A/N: Thanks again to all the reviewers as well as those who put this story on their favourites list and alerts. As usual, my sister proofread the chapter so there should be hopefully no grammar mistakes.

Disclaimer: Besides Kalissa and Natalie, I own zero percent of the wizarding world.

Chapter 10- A Plan Gone Awry

"Ron, there's no need to worry. It's not like you have Death Eaters chasing you," repeated Natalie for about the tenth time that morning.

Ron grunted, still staring at his eggs with a blank, unreadable expression on his face.

Natalie sighed. It was the morning of the first Quidditch match of the year: Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. The tense but thrilling anticipation that had accompanied this match had taken Natalie by surprise. In Durmstrang, the sport was regarded as more of an activity to justify refinement and sophistication. Here, the entire castle seemed to have immersed itself into the extremely competitive, almost nasty and greatly dividing fervor of the match and especially the Gryffindor – Slytherin rivalry. Natalie thought, with a smirk, that this type of atmosphere was likely not compatible with Ron's very edgy nerves.

Suddenly, Harry pulled out of his bag his bottle of Felix Felicis. He had confided in Natalie about his "plan" to quell Ron's anxieties and simultaneously, ease the tensions that had crept into Ron and Hermione's relationship. Natalie had scoffed at the plan. She did not think lying could inspire somebody nor did she see any merit in Harry's vision of Ron and Hermione coming together after a supposed Gryffindor victory. For at least a week, they had become extremely cold with one another. Natalie suspected that their problems had a deeper root.

"Harry, no, you can't!" exclaimed Hermione frantically. Natalie presumed that Hermione had remained ignorant to Harry's plan. Quite foolish on Harry's part. It would take nothing short of a miracle to curb Hermione's disapproval.

"I don't see anything wrong here, Hermione," said Harry slyly. He then pretended to spill a few drops of the potion into Ron's pumpkin juice while Ron continued to stare at his food.

"Drink this Ron," ordered Harry cheerfully. Hermione glared at Harry. She looked pleadingly at Natalie who merely shrugged.

"Don't drink it Ron!" begged Hermione.

An annoyed, cold expression covered Ron's face. He shot Hermione a malicious look and then proceeded to take a large gulp of the juice. Then, upon seeing the bottle of Felix Felicis, comprehension dawned on his face. He gave Harry a look that bordered between indignation and excitement.

"Harry, that is absolutely wrong!" shrieked Hermione.

"Lay off Hermione. It's none of your business," remarked Ron icily.

Hermione stared at him, infuriated. After giving Harry one last dirty glare, Hermione stamped off from the table. Natalie felt a pang of sympathy of her. She could only imagine the emotional rises and falls she would experience if Harry had Ron's mood swings.

Ron turned to look at Harry. "You didn't just put that in my juice," said Ron, pointing at the potion.

"I might have," replied Harry, a sparkle in his eyes. Ron continued to look more perplexed. But to Natalie's surprise, his shoulders straightened and his face seemed to relax slightly.

Harry winked at Natalie. As he reached for a slice of toast, his hands brushed Natalie. The familiar jolt of electricity rushed up her spine. She noticed that Harry had blushed. He retracted his hand quickly, not even taking the toast. Ron, too concerned with his juice, remained oblivious.

Ever since the evening two weeks ago where they had shared that brief moment of intimacy by the fireplace, Natalie had become increasingly aware of the occasional awkwardness in her interactions with Harry. The banter did not cease nor did their jesting. It was just the periodic brushing of shoulders, slight touches of hands, bumps with legs that sent them both into embarrassing lapses of silence. To Natalie's pleasure, these encounters seemed to show that Harry may harbor some sort of romantic feelings for her. To her own resentment, she found herself obsessively analyzing their interactions. She would either reach an indeterminate conclusion that frustrated her immensely or a hopeful dream that only made her angrier at her own naivety.

"You guys going down to the match, now? I don't think Ron will even touch his eggs," said Natalie casually, ignoring their blushes only seconds before.

"Yeah, probably. Need to get some last minute tactics sorted out," said Harry, equally as off handed.

They headed down to the stadium. Natalie could almost taste the buzz in the air. People all around were chatting animatedly. Not to mention the many girls that could not stop gawking at Harry. However, there were far fewer malevolent or even suspicious looks sent in Natalie's direction. Since the story had spread that Natalie had saved Katie Bell's life, her reputation had taken a sharp turn upwards. The Slytherins detested her even more, but from the other three houses, she had received many compliments and warm greetings; things that were foreign to Natalie at Durmstrang.

"Well, we'll see you," said Harry as he and Ron started to head off to the changing rooms.

Without even trying to restrain herself, Natalie squeezed his arm. "Good luck, Harry," she said softly.

Harry looked slightly flustered but pleased. "Thanks," croaked Harry, his voice barely audible. He smiled at her.

As she found Hermione in the stands and watched the match, Natalie's spirits were soaring. Her heart was pounding. Excitement forming bubbles in her chest. She marveled at how a simple curve of the lips could induce such an intense emotional response within her.

The match turned out to be quite entertaining. To Natalie's pleasure, Ron was playing extremely well, blocking almost all shots against him. It was even more satisfying to see the stunned surprise that had washed over the Slytherin end of the stadium.

As Ron made another spectacular dive, Hermione clicked her tongue. She had been fidgeting the entire match. Natalie, already annoyed, turned to her.

"What's wrong? You've been jumpy since Ron made his first save."

"I don't like what Harry did at all. That stupid potion has Ron making all these brilliant saves. It's just so wrong, twisting fate for a Quidditch match," scowled Hermione.

Natalie laughed, causing Hermione to look at her in astonishment and frustration. "Hermione, Harry didn't tell you, did he? He never poured any droplets of potion into Ron's juice. He only pretended to, to give Ron some confidence. Ron's good play is because of him, not the potion. Honestly, did you think Harry would take such a big risk for a small thing like this?"

Hermione let out a small gasp. "You're joking!"

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Why would I be? Tell me, did you actually see Harry pour the potion into the juice? He covered it with his hands. It was very well feigned, if I have to say."

The apprehension and anxiety on Hermione's face disappeared. She appeared very relieved. "Well, then that's good, I never thought Harry would do that," stammered Hermione.

She placed her hands over her face. "Ron must really hate me! He probably thinks I don't believe he can play Quidditch well," groaned Hermione.

Natalie had to stop herself from chuckling. "Don't worry, he'll forgive you after-"

"Oh my! Look at Harry and Malfoy!" gasped Hermione.

Natalie jerked her head to see the two seekers zooming at an excessively high speed and at a very sharp angle towards the goalpost. Her stomach took a dive. If something went wrong, Harry would be hurt very badly – But suddenly, he pulled out of the maneuver, victorious with the Snitch in his hand.

Natalie let out a huge breath she did not know she was containing. "That was so dangerous! He's extremely lucky to not be injured, let alone alive," cried Natalie over the extremely loud roars emanating from the Gryffindors.

This time, it was Hermione's turn to laugh. "I know, but it's Quidditch and it's Harry. He does have a nasty taste for the dramatic."

As they walked out of the stadium, Natalie noticed Hermione glancing uncertainly at the Gryffindor changing rooms.

Natalie decided to make the decision for her. "Listen Hermione, I need to go to send a letter to my mother. Go meet up with Ron and Harry. Tell them congrats and that I'll see them later."

Hermione nodded, still staring at the changing rooms with a wistful but almost scared expression. "Maybe I should come with you. I do need to ask Flitwick some questions," she said tentatively.

Natalie sighed. "Do you really need to ask Flitwick questions? It's a Saturday. Enjoy the festivities. From what Harry's said, you guys know how to have a good time. And you do need to talk to Ron. Whatever you two are fighting about is needless and childish." Natalie added a stern tone to the last few words.

Hermione looked at Natalie in surprise. Natalie continued to glare at her with a determined ferocity. "I suppose you're right," conceded Hermione, her lips forming into a smile.

Natalie grinned at her and walked back to the castle. She had not lied to Hermione. She needed to send her letter to Kalissa. With the school embroiled in the post match celebrations , she would be able to meet McGonagall and give her the letter without arousing too much suspicion. When McGonagall was not in her office, Natalie placed the letter in the drawer reserved for the "Malkae" items.

However, when she returned to Gryffindor common room, she saw that only part of Harry's plan had materialized. The sight in front of her both disgusted her and shocked her. Ron seemed to have every square inch of his body pressed tightly against Lavender Brown. Not to mention that his mouth was literally swallowing her face. Natalie gave a shudder and immediately set out to find Harry. She needed to know what went wrong.

She spotted Harry conversing with an animated Ginny in the corner. Natalie shook rather violently. Ginny was standing far too close to Harry for Natalie's liking. Natalie had to restrain herself from stomping over there and pointing her wand at Ginny's chest.

Before Natalie could entertain such a course of action, Harry waved over to her and started to walk towards her. Ginny looked quite disgruntled. She shot Natalie a venomous look before latching onto her boyfriend. Natalie could not help but smirk back.

"Congratulations on the game. That catch was brilliant, a bit lucky though," remarked Natalie, trying to ignore the scene unfolding itself in front of her.

"Yeah. It was incredibly lucky. But shit. I don't believe this at all. I've never seen Ron do anything well like you know," spluttered Harry, staring at Ron and Lavender, aghast

"He really can be a git, can't he? Where's Hermione? She must be traumatized," muttered Natalie, looking around the room.

"Don't know. But never thought something like this would happen," said Harry irritably.

Just then, Natalie saw a mane of brown hair leave through the portrait hole. Harry seemed to see as well. He nodded at her. Together, they exited the common room and found Hermione crying in an empty classroom. In the few seconds that she had left the common room, she had somehow managed to conjure a ring of birds above her head. Natalie shook her head in amazement.

Before either Natalie or Harry could say anything, Hermione spoke. "Hi, you two. Ron certainly does seem to be enjoying himself, doesn't he?" said Hermione in an extremely false and empty voice.

Judging by the blank look on Harry's face, Natalie presumed that he was at a complete loss for words. Natalie herself could not stop staring at Hermione. She had expected an angry outburst or at the very least, some display of sadness. But denial? It did not fit Natalie's perception of the girl.

Suddenly, Ron, Lavender alongside, stumbled into the classroom, ending the piercing silence that had stretched between the three. Upon seeing the other three, Lavender giggled and left the room to wait for Ron. Ron glanced at Hermione with a confused and scared expression on his face. Natalie finally came to her senses. Fury filled her at his completely selfish and insensitive behavior towards a girl who clearly cared about him more than anybody else.

"Get out, will you? You've already done enough this evening, as it is," said Natalie angrily.

"It's fine, Natalie. Ron, you should go to your girlfriend," said Hermione quietly. She began to walk out of the classroom.

A relieved look crossed Ron's face. He began to grin at Harry.

"Oppugno!" shrieked Hermione.

An entire flock of birds were sent hurtling at Ron. Both Harry and Natalie immediately turned around to see Hermione running through the door.

As Harry helped Ron fend off the birds, Natalie caught Harry's eye. She pointed off to Hermione. Harry nodded, giving her a grateful look.

Natalie supposed that Hermione, seeking some isolation, would return to their dormitories. The party was still in full flight so it was unlikely that any other girls would have gone up to sleep. Once she reached their room, Natalie saw Hermione sobbing softly under the blankets on her bed. Too traumatized, she had not bothered to close the curtains.

Natalie hovered uncertainly at the doorway. With an absence of friends at Durmstrang, she had never encountered a situation like this one. She considered her options. Physical comfort could become quite uncomfortable. Also Hermione, depending on the severity of her rage, might not want any sympathy or reassurance. On the other hand, leaving Hermione alone and joining the rest of the festivities would be cruel and inconsiderate. Natalie sighed. She decided for the former. Anyway, Kalissa would have definitely taken that route.

Natalie cautiously walked over to Hermione. She gently placed her arms around the girl, taking a seat on Hermione's bed. Hermione looked up in surprise at Natalie. But she did not object to Natalie's touch. Rather, she seemed to lean closer to Natalie.

Natalie chose her words carefully. She judged that the classic phrase of sympathy would seem superficial and false. Humour might do the trick. "Well, today didn't go so well, I guess. Ron's a complete idiot, isn't he? It was like two animals going at each other. I though we'd went right back to the Neanderthal era," said Natalie sarcastically.

Hermione let out a small chuckle. She pressed her head across Natalie's chest. For at least half an hour, they sat in that same position. Hermione steadily breathing into Natalie's chest while Natalie stroked her back soothingly.

Hermione finally detached herself from Natalie. "Thanks. You're a good friend, Natalie," whispered Hermione. Her eyes were still red but they seemed to have regained a resolved glint with her words.

Natalie gave Hermione a tiny smile and then went to her bed and lay down. She wondered at what point her relationship with Hermione had changed.

But then she realized, there was no point, just like with Harry. A series of events had led to today. For the first time, she saw that respect, comfort and then trust accumulates in minor steps. Like a potion that is continually modified, tweaked and refined. But the end result is worth the initial tension. For Hermione had actually referred to her as a good friend. She seemed to forget her name or her attack on Ginny.

Natalie began to see a new avenue for her outlook on life. She did not need to isolate herself. She could trust others to see through her own background, her flaws and taints.