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Stress by Kryptonite
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Stress

Kryptonite

Chapter 1 : Quidditch and Prefects

Harry Potter lay down on his bed in the boys' dormitory, staring up at the ceiling and thinking about his best friend, Hermione Granger. Death Eaters had killed Hermione's parents in an attack this past summer, just before the start of their sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

They had been back at school for three weeks and Harry hadn't spoken to Hermione yet. It wasn't that he didn't care, but Harry didn't really know how to begin a conversation with her after what had happened to her parents. After all, when he had found out the real way his parents had died, he had struggled to talk about it, and he still did to this day.

Hermione wasn't the only thing Harry thought about as he lay there in bed. The threat of Voldemort was as strong as ever, and the death of his godfather Sirius Black was still on his mind.

Harry was shaken from his thoughts as the dormitory door opened and his other best friend Ron Weasley entered the room.

"Hi, Harry what are you up to?" asked Ron.

"Not much," muttered Harry as he turned to look out of the window onto the Hogwarts grounds. "Ron, can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Ron's tone was uneasy and he shifted uncomfortably as he sat down on his four-poster bed. Harry's awkward question suggested the direction this conversation was about to take, and Ron wasn't sure he wanted to go there.

"Have you talked to Hermione yet? I mean since her parents.... you know."

"I've tried, but every time I tried to speak, she turned away from me, as though she didn't even want me there," Ron said, looking a little put out.

"She's just lonely," Harry reassured him.

"Well, she could at least speak to me or try and have a laugh for crying out loud. It's not like it's the end of the world," moaned Ron.

"So what exactly did you say to her?"

" Exactly what I just told you," answered Ron. Harry jumped to his feet, startling Ron a little.

"Ron, you can be so thick at times!" shouted Harry, and he stared deeply into Ron's eyes, frustration and emotion building up inside him. "Don't you think this is difficult for Hermione? I mean, how would you feel if your parents died? She hasn't even got any family to go to. They all think she's to blame because she's the only witch in the family! DON'T YOU CARE? "

The tension in the room was palpable as Harry and Ron stared into each other's angry eyes. Finally Harry broke the silence.

"Ron, I know you were only trying to help her but saying things like that is only going to make things worse," Harry said softly. He turned away and left the room, leaving Ron to replay the conversation in his head.

Harry was sitting in the Quidditch dressing rooms awaiting the arrival of the students trying out for Gryffindor this year. He had been named the new captain since most of last year's players were now gone. In fact, he, Ron and Ginny were the only original players left from last year's team, although Ginny needed to tryout again as she wanted to become a chaser. Harry took a moment to revel in his team's victory in the Quidditch Cup during his third year before fifteen Gryffindors came bustling through the doors to the locker room. Ron and Ginny Weasley broke from the crowd and strode across the locker room, confidently sitting down on either side of their friend Harry.

"Ron, I'm sorry for blowing up at you earlier, I'm just concerned about Hermione," Harry said. Ron smiled and then nodded in acceptance. Harry stood up slowly, his legs feeling like jelly as he looked into the faces of the inexperienced players he would be expected to lead into a Gryffindor victory.

"Well er… welcome to this year's tryouts for Gryffindor Quidditch team. We have some spare robes in that basket over there." Harry pointed over to a rusty old basket packed with unwashed Quidditch gear. "So, if you would like to suit up, we have separate girls and boys changing rooms. Once you're dressed, come out to the Quidditch Pitch and we'll begin some basic tryouts." The crowd moved as one towards the basket and Harry sat down gratefully on the bench, relieved that his first official duty as Captain, rallying the troops, was behind him.

As he spotted Ginny quickly nipping towards the girls' room, he grabbed her arm and turned her around. "Ginny, I wondered if I could have a quick word."

Ginny gave him a confused stare as she allowed Harry to lead her outside where it was still quiet before any of the hopefuls were out.

"Ginny," the dark-haired boy stared at his best friend's little sister, not knowing where to begin. He took a deep breath and let the words out with the first breath, "it's Hermione. I haven't seen her about for a few days and I wondered where she was."

Ginny stared seriously into his eyes. "I think she's still up in the prefect common room. You know, Harry, she's really a mess, she won't talk to anyone."

"Yeah, I'm considering trying to talk to her. I just feel a little awkward, with what she's been through," said Harry.

Ginny replied softly, "Well if you ask me it's worth a shot. After all, now that Ron has quit as a prefect…" Harry raised his eyebrows in surprise at Ginny.

"What ! Why ?" he asked.

"I think there was a lot of reasons really. One, he only took the job because mum made him. Two, he hated dropping his brothers in it, and three, he just didn't like the responsibility." Ginny looked at Harry with a little worry in her eyes. "Harry, if you didn't know he had quit then I suppose you don't know that you're the replacement."

She winced a little hoping that Harry wouldn't get mad. He just raised his eyes into the top of his head. "And one more thing… I wouldn't quit the job if I were you, Hermione was actually happy about that."

Harry let out a long sigh. "I suppose I can do it. What were you saying before?"

"Oh yes, I would talk to Hermione if I were you, because now you are a prefect you can talk to her in your common room where it will be nice and quiet and relaxed," Ginny said, beaming up at Harry.

"Thanks, I'll think about it," he said.

He returned Ginny's smile as the younger girl turned and walked back to the lockers, then jogged up to the Quidditch Stadium.

The practice was quick and Harry felt confident he could find new players who could give the Slytherins a run for the House Cup. They were green, yes, but he had been as well when he started and that didn't stop his team from winning the Cup in his third year.

Ron walked up to Harry. His cheeks were flushed and his breath was heavy after a hard practice. "So, Harry, how's it going?"

"Not bad actually. I thought we might struggle this year with so many members of the team leaving, but the new players look pretty good," answered Harry.

After discussing positions with the prospects, he and Ron finally made the choice of who should be on the new team. The new players reacted with joy as Seamus Finnegan, Ginny Weasley and Bruce Grimplehorn, a tall, pale third year, were named chasers and the chunky, dark Alex Ripper and Scott Perkins were added to the team as beaters. Scott Perkins was rather short and was a third year, as too was Alex.

Harry looked at the rest of the prospective players with a heavy heart. He hated this part, but remembered the words he'd heard Oliver Wood say many times before. "I'm sorry to anybody who lost out, it was a hard decision and none of you should feel that you have disgraced yourselves."

*

Harry was on his way to dinner that evening when he bumped into a familiar foe. Draco Malfoy turned to face him. "Better watch where you're going, Potter. Next time you might find yourself getting jinxed."

"Not before I transfigure you into the slimy snake that you are," Harry hissed mockingly, the bitterness rising through him.

"I would love to see you try," Malfoy sneered, looking rather full of himself.

"I'll spare you the embarrassment, Malfoy. After all, there's nobody to help you out now that your daddy's in Azkaban."

"I still have mother, that's more of a family than you'll ever have, Potter," spat Malfoy.

Harry leapt at Malfoy, tackling him to the ground. He would have broken a few teeth had it not been for Ron pulling him away. "Calm down mate, Malfoy's not worth it."

Malfoy got up abruptly, dusted off his robes and straightened them out as though nothing had happened. Ron sat Harry down on a bench outside the hall. "What was that all about?"

Harry raised an eyebrow at this question. "What do you think it was about? Just typical Malfoy, making fun of me for having no family."

"Come on, let's go and have some dinner," said Ron.

"No, you go ahead I think I'll skip dinner, I'm not hungry," said Harry, and he turned and left Ron; walked back up to the common room and sat quietly on the sofa.