast, but also that her shirt and shorts were creeping up slightly with each step. He could see her hard abs peeking out from beneath her t-shirt.

"Mattie! It's getting dark, let's go in to dinner!" Harry yelled across the field. She didn't even slow down, but if looks could kill Harry would've been dead on the spot.

"I'll finish the 5 laps, Harry! Go to dinner!" Harry sighed exasperatedly but when back to the Great Hall, nonetheless. He sat down next to Ron at the Gryffindor table.

"Where's Mattie?" Hermione was sitting across from Ron.

"Running laps, I assume. Harry got mad that she was late and made her run 5 laps around the pitch!" Harry glared at Ron.

"I told her to come have dinner, but she just got more angry."

"Harry! She was late because of you anyways ... oh no!" Hermione looked as if she had just killed her own parents.

"What are you talking about Hermione?"

"Yeah, care to enlighten us?"

"I mean because she was ... talking to you last night she didn't get any homework done and she had to do it today after Hogsmeade," Hermione said, unconvincingly.

"I'm sure." Harry looked down at his food with a disgusted expression. "I'm going upstairs, I don't feel like eating."

"Harry, you have to eat something!"

"I said I'm not hungry, Hermione! Bloody hell, you're not my mother! Besides if you saw the look ..." Harry turned and stormed out of the Great Hall. Ron shot a worried look at Hermione and quickly ran after Harry.

"Are you going to tell us all what's going on?" Hermione stared penetratingly at Mattie, who was sitting across from her. She was sandwiched between Fred and George on the Common Room couch, but was still effectively ignoring everyone.

"Harry's a git, that's all."

"Well, we know that! But I thought Harry was going to have a fit when he came upstairs!" Fred shook his head.

"Yeah, and you don't look too peachy yourself."

"Thanks for being concerned, but nothing's wrong with me. I don't think he should have made me run, you and Fred are late every other day and he doesn't care. You hadn't even started practice yet, and he just flew off the deep end! Bloody hell ... look I'm tired, you know running 5 bloody laps will do that to a person. I'm going to bed." Mattie yawned and started for the Girls' Dormitories, Hermione followed but Mattie refused to say anything to her about the night's events.

"Where's Mattie?" Harry's heart sank; he thought the feud would be over after everyone had a good night's sleep. He had at least hoped she would talk to him.

"She said she wasn't hungry and that she'd meet us in Potions." Hermione looked glumly down at her eggs; it had been different having someone to talk to besides Ron and Harry, this year. Mattie had said barely two words to anyone all yesterday; Hermione was now missing talking to her very much.

Harry sighed and sat down. "I don't even know why I made her run."

"Oh, bloody hell, Harry! We all know that's not what's really bothering her!" Hermione yelled. A few first years gave her frightened glances.

"What are you talking about?! All this started when I made her run at practice two days ago."

"No, Harry. She was angry that you made her run because it wasn't very fair. But on Sunday night, she got an owl. She refused to tell me what it was about, but I heard her crying that night." Hermione sighed heavily and pushed away her unfinished food.

A/N: A little explanation for Harry's being a git: he was jealous because Mattie had been paying lots of attention to Fred and George and not to him ... sorry to leave you all hanging with that kind of ending, but I'll have chapter 7 up soon!

Disclaimer: The only thing I own is Mattie, the rest belongs to the awesome JK Rowling!