ravioli and chocolate: Awww thanks! I hope to hear from you again soon!
A/N: Just to let you guys know, for the next couple of chapters I am kind of going back and forth between Harry and Hermione's POV, I had wrote it like that awhile ago, and just couldn't bring myself to change it. So sorry if you guys get confused or don't like it, but it should be back to normal in a couple chaps. Also, I would be SO grateful if someone could find the name of this story for me: it's an R/Hr and Harry is missing, I believe it's a post-hogwarts. I know that isn't a lot of info, but all I know is that I REALLY liked it and now I can't find it! cries for 10 minutes Thank you!
Disclaimer: I am not J.K., and nothing that you recognize is mine! (which I guess is also something to cry about! Lol)
After their test in Herbology, Hermione ran quickly into her room and began adding the leaves to the pot, it was the last thing she needed, and she was worried that the leaves might not have even came.
'There, that's the last step, now I just have to keep it settled over Christmas break and then voila, I'll be the popular one, never again will the other students…mock me, or…or laugh at me. I'll be perfect…"
All of a sudden she heard people muttering. Hiding her cauldron under her bed so no one could see it, she decided to converse with her fellow Gryffindors.
She saw Harry and went over to him, she smiled when she got a closer look at him, and he looked so surprised to see her, let alone seeing her coming to him.
"Hullo Harry" she said and gave him a big hug.
He just stood there for a second; finally he broke out into a huge grin and hugged her back.
"Hi Hermione! Where have you been?" God I've missed her, he thought.
"I've just been messing around lately, you know, getting into a row with the other girls, the usual." She smiled as she joked around with him; it felt so good to be around him again. 'Take note,' she thought to herself, 'make more time to spend with Harry and Ron.' "So, Harry, what do you want to do tonight? I think we should go outside and have Ron and you teach me Quidditch, yeah, that sounds good."
Harry looked at Hermione; of course they would help her with the game. He might even get her alone on the broom somewhere where Ron couldn't see them. He smiled at the possibility and called for Ron.
"Oi! Ron! Get down here!" he yelled, startling the entire common room, and also getting some glares from the people who were asleep on the couch or studying and doing homework. 'Woops,' he though.
"What! I was sleeping you prat! Oh, hi Hermione, what are you guys up to?" Ron was quite a sight. Obviously he wasn't lying about taking a nap, for when he walked down the stairs, his hair was all mangled and he still had his pajamas on. Hermione smiled at him and thought back to the 6th year when she had a massive crush on him, o hell, she still had a massive crush on him. Just…right now, it was being invaded in her thought by an annoyingly attractive Slytherin male.
"We should probably get going, before it gets too dark. I would really like to learn the Dopplebeater Defence!" She was so excited about learning this that she forgot completely about Mr. Malfoy all but right away.
Harry looked over at Ron and he was grinning from ear to ear at Hermione's sudden interest in Quidditch and, as far as he could tell, would probably love it if that's all she started talking about instead of books and homework. Then he thought to himself,
'Did Ron like Hermione?' He looked over at his friend again and then decided that he didn't, he would have told Harry if he did, just like Harry would tell Ron if he liked….o no.
Harry's eyes bugged for a second and he thought of Ron and Hermione getting together, that just enraged him, and he wasn't about to have that now was he.
When he next looked over, Hermione and Ron were already heading out towards the Quidditch field with Hermione carrying three brooms, one she had borrowed from Fred, while Ron was going on about the game and saying how nice it was that Hermione was finally coming around.
Hurrying over to catch up with them, Harry decided that he would have to keep low. Maybe he could have Ron play his position as Keeper, which he normally did….yeah, that it! Ron would be Keeper and Harry would teach Hermione over on another part of the field…she would only have to be near Ron every once in awhile. Smiling, Harry thought of how this day wouldn't be so bad and ran over to the field to check how hard the ground was and the wind current.
Hermione watched as Harry ran past her and Ron and start poking the ground with his finger, then licking the same finger, holding it up to the sky.
"Ron?" Hermione asked, "What is Harry doing?"
Ron looked over at Harry also to see what Hermione was talking about and smiled.
"He is checking to see how hard the ground is. When playing Quidditch you have to keep in mind the ground texture, even though you play in the sky."
"Why is that Ron?" Hermione asked, she just couldn't understand these finer points of the boys' favorite pastime.
"Well….because, before we go up on our brooms, we kick off from the ground, as I'm sure you've already seen from watching Harry and I play for a couple years now."
She nodded.
"Kicking off from the ground determines how fast you get up into the air. If the ground is soggy, you would have a harder time because of your feet. The harder the ground the better for your chance of getting ahead in the game, the softer…well, you get it. How come you don't know this from reading somewhere?" He looked over at Hermione as they stopped walking to the field and instead rested upon the wall.
Hermione got offended at this, how dare him call her a know-it-all.
"Just because I like to read and know a few pointers here and there about the technicality of a certain potion doesn't mean that I know everything about everything Ronald. I know the main points of Quidditch, but I don't know names of plays or stuff like this, so if you are just going to make fun of me I'm going to go back to my room!"
Her face was full of anger and Ron looked scared, he hadn't meant his comment in that way, he just figured that she would know about the ground because it's in the first chapter of the Quidditch book he gave her for Christmas to arouse her interest in the sport in the first place! He fidgeted a little and then answered her while rubbing the back of his neck.
"Hermione, I didn't mean it like that…you just, you know…your so, smart so I just figured…." He stopped there; he didn't know what else to say, either way, he figured, he was just getting himself in a deeper hole.
Hermione saw how uneasy he was and let up a little.
"Ok fine, I'm sorry Ron, I just didn't hear the question right. So…why is Harry walking around with his finger in the air? If he's calling Cho I'm leaving!" Laughing, she turned back to Ron as he laughed at her joke about Harry and the pretty black-haired girl from Ravenclaw. She actually knew the reason for Harry doing THIS, muggles would also do this to find out the wind direction to, for instance fly kites or go fishing.
"He's testing out the wind, to make sure we know which way the Quaffle will go at first. We don't want the ball coming towards you when you aren't prepared now would we Hermione?" His eyes met with hers and he gave her a huge grin. He absolutely loved it when he knew something that Hermione didn't; it gave him hope that he wasn't some dumb bloke after all. He wasn't complaining however, he loved his friend and didn't mind it really, deep down, when she went on one of her Transformation rants. He didn't know what he would do if anybody ever hurt her, with his temper, he might just repay that person the favor.
Hermione thought she saw anger in Ron's eyes; why would he be angry though? His eyes, o how she loved his eyes. The crush was digging deeper and deeper inside of her; she knew that sometime soon she would have to confront him about this. If she didn't…soon she might not get another chance. It was then she decided, at the dance she was going to tell him how she felt. The dance was only a couple weeks off, maybe only one; she had no clue, she had lost track of the days a while ago.
Ron looked up and noticed that Harry was done checking the field.
"Well, we should probably go play now, before it gets to dark that is." He grabbed her wrist in excitement and practically dragged her onto the patch; luckily, the ground was hard so she wouldn't have a hard time kicking off.
"Ok Hermione," Harry said as he ran over to Ron and Hermione, "the first thing we're going to teach you is the Dopplebeater Defence. That's the one you wanted right?" As he talked he bent over and got the three broomsticks for him and his friends.
"Yeah, that's the one. I overheard Fred and George talking about it awhile ago in the common room, but what is it exactly? The way they were talking, it sounded difficult."
"Those two would find it difficult…." Ron muttered under his breath.
"RON!" Harry exclaimed, he looked at Ron and shook his head. "The Dopplebeater Defence IS hard to do, so knock it off. You're just mad at them because they're up to something and they're not telling you."
That shut Ron up; he looked away and started kicking the ground beneath him muttering something along the lines of 'my own brothers…'
"Hermione, the Dopplebeater Defence is when both beaters hit the Bludger at the same time. It gives the hit extra power and if done right, can knock the opposing player right off their bloody broom."
Harry thought that his explanation was good and left it at that.
"Ok, so I just have to hit the Bludger at the same time you are…or Ron," she added, "and that should be that! Ok, let's go!" Hermione hurried off towards the field with Ron and Harry lugging behind her. It WASN'T going to be that easy and they had a feeling that she was going to find that out the hard way.
A/N: yeah I know, it was kind of boring, but I needed a chapter that leads into something important…so hopefully it will be worth it. Thanks for your time!
-doublelily