This chapter is dedicated to all of the people who have reviewed my stories :)

Day After Attack on Hogsmeade

Ron Weasley was worried sick; both of his best friends were in the hospital wing and he wasn't allowed to see them. He was tormented by his thoughts of that afternoon. It was his and Hermione's anniversary and all he wanted was to enjoy a nice day out. They deserved it after everything they'd been through that year. Their relationship had been strained ever since her parents had been murdered, but he finally felt like things were back on track. He had given her space while she mourned, understanding when she needed to talk to Harry about everything instead of him. It broke his heart to see her crying on Harry's shoulder instead of his own, but he had been patient and given her space. He felt so helpless, just as he had a few months earlier when Percy had died. For the most part, he had always considered Percy to be a bit of a git, but he was his brother and he loved him. Ron shook his head. He didn't know what he'd do if he lost Harry or Hermione. So many students had already died, and most of the sixth and seventh year Slytherins had left school to become official Death Eaters. Hogwarts was in turmoil; classes were indefinitely cancelled, partially because most of the professors were either fighting or in the hospital wing. He and Ginny had sat silently in the common room ever since they were brought back from Hogsmeade, watching the portrait hole, waiting for news. Finally, some time close to midnight, Professor McGonagall walked through the portrait hole.

"Mister Weasley, Miss Weasley, things have finally calmed down enough in the hospital wing to permit visitors," she said solemnly.

"How are they?" Ginny squeaked.

"They'll make it through the night. Come with me." McGonagall led them down the familiar pathway to the hospital wing, leaving them alone by the door. "Don't stay too long, and don't make much noise. The people in there need their rest."

Ginny took off looking for Harry's bed and Ron slowly made his way to Hermione's. It didn't take long for Ron to find it, but he wasn't prepared for the sight before him. His jaw dropped when he saw Harry sleeping soundly in Hermione's bed while she snuggled up against his chest. He slowly backed away and in the process walked straight into a frantic Ginny.

"Harry's not in his bed!" Tears threatened to fall from Ginny's eyes, but Ron couldn't bring himself to comfort her. All he could do was point in the direction of Hermione's bed before turning to leave the hospital wing.

Ginny gasped when she saw Harry and Hermione. She couldn't hold back her tears any longer. She watched as Hermione stirred in her sleep, wrapping her arm possessively around Harry's waist. Ginny felt her heart break right there on the spot. She fled the hospital wing sobbing.

By the time Ginny woke up the next morning, she could hear the boys downstairs. She rolled over in bed and groaned; she had wanted to be up before everyone else. She got out of bed and hurriedly got dressed. She pinned her hair up in a bun and ran down towards the dining room. When she reached the door, she paused, unsure if she wanted to intrude on the good time it appeared that the team was having. After all, part of her job was to make sure they bonded. She quietly listened in on their conversation.

"So how'd you sleep, MJ?" she heard Tank ask.

"Like a baby. I think that is the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in," MJ replied.

"I completely agree," Jacob added.

"So Jake, did you pay close attention to the sleeping habits of the great Harry Potter?" MJ teased. Ginny assumed that Harry must not be in the room yet.

"Actually, no. I was asleep before he came to bed and he was already up and in the bathroom when I got up this morning," Jacob admitted. "Oh, hi Harry."

"Well, I can tell you that Jacob snores," Harry said, causing everyone to laugh.

"Sleep well?" Wesley asked.

"I only wish I could have slept longer," Harry replied. It made Ginny smile to hear Harry making a real effort to be friends with the other guys, no matter how she felt about him. It reminded her of the mornings in the Burrow with her brothers.

"I hear you there, mate," Dustin added.

"So do you live alone, Harry? You don't look like you're used to having company at the breakfast table," Jeff asked.

"Depends on how you look at it. My roommate, Hermione, works in the Department of Mysteries," Harry said.

"What does she do there?" Wesley interrupted.

"No clue. She's the perfect kind of employee though; no close family, no husband, and no kids. She travels around Europe a lot, so between her traveling and my own we're pretty much never in our flat at the same time," Harry explained. Ginny immediately regretted her comments from the night before, and became even more confused by Harry. She felt her heart begin to race inexplicably and she felt a lump rise in her throat.

"Am I the only one that's nervous about practice this morning?" Jacob asked.

"Why are you nervous? I mean, we've been practicing with Mason for a while now, and you've already made the team," Jeff asked.

"I'm more nervous about the first press conference," Harry admitted.

"Aren't you used to that kind of thing by now?" Tank asked.

"They get worse every time. The reporters won't leave me alone. I'll go ahead and apologize ahead of time if the press pays more attention to what I ate for breakfast than how the team plays," Harry said. Ginny couldn't help but think of Ron spending his school days in Harry's shadow.

"When is the first press conference?" Dustin asked.

Ginny decided to make her presence known and join them. "Friday afternoon."

"Morning, Ginny," Jeff said.

"Good morning to all of you," Ginny said with a smile. "I hope you all got enough sleep. I don't want Mason to be on my case because you lot stayed up all night gossiping and doing each other's nails."

"Don't forget about our hair," MJ added.

"I think we'll all play our best," Tank assured her.

"You'd better," Mason said, walking into the dining room.

"Good morning Coach Mason," Ginny said sweetly.

"I hope you weren't distracting them from their game," Mason scowled at her.

"Of course not," Ginny stuttered, unsure of what she did to make the older man act like he didn't like her.

"Good. Now, I want you all out on the pitch in ten minutes," Mason said as he stormed out of dining room.

"I think someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Dustin muttered.

"He just wants to do a good job," Tank said. "But regardless, we should be heading out. I know I don't want him looking at me like he was looking at Miss Weasley." They all laughed and started to leave the room. Ginny grabbed Harry's arm and held him behind.

"Yes?" Harry asked politely.

"I just wanted to apologize for the way I acted last night. You were right; I haven't been much of a friend towards you. I'd like to try and fix that," Ginny said, not believing that the words were coming out of her own mouth.

Harry looked at her as if he couldn't decide how to react. "Um, okay," he said as he made his way towards the pitch.

Ginny watched him leave and shook her head in disgust. "Why did I just do that? I just wanted to be civil with him, not try and be his friend again."

Ginny had stayed in her room planning the week's activities the entire time the team was at practice. She never knew how much work went into running a Quidditch team. She had to arrange everything from what the house elves would fix for every meal, making sure that a variety of each of the guys' favorite foods were available at all times, to arranging family visits in between practices, press conferences, and the occasional banquet. Dates and locations danced through her mind and her head ached from all the reading. She looked at the clock on the wall and realized she'd worked straight through lunch and it would soon be dinner time. She walked back downstairs to find the team coming in from the back door at the same time.

"How was practice?" she asked no one in particular.

"Depends on who you ask," Jeff muttered.

Jacob groaned and collapsed into one of the arm chairs in the living room. "I played horribly. I think Mason wanted to replace me before lunch."

"You weren't that bad, mate," MJ said, although Ginny wasn't convinced by his tone of voice.

"Don't worry, nobody was in top form today," Tank said. "It's just nerves from the first team practice."

"If we play like that, we won't make it past the first round of the World Cup," Wesley moaned, sitting down on the couch.

"Well, we'd play better if some people didn't look like they were going to fall asleep on their brooms," Dustin said, shooting a look in Harry's direction.

"Hey, I caught the snitch more times than Jacob scored," Harry said defensively.

"Okay, time out!" Ginny called. "You guys are never going to get any better if you just blame each other for why you played like rubbish."

"She's right," Tank added. "I think we should leave the Quidditch on the pitch every night. Mason's driving us hard enough on strategy during practice that I think it's only fair that we get our nights free."

"Besides, this is no way to accomplish all of the bonding that Mr. Perry requested," Ginny added with a smile.

"So what's on the schedule for bonding tonight?" Jeff asked.

"Well, I was thinking about bringing out a little game that the twins developed. It's sort of like a truth or dare type game, but it's only truth, and you're magically obligated to tell the truth," Ginny explained.

"I'm not sure if I like the sound of that," Jacob said nervously.

"Oh, come on," MJ said. "I'm sure it's perfectly harmless. If it'll make you feel better, we can set some ground rules about the kinds of questions you can ask."

"I don't know…" Jacob said.

Ginny noticed that Harry was also looking extremely uneasy at the idea of the game. "Why don't you guys go clean up, and I'll set things up down here. I'll try to make an adjustment to the game so that everyone can pass on one question." Everyone nodded and disappeared up the stairs. Ginny ran up to her room and grabbed the game. She went back down to the living room and set it up the way George had taught her, making the slight change to allow for the one pass per person. She had conveniently not mentioned to the guys that every time they lied a piece of their clothing would disappear; the bigger the lie, the bigger the article of clothing. One by one the guys made their way back down the stairs smelling a great deal better, and settled into similar positions from the night before. When everyone arrived, they all looked at Ginny expectedly. "Alright, well everyone needs to place their wands in the cup on the coffee table." After everyone complied the cup glowed green. "Now, we just go around asking each other questions. You can ask whoever you want, but keep in mind that whoever you ask gets to ask a question next. Retribution can be fun." Ginny looked nervously around to everyone. She quickly decided that MJ would be the best person to start with. She grinned at him mischievously. "Okay, MJ, tell us about your first kiss."

MJ's face broke into a huge smile. "Oh, it was brilliant! I took her with me to Hogsmeade, and it was right after a big Quidditch win my fourth year. Her name was Rachel, and she was a year ahead of me. We were sitting in the Three Broomsticks, and suddenly I just had the urge to kiss her right then and there, so I did. We kissed for a few minutes before a fifth year threw something at my head." They watched as the cup glowed blue.

"That confirms you were telling the truth," Ginny stated. "Your turn to ask a question."

MJ looked around the room and settled his focus on Harry, who was awkwardly looking at the floor. "Potter." Harry looked at him, his eyes wide in fear. "Same question." Ginny wasn't sure if Harry looked relieved or panicked.

Harry wrung his hands nervously. "It was my fifth year, after a club meeting. She stayed behind and we were talking and I kissed her." Harry looked at the cup nervously, and watched as it turned green again.

"That means you didn't tell the whole truth," Ginny said, fighting a smirk. "So you get two chances to fess up or you'll have to face the consequences."

"No one said anything about consequences," Jacob protested.

"Didn't I?" Ginny asked innocently. "Oh well, too late now."

Harry stared at the cup. "She was pretty?" The cup stayed green. "I had fancied her for awhile?" The cup turned red and Harry's right shoe disappeared.

"So, that's the consequence," Tank commented, obviously amused.

Harry, however, didn't look nearly as amused. He gave Ginny a look that could kill. "Ginny, what was your most embarrassing moment?"

Ginny's face flushed as she considered her options; she could tell the truth, which would be fairly mortifying, she could lie and lose an article of clothing, or she could pass and pray she didn't get a worse question later in the game. She gathered her breath and her courage. "Before my first year at Hogwarts, I came running down the stairs in my oldest night gown to find the guy that I had the biggest crush on sitting at the kitchen table with my brothers. I completely flipped out and ran back up the stairs, so embarrassed that I couldn't talk around him properly for the next several years." Ginny's face flushed as the cup turned green.

"Now, that wasn't quite the whole story, was it Ginny?" Harry taunted her.

"I think Potter's enjoying your torment a little too much," Tank said, fighting back his laughter. "I think the only way to shut him up is to come completely clean."

"He was the one I had the crush on," Ginny muttered quietly. She glanced at the cup and saw it didn't change colors.

"I think that was too quiet; you'll have to speak up," Wesley said.

It was obvious to Ginny now that everyone was enjoying her discomfort. She locked her eyes with Harry's and held her head high. "I had a crush on Harry until I got over him in my fourth year." To Ginny's surprise, the cup turned red and her right shoe disappeared. Harry looked at her curiously but didn't say anything. Everyone else had finally given into their laughter. Unsure of what had happened, Ginny turned her focus to Wesley, determined to shift the game away from her. "Wes, what are you most afraid of?"

Ginny was only vaguely aware of the game continuing. She tried to laugh when everyone else did, but her mind was trying to figure why the cup said she was lying. "Because, silly girl," the logical part of her mind told her, "You didn't get over him fourth year, you started to really love him."

"Earth to Ginny," Jeff called.

"I'm sorry, what?" Ginny asked, still somewhat dazed. It was only then that she noticed Jeff was also missing a shoe.

"I asked you what your worst childhood memory was," Jeff said, a little annoyed. Ginny's face flushed and she tried to keep the memory in the back of her mind. She was debating on what to do again when she heard Harry speak up.

"Just pass, Gin. You shouldn't answer that."

Ginny looked at him, surprised by the obvious concern in his voice. "Pass," she whispered meekly. She looked down to avoid the strange looks everyone was giving her.

"I think the rules say it's still your turn," Dustin said softly.

Ginny looked around the room, and her eyes locked with Harry's again. Harry's display of emotion for her a few moments ago urged her to ask one of the questions she really wanted answered, but at the last moment she chickened out slightly and asked a smaller question. "Have you ever been in love?"

"Yes," Harry said, his voice cracking. The cup turned green.

"I don't think that was enough information," MJ said with a smile, not noticing the intense stare between Harry and Ginny.

"When I was in school, I didn't think I deserved love. I thought that everyone who cared about me was destined to get hurt, so I kept it to myself. Late in my seventh year I finally decided to try and act on it due to the urging of a friend, but nothing turned out the way I wanted," Harry said as fast as he could manage. The cup turned blue, causing two very different reactions; Harry let out a sigh of relief and Ginny inwardly groaned.

"So he at least was in love with Hermione," Ginny thought bitterly as the painful memories were brought forward. "Why does he continue to deny it and act like the victim?" But even more than she was angry with Harry for continuing to lie, Ginny knew she was angry with herself for allowing her heart start to hope again.

Ginny sat disinterestedly through several more rounds of the game, vaguely hearing small things like Jacob was terrified of failure and Dustin once put spiders down one of his old teammate's robes. She and Harry weren't asked any more questions. She couldn't help but notice how he was avoiding her face like the plague. She was relieved when one of the house elves came into the room, announcing that dinner was ready. She pulled all of the wands out of the cup and everyone's missing clothing appeared.

"Well, that was fun," Tank said. "Can't wait to see what you come up with for tomorrow night, Miss Weasley."

Ginny forced a smile and walked into the dining room. She didn't manage much of a word during dinner other than pass the rolls.

The next morning, Ginny managed to make it downstairs before the guys. She took a seat at the head of the dining room table and helped herself to scrambled eggs and toast. She had just taken a big bite when Harry walked sleepily into the room. He sat down at the table, as far away from Ginny as possible. They ate in silence, both saying silent prayers for someone else to come downstairs.

"Morning beautiful," MJ called as he walked into the room and sat down. He grinned at Ginny. "Don't be jealous, love, but I don't think anyone is as beautiful as Potter in the morning."

"No worries," Ginny said, sounding much more cheerful than she felt.

"Oy, Harry," Jeff said walking into the dining room with Jacob. "You look like hell. Didn't you get any sleep?"

"I'm telling you, Jacob snores," Harry replied, barely looking up from his food.

Ginny was about to reprimand Harry, but she noticed how mortified Jacob looked and decided to drop it. "I hope you all play better today for all of our sakes," Ginny commented dryly.

"You and me both," Wesley said as he walked into the room with Dustin. "I don't want to know if Mason meant all of those threats he made yesterday if he said we didn't play any better."

"I suggest you have some strong coffee, Harry," Dustin said as he eyed the seeker's condition.

"Thanks," Harry mumbled as he poured himself a mug.

"Are you done stuffing your faces?" Mason asked as he walked into the dining room.

"Just about," Tank replied, cramming a muffin into his mouth.

"I want you all to play your best today. Tomorrow you're scheduled to have the morning off and have a light afternoon practice, but I can change that if I see fit," Mason said as he made his way towards the Quidditch pitch.

"Always the pleasant one," MJ commented.

"Alright, let's go," Tank said. Ginny again watched the team leave again, but this time she resisted her urge to hold Harry back. She had known him long enough to know that something was wrong, and it wasn't Jacob's snoring. She just had to figure out whether or not it was her job to care anymore.

Ginny was working on finalizing the details for the press conference on Friday in the living room when she heard the team come back into the house. It was not long before they appeared before her looking every bit as exhausted and frustrated as they had the day before.

"That bad?" Ginny asked sympathetically as they all collapsed onto various pieces of furniture.

"That obvious?" Jeff replied.

Ginny looked around the room and noticed someone was missing. "Where's Harry?"

"Well, after practicing all day, he still hasn't found the snitch once. Mason told him to stay out there until he caught it. I think he keeps dozing off," Wesley explained.

Ginny noticed that Tank and Jacob looked as worried as she felt. "I'm sure he'll be fine," Ginny tried to assure them.

"Well, if he doesn't look any better soon, I think Caleb will be in the house before the press conference on Friday," Dustin said.

"Oh, I hope not!" Ginny exclaimed.

Tank cocked an eyebrow at her. "Would you be sad to see Mr. Potter leave?"

"No, it would just cause a mountain of paper work for me and a huge scandal for the press," Ginny explained calmly.

"Sure," MJ teased her. "We all know about your crush now; there's no need to hide it."

Ginny blushed but maintained her cool. "What can I say? I was silly little girl." She paused and grinned at Jacob wickedly. "What's your excuse?"

"I don't have a crush on him!" Jacob yelled at the exact same time that Harry entered the room. At his presence, everyone else burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Harry asked.

"Nothing," Jeff managed to say through his laughter.

"Just because I've played horribly today doesn't mean I can't take a joke," Harry insisted, but everyone just starting laughing harder. "Fine," Harry huffed. "I'm going to go take a shower then." Harry stalked out of the room and up the stairs.

A few minutes later, everyone else had regained their composure. "So what's on the agenda for tonight, Ginny?" Tank asked.

"I think dinner, and then relaxing before bed. You all look like you could use the extra sleep, and maybe some time to write to your families. You'll all receive any letters that have been sent to you every Thursday, so you can send out letters then, too," Ginny informed them. "Now, all of you need to go upstairs and change clothes so I can manage to eat while sitting at the same table as you." They all chuckled and followed Ginny's orders.

When they were all safely upstairs, Ginny hurried into the kitchens. "Dobby?" she called.

Dobby appeared in front of her immediately. "Yes, Miss Wheezy?"

"I need you to do something for me."

"Anything," Dobby replied automatically.

"After everyone has gone to bed tonight, check up on Harry. He's not getting enough sleep, and I'm afraid that something is wrong."

"Something is wrong with Harry Potter? Oh, Miss Granger will not be happy!" Dobby exclaimed worriedly.

"I don't know for sure that something is wrong; I would just feel better if you checked on him," Ginny said patiently. "I want you to come and wake me up if anything doesn't look right." Dobby nodded his head and disappeared. "Okay, Harry. Let's see if I can't figure out what you're hiding."

A/N Well, I'm back at school after a very nice break. I wrote another chapter and a half while I was gone, so I had a productive time as well. As always, thanks so much for your reviews. It really made my day when I finally got internet access and saw how many reviews I had for the last chapter! Hopefully I'll update again sometime before next weekend, we'll see how school goes!