Chapter 6: Quidditch

Notes: Hi everyone! I'm so sorry for disappearing for uhhh five months :0 whoops! I had to take a break from writing for a while, but I'm back now and i'm inspired to write! I'm uploading 2 chapters today bc i love you all and you deserve it for putting up with me lol. I hope to get back into a weekly update schedule. Thank you to everyone reading and following my story. Anyway I hope you like these new chapters

The following day Hermione wrote a brief letter to Fred, telling him about her trip to Hogsmeade. She decided to start with her trip to the oddly deserted Zonkos, as well as detailing Harry's run in with Mundungus Fletcher. Then after some consideration, she told him what had happened with Katie Bell. She put the letter in a parcel with the quills and sent it off early in the morning. She spent the rest of the day studying in her alcove, only leaving to eat and turn in for the day. Her emotions had been running rampant since the incident and she found herself wanting to limit her interactions with everyone to a minimum. She wanted to talk to Harry about what had happened the previous day. However, when she got back to the common room, he was already gone for his meeting with Dumbledore.

The next day at breakfast she had gotten another brightly coloured letter from Fred, as well as a small sack containing a few Galleons and Sickles. The letter read:

Hermione,

Oh Merlin...that's horrible what happened to Katie, I can't even imagine how it must've been. I'm sure recounting it was not an easy task, but thank you for telling me. Katie is a really important friend to us.

I've attached reimbursement for the quills, thanks so much for that by the way. Regarding Zonko's lack of business, I can't say that I'm all that surprised. We've heard they might close down for a while due to the threat of You-Know-Who hovering over all of our heads. After what happened with Katie, I'm betting that a few more shops are gonna do the same. Do stay safe, being the chosen one's friend has already gotten you into some dangerous situations.

I'm sure this is going to sound horribly insensitive, but the first quidditch match of the year should be happening soon if I'm correct. Do you know what Harry's planning to do now that he's missing a chaser?

Well… that felt insensitive even while writing it. Sorry about that.

Anyway please keep me up to date with how Katie is doing.

Sincerely,

Fred

Hermione decided she would send a reply back during her free period, seeing as she recently found out that Katie was moved to St. Mungos. The day trudged along rather uneventfully. The only thing of interest was during Herbology, when Harry told her and Ron about his meeting with Professor Dumbledore. Hermione shivered at the thought of a young Voldemort and his innate need for power even as a child. The conversation went even farther south when she and Ron got in a row about Slughorn's Christmas party. Ron sneered at her saying she and Cormac Mclaggen would be the perfect king and queen slug. Once the class was over, she stormed back to the castle without waiting for Harry. She decided to forego lunch and go straight to the alcove to draft a letter back to Fred.

Dear Fred,

I can't help but be worried about Katie. Professor McGonagall assured me she is getting the best care - they transferred her to St. Mungo's late last night.

As for Quidditch, I am not sure what Harry is going to do. He doesn't really talk to me about such things, due to my lack of interest. However, I will let you know what ends up happening. Speaking of Quidditch, I actually met Gwenog Jones at the last Slug Club meeting. I wanted to tell the boys about it, but they're preoccupied with other things at the moment. I figured at least you'd be interested to know.

She hesitated, then added one more line.

Please stay safe as well.

Sincerely,

Hermione Granger

Once she sent the letter out, she decided she would spend the rest of her afternoon in the common room, working on the mountains of Potions and Arithmancy homework waiting for her. The next morning she had her reply in a pastel pink envelope.

To the Hermioniest Hermione,

Thank you for keeping us updated about Katie! We'll have to go visit her on our next day off.

Gwenog Jones! Wow! That's brilliant! Slughorn must be someone pretty impressive to get her to make her way up to Hogwarts! Oh man, if I knew you'd meet her I'd have sent you a million questions to ask her for me.

But honestly, I actually forgot that you don't keep up with Quidditch, since you were always around for practices. Out of curiosity, what is it about Quidditch that you don't like? Is it because you're afraid of flying? I feel as though flying is one of the most incredible things you could do in the wizarding world!

I can't believe I haven't asked this yet, but which classes are you taking this year?

Sincerely,

The Frediest Fred

P.S. If those idiots aren't giving you attention, I recommend a swift kick to the arse.

Hermione couldn't help but smile at the letter. She reread the last line and chuckled softly. She looked up at the two "idiots" in question. Harry was deeply studying the Half Blood Prince's book once again, while Ron was being fed bacon by Lavender. Hermione groaned inwardly and thanked Merlin that she had a free period before Charms. She grabbed a scone and started off toward the alcove. After pulling out all her study materials, Hermione decided to write back to Fred before she got into her readings. She pulled out a sheet of parchment and a bottle of ink, double checking she hadn't grabbed the color changing ink again, and began to write.

Dear Fred,

I am currently taking in Transfiguration, Charms, Herbology, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Arithmancy, and Ancient Runes. I honestly have no idea how I have time to write back to you, since I'm being constantly bombarded with assignments. I'm glad I've picked up nonverbal spellcasting well enough. I don't think I would be keeping up if that weren't the case. It seems every class has been transitioning to them.

To clarify, I am not afraid of flying. I am afraid of falling. I actually think the sensation of flying would be rather invigorating, if it wasn't conducted on something so unstable such as a broomstick or thestral. The uncertainty, in addition to being so far above the ground, makes me nauseous. The fear definitely outweighs the desire to fly again. If there was a way to fly, but stay firmly planted on the ground, I would sign up without hesitation.

I would also like to point out my disinterest in Quidditch has nothing to do with my fear. I have tried reading about it, but I can't help but find the whole sport rather confusing. Not to mention, it's basically all we talk about during the Slug Club meetings because of that imbecile, Cormac McLaggen. But in all honesty, I've never really found any sports I was really interested in. Even in the muggle world.

Best regards,

Hermione Granger

She read through her letter and deemed it good enough. She put it aside and decided that she would send it out later. She cracked open her Charms textbook to start on her homework, she was struggling with conjuration magic and she wanted to get some practice in before she went to Transfiguration.

A week went by after Hermione sent out her letter without a response. Around the fourth day without having heard back from Fred, she began to worry. Had she offended him with her letter? For the next few days, she tried to push this thought out of her mind, to no avail. Did Fred recall how much of a "spoil sport" she was? Why had she complained about Quidditch to him? It was his favorite sport! Of course he's upset!

It wasn't until the day before the first Quidditch match of the year, when she got a violently purple envelope and a small package during the morning post.

To a most likely horribly overworked Hermione,

How are you even alive!?

That is such a heavy class schedule! You really undersold how stressed you were. To be fair, if there is anyone at that school who could deal with all those classes, it's you! I'm not surprised you've already got the hang of nonverbal spells.

Sorry it took me so long to write back, but I was hit with an incredible stroke of inspiration! I've attached to this letter the first ever Themed Daydream Charm! It's still in the test phase so it might not be as clean cut as the one you tried before, but it should be harmless. It's a Flight Experience charm! I started looking into it after your last letter. It's a way for you to fly "but stay firmly planted on the ground." We used samples from our own memories to make the experience, so in theory, you won't have the fear of falling! We can't really test it out ourselves because of this. But I'm fairly sure it should work. Maybe this will help change your opinion on Quidditch ;) Anyway let me know what you think!

Signed,

The Beautiful Genius that is Fred Weasley.

P.S. Bloody hell. Cormac Mclaggen? That prat? I remember him, he was insufferable. He'd complain after every game how he would've played better than Wood. My only regret was that I didn't deck him when I had the chance. The fact that you haven't jinxed him yet is a testament to how patient you are.

She stared at the letter and the little parcel. She couldn't believe what she had read. Her eyes ran over his distinct handwriting again and again. She felt her face begin to warm up. He had made a flying charm for her…

She shook her head. No. it wasn't 'for her' it was inspired by her! Still, she couldn't help but to feel incredibly touched. She pocketed the small parcel, resolute to try it out after she finished her work that evening. All throughout her classes, the charm lingered in her mind. During her free periods she was tempted to rush off to the alcove and try it, but her academic side got the best of her.

It wasn't until she went up to the girls dormitory to turn in, did she have time to unwind. Unfortunately, Parvati and Lavender were in the room. Their boisterous conversation immediately switched to hushed tones when Hermione walked in, both of them shooting her glances and giggling. She immediately made her way to her four poster and drew the curtains. Ever since Lavender and Ron began to date, she and Parvati would talk about Hermione constantly. She heard Lavender whisper "..so stuck up" before casting Silencio on the drapes around her.

She sighed and lay back against the back of the bed. She opened up the parcel she had received in the mail and turned out its contents into her hand. It was a small black drawstring bag, which she quickly opened up. She reached in and pulled out the beaded bracelet, this time light blue in color with a little golden broom etched into one of the beads.

She bit her lip, she wasn't thrilled with the idea of flying again. She had already relented with Ron and Harry in the Burrow over the summer. She was forced played a two versus two game of Quidditch, which led to her almost falling off of her broom twice before she refused to play anymore. Maybe this would help her have a new perspective on the game tomorrow, she reasoned with herself. She rolled the beads between her fingers nervously. Would this really be able to counteract her fear? What if she was still scared on principle. She was about to put the charm back into its bag when she thought of Fred's letter. He wanted her to experience flying the way he did. Before Hermione could think twice she slipped the charm around her wrist and blinked.

And there she was. On a broom, hundreds and hundreds of feet in the air. She had never been this high off the ground before, but instead of wanting to scream, she felt rather peaceful. She looked around and found herself above a beautiful field, right off the coast of a sparkling sea. The world was lit in tones of reds and oranges by the setting sun. With a deep breath, she leaned forward onto the broom and took off. It was incredible, the wind whipped around her face and through her hair. She felt completely and utterly free, whooping with laughter and weaving through the air. She let herself fly in a loop, an experience she noted, was similar to that of a roller coaster she had gone on as a little girl.

Hermione braced herself as she dove towards the ground, copying the trick she had seen Harry perform many times. When she started getting close to the ground she pulled up and steadied herself. The thrill of it all left her grinning from ear to ear. She began to try another trick she had seen the boys perform when suddenly she found herself back in her bed. The twins must have applied the soothing charm, because she was surprised that she wasn't buzzing with adrenaline. She was speechless. That was nothing like she had ever experienced. It was definitely not like her past attempts at flying. It wasn't the terrifying feeling of latching on to an invisible thestral or the shakiness of riding a broomstick. It was breathtaking and exhilarating. It was truly, by all definitions of the word, magical.