Disclaimer:i do not own the fabulous world of Harry Potter but J.K. Rowling does
Chapter 6: "Ouch"
Harry walked down the stairs and the gargoyle moved aside for him.
"Harry, you're back!" Ron said, "So what did you two talk about or is it for your ears only?"
Harry smiled and shook his head as he told them what happened in Dumbledore's office.
"Well it is good to know such things, and Dumbledore is right Harry, we can't go wandering off by ourselves because, no offence or anything but you seem to attract trouble." Said Hermione, smiling to take the sting out of her words. Harry tried to look hurt at her words but couldn't help grinning, yes; he did seem to attract trouble.
"C'mon it's late and Ron and I have a big game tomorrow." Said Harry grabbing Hermione's hand and they started to meander down the hallway toward the Gryffindor common room entrance.
"Oh that's right you two have to play Slytherin." Hermione said grimacing at the house they would have to play for the first game of the season in quidditch.
"Password?" said a voice primly. They jumped they hadn't realized that they were already in front of the Fat Lady.
"Higgly-Piggly." Said Ron. The portrait swung open and they climbed through.
"Well I am going to go up to bed." Ron said yawning and he left up the boys' stairs with a grin and a wink at Harry. Hermione sank onto a loveseat in front of the fire and patting the seat beside her. Harry smiled and sat down next to her. Hermione immediately snuggled up to him, resting her head against his shoulder. Harry wrapped his arms around her and she sighed and snuggled closer.
Harry broke the silence; "Do you think that he will try?"
Hermione sat up and turned to look Harry in the face. "I don't know Harry, I really don't know." Her lips were trembling as if she was trying not to cry. Harry hushed her gently. "I am just so scared Harry, it seems that no matter what something happens every year to us. I don't think that I could go on without you or Ron, even." She said quietly smiling slightly at the last comment.
Harry was touched by this and tilted her head slightly so that she was looking at him in the face. His emerald eyes bored into her chocolate ones, "Hermione, you have to promise me something," he said so softly that Hermione barely heard it, "you have to promise me that if something happened to me that you would eventually pick up and go one with your life. You have so much to look forward to; I don't want you to waste it pinning over me ok?" Hermione had tears leaking out of her eyes, "Can you promise me that Hermione?" he said looking her dead in the eye.
He really means this, she thought, this isn't some sick joke. He is really afraid that something might happen to him. Hermione nodded slowly and the tears that had been threatening to overflow finally did and they coursed their way down her cheeks, leaving a glistening trail.
Harry sighed and wiped the tears gently away with his thumb. She sniffed, trying desperately to get herself back under control. Harry smiled slightly and bent his head toward hers and met their lips in a sweet, slow but passionate kiss. Hermione sighed deeply through her nose, not daring to break the embrace. Harry deepened the kiss, then hesitated, not sure if Hermione would like taking it up a notch. Hermione just grinned to herself and deepened the kiss even further. Harry felt his heart skip a beat as he felt Hermione's hands slid around his neck as his own went around her waist. After a couple of minutes the need for oxygen became too great and they had to break the kiss.
Hermione sighed deeply and leaned her head against his chest, breathing in the smell of his body and the feel of his heart beating a tattoo in his chest. She sighed again and got off the couch, turning as she offered her hand to Harry, who grinned and accepted it as she pulled him off the couch.
"C'mon lover boy," she said yawning hugely, "time for bed. You have a big game tomorrow."
"Yes ma'am" said Harry grinning as Hermione led him toward the boys' staircase. They stopped outside Harry's dorm room, "Goodnight love." Whispered Harry into her ear as he hugged and kissed her good night.
"Good night Harry." She said smiling as she watched him gently open the door and creep inside trying not to wake the other sixth year boys. She turned and went down to her own dormitory room. Still grinning she climbed into bed and almost immediately fell asleep.
It was the morning of the first quidditch game of the season Gryffindor vs. Slytherin! The Gryffindor quidditch team was already down in the Great Hall staring at their plates while Hermione tried desperately to get Harry and Ron to eat something.
"Harry you have to eat something, you won't be worth a cent if you pass out up there because you didn't eat anything." Harry glared at her and made a face but picked up his fork and started to place porridge into his mouth half heartily. The rest of the team took the hint and followed Harry's example.
A bell rang once and the team shot out of their seat, glad to be given an excuse to leave the table. Hermione sprang up with them to accompany Harry and Ron to the changing room. "Good luck Ron." She said giving him a quick peck on the cheek, Ron blushed but looked pleased. She turned to Harry who was trying to look injured at the fact that she had kissed Ron. "You be careful Harry, I don't need any more 'let's be the hero' acts ok?" she said and kissed him too. Ron snorted and Harry tried to look hurt at the fact that Hermione didn't trust his quidditch skills.
They turned into the changing rooms and pulled on their scarlet quidditch robes. Their call came and they trekked across the field toward Madame Hooch who would be refereeing this match. The Slytherins were approaching from the opposite side of the pitch in their dark green robes.
"Now I want a nice clean game all of you." Looking particularly at Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle who were glaring at Harry. "Mount you brooms!" The crowd went wild as she placed her whistle into her mouth and blew hard.
Harry pushed off from the ground hard and tore up into the sky, with Malfoy hard on his heels. The rest of the game passed in a blur to Harry listening to the commentary by Ginny Weasley. Suddenly Harry saw it, the snitch! Harry took off after it and saw it hesitate, wondering why he looked around and saw Malfoy coming at it from the opposite direction. They both reached for it at the same time before they collided.
Harry felt something snap and suddenly had trouble breathing. He slipped sideways and hit the ground from thirty-foot drop with a sickening thump.
"HARRY!" Hermione screamed as she watched them collide. The crowd gasped as they watched Harry fall. Hermione started to shove her way through the crowd and leaped the barrier onto the pitch. The rest of the team was landing next to Harry when Hermione reached him. She knelt next to him and frantically felt for a pulse. She hesitated, holding her breath, there! Yes, she wasn't dreaming! It was there, faint and weak but it was there.
She sighed and looked up at the team who was crowding around her. "He's alive! But he is having trouble breathing."
The crowd parted suddenly and Dumbledore strode through. "I have called Madame Pompfrey; she will be here in a few minutes. How is he doing?" he asked as he also knelt next to Harry.
"He has a pulse, but it is weak and faint, also he seems to be having trouble breathing." She said and pointed to his chest, which was rising and falling irregularly.
"Possibly broken ribs or a punctured lung." He said watching Harry closely.
"Move aside there, give me some room. Where is he?" said a fussy, bossy voice as Madame Pompfrey forced her way through the crowd. "Ah, here we go." She knelt next to him and started to examine the unconscious Harry. "Yes, broken ribs and a punctured lung by the sounds of it. Well I can fix the lung." She waved her wand and Harry's breathing immediately settled into a much more normal pattern.
Harry stirred slightly and opened his eyes, to see Madame Pompfrey, Dumbledore, and a very worried Ron and Hermione bending over him.
"Now Mr. Potter, in case you are wondering, you collided in mid air with Mr. Malfoy and broke, by the feel of it, all of your ribs and punctured a lung. I have fixed the lung problem but I can not fix your ribs because skel-a-grow only works on bone not cartilage. You will have to wear a brace for six to eight weeks and you must not do anything strenuous during the first five weeks."
"WHAT?" said the team
"You mean he can't play?" said Ron
"Yes, I do believe that Quidditch goes under strenuous activity. Now Harry I need for you to take off your shirt to put the brace on. Do you think that you could do that?"
Harry shook his head, trying very hard to take shallow breaths.
"Ron come here," said Hermione, "Sit him up and support him from behind." Ron obliged and helped Harry to sit up. Hermione unfastened his robes and went to slid them off his shoulders which bent Harry's arms backwards, which caused him to stretch his rib cadge. Harry gasped as pain shot through his chest. Hermione paused and replaced the robes back on his shoulders. She pulled out her wand and touched it to the seam of his robes around his shoulders and muttered a spell, immediately a ripping sound was heard and the sleeve suddenly detached itself from the main body of the robes. Hermione slid the sleeve off Harry's arm, then did the same thing to the other side. Next she did it to the seam that goes across the shoulders and his robes slid off him. She then repeated everything to his shirt until Harry was sitting in nothing except for his pants. Hermione stepped back so that Madame Pompfrey could see. Only then did she see that Harry's entire chest was covered in bruises. She also couldn't help but notice that Harry had a very nice chest. Very muscular and very inviting with his six pack abs she thought.
"Ouch." Said the team peering over Harry's shoulders to see what was going on.
"Thank you Ms. Granger for that. Now I can put the brace and bandages on." She waved her wand again and a brace suddenly appeared in the air. She carefully wrapped it around Harry and tightened it till Harry cried out quietly in pain. Then she conjured bandages and wrapped them around the brace so that the brace wouldn't catch on any of his clothes later on.
Harry breathed out experimentally when Madame Pompfrey stepped back from him. It still hurt but he could breathe almost normally. He smiled up at Madame Pompfrey, "Thanks." He said, Hermione smiled and Ron clapped him on the shoulders.
"It is going to take a lot more to put Harry out of action than a few broken ribs." Harry smiled at Ron and took their hands and they helped to pull him up.
Meanwhile all this was going on the crowd watched with baited breath because they couldn't see what was going on in the close circle of people that were surrounding Harry. When they saw the crowd part and Ron and Hermione pull Harry up they started to cheer wildly.
"Wait," said Harry looking around, "who won?" Ron laughed and Hermione shrugged, and then started to laugh with Ron.
"Harry, look in your hand." She said gasping for air. Harry looked and clutched tightly in his fist was the tiny snitch. Harry grinned and held his hand over his head in the traditional 'I have the snitch!' sign. The crowd once again went wild as Hermione and Ron helped Harry out of the stadium.
"Harry, I thought I told you not to do any 'lets save the day' antics? Asked Hermione exasperatedly as they helped Harry back up to the castle, which was taking a while because Harry could only take little steps. Harry laughed but then stopped abruptly as he tried to get his breath back because that hurt. Hermione just shook her head and gave him the classic 'I told you so look'.
"I am sorry Mione but I play hard. It was either get the snitch and collide or let that git Malfoy get the snitch and collide. Either way we collide it was just that I wanted to win." Said Harry as he waited for them to open the main entrance doors. They helped him toward the stairs and Harry looked up at them and groaned. It had been hard enough to walk up the slope to the castle but stairs? They were out of the question.
Suddenly a voice rang through the hall, "Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, and Ms. Granger! What may I ask are you three doing back in school when two of you should be in the game?" They spun around and came face to face with the deputy head mistress Professor McGonagall.
Hermione recovered form their shock first and started to explain to her, "Well you see Professor, Harry," at the mention of his name McGonagall's eyes swung toward Harry and took in the brace and bandages that covered his chest, "and Malfoy collided in the air going after the snitch and Harry fell off and then Madame Pompfrey came and said that he had a punctured lung and had broken all of his ribs. She fixed his lung but said that she couldn't fix the ribs because the skel-a-grow only worked on actual bone not cartilage and so Harry has to wear the brace and we were walking him up to his dorm because the match is over. Harry caught the snitch before Malfoy did in case you are wondering and we were just deciding how to get Harry up the stairs because it was hard enough for him to get this far." She said all of this very fast.
"Well, I guess I can't say anything. I am sorry Harry that you got hit. I think though that I can solve the problem of getting you up the stairs." She took out her wand and muttered, "Wingardium Leviosa!" Harry immediately felt him self rise a few inches off the floor and with some guiding by McGonagall she steered him through the halls and to the portrait of the Fat Lady. McGonagall took off the spell and left them there in front of the portrait.
"Well that was certainly easier on you Harry then if you had to climb those stairs." Said Ron as he held open the portrait and watched as Hermione helped Harry climb through. Harry didn't say anything but as soon as he got inside he fell down on to one of the couches, completely exhausted.
Ron sighed, "I am going off to get a shower and then I think a nap. See you two at dinner." He called as he disappeared up the boys' staircase.
Hermione sighed too, and sat down next to Harry. She stroked the hair out of his face revealing the lightning scar on his forehead and those piercing green eyes as he stared up at her. She smiled at him and continued stroking his face until he closed his eyes appearing to enjoy her touch on his face.
"I'm sorry Mione if I scared you." He said as he grabbed her hand and held it to his face.
"It is ok Harry. I am just so afraid that one of these days that you are going to get and injury that won't be so able to cure."
Harry opened his eyes again and Hermione felt herself fall in love with him all over again. "But I already have one." He stated quietly, "I am sick in love with you." He grinned watching her face change from being startled to fury.
"Harry James Potter! Why I ought to beat you for that," Harry pressed his lips firmly against her's to muffle out anything else that she might have said.
Harry broke the kiss when he felt Hermione give up trying to say what she had wanted to say to him. She looked down at him and said, "Again." Harry grinned and once again their lips met and Harry felt his palms start to sweat as he realized that they were alone and that nobody would be coming back to the common room for a while. Hermione also seemed to sense this and started to lower herself on top of Harry. But their romantic situation suddenly ended as Harry bolted upright, gasping in pain and clutching his chest.
Hermione sat back up and seeing Harry bent over in pain made her remember what had brought them up here in the first place.
She crawled over to him and put her arms gently around him and said in his ear, "Oh I'm sorry Harry. I totally forgot about your chest. I didn't hurt you too bad did I?" She kept pestering him and saying how sorry she was until Harry managed to silence her with another kiss.
When they broke apart Hermione snuggled up next to Harry and Harry put his arms around her laying his head against hers and they fell peacefully asleep.