Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Not mine. HP and it's characters are the sole property of JKR and I promise to return them to her once I'm done playing with them. Although to be honest, I wouldn't mind stealing both Harry and Hermione and giving them a piece of my mind. Hopefully, I'll make them see how perfect they are for each other… ;)

A/N: Thank you Maria (MarsPotter) for helping me with the story and for keeping me motivated and on my toes. This story wouldn't have made it this far without your help.

Read, review and let me know what you think. Also, fair warning in case I haven't been clear yet, I don't hate Ron. I think he's a flawed character, sure, but he does have his redeeming qualities. So hopefully, I've managed to make him a bit more likeable here. And again, this IS a fanfic...so this is how I'm imagining things going. Doesn't mean you have to like it but it also doesn't give you license for being rude. And even though it may not seem so, I don't hate Ginny either...although she is definitely lower on my list of fave characters than Ron is.

Anyway, hope you guys enjoy...

"Harry…?" A hesitant voice called out just as he was getting ready to pour out his usual cup of tea. Ron. Huh. How unexpected. Usually after one of their rows, it took a lot longer for him to come around. Although to be fair, this time (unlike all the other times they'd rowed) he'd at least been trying; in his own 'Ron' way; to make amends.

Doing his homework, asking Hermione for help and then defending Harry to Professor McGonagall were all great ways of saying that he was sorry. The problem was, after everything that had gone down, Hermione seemed to be in no particular mood to go along with his efforts - yet. (Harry knew she'd come around, she always did. But it looked like this time around she had decided to make Ron work for her forgiveness and who could blame her for it?) "Mate, you got a minute?"

It was Saturday, the morning of their game against Ravenclaw and Harry had been busy running plays, planning maneuvers and strategies in his head. He usually liked to be left alone before the games so that he could clear his head of any and all distractions. But seeing as Ron was their one and only keeper - not to mention, one of his best friends, (and given that he seemed to be making a genuine attempt at reconciliation) it wouldn't do for them to be at odds with each other - especially not on the day of a match. Keeping that in mind Harry turned and gave his mate his full attention.

"Uh, sure." Harry responded hesitantly. To be honest he wasn't sure yet if he was entirely okay with how Ron had treated Hermione. As a result he'd largely ignored Ron's efforts at garnering his attention so far and instead had spent most of his free time with Hermione. Naturally. But that didn't mean he hadn't missed his best mate.

Of course, spending all that extra time with Hermione (lately) came with its own set of...perks. And that was another thing - the 'perks'. He couldn't help but feel like he was beginning to enjoy those a little too much. And that in turn made him feel more than a bit guilty. Ron might be a sodding git at times but he didn't deserve to have his best mate make out (Make out? That seemed like too tame a word for what Harry and Hermione had done, didn't it?) with the girl he was interested in.

Since the whole purpose of the 'Plan' was for Ron to realize his stupidity and subsequently declare his undying love for Hermione, then what they'd done by the lake (and even before that, on the Quidditch pitch) could be construed as highly duplicitous behavior on their part – no matter their 'noble' intentions. As a result of their actions, if Ron and Hermione did end up getting together, Harry was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to look either of them in the eye for – pretty much forever – knowing how much he had enjoyed this new..er…dynamic that he and Hermione seemed to have developed recently.

"What did you want to talk about?" Harry questioned brusquely, trying to bring his mind back to the matter at hand. He really didn't want to be thinking of Hermione right now…or the activities they'd indulged in; not in front of what felt like the whole school and especially not Ron.

He squirmed, his cheeks turning a dull red. Just thinking of his and Hermione's intimate encounter by the lake was making him feel distinctly… hot and bothered.

"Erm, Harry?" Ron's voice broke him out of his stupor.

"Yes, yes…" Harry exclaimed hurriedly. "Go on…"

"I…I…wanted to apologize." Ron blurted out, his gaze fixed on the ground.

"Okaaay…?" Harry drawled slowly.

"I'm a huge prat!"

"Er…not that I disagree with you in any way," he couldn't resist his snark, "but can you please be a little more specific about why you think you're being a prat in this particular instance?" Really, Harry wasn't trying to be a git. He just wanted to make sure he and Ron were on the same page. Their history had proved - time and again - that this wasn't always the case where the two of them were concerned.

Thankfully Ron didn't take exception at his words. "Mainly because of…er…what I said about you and Hermione the other day."

"Oh." This was progress. Harry was glad that Ron at least seemed aware of the fact that he'd acted badly. "I'm glad that you cottoned on. But frankly, I don't think I'm the one you should be apologizing to. After all, Hermione was the one you really hurt." Harry pointed out grimly.

"I know." Ron acknowledged. "And as soon as I see her, I'm going to fall at her feet and beg her for her forgiveness if I have to, believe me. But you're wrong. I need to say sorry to you as well."

"Oh?"

"Well...I did kinda imply that you were deliberately lying to me and sneaking around behind my back and that you were an arse for doing so..."

Harry stared at him in exasperation.

"And I'm really, really sorry about that." Ron went on hurriedly. "Also, I feel terrible for coming across as an entitled prick as well…"

"Ron…" Harry couldn't help but sigh.

"I know, I know. I'm the worst." Ron moaned.

"You're not the worst." Harry protested. "At least you're not, most of the time."

"Gee thanks." Ron drawled. "Arse."

"Oi! Calling names is no way to apologize to a bloke, you know?"

"Well then, add it to the list of things I'm apologizing for." Ron responded drolly.

Harry grinned, finally giving up the effort to appear distant. "In that case, I forgive you. And really, I appreciate you standing up to McGonagall for me the other day, mate. That was brave of you. Foolish; but brave." He was infinitely glad to have his best friend back. That's how blokes were. They didn't hold onto resentments and grudges. They just forgave and moved on – unlike girls. Besides, anyone willing to face the wrath of Professor McGonagall to save him from detention was definitely worth cutting some slack for in his books.

"Are you kidding me?" Ron exclaimed animatedly, his body language mirroring Harry's relief at having their argument dealt with. "I was getting ready to curse the Ferret too, believe me. You just beat me to the punch. And bloody hell, you were brilliant, mate. A bit scary, sure, but still brilliant." Ron grinned approvingly.

"Err, thanks?" Harry grinned right back.

"Being with Hermione seems to have had a positive effect on you."

Harry fidgeted uncomfortably, fighting to keep his smile firmly in place. He'd never realized how bad lying to his best friend (willingly) would make him feel.

Thankfully, Ron didn't seem to notice his discomfort. "Er, listen mate," he said. "That's the other thing I wanted to say to you as well. It's…it's none of my business who you date."

"Ron…" Harry protested.

"No, Harry, hear me out," Ron interrupted him, sounding as if he was making an effort to get his point across. "You and Hermione are both my best friends. Despite that fact, neither of you actually need my permission to see whoever you want to. I...I don't want to lose your friendship - neither yours nor Hermione's. And Lav made me realize that I'm in danger of doing just that; pushing both of you away; by letting my jealousy and stupid insecurity get in the way. I...I just figured that I may lose one or both of you if I don't get my act together and I can't just stand by and let that happen. Besides, I know I can be a giant pain in the arse at times but I do want both of you to be happy. Always."

Harry was strangely moved. Despite Ron's legendary temper and his tendency to feel weirdly competitive where Harry was concerned, it was obvious that he did care for Harry very deeply.

"The thing is, I've been watching you and Hermione over the last few days and I have to say, I've never seen either of you happier than you've been lately." Ron continued gruffly. "I…I guess, what I'm trying to say is, if she makes you happy, then you should be with her. And fuck anyone – including me – who has a problem with it."

Harry didn't know what to say. This was one of the rare occasions in their entire acquaintance that Ron had really and truly surprised him.

"Thanks for saying that, Mate." Harry stood up and held out his hand for a manly shake, feeling touched by Ron's words. Bugger. How had his red-headed friend become so rational and mature all of a sudden? Hermione would probably have to upgrade his emotional range to that of a ladle now.

And speaking of Hermione… she was not going to be happy with this development, was she? She'd gone to a whole bunch of trouble – hatching a plan, executing it, pretending to date Harry – all for the express purpose of getting Ron's attention and making him jealous. And it seemed to have backfired...spectacularly. Here was Ron, being all mature about it, sod it. She was going to lose her everloving mind over this. But would she want to put a stop to the rest of their plan as well? Probably. It would make the most sense, wouldn't it? But Merlin, he really hoped that she wouldn't. And what kind of a person did that make him? He was too scared to ask that question, even of himself.

Thankfully (not so much for his peace of mind!) Hermione chose that very moment to walk in through the doors of the Great Hall. One look at her and his brain ground to a halt, his breath stuttered and his ability to speak deserted him entirely. Bloody fucking hell!

She was wearing one of his older Quidditch jerseys like they'd discussed during their picnic last week. He'd given it to her the previous evening and she seemed to have made certain modifications to the design that made it look like it'd been made just for her. The new shape and cut that she'd managed to create seemed to mold lovingly to all her curves, accentuating them spectacularly. She looked…fabulous was too mild a word for it. Sexy or hot would be more apt.

He could feel his whole face heating up. Bloody hell, this was Hermione! (It felt like he'd had to remind himself of that fact multiple times lately! Also, when did he start noticing her curves!? Not to mention… the sight of her in his clothes – it was doing strange things to his insides.) He felt oddly thrilled – her wearing his Quidditch jersey was a bold statement and no one could mistake the significance of such an action. He also felt incredibly possessive – like she belonged to him and him alone. Oh Merlin, he was soooo fucked!

He hurriedly straightened himself and prayed that no one had noticed his…er … distraction.

"Bloody hell, Harry!" Ron whispered in awe, effectively saving Harry from gawking at his supposed girlfriend way too creepily. "She's wearing your jersey! That is so hot!"

Harry felt obliged to smack Ron (Even though he'd been thinking that very same thing himself. Still…Ron had no business noticing such things about her, did he?) "Oi! Stop drooling over my girlfriend!" He reprimanded. (How wrong was it that he felt a thrill of satisfaction at calling her his girlfriend?)

"Sorry." Ron apologized, not sounding the least bit sorry. "Seriously, when did Hermione stop being, you know, Hermione and start being this hot bird all of a sudden?"

Harry knew exactly what Ron was talking about. And he was glad he was not the only one having this problem of suddenly realizing that Hermione had grown up into a gorgeous young woman almost overnight. At the same time, he was not happy that Ron was finally starting to notice this fact…not happy at all.

"Seriously mate, you need to stop ogling her!" Harry reiterated grumpily.

"Okay okay…geez…I don't mean to be disrespectful. You're a lucky bloke, I hope you know that." Ron sounded much more sincere this time.

Merlin, if only he knew the truth! It was actually Ron that was the lucky one, not him! (God, why did that thought make him want to curl up in a ball and bawl his eyes out?)

"Guess I better go and beg for her forgiveness then, eh?" Ron questioned sheepishly.

Harry nodded, trying to put aside his own insecurities and be a supportive friend. He did not envy Ron this task in the least. Hermione wasn't a forgiving person (at least as far as Ron was concerned) at the best of times and lately, her murderous tendencies seemed a bit…enhanced. Case in point – the infamous 'Attack of the birds.'

Ron gulped nervously, clearly shoring up his courage. "Here, I go then. I really want to get this over with before the match." He thumped Harry on the back. "Wish me luck Harry."

"Good luck." Harry responded sincerely, managing to shove away his misgivings for the time being.

"Seriously though, you need to tell me how you convinced her to wear your jersey later, alright?" Ron whispered teasingly, while slowly edging away. "It is so hot!" He yelled out a bit more loudly, running away from Harry who'd raised his hand to smack him, laughingly.

Harry couldn't help but smile. Ron was clearly back to his usual antics. And surprisingly, his behavior and attitude seemed genuine. Despite everything, he'd missed him and his idiotic tendencies!

He observed from a distance as Ron approached Hermione tentatively. Whatever was said between them, it must've been the right thing to say because Hermione gave Ron a small smile in response. That smile seemed to put Ron at ease; his own answering smile was blinding.

Harry found himself feeling a mixed bag of emotions. A large part of him was relieved, truth be told. Being friends with Hermione and Ron, he'd found himself (several times over the course of their association) in the rather precarious position of having to play mediator to two warring factions both of whom always believed that they were right. It was not an easy job.

At the same time, he couldn't help but feel a tiny frisson of unease. Ron and Hermione had made up. And Ron had finally begun to take notice of the fact that their mutual best friend had grown up into a beautiful young woman. How long would it take for him to realize that he was just wasting his time with Lavender; that he was much better off pursuing Hermione instead? This…Hermione and Ron making-up… felt like the beginning of the end for their charade.

He watched Hermione and Ron moving closer to the table, smiling and chatting comfortably and his unease went up several notches. He got more and more tense, mentally gearing himself for a blow…

"Good Morning, Harry!" Ginny called out, having just walked over to the Gryffindor table for breakfast. Harry flinched, his attention finally shifting away from his best friends' approaching figures.

He turned towards Ginny and gave her a cursory smile. The smile she gave him in return was brilliant – the kind of smile that would have succeeded in making him weak in the knees just a few weeks ago. Surprisingly, it had very little effect on him now. Must be due to the pre-match jitters. It had absolutely nothing to do with Hermione and his confused emotions regarding her or with his out of control hormones. Nope. Not at all.

"Morning Ginny." He responded, taking care to sound at least halfway interested. His eyes in the meantime, went back to Hermione and Ron who were now sitting opposite him, chatting animatedly. "Ready for the big game?"

"You bet I am!" Ginny answered smartly, sliding into the seat right next to him. He darted yet another look at Hermione, only to see her give Ginny an indecipherable look. Then as if noticing Harry's eyes on her, she turned toward him and gave him a wan smile in response.

He frowned. She'd just been talking to Ron enthusiastically but she could barely be bothered to give him a proper smile? Fabulous. Just fucking fabulous! Not just that… as soon as she saw him her good mood seemed to have completely disappeared. Here it was, the blow he'd been expecting.

Feeling sick to his stomach, he stood up from the table abruptly and gathered his broom and gloves.

"Harry! Where're you going?" Ginny called out as he made his way towards the main door. "Don't you want to eat something?"

"No. I'm…I'm fine." He was in no mood to eat anything. He'd suddenly lost all his appetite. "I'll see you guys out on the pitch in about 15 mins. Don't be late." He called out to his team and hurried away before anyone else could add in their own opinions or comments; his own mood, less than exemplary. It wouldn't take him to set him off and it wouldn't do, to make his teammates cross before the big game.

He changed into his Quidditch gear, looking forward to flying a few laps around the pitch before the start of the game. Flying was his favorite activity – his stress buster. A few moments in the air and he'd be charged up, his bad mood, all his troubles long forgotten.

Occupied in his own thoughts, he walked out of the locker room intent on getting into a better frame of mind before his team got there. Suddenly, a hand came out of nowhere and dragged him around the corner and towards the back of the locker rooms which was a dark and cold area, almost completely out of sight of the stadium and spectators.

"Wha…?" Harry exclaimed, startled.

"Shhh! Harry, it's me." Hermione whispered.

"Hermione!" He exclaimed. "What're you doing here?" He was still a bit wary about her reaction to him at the breakfast table but he also couldn't deny that quite suddenly he was feeling a whole lot better than he had a few moments before. Who needed to fly to improve their mood anyway? A visit from their best friend slash pretend girlfriend was way better!

"I came because…you ran out of the Great Hall so suddenly, I never got the chance to wish you good luck." Hermione exclaimed.

"Oh…yeah…sorry about that. But I mean, you seemed like you were a bit busy with Ron." Harry muttered, trying not to sound like a jealous prat, even though that's exactly what he was. Merlin save him!

"Oh that! He…Ron was just telling me how sorry he was for his behavior." Hermione explained softly. "We were just talking, is all. The silly git was being nice for once…"

Harry harrumphed, not knowing what to say without it sounding ridiculously petty.

"You…you believe me, don't you? It was just two friends trying to play catch up…" Hermione pleaded.

"Of course I believe you!" He stated emphatically. She'd never lie to him, he knew that. And he wasn't really worried about just one conversation. He was worried about the future. But he couldn't very well tell her that now, could he? "Besides, it's not any of my business is it? I mean, Ron's finally coming around. Our plan seems to be working." Merlin, he was such an utter moron! Why was he saying these things? It was almost like he was trying to push her into Ron's arms.

But once he started, he didn't know how to stop – like one of those runaway trains barreling down the track. He felt compelled to go on. "I mean, Ron even noticed how…er…nice you look in my jersey today. And you do." He added fervently. "You look so great!" He wished he could express his true feelings at seeing her in his clothes – his possessiveness, his jealousy, his lust; but he couldn't.

She blushed. "Thanks."

"So, er…like I was saying, Ron seems to finally be noticing you." Idiot – that's what he was. How else could his stupid obsession for dragging Ron into every conversation (and for no apparent reason!) be explained? And yet, he still went on. "It's just a matter of time before he breaks up with Lavender now."

"Uh, yeah…Sure."

Was it just wishful thinking on his part or did Hermione sound less than enthused about the topic?

"What…er…what did Ginny have to say this morning?"

Huh? Ginny? Where did that come from? "Oh, nothing. We were just talking about the game."

"Sure, sure. That makes sense. She's one of your…er…I mean, Gryffindor's star chasers after all." Hermione responded stiffly.

Uh oh. She sounded upset. Was it something he'd said? Done? She'd been fine a couple of minutes ago but now she was sounding dull and morose again. Merlin, he would probably never completely figure girls out, would he?

The sound of students walking down to the stands for the game reminded him that he was supposed to be talking to his team and leading them out onto the pitch for the game. He didn't want to leave her when she was upset but he didn't have much of a choice.

"Er, Hermione, can we talk later? I need to head out now."

"Oh! Yes, of course. Good luck, Harry." She wished, looking like there was something else she wanted to say.

"Thank you." Harry responded, pausing to see if she'd tell him what else was on her mind.

She didn't. Instead she turned away, still looking conflicted. Harry made a mental note to ask her what was wrong later, after the game was done. But he really didn't have the time to worry about her just then. He was already late. (Some Captain, huh? Arriving late for his first game...)

Before he could walk away though, Hermione turned back to him abruptly. "Harry!" she called urgently.

"Yes?"

She didn't say a word. Instead, she just threw her arms around him, rose up on her tiptoes and pulled him in for an abrupt kiss. Harry's insides swooped. His mind emptied. Game? What game? He could think of nothing except for her lips on his. It was the best feeling in the world – even better than flying! His broom and gloves clattered to the ground. He didn't care. He was too busy gathering her as close as was humanly possible.

His heart thudded with relief. She still wanted him. She wasn't done with him yet, thank Merlin!

His hands swept down her back, coming to rest on the curve of her buttocks. She moaned, deepening the kiss further. His body flamed to life, hardening in readiness.

From there, it seemed like the most natural thing in the world to pick her up, backing her up against the back wall of the locker room. He coaxed her to wrap her legs around his waist, until they were plastered together, not an inch of space between their two writhing bodies. The vee of her legs cradled him, his rigid cock brushing against the most intimate part of her. Holy hell! Even through all the layers separating them he could feel her blazing heat! He thrust against her instinctively, dying to feel more. To feel everything!

"Harry!" she moaned breathlessly, her body subconsciously mirroring his movement and building up a delicious friction between them that drove him absolutely crazy with want.

He wanted...he needed… Fucking hell – he was on fire for her. He wanted nothing more than to tear off her undergarments and thrust into her welcoming warmth. He couldn't even begin to imagine how good...how heavenly that would feel.

"Oi, Potter!" A voice called slyly, bringing him back to his senses. "Time to stop playing with your girlfriend and start playing Quidditch!"

Hermione pulled back from him almost violently; her face turning the color of his jersey in embarrassment. The entire Gryffindor team was standing behind them, gawking at Harry and Hermione with varying degrees of shock and amusement on their faces.

"Err…" He didn't know what to say. Or do. He was mortified.

"Good luck Harry!" Hermione whispered and darted away hurriedly without once meeting anyone's eye.

"Blimey Harry, was that Hermione?"

Harry glared at Ron. What kind of an idiot question was that?

"Our Hermione?" Ron continued, still seemingly unaware of how insulting his disbelief was - to both Harry and Hermione. Ginny knew though. And she decided that it was her job to educate her idiot brother. "OW!" He grumbled, rubbing the spot on his head where she had smacked him. "It's just that…Merlin's beard, from what I just saw... she's a little wild isn't she? Who'd have thought, our Hermione would be so...so adventurous, huh? Not me, that's for sure! Merlin, mate, you really lucked out!"

Harry's body definitely agreed with Ron – even now, after the embarrassment of being caught by their friends, he couldn't help but wish that he'd gotten a few extra minutes alone with her! On the other hand, his brain couldn't help but take offense. Especially on Hermione's behalf.

"Ron!" he groaned, rubbing his face with both his palms, while desperately willing his body to calm down. Riding a broom in his current state of arousal was going to be sheer torture!

"Sorry," Ron grinned slyly, once again not seeming all that apologetic about his obnoxious behavior. Harry had a feeling he was enjoying getting back at them for all the flack they'd given him over his make out sessions with Lavender. "It's just…everyone's waiting on you, mate."

Not deigning to answer in any way, Harry wordlessly bent down and gathered his broom and gloves from the floor, his head still reeling from his and Hermione's latest encounter.

Ron as usual had no sense of boundaries though. "Mate, you two were just going at it, weren't you? Blimey, it's always the studious ones, innit, you lucky dog!" He observed with a smirk.

"Shut up, Ron!" Harry snapped in annoyance, walking briskly towards the Quidditch pitch.

They'd won. Barely, sure. But at least they did win. And honestly, it was no thanks to him. He'd been thoroughly distracted, barely managing to catch the snitch and save the match and it was all thanks to that bleeding jersey of his! Actually, no. It was all thanks to Hermione wearing his bleeding jersey and looking delectable… almost edible… while doing so. Bloody hell!

The final score had been 260-240 in favor of Gryffindor. The rest of the team had worked like a well-oiled machine - at least in the beginning! The chasers had dominated the pitch, scoring a staggering 110 points within the first 40 minutes of the game. Ron had been brilliant – saving almost every goal the Ravenclaws attempted - initially. And then, Harry had missed catching the snitch. Not once, not twice, but 4 damn times! His distraction had almost cost the team. Everyone's morale plunged – Ron got nervous and started missing basic saves and the chasers failed to make even the simplest of goals. Thankfully, Cho seemed to be having an even worse day than he'd been and Harry had finally managed to pull his head out of his arse to save the game at the very last second.

First thing Harry was going to do once he was done with the post-match celebrations...? Ask Hermione to take his damn jersey off and then burn the hell out of it! Shame though…because it looked really really spectacular on Hermione. The way she filled it out - he knew he had enough mental images to last him for a lifetime of late night fantasies! Merlin, what he wouldn't do to be able to tear it off of her right there and then in the stands, the crowd be damned!

(He had no business having such salacious thoughts about his best friend and yet, he couldn't seem to stop himself, no matter how hard he tried! He was going to hell for this...he was going straight to hell!)

He almost stumbled as he landed back on the ground, his mind still occupied with images of everything he'd like to do to and with Hermione and that awful/wonderful/mind blowing jersey that had suddenly become the bane of his existence. As soon as he got off the broom, the usual crowd of team mates and well-wishers inundated him; Hermione, as always, at the forefront. He stopped short; his heart jumping with a combination of joy, excitement, nervousness and dread. Oblivious to his dilemma, she crashed into him, forcing him to instinctively catch her. "You won... You won, Harry!" She squealed excitedly, jumping up and down. "I knew you'd do it. I always knew it! Oh Harry, I'm just so proud of you, you know that, right?"

He couldn't help grinning at her enthusiasm. She wasn't that into Quidditch, he was aware. And yet, she'd never missed any of his games so far. "I know Hermione. You've always believed in me, even when I didn't believe in myself. Thank you for that." he responded, squeezing her tightly in affection and gratitude. She was such an amazing person.

It felt like the most natural thing in the world to hand her the snitch that he was still holding in his hand. "This is for you. For your unflinching support and friendship."

"Oh, Harry..." Hermione's eyes went wide with wonder…and then filled with tears.

"Oi, what're we then, eh? Chopped liver, I suppose?" Ron grumbled good-naturedly from where he'd landed right next to them.

"Oh, Ron!" Hermione exclaimed, flustered. She pulled her arms from around Harry – to his utter disappointment – and went around to give Ron a hug as well. "Congratulations! You were brilliant up there."

Ron hugged her back, flushed with embarrassed pleasure. "Thanks Mione."

Harry's stomach hollowed.

"Damn good catch, Harry." his beaters Jimmy and Ritchie called out as they landed on the pitch, providing him with a welcome diversion. Harry nodded graciously, even though he didn't agree with their assessment of his performance. This had probably been his worst performance till date.

He knew Ron at least had noticed his distraction during the match – Ginny and Katie too, most likely – but thankfully all of them chose to hold their tongues (at least for the time being.) He knew he wouldn't be lucky forever though. Ron had out-played him for the first time in their entire acquaintance. There was no way he was ever going to let Harry live it down.

And true enough, as Ron, Ginny and he were making their way back to the castle after the usual post game meeting and shower, Ron broached the dreaded topic.

"So…Harry…." He winked mischievously. "I'm thinking that all Quidditch jersey's should be banned from the audience, wouldn't you agree? Girlfriend's in particular shouldn't be allowed to wear them – especially not at games, huh? They seem to be…er, very distracting." He smirked, seemingly thrilled at his own cleverness. He was also trying desperately not to guffaw out loud.

Ginny, on the other hand, seemed much less amused.

"What was that, Harry?" she demanded firmly. "You almost lost us the game! You were distracted – and no wonder. What you and Hermione were doing before the match was disgraceful and scandalous – not to mention utterly unprofessional."

Harry winced. Unprofessional? That was a bit harsh, wasn't it? After all, it was just a school game. But he didn't dare say that out loud. After all, he wasn't particularly looking forward to being a recipient of her famous bat-bogey hex. And he had been more than a little distracted...so he couldn't really argue with that now, could he?

"You're lucky Cho is so distraught over your relationship with Hermione, otherwise Gryffindor wouldn't have even been in the race for the Quidditch cup this year after that epic lack of attention you displayed today." She snapped, seeming to gather steam.

Cho? Distraught? What was she going on about?

But apparently, she wasn't done. "And what was with that whole, giving the snitch to Hermione, thing? You know you can't just give it to her, right? That's school property. I think Madame Hooch will have a thing or two to say about your actions, that's for sure. Besides, I thought you didn't really like to be in the spotlight? If so, let me tell you, you failed at that objective rather spectacularly today! Because your display prior to the match followed by that gesture, you both are going to be the talk of the whole school, that's for sure."

Harry had gotten more and more silent as she carried on, his shoulders drooping with guilt. He'd been a really abysmal captain today – he'd barely made it to the game on time and then been utterly distracted and disconnected the whole time. Maybe he didn't deserve to be a captain anymore? Maybe he should resign? And Ginny was right – what had he been thinking about, just giving the snitch to Hermione? It wasn't his to give. To be honest, he hadn't really been thinking when he'd done it. It had been completely subconscious on his part – all he knew was that it had seemed like the right thing to do at that time.

Oh Merlin! He was in deep deep trouble, wasn't he? This pretend relationship had suddenly become way too real for his peace of mind.

His internal panic must've shown on his face because Ron interrupted Ginny's ongoing tirade. "That's enough, Gin." He spoke firmly. "I think Harry gets the point. There's no need for you to go on and on. Besides, we still won, so there was no real harm done." He slapped Harry on the back supportively. "Now come on, I'm sure everyone's waiting to celebrate."

Ginny opened her mouth to protest but one look at Ron's warning glance and she changed her mind. Giving both the boys a belligerent look, she stomped on ahead, her whole body radiating her displeasure. Harry gave Ron a weak smile.

"Come on," Ron thumped him on the back, wordlessly expressing his support. "Let's get back to the common room before all of the fun treats are gone."

Harry turned away and took a few steps before he realized that Ron wasn't walking along with him. He seemed to be standing in the same spot, his head bowed as if contemplating something. Harry turned around and eyed his friend questioningly.

"I just had one last thing to add," Ron flushed, unable or just plain unwilling to meet his eye. "I reckon what you said a few days ago…you were right. I did…uh...have some sort of 'feelings' for Hermione at some point of time."

Just like that, the bout of camaraderie Harry had been feeling towards Ron in that moment, evaporated. He couldn't help but feel like he'd just swallowed a hundred ton lead ball.

Before he could reconcile his feelings and form an appropriate response, Ron went on. "Bu…but, it wasn't real, mate. I mean, look, we mostly spend all our time just arguing with each other. That's not healthy! I think…what I felt for her was more of a back-up thing for me…like if I didn't get anyone else then I at least had her to fall back on and trust me, I know how pathetic that sounds. She deserves way better than that… she deserves someone who loves her for what she is and for whom, she'll be the first choice – always. In other words, she deserves someone like you. Just don't ever hurt her." He warned. "Or else you'll have to deal with me!"

Oh bloody hell! Hermione was definitely going to be pissed about this development.

A/N: Please review!