Quaffles, Anyone?

Chapter Five

The Cast

“Guess what?” said Ron excitedly to Harry and Hermione who were doing a foot long essay about the three hexes that can instantly petrify a mummy (“Mummies are only affected by this spell” said Rapticon Sr.) for Defense Against the Dark Arts three days later.

“What is it?” asked Hermione

“Hogsmeade weekend comes in early this week” Ron said pointing to the notice board at the end of the common room

“That's good. I needed one anyway” Harry said trying to undo his misspelled word.

“Are you up for it Hermione?” Ron asked sitting with them

“Sure” she said scratching her nose with her quill “but you two have to go ahead, I might be” she paused for a while as she looked out the window “late”

“Late?” Ron asked suspiciously “Why would you be late? Homework's got to you?”

“No” Hermione said looking at her essay which was more than a foot already

“Then why are you going to be late?” said Ron looking very suspicious already

“Ron, when you tried for the House Team we didn't asked any questions!” she said

“Of course you didn't and I felt very grateful”

“Then do the same for me” she said as if this settled it all

- - -

“Without further ado I will not give you homework for the comming week so the thought of me beating you to an inch of your life can be lifted when you go to Hogsmeade” Professor Raptor said during Friday.

He gave them their essays and luckily Harry got an `O' for his troubles. He looked at Hermione's and Ron's paper, Ron got and `E' an Hermione got a shiny `O'

“Goyle, I said `a foot long essay' not an inch long” Rapticon Sr. said when he gave Goyle's essay. Harry could see the red ink which formed a `T'.

“Okay! To distract myself from shooting Malfoy for the umpteenth time I will give you a discussion on mummifying a body. But before we begin tell me, which country did this practice started?”

Hermione raised her hand but something happened when her hand reached midway in the air. She flinched and winced as she held her wrist groaning.

“Are you okay?” Harry asked looking at her rubbing her wrist

“I'm fine, you go answer the question. It's Egypt” she said

“Yes Mr. Potter?” Rapticon Sr. said seeing Harry raised his hand

“Egypt sir”

“Good. Five points to Gryffindor”

Harry sat down still looking at Hermione wincing while rubbing her wrist as Rapticon Sr. continued the lesson.

“Where's Hermione?” said Ron looking around the greenhouse after lunch “she's not here”

“I dunno” said Harry rather distractedly since his baby Venomous Tentacula started favoring his fingers than the beetles they've been feeding on since they were seedlings. “Pass the beetles Ron” Harry said looking at the plant now interested at a fly.

“Here you go - Wait!”

But it was too late. Ron gave Harry the wrong jar. It wasn't the jar of beetles but a jar of bubotuber puss which made Harry jump at the sight of it making all the contents fall on him.

“Ron! Look what you did!” said Harry as boils started sprouting on his arms

“I'm sorry! I'm sorry!” said Ron looking panicky as he stood helplessly at Harry

Professor Sprout told Harry to go to hospital wing to wash off the boils with some antidote.

- - -

“Here Potter, this one will make it all better” Madam Pomfrey said giving Harry a yellow flask “After your boils are gone, we will bandage your hands. It's the only way” looking at Harry's face. Harry remembered Hermione's incident with the pus two years ago.

“You just sit over there while your boils disappear” she pointed to the bed in the corner with a divider that was made for hiding patience from onlookers if they had embarrassing ailments. Harry sat on the bed while looking at his boils, one by one they would disappear which made Harry sick. Before he could stand he heard a voice… a very familiar voice.

“I told you let me fix them” said Madam Pomfrey

“It's okay Madam Pomfrey” said the voice of Hermione “I just want to do it this way”

Harry peeked around the divider and saw Madam Pomfrey tapping her wand on a bundle of bandages which started to wrap around Hermione's wrist

“How about your limbs? Weasley asked me if I could heal your bones four times already”

“It's okay, I'm fine” she said looking at her hand

“What are you up to anyway?” Madam Pomfrey asked which was so unlikely of her

“Nothing” and with that Hermione nodded and started limping to the door

“Potter is here though” said Madam Pomfrey which made Harry turn back to his bed and did his saddest attempt to sleep

“H-Harry?” he heard Hermione's voice shaking “Why?”

“Bubotuber Pus” she said

Harry heard footsteps and saw Hermione looking at him with guilt

“Harry! How long have you been here?” said Hermione with a look that made Harry think that he heard her deepest and darkest secret

“Just a few minutes”

“I see” she said her voice becoming higher which was saved only when she's super nervous “Did you - did you hear anything?”

“No” Harry lied

And with that Hermione exhaled and said

“Well” she said now her voice normal “looks like your boils are gone”

Harry noticed this. He stood up and wore his robes.

“Herbology must have ended” Harry said as he and Hermione made their way to a corridor which was the corridor of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. A distant sound which was the voice of Rapticon Sr. could be heard.

“Ouch!”

Harry turned and saw Hermione holding her ankle

“Are you sure you're okay?”

“I'm fine!” she said looking annoyed

“If that's the way you want it” Harry said as he continued walking while Hermione followed suit.

- - -

Harry walked with Ron behind him. It was another Hogsmeade weekend and Hermione promised that she would be late.

“She gets mental every year though” Ron said “especially in our third year when she used the Time-Turner”

“Hey!” said Harry “She nearly saved my life” He remembered his talk with Hermione in the Astronomy Tower last week

“If you are talking about the Firebolt then you know very well that she was wrong”

“But still she was trying to save me” Harry said as they entered Hogsmeade

He paused and said “She said she will never forgive us for choosing the Firebolt than her love for both of us. It is like a permanent scar she reckons”

“Wow” Ron said looking guilty “when did she told you that?”

“The night when I went to meet her after I - you know” Harry said awkwardly

“I still can't believe you slapped her -”

“Slap her what?” came a voice

Harry and Ron jumped to see Hermione in a dark blue long sleeved owl neck sweater and a pair of jeans.

“Nothing” said Ron giving Harry a look who was laughing

“C'mon, let's have a butterbeer” said Harry as they walked towards Three Broomsticks, a popular place which is run by a witch (who Ron fancies according to Hermione) named Madam Rosmerta. Ron came in first, expecting that Hermione would come in second, he realized that she didn't. Harry looked behind him and saw Hermione looking at her shoes.

“C'mon Hermione!” said Harry holding the door open.

“Wait Harry, I'll just tie my shoes” said Hermione.

Harry just sighed and noticed something when Hermione bent to tie her shoes. He saw something like a cast visible around her waist when Hermione's back part of the shirt lifted. Before he could put thought into this, Hermione stood up and went to Harry as they entered the Three Broomsticks and of course… with Harry lost in thought.

“Harry!” said a voice near a table which belonged to Rapticon Sr. who was drinking a butterbeer “Care to join us?”

Harry didn't know if he wanted, there was Professor Raptor seated with Fiyuna, Ginny, Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Parvati, Lavender, Luna, Seamus, Dean and surprisingly Fred and George.

“What are you doing here!?” said Ron

“We are trying to put up advertisements for W.W.W. (Weasley's Wizards Wheezes)” said Fred

“Then we met Professor Raptor here who knew you Harry” said George

“So what would two thirsty hard working business wizards like us do in Three Broomsticks when a jolly good fellow offers us drinks? Which are on him of course” Fred added

“C'mon take a seat!” said Rapticon Sr. conjuring three seats out of nowhere

“Good! Anyway, where was I?” said Rapticon Sr. “Oh yeah! Then the old lady shouts `Get off my lawn you crazy kids!' she then tosses a frying pan hitting one of them on the spot then…”

“Hermione? Can I speak with you?” Harry whispered to Hermione as she nodded

They left their seats and stayed at a corner when they heard a burst of laughter from Rapticon Sr.'s table. Harry looked at them and saw Fred stomping on the ads of W.W.W. and George spitting butterbeer all over the table. Ron was rolling in his seat whilst Malfoy stood up and started laughing in the corner while Parvati and Lavender were giggling to each other while Ginny was crying tears of laughter. Fiyuna however bit her lower lip from laughing. Dean and Seamus were cheering for another story. Rapticon Sr. was just smiling to himself looking rather satisfied with himself.

“Oooh, I wished I heard that joke” said Hermione smiling “Anyway, what were you going to ask me?

“Er - Hermione, you know I'm your best friend and you can tell me anything right?” he said as he held Hermione's shoulders

Hermione nodded looking concerned

“Hermione, is there something you're not telling me and Ron?”

Harry felt Hermione shook as if she was afraid of him asking this question

“N-No” she said looking her best to stay innocent

“Is someone hurting you?” Harry said looking at Hermione's midriff

“What do you mean?” she said as she bit her lower lip

“Why do you have a cast?”

Hermione's eyes widened and said

“T-tripped” she said

“Tripped? Hermione, you can't get out of this one. Tell me now, what's going on?”

She opened her mouth and closed it again. Harry was getting a bit irritated with her hesitation.

“I-I have this -”

Before stopping himself Harry shook her slightly, this made her quite shocked. Harry felt a bit guilty for doing that but he wanted to know what Hermione hiding is. But -

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Harry turned and saw the group of Rapticon Sr. laughing again and the twins started bashing the table, which made the banging noise earlier, laughing so hard they stood up and started walking to Harry and Hermione's direction. Harry released Hermione so no awkward questions would arise.

“Damn! That guy has his words! I wish we were still in Hogwarts!” said Fred

“Ditto!” said George nodding “Oh well, we gotta go Harry! Got some W.W.W. business to attend to! See ya Hermione!” and with that they left Three Broomsticks laughing.

When Harry turned to Hermione he saw she was already walking to the table and sat with Ron looking a bit relieved. Harry followed and sat beside her listening to Rapticon Sr.'s next story.

“Alright, have you ever heard the story when a muggle nearly killed his mate while making a table? Well, it starts like this…” he said as a waiter poured butterbeer on everyone's mugs.

- - -

“If I listen to another of Professor Raptor's jokes I will kill myself” said Ron in the common room Sunday night, it was nearly twelve o'clock and Ron and Harry were the only ones left “he rocks” he added smiling to himself

“Yeah” said Harry looking at the empty seat which Hermione should be at

“Where's Hermione?” said Ron looking at his empty Star Chart

“I dunno”

“Why's she disappearing?” Ron asked

“I don't know” Harry said still looking at the empty chair as Ron shrugged and started with his Star Chart

“I wish she's okay though” said Harry “She was wearing a cast around her waist yesterday”

“What!?” said Ron “If someone's giving her a beating I'll -”

“Ron, don't jump the conclusions” said Harry “I asked her yesterday why she had it”

“Well?”

“She was tight-lipped”

Ron snorted “So? We have to report it to Professor McGonagall”

“Ron, I'm concerned as you are but we should be skeptic”

“Oh yeah as if that would work -”

Ron was cut off when Hermione came in holding her midriff. She then realized that Ron and Harry was there, she looked as if she wanted to rewound what she's done

“Hermione! Is there someone hurting you!” said Ron immediately walking up to her as she took a step back

“Ron! Leave her alone! I told you don't jump the conclusions!” said Harry standing up

“Harry she's our best friend and if someone is hurting her we should watch her back!” Ron said angrily

“No one is hurting me” said Hermione

“What?” Ron and Harry said at the same time

She was shaking with fury, pain and, in Harry's point of view, embarrassment

“No one is hurting me. I'm just going through something and - LEAVE ME ALONE!” she stormed to the girl's dormitory and slammed the door shut

“I thought I heard shouting” said a sophisticated voice from the portrait hole which Hermione didn't close. It was Professor Raptor in a night robe holding a wand that was lit from the tip

“Sorry professor” said Ron “We had a disagreement”

“I see” said Professor Raptor “I came here to tell you that when Hermione passed by me in the Grand Staircase moments ago she dropped this” he tossed something to Harry. Harry caught it and looked at it and his eyes widened then showed Ron the thing that Professor Raptor tossed at him. It was a twig from a tail of a broomstick.

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