"What?" Harry exclaimed, turning around.
Hermione was right. Ron's hand was bleeding badly.
"What happened?" He asked, then knelt down and looked on the floor for something that could have cut Ron.
"He was standing up when I picked him up," Hermione said over Ron's crying, "Wait…check the table leg. He was holding onto it."
Harry looked at the table and ran his hand down the leg of it. He felt something sharp scratch him lightly.
"It must have been this," Harry said, standing up, "I felt something sharp on the table."
Professor Slughorn walked over.
"Professor," Harry said urgently, "We have to go to the hospital wing."
"Why is that?" Slughorn asked.
"Ron is hurt, sir," Hermione explained frantically.
"Let me see," Slughorn said, noticing that Hermione was holding Ron. Slughorn took the injured hand and looked over it, "I think I can fix this up." He pulled out his wand and waved it over Ron's hand. The blood disappeared and so did the cut.
"Thank you, Professor," Harry said.
Slughorn walked off.
"You should have been watching him!" Hermione snapped.
"Me? You were right there, you could've been watching him, too!"
"You're the one who decided to put him on the floor."
"What else was I supposed to do? He could've gotten into some of the ingredients."
"Just next time, pay attention!"
"Why don't you?"
Harry picked up his school bag and stormed out of the potions classroom with students staring at him and some staring at Hermione.
Harry stayed out on the pitch for hours until people began to show up for the Keeper tryouts. Among the bunch was McClaggen (Harry held back a groan when he walked onto the pitch), Seamus, a fourth year, a fifth year, and a sixth year. Soon the rest of the team walked onto the pitch.
"Is Ron okay?" Seamus asked Harry.
"Yeah, he's fine," Harry said, slightly stiffly.
"I heard the fight. Hermione started crying after you left. Professor Slughorn said that she could leave if she wanted to, but she stayed their and finished the rest of the instructions on the board."
"Oh," Harry said, uninterested.
Finally he told the people trying out for keeper to sit on the bench and the rest of the team flew into the air.
Seamus became the new keeper. He saved three more goals than McClaggen did. Harry was so glad he could have hugged Seamus…but he didn't. Because that would be wrong.
"Congrats!" Harry exclaimed instead, thumping Seamus on the back, "You did great!"
"Thanks," Seamus said, grinning.
McClaggen walked up to Harry, looming over him, and saying,
"Let me go again!"
"We're not doing this like last year, McClaggen, someone beat you. And now he's the keeper. You lost," Harry said flatly, then he and Seamus walked off.
"You gonna make up with Hermione?" Seamus asked.
"If she apologizes."
Seamus raised and eyebrow, then said,
"Okay."
They walked into the common room. Hermione was sitting at a table with Parvati, Ron and Lavender playing on the floor, again, building and demolishing block towers. Seamus sat on the floor with the two babies and began tickling Lavender.
"You watching him closely, Hermione?" Harry asked snappishly as he walked by her.
Harry sat down at a table with Neville. Hermione sighed and asked Parvati to watch Ron for a minute. Then she stood and walked over to Harry.
"Harry," she said as Harry pulled out his homework, "Look…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to blame you for that. It wasn't your fault…I was just still scared…I mean, I saw the blood and it scared me."
Harry looked up. He sighed and then said,
"It sacred me, too."
"So are we on truce?"
"Yeah…truce."
"Hermione?" Parvati asked, "Did you know Ron could talk?"
"What'd he say?" Harry asked.
"I'm not sure," Parvati said, "He talks so quietly."
"They're talking to eachother," Seamus said, indicating Ron and Lavender, "They aren't really using real words."
Harry and Hermione knelt down beside the two babies and listened quietly.
Indeed. Ron and Lavender were talking quietly to eachother, seemingly having a conversation, one would talk then the other.
"Did Ron have anything to eat at dinner?" Harry asked suddenly.
"Yes," Hermione assured him, still listening to the strange words of Ron and Lavender.
"Okay," Harry said, "Oh, yeah, I have him tonight."
Ron turned around to look at Harry, then turned back to the blocks and continued stacking them.
"We better get started on our work," Hermione said, "Well…you better start. I've already started."
Harry walked back over to the table that only contained Neville and he began his work, occasionally looking back over at Ron.
Finally Hermione said that Harry better get Ron to bed. And Harry agreed immediately. He picked up Ron and the bag, then walked up to the boys dorms followed by Seamus and Neville with their babies.
Harry set Ron in the crib while he changed into pajamas, then he dug through the new clothes in the diaper bag to find pajamas to change Ron into.
"Please fall asleep faster tonight," Harry begged, taking Ron out of the crib and wrapping him in a blanket, and then started walking around the room with him, trying to get him to fall asleep.
Finally Harry felt Ron's hands relax on the back of his neck. Harry slowly walked back to the crib and slowly placed Ron in it. Harry held his breath, sometimes Ron would immediately wake up after being placed in his crib.
But he didn't this night.
And Harry was grateful.