Just a quick note: Please ignore the fact that if I mention Dumbledore alive, Malfoy still at Hogwarts completely innocent and Snape still in Potions it means some of this story has not seen HBP and some has. Just… try to adapt to it sorry, story'll start now. :)

Chapter Two – After Affects

Harry woke early the next morning with a purpose; thankfully the amount of drinks he had had last night did not affect the way he felt or how he changed into casual clothes and headed down to the common room (that was quite clean despite the over night party). Hermione sat talking with Neville Longbottom and seemed quite happy to see Harry arrive.

'I was going to go see Ginny,' Harry explained after Neville had excused himself saying he needed to go see their Herbology teacher urgently, 'did you want to come?'

'Oh yes I completely forgot about her,' Hermione said, after receiving a wet kiss from Harry, 'well go see her and… I'm sorry about last night. I'm a party p-'

'Don't say it,' Harry interrupted, 'lets, just, go.'

She grinned at him and took his hand as they made their way out of the Portrait hole and along the corridor. There were very little students; those who were there greeted Harry with a hello, congratulations and a "could you please teach me how you did that?" He politely declined each and said another time perhaps before continuing along the corridor.

'You were quite brilliant yesterday,' Hermione stated, pressing her head on his shoulder, 'my perfect own hero.'

'Remember not act all mushy around Ginny,' Harry stated as they reached the Hospital ward, 'she still hasn't forgiven me about dumping her then going after you-'

'I'll try,' Hermione said sternly as they made their way up the Hospital wing to the only bed with a patient, the curtains were pulled around them.

'Ginny-?'

'Oh umm… who is it?' came her voice.

'It's Harry,' Harry said.

'Oh thank heavens, could you come help me change into my clothes-'

'And, Hermione,' Harry finished awkwardly, they heard a muffled voice that sounded quite distinctly like a swear word.

'Hi Hermione,' Ginny chuckled.

'Mhmm…' Hermione grumbled, Harry nudged her arm.

'Did you want help?' Harry asked, 'I could get Madam Pomfrey?'

'Yes that would be-'

'Oh I'll do it,' Hermione hissed, pushing pas Harry, 'you have nothing I haven't seen before anyway.'

'Too kind of you,' Ginny said politely as Hermione stepped through the curtains and gasped.

'My god, Ginny, your face!' came Hermione's hissed voice.

'Well now you can imagine why I needed help,' Ginny replied; Harry felt kind of kinky for he just realized his current lover was helping his former lover change clothes.

'OK Harry,' Hermione said, drawing back the curtains but Harry had wished she hadn't.

'Ginny…'

She looked like she had been smashed with a troll's mullet and bandaged like an old fashion Egyptian mummy. One of her eyes had an eye-patch and the other was red; her arm was in a sling and she seemed to twitch at the slightest of movements.

'Pretty bad, eh,' she muttered, shrugging and wincing as she crawled back onto her bed, 'but I took one for the team- heard about your acrobatic achievements yesterday too bad I missed it-'

'You won it for us, Ginny,' Harry stated, 'that creep of basterd Vaisey will never play again.'

'I didn't see him coming,' Ginny explained, her eye looked sore, 'of course I passed out before I hit the turf otherwise it would've been worse.'

'You alive, that's the main thing,' Harry said, 'and the sooner you get better the sooner we can have our main Chaser back-'

'Umm speaking of that,' Ginny interrupted, looking down at her covers, 'I don't think I'll ever play again-'

'WHAT!' Harry bellowed, sitting up in his chair, 'you can't- I mean you must, you have to!'

'I won't,' Ginny repeated, 'as of right now, I'm resigning.'

'No you don't, I won't let you,' Harry said firmly, 'you're too good- don't make me get McLaggen in he's been pestering me too much about Ron as it is. If he gets in he'll think he runs the joint, like last year, please you have to come back.'

'But Madam Pomfrey said I won't be right for the next game,' Ginny said, 'I know a month is a long time but she said my eyes might not heal for six weeks.'

'I don't care,' Harry muttered, 'you are too good and I am not taking your resignation-'

'Fine I quit,' Ginny muttered.

Harry opened his mouth like a goldfish and started blubbering.

'Perhaps, Ginny, you might leave it for now,' Hermione suggested, trying not to pick sides, 'if you think about it, then maybe in six weeks time you might have regret resigning instead of still being on the team.'

Ginny looked around at Hermione and sighed.

'Alright,' she muttered, 'I suppose you'll need me eventually. But at least get Cormac in as a replacement, he might thank you.'

Harry half heartedly agreed and took off with Hermione, their next stop was unsure, because Ron was suddenly missing and Harry didn't really want to go down to the Great Hall for breakfast he sent Hermione in to check. He had gotten enough slaps on the backs of his skill last night in the common room to last him a life time, so when Hermione said Ron was not in there either they headed to Hagrid's.

'I'm not sure he's home,' Hermione said after knocking on the large cabin door and waiting a moment, 'perhaps he's back at breakfast? I err… didn't check.'

'OK Hermione, we'll go to breakfast,' Harry said hotly, grabbing her hand and directing her back up the slopes of Hogwarts, 'I suppose I could do with some food.'

'Here he is!' roared Seamus as Harry entered the Great Hall, mainly the Gryffindor's clapped but some Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff's did also, Slytherin booed.

As he had thought, he received countless slaps on the back in which he glared sideways at Hermione, requests of a re-enactment after breakfast with the Quidditch team and questions on how he had learned to surf his broom. Naturally he declined everything and admitted quite angrily he was just there to eat his damned breakfast in peace. It was not bad after that, everyone seemed to get the drift and the hall went back to the normal, routine conversations that people had echoed the hall once more.

'There you go it wasn't that bad,' Hermione confided to him as she poured cereal into a bowl.

Harry rolled his eyes and scanned the hall but spotted no recognizable red hair, but Harry's mind clicked as he saw Luna's brilliant blonde head.

'Luna,' Harry hissed, Hermione looked around at him as if a slapping was on the cards, 'Ron said he'd gotten together with her last night. As in hooked, you know, not me, and he said he was going off somewhere with her.'

'I'll go and speak to her,' Hermione hissed as Harry had gotten up (some Gryffindor's had begun clapping when Harry stood, but stopped when Hermione pushed him down), 'you I can't trust…,' and she raised her voice a tone, '"Can you help me change my clothes, Harry?" God almighty-'

She walked off over to the Ravenclaw table and had a brief chat with Luna before returning with a smirk on her face.

'Well?' Harry asked.

'She doesn't know,' Hermione replied, 'Ron was heading back to the Gryffindor tower when they parted last night.'

'So what does that mean?' Harry asked.

'He's probably passed out somewhere,' Hermione said, shrugging, 'who cares. He's not our responsibility, if Luna wants him she can go find him.'

Harry shrugged and began his breakfast but it was only briefly though because Hermione dragged him from the room and headed back outside towards the lake.

'So what was the point of that then?' Harry asked, finishing a half eaten toast, 'was it just so you could see me being slapped on the back for no reason.'

'Perhaps,' Hermione said, sitting them down at a rock in no where territory, 'or maybe it was for this-'

Her mouth found his and their bodies collapsed onto the uneven earth, their robes became dirty and worn as they rolled over rock and grass and felt each others bodies. Hermione finished on top as she usually did; and as she straddled him, she unbuttoned his shirt and glided her hands over his skin and kissing him once more on the lips.

'Mmm… Hermione we shouldn't,' Harry grumbled into Hermione's mouth, but she did not stop.

Next his belt was becoming undone, his zip was being opened and just as she was slipping her hand inside Harry's pants she suddenly stopped.

'I'm- I'm sorry,' she said suddenly, withdrawing her hand and rolling to Harry's side, 'I didn't mean to- I can't imagine what suddenly brought that on.'

'Hormones?' Harry suggested as he rolled carefully on top of her, 'perhaps my air born talent from yesterday?'

'Perhaps,' Hermione whispered, kissing him cleanly on the mouth and pulling him into a hug.

After several minutes of staying still they decided to head back to Hogwarts and just as Harry had buttoned up his shirt again and made sure his zip had been pulled up, there was a rustling in the bushes behind them and a lone figure staggered forwards.

'Ron!' Hermione yelled, rushing over as the figure collapsed to the ground, 'my god what happened?'

'He, he, hullo Hermy!' Ron grumbled happily, his eyes lazy and half open, 'I'm going to tell you a- tell you a- tell you a secret!'

'Harry, quick,' Hermione hissed, 'help me!'

Harry headed over and hooked a hand under Ron's other armpit.

'My god Ron you stink!' Harry muttered, pinching his nose, 'where on earth have you been?'

'I visited the Leprechauns,' Ron said in a high girly voice, grinning broadly at Harry, 'they told me too- hey Harry could you teach me how you did what you did yesterday- my god look at this-'

He pulled away from Harry and Hermione and bent over to sniff an ugly flower that had the capacity to eat him.

'Ron, where did you really go last night?' Hermione asked as she and Harry pull him away from the flower.

'Ron?' Ron asked, looking around at Hermione, 'is that whom I am? I thought I was Leprechaun the fifth!'

'Let's take him to Madam Pomfrey,' Harry said immediately, Hermione nodded and they took Ron up the slopes of Hogwarts and through the castle to the Hospital Wing.

'What happened to him?' Ginny asked when they reached the ward, carrying a very confused Ron into a bed.

'I think he's been hit with a Confundus charm,' Hermione explained as Madam Pomfrey appeared looking both annoyed and under fed, 'I suppose we should leave him then, shall we?'

'He will need to stay overnight,' Pomfrey said, 'by the look of it-'

'We'll go,' Harry nodded, and he headed back over to his star striker in Ginny, 'you just make sure you get well, alright?'

Ginny nodded as Harry left with Hermione, heading back to the common room to do some homework and umm… some snuggling.