After the Match

Hello! Just a quick one Shot, life caught up to my Beta for my other fic Cooking Like a Bachelor, so its taking a bit longer than normal. I felt guilty so decided to throw this quick one-shot up while things settle down.

Thank you to AS9 for Beta-ing this for me, really appreciate it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Ron landed hard on the pitch after a spectacular, game-saving snitch catch from Harry. The team, and scores of other students, started to swarm the seeker to praise and adore him. Ron was thankful that he had a helmet on as it covered his ears, which was undoubtedly burning a bright red.

Ron felt his eyes sting as he made his way off the pitch into the changing rooms. Ron held his new broom tightly; Its smooth, reflective handle seemed to mock Ron even worse than the Slytherins had during the match. It seemed to tell him that he was not good enough for such a beautiful broom and that he wasted his family's meager spending money on it. Ron quickly hung the broom up and went to his locker, and grabbed a pair of jeans, a T-shirt, his Weasley sweater, and a pair of shoes. He carried them to the team showers, and undressed the quidditch robes, as he stepped into the piping hot shower.

The water a shock against his soaked, cold skin and hid the tears that had escaped his eyes. 'He cannot block a single ring' seemed to reverberate through his head, the awful jeering and taunts the Slytherins had come up with and landing home and it hurt Ron. 'Weasley was born in a bin' clutched at Ron's heart and he took in a deep shuddering breath before punching the nozzle off.

Ron charged out of the showers and grabbed his wand, as he dried himself off, before putting on a pair of boxers and his jeans.

He quickly sat down to tie up his shoes after he threw his shirt on. Ron reached over to grab the hideous maroon sweater that his Mum knitted for him. He stopped in his tracks to feel the warmth and softness of the sweater. Ron's eyes ran over it and as he saw the gold 'R' on the front of it, Ron's face pinched in sorrow. Tears dripped from his cheeks and onto the sweater, darkening the shade of red even further.

Ron heard the doors to the changing room crash open and he quickly threw the sweater on. Angelina came in looking winded and red in the face. He rushed out and grabbed his broom and ran to the exit of the Changing rooms. Ron didn't even give her a chance to tell him off as he ran to the exit with his broom in hand.

Ron burst out of the changing rooms and could feel the cool winter air surround him and fill his lungs.

"Hey! There he is!" A Slytherin jeered at him, a small crowd of them has surrounded the exit to the changing rooms presumably waiting for Ron. Most of the others started jeering at Ron and throwing 'Weasley is our King' badges at him.

"Aww look at the sweater his pig of a Mum got him!" One of the girls taunted.

"Oh look, it's personalized! It's got an R on it, must have set the family back to the dark ages."

Ron felt his throat close up, his eyes started to sting and his face started to pinch in sadness again. He pushed through the crowd roughly and mounted his broom and took off to the South.

-Hermione POV-

Hermione was concerned for her best friend. The Quidditch match was a disaster for Ron, anyone could see that, but Hermione knew her crush better than just about anyone (Except maybe Harry) Regardless, Hermione knew that Ron was likely beating himself up over his performance. She would have rushed down to see him the minute he landed, but someone shouted as Harry and George started to punch Malfoy and were thrown back by Madam Hooch.

Once they were being led away, Hermione tried to barge her way through the disappointed Gryffindor crowd, she had seen Ron land earlier and walk into the changing rooms. Hermione figured he could use a friendly face after that fiasco.

'This wasn't how the day was supposed to go' She thought as she scrambled down the stairs

Ron was always a superb player at the Burrow. He was supposed to do fantastic! Her kiss for good luck was supposed to become tradition, before every game she would kiss him for good luck and he would see the rewards of Kissing her and maybe, with a little bit of luck over time, fall in love with her. Fat chance of that happening now, my kiss for good luck must have been poisoned for all the good it did.

She made it to the bottom and tore off to the side entrance of the Gryffindor Changing rooms. As she rounded the corner, she could see a dozen Slytherin Students in a circle laughing and jeering at someone. The group broke slightly and Hermione could see a red-faced and teary Ron barrel through.

He mounted his broom and took off into the sky with such force that the mud under him kicked up splashing a fair few Slytherins and himself a bit as well. His face as he flew off broke Hermione's heart. She turned and watched as Ron's form turned into a black dot in the waning sun and snowy weather.

Hermione was pushed from behind, hard enough that she lost her footing and had to step in the mud and icy slurry that was on the grass surrounding the pavement.

"Mud for the Mudblood!" One of the Greengrass girls laughed at her.

"Don't worry about her, she stays at the Weasley's house for holidays, she's used to mud."

One of the other girls threw a 'Weasley is our King' badge at her face. Hermione went to catch it but she lost her footing and fell into the cold mud.

"She probably feels right at home!" cackled the Slytherins as they start heading back to the castle.

Hermione was getting to her feet when she heard a loud bang and the sound of screaming leading back to the castle. She looked over and saw the same Slytherins in a dead sprint back to the Castle with a dark black 'Thing' Chasing after them.

Ginny rounded the corner with an angry and murderous glare on her face.

"Hermione?" Ginny extended a hand to help her out of the mud. "Have you seen Fred or Ron?"

"Ron just took off; he was surrounded by those Slytherins," Hermione bit her bottom lip remembering Ron's agonized expression. "He looked distraught..." Ginny looked outraged as the door opened and Fred and the rest of the Gryffindor team came out.

"Hey, Gin," Fred said in a hurt voice as he turned to his teammates, "Could you leave me with my sisters, please?"

Hermione didn't miss the plurality of that word as the teammates nodded and gave Fred a side-hug.

Ginny's stern demeanor melted and her face was marred into rare sadness and grief and she hugged her brother closely. Hermione could see the Weasley siblings seem to draw strength from one another, and she saw rare tears forming in their eyes which Hermione had never seen on a Weasley in actual grief or anger until today.

They pulled apart and Fred just then noticed Hermione's muddy state, he drew his wand and the mud slicked off Hermione making her as pristine as usual.

"Thanks, Fred." She smiled awkwardly.

"Don't mention it." His arm was still around Ginny. "Have you seen Ronnie?"

"He was surrounded by a bunch of Slytherins. It looked like he was crying, Fred." Fred and Ginny's eyes lit up in pure rage. "I-I've never seen him that upset."

"Where did he fly off to?" Ginny asked.

"He went South, I lost him because of this snow, I'm really nervous for him. He's not in a state to make good decisions."

Fred released Ginny and went to Hermione and gave her a brotherly hug, "Don't worry too much, he needs some air and space to think," Fred soothed, "It's how our Ronnie has always been."

-Ron's POV-

Ron had flown over the castle to the south at breakneck speed. His destination was a cliffside overlooking the black lake. He had flown there with his siblings last year when he fell out with Harry. The family had brought over some blankets (courtesy of Ginny), and some food in a basket (The twins) and held a day alone. Ron had invited Hermione of course, but she A- didn't like to fly, B- had to study and lastly didn't want to leave Harry on his own for too long. He tends to sour if left to his own devices.

Ron landed with a harsh thud, the tears in his eyes made him misjudge how far up he actually was. Ron dropped his new broom off to the side and sat down against the large rock that overlooked the lake. He could just make out the silhouette of the Castle, its windows bathed the now snowy grounds in warm torch and candlelight.

Ron's head tilted forward and his hand went to the back of his neck, a gesture his Mum would do after a particularly nasty argument with the twins.

'What was I thinking?' He lamented as tears dropped on to his pants.

"Oh, play Quidditch Ron," Ron mocked himself aloud. "You'll be a great Keeper, nothing could get past you!" Ron scoffed and sunk lower until his head touched his knees.

'What a fucking child.' He thought as he took a shuddering breath of cold winter air. 'What did I even do to them? I just wanted to play Quidditch is all. I couldn't care less about the fucking House Cup.'

Ron leaned back all the way so he was laying fully in the snowy grass and stared into the mass of grey that was the sky, letting his tears sting his eyes on the way out. Ron sat up and snow fell off his head into his lap. When he looked at the snow, he saw the sweater his mum made and his face pinched in sorrow again. He quickly took it off and brushed the mud aside. He ran his hand over the gold 'R' and felt his heartbreak even more.

'So what if we don't have money?' He thought, 'Mum and Dad love me.'

Ron felt a sinking feeling in his chest, he vividly remembered the twin's taunts so long ago, they had said that their Mum cried when he was born, that she only wanted a girl.

"She may not have wanted me, but I know she loves me." He tried to reassure himself, but even he didn't believe it.

Ron sniffled and shivered in the cool air for a few minutes longer, he decided he was frozen to the bone and he couldn't avoid his house any longer. He slipped his sweater on and drew his wand casting a Warming charm over himself. He looked around the rock for his broom and when he found it picked it up lovingly, brushing the snow off the twigs at the end. The colour and curliness of the twigs reminded him of Hermione's hair. Ron's stomach sunk even lower.

"She didn't even believe that I could become a prefect; why did I think joining the Quidditch team would be any help." Ron scoffed frustratedly.

'Even if she loved quidditch, she already has Krum or Harry. They're clearly leagues better than I am, and it's not like being determined ever overshadowed skill.' He told himself internally.

'It kind of worked though...' He told himself remembering Hermione's kiss on his cheek from hours ago.

"Yeah, after my performance today, that has as good a chance of Charlie marrying the Minister..." Ron sighed bitterly. "Better to not get my hopes up."

'It was foolish to even consider.' He thought as he mounted his broom again. 'Hermione will end up with someone as incredible as she is. Krum probably. Or maybe Harry.' Ron swallowed hard at that thought.

"That'd be a power couple." Ron's heart ached at the thought of his two best friends.

'Don't think I could stand to be around them if that happened if I'm honest.' Ron sunk low on to his broom to prevent the howling wind from pushing him aside. Pangs of jealousy coursed through him. 'They'd be happy together I'd bet, wouldn't need me in the picture at all. Maybe I could sneak away to the Dragon Preserve with Charlie.'

"There's that dragon preserve in America I could go to," Ron remembered the brochure from his career training with McGonagall. Ron did feel slightly empty at the thought of abandoning his friends and running across the Atlantic. 'At least no one knows me over there... I don't know the first thing about dragons but hell, maybe I'd get lucky and one of the Dragons could eat me and I wouldn't have to bother anymore.' Ron chuckled at the thought as he flew over the Great Hall, intending to land at the Entrance Hall and eat a meager dinner.

As he flew over, he could hear the Slytherins uproariously singing Weasley is our King, despite their loss they were surprisingly happy about how the match went.

Ron redirected his broom towards the Astronomy Tower, that way he'd avoid all the Slytherins and most of his housemates.

-Ginny POV-

Ginny was seething with anger as she sat on her favorite cushy armchair. Her family had been insulted, not to mention her twin brothers were kicked off the team as well as Harry all because that toad Umbridge had it out for the Weasleys and Gryffindor house in general. All of that paled in comparison to Ron's reaction to the abuse that was targeted at him. That had left Ginny even more infuriated, Ron was her best friend growing up, he was always happy to help anyone that needed a hand and was always there to lift the mood in the room.

Hermione admitting to them that it looked like Ron was crying was almost enough to send her down to the dungeons and blast apart the Entrance and take vengeance herself. The only reason she hadn't done so is that she still had three years to go and the twins said they'd 'take care of them.'

It was currently dinnertime, but the Weasleys, Harry, Hermione, and the Quidditch team (what remained) stayed in the tower not hungry due to the unsatisfactory way the match had turned out.

The twins were talking to Harry and Angelina about the suspensions in a low huddle, Harry was insulted that he was removed, while the Twins were angrier at the slight against their family.

Hermione had worked herself into a panic, wondering where on earth Ron had gone. She was currently pacing the front entrance, her hands wringing together and occasionally she would pick at her nails with her thumbs.

'Merlin, she's fallen for him hard.' Ginny smiled seeing her friend in such a state. Ever since Hermione has shared the tent at the World cup last year, and this year, the room at Grimmauld Place, the pair had bonded considerably.

Hermione was the only one who knew about Ginny's feelings for Harry. Ginny was the only one who knew how Hermione felt for Ron. The real annoying bit for Ginny was that this last summer she had discovered how smitten Ron was for Hermione too. It really should have been simple, tell the other, they'd get together and Boom! It'd be ten years down the road, they'd have three Bushy, red-headed children that would be smarter than all hell but with the Weasley stubbornness to boot 'a truly horrific combination' Ginny thought with a smirk.

As she considered the future for her brother and future sister-in-law, the portrait hole opened up and Ron stepped in. His maroon sweater and jeans looked slightly damp and his hands were slightly blue due to the cold. In his right hand was his broom, the hand holding it had a death grip on it, almost as if Ron needed something solid to hold on to.

Hermione had seen Ron enter right away and she flung herself at Ron holding his middle tightly, she landed on his body with such force that Ron had taken a step back and some of the snow that was stuck in his hair fell off and between the pair of them.

"Where have you been!" She cried into his sweater.

Ron patted Hermione awkwardly and moved out of the hug. He trudged across the common room to see the Quidditch team looking at him now. Ginny was able to get a good view of his face, it was pinched and his eyes were red as if he were crying.

Ginny stood and moved to her brother, who was walking over to the Boy's staircase.

"I'm resigning." He said quietly to the Quidditch Captain. "I don't know what I was thinking." Angelina looked stunned as Ron reached the staircase and took the first few steps up.

"If you resign," Harry said testily to Ron's slouched form which stopped as his best friend spoke. "There'll only be three players left on the team."

Ron looked puzzled at his best mate.

"I've been given a lifetime ban. So have the twins." Harry advanced on Ron's form as the remainder of the house looked on. Hermione told Ron the story quickly and Ginny saw Ron stare at his feet and his shoulders looked like he'd been given the weight of the world.

"It's all my fault." Ron moaned painedly. Ginny heard that voice from him only once before and knew he was feeling true agony.

"You didn't make me punch Malfoy." Harry spat.

"-If I wasn't so lousy at Quidditch-"

"It's got nothing to do with that."

"-That song, it tore into me." Ron almost whimpered

"It would have wound anyone up!" Harry advanced and grabbed Ron's sweater aggressively to look him in the face. Ron just kept trying to avoid his gaze.

"JUST DROP IT WILL YOU!?" Harry roared at Ron. Hermione flinched and took a step back not used to Harry exploding on Ron like that. "ITS BAD ENOUGH WITHOUT YOU BLAMING YOURSELF FOR EVERY LITTLE THING!" Ron seemed to shrink lower before Ginny's eyes. Ron's brothers had watched the encounter and looked downright enraged. Ginny flared with anger, and stormed past Hermione and grabbed Harry's robes, and spun him around. D

"WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?!" She shrieked into his face. "You think you're so special, don't you. Everything is about HARRY. BLOODY. POTTER. Isn't it?!" She prodded his front as she said his name. "Did it fail to get into your THICK SKULL that Ron was harassed and humiliated by the Snakes in front of the ENTIRE SCHOOL?!" Ginny shoved him so hard that he fell on his behind, she loomed over him her fiery red hair making her look downright scary.

"Don't forget that they mocked OUR family relentlessly. Ron is entirely within his right to feel rotten right now and I can't believe you'd be so self-absorbed to make this about you! Did you not hear that fucking song!?"

"Of course, I bloody heard it!" Harry roared back getting right in Ginny's face. "That why I punched Malfoy!"

"Harry," George said close behind Ginny. "Be very mindful of your actions toward our little sister."

"You've been a good mate to our little brother so far," Fred said darkly. "but don't think that we won't end you if we have to."

Ginny glanced back and saw the twins at her sides looking as murderous as she was. Ron was in between them and pulled at Ginny's arm trying to diffuse the situation.

"Guys, leave it." Ron said to the twins firmly, more strength in his voice. (Diffusing arguments was something he was quite good at (That was why he was selected as Prefect Ginny thought))

Ron was able to pull Ginny away from Harry. He went back up the stairs and Ginny didn't hesitate to follow him. AS she got to the door, she paused hearing the twins' shout.

"The 5th year dorms are the Weasley's room for the next hour and a half. "

"Anyone who is NOT a member of the family will get Antlers sprouting from their unmentionables for the next three days."

"You have been warned." They said together.

Ginny entered the room and saw her brother in his boxers stepping one leg into a pair of pajamas.

"Did you really have to attack Harry like that?" Ron said sadly, looking at her from the side.

"He was way out of line," Ginny retorted firmly. "Someone needed to beat some sense into that thick skull of his." She sat down on Ron's bed much like they had done when they were younger.

"It'll only serve to piss him off worse."

"What do you expect?" Ginny groaned. "He's been so uppity this year, thinks that everything that happens is happening only to him." Ron shrugged and tied off his pajama pants and plopped himself down on the sliver of space Ginny had left him. She had always hogged the room on his bed since he could remember. He nudged her in the side and she scooted over.

Ginny scooted so her back was against the headboard her hair cascaded over Ron's face tickling his nose.

"Oi, put this on the other side." Ron tugged on strands of her hair.

"Oh, deal with it." She replied, whacking his hand away.

"So..." Ginny said after a long silence. "Where'd you go after the match?"

"The Cliffside." He grumbled. "I-I was a mess, I needed some space to breathe, y'know?" Ron turned his head away in shame.

"Fucking Slytherins," Ginny said crossly and Ron just nodded.

"It's... It's not so much them jeering at me, y'know?" Ron sighed and his ears became red and his eyes teared up again. "They mocked the family Gin..." The hurt from that thought seemed to boil over onto Ron's face.

"Dunno what I was thinking in the first place. Quidditch," Ron laughed bitterly. "I've just embarrassed the whole of the Weasley Family."

"What were you thinking?" Ginny asked kindly, "Not to put too much of a damper on things, but you've never really given it interest outside of the Orchard." She knew that leaving Ron Weasley to his thoughts was never a good idea, so it helped if he sounded it out with her.

"I guess I- Erm." Ron swallowed and looked at her. "This stays between us, right?"

"If you want it to?" She sat up knowing something juicy was coming.

"I thought that... maybe it... would get Hermione to notice me. Surprisingly it kind of worked." Ron leaned back allowing the back of his head to thump against the wood headboard.

"How?" Ginny asked, Ron didn't answer so Ginny took a pillow and smacked him on the top of the head.

"Eh..." Ron complained.

"Hush, how did it 'kind of work'"

"Well erm." Ron's blushed this time. "She, erm. She kissed me... o-on the cheek that is." He smiled brighter and his hand went to the cheek in question.

'Merlin he's head over arse about her.' Ginny thought.

"Really?" Ginny fixed on the brightest spot in Ron's day.

"Yeah," his smile faded. "It was before the uh... Match, so yeah."

"Well that's good," Ginny poked his side. "I reckon you ought to ask her out and be done with it."

"HA! Yeah like I want to look like more of a moron..." Ron tugged on the blanket Ginny sat on. "Please, allow me to retain what little dignity I have left."

"I still think you should just ask her out." Ginny offered again. "The worst she could do is say no."

"Are you having a laugh?" Ron yelped, "The worse she could do is laugh at the thought. 'Oh Ron, you're so funny always making jokes.'" He put on a poor impersonation of Hermione.

"You never know, she might say yes." Ginny tried to nudge her brother into action.

"Merlin, what if she did?" Ron buried his head under a pillow. "What would I do with her? Study?!"

"Well it is Hermione, she might be into that." Ginny laughed. "Could always take her to Hogsmeade."

"Oh yeah, with my Twelve sickles to call my own," Ron interrupted, "Let's face it Gin, I'm not good enough for Hermione." Ginny went still at this, she saw her brother's eyes turn defeated. "Not like I had a chance anyways"

Ginny opened her mouth to respond but the door swung open and Fred and George walked in. Fred held his shirt out and on top of it was a mountain of Sweets and sandwiches. In George's shirt was a mountain of magical toys, prank items, and Fireworks.

"Sorry we're late, had to hex Dean." Fred Started

"Don't be sorry, the rules were very clear those rabbit's ears are his own damn fault." George responded rather harshly.

"Why..." Ron groaned, knowing he'd hear about it all night.

"So where were you two?" Fred placed his sweets on Ron's bed and tossed a set of cauldron cakes at him, which he caught expertly.

"Ronnie is insisting that he's the sorriest excuse for a Weasley yet, brought shame upon the family and bunch of other tripe." Ginny knew this wasn't exactly what Ron had said, but Ginny knew that he wanted to keep the stuff about Hermione private and she'd honor that, after all, he'd done the same for her about Harry.

"Hippogriff dung," George said as he bit into a licorice wand.

"Now, if you were born ahead of us and were named Percy..." Fred chuckled. "Then you'd be the sorriest excuse for a Weasley."

"Git." George agreed

"Prat." Ginny nodded.

"Oh, Merlin I'm worse than Percy." Ron laid back on his bed, forgetting his Raspberry Cauldron cake.

"Don't worry Ron," Fred patted Ron's tummy like Mum used to do when they were feeling sick to their stomach. "The Slytherins will get what's coming to them."

"We've pulled innocent gags on them in the past, but what they did. What those cunts said..." George was furious as he yanked on two ends of a Cartwheeling Kate firework. "The time for amusement is over. This is a full-on War."

"Please don't," Ron's eyes teared up again. "I've already cost you Quidditch, don't get into any more trouble on my behalf."

"Thanks for the concern mate –" Fred stopped and stared at the door which was slightly pushed in and an emerald green eye with black hair over top was watching from the door.

George pulled his wand out and pulled his magic towards them. An extendable ear rose off the ground and yanked hard pulling Harry's head into the door with a thwack. George then shot Red Sparks at the door and the family members heard another Thud indicating that Harry had been hit on the head again.

"Speccy Git." Ginny and Fred nodded in agreement.

"They came after a Weasley," Fred said passionately.

"Not just ANY Weasley mind you, OUR little brother." George seethed, he'd always been on the protective side for Ron, even tackling Fred once when he took their jokes a bit too far. "If those snakes want a war, they won't know what fucking hit them."

Ron had sat up to see his brother's righteous anger, he felt a pang of affection for his siblings.

"I-I just wanted to play Quidditch." Ron croaked. "I thought, y'know, now that I had a decent broom I might be ok at it. I don't care about the House Cup you know that..." Ron trailed off and took a shuddering breath. "Why did they have to say those things about us? I mean those weren't regular taunts, that those actually hurt. The things they said about Mum... About you guys. Even the things they said about me..." Tears fell down his cheek again and Ginny buried her head in his neck hugging his side.

"It was cruel," Ginny murmured, tears fell off her soft cheeks too, seeing her strong brother break down like this was hard for her.

"None of it was true." Fred joined the hug.

"You're better than them." George pressed his head on Ron's forehead. "They did that because they couldn't beat you squarely.

"But you know what you're going to do?" Ron looked up at George who moved his head and just had a hand on his shoulder. "You're going to go back at them and show those snakes what Ron effing Weasley is made of, yeah?"

"Yeah, mate." Fred joined his twin. "Chocolate frogs and Shepherd's pie... an interesting combination i think, what do you say brother mine? Missing anything."

"Just that Weasley Temper." George smiled, "Merlin when you stop feeling sorry for yourself and get angry... hoo. I pity any snake in your way."

"Just let these two murder them, Ron." Ginny supplied. "Don't need you getting kicked out yeah?"