A/N: Now for yet another installment of…. LIVE! LAUGH! LOVE!... So yeah… Moving on…
Disclaimer: Nope. I still don't own Harry Potter, only a few characters I have and will introduce and my ideas that I apply to the storyline that J.K. Rowling began.
~rAndOM sQuIRrel~
When we last left our beloved characters: "Harry released the door grudgingly."
~rAndOM sQuIRrel~
The four teens entered the Burrow, and walked into the living room all waiting for a response from Molly, who was sitting in a rocking chair, knitting. She looked up as they entered.
"Oh Harry, dear! We were so worried. Would you like something to eat?" she said, standing.
"No thank you," Harry said quietly, with guilt.
"Oh, alright," she said with a smile, "I'll just go owl, Arthur."
"You can use Pig, Mum," Ron said. "I don't think Errol can fly ten feet anymore."
"Thank you, Ronald," she said, soon disappearing up the stairs.
"Great," Harry groaned, "Now I feel like a bloody git."
"That's because you are," Ron said. Hermione gave him a threatening look, but he ignored it. Harry glared at him, still frustrated that he had been forced to return. Ron, wanting everything to return to normal, offered that they play a game of Quidditch.
"Alright," Harry said, after a moment, thinking the same as Ron.
"I'll go grab my book," Hermione said, "I left it in the living room last night."
As she was about to leave to get it, Ron grabbed her arm. "I don't think so," he said with a grin. "You should come play with us. It will be fun. And that way we can play two on two."
"I don't think that's such a great idea," Hermione said. "I prefer to stay on the ground."
"Come on, Hermione," Ginny said. "You can play Keeper for me. Girls against boys," she said with a smirk.
"I don't know…" Hermione said hesitantly.
"You can use my old Cleansweep, 'Mione," Ron said. It can't go very fast, and oftentimes refuses to go higher than thirty feet, perfect for goal keeping on our pitch."
Hermione, looked at him for a moment before sighing, "Oh alright." Ron grinned at her and they went out to the orchard were the pitch lay. Ron retrieved the brooms and quaffle from the broom shed, and passed them around.
"You guys go ahead," Ron said, tossing the quaffle up to Ginny. "I'm gonna give Hermione a few pointers." Harry and Ginny flew off, and stopped about sixty feet up off the ground, and began to toss the quaffle back and forth.
"Okay," Ron began. "Now start by getting on your broom." Hermione looked nervously at the broom before mounting it.
"What are you doing?" she asked nervously, as Ron mounted his Cleansweep Eleven. "What if I fall? What if-."
"Hermione, it's all right. I'm faster on a broom than on foot, and have more control," he said, flying alongside her, so both were facing the same direction. He grabbed hold of Hermione's broom with one hand, holding on to his with the other. "Okay kick off, but not too hard." She tried, but with no results. "A little more-."
"But you said-," she started.
"I know what I said, but you need to push off a little harder than that. If you want, just pull your feet off the ground." She looked at him with fear. "Don't worry. It'll hold you."
She cautiously removed her feet from the ground, until she was just floating there. Ron grinned, "Brilliant. Okay, how 'bout we try some flying? Trust me, I've got you."
She nodded and leaned forward a little, causing the broom to inch forward. "A little more," Ron coaxed. She did so, but screamed when it lurched forward. Ron was laughing, causing Hermione to scowl at him.
"If I wasn't scared for my life, I would smack you right now," she said.
"We're barely six feet off the ground, 'Mione," he chuckled. "You're okay with flying in a plane, but not on a broom stick?"
"Yes, it's safer. And the people flying actually know what they're doing, and are in control."
"I'd rather be in control of my own life, thank you."
"Are you two almost done yet?" Ginny called down, from above them.
"Be ready in a minute!" Ron yelled back. "Okay," he said, turning back to her. "Let's pick up some speed. Remember I'll be right here," he reassured.
She gave a nervous nod and leaned forward. Ron leaned forward further, causing him to shoot forward, taking Hermione with him. "Okay!" He said as they climbed a little higher in the sky. "If you want to turn, just pull the handle in the direction you want to go. Try turning to the right." Hermione did quite well in turning, for a beginner, but not much better than most first years. "Now left," Ron said, once they completed a circle and straightened out.
"Very good, Hermione!" Harry called out.
"Let's head for your goal posts," Ron said, nodding to their left. When they were about halfway there, Ron let go of her broom, and slowed. She was so focused that she didn't realize that he wasn't beside her until she reached the goal posts and turned around.
Ron grinned, then called out to the others, "I think we're ready!" He turned and headed back to his goal posts.
Harry and Ginny faced off in the middle, each with a hand on the quaffle.
"First team to one hundred wins!" Ron yelled across the pitch.
"May the better witch, win," Ginny grinned.
"Bring it on, Weasley," Harry challenged. Both had long forgotten their differences from the previous night.
They counted to three, before both tossed the quaffle in the air. Ginny unexpectedly, hit him with her shoulder causing him to veer off. Grabbing the quaffle out of the air, she zoomed past him towards Ron's goal posts. She faked left, but Ron managed to defend his goal, punting it with his broom stick to Harry, who raced off towards Hermione. Harry threw the ball to the middle goal, hoping that Hermione would block it. Instead she ducked with a scream, letting it soar through.
Ginny swerved around and caught the ball on its descent, racing back up the field, quaffle under her arm. Harry turned and caught up to her, and hit the ball up and out of her arms with his fist. The ball went soaring skyward, and just as Harry was about to grab it, Ginny spun her broom, hitting him in the face with the bristles, giving her enough time to grab it and head off towards the goals, and scoring ten points after sending the quaffle through the ten foot high post.
"Not fair, Weasley!" He called after her, zooming to catch the quaffle on its decent. "Penalty!"
They played until the sun began to fade over the tree tops, the score at eighty to seventy, Ginny and Hermione in the lead. Harry had kept the scoring on Hermione to a minimum, giving her easy blocks, since she was at such a great disadvantage, though Harry had to admit he made a terrible chaser.
George, who had shown up only a few minutes earlier after closing the shop for the day, came out on the center of the pitch and motioned for Ron to join him on the ground.
"Time out!" called Ron, as he flew down to meet his brother. "Whatcha need?" he asked, hopping off his broom as soon as he came close enough to the ground, and walking up to George.
"Mum wants you lot to come in for the night," He said. "Dinner is ready."
Realizing just how hungry he was, and remembering that he had only eaten a late breakfast this morning, Ron agreed and called off the game.
Harry and Ginny touched down and gently began playfully shoving each other. The two of them, George, and Ron, began walking to the broom shed when Ron paused.
"Wait a moment," he said. The three others turned. "Where's Hermione?" Ron turned back to the Quidditch pitch, where Hermione remained floating in the same position in front of the middle post, as she had the whole game. Ron gave a small laugh, before mounting his broom and flying up to where she was. He smirked at her as he approached.
"It's not funny Ronald," she growled.
"Of course not, love," he laughed.
"Don't be an arse, Ronald."
"Alright, 'Mione," he said. "Would you like help getting down?"
She frowned at him, but her frustration and irritation vanished. "Yes," she sighed.
~rAndOM sQuIRrel~
"Hurry up Ron!" called Ginny. "Or we're gonna miss the train!"
"I'm coming!" he yelled downstairs for the fifth time. He appeared at the top of the stairs, lugging Hermione's trunk with him.
"Hurry up!" Ginny said once more.
"Oh shove it, will ya?!" Ron said angrily, dragging the heavy trunk to the center of the room. "We have plenty of time."
Mrs. Weasley entered the living room, her husband following behind. "Are we ready to go?" she asked Harry, Ron, and Ginny. "Where's Hermione?"
"Up here!" Hermione called from upstairs. "Be down in a minute! Crookshanks! Get in here!" The part kneazle cat had recently taken to Ron's bed, and refused to move from the comfortable bed to the cold, hard pet carrier. "Ron!" she called. "Can you come help me?!"
Ron sighed and mumbled, "Yes, because I'd love to get my face attacked and scratched repeatedly," as he climbed the stairs.
After many loud yelps of pain and screeches, "Ron! Don't hurt him!" the three emerged: Ron with several long gashes, Hermione with a damp face and watery eyes, and a caged Crookshanks. The latter of which was glaring murderously from the carrier, making a deep, angry growl.
"Is everything alright?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"Everything is just brilliant," Ron growled. Hermione gave a small laugh.
"Are we ready to go now?" Ginny asked.
"I- I think so," Hermione said, looking around the room in search of any stray items.
"Let's go then," Ginny said, leading the way outside to the Apparation point, her trunk floating just ahead of her. The others followed.
"See you on the platform, kids," Mr. Weasley said with a wink, before disapparating.
~rAndOM sQuIRrel~
A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! The next chapter is soon to come! Don't forget to review!