Saturday morning everyone was keyed up for the Quidditch match Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. Ron was anxiously staring at his breakfast with a look of pure terror on his face. Erin and Harry came into the Great Hall holding hands after a whispered conversation in the Entry Hall. "Hermione, how's SPEW going?" Erin asked as they sat down.
"Not as well as I would hope, but I'm getting the ideas out there and the hats I've been knitting are disappearing like…well, Ron eating hotcakes."
"That's great."
"Really?" she asked brightening and then look shocked. "Wait, Ron! Don't drink that!"
"What? Why not?" Ron asked perplexed looking at the pumpkin juice that Harry had just given him.
"Because I saw Harry putting something in it! Don't drink it!" She reached for it.
Ron looked between them leaning back so Hermione couldn't grab the cup. Harry just showed his little vial of Felix Felices…except now it was empty. Harry smiled and put it in his pocket. Ron's eyes grew wide and he drank the cup down in one gulp grinning himself.
"Ron! How could you? Harry! You can't do that! It's against the rules. I'm telling McGonagall." She tried to get up only to find her jeans magically glued to the bench. "What the—Erin!" She hissed. "You tricked me!"
"Of course I did. Do you really think I'm interested in SPEW?" Erin asked her. "Now, you aren't going to tattle."
"But, Erin!"
"Nope, because if you tell I'm tattling on you."
"Me?" Hermione looked scandalized. "Me? What have I done?"
"You really want me to make a list?"
"You wouldn't…"
"Of course I wouldn't…but there is the matter of a confundus charm performed on a certain older Gryffindor boy during Quidditch tryouts…which you know is highly frowned upon."
She went red. "You saw that?"
"Hermione, even Harry saw that and you know how oblivious he can be. I'm not saying anyone else did…because who would suspect Hermione 'Rules are made to be followed' Granger of doing anything so nefarious?"
"Nefarious! It was not nefarious. More like bending the rules. Harry is downright breaking them. It's illegal to use any substance before a game. As Team Manager, it's my job to enforce that rules!"
The whispered conversation was seen by everyone, but couldn't be overheard since Erin, without Hermione's knowledge, had used a charm. But then again Hermione sometimes didn't notice things as well. She was going to be furious, but she did know better than to try using logic on Erin or anything else for that matter. It didn't matter if Erin was wrong or not. She was too stubborn and it was a good thing she wasn't wrong often.
Erin and Hermione argued the entire way down to the Quidditch pitch. Hermione wasn't happy about it, but she was keeping her mouth shut…for now. Erin put on her pads and Quidditch robes, plaiting her long hair out of the way. Hermione was making sure everyone had everything they needed and were ready to play. When they were done they all walked to the tunnel opening to be announced.
The Slytherin team was announced first and then Gryffindor was called. "Here comes the Gryffindor team looking as fit as usual. They're led by Harry Potter, who has been the Seeker on the team since he was a first year. The team is mostly all newcomers, he's followed by the Chasers, Erin Black, Demelza Robbins, and Dean Thomas. Next come the Beaters, Jimmy Peake and Ritchie Coote. And finally Keeper Ronald Weasley! If Weasley is anything like his brothers then we're sure to have an exciting game on our hands."
The teams flew around the field before getting into their positions. Erin started in the middle of with Demelza on the left and Dean on the right. Madam Hooch threw the ball up in the air and blew her whistle. "And they're off! Slytherin gets the Quaffle and Urquhart is streaking towards the Gryffindor goal. He shoots and saved by Weasley who throws it to Black, Black flying downfield, and it looks like one of the Slytherin Beaters has wandered into her path…uh oh…he doesn't see her…" Erin rammed right into him as he was going to hit a Bludger at Harry only to careen off course when Erin hit him, there really was no way she could avoid it. The Bludger hit both of them, but sent the Beater and his broom to the pitch below. He was okay, but dazed. Erin had kept a grip on the Quaffle barely. "That had to have hurt! And the Slytherins are down one Beater barely five minutes into the game. There's no penalty against Chaser Black since the Beater was at fault for the collision. And Black shoots on the Slytherin goal and scores!"
During the next half hour Gryffindor scored six more goals while Slytherin was kept at bay by Ron. Harry was noticing that Draco didn't look well, he was pale and fidgety. Urquhart was being pretty malicious towards him to get the Snitch or else. Harry and Draco saw the snitch at the same time and Draco was closer, but he was slower. They reached for the Snitch at the same time, but Harry's fingers closed around it first. Draco didn't even say anything or do anything, he just accepted the defeat. Harry's eyes met him for a brief moment. The once brilliant and cold eyes were dull and almost listless. Harry's heart started beating fast, for the first time he felt worry and concern for the boy that had been so mean to him and everyone else. Draco hadn't been mean to anyone since the start of school that Harry could recall. Crabbe and Goyle had gotten worse and worse though, so that pretty much made up for it.
Harry didn't have much time to worry about it though because the team all flew to him hugging him and cheering for the win. They all went to change and get to the Common Room for the party.
In the changing room they were all singing 'Weasley Is Our King' while they showered. The girls on one side and the boys on the other, they could still hear each other and harmonize with each other as they showered and changed back into their street clothes. Harry and Erin met up outside the changing room and started for the castle holding hands. The others were quick to catch up.
The party was already in full swing when they got up to the tower. And everyone cheered when they came in. A lot of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes supplies were in use for this party. Harry thanked Seamus for putting this together. Dean called, "Who says the alternate players do nothing for the team?" Even Seamus laughed at that one. He had been pretty upset about Dean taking over as Chaser for Katie.
Hermione caught up with Harry and Erin by the fire. "You shouldn't have done it, Harry. I've a good mind to go to McGonagall right now and tell her the truth."
"Do what, Hermione?" He asked.
"You know very well what I'm talking about. You put that potion in Ron's pumpkin juice."
"No, I didn't."
"I saw you! Don't sit there and act like I'm mad!" Hermione argued.
"What did you see, Hermione?" He asked calmly.
"I saw you put that Felix Felices in Ron's cup! Now, don't deny it."
"You mean this bottle?" Erin asked producing it from her own pocket. It was full.
"What? But…" Hermione looked between them.
"Erin gave me one of her bottles this morning." Harry said. "I only pretended to put in Ron's glass and for you to see it."
"But Ron did so well…"
"Are you saying I can't do it on my own, Hermione?" Ron said having come over and caught the tail end of that conversation.
"No, of course not, Ron, because obvious you did, but—"
"But, what? You think I'm rubbish, don't you? You think Harry only let me on the team because I'm his best friend! I'm sick of you always putting me down, Hermione, like I don't matter."
"I don't do that, Ron!" She cried looking hurt. "I've never once…"
"Yes, you did! You just did it now! Do you even listen to yourself? You can't play Quidditch. You can't even ride a broomstick so it's rubbish to you! You did the same thing to Louisa at the beginning of this year! You insulted her because you said the Weird Sisters were rubbish! You don't believe us or even care if we're right, because you can never be wrong! Well, I'm sick of it, Hermione!" He turned and went off looking mad for a moment and then smiled as he was welcomed by well wishers and then practically attacked by Lavender Brown kissing him.
Hermione hurried out of the common room. "I'd better go after her." Erin said feeling an apology was in order for this morning.
"I'll come with you," Harry said sighing as he deftly managed to deflect girls trying to talk to him.
They found Hermione after trying a few places and sat down with her apologizing. "It's not you," she told them. "I don't blame you for doing it…it bolstered Ron's confidence, which is really all he needed." She cried. "But do I really do that? If I'm not good at something or don't understand it…do I really act like it's rubbish?"
"Sometimes," Erin said gently. "We all do that, though. We get so caught up in our own lives. We get tunnel vision…Oh, please," she sighed. "I'm one of the worst…if someone doesn't like Harry I set them on fire. Things are so stressed nowadays though. We really sometimes have to have tunnel vision just to get through the day. If we start thinking about and obsessing about what Voldemort is doing or his followers then we wouldn't even get out of bed thinking that nothing can stop him. We're just living our lives. And making priorities," she put her arms around her best friend holding onto her trying to help her feel better.
Harry sat down on her other side. "I don't know if it will help," he said gently. "But people won't let me forget who I am. That's why I like being around all of you, because you don't like letting me get a swelled head."
"Like when we were in the library the other day?" Hermione asked.
Harry went red. "Yeah, just like that."
"What happened in the library?" Erin asked curiously.
"I told Harry about Romilda Vane having the biggest crush on him and wanting to use a love potion on him." Hermione told her smiling a little through the tears. "She only wants him because he's "The Chosen One"." She laughed a little flatly. "And Harry said 'I am the Chosen One'."
"You hit him upside the head, right?" Erin asked giving Harry a look. He looked pretty sheepish.
"Yes, hard." Hermione told her.
"One moment of weakness," Harry told her hands up. "I wouldn't have done more than entertain a thought or two."
Erin just shook her head. "You're awful," she chuckled.
The door opened and, "Whoops," Lavender said, "Looks like this room is already occupied."
Ron looked a little embarrassed seeing them there. Hermione got up and sent a small flock of bird's right at them. Ron quickly closed the door. Hermione sat back down and started sobbing. Erin and Harry attempted to comfort her.