I don't own anything

I Love You

Chapter-14-Girl Talk

Cho gasped. "You saw what?"

Marigold nodded. "No lie."

"Oh my god!" Marigold rolled her eyes, but was careful not to let Cho see. the girl was too easy. Marigold knew Cho was better. But she also knew how she wanted things. Her way.

"Cho, shh!: Marigold hissed. "I don't want everyone to know. Yet."

Faith woke up shivering the next morning. She walked over to her window and peaked out. No snow yet. Just frost. A few leaves were on the ground to. Faith walked over to her trunk and began pulling out clothes.

"Oh no," she muttered to herself. "Where's my. . .ah, here it is." She grabbed her tie and wrapped it around her neck. "Okay. Now where's my cloak?" She looked around her area of the room twice before giving up and walking down to the great hall with her arms wrapped around her.

"Okay," Ron was saying, "so after lunch then? Did you let the team know?"

Harry shook his head. "We'll have to owl them. But we are already excused from our afternoon classes."

"Good morning Faith," Ron smiled.

"'Morning." Faith took a seat next to Harry.

"Sleep well?" asked Harry.

"I would have slpet better if it wasn't so cold this morning," Faith said bitterly.

"Where's your cloak?" Ron asked her.

"I couldn't find it this morning, so I'm guessing it's in the wash."

Harry saw her shiver. He took off his cloak and wrapped it around her saying, "Here. I'm used to the weather anyway."

"Sure?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks."

Harry looked at Ron. Ron looked at Harry with a rasied brow. Faith set the cloak on her shoulders. She went for her fork but that was as far as she went. The three looked at eachother, not liking the tension that lay all around them.

"Faith?" Ron finally asked.

"Yes Ron?" Faith answered quikly and dropped her fork hard on her plate. No one seemed to notice though.

"You're coming to practice, right?"

"When?"

"After lunch. We get afternoon practices off."

"Yeah, I'll be there. I just hope it warm up."

"I'm sure it will."

"So, when's our first game?"

Everyone relaxed and they all got back to their breakfast.

"Not until after the holidays," Harry answered, unexpected.

"Oh," was all Faith said. "Ron? Did you talk to your sister?"

"I did. Thanks by the way."

Later that day in potions, Snape had partnered them all upin groups of two to work on a potion that was supposed to heal open cuts and wounds. When done properly that is.

"Would you please give me your attention?" Snape asked his class.

"Do I have to?" Ron muttered. (Him and Faith had been partnered together).

"I have been asked to give all the sixth years this assignment by Professor Dumbledore."

"This should be good," Ron muttered again.

"He wants you all to write a four page summary on wether or not we should use our knowledge of magic in the muggle world. For good only," he added eyeing Draco. "Unfortuanitly," he added to himself. "It is do in one week and is required in order for you to graduate. Thank you."

(a/n: my english teacher says we all have to write a persuassive paper in order to graduate. i'm sure most of you know how that one goes).

Everyone went back to their work. "Ron," said Faith, "I'm not getting this."

Hermioen watched as Ron circled around the desk and went close to Faith's side. "Herm," said Harry's voice. "Hermione?"

A student stepped in front of Ron and Faith and Hermione looked at Harry and then asked, "Harry, do yout hink all those rumors are true?"

"What rumors?" He looked the way Hermione and saw Ron and Faith. "Oh, those rumors. Hermione, listen to me." Hermione looked at him. "Believie me when I say this. You ahev absolutlei nothing to worry about. Do you know how long he goes on about you after you've gone to bed."

"Maybe you shoud tell me," Hermione smiled slyly.

"Maybe I'll just keep you in suspence."

"You're no fun."

"Then why am I having the time of my life not telling you?"

Ron added a pinch of green powder to the mixture. "I think that's enough," said Faith.

"Just a bit more," Ron said, adding just a bit more green powder to thier potion.

"What about this?" Faith held up a jar of chopped up cow toung.

"Just a pinch."

Faith added it.

"And last," Ron bent over and picked up a jar full of lead. "Lead."

"Is that pencil lead?" asked Faith.

"It is," Ron answered. He began to pour it in the cauldron. "Who would've thought this stuff would be useful in our world?"

"Ron. . .?"

"Esspecially for a healing potion."

"Do you think tht's a bit much?"

"I mean, we use ink here, not, what's it called again?"

Faith picked up her book. "Pencil?"

"Right, pencil."

"I think you should stop."

Ron stopped pouring. He looked at Faith and said, "Faith, I don't know how they did things in the states. But here in London, we do things just a little different."

Faith took in a deep breath. "If you say so." She held up her hard covered book in front of her face.

As soon as the lead touched the liquid, BOOM! Faith got knocked down from the force. Orange goo lay everywhere. Students were now sticky and. . .well. . .orange. Faith lifted herself up on her elbows. She was the only one who did not look like a popsicle stick. Excpet for her legs a little bit. She looked at Ron. A smile formed on her lips. His hair was sticking up in all places and his face you could barley see.

"Weasley," Draco shouted.

"WEASLEY!" Snape shouted even louder.

The horried, orange look on Ron's face did it. Faith could not help it. She burst out laughing. Her hands clutched her stomach and she fell once again to the floor. She tried to stop, really she did. But one look at Ron made her start up again.

There was a snicker from the other side of the room somewhere. Faith was sure it was Neville or Dean. When Harry started, Ron could not help it either. He immediatly fell to the floor laughing and rolled around with Faith. Everyone started laughing soon. Hermione and Harry had somehow found their way over to Ron and Faith's red faces.

"Ron," Hermione tried her best not to laugh.

Snape was busy trying to get everyone under control but no one could hear him.

"You have the worst luck Ron," laughed Harry.

"I don't think I have ever seen nayone laugh as hard and as long as you have," said Harry to Faith.

"I've never seen anything funnier," Faith told him.

Snape gave his class the rest of the half hour off while Flich cleaned the room. And no, he was not happy about it. He screamed at everyone even after they left the room. Ron and Faith did not get off easy though. They had a months worth of detention to serve.

"You're something else," Hermione said to Faith voicing Ron's thoughts. Faith laughed to herself again.

"What are we going to do?" Ron asked. "We have a half hour to fill. Hey, then we get lunch. And then practice."

"Don't we have that paper for Spourt's class?" Hermione wondered out loud, trying to give them all a hint.

"We do," said Ron. He began to reach into his bag for his book.

"It's not do for three days though," said Harry.

"Good point." Ron started putting his book back but after seeing the look Hermione was giving him, he took it back out and said to Harry, "Which is exactly why I should work on it now."

Hermione gave Harry the same look she had just given Ron. Harry sighed and reached into his bag. "I hate it when you give me that look."

Hermione then looked at Faith with a smile. Faith knew what she was thinking. "Sorry Herm." She reached into her own bag. "I haven't even started on that paper either."

"Me either," Ron laughed. "I mean," he said quickly loooking at Hermione. "I-uh-got my name on it."

Hermione rolled her eyes and pulled out a book.

Later after lunch Harry took his team outside for their practice. They had switched team players. So now Harry was ont ehg round while Ron took his place with Faith, Luna and Neville. Hermione walked up to Harry. "Hey," she said casually.

"Hey," Harry said back. He looked at Hermione and noticed the way she watched Faith and Ron carefully. Ron was hovering close to Faith and using his hands a lot. Probably giving her a quick lesson, Harry figured. But when he looked back at Hermione he knew she wasn't thinking the same thing. "Hermione," he said, "trust me. Rpn has nothing for Faith."

Hermione sighed and looked back at Harry. "I know," she told him. "I just. . .the two have so much more in common. Faith doen't like school, neither does Ron. Ron likes to fool around all the time and so does Faith. They're talking all the time and I'm not always with them. I ask what they talk about and he never gives me a straight answer. And Faith and I, it seems like we have nothing in common. Then the rumors"-

"Since when do you listen to rumors?" Harry asked, finally gettig her attention. "Hermione, you're a very clever witch. You're not jealous of Faith, are you?"

"What? No, of course not. I could never be jealous of anyone." But the look in her eyes told Harry differently. She groaned. "Oh! I know I shouldn't worry. I just do. I mean I care about Ron"-

"A lot."

"Of course."

"How long have the two of you been dating?"

"A year almost."

"A year in two weeks I believe. And how long have the two of you been friends?"

"Five years."

"That's a long time to get to know someone. Don't you think? And then all the stuff we've been through together."

"What are you saying?"

"I think you care a lot more for him thank you think."

Hermione starred at Harry and thought about what he said. Could she really care more for Ron than she thought? Could she possibly even love him. Hermione shook her head. "I don't know."

"Well I do know that you're the only person Ron truly admires," said Harry.

"And Ron has you."

"Yeah, but I'm a guy. Guy's aren't about to admire each other." Hermione laughed. "So will you think about what I said?"

She nodded. "I will."

Hermione was about to leave when she heard her name being called. The people practicing were oming down and a few still hovered on their brooms. Ron, Faith, and Neville all jumped down while Luna and Dean got on their own brooms.

"Yes Ron?" asked Hermione. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw Harry and Faith go sit on a bench.

"Would you like to go out this weekend to Hogsmeade?"

To what? So I can help you with your homework? Hermione wondered. Ron was always doing that. She shook her head. "Not this weekend.

Ron knew what she wa thinking. "No. Not so you can help me with anything. Just, dinner. That's all. I feel really bad about not taking you out on a real date and I want to make it up to you."

Hermione studied Ron for a minute. She just wnated to make sure he wasn't telling her something she only wnated to hear. Finally, a smile broke out on her lips. "You mean that?"

"Yeah."

Hermione threw her arms around Ron's neck and squeezed him tightly. "Of course I'd love to. I love this! Thank you Ron."

"You're welcome."

"Well, I'll let you get back to practice." She kissed his cheek before leaving.

Ron turned to Faith as soon as Hermione had gone. He gave her a smile and a thumbs up. Faith returned the smile. Ron mounted his broom once again and took off into the air.

"What was that about?" Harry asked Faith.

"Nothing." Faith told him. "Ron's something else," she muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"By the way Faith," Harry began, "wonderful practice. Who taught you?"

"Oh. . .it's just one of those things that come I guess." Before Harry could ask her something like, Didn't you used to play? she said quickly, "What about you? You're pretty good yourself."

"Same thing. I get it from my dad. He used to play."

"Was he in Gryffindor to?"

"Both my parents were."

"Oh."

"I love the way you fly," Harry said out of no where.

"What's to love about it?"

"Just. . .the way you do it. It's kind of funny 'cause you can tell you're American."

"Is that the way all American's"- Faith stopped herself before she could finish. She was about to finish with fly, but realized that would bring in even more question to her.

"Huh?"

"Nothing."

"Is that the way all Amercian's do what?"

"What I meant," Faith cleared her throat, "was, have you ever seen American's fly before?"

"I went to a game with Ron and his family." He laughed. "That was the day he told me he liked Hermione." Faith smiled. Harry looked up at Luna. "Okay, see her turns?"

Faith looked up. "Yes."

"This is really the only flaw I could find. What you do is, you kind of curve your turns. You want to make them sharp. Like that. See?"

Faith nodded. "Yeah, but, the bludgers weren't chasing me."

"What?"

"Look," Faith pointed. "You think it's jinxed?"

"It is." Harry pulled out his whistle but he was too late. The bludger knocked into Luna's broom, smashing it and knocking her off.

"LUNA!" Ron cried. He raced on his broom before she fell hard to the ground. "Gotcha!" But barley. Luna dangled as Ron held her wrist

"HURRY!" Harry cried.

The bludger felw towards Ron and Luna. "Stop it!" Faith saw Ginny take our her wand and then a blast of purple sparks, but she missed.

Luna swung ontu Ron's broom and the two began to try and loose the bludger. Harry took out his wand and tried the same curse Luna had but missed again. Now Faith tried. She aimed her wand as she muttered her own words. Purple sparks shot out of the tip and hit the bludger.

Ron and Luna flew to the ground safely. "Ow!" Luna cried when she was off. "My arm."

"Is it broken?" asked Harry.

"No." She took it away from her chest. Everyone gasped and Neville began throwing up. He never could stand the sight of blood.

"That's bad," said Ginny. "We need to get her to Madam Promfrey."

"Wait!" said Faith. "Let me see Luna."

"What are you going to do?" asked Luna.

"Just let me see."

Luna did as she was told. Faith quickly muttered some more words and a pair of latex gloves apperead in her hand and she slipped them on.

"What are you going to do?"

"It's not as bad as I thought it was," Faith said ignoring Luna's question. She pointed her wand to the ground and muttered something else. A small first aid kit popped out of no where.

"What are you going to do?" Luna repeated.

"Relax baby," Faith said in a hushed voice. "I'm just going to wrap your arm up. You're losing a lot of blood."

"Not that much I hope."

Faith did not say anything. She took out a thick long guaze pad and began to wrap up Luna's arm. "When I'm done you can go to Madam Promfrey's. I just didn't want you going there and losing even more blood."

After a few more minutes Faith was done and Neville was taking Luna to the hospital wing. Faith's first aid kit disapeared. She looked at Harry. "Are we going to keep playing?"

"I think we're done for the day," he told her.

Faith nodded. "Faith?"

"What Ron?"

"What was with that aim?" he asked amazed. "I mean that was, amazing!"

"Amazing?" Faith repeated.

"It really was," said Ginny. "You have a good arm."

"I used to play baseball a lot," she told her.

"What's baseball?" asked Ron.

Faith and Harry laughed. "It's a muggle sport. I was their picther."

"Their what?"

Faith laughed again. "Would you like me to show you later?"

Ron shook his head. "I don't think so."

"Jinxed?" questioned Hermione later at dinner. Harry and Ron nodded. "Who would want to do that to Luna?"

Harry heard gigling behind him and turned and saw Cho and Marigold starring at him, Ron and Hermione. He looked back at Hermione and said, "My guess is it wasn't meant for Luna."

Hermione looked behind Harry and saw Cho and Marigold telling everyone at their table a story. When she looked back at Harry she asked, "You don't think it was meant for Faith, do you?"

"I do."

"But why her?"

Ginny came in and sat next to Hermione. "Because Cho wants Harry back."

"What?" everyone asked.

"Cho wants you back Harry," Ginny repeated.

"What makes you say that?"

"I hear things."

"Hear things?" asked Ron.

"Hey, living in a house with all guys hasn't taught me nothing you know. Anyway, Cho wants Harry, Marigold wants Harry, Harry doesn't want anyone. Marigold is acting like Cho's friend becuase Cho knows Harry and Marigold wants Harry to think Cho is crazy so she can get him. But, the only thing standing in their way is Faith. So, Marigold and Cho, mostly Marigold, try and come up witha couple of ways to get Faith out fo the picture. Marigold has washed Cho of any brains she had before so now Cho is Marigold's little dog who will do anything Marigold says. So since Cho has no brains she jinxes the bludger at the wrong time, making it aim for Luna dn not Faith."

Everyone was quiet. "What happened to the little Ginny that used to be so cute and never confused anyone?"

"She got into psycology."

"What's that?"

"A muggle thing."

"Um. . .okay. I guess that makes sence," said Harry.

"Where is Faith?" asked Hermione.

"Library," Ginny answered.

"I'll be right back," Hermione said getting up and walking out of the great hall.

She made her way towards the library. Where is she, she thought to herself. "Faith," she whispered. What would Faith be doing in the library anyway? "Faith?" she called a bit louder.

Faith got up from her table and poked out her head from behind a pile of books. "Hermione?"

"There you are."

The two girls sat back at Faith's table. Hermione looked at the pile of books. "You know," she said, "it would really be nice if people would out the books they used away."

"Oh," said Faith, "actaully, those are all the books I'm looking at."

"What? Oh." Hermione glance at some of the titles. "Potions and Healing." "Herbs and the Healing Magic Behind Them." and, "What Your Wand Can and Can Not do." "Have you been reading these?"

"Some of them. And I don't really read. I just kinda glance through and take notes. Some of it is really interesting though."

"Do you always come to the library this late at night?" Hermione asked picking up one of the books and flipping through it.

"Not always. Sometimes I come here before classes start and squeez in some study time."

"Oh."

"Plus I knew the guys would be talking about what happened today during practice and I didn't want to relive it. Then I knew that somehow they would start talking about Quiditch itself and that"-

"Just gets to be too much sometimes?" Hermione finished.

Faith laughed. "Way too much. They drag me into the conveersation and sometimes I do and I don't want to talk want to talk about Quiditch."

Hermione laughed. "I know how that is. The guys are always trying to get me to fly with them."

"Why don't you?"

"I've got other stuff to do."

"You know all this other stuff you do is going to catch up to you."

"I've been told that so many times."

"Then why don't you take a break then?" Faith could tell by the way Hermione looked at her that she didn't like what she had just said, so she went back to her book.

"You know Faith, I never really pictured you as the type who would study on their own."

"Really? That's funny. I'm studying all the time."

"You are?"

"Yeah. Just not around everyone. I gotta have fun to you know. I usually do it after hours and before classes. Sometimes I do it during dinner. Like now." She smiled. "My friends would always come to me when they didn't have their homework and try and get me to do it."

"Harry and Ron have pulled th at one before."

"Really? Well, then again, when you're friends with someone for that long I guess you get too comfortable with them." Hermione laughed. "My friends used to alwys treat me like one fo the guys."

"Did they?"

"Yeah. I had a few girl friends, but not enough. I wuld always go skatebording with them and do all this other guy stuff."

"Did they ever do anything you wanted to do?"

"Not really. As I got older I wanted to go and do more girly things, I guess you can call it that. But they never did. So I was either stuck doing stuff on my own, or going with the guys."

"But what about your other friends?"

"There's an age difference between us. They did their thing and I did mine." Faith suddenly laughed. "You know, Ron is truly the oddest person I have ever met."

"Ron? I know," Hermione laughed.

"He worries about silly things. But it's sweet of him though."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"He worries about you two. A lot."

"He does?"

Faith nodded. "He really does care about you. I mean, really care about you."

Hermione nodded. "He does. He tries to make things right."

"Does he do a good job?"

Hermione nodded. "Yeah." Faith laughed. "It's kind of sad for Harry though."

"I know. He's such a good guy and really sweet."

"He is."

"Not to mention he's really cute."

"An he looks really good in uniform."

"He does!"

"Don't tell Ron I said that though."

Faith giggled. "I won't. It's hard to believe Harry was such a skinny boy." She added from the questioning look on Hermione's face. "Ginny showed me some pictures."

"Oh. I know what you mean."

"Him and Ron both look a lot better."

Hermione laughed harder. "You know they actually had a weight lifting contest one time just to see who was stronger!"

"Did they really?" Hermione nodded. "I have to ask. Who won?"

"Take a guess."

"I'd have to place my money on Ron."

Hermione nodded and Faith squealed and laughed again. "Wow!"

"Yeah. Harry was doing so many push ups that night."

Faith laughed again. "I can see him doing that. He can get so competitive."

"Oh, I know. Sometimes I just want to strangle him."

"I know. But he's cute so he has a good excuse."

"That's the only thing keeping me from not killing him sometimes," Hermione told her.

"Has Ron ever given you that puppy dog look?" asked Faith.

"All the time."

"He's so cute when he does that."

"He is."

"He's given it to me when he wanted me to talk to you."

"About what."

"Did he ask you out for this weekend?"

"Yes."

"He'll tell you then."

"Okay. . .Um. . .what do you think about Dean?" Hermione asked.

"Dean?" Faith rolled her eyes to the ceiling in thought. "He's a good looking guy. I wouldn't date him though."

"Me either."

Both girls went silent. Then Hermione said, "Wow, when was the last time I had a quality girl talk?"

"I was just thinking that."