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CHAPTER 10
There was a cool bite to the late October air and a dense covering of white clouds. The leaves were different shades of yellow, brown, red, and orange, a perfect day for a visit to Hogsmeade. Hermione was very excited about spending some time with Harry. He was always so busy with homework, Occlumency, 'flying,' and 'going for walks' these days…it was almost as if he were avoiding her and Ron. Well, this trip should be good for all of them; they were all busy and tired from their schoolwork. Hermione dressed in some warm corduroy pants, a sweater, and a rainbow striped scarf that Mrs. Weasley had knitted her one Christmas.
She was now simply waiting on Ginny to finish getting ready. They were meeting in the girl's staircase. What was taking her so long? She never took this long. Just when Hermione had decided to go into the lavatory to check on her friend, Ginny came bustling out of the fifth-year girl's dormitory. Hermione was a bit taken aback at what she saw.
"Ginny? Are you…are you wearing makeup?" Hermione asked curiously. Ginny nodded, smiling. Hermione didn't know why she was so surprised; Ginny was fifteen, after all. It was just that, neither of them had ever worn makeup, except for at the Yule Ball. Ginny wasn't wearing a lot; just enough to make her light brown eyes pop and her mouth appear glossy. She looked quite pretty. However, Hermione found that the time, effort, and money that it took to wear makeup wasn't a good trade-off for the improvement in appearance. She wouldn't mention that to Ginny, though.
"You look very nice." Hermione said with a smile; Ginny simply shrugged in thanks.
Ron and Harry were waiting for them by the fireplace in the common room. Ron was wearing a maroon sweater; he looked extremely handsome. Hermione then noticed Harry do a double take in Ginny's direction. Hermione met Ron's eye, and they had to look away from each other to keep from laughing. Harry was the only boy Hermione knew of that Ron would allow to look at his sister that way.
Hermione thought that it would be great for Harry to date someone again, whether it were Ginny or not. He seemed so serious and bleak this term; he needed something in his life that could make him forget his troubles. Something that would take his mind off of that stupid fake prophecy. Maybe she could give Harry a small push in Ginny's direction…then again, after seeing the way he'd just looked at her, Hermione wondered if she would even need to intervene.
The walk to Hogsmeade was extremely pleasant. The four of them walked at a brisk pace along the graveled path and talked about how great it felt to be outside of the stone walls of the castle. Now that they were outside of the grounds, Hermione felt as if she had been inside a fort for almost two months.
As soon as they reached the edge of town, an aroma of homemade breads, pumpkin pies, candy, and chimney smoke greeted Hermione's nostrils. Sounds of cheerful Hogwarts students could be heard coming from the insides of every shop. There were jack-o-lanterns in front of every building and hay bales set up in random corners with cornstalks and gourds adorning them. Something was different, however, the small wizarding town was not nearly as busy as it usually was around Halloween time. Hermione wondered if it were due to the Ministry's recent acknowledgment of the rise of Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Were people now afraid to leave their houses? The thought made her shiver.
"Are you really all that cold?" Harry asked her bemusedly as the four of them entered the Three Broomsticks.
"Hmm? Oh, yes. I mean, no. I'm fine." Hermione stammered out. She definitely didn't want to mention Voldemort around Harry today. She wanted this to be a worry-free trip for him. Harry shrugged, but Hermione noticed Ron raise his eyebrow at her.
The four found a booth toward the back of the bar after they'd each bought a bottle of Butterbeer. Hermione and Ginny sat beside each other on the lacquered wooden bench, with the boys across from them. Hermione opened her bottle and took a sip of the sweet liquid, but Ginny was having some difficulty. She was leaned over her bottle slightly with her face scrunched up. Hermione was about to offer her assistance when Ginny sat up quickly, with a surprised look… her bottle cap had disappeared.
Harry was smiling mischievously from across the table, tucking his wand back inside his jacket. He flicked the bottle cap out of his hand with his thumb, which clattered to a halt on the table in front of Ginny.
"Hey!" Ginny exclaimed, smiling.
"How'd you do that, Harry?" Ron asked with an impressed smile.
"Vanishing Charm." Harry and Hermione said together. A dawning look appeared on Ron's face.
"I could've gotten an opened bottle, myself, with a bit of magic." Ginny replied playfully, taking her wand from her sweater pocket. Harry took a sip of his own Butterbeer, set it down, and then crossed his arms with a 'let's-see-then' smile on his face.
Ginny cleared her throat, flicked her wand, and whispered an incantation too quiet to hear. Suddenly Harry's opened bottle rose from the table and floated over to Ginny, where she snatched it proudly from the air to then take a small sip. All four of them laughed at this, and Ron gave his sister a standing ovation. Hermione was elated to see Harry acting so carefree. Suddenly, however, Ginny's eyes went wide and she grabbed a hold of Hermione's arm; Ron sat down quickly looking at his sister with confusion.
"U-u-umbridge!" She whispered fretfully. Hermione, Ron, and Harry immediately looked toward the door to see a burly middle-aged man with messy brown hair and a rather large mole on his nose walking slowly to the bar from the entrance. Harry and Ron both turned back around wheezing with laughter.
"Ginny!" Hermione reprimanded; although she was giggling herself. Ginny just shrugged.
"Sorry, I thought it was her." She said innocently. Harry and Ron were slowly recovering from their laughter. Harry was finally able to speak.
"So, what actually did happen to Umbridge." He said curiously; his top lip rose in disgust when he said her name.
"Dad says she's at St. Mungo's." Ginny said intensely.
"What? He didn't tell me that…" Ron said in confusion. Ginny shrugged.
"He probably wouldn't have thought to tell me, but I asked…he says she has Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. She can't sleep without powerful sleeping droughts, but even then she wakes up with horrible nightmares. She jumps at the slightest noise and sometimes has to be restrained with straps for fear that she might hurt herself or someone else. Dad says the Healers doubt she'll ever be able to leave the hospital." Ginny glanced around the room, before leaning in further. "I think she's on the same floor as Neville's parents."
Hermione, Ron, and Harry sat gaping at this unexpected news for a minute. Hermione couldn't help but feel that her disorder was well deserved. Of course, she wouldn't say this aloud. It was such a horrible thought. Plus, it seemed almost rude to say anything of the sort after the mention of Neville's parents.
"Well, there goes my theory for the Headmistress of that bloody school." Ron said plainly. Ginny nodded in agreement, but Hermione noticed Harry's face paling at the mention of the school. Hermione suddenly felt the need to say something about the weather or something as equally trivial to break the silence, however, the sound of a glass bottle shattering drifted to them from across the room.
An attractive fifth year girl with long, curly blonde hair had stood up from the booth she had been sharing with Seamus Finnigan. She had apparently thrown her bottle of Butterbeer at his head because he was coming out from under their table and there was broken glass and Butterbeer all around his seat. Everyone in the bar had turned toward the unexpected noise.
"April, love!" Seamus called after the girl, who was now stalking out of the bar. "You don't understan'! She's just like a…a…buff an' blister to me!"
Ginny snorted, almost spraying her Butterbeer on the table. "That complete idiot. I wondered how long he could keep it up." Hermione turned to Ginny after watching Seamus run out of the bar after his angry girl.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked, curiously, his color returning.
"Well," Ginny said in a slight whisper, causing the other three to lean in close to listen. "Seamus has been dating April Hannings for about a month now…the same amount of time he's been snogging with Lavender Brown under the Quidditch stadium."
"Brilliant!" Ron managed to croak through a wheezing laugh. Harry and Ginny laughed, too. What was their problem? Hermione didn't find anything funny about the situation.
"Ron, you are completely immature!" She spat, focusing her frustration across the table at him. "That poor girl must be heartbroken!" Ron rolled his eyes. Oh, she hated when he did that! It sent angry shudders straight through her.
"Hermione," Ginny began calmly, "She really had it coming. I mean, April is a bit of a flirt, herself." Hermione just gaped at Ginny. She looked over at Harry to see if she might have at least one ally, but he was avoiding her eye by peeling the Butterbeer label off of his bottle.
Hermione stood up from the booth. "Oh, Hermione. Please don't be angry with us. You're right, Seamus was very wrong." Ginny said grabbing Hermione's arm and attempting to pull her back down.
"I just need some fresh air." Hermione lied. "I won't be long."
"Hermione…" Ron whined, but Hermione was already halfway out of the bar. The wind whipped across her face as she stepped outside, and it felt good on her burning cheeks. She could spit, she was so angry! She didn't really know why either. It had just bubbled up out of nowhere. She didn't know April Hannings, and that girl's romantic life was really none of her business. She was beginning to feel a little guilty for leaving so abruptly. She'd really wanted to spend some time with Harry. Hermione began taking in deep breaths of the cool air. She would just walk off her unexpected anger and then go back to the others as if nothing had happened.
Ron watched after Hermione with his mouth gaping open. "What in bloody hell is her problem?" He asked Harry, who was staring after her as well.
"I've no idea, mate." Harry said with a shrug. Ginny then let out a huge sigh. And mumbled something that sounded like, 'good grief.'
"Ron, go check on her." Ginny said, in an almost bored voice.
"What? Are you mad? I'm staying away from her when she's like that, thank you."
"Oh! Stop being such a baby and go apologize!"
"Apologize! I'm not the one doing…whatever…with Lavender Brown under the bleachers!"
"Well, then at least be a good friend and go talk to her!"
Ron could not believe this. When had his little sister become a copy of his mother? It sounded just like something his mum would say, 'Go apologize for something you didn't do, while carelessly throwing yourself in the path of an irate teenage girl!'
Ron was about to open his mouth and exclaim that Ginny and Harry were her friends, too, but then he remembered the look he had seen pass between Harry and Ginny that first day at the train station. Maybe Ginny wanted him to leave so that she could be alone with Harry. Well, that made a lot more sense to Ron than the rubbish she was feeding him now.
Ron heaved himself up from his bench. "Fine. I'm going." He turned around to leave just as Harry called, "Good luck." Ginny had the nerve to giggle, and Ron shot them both contemptuous glares.
After he'd gotten outside, he looked to his right and immediately saw Hermione walking toward the back of town. If he hadn't gotten a sudden pang of worry, he might've turned and gone the other way. However, he really didn't think she should be walking around town alone. So, taking a deep breath, he jogged up the road to catch up with her.
He slowed down as he came up behind her and decided not to let his presence known just yet. He was only a mere two feet from her. Did she really not know he was there? She was walking briskly toward the edge of town now. What if he were a Death Eater? They were now passing Gladrags; Ron was sure she was about to stop and turn around, but she continued to walk. Was she mental? They'd now passed the last shop, Dervish and Banges. She was walking right out of the town, on her own!
"Hermione!" He yelled, not being able to stand it any longer. She stopped dead in her tracks with a loud gasp, and he almost bumped into her. She then turned around with both hands over her mouth. Her hands dropped fiercely to her sides.
"Ron! You scared me half to death!" She said shrilly, before unexpectedly pushing him hard on his chest with both hands. He stumbled backward a couple of steps.
"I don't care! What do you think you're doing walking all the way out here by yourself?" This was another one of those times when he was so angry with her, he either wanted to arm wrestle her…or kiss her!
Hermione's angry look faded slightly as she looked around as if just now noticing where she was. "I…I didn't realize how far I'd gone." She said almost guiltily. Ron rubbed his hands hard over his face.
"Well, let me show you!" He cried, moving to stand behind her. He grabbed her by her petite shoulders and turned her roughly to face the village. Leaning down so that his mouth was a mere two inches from her ear, he growled with ridicule, "What you see in front of you is called 'safety.' What you see behind you…is 'danger."
He was breathing heavily with frustration. Had she completely forgotten Harry's dream? Even if she hadn't, she should never walk out of town alone, especially in the opposite direction of Hogwarts! As he looked at Hermione's profile, his frustration began ebbing away. She had closed her eyes tight and was gnawing on the inside of her cheek. She was absolutely beautiful. He suddenly realized how close they were. His jagged breathing was causing the hair around her ear to caress her cheek, and his chest was only a few inches from her back. 'What you see behind you is danger?' He thought. Yeah, Ron Weasley if he didn't step away from her now! He dropped his hands from her shoulders and turned around to look away from the village.
"What got into you anyway, back at the pub?" He asked quietly, with his back to her. She came around to stand in front of him and placed both hands on her hips.
"Me? What got into me?" She scoffed and stamped one foot. "What? What's that, you say? Oh…some poor girl is being subjected to the effects of a disloyal, fickle…typical boy's perverse affairs? Oh! Simply brilliant! Tell us Seamus, how do you do it?"
Ron simply stared at her for a moment with his mouth partway open. He was almost certain he'd never seen a person's head move from side to side while looking straight ahead and keeping eye contact. It was quite scary. "Hermione, what in the…? You are really overreacting!" Ron immediately became aware that that was the wrong thing to say. Hermione's mouth dropped open and her eyes went round.
"Overreacting? I suppose you think all boys are two-timing! Well…they aren't. And…I…I feel awful for the dolt that falls for you!" She brushed past him to make her way back into the village. Ron's heart clamped painfully. He felt as if she'd just slapped him straight in the face.
He turned around quickly and lunged forward to grab her right arm. He caught her right above the elbow and turned her around to face him, grabbing hold of her other arm. "Now, wait…wait just…just a damn minute." He sputtered. She was glaring at him with her amazing brown eyes and trying fruitlessly to pull herself from his grip. "We can do this all day or you can stop a minute and listen to me." He said calmly.
She wriggled around some more; using what Ron guessed was all her strength to break free of his hold, before stopping. She blew her hair out of her face. "Fine! Just let go of me." She finished with a defeated note in her voice.
He dropped her arms and took a deep breath. She wasn't looking at him; she was peering out over the hill before them. "Listen, Hermione. Seamus Finnigan is daft. He likes Firewhiskey…too much, and every week he's 'in love' with a different girl. About a year ago he kind of started eyeing you…wait 'til I'm done to yell at me, but I threatened him not to go near you. You…you deserve more than that. And, probably, every girl does. So, I think it's brilliant that he's finally been caught in the act. It's brilliant that he narrowly missed a glass bottle to his big, thick head."
She was looking at him now. Her expression wasn't readable, but at least it didn't look angry anymore. She looked more sad than angry, which surprised Ron. He had expected her to scream at him for threatening Seamus from dating her. He was sure she would have if he had added that he would've done the same thing even if Seamus were the nicest and most loyal guy in the world.
"Ron, I'm really sor…" She began, in an almost whisper.
"Don't apologize." Ron said coldly, not looking at her. "We should go find Harry and Ginny." He stepped around her and started back into town. He suddenly wished he were back at the castle, alone in his dormitory.
Hermione was lying awake in her four-poster bed with the curtains drawn around her. She was absolutely miserable. She hadn't spoken to Ron since their dispute. Actually, she hadn't had a chance; he was completely avoiding her.
They had found Harry and Ginny right where they'd left them. She knew they could both tell something was wrong as soon as she and Ron had returned to the pub. Ginny had almost immediately suggested they all go back to the castle. She had tried to talk to Hermione once they'd gotten back and were safely up in the girl's stairwell, but Hermione had refused to talk about it. She just hadn't felt up to confessing, 'Oh, I just bombarded your brother with unfounded accusations. I think I may have physically pushed him, and oh yes, I told him I felt sorry for his future love.'
Hermione shook her head before rolling over, still fully dressed, and forced herself to try and go to sleep. It was only about five o'clock in the evening, but she couldn't find the energy to leave her bed. What was it with this year's Hogsmeade visits? It was as if they were cursed! After another hour of brooding over her earlier behavior, she drifted off to a fitful sleep.
The following week, classes dragged on as brightly colored leaves began to cover the grounds. Classes were odd because Harry now sat between her and Ron in every class and Ron still wouldn't even look at her. Hermione spent a lot of extra time studying in the library, and she was thankful that there was double Quidditch practice for this Saturday's game, the first game of the season. She couldn't stand to be around Harry and Ron; it was just too awkward. With Ron avoiding her at all costs, she could tell that Harry didn't know how to handle it. She and Ron had fought numerous times before, but they had never gone a week without speaking.
Ginny seemed to have grown tired of Ron's angst toward Hermione the moment she recognized it; before she even knew what caused it. The day after the Hogsmeade visit, Hermione had thought it only fair to tell Ginny about the foul comment she had made toward Ron. Hermione had been expecting Ginny to reprimand her and go comfort her brother, but instead she had begun attacking Ron with her fierce mother-like tongue at every opportune moment. Ginny had told Hermione, 'he knows you didn't mean it; he's just being a child.'
It seemed that Harry was trying to spend an equal amount of time with each of them, so as not to choose sides. He even came with her to the library one night while Ron insisted on turning in early. The only good thing about her and Ron's dispute was that she had seen Harry more than she had in a long while. Though she hated the extra stress this was surely putting on Harry, and by the end of the week, she was losing her patience with Ron's childishness and beginning to agree with Ginny's assessment of the situation. Anytime she tried to find a moment alone with Ron to apologize, maybe grovel a little, he would immediately remember something he had to do. She had now decided to just stop trying. If he didn't value their friendship enough to forgive her, she would just ignore him too.
"Ron, you can't do this anymore. You just can't! It's not right to Hermione. It's not fair! You know she would never mean something like that! She spoke out of anger! You're being ridiculous! Think about Harry! He must feel like he's lost his two best friends this week! You're acting like a moping little brat…just like Percy!"
Ron was sitting in the corner of the empty common room in a plush armchair, staring blindly at the fire, while Ginny's voice droned on. It was almost time for him to dress out for the first Quidditch match of the season, and Ginny was making him even more nervous than he usually felt before a big game. She had been fussing at him all week. The first time she had compared him to Percy he had stood up and screamed back at her, but he'd heard it so many times now, it only made his eye twitch slightly when she said it.
He couldn't really say anything to Ginny that would make her understand his behavior unless he told her how he felt toward Hermione, and that was not an option. 'I feel awful for the dolt that falls for you.' Hermione's words just kept playing over and over in his mind like an annoying tune he couldn't stop humming. Why had those words bothered him so much? He already knew that she was too good for him and that he had no chance of ever winning her heart, but now that he had evidence…proof that Hermione would never fall for him…it felt like a knife had been thrust into his heart.
"RON!" Ginny yelled suddenly. He looked up to see her staring at him with wide eyes. "I just said that if you love Hermione, you'll stop torturing her! She feels just awful! So, do you or don't you?"
"Do I or don't I…what?" Ron asked slowly. He thought he already knew the answer. His heart was beating rapidly, and he'd begun to sweat.
"Do you love her?" Ginny asked impatiently. Ron took a deep breath. Crap, crap, crap. Now what? Lie, lie, lie! He told himself.
"No!" He exclaimed too quickly. Ginny wrinkled her brow and looked at Ron with confusion. "I mean, I…well, I love my friends…Well, I love Harry and…and…but no! I don't…it's not like…"
Ginny sat down slowly in an armchair directly in front of Ron. One hand went to her mouth and her eyes widened. "I knew it…" She was speaking in a strange breathy voice.
"Ginny, are you okay?"
"I KNEW IT!" She had jumped up from her armchair and lunged at him. She sat down in his lap and gave him a bone-crushing hug, then stood up quickly and started swaying back and forth excitedly. This was abnormal behavior, Ron thought. What did she know?
"You are one hundred percent, completely, and unbelievably in love with Hermione Granger!"
Crap, crap, crap…lie, lie, lie! "NO! No, no, no, no, no! Ginny!" Ron stood up to face his sister.
"Ron, it's not like I didn't already know. I mean, the crush thing, really Ron, it's so obvious! But you don't have a crush on her!" She exclaimed happily. Now she was really making Ron's head hurt.
"Right! Right, there's no crush!" Ron said quickly. Ginny just laughed.
"Ron, you have to tell her!"
"Wait. That I'm sorry for the past week…or that I don't have a crush on her?"
"Ron, no! You have to tell her that you love her." Ginny said more seriously now. He wasn't sure where he'd screwed up this conversation, but it had taken a really wrong turn somewhere. He needed to back this conversation up; convince Ginny that he didn't love Hermione like that. But when he looked at his sister's expectant expression, he somehow knew that he couldn't take back whatever he had revealed. Ginny knew.
"Ginny, listen. Please promise me that you won't tell anybody? Not Mum, not Dad, not Harry…and especially not Hermione." He pleaded.
"Ron, why?" She asked desperately. How did he explain it? How could he make her see that he could never be good enough for Hermione?
"Ginny, Hermione reads humongous history books…I read the back of my Chocolate Frog Cards. Hermione has never once failed an exam…I've never once made a perfect mark. Hermione…is perfect, and I'm just…me." Ron finished lamely. Ginny was now looking at him sadly.
"Ron…" She began, but he couldn't listen anymore. She would just try to convince him to tell Hermione, and he couldn't take the chance that Ginny might actually persuade him.
"I'm going to go up to my dormitory right now and get ready for the game. You're not going to say anything about this to Hermione, all right? After the game I will apologize to Hermione. But I absolutely will not tell her that I…" Ron sighed and crossed his arms roughly across his chest. "Ginny, I'm through talking about this!" He shouted. Ron didn't give Ginny a chance to retort. Instead he walked hurriedly up to his dormitory, leaving her staring after him.
Hermione had finally made her way up to the Gryffindor stands. She had never really realized until this afternoon, that if it weren't for Harry, Ron, and Ginny, she would probably be alone most of the time. She had planned on walking to the Quidditch stadium with Neville or Dean, but they weren't in the common room when she had come down from her dormitory. Seamus and Lavender had been there, but Hermione definitely didn't want to follow them to the Quidditch stadium after what Ginny had said. So, she had made the trek alone.
This first week of November was exceptionally cool; her fingers and toes were already numb by the time she reached her seat. She had actually considered not coming, but she felt that she needed to show her support for Harry's and Ginny's sakes. Hermione found herself remembering the good luck kiss she had given Ron before one of their games last year, which led her mind to reminiscing over the kiss she'd given him the night he comforted her over Malfoy. She really missed Ron so much, but she had no clue how to get him to talk to her again!
Her reverie was broken as the announcer, Terry Boot, a Ravenclaw boy, began the introduction of the players. Both teams had flown out together in a wave of red, gold, green, and silver. The fourteen players hovered above the ground, looking focused and waiting for Madam Hooch to give the signal.
Hermione had brought along her Omnioculars and used them to zoom in on the players. It was a little difficult for her to focus them on each player, but she finally managed to zoom in on Harry. He looked very ready for action. And, there were the Creevey brothers, looking extremely excited and antsy; this was their first game. Now, where was Ron? Hermione slowly began scanning over the magnified players when her heart suddenly jumped into her throat. She quickly released the Omnioculars to hang by the strap around her neck. They had landed on Malfoy, and he had been looking straight at her with a purely evil look. Could he see her from down there? Suddenly Hermione heard the shrill whistle from Madam Hooch, and she saw the large, red Quaffle fly up into the air and…
"And it's caught by Pucey!" Called the magnified voice of Terry Boot. "He's being closely flanked by Weasley and Bullet! And, wow! He's getting dangerously close to the Gryffindor goalposts already…OH! He shoots…AND…it's SAVED by Weasley…uh, Ginny Weasley that is, how did she do that? Well, Weasley with the Quaffle; man, she's FLYING! Well...I mean...as in her speed...not that...NEVERMIND! Zabini approaching quickly…uh-oh…bludger, hit by Crabbe…WHOO! Narrowly misses Weasley…and here it is…she shoots…she…SCORES! Ten points for Gryffindor!"
Hermione let out a whoop and began clapping crazily! The crowd was going wild! Wow, Ginny's first game and she's already scored; Ron must be so proud! Ron! Hermione grabbed her Omnioculars and focused them on the Gryffindor goalposts. There he was. He had a look of pure concentration on his face as he hovered in the center. The sun was shining brightly on his flaming hair, which complimented his uniform very nicely. Had he filled out his uniform like that last year? Hermione didn't think so. His shirt fit tightly across his chest and arms, her mind's eye began flashing pictures of what his barren chest had looked…and felt like…
"Granger, I think most of the players are at the other end of the field right now."
Hermione dropped her Omnioculars and spun around to see Dean Thomas smiling roguishly. Neville was beside him, but thankfully, he was watching the game. Hermione, blushingfuriously,attempted a small smile at Dean before focusing her attention on the other players.
"Good block from Bletchley; he throws the Quaffle to Warrington…but he better watch it! Ow! Too late…good bludger action from the Creevey brothers, though! And now it's Bullet with the Quaffle! She passes…to Weasley. Can she do it again? Um…no…apparently not…Warrington recovers the Quaffle! What's this? An interesting pass pattern…Zabini to Warrington to Zabini to Warrington to…BELL! Ha! Don't think that was planned, but it apparently works for Gryffindor as she…SCORES! Twenty to Zero, GRYFFINDOR! But let's not celebrate too early…it appears Pucey is going in for the kill! Where's a bludger when you need one? Pucey approaching scoring range…Ginny Weasley hot on his trail, but he shoots…and…NICE SAVE!"
In the heat of the game, Hermione jumped up and yelled at the top of her lungs, "Ron! Yeah!" Ron immediately turned toward the stands and squinted his eyes in the sunlight in Hermione's direction. She smiled brightly at him, and he smiled back timidly and raised the Quaffle with one hand to throw it back. Hermione's heart began hammering wildly. Relieved, Hermione knew that she had finally been forgiven…
Ron tore his eyes away from Hermione and threw the Quaffle to his sister. Ginny sped off down the pitch, zigzagging between Warrington and Pucey. He chanced another glance at Hermione, who was watching Ginny intently. As soon as he'd heard Hermione's cheer echoing out of the stands, he had received a rush of warmth throughout his entire body. When he had spotted her smiling face, he had felt a huge pang of guilt from his behavior the past week. Ginny had been right on one thing at least; he had been a moping brat. Suddenly, Ron couldn't wait for the game to end so that he could apologize properly.
But for now, the game was still on. Ginny's shot had been blocked, and now Zabini was racing toward him with the Quaffle. Ron steadied himself on his broom. His eyes were tracking the ensuing Chaser's every move. But suddenly, Ron felt a jolting blow to the back of his right shoulder blade. His upper body was thrown forward and he had to use both hands to grab a hold of his broom. His right arm was now throbbing with pain as he looked up to see Crabbe laughing with Zabini, who had managed to score. Madam Hooch's whistle cut through the air as Terry Boot yelled, "FOUL PLAY! Bludger to the Keeper! Gryffindor penalty shot!"
As Katie Bell lined up for the penalty shot at the other end of the field, Ron looked down at the booing and jeering coming from the Gryffindor stands. At the front, dead center stood Hermione, leaning over the railing and shaking one fist in the air vehemently. She was shouting, too, but it couldn't be heard over the crowd. Neville was behind her, attempting to pull her back down from the railing. Ron smiled despite the continuing pain in his shoulder.
Ron focused his attention back on the field to the resuming game. Katie had made the penalty shot. Bletchley threw the Quaffle to Warrington, but Ginny had quickly stolen it. While admiring his sister's playing skills, Ron heard a whooshing sound coming from above him. He looked up just in time to see a streak of red and gold zooming down toward him. He swore loudly before dodging his best friend's dive.
Looking down, he saw Harry circling the base of the goalposts at a remarkable speed. It made Ron dizzy just looking at him, but Harry then sped off low to the ground toward the Slytherin side of the field. Malfoy must have seen Harry's recent acrobatics because he was now speeding along behind Harry's Firebolt.
Pucey was now heading toward Ron with Ginny and Bullet flanking him. Ginny was closing in on him, which apparently made Pucey act too soon because he threw the Quaffle at the center goalpost, where it fell short. Ron barely caught it with the tips of his fingers, saving it from falling to the ground below. He was preparing to throw the Quaffle back to a Chaser when a gasp erupted from the stadium.
Scanning the field, Ron immediately saw Malfoy lying flat on his back with the Creevey brothers circling him from overhead. They had apparently sent two bludgers to slow Malfoy down; Ron smiled, it had worked. Harry was speeding straight up into the air far above the stadium…when he suddenly came to an abrupt halt, raising his hands. The crowd exploded into a tumultuous jumble of sound. Ron could barely hear Madam Hooch's whistle, calling the game to a close.
"GRYFFINDOR WINS! ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY to TEN!" Terry Boot bellowed into his megaphone. Ron immediately dropped the Quaffle and rushed with the rest of his team to surround Harry and the Snitch.
Hermione was hoarse from cheering. Everyone was beginning to filter out of the stands. The Gryffindors were all headed to their common room for some major celebrating.
Hermione had decided to wait until the exiting crowd thinned a little before leaving her seat. Before Ron had joined the Quidditch team, they had always left together with the excited crowd after a Gryffindor win; it was part of the fun. However, Hermione felt a bit out of place without him beside her.
She glanced up at the Gryffindor teammates laughing, cheering, and patting each other on the backs. Their huddle suddenly broke, however, as they all dove down to return to solid ground. Ron had stopped midway to the ground and had turned in Hermione's direction. Hermione's heart caught in her throat. What was he doing? He was zooming straight for the stands, but slowed down and pulled up to the railing.
"Meet me in the common room?" He asked, slightly out of breath. He had a timid smile on his face and looked as if he doubted that she would consent.
"Of course…" Hermione said, returning his timid smile. He gazed at her for a moment before giving her a slight wink and diving down toward the changing rooms. Heat had immediately flooded her face following that wink. That was only the second time he'd winked at her, but she liked the way it had made her heart skip a beat both times.
Hermione hurriedly began her descent of the bleachers. She wanted to beat the team members to the common room so that she could be there when Ron arrived. 'Meet me in the common room,' he had said. He knew she would be going straight to the common room; where else would she go after a game? But he had made sure she would be there…why? Well, at least it would give her a chance to apologize to him.
As she entered the castle, she went over all the things she wanted to tell Ron when she had the opportunity. There were a few things that needed to be said. How exactly should she apologize? Hermione bit her lower lip. She didn't want to seem too…whoa…yes. Everything would be all right if she just went up the stairs. Right, keep going…keep going…stop. Yes, this was right. Now if she would just go down this hallway a ways…great. This was where she needed to be…she didn't know why, but it didn't matter. Everything was fine.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, I don't have much to say about this particular chapter other than I hope everyone enjoyed it! Please review, I'm really curious as to what you thought about everything since this chapter was fairly long... Well, chapter 11 coming up!