CHAPTER NINE: The Apology
Perched on his broomstick high above the action going on beneath him, Harry squinted in the sunlight, trying to find the small fluttering object that had eluded his sights thus far. The blinding sunlight kept casting reflections off of everything, resulting in premature movements on his part to investigate if any of them were the Snitch. So far it had only belonged to glittering objects in the stands or it was the goal posts casting off reflections. Though he knew he should have spotted the Snitch by now he wasn't overly worried. Gryffindor was in complete control of the game. The chasers, especially Ginny had scored five times before Hufflepuff had even got their first shot on Ron. They were much better prepared then Hufflepuff, who Harry thought actually had a pretty good squad this year – but they had not had the amount of practices that Gryffindor had. Katie had booked as much pitch time as she could, largely because she wanted to get some practice time in for Ron who had been unable to attend the first month of Saturday practices due to his morning detentions. It had also helped to Dean develop his skills more and learn the style of play of the Chasers, as Katie had selected him to fill the vacant position.
With practiced ease, he moved himself out of the path of a Bludger, coming to a stop near the top Hufflepuff's three goalposts just as the Hufflepuff chasers scored their third goal of the match. Gryffindor was still up by sixty points, but Harry would much rather end the match now with the score the way it was. He scanned the playing field in front of him. He nearly dismissed the glinting object near the stands as the gold on a Gryffindor banner, but when the object started fluttering away from the stands he knew he had at last spotted the Snitch. He flew towards it, risking looking over his shoulder to see if the other Seeker had noticed it as well. He had, but he hadn't gotten the jump-start that Harry had and even with the speed he was putting on now his chances of getting there before Harry were slim.
Harry was so close that he outstretched his right arm to scoop it up into his palm, when two Bludgers came flying his way. He put his Firebolt into a dive to keep from being hit, hearing the cries of disappointment from the Gryffindor side of the stands. When he came back around to the spot he had last seen the Snitch it had already disappeared again. But Gryffindor's disappointment turned itself into cheers of excitement as Katie passed the Quaffle to Ginny, who put another one passed the Hufflepuff keeper.
While Hufflepuff was attempting to reorganize itself, Harry caught sight of the fluttering object hovering just above the center field line markings. He broke into a steep almost nose dive, coaxing as much speed out of his Firebolt as he could. He didn't chance looking up to see if the other Seeker was following. He was going to need his full concentration to keep himself from crashing headfirst into the ground. The way the Hufflespuffs in the stand erupted into cheers to rival the Gryffindor ones, told Harry the other Seeker was close behind him.
He miscalculated and pulled out of his nose dive a split second too late, the back of his broom scraping the surface of the ground and causing him to lose momentum. The Snitch was streaking away and he had to push his Firebolt beyond the limits that were safe in an effort to keep up. He couldn't lose sight of it a second time.
He was closing the gap, his broom shaking and vibrating violently beneath him. His Firebolt was old by Quidditch standards. On the other House teams the Seekers used a new broom every season, having worn them out from sharp turns and over use of speed. But Harry was confident his Firebolt could still get the job down. It didn't let him down as his wide-open palm clamped over the fluttering object. He tightened his fingers into a fist to ensure it wouldn't escape, while he slowed his speed until he was able to bring himself to a complete stop.
Madame Hooch blew her whistle to signal the game was over, and the dejected sounds of defeat from the Hufflepuffs was drowned out by cheering from the Gryffindors. Harry's team flew down to congratulate him. Their first win of the season had been a spectacular one. The only thing that brought down Harry's euphoric state from winning was when Ron indicated to his broom that lay forgotten in his hand. He had destroyed most of the twigs on the back of it, and even if he used his broom maintenance kit, it would still be well beyond his ability to repair it.
"It could be worse," said Ron, being the optimist for a change. "There's no practice next week since it's a Hogsmeade weekend, so you can just buy a new broom then."
"I guess I'm going to have to," Harry said, grimacing as he looked down at the partially destroyed Firebolt in front of him.
"The new Firebolt line came out last spring," Ron informed him. "You could get one of those."
Harry knew his friend was just trying to cheer him up, but only having mild success. His Firebolt represented the last connection he had to Sirius and now he would have to toss it away like some common piece of trash. He tried to hide how much the thought of it bothered him. He didn't want to be the one to bring down the victory celebration still going on in the common room, even though it was well into the evening now.
"It's probably about time I got a new one anyways," he said, keeping his tone indifferent.
"Maybe if you took it to Madame Hooch there might be something she could do," Hermione suggested.
Harry doubted that very much, but he appreciated her suggestion all the same. Their conversations had been limited and tense lately, but it seemed like she was making an effort to break the ice between them.
"It really was a good match today," she congratulated him.
"Thanks," he said in return.
With those words that signaled the end of the silent argument they had been caught up in. He was glad for that because he truly hated fighting with her. He would never be okay with arguing with her all the time the way Ron was, but he supposed that was just the way their relationship worked.
"Ron and I should get going," said Hermione, standing up. "It's our turn to do patrol."
Ron let out an exasperated sigh. "Can't we just skip it? Who's going to know if we didn't do it?"
She glared at him. "I'll know."
"I haven't even had a chance to shower yet," he complained. "I'm still in my Quidditch robes."
"Ron, this is part of the prefect responsibilities."
Rolling his eyes, he hauled himself to his feet. He did not want to be on the receiving end of another McGonagall-like lecture. He grumbled a good bye to Harry before walking towards the portrait hole where Hermione was impatiently waiting for him.
When the portrait hole had closed shut behind them and it was the two of them alone in the hallway, he again tried to get out of their weekly duty of roaming the halls, checking for students out passed curfew and any other suspicious activity. He knew it wouldn't change anything, but he liked doing it just to get a rise out of her.
"I think someone is taking her prefect responsibilities a little too much to heart. You're starting to sound like Perc – "
He was cut off in mid sentence when Hermione pressed her lips forcibly against his mouth. He was in such a state of shock that by the time he responded to it she was already pulling away.
He stared at her, completely dumbstruck. It wasn't often that Ron Weasley was caught speechless.
"I'm sorry about the way I've been acting towards you. I should have listened to you about Harry."
"Come again?" His brain still wasn't quite up to normal speed.
"I was being unfair and judgmental. I really wasn't being a good friend to him at all. I don't agree with some of the decisions he's making, but Harry has to make his own choices so I should respect that."
"And this is?"
"An apology," she said, leaning in closer to him.
This time when her lips met his own he was ready for it, burying his hands in her hair and pulling her closer. If he had known making up with her would be this good, he would have been the one to apologize days ago just so they could be doing this. Out passed curfew when they should have been patrolling the halls, when instead he was backed up against the stone wall with Hermioine pressed up against him.
When they broke apart to catch their breath, he said with a wry smile, keeping his hands resting on her hips, "does this mean that whole show back there about patrolling was just for Harry's benefit?" Up until a few moments ago he had never before appreciated what an amazing liar she was.
"No, we still have to do the sweep through the school," she said, watching his face fall, "but we can put it off for a little while. Who's going to know if we're a little late in doing it?" She said and flashed him a mischievous grin.
This was a side of her he was not used to seeing – and he liked it. She took his hand and started leading him away.
"Where are we going?"
"Don't you trust me, Ron?"
She flashed him that smile again and he knew whatever she had planned was far better then the how he had pictured his evening five minutes earlier.
She was leading him down a relatively familiar path, but he still had no idea what their destination was until Hermione made him walk back and forth in front of the same piece of wall three times, her face a mask of deep concentration. On her third walk-by a causing a polished looking door to appear. He still couldn't believe where she had brought him even as her hand seized the brass handle and she was leading him inside.
The Room of Requirement looked as cozy and inviting as he had ever seen it. Its walls were no longer lined with bookcases full of Defense Against the Arts texts and magical instruments as it had been during every one of their DA meetings. There was a fire burning in one corner, surrounded by two oversized comfy chairs and a cozy looking couch, with a large worn looking rug with a picture of a griffin on it in between them. The only other light came from the few torches mounted up on the walls. The room bore a striking resemblance to the Gryffindor Common room.
"You really do go all the way when you want to shock a bloke," he breathed.
Her face burned bright red with embarrassment. "I can't believe I brought you here," she said, shaking her head. "I don't know what's gotten into me."
He came up behind her and put his hands around her waist. "Hey, there's nothing to be embarrassed about," he said, bringing his head to rest on her shoulder. "Hell, if I had known you were going to do all this I would have made more of an effort at being right over the years."
She swatted at his arm. "Ron, that's not funny," but she was laughing as she said it. She turned around in his arms so she was facing him. She finally understood what the other girls had been talking about when they mentioned making up with their boyfriends was the best part about being in a relationship. Hold on a minute. Had she just actually admitted that Ron was her boyfriend? They had never made any sort of formality for what they were doing, but she supposed that was the correct word for it.
He was watching her closely. "What are you thinking?"
"Nothing."
He chuckled. "I know that look. The way your eyes move when you're trying to sort out some kind of complicated problem. Am I that complicated?"
"No, not really," she murmured as he brought his face down to meet hers.
"Good," he said before he claimed her mouth with his own. With little effort he managed to move them backwards until they fell on the oversized sofa with Hermione landing on top of him. She looked uncertain at the position they had gotten themselves in, but he did his best to reassure her.
"If you're uncomfortable, we don't have do to this," he told her, and he meant it. The last thing he wanted was to pressure her into something she wasn't ready for.
"I'm fine," she said, resting her hands on his chest.
"You sure?" He asked, pushing back a strand of hair that had fallen in her face.
She nodded her assurance and closed her mouth over his, trying to erase his doubts about her. As her lips moved along his and Ron let his hands roam along her sides, she began thinking perhaps there wasn't any harm in skipping patrol for one night. She was sure Ron wouldn't be too broken up about it.
While Oliver had mostly been into strategy and tactics, and making the Gryffindor team get up at an ungodly hour to practice, Katie had done away with early morning practices but had kept the strategy and planning parts and incorporated something new into the mix. She decided it was time to focus on the physical training aspect. She thought that having everyone physically fit would improve their play even more. At first, no one could understand why she had even suggested it, since they were on their brooms the whole time, but she had explained it would help them with maneuverability and they would move faster if there was less weight on the broom. To show them how serious she was about the whole team being in better shape, they usually spent one practice a week just running around the pitch and doing a few other cardio exercises. The grumbling was down to a minimum now, and what had helped was telling them they would be better mentally and physically prepared then the other House teams.
This had all started two weeks ago, and there was still a lot of progress to be made. Harry would never be able to understand how a team that had won the Quidditch Cup last year could be so horribly out of shape. He had a feeling Katie was going to change all that, or die trying.
Ron and he were jogging side by side and were coming close to lapping Ginny.
"Hey Gin, you might want to hurry it up a bit," Ron panted.
She ignored him and continued jogging.
"You know, if you were in a bit better shape you might score a few more goals," he taunted her.
She gave him a nasty look. "And if you were in a bit better shape you might save a few more."
Harry increased his speed so Ron wouldn't see him sharing a smile with Ginny. He didn't think he would ever understand how they could be at each other's throats one minute and the next act like nothing had happened. He suspected he never would, not having any siblings of his own to trade insults with. The closest he had ever gotten to a brother was Dudley, but if Harry had ever said anything remotely resembling an insult to his cousin as they were growing up Dudley had made him pay for it. A lot of the time he didn't even need to say a word. Dudley had always been looking for excuses to pick on him.
"So what's it like?" Ron asked, having caught back up with him.
"What's what like?"
"Whatever's going on with you and Cho," he clarified.
They were far enough away from everyone else that Harry felt comfortable talking about it without having to worry about anyone overhearing them. "It's all right," he begun. "It's like being her boyfriend except without all that responsibility. It's like I'm getting the best parts of it. Okay, so maybe it's a lot better than just all right." He knew how bad that sounded but it was the truth.
Ron was grinning at him in admiration. "So is she going to break up with Michael?"
"I don't know, but I guess at this point it doesn't really matter."
Talking was at a minimum after that because it was becoming difficult to keep up a decent pace and have a conversation at the same time. Katie made them keep at it for another twenty minutes and then called everyone in to do a cool down and some stretches before calling the practice.
The team dragged their tired bodies back up to the castle, but Harry noticed with some satisfaction that no one was complaining or stumbling with exhaustion.
He and Ron made it back to Gryffindor Tower before collapsing into seats at the table Hermione was currently occupying. She had three books spread out in front her and was scribbling furiously. She stopped writing when they joined her.
"Good practice?" She asked them both.
"Exhausting as always," Ron returned, grinning. He casually lifted her hand up off the parchment to make it seem like he was interested in what she was doing, when he really just wanted an excuse to touch her.
"Ron, you're all sweaty from practice!" She shrieked, pulling her hand away.
Without thinking, he said, "you didn't seem to mind that yesterday when we were – " Hermione's eyes widened in alarm and he realized what he was saying. " – when we were doing our prefect patrol," he recovered. "You all but dragged me out of here in my Quidditch robes."
Hermione's face was scarlet and Ron's ears were red. Hermione looked down at her schoolwork so Harry wouldn't be able to see how red her face was, but he wasn't even looking at her. He was watching something else.
"Looks like Dean and Ginny are speaking again," said Harry.
Ron looked up and followed his friend's gaze. His lips curled into a frown when he saw his sister and Dean standing by the stairs in their Quidditch robes, locked in an intense conversation.
"She better not be trying to work things out with him," he grumbled.
"Ginny can make her own decisions, Ron," Hermione reminded him.
Ron grunted some kind of incoherent response and narrowed his eyes at the two people by the stairs. "I think I'm going to take a shower now," he announced, standing up.
"Don't interfere, Ron," Hermione warned, knowing the only reason he was taking one now was so he could walk by the two of them.
"I won't," he told her. "I plan on walking by without saying a word." He meant that, but that didn't mean he was going to walk by without giving Dean a look that would haunt him in his sleep.
Hermione and Harry watched him pass by without incident. He did pause briefly on the bottom of the stairs to shoot Dean a warning look and then walked up the stairs.
"Are you coming into Hogsmeade with us this weekend?" Hermione asked Harry.
He gave her a strange look. "Why wouldn't I?"
"I thought maybe you might have plans with Cho."
He gave a guilty start, but tried to cover it up. "Why would I have plans with her?"
"You think I don't know what you and Ron stop talking about as soon as I enter a room?" She said, raising an eyebrow.
He should have figured he never would have been able to hide anything from her.
"I'm not going lecture you about it," she said to him.
"That's good to know." He suddenly felt a lot less comfortable about what he was doing with Cho then when he had been talking with Ron back out on the Quidditch pitch.
"Are you happy with her?" She asked.
"What kind of a question is that?"
"It's a simple one." She knew she was taking a big risk by saying what she was going to say next, but he needed to hear it. "I think you're trying to use Cho as an excuse to forget about Sirius."
Harry's eyes became dangerous slits. "No offense, Hermione, but you don't know what you're talking about."
"I think I do," she said, not backing down. She wasn't trying to push him and the last thing she wanted was to be in a row with him again, but she couldn't just sit by and watch him like this.
"Do you think I enjoy sneaking around with her? I don't even know what the hell I feel for her. You're right, she's just a distraction. But when I'm with her I forget what a shit mess my life is and that Sirius would still be alive if I hadn't fucked up Occlumency!" Raging with grief and anger, he stormed off for the stairs leading to the boys dorm and disappeared.
Cho still couldn't quite understand Harry not wanting to use the Room of Requirement, aside from the obvious reason that he was avoiding anything to do with the DA. She had cared for Harry for a long time, but certain circumstances had prevented them from getting a real chance at being together. He had been so distant and withdrawn at the end of last year, she had assumed he wasn't interested in her the way she thought he was and had moved on to Michael Corner. She cared about Michael a great deal, but there was something about Harry that she was drawn to.
They made a habit of meeting a few nights a week at different spots throughout the castle, but on that particular night she wondered why he had even bothered to show up. His head was obviously else where, and after a while when it became clear his mood wasn't going to change she called him on it.
"You don't have to be here if you don't want to," she said to him.
They were in the locker room, knowing that with no games and no practices that day, it was a relatively safe place to be alone without worrying about anyone finding them.
"I want to be here," Harry said, a pathetic attempt to sound convincing.
"I should probably go," she said, removing herself from where she stood pressed up against Harry next to a set of lockers. "I've got a six foot parchment for Flitwick I need to get started on."
Harry sighed in frustration. "Cho, come on."
He was going to have to do better than that to get her to stay. "I'll see you later, Harry." She picked up her cloak off the floor and started to leave.
"Look, I had a fight with Hermione, all right?" He said before she could take more than a few steps.
She gave him an incredulous look. "So you're here with me but you're thinking about her?"
He couldn't understand what she was getting so upset about, but her attitude had an almost exact resemblance to the way she had acted last year when they had gone together to that tea house in Hogsmeade on Valentine's. He had been supposed to meet up with Hermione at the Hogs Head and Cho had all but gone off the handle about it. "I'm just telling you the reason why I may not be in the best of moods."
"It's always something with her, isn't it?" She said, irritated.
"She's one of my best friends, Cho," he tried to reason with her.
"Sometimes I wonder if she isn't more than that," she said to him. "I feel like no matter what I do I can't compete with her."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"It means," she began, starting towards the door, "that maybe you should be here with her instead of me."
She walked out, leaving behind a very confused Harry.
