Chapter 13

The Trials of a Captain

After a long talk with Sirius and Remus, Harry returned to the Gryffindor Tower extremely late which meant that he had to wait to speak to Ron and Hermione until they left breakfast for Herbology the following morning. The horrid weather of the weekend had vanished only to be replaced by the strange mist that they had seen so much of in the past few months. Ron and Hermione had listened to the entire story in amazement, not saying a word until Harry was finished.

They took their places around one of the gnarled Snargaluff stumps that formed this terms project and pulled on their protective gloves. The rest of the class was taking their positions which meant any sort of conversation would have to be kept to whispers. "It's quite scary, once you think about it," Ron said softly. "But I don't get why Dumbledore's showing you all this. Wouldn't it be better to teach you spells?"

Harry inserted the gum shield. "Sirius is doing that," he said with a shrug then rested his hands against the sides of the stump. "Dumbledore wouldn't be doing this if there wasn't a reason. I'll just have to be patient for now. You two ready?" Ron and Hermione nodded. Closing his eyes, Harry concentrated on sending calming waves of reassurance while Ron and Hermione concentrated on getting the pod out. He felt the stump tense and concentrated harder of assuring the stump that there was no danger. It sounded stupid when you thought about it but theoretically it should work. He could feel the stump relaxing and let out a sigh of relief.

A tap on Harry's shoulder pulled him out of his trance. He opened his eyes to see Hermione clutching an unpleasantly pulsating green object about the size of a grapefruit. He handed over a bowl then grabbed something sharp to puncture it with while Hermione dropped the pod in. He handed that over and moved back to the stump when Hermione's voice stopped him.

"Actually, I think it's fascinating," Hermione said seriously.

That had been the last thing Harry had been expecting to hear. "Fascinating, Hermione?" he asked. "It's anything but fascinating. He was a monster even before he was eleven-years-old. He enjoyed hurting people."

Hermione looked at Harry sympathetically. "That's not what I meant, Harry," she said. "I think it makes sense to know as much as you can about Voldemort. It's an ideal way to find out any weaknesses, don't you think? I agree with you. It is shocking to learn that he was that way when he was so young."

Harry stared at Hermione sympathetically. "Sorry," he said as he once again rested his hands on the stump before closing his eyes and concentrating on sending reassuring waves to the stump. This time, however, it didn't work as well. Harry and Ron were forced to fight away long and prickly vines that few out of the top and whipped through the air. While Ron beat the vines again, Harry quickly plunged his arm into the hole and pulled out another pod as quickly as possible. Once he did, the vines shot back inside the stump, making it look like nothing other than a dead lump of wood.

"So how was Slughorn's party last night," Harry asked as he dropped his pod into another bowl.

Hermione managed to puncture her pod, filling her bowl with tubers wriggling like pale green worms. "Oh, it was actually quite fun," she said as she pulled off her goggles. "Slughorn was disappointed that you had to miss…again and went on and on about you before settling with McLaggen. He did give us some really nice food, though, and introduced us to Gwenog Jones."

"Gwenog Jones?" Ron asked in shock as he pulled off his own goggles. "The Gwenog Jones? The Captain of the Holyhead Harpies?"

Hermione nodded as she squeezed the rest of the tubers out of her pod. "Actually, I thought she was a bit full of herself," she said matter-of-factly. "Going on and on about how much she had done for her team and then started questioning McLaggen and Ginny about you, Harry. I guess their Seeker isn't the greatest so she was wondering if you would consider playing Quidditch professionally."

Harry let out a snort. "No thank you," he said as he punctured his own pod. "I saw the way everyone treated Viktor. I don't have the patience to deal with that."

Hermione nodded again, as if she didn't expect Harry to say anything different. "Well, Slughorn's having a Christmas party and he really wants you there," she said shooting him a sympathetic look before putting her goggles back on and motioning for Ron to do the same. "I think he's even going to speak to Sirius and the Council for the D.A. so you didn't have an excuse not to come."

Harry groaned as he squeezed his pod. Why couldn't Slughorn just leave him alone? Pushing his bowl aside, he helped Ron and Hermione pull out their third and final pod then handed a bowl over to Ron who didn't look happy in the slightest.

"I guess this is just another party for Slughorn's favorites only, isn't it?" Ron asked angrily as he tried to puncture his pod.

Harry and Hermione shared a look before Hermione answered. "Well, yes," she said. "Just for the Slug Club."

Ron squeezed his pod tighter. Harry could see Ron's grip slipping and quickly pulled the bowl away from Ron before something disgusting happened. "Slug Club," Ron muttered in revulsion. "Who in their right mind would call a club that?"

Harry quickly punctured the pod, trying to make as little noise as possible. Strong waves of jealousy and anger were coming off Ron making it impossible to ignore. Waves of aggravation from Hermione melded into the already present emotions. Harry knew an argument was coming and really didn't want to be caught in the middle of it.

"Look," Hermione said in annoyance. "I didn't make up the name—"

Ron sneered at her. "Well, I hope you have a grand time," he said through his teeth. "Maybe you should hook up with McLaggen so you two can be King and Queen Slug. I'm sure Slughorn would love that."

Harry winced as he squeezed the pod. That wasn't the smartest thing for Ron to say. Harry knew he should say something to stop them before this escalated to a shouting match but he seriously doubted they would actually listen to him.

Hermione's face was bright red. "Actually, we're allowed to bring guests this time and I was going to ask you, but since you think it's so stupid then I won't bother!" she said stiffly.

Harry bit back a groan. Once again Ron had put his foot in his mouth just like he had so many times before. It was going to be interesting to see how Ron was going to get himself out of this fix. Hermione and Ron never forgave and forgot quickly, especially with each other. There was an uncomfortable silence that fell among them. Harry had never felt so out of place as he did now. He desperately wanted to leave them alone but there was no place to go without drawing attention to himself.

Ron was the first to break the silence. "You were really going to ask me?" he asked in shock.

Hermione glared at him. "Yes, I was," she said angrily, "but it's obvious you'd rather I went with McLaggen so it doesn't matter now, does it?"

There was another uncomfortable silence before Ron answered. "Well, no, I wouldn't," Ron said softly.

Not another word was said about it for the remainder of class. Harry couldn't help feeling like a third wheel. He didn't find it surprising, considering all of the time they had spent together. It had become a pattern for them to be together, worrying about the latest obstacle that had injured Harry. Thinking about it, Harry was surprised they hadn't gotten together yet. But what did that mean for their friendship? What if something went wrong? What if Harry was forced to choose between Ron and Hermione?

Don't think about it now. They haven't even gotten together yet.

Harry was forced to put any concerns of Ron and Hermione to the back of his mind quickly as the time drew close for the first Quidditch game of the season. Dean was doing what he could to bring himself up to Katie's level and everyone was doing what they could to help him out. Since he had been the reserve Chaser, Dean hadn't had the chance to learn all of the plays yet. It didn't take him long but just when Dean seemed to be really fitting in with Ginny and Demelza, Ron started having problems.

Just like last year, Ron had a problem with nerves and a lack of confidence, particularly as the matches approached. It didn't help that Cormac McLaggen was across the field, blocking Quaffle after Quaffle. McLaggen certainly was good and he knew it. He knew about Quidditch and tried to 'offer advice' but Harry warned him to stick to his position or he would be removed from the team. It seemed to be a weekly task to bring McLaggen's ego back to earth.

In a way, Harry felt like he was pushed into the role as chaperone. He had to keep McLaggen in line, the Beaters on track and Ron from taking his frustration out on everyone. There had been a few times when Harry had to jump in and tell Ron to take a break before he exploded. It was those times when Harry was glad he was empathic. He really didn't know if he could handle a crying Demelza or an infuriated Ginny.

It had been after a disastrous practice that Harry had finally been cornered by a frustrated and ill-tempered Ron. "You've been using it on me, haven't you?" Ron demanded in a hushed tone as the rest of the team left for the castle. "You've been using it on me every practice we've had!"

Harry ran a hand down his face, fighting to keep himself calm. He really didn't want to have a row with Ron right now. "Would you rather the team be falling apart because you miss a Quaffle?" he asked. "Besides, with the way you're projecting your anger, it's not like I have much of a choice. I have an entire team to worry about, not just you. I know you're nervous but you can't let that affect your game. Focus on catching the Quaffle. If you miss one, don't worry about it. Focus on catching the next. That's all you can do."

Ron scowled and started following the team to the castle. "It's not that easy," he said bitterly. "I'm not like you, Harry. I can't just ignore what everyone else is saying."

Harry let out a long frustrated sigh. He could guess that Ron was fearful for his spot on the team but saying that without being told would imply that he had talked about it too. "And what is everyone else saying?" he asked.

"They're saying the only reason I haven't been moved to the reserve position is because I'm your best friend," Ron spat. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to concentrate after hearing that?"

"Not at all," Harry said nonchalantly as they reached the steps. "What would I know about people whispering about you day and night, questioning whether you can live up to the reputation placed on you? Tell me, Ron. What does it feel like to be under unimaginable pressure?"

Ron looked away in embarrassment. "Sorry, Harry," he said sincerely. "I wasn't thinking."

Harry left it at that. They reached the second floor in silence. Harry could sense that Ron's anger had been replaced with self doubt and knew that he would have to do something before it really got out of hand. He really didn't want to move McLaggen off of reserves. That would be the final blow to Ron's self esteem and possibly their friendship. It was times like these when Harry hated being the Captain of the team. This was one frustration he really didn't need.

Turning towards the tapestry for the shortcut to the Gryffindor, Harry was quickly pulled out of his thoughts by intense waves of something he couldn't describe. He stumbled and would have tripped if Ron hadn't caught him. It was warm, tingly and intoxicating but it vanished the moment Ron called out Harry's name in alarm. Regaining his senses, Harry looked around and found himself sitting on the floor with Ron, Ginny and Dean kneeling around him.

"What happened, Harry?" Ginny asked worriedly. "Is it your scar?"

Harry shook his head and moved to stand only to be quickly helped to his feet by Ron and Dean. "It's nothing," he said quickly, forcing himself not to look at Dean and Ginny. He suddenly had a good idea whose feelings he had been sensing but wasn't about to say anything in the middle of a hallway and with the present company. Dean and Ginny weren't aware of Harry's empathy and Ron would certainly overact at hearing what his sister had been doing.

Unfortunately, Ron didn't need Harry's help to come to that conclusion. "What were you two doing in there anyway?" he asked suspiciously. At the blushing faces of Dean and Ginny, Ron saw red. "You two were snogging?" Ron shouted. "In public?"

Ginny quickly turned to face Ron, her eyes narrowing in anger. Harry knew this wasn't good. The Weasley temper was a force to be reckoned with but placing Weasley temper against Weasley temper was a disaster waiting to happen. He could feel the anger and frustration pulsating between them. This certainly wasn't going to be something the entire school needed to hear. Knowing that he would be paying for it later, Harry pulled out his wand with a flick of the wrist, silenced Ginny and Ron before disarming them. Ron and Ginny turned in Harry, ready to attack when Harry pointed his wand at them.

"This is not the place for family disputes," Harry said firmly as he pocketed Ginny and Ron's wands. "Dean, take Ginny. I'll take Ron. I'm sure we can find some place private for them to kill each other." He motioned for Dean and Ginny to go ahead through the shortcut and followed them with a firm hand on Ron's arm. The intensity of Ron's anger was suffocating but fought to ignore it as much as he could which wasn't much. Harry picked up the pace. The sooner they could reach their destination, the better.

Reaching the seventh floor corridor, Harry took the lead, walked to the Fat Lady portrait and quickly told her the password: 'Dilligrout' before pulling Ron into the Gryffindor Tower. Once they were in the Common Room, Ron made a move to grab his wand, forcing Harry to twist Ron's arm so quickly that Ron was forced to his knees. Ron opened his mouth to let out a painful cry but no sound came out. "Ron, you're my best friend and you're like a brother to me," Harry said quietly. "From one brother to another, stop acting like an overprotective prat and listen to someone who doesn't want to see you make a fool out of yourself."

Without another word, Harry relaxed his hold and pulled Ron to his feet. He could feel Ron's glare on him as he pulled Ron up the stairs towards their room. Once they reached their dorm room, Harry gently pushed Ron into the room and motioned for Dean to do the same with Ginny. He removed the Silencing Charms but held onto their wands. "Now you two can shout this out without whatever you say being used against you in the morning," Harry said to Ron and Ginny. "We'll hang on to your wands until you're done. Come on, Dean."

Dean closed the door and followed Harry down the stairs to the Common Room where they collapsed in chairs by Hermione. "They're going to kill each other," he said gravely.

Hermione didn't even look up from the essay she was writing but Harry could have sworn he saw her fighting back a laugh. "Do I even want to know what happened?" she asked.

Harry and Dean shared a look. "Ginny doesn't like it when Ron treats her like a little girl," Dean said softly. "I guess she's been getting a lot of it from her other brothers too. Ron's the worst, though. He actually thinks he has the right to tell her what she can and can't do."

Hermione looked at Dean thoughtfully then shifted her gaze to Harry. "And what do you think, Harry?" she asked with a curious smile. "You've been an honorary Weasley for years and you have a certain perspective that any outsider wouldn't have."

Harry shot Hermione a warning glance before shrugging his shoulders. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Dean waiting nervously. "I don't want to see her get hurt but I know Ginny well enough to know that she won't do anything unless she wants to," Harry said honestly and noticed Dean relaxing. "I trust her and that's what matters. If something happens, I know she'll defend herself although now that I think about it, maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to have the D.A. learn about pressure points and self defense."

Silence fell upon the Common Room as Ron's loud voice echoed against the walls. Fortunately, it was too distorted to make out. Dean took the opportunity to excuse himself and hurry over to where Seamus and Neville were sitting. Ron's voice faded and was replaced by Ginny's shouting voice. The words 'Phlegm' and 'Auntie Muriel' were the only words that could be made out.

"I think that's a great idea," Hermione said trying to keep the focus on anything other than the arguing Weasley siblings. "Perhaps then Ron would leave Ginny alone. He was actually quite mean to her during the summer. It was really tense at the Burrow. Everyone was worried about you and…umm…Ron didn't handle it well….and Ginny was there so…"

Harry let out a groan as he buried his face in his hands. The more he heard about his time away from the wizarding world the guiltier he felt for leaving like he did. At the time, he hadn't stopped to think about anyone but himself. And look what's happened because of it. "I'm surprised she's still talking to me," Harry said at last.

Hermione smiled sympathetically as she reached out and rested her hand on Harry's. "It wasn't your fault, Harry," she said sincerely. "We know now what you were going through. Yes, we were hurt and frightened but deep down we knew you wouldn't have done something so drastic unless you felt you had no other choice. Ginny doesn't blame you for the way Ron acted. In fact, I know that Ginny is actually grateful that you aren't acting like an overprotective older brother."

Harry shrugged uncomfortably. Truthfully, he hadn't given it much thought. Until this evening, Ginny and Dean had been so discrete that Harry had forgotten they were even seeing each other at times. "I just want her to be happy and if Dean makes her happy then all I can say is good luck," Harry said. "He's gonna need it."

"Harry!" Hermione scolded.

"What?" Harry asked defensively. "You try facing six overprotective brothers and two parents! If he ever does anything to her, no one will be able to find him without a locator spell and a shovel."

Hermione bit back the urge to laugh and nodded to Harry's point. Despite all of the hassle the Weasley brother's may give Ginny, there was no denying that she would have an overwhelming support system if she ever needed it.

Ron and Ginny's argument had ended with the slamming of doors leaving Harry and Hermione to serve as damage control. However, by the time Harry entered their dorm room to return Ron's wand, he saw that Ron was already in bed with his bed hangings pulled to shield him from view. This wasn't good. This meant that Ginny got the last word in the argument. Quietly, Harry set Ron's wand down on the bedside table by Ron's bed and retreated back to the Common Room. He had a feeling that tomorrow wasn't going to be a good day.

A monster had been unleashed and no one was safe from his wrath. Ron was completely ignoring Ginny and Dean while lashing out at everyone else. Hermione received the majority of the attacks, leaving Harry to once again serve as damage control. The worst of it was that Harry could sense all of the pain Ron was causing. His empathy seemed to be working in overdrive, making it very difficult for Harry not to hex Ron for being an absolute prat. He gave up on keeping the peace by the end of the day and stayed by Hermione's side. Ron was projecting too many negative emotions for Harry to think straight.

Quidditch practice was even more unbearable. Ron took every opportunity to make his anger towards Ginny known. There had even been times when Harry had been forced to ground Ron and rely solely on McLaggen, something that only made Ron even more furious. At the final practice before the first Quidditch game of the season, Harry had to hold McLaggen back and tell him to suit up with the rest of the team in case Ron was 'unfit' to play. It had been one of the hardest decisions Harry had ever made. He knew that he was jeopardizing his friendship with Ron but he was jeopardizing his team by doing nothing. If Ron had to be pulled from the game to realize what he was actually doing to others, then Harry had no choice.

Walking back up to the school alone, Harry tried to think of some way to fix everything before it became a disaster. There had to be a way to improve Ron's mood, remove the tension between Ron and…well…everyone else, and win against Slytherin tomorrow. This certainly wasn't in the job description for Captain. I have enough problems on my own. I don't need everyone else's.

Harry entered the castle still deep in thought and mindlessly made his way for the moving staircases. He wished Ron could be empathic for one day so he could actually feel the damage he was doing to people…to Hermione and Ginny. Harry had been following Sirius and Remus' advice in letting Ron learn from his own mistakes but this was really getting out of hand. How long did someone really have to hold on to a grudge without noticing what they were doing to other people?

His thoughts ended abruptly when he felt something slamming into his back, sending him flying forward onto the hard floor. His entire back screamed in pain as Harry slowly rolled over while flicking his wrist to arm himself. All of the air had been knocked out of him, making his vision swim slightly. He could feel the warmth of the legacy pendants, alerting him that Sirius and Remus knew something was wrong. Harry blinked a few times and was able to make out his attacker. Draco Malfoy was approaching with his wand pointing at Harry and a smirk on his face.

"I've been waiting for this, Potter," Malfoy sneered. "I'm going to make you pay for what you've done to my father…now that your little fan club isn't here to protect you."

Soft waves of anger, pain and desperation brushed against Harry. He really wasn't surprised that Malfoy was seeking revenge. He was just amazed that Malfoy had waited this long to actually do something. "I didn't do anything to your father, Malfoy," Harry said as he slid backwards to put some more distance between them. "Your father made his own choices. He chose to join Voldemort. He chose to remain loyal to a Half-Blood hypocrite. If you want someone to blame for your father's actions, blame your father or even Voldemort for abandoning him."

Malfoy's face contorted in anger. "You think you're so perfect," he spat. "Perfect Potter can do no wrong. The Chosen One." Jealousy crept in, mixing with the rest of Malfoy's emotions. "Dumbledore's favorite. The Ministry's poster boy. How many other nicknames do you honestly need, Potter? How many more people do you need to fawn over you?"

Harry couldn't help rolling his eyes in annoyance as he slowly rose to his feet. He really didn't need to add Malfoy's problems with jealousy in addition to everything else. "Listen Malfoy, there really isn't much I can do about how other people think of me so I suggest you think of something to blame me for that is actually my fault," Harry said biting back his frustration. "I can't control what the Ministry does just like I can't control who your father bows to."

"Shut up!" Malfoy shouted as he took a step forward, his wand shaking slightly. "You know nothing about my father! YOU KNOW NOTHING!"

Without warning, Malfoy's wand few out of his hand, up the stairs and into the waiting hand of Hermione. Ginny was there beside her, wand in hand and look of fury on her face. Nothing was said as the two Gryffindor girls slowly descended the stairs. Malfoy's confidence and fury quickly dissolved into nervousness. He was now cornered by three well known members of the Defense Association without a weapon of his own.

"You all right, Harry?" Hermione asked as she reached the bottom of the stairs. Harry nodded. The sound of running footsteps could be heard, alerting everyone that someone (most likely Sirius) was coming. "Attacking a student, Malfoy. As a Prefect, you know the penalty and I doubt the teacher coming is going to let you off with a warning."

Malfoy sneered at Hermione then glared at Harry with a look of complete disgust on his face. The hurried footsteps were growing in volume and becoming more distinct. "Still can't fight your own battles, can you Potter?" Malfoy spat. "Relying on mudbloods, blood traitors and half-breeds to do your work for you?"

Sirius chose that moment to reach them. He took one quick look at the scene in front of him and demanded, "What's going on here?"

After a moment of silence, Harry was the first to move. "Malfoy and I were just talking about how everything that happens in the world is my fault, Sirius," he said casually as he re-holstered his wand. It was more or less the truth. Harry knew Sirius wouldn't believe anything but the truth, particularly when Malfoy was concerned. Their rivalry and Malfoy's jealousy was well known by everyone in the castle.

Sirius stared at Harry for a long moment before nodding and lowering his wand. "I see," he said then looked directly at Malfoy. "I believe we have an appointment with Professor McGonagall, unless you want to keep this a family matter, Draco. After all, I adopted Harry so that technically means you two are related."

Malfoy paled in horror. He was caught between a rock and a hard place. Professor McGonagall was extremely protective of her Gryffindors but that couldn't compare to how protective Sirius was of Harry. Malfoy's face quickly returned to a scowl as he enfolded his arms across his chest. "You can't do anything to me or you would lose your little position here," he said with a smirk.

Sirius glared at Malfoy before grabbed him by the arm. "McGonagall's office it is then," he said firmly then looked over at Harry. "Do you need to see Poppy?" Harry shook his head. "All right. Get to the Gryffindor Tower. We can talk about this tomorrow." Sirius glanced over at Hermione and Ginny and waited for Hermione to hand over Malfoy's wand. "Stay with him."

Hermione and Ginny nodded and watched as Sirius pulled Malfoy in the direction of McGonagall's office. Once Sirius was out of sight, Harry let out a frustrated groan and started walking up the stairs. He really didn't need this now. He had no doubt that Sirius would begin his 'Hogwarts isn't safe for Harry' campaign but the fact of the matter was that Harry knew Malfoy wouldn't have done anything harmful. Malfoy seemed to need someone to yell at more than anything. He couldn't explain how he knew it, he just did. Malfoy needed someone to blame for the problems in his life and Harry was the most logical choice.

"Are you all right Harry?" Hermione asked as she caught up to him. "If you're hurt—"

"—I'm fine," Harry insisted tiredly. The pain from his back was only a dull ache now. Whatever Malfoy had hit him with had only been to grab his attention, nothing more. "Sirius is just overacting again. Even the smallest bruise requires a visit to Madam Pomfrey."

"Well, can you blame him for being that way?" Ginny asked from Harry's left as she caught with him. "The question I have is how did he know you were in trouble?"

Harry pulled out his legacy pendants from underneath his shirt and showed them to Ginny. "They're charmed to alert Sirius and Remus when I'm in trouble," he said before tucking the pendants under his shirt. "No matter how small—"

"—or how big," Hermione said matter-of-factly. "I agree with Ginny. You can't blame Sirius for wanting to keep you safe, Harry. This was one of the reasons why Sirius didn't want you walking around alone. I can't believe Ron came back without you! This selfish behavior has to stop! It's gone on for long enough! I—I think it's time I send a letter to Mrs. Weasley."

Harry stared at Hermione in horror while Ginny grinned. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "Can you have her send a howler to him? Mum never has a problem telling Ron he's acting like a prat."

This didn't sound good at all. "Don't you think having Mrs. Weasley yell at him would only make everything worse?" Harry asked nervously. "What did you say to him anyway, Ginny?"

Ginny shrugged. "We said a lot of things to each other," she said vaguely. "He's just jealous that we've snogged someone and he hasn't."

Harry stopped in his tracks. He really didn't like what he was hearing. "What does snogging someone have to do with anything?" Harry asked. "And what's this 'we' business? Your fight was supposed to be about Ron's problems with you and Dean."

Ginny let out an annoyed sigh before she continued on her way with Harry and Hermione following suit. "Look, I understand you two don't want people to know about your personal lives," she said as they reached the seventh floor corridor, "but everyone knows you have snogged Viktor, Hermione and you, Harry, have snogged Cho."

"I wouldn't call it snogging," Harry protested. "She kissed me and I was too shocked to do anything about it." Truthfully, it had been an embarrassing experience he would rather forget. Cho Chang was a good friend. He couldn't bring himself to see her as anything more than that.

Ginny rolled her eyes and waved off the comment. "Technicality," she said offhandedly. "The point is, Ron's being an idiot. We have no chance winning tomorrow with him attacking us every chance he gets. If I would have known he would have acted this childish I would have said something this summer just so Mum could yell at him for it. It's his own fault he's never kissed anyone. He was the one to sit in his room the night of the Yule Ball because he didn't have the nerve to ask a girl to go with him."

"Ginny, you're not helping," Hermione said quickly. "As I told you before, you never should have brought us into your argument. Ron probably feels alone and is taking it out on all of us. We need to think of some way for Ron to wake up and realize that it doesn't matter if you've kissed someone or not. And, you need to apologize, Ginny."

Me?" Ginny exclaimed in shock. "Why do I need to apologize? I did nothing wrong? Ron's the one who should apologize to me; calling me a scarlet woman along with a few other names I wouldn't dare repeating. I thought you would understand more than anyone." Before anything else could be said, Ginny picked up her pace, hurrying to the Fat Lady portrait, leaving Harry and Hermione in a stunned silence.

As soon as the portrait entranced closed behind Ginny, Hermione let out an annoyed huff. "Great!" she exclaimed as she started pacing. "Just what I need is two Weasleys mad at me! I don't know why I try anymore."

The waves of distress pouring off of Hermione were almost suffocating. "Hermione, you do have a point," Harry said helplessly. "Ginny and Ron are just too stubborn to accept that they're wrong. They're never going to apologize to each other. What we need is to think of some way to improve Ron's mood so I don't have to kick him off the team tomorrow."

Hermione let out a snort. "Good luck on that one," she said sarcastically. "I'm surprised he's still on the team with everything he's pulled."

Harry pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration until he realized what Hermione had said. She was right. He needed luck to pull off a Gryffindor victory tomorrow. Fortunately, he had a bottle of luck in packed securely in his trunk. "Hermione, you're a genius," Harry said happily as he pulled her into a fierce embrace. "You're right! We need luck tomorrow!"

Hermione pulled herself out of Harry's arms and looked at him in confusion. "Why are you so happy about that?" she asked.

Harry quickly looked around in case anyone was listening along with reaching out to see if there were any stray emotions from anyone nearby. When he didn't sense anything other than Hermione's confusion and worry, Harry stepped towards her, unable to keep the grin off his face. "Felix Felicis," he said simply. "We've had the means to turn the around all along."

Hermione stared at Harry in disbelief. "Harry!" she scolded. "That's illegal! You heard Professor Slughorn!"

Harry quickly covered her mouth and looked around hastily. "Are you trying to alert everyone we're out here?" he asked quietly. "I know using it in sporting events is illegal. All we have to do is make Ron think he had some. It'll boost his confidence in himself and hopefully make him forget about this entire mess with Ginny." At Hermione's uncertain look, Harry rested his hands on her shoulders and stared pleadingly into her eyes. "Please say you'll help me with this, Hermione. This is for the benefit and sanity for everyone in Gryffindor."

"Don't you dare do that, Harry!" Hermione said in a hushed voice. Although her tone was firm, it wasn't as forceful as it had been a moment ago. "Don't you dare make me feel guilty! This is wrong and you know it!" She turned away, her entire body tense for a long moment. Harry knew she was mentally debating his plea since Ron had been lashing out at her the most. "What do you need me to do?" Hermione asked finally.

"Just be yourself," Harry said with a smile. "I'll make it look like I put something in Ron's drink at breakfast. You need to catch me and try to stop Ron from drinking it."

Hermione looked at Harry skeptically. "I don't know, Harry," she said uneasily. "I don't see how this can fix everything. What if it backfires in our faces?"

Harry shrugged. He really didn't know what to say to that. There was a chance it could backfire. There was a chance that Ron would never speak to them again but it wasn't that different than it was now. Ron wasn't talking to them except for the occasional sarcastic comment and this was the only thing Harry could think of to change it. "I'm willing to take the risk," Harry said finally. "If it backfires, tell Ron I made you do it. I'll take the blame."

Hermione glared angrily at Harry. "Since when have you made me do anything, Harry Potter?" she asked as she poked Harry in the chest repeatedly. "I make my own decisions and I choose to help you with this half-brain scheme that's bound to get you in trouble just like I always do."

Harry stared at Hermione in surprise for a long moment before nodding. "All right then," he said, unable to think of anything else to say. "Shall we?"

Hermione nodded then walked with Harry to the Fat Lady portrait. With every step, Harry could only hope that he was doing the right thing and that nothing went wrong tomorrow because he seriously couldn't think of anything else. The only other option was to give Ron Felix Felicis which could lead to a number of problems. Once we get past the game tomorrow, I'll talk to him. I'll tell him he has to move on from this.

Yes. Winning the Quidditch game to avoid an entire house of angry Gryffindors came first.

Harry and Hermione were up and on their way to breakfast extremely early the next morning. Hermione was fidgeting slightly while Harry was constantly re-checking that his sealed bottle of Felix Felicis was still in his pocket. He could feel the uncertainty surrounding Hermione and knew that she was having second thoughts about deceiving Ron but wasn't about to back out after giving Harry her word. Harry hated seeing Hermione like this and wondered if it had been a bad idea to ask for her help but he couldn't imagine dealing with an angry Hermione on top of everything else.

The Great Hall was nearly empty when they entered but didn't remain that way for long. Looking up at the ceiling, Harry noticed that the sky was a clear blue. He could use that. Excited Gryffindors slowly arrived, every one of them wishing Harry good luck at his first game as Captain. Members of the D.A. followed suit, including Cho Chang who told Harry he better win so they could face each other in the finals. Once again, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor were the two favorites to win the Quidditch Cup. Malfoy never returned to the Slytherin team after his suspension last year and Hufflepuff's last decent Seeker was Cedric Diggory.

Ron finally arrived with the rest of the Quidditch team, receiving quite a few boos from the Slytherin table and loud cheers from the Gryffindor table. The entire team looked extremely nervous as they sat down. Ron sat next to Harry, lost in his own nervousness. He didn't even notice Lavender voicing her vote of confidence or anything anyone else said. Harry knew now was the time to act.

"How about something to drink, Ron?" Harry asked casually. "Tea, coffee, pumpkin juice?" Ron just shrugged his shoulders. Harry took the opportunity to nudge Hermione with his elbow while taking Ron's goblet in one hand while pulling out the Felix Felicis with the other. Carefully, he pulled the goblet under the table and made it appear that he was putting some of the potion in it before placing the goblet back on the table and filling it with pumpkin juice. "There you are, Ron. You better drink up. You need something in your system so you don't get lightheaded during the game."

"Harry!" Hermione hissed loud enough for Ron to hear as Ron grabbed the goblet and raised it to his lips. "What did you do?"

"Nothing," Harry said through his teeth but noticed Ron looking at him out of the corner of his eye.

Hermione glared at him then rose partially and moved to grab the goblet. "Don't drink that, Ron!" she said in a sharply. Ron's eyes narrowed at her. Hermione looked back at Harry in disbelief. "You just put something in that drink," she said. "I can't believe you!"

Harry looked at her innocently, something that Ron and Hermione knew he only did when he had indeed done something. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said as he pocketed the potion bottle.

Hermione gaped at him. "I saw you!" she insisted then looked back at Ron. "Ron, don't drink it!"

Ron shot her a glare before draining the goblet in one gulp. "You're not my mother, Hermione," he said in annoyance. "Stop bossing me around."

Hermione stared at Ron in disbelief before sitting back down; her shoulders slumped forward in defeat and pain. Ron's words had hurt her. That much was clear. Harry let out a sigh as he reached under the table and took a hold of her hand. Closing his eyes, Harry tried to send her waves of reassurance and sympathy. He had only tried sending out emotions a few times but that had been to creatures from the forest. Humans were always more complicated but he knew it had worked when he heard Hermione gasp and squeeze his hand slightly.

Opening his eyes, Harry noticed Hermione's grateful smile before turning to Ron. "I suppose we should get moving," he said as he released Hermione's hand and stood up. Ron grunted and rose to his feet. Harry took the opportunity to smile at Hermione before leaving with Ron. She had done her part. It was now up to him.

The moment he stepped onto the frost covered grass, Harry looked up at the sky and smiled. "I suppose it's lucky for us that the weather's this good," he said nonchalantly. Ron didn't comment but did look up at the sky before looking around. There was no breeze whatsoever. It wasn't too cold either. It was a perfect day for Quidditch.

As they reached the changing room, Ginny and Demelza hurried towards them with smiles on their faces. "You're not going to believe this!" Ginny exclaimed. "The Slytherin Chaser, Vaisey, won't be playing today! He took a Bludger to the head yesterday! Are we lucky or what!"

Harry couldn't have asked for better news or a better comment from Ginny. He smiled at her before pulling on his scarlet robes. Ron was doing the same, appearing to be lost in his own thoughts. Come on, Ron. Put it together. The clues are all there. Harry was starting to think that Ron was too caught up in his own nervousness to actually think about what others had said this morning.

Ron was halfway through pulling on his Keeper's gloves when he turned and looked quizzically at Harry. "Did you put something in my pumpkin juice?" he asked suspiciously. Harry stared at him in disbelief. "It's just rather odd that Vaisey isn't playing today. He's their best goal scorer."

Harry continued to stare at Ron before standing. "We'll be starting soon," he said evenly. "You better get your boots on."

The Gryffindor Quidditch team entered the pitch to a mixture of roars and boos. On the opposite end of the stadium was Slytherin team, waiting for them. There was so much excitement that it was impossible to ignore. Shaking his head, Harry tried to concentrate on his own emotions as he stepped up to the referee, Madam Hooch, who was ready to release the Bludgers, Quaffle and Snitch from the crate that held them. Urquhart, the Slytherin Captain, also approached, his hate-filled eyes never leaving Harry.

"Captains, shake hands," Madam Hooch said firmly. Urquhart gripped Harry's hand and tried to crush it but with a flick of the wrist, Harry had the Slytherin Captain's wrist at an awkward angle making it impossible. "Mount your brooms." Everyone did so. "On the whistle then…three…two…one…"

The whistle sounded and everyone kicked off hard. The Bludgers and Snitch were released followed by the Quaffle being thrown upwards.

The whistle sounded, Harry and the others kicked off hard from the frozen ground, and they were away. The Gryffindor Chasers instantly took the familiar offensive position they had worked on over the past weeks. Harry quickly turned his attention to searching for the Snitch. He let everything else wash over him and trusted that his senses and empathy would alert him to danger. Focus on what you can control. He had done what he could to increase Ron's confidence. It was up to Ron to do the rest.

Harry was focused so hard on finding the Snitch that he barely heard the commentating which was being done by Zacharias Smith, a Hufflepuff player and member of the D.A. He knew Smith took it personally when Gryffindor won against Hufflepuff so he could guess that the commentary wasn't going to be in Gryffindor's favor. Harry could only hope that Ron didn't take whatever Smith said personally or they would have a problem.

Fortunately, Harry didn't have to worry about it. After half an hour of playing, Ron had made quite a number of amazing saves, saves that Harry would have normally thought could be impossible. Gryffindor was leading sixty points to zero with Ginny as the lead scorer. Harry returned his full attention to looking for the Snitch but it seemed that it was hiding somewhere. He hadn't spotted it once and neither hand the Slytherin Seeker, Harper. Harry took the opportunity to slowly start flying around the pitch in the hope of a glint of gold that could possibly the Snitch. It had to be somewhere. He just had to find it.

And he saw it. The glint of gold was hovering near the Ravenclaw stands. Harry took off without another thought. The fierce wind around him silenced any other noise. The closer he got the clearer he could make out the fluttering wings of the Snitch. He was nearly there when the Snitch flew off to the right. Harry followed suit. Quickly glancing over his shoulder, Harry saw that Harper was trying to follow him but was falling behind. He returned his eyes to the Snitch, turning to the left a split-second after the Snitch did. He was getting closer…closer…closer…

"HARRY!"

Harry instantly dove to avoid the Bludger coming from his left but wasn't quick enough. The Bludger hit the tail end of his broom, causing Harry to lose his balance. His legs flipped over his head and his grip slipped slightly. Desperate, Harry quickly pushed his broom upright to get a decent grip. With a quick glance around to see Harper dodging a Bludger, Harry pulled himself back onto his broom on to see that the Snitch had vanished from sight.

It didn't take long for Harry to spot the Snitch again, this time high in the sky. He took off once again with Harper following close behind. Bludgers came from the left and the right but Harry dodged as quickly as he could but noticed that his Firebolt wasn't reacting as fast as it normally did. He would have been hit again if he hadn't pulled the broom up harshly forcing him to flip backwards in the air. He was now flying beside Harper…neck and neck…both of them reached out for the Snitch…the Snitch was at their finger tips...

In an act of desperation, Harry jumped upwards, wrapped his fingers around the Snitch and landed with one leg wrapped around his broom. He quickly repositioned himself and held up his Snitch for everyone to see. The whistle blew, signaling the end of the game. A wide grin spread across his face as he finally noticed the deafening cheers coming from the crowd. Harry quickly landed and was immediately surrounded by the rest of the team, everyone congratulating him on a spectacular save.

As soon as Harry saw Ron's smiling face, he finally let himself relax. It was the first smile Harry had seen on Ron's face in weeks. Ron slapped Harry on the back happily as they made their way to the changing room with the rest of the team, all hostility forgotten. Dean announced that there was a party in the Common Room and eventually people left for it, leaving Ron and Harry alone. They were nearly ready to leave when Hermione entered with a nervous look on her face.

"Congratulations," Hermione said softly as she slowly edged towards Harry. "You both played really well."

Ron glanced at Harry. "Yeah," he said softly. "And we all know why."

Harry and Hermione looked at Ron curiously. "You played well," Harry said with a shrug. "That's all there's too it." He pulled out the bottle of Felix Felicis that was still sealed with wax and handed it over. "I didn't give you anything, Ron. We wanted you to think I'd done it. You saved everything because you felt lucky and had the confidence to do so. You've always had the talent. You just needed to get past the nerves."

Ron stared at Harry and Hermione in disbelief as he handed the potion back to Harry. "There really wasn't anything in my pumpkin juice?" he asked then looked at Hermione. "And you let me say those things to you?" At Harry and Hermione's smiles, Ron pulled them both into a fierce embrace. "I did it on my own!" Without another word, Ron released Harry and Hermione before leaving the changing room in a hurry.

Harry and Hermione shared a look before sharing a shrug. Hermione's face looked slightly flushed. "Well, that went well," she said uncomfortably. "I suppose we should get to the party."

Picking up his Firebolt, Harry noticed that there had been some damage from the Bludger. It wasn't severe, nothing a few mending spells and treatments couldn't cure. "I think Sirius and Remus are waiting for me to talk about last night," Harry said regretfully. He really wasn't looking forward to that discussion.

"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed. "I talked to Sirius before the game started. He said that you could go to the party but he's expecting you in the Marauder Quarters tonight for a talk. He also said that Malfoy got two weeks detention for attacking you." She gave Harry a sympathetic smile. "Sirius also said that he'll meet you at the Fat Lady portrait since he can't trust Ron to concentrate on anyone but himself."

Harry groaned as he ran his hand over his face. Great. Just great. The last thing he needed was for Sirius to start following him around. If he does so as Midnight he's going to be sick of dog treats by the end of the first day. "Let's go then," Harry said at last and motioned for her to leave the changing room first. "I can't believe I'm going to be scolded on the day that I win a game and cure Ron of his brooding disease."

Hermione grinned as they walked back to the castle together. "I guess there's no rest for the troublesome," she said with a shrug. "And what do you mean you cured Ron? I had a hand in it too, thank you very much."

Harry glanced over at her and smiled. "You're right, Hermione," he said sincerely. "I couldn't have done it without you."

When they finally entered the Gryffindor Tower, Harry was greeted to an overabundance of cheers. Everyone wanted to congratulate Harry for a job well done however the one face Harry didn't see was Ron's. He ignored the persistent Creevy brothers and the annoying Romilda Vane who kept shooting glares at Hermione. Harry finally pulled himself away and rejoined Hermione who seemed to also be looking around for Ron. They were finally greeted by Ginny who had Arnold, her Pygmy Puff, on her shoulder, wearing the oddest of smirks on her face.

"I take it you two are looking for Ron," Ginny said casually. "The hypocrite is over there." She gestured over to a corner of the room where Ron certainly was but he wasn't alone. Lavender Brown was with him, their arms wrapped around each other. "He really has no idea what he's doing. It looks like he's eating her. Oh well. Good game, Harry."

To say that Harry was shocked was an understatement. He was actually glad that there were too many people around him so he couldn't sense whatever Ron was feeling because he really didn't want to know. What was Ron thinking? Lavender Brown? Since when did he have any interest in her? Hermione seemed to be thinking the same thing he was but she reacted completely different. At her sudden movement, Harry turned to see her hurrying out of the Common Room. All thought of attending the party vanished as he hurried after her.

"Hermione!" Harry said sympathetically as he reached for her arm but she hurried her pace. "Hermione, wait!"

Hermione didn't stop until she reached the first classroom, unlocked it and hurried in. Harry followed her but as soon as he entered the classroom, he was at a loss of what to do. He didn't have to reach out far in order to sense the shock, hurt and pain that was rolling off Hermione. He knew there had been something going on between Ron and Hermione but it really hadn't developed since Ron had taken on his 'I'm a prat, deal with it' attitude.

"I'm sorry, Hermione," Harry said softly as he placed his broom against the wall. "I—I—"

Hermione sniffled and let out a shaky laugh. "I must be an open book for you right now," she said in a wavering voice as she moved towards the desk and sat down on it. She didn't meet his eyes. Harry could pick up a hint of shame mixing in with her emotions. He watched as she pulled out her wand and started conjuring small twittering yellow birds. "It was a shock, that's all. I wasn't expecting him to…patch things up with everyone so quickly."

Harry let out a sigh as he flicked his wrist to have his wand in hand and joined Hermione on the desk. He knew this was her way of coping and decided that he could at least be here for her if she needed him. "I suppose the way he played today helped boost everyone's opinion of him," Harry said with a shrug as he started conjuring his own yellow birds. After a moment of silence, Harry glanced over at her. "Does Ron know you fancy him?"

Hermione let out a snort. "I doubt it," she said as she flicked her wand fiercely, conjuring another bird. "He rarely sees what's in front of him."

"Few people do," Harry offered as he banished his flock of birds then re-holstered his wand. "Very few people realize what they have before it's too late, Hermione. I know I'm the last person who should be giving advice about relationships but if you fancy him, then why don't you tell him?"

Hermione's shoulders slumped as she lowered her wand. "What if he doesn't feel the same way?" she asked so quietly that Harry had to strain to hear. "What if something goes wrong and our friendship is ruined? You would have to choose and I can't do that to you…I can't do that to us."

Harry wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, her head resting on his shoulder. He really didn't know what to say to that. Choose between Ron and Hermione? They were his best friends. Each of them brought something unique to their group. Ron brought humor, Hermione brought common sense and…well…Harry was still trying to figure out what he brought other than endless adventures. He didn't want to choose between them but could he really let Hermione not attempt a relationship with Ron because of him?

"What do you want, Hermione?" Harry asked at last. "If there was nothing other than your own feelings to consider, would you…well…try and have a go at it?"

"Would you?" Hermione countered.

Now that's a loaded question. The question could be answered two ways…serious or witty. Harry decided on witty. "No, I can't say I would," he said in all seriousness and noticed Hermione's shoulders hunch forward more. "Ron's really not my type, you know. I'm sure he's a great guy but I just can't see myself with my brother. That's just wrong on so many levels."

Hermione weakly jabbed Harry in the ribs while she let out a shaky laugh. "I can't believe you," she said and nudged him again. "You're horrible, Harry. You really are."

Both Harry and Hermione jumped as the door burst open to reveal two laughing figures. Waves of giddiness and embarrassment washed over Harry as Ron stumbled in, pulling Lavender by the hand. Ron's laughter quickly died at the sight of Harry and Hermione sitting on the desk with Harry's arm around Hermione. Lavender, though, giggled even more fiercely than before. Noticing the waves of pain and anger rolling off Hermione, Harry jumped off the desk and extended his hand to Hermione to help her off. She accepted, refusing to look at Harry in the face, the twittering birds still circling over her head.

"I think this is our cue to leave," Harry said to Hermione. "How about we visit Sirius and Remus?" Hermione nodded. "Maybe you can get me out of the lecture Sirius is bound to give me for last night?" he offered. "You have no idea how longwinded Sirius can be when he thinks I'm in danger."

"What are you talking about, Harry?" Ron asked in confusion. "What happened last night?"

Hermione finally looked at Ron, her eyes narrowing in anger. "Harry was attacked by Malfoy last night," she said stiffly, "because someone was being a prat and ignored the promise we made to never leave Harry alone. Now, Harry has to try to convince Sirius that Hogwarts is safe enough for him to stay in school. I hope you're happy."

Ron quickly looked at Harry in horror but Harry avoided Ron's gaze. He didn't want another argument to start and hated that Hermione was making the situation out to be worse than it actually was but knew that contradicting Hermione wouldn't be the smartest action to take. He needed to get her away from Ron before she said something she was bound to regret. "Let's go, Hermione," Harry said gently. "We can even have a talk with Remus about our Potions homework if you want."

Hermione's gaze shifted to Harry before she nodded and walked towards the door. Harry followed suit, picking up his broom on the way. All of the positive emotions from Ron had been replaced with immense guilt. Harry hated that feeling. He knew that Ron probably deserved to feel the way he did for the way he had treated everyone, especially Hermione, but that didn't mean he didn't sympathize with how Ron was feeling.

They were nearly at the door when Hermione quickly turned around and pointed her wand directly at Ron. "Oppugno!" she yelled, causing all of the birds that had been around her head to attack Ron then pulled Harry out of the room before Harry could do anything to stop it.

Harry didn't fight her. He knew that Hermione rarely acted out like this unless she was extremely angry. As soon as they reached the staircases, Harry had regained his senses and pulled Hermione close, not caring who saw them. Hermione was hurting and that was what was important. He didn't know how to help her through this but was prepared to do what he could. This was definitely new territory for him and he was extremely glad that, at the moment, he was too busy to think about fancying anyone.