The last class she had that day, was flying class with Madam Hooch, a witch with cat like eyes and grey short hair, sticking in every direction. When they reached the grounds, she told everyone to stand next to a broom that laid spread across the grounds. Hermione and Katie took the last ones as she looked back at Madam Hooch and listened to her as she explained the first steps.
She put her hand over the broom and took in a deep breath, before calling out: "Up!"
The broom lay still on the ground not moving a twig. She looked around and saw that only two people managed to get it up in their grasp. Katie and a boy from Hufflepuff. Katie smiled happily, which made her mimic her expression. She focused back on the broom, after four more tries the broom flew up in her hand. Finally. She thought to herself. She looked up and saw Katie giving her a thumbs up. After about five minutes later everyone held a broom in their hands.
"Now everyone, mount your broom." Madam Hooch said as she walked past the students, watching their form. Hermione bit her lip nervously as she watched the other students climb their broom with ease.
"Hey, Hermione? You'll be fine." Katie placed her hand reassuringly on her shoulder. She swallowed thickly and nodded before looking back at her broom. She swung her leg over the broom and clenched her hands tightly around the handle.
"Now that everyone is in the right position. You can pull the broom up for a few seconds and back down. Just a slight nudge up, not too far."
Hermione again waited for the other students to start. A few of them dared to go a bit higher but most kids just flew a few inches above the ground. Her knuckles started to go white from her grip on the broom.
"Miss Granger, you need to relax. Loosen your grip." Hermione's head snapped up to the Professor in surprise. She loosened her grip and shuffled a bit on the broom. "Now just tilt the broom up. That's it." Hermione's grip became tighter again as her feet left the ground. She was just starting to lean down again when an explosion happened behind her. Because of the unexpected noise, Hermione pulled her broom up quickly and shot up in the air screaming. She was so scared she didn't hear the other students shout or madam Hooch trying to calm her down. She swerved from left to right, not being able to control the broom. Down on the ground Katie quickly pressed her broom in Madam Hooch's hands. She was just getting on the broom when Hermione flew against a tree. Her head banged on a branch and before everything turned black, she heard shouts coming closer.
"HERMIONE!"
"GRANGER!"
HG
Hermione woke up on something soft, hearing voices near her.
"You think she'll be alright?" Katie asked right next to her.
"Pomfrey said she'll be fine." Fred's voice was heard.
"This all our fault! Mum is going to kill us, Mrs. Granger too." George said on her other side.
Hermione frowned before she opened her eyes. From her position in the bed, she saw several neatly made beds pushed against the walls, she made out that she way laying in the hospital wing. Three sets of eyes looked at her with worry.
"Why is it your fault?" Hermione croaked as she sat up, wincing at the pain in her side.
"Here, madam Pomfrey said you need to take this for the pain, the moment you wake up." Katie handed her a vial and she drank it quickly, pulling a face as the bitter liquid made its way down her throat. She felt the pain subside immediately and smiled as she passed the vial back to Katie. She turned back to the twins glaring.
"So, tell me."
"Fred and I were in the courtyard to- "
"Prank Filch. The explosion wasn't supposed to be that big." Fred added with a shrug.
"What were you trying to explode?" Hermione said, anger rising.
"Not something, there were exploding peppers. We just tried to enhance them."
"So instead of giving Filch and irritable red rash you exploded him!"
"We didn't explode him! Calm down little Granger." Fred started to get angry himself.
"Calm down?" She shouted, glaring at the elder twin. "Calm down!? Because of you, I'm in the hospital wing on my first day!"
"What is going on in here?" Madam Pomfrey hurried over quickly. "You two out!" She pointed at the twins. Fred jumped to his feet and walked out. George looked worried at his twin before standing up slowly, looking at Hermione.
"I'm sorry Hermione. I really am."
"I know George." She gave him a small smile. "At least one of you is."
"I'll talk to him." He gave her reassuring squeeze on her shoulder.
"No, it's okay. If he doesn't think he did anything wrong... You probably can't change his mind. Just... keep him away from me."
George frowned a bit before giving her a small nod and followed his twin out. Madam Pomfrey turned back to Hermione once the doors closed behind the second twin.
"I want you to stay over for tonight, just to make sure you don't have a concussion. Miss Bell can stay until curfew. I can get some food delivered here."
"Thank you." The girls said in unison and the healer walked back to her chambers.
HG
The next few weeks Hermione didn't talk to Fred. She acknowledged him when she would talk to George, but they never struck a conversation. She saw that George had a difficult time with it so she tried to stay away from both of them, so she would not make it harder for George. Angelina and Katie still talked to her, but mostly sat with the twins. Hermione threw herself at homework and her still budding friendship with Katie. Katie tried to talk about it with her but stopped the moment she shot her a pointed glare. Katie backed off a bit and spent some time with Angelina and Alicia as she dived back in her schoolwork. Ever since that faithful day she hasn't mounted a broom, Professor McGonagall let her drop the class when she heard what happened and after she tried to convince her to try again, but to no avail.
HG
"Hermione, do you want to come with me?" Katie asked as they sat in the library. She looked up confused, brows knit. "To quidditch try-outs. Angelina and Alicia are trying out... and the twins."
"Oh." She wanted to talk to George anyway and wanted to see the two older girls try out. "Yeah sure."
"Brilliant! Let's go, it starts in 10 minutes." Katie said already packing. Hermione chuckled as she rolled up her parchment and put her books in her bag. They hurried over the grounds towards the pitch. When they arrived, Charlie smiled and waved at them as they passed and sat in the stands. There was a bunch of older students she didn't know, all bunched up together as they waited on Charlie to start.
"Charlie is the quidditch captain." Katie explained. "He's the seeker. That tall boy next to him is Oliver Wood, he plays keeper, the one on the other side is Astrix Alixan, chaser. They are looking for two new beaters and two new chasers."
"What are Angelina and Alicia trying out for?" She asked as she looked at the group.
"Chaser. Fred and George, beaters. But there are quite a lot trying out." Katie tapped nervously with her feet. "I want to try out next year."
"Really? I think you'll do great Katie." She smiled at her friend. Katie beamed at her before turning back to the pitch. Angelina and Katie waved as they saw them. They waved enthusiastically back and gave them a thumbs up. Fred and George followed their gaze and George grinned as he saw them, Fred turned his attention back to his older brother.
HG
Charlie let the chasers try out first. So the rest stepped aside and about 7 people still stood there. Charlie, Oliver and Astrix flew up on their brooms and the others followed. Oliver guarded the goal posts, Astrix took the quaffle and Charlie pulled out a beaters bat. They first let them start by trying to score goals. The two with the least goals could step aside and that was the case for a 4th year boy named Kevin and a 7th year girl, Lisa. The next step was evading bludgers and trying to keep the quaffle between them and Astrix.
"Go Alicia!"
"Go Angelina." They shouted as the two girls worked perfectly together as they passed the quaffle between them and Astrix, easily avoiding the bludger Charlie send at them. "If they don't get in, I'll need to have some strong words with yet another Weasley."
Katie laughed as the group landed back on the ground. They leaned over the banister to hear Charlie's answer.
"Great work everyone. After the beaters try-out's, I'll let everyone know who made the team."
Hermione and Katie grunted as they fell back against the bench. They saw the twins and the other try-outs climb their broom and pick up a beater's bat out the chest and fly up. Six wannabe beaters were circling the air waiting for the others to come up. Charlie made them team up, the twins of course together and made them do practice shots.
"Fred and George almost look bored." Katie said pointing at the twins. Hermione followed her gaze and it indeed looked that way. The twins lazily hitting the ball through the hoops, like they have been doing it for years, which they obviously did.
"George told me they play a lot a home."
"That explains it." Katie said as Charlie instructed them to try and hit him, Oliver or Astrix. The most of them failed miserably, not even coming close. Marc, two years higher than her got close, but it was the twins who stole the show. They worked in perfectly in sync and knew exactly what the other was going to do. They hit Oliver's brooms tail and it started spinning. The bludger hit Astrix broom from below and it hit in right on the nose and Charlie got the bludger right in his stomach. Hermione gasped as she leaned forward looking at Charlie. Charlie landed, rubbing his stomach before he grinned and clapped the twins on their backs. Hermione let out a breath of relief, falling back in her seat.
"Come on, let's get down." Katie said, pulling her up impatiently.
When they arrived at the group, they were putting the equipment away. Hermione sauntered off to Charlie.
"Hey Hermione. Enjoyed the show?" Charlie grinned.
"A bit gruesome."
"Can be." He shrugged.
"Are you alright?" She asked, pointing at his stomach.
"Just a bit bruised. I'm used to it."
"So, who are you going to pick?"
"You'll just have to wait like the rest of them missy." Charlie laughed and bopped her nose. "I heard you and Fred had a spat?"
"Oh." Hermione looked around to see that no one was listening in, as they talked amongst themselves. "It was not that bad, but we were just not meant to be friends."
"What about George?"
"We're friends, sort of. I kind of backed off, because I saw it was hard for him when we ignore each other in front of him. And besides they only tried to become friends because of your mother."
"Maybe..." Charlie said as he looked over at the twins, who were watching them. "But I think George sees you as a friend, a real friend. Fred... well. You are indeed very different from each other but so are you and George."
"I know, but George, he has always been kinder. Fred, not that he's mean but sometimes the things he says really hurts. Back in primary school I've been bullied a lot and maybe I'm just overly sensitive about it."
"No, Hermione." Charlie placed his hand on her shoulder, making her look up. "Do they know? Does Fred know?"
"About me being bullied... No. Why would I tell them?"
"I think that Fred would pay more attention on what he is saying if he knew."
"That still doesn't change the way he sees me." She said shaking her head. "Just announce your new team players, they are getting anxious." Hermione stepped away and went to stand next to Angelina, Katie on Alicia's side.
Charlie looked at her for a moment before clearing his throat. "Thank you all for coming, sadly we can only pick two chasers and two beaters. For the chasers it will be... Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet!"
"Congratulations Angelina!" Hermione gave her a quick hug before switching with Katie and hugged Alicia. "You too, Alicia."
"Thanks Hermione." Alicia smiled as she pulled back. The twins came up behind her. George placing his arms around Alicia and her and Fred doing the same with Angelina and Katie.
"Congrats girls!" They chorused.
"Okay, now the beaters!" The twins quickly let go and looked anxiously at their brother. "Fred and George Weasley!"
"No surprise there." Fred grinned and walked up to Charlie clapping him on the back.
"We are just that amazing." George chimed in, making the girls and Charlie roll their eyes.
"Let's get something to eat, alright?" Charlie chuckled, shaking his head.
HG
"Hey George!" Hermione had to run a bit to meet his pace. "Congratulations, you did amazing."
"Thanks Hermione. I'm happy you came to watch. I'm sure the girls appreciated it too."
"I-" Hermione started but closed her mouth when Fred appeared next to his twin. "I think Katie called for me. Bye." She said at the flabbergasted George and walked back to Katie and the girls. Charlie saw the whole ordeal and walked up to his younger brothers.
"Boys." He said placing his arms over their shoulders. "We need to talk."