# The Match

Seersucker

Rating: R
Genres: Romance
Relationships: Harry & Hermione
Book: Harry & Hermione, Books 1 - 7
Published: 26/05/2009
Last Updated: 26/05/2009
Status: In Progress

Harry, Hermione, and Ron all live together but Hermione finds it increasingly difficult to balance her friends and her boyfriend, Ben. She feels they're constantly competing for her attention. Maybe she's right. (totally need to work on the summary)

## 1. The Quidditch Match

A/N: Something that I started a loooong time ago and just got the inspiration to finish it, well the first chapter. I have no idea where this is going so any ideas feel free to post!

Hermione nervously wrung her hands in her lap as she waited. The crowd’s cheers were deafening as they waved their orange or blue flags. It was a big game: Puddlemere United versus The Chudley Cannons. Both teams were undefeated and the excitement level was at a nauseating level. Hermione felt sick as she looked to the empty quidditch pitch.

“So who are you cheering for?” She nearly jumped out of her skin as Ron took the reserved seat next to her. Harry had set them up with a special two person reserved box—the best seating.

“Oh no, I am not cheering for anyone! If I say I’m cheering for Harry then I’m a bad girlfriend. If I say I’m cheering for Ben then I’m a bad friend. It’s a lose-lose situation. So I’m cheering for neither…or both, whichever one you prefer.”

“Well you do know Ben’s going to get his arse kicked right?” Hermione looked at him pointedly.

“Ben is a really great seeker!” Ron gave her a withering glare. “So is Harry!” she said helplessly. “Oh forget it.” She slumped forward putting her head in her hands. “I never should have come.” She jumped as Ron elbowed her.

“Stop being so dramatic Hermy,” she shot daggers at him. He backed down a bit and motioned feebly, “The game’s about to start.”

Sure enough the crowd got to its feet as blue fireworks erupted, showering navy sparks onto the crowd. The players seemed to explode out of the blast itself. She watched as Ben did his usual lightening-fast lap around the top stands of the pitch.

Hermione found herself on her feet along with the crowd, much to Ron’s distaste. Suddenly brilliant orange fireworks erupted from the other end of the stadium sending orange ribbons onto the crowd. Ron jumped up immediately, accompanied by three loud whoops. The crowd was beside itself in sheer excitement and anticipation of the game. Harry flew out onto the pitch doing a couple of barrel rolls and a few flips, much to the crowd’s delight. Finally the whistle blew and Hermione took her seat.

“I bet Harry will find the snitch in the first hour. He always has a way of cutting these really great matches short by catching the snitch early. Can’t complain though, I do have a couple of Galleons riding on this game.” Hermione would have scolded him about wasting his money and the dangers of gambling if it had not been for the intense nausea she was experiencing.

The game had started. Puddlemere had just scored ten points; Hermione wrung her hands in her lap as Ron swore under his breath. As the match went on Ron seemed to calm down while Hermione’s anxiety heightened.

Her eyes scanned the skies for the snitch, wondering who would spot it first. She watched as Harry, perched high above the pitch looked on with an intense gaze, resolution etched into his face. Suddenly he looked over to their box as if checking to make sure they were there. He gave her a goofy smile and she inwardly chided him for not paying attention to the game in front of him, and herself, for returning the wide smile just as goofily.

And suddenly he was off, zooming down towards the pitch at breakneck speed. Ben was right on his heels, inching his way closer and closer to him. The entire crowd held its breath as they watched the amazing descent.

“Bloody Hell, they’re gonna crash.” Ron muttered quietly next to her. Her breath caught in her throat. They were a few meters from the ground. Suddenly they tumbled together onto the pitch. One of them had knocked into the other. Hermione let out a small scream as she jumped out of her seat. She wrenched the charmed binoculars out of Ron’s hands as she scanned the tangled arms and legs, still tumbling across the field. Suddenly a hand shot up through the mass.

“And it’s Potter! Potter’s got the snitch! Chudley Cannons win over Puddlemere!” The announcer called loudly. The crowd erupted in deafening screams, cheers, and whoops. Hermione jumped up and down clapping excitedly before reminding herself that her boyfriend had just lost to her best friend.

“Do you think they’re okay?” she turned worriedly to Ron. He laughed happily.

“Who cares, I just won ten galleons off the game!” She gave him a hurried, disapproving look as they made their way down towards the team’s quarters. They were able to bypass all the security guards simply because they were part of the ‘infamous trio’, they had access practically everywhere. Hermione rushed out onto the field followed closely by Ron.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” she simply directed her inquiries to the two figures lying next to each other, injured and exhausted.

“Aside from a few broken ribs, I’m feeling quite good, Hermione.” Harry answered cheerfully as a medi-witch busied herself over him. She was quite good-looking, a fact that while lost on Harry, had not passed by Ron. As Ron moved closer to Harry and the medi-witch, Hermione rushed over to Ben who was groaning as another medi-witch worked on him.

“I feel like I just lost a big match for my team.” He groaned at her. She smiled meekly. “Oh wait, I just did. Good match then eh, mate?” Ben called over to Harry, extending his hand. Harry, his Quidditch robes now removed from his torso by the medi-witch shook his hand.

“You almost had me for a moment there.” Harry laughed slightly before turning to Ron and the medi-witch speaking in a fierce whisper. “The daft bugger ran into me! Taking me down with him.” The medi-wtich blushed as she eagerly continued her physical examination of his ribs.

“I knew it!” Ron whispered back. “But you still won me ten galleons.” Harry hardly heard this as his attention was turned toward Ben and Hermione. She brushed a few strands of hair from Ben’s forehead and Harry inwardly scowled.

“Urgh!” Harry bit off a yelp as the medi-witch pressed a little too hard on one of his ribs. She blushed and muttered an apology as she waved her wand over the area, instantly making it feel better.

Once Harry and Ben had been fixed up they all left the pitch.

“So I was thinking about buying a few celebratory rounds at The Three Broomsticks. Are you in?” Harry asked his two best friends as they stood together outside the pitch.

“You don’t have to ask me twice mate, especially if you’re buying; however I must insist on buying you a shot of Ogden’s, after all I am ten galleons richer thanks to you.” Ron said happily slapping him on the back.

“Hermione?” Harry asked, directing his attention to her. She was looking towards Ben who was taking some pictures with some pretty teenage fans.

“Um, I don’t know, maybe I should look after Ben tonight.” She said once again eyeing a pretty blonde who was just a little too close to Ben. Harry followed her eyes and his brow furrowed. He shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans and rolled back on his heels. He bit back the comment he knew Hermione would take offense to.

He had tried to like Ben, really he had. When he first found out Hermione had a boyfriend he had been happy for his friend, if not a bit surprised. His dislike of Ben wasn’t one of those “no one is good enough for Hermione” things because he wanted her to be happy and find someone and he knew that she would one day. He just didn’t think that she would start her search so soon.

For some reason Ben just rubbed Harry, and Ron for that matter, the wrong way. Maybe it was the way he leaned over Hermione’s shoulder when she was reading something, or the way he teased her for being so bookish. There were just little things that irked Harry, but most of all he hated the way Ben stared at her. There was something distinctly wrong with Ben’s stare, like he was leering or something. Ron agreed with Harry up until the last point, Ron didn’t notice the stare, but he believed it was there too.

Harry’s eyes narrowed again as the man in question came jogging over to them.

“Hey Hermy,” he said grasping her close to his chest, “I was thinking I could take you out to dinner and you could console me on today’s game. That is if it’s okay with the boys.” He said with a nod to her two companions.

Hermione hated this part of her relationship. She constantly found herself being forced to choose between her friends and Ben. She tried to keep a fair balance between the two, but she wished that once in a while they could all just hang out together. Looking from Ron’s face into Harry’s heated gaze, she gave a weak smile.

“Well, you guys will have the whole team to party with tonight, and you guys know that I’m not much of a partier. You’ll hardly even realize I’m not there!” She smiled again, purposely avoiding Harry’s gaze.

Although she avoided his gaze, it was Harry who spoke up, “Go have fun, Hermione. We’ve got the whole team to keep us company.” He smiled tightly before he walked away.

~*~*~

Hermione was already in her room reading when she heard Harry and Ron stumble into their flat that night. She heard Ron’s door close from down the hall and then smiled as she heard Harry approaching her own door as he traveled to his own room. He knocked softly and she called for him to come in.

She could tell he was a bit drunk by the way he walked over to her bed. He sat on the edge and smiled goofily at her. She put her book down and sat up more and smiled back. Secretly, she loved when he was drunk. It was such a different side to Harry that she never got to see. He seemed so much less reserved and he constantly smiled. He laid across her legs and stared at the ceiling.

“Rough night?” she asked with an impish smirk. He groaned.

“Never let Ron buy me so much Ogden’s ever again.” He said as his eyes fluttered closed for a moment. “So much.” He murmured. She absentmindedly lightly ran her fingers through his hair.

“What am I going to do with you two?” She smiled as she played with a piece of his hair, pulling it gently.

“You should have come out with us. I wanted you there.” He said rolling over towards her so he was lying across her knees. She shifted her legs under his weight. She tried to push him off to the side a bit but failed miserably. Giving up, she sighed. Harry mistook this sigh as exasperation. He opened his eyes and sighed also.

“I just miss having you there sometimes. You know, we’re ‘the trio...” There was more to his thought but it died on his lips. He was still drunk and he was easily captivated by her in these moments, especially with Ogden’s still burning in his stomach, when he let his guard down. Her big chocolate eyes looked down into his and the light filtering through her hair cast long shadows across her cheek.

“What Harry?” He shook his head, trying to remind himself of all the reasons why he needed to leave. He sat up staring at the wall for a moment before turning to her.

“I should really get to bed. Sorry for keeping you up.” He rose and Hermione tried to ignore the pang of regret that she felt in her chest.

“You weren’t keeping me up, Harry.” She replied softly, sliding back into her bed. He smiled a small indiscernible smile.

“Get some rest, Hermione, you never get enough.” He said before leaving her room and closing the door softly behind him. She stared at the door for a moment longer, willing it to open again, but then, giving up on him, she turned over, turned off the light, and went to sleep.

~*~*~

The next morning, Hermione read the Daily Prophet as she sipped her morning tea. She heard a rustling coming from down the hall and soon saw Harry enter the kitchen looking a little worse for wear. He did look comfortable in his plaid sleep pants and soft white v-neck t-shirt though, Hermione noticed. She let her eyes briefly graze over the thin fabric stretched across his chest before snapping her eyes away from him. Hermione had stolen more than a few of his sleep shirts for her own use. He collapsed in the chair across from her, pulling over a box of cereal and pouring it into the bowl in front of him. Hermione pushed a steaming mug in front of him.

“Freshly brewed.” She said enticingly as she opened the paper to the next page. Harry peered into the depths of the cup and downed it in one gulp.

“You sure do make the best hangover potions.” He said with a much brighter smile. “Got any plans for the day?”

“Mostly errands. I was thinking of going to Hogsmeade to pick up some things. I haven’t been there in ages.” She looked up from her paper to meet Harry’s eyes as he stared at her from across the table. He smiled sheepishly.

“Sounds like a day.”

“Yeah, Ginny and I are going to meet up at that little tea place.” Hermione said turning to her cup of tea once more. Harry scrunched up his nose in distaste.

“You mean that place with the lacy curtains and the foggy windows?” Hermione smiled wryly.

“Yes… how do you know Madam Pudifoot’s?”

“Cho took me there in fifth year.” He laughed at the memory. “It was the most emasculating place I have ever been.” Hermione laughed with him.

“Well, you’re not invited anyway so you don’t have to worry about the evil emasculating doilies at Madam Pudifoot’s.” She said folding the paper and bringing her mug over to the sink. “So any big plans for Mr. Potter today?” He stretched in his seat, showing off how muscular he truly was.

“Hmmm, I was thinking of just bumming around the house today. I’ve got the trip to Ireland tomorrow so I thought I’d rest up. I was hoping I would have a partner in my laziness today, but I should have known better than to think Hermione Granger would spend one day doing nothing.” He pushed her to the side of the sink as he began to wash both his cereal bowl and her mug. She wiped her hands off on a towel.

“Maybe Ron will bum it with you today. I’ve got to be going. Thanks, Harry.” She said squeezing his bicep as he put her mug in the drying rack. As she left the kitchen she gave one last look as she watched the-boy-who-lived, the Defeater of the Dark Lord wash dishes in his pajamas.

~*~*~

“So how are you and Ben doing?” Ginny asked while pouring some honey into her tea.

“Great, I think I might go over to his flat tomorrow. He’s been so sweet lately.” She sighed in contentment.

“But did you read the latest Witch Weekly? Did you see the pictures of him and those girls in Bulgaria?” Ginny asked. Hermione rolled her eyes at her friend.

“You know I don’t read or believe that rubbish, Ginny. You shouldn’t either; it’s a waste of paper and time.” Ginny rolled her eyes at her friend, sitting through yet another lecture on the evils of gossip magazines. Ginny liked Ben as much as Ron and Harry did, and if she could help Hermione discover how much better she could do, then she was willing to listen to this lecture again and again.

“So how is Harry doing?” Ginny asked quickly changing gears to a subject she knew they would get along on. Hermione gave the tiniest of pouts.

“He’s good but he’s leaving for Ireland tomorrow. I swear, these coaches work their players so hard. Ben just got back from Bulgaria and in three days he’s leaving for New Zealand for a week! When do they expect their players to sleep?”

“What’s Harry doing today?”

“Eh, he said he would be bumming it around the apartment today. You know how Harry is, he’ll probably clean everything, get all his quidditch paperwork squared away and then treat himself to some ice cream and a movie.” Ginny shook her head laughing.

“And why aren’t you there? That sounds like your perfect day.” Hermione flashed a brilliant smile for a moment before laughing.

“I had errands to run, and I have been looking forward to getting together with you all week! You can’t get rid of me that easily!” Hermione and Ginny spent the rest of the day shopping and completing Hermione’s errands.

That night, Hermione went home to have a quiet dinner with Ron and Harry. The next day, after Harry left, and after she had given him her obligatory good luck kiss on the cheek, Hermione popped over to Ben’s to spend a wonderful day in Diagon Alley with him. As they were strolling down the streets that night, blissfully happy, arm-in-arm something caught Hermione’s eye.

“A breaking edition of Witch’s Weekly? I hardly ever see those.” She said pulling him over to the newsstand. Eagerly she unfolded the paper to discover what couldn’t wait until next week, then promptly dropped it on the ground.

“What is it, Herms?” he asked softly as she shook with outrage.

“Bloody piece of garbage. Couldn’t possibly be true!” she said. Ben glanced down at the paper and chuckled.

“I don’t know, looks pretty true to me.” Hermione pulled him by the arm.

“Come on, let’s go home.” She said with much more force than necessary.

WITCH’S WEEKLY SPECIAL EDITION: HARRY POTTER CAUGHT CANOODLING IN IRELAND

Inside: Who is this mystery girl? All the details of their torrid, secret affair!

There, plastered on the front of Witch Weekly, was Harry Potter with his tongue jammed down some girl’s throat. Good thing Hermione didn’t believe in all that rubbish, right?