Chapter 11.

Quidditch Practice.

A/N: You are incredible! Yes, I am referring to all of the fanfiction users that are reading my chapters. Your support is overwhelming me, and your reviews (I'm sure other users have said this, but someone is bound to repeat this phrase) and your reviews make my day. And please, if you read my chapters and haven't reviewed yet, please drop a line or two on how this could be better.

Auri quickly changed into her regular orphan clothes and eagerly gazed out the window on the first day of winter. Already snow was softly floating on the ground and encompassing Hogwarts in an early, sparkling winter wonderland. With shaking fingers, she pulled on a sweater (the one Hermione gave her, mind you chapter 7) and ran into the Common Room, trampling a couple of unsuspecting, lazy second years. Hermione was asleep on one of the red armchairs with a knitting kit resting on her lap and her mouth slightly open, as if in wonder. She regretted for a moment, but then woke her, Ron, and Harry up.

"Hmm?" Ron mumbled in his sleep. "Oh, Auri, kiss me. If Herm - "

Aurora flushed furiously and shook him even more vigorously.

"What?" Harry was the first one to open his eyes.

"It's snowing!" she said happily, ignoring his rude tone.

"It is?" Ron and Hermione said at the same time, and then blushed.

She dragged the three of them to the window to prove the evidence, and then outside, where the cold early frost stung their cheeks. Auri twirled in the snow, laughing uncontrollably, her long auburn wavy hair sprinkled with snowflakes.

"Isn't this wonderful?" she turned to the three friends, her long eyelashes now heavy with white snow, and her cheeks red from excitement.

"Yes, it is," Ron said absent-mindedly, staring at her.

Hermione's eyes narrowed for a brief moment and she said in an icy tone, "I think it's time to go back now."

"Why? We just got here," Auri said and playfully flung a snowball in Hermione's face.

Hermione brushed the snow off of her cheeks and grinned. She piled up an even larger snowball and flung it at Auri's chest. Quite soon, Auri was numb from the throws coming from all of the directions. She gasped from laughter and escaped to the castle, carrying a large mound of snow along with her.

"Hey, that's cheating!" Ron grinned, and the three of them followed her inside the castle.

"Well, I can't help it," she breathed heavily. "I'm-I'm tired."

"Quidditch practice is in ten minutes," Harry said suddenly with a serious flicker in his eyes.

"Then we can all go together!" Auri said cheerfully, grinning at Ron. She hurried to the girl's dormitories, quickly brushed her hair, and ran towards the snowy field. She grabbed an old broom from the closet and joined the rest of the Quidditch players in a straight line before Harry.

"Welcome to the first Quidditch practice!" he bellowed. "We've got to be in top shape! Our very first match is in January against Slytherin." Everyone knew that it was their ultimate duty to defeat the nasty Slytherins.

"Now!" He shouted. "When I call your name, please say 'here' clearly. You must be present at all practices! I don't care about your problems, if you can't handle it, we'll find someone else to replace you!"

Auri felt a tight knot in her throat. Harry was not at all sincere with the players. She wondered how much they respected him.

"Our seeker, Aurora Patterson!"

"Here!" Auri shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Ronald Weasley, our keeper!"

"At your service!" Ron yelled humorously.

"Jonathan Burks, one of our beaters!"

"Present!" someone yelled in the same humorous ton as Ron. Auri giggled and leaned in to glimpse at the boy who let her catch the snitch at the tryouts. He winked at her and smiled widely. Auri's heart leapt and she curled her hands into tight fists to stop her body from shaking tremendously.

"Abraham Foxley!"

"Here, mate!"

"Sarah Cummings, chaser!"

"I'm here!" a female with short blond hair answered. She looked so familiar… Of course! This was the girl that gave her floo powder to visit Hogsmede and find Ron, Harry, and Hermione.

"Ben Driesdale, Michael Corner!"

"Of course!" two boys answered simultaneously.

Harry marked something on his clipboard, and then ran his fingers through his messy black hair, thinking. "You know the drill. One round around the stadium! Be quick, we've got lots of work to do."

If Auri's face was pink out in the cold with the three of the friends, her cheeks were burning hot by the time practice was finished. She was about to go into the castle when someone tapped her shoulder. It was Harry.

"You've got to get a new broom," he said and nodded at the old shaggy school broom.

"But I don't have any - ," she began.

"Galleons," he finished gruffly. "I know. I'll buy one for you. Not to worry." And with that, he turned around and walked off in a different direction. Auri was left standing with the snow silently falling from above, with her mouth hanging open. Generosity coming from Harry was an unusual feature. Pleasant, but still unusual.

"Blimey, you were great at practice!" Ron beamed in the Common Room.

"Yeah?" Auri said tiredly. "You did well, too." She took a seat in one of the red armchairs and closed her eyes.

"Are you alright?" he asked her cautiously.

"It's just that I've got a lot to think about… and I'm… I'm very tired. I'm sorry, Ron," she sighed.

"I'm off to the library," he said, placing a warm hand on her shoulder. "Hermione's helping me write that essay for Francesca Harbor."

"Not a very good start for a new Hogwarts teacher," Auri said drowsily and rested her head on the back of the armchair.

"No, not at all," he agreed quietly and seated his lean self on the right arm of the chair.

"Weren't you about to…" Auri half-opened her eyes but then yawned, and her voice broke off.

"There is something on your face," he said in the same quiet tone, slowly reaching a hand to her cheek and stroking it.

"Ron, that wouldn't be – " his cool hand burned her cheek, and for some reason she couldn't get the last word to come out of her dry throat.

He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and lifted her body up just so that he could gaze into her large clear blue eyes.

"W-what are you doing?" Auri said, but the question came out as a flat, quivering statement. He was doing. But really, was he drunk? Did he swallow a horrible tasting pill? Did someone hex him? Did someone put a spell on him, and think it funny to see its results? Her face suddenly turned white, blank, and expressionless; only her eyebrows were arched as if in fake surprise. She tried to weakly pull away from him but his arms were wrapped securely around her. Her heart was pumping wildly and her stomach did a chemical leap when he presented her with a twisted, secretive smile. She felt his breath on her face, moving closer and closer… she could see every single freckle on his cheeks now.

Auri turned away and bit her lip to keep it from trembling. "Ron, let me go," she said in a firm, but quiet voice.

He didn't say anything.

"Please," she said a little more firmly. "Ron."

She felt his grip loosen on her waist and felt that she could breathe normally.

"Y-you don't like me," he said as a small tear trailed down his cheek.

"Yes, I do," Auri said, looking into his eyes. "But I like you as a friend… And where on earth did you get the idea that it was alright for you to… to… to…" She didn't finish.

"Nowhere," he answered bleakly. "I just hoped that you would feel the same way."

"Well, I don't!" Auri said a little cruelly. "And don't ever try something like that on me ever again!"

Ron nodded like an obedient puppy dog being scolded and left without dinner for ruining the freshly sweet smelling flowers in the garden. He walked quickly out of the room with his head held low.

"Ron, I – " Auri said desperately, but he was already gone.