A/N: Here's the other update! The next chapter is about seven pages in the works, and should be finished soon. Then next fic I write will unfortunately not be able to be posted here on portkey, b/c while I'll try to stick as much h/hr in there as I can, it's not gonna be about them, but rather about Sirius from the time he told james to switch secret keepers until the time that he falls through the veil, with a possible epilogue of his funeral. Anyways, hope you like the update!
*****
Chapter 38
"What's wrong Harry?" Were the first words out of Hermione's mouth when he walked into The Three Broomsticks.
Ginny, Neville, and Dean were sitting at one table, laughing animatedly about something, while Lavender, Parvati, and Seamus sat at the table next to them, the two girls flirting shamelessly while Seamus was on the receiving end of many jealous glares of other guys in the bar.
Lastly there was Luna and Ron, who seemed to be having a great time with each other, but not showing any signs of affection, which Harry thought rather odd, and Hermione, who was looking at him in concern.
Hermione came up to him and put a hand to his forehead. "Are you feeling alright?" She asked him softly, her concerned face reminding Harry of an angel.
Harry knew he couldn't tell her the truth, so he tried his best to lie to the one person who knew him better than any other being on the planet. He put a hand to one of his temples and massaged it gently. "Headache," He grunted.
Hermione smiled and put her forehead to his, brining her hands up to massage both of his temples. It was Harry who was on the receiving end of all the glares now. Hermione leaned forward, and putting her head gently on his shoulder, whispered, "You can't fool me you know. But obviously there's something you aren't telling us that bothers you. I'm sure you have your reasons Harry, but remember, we all love you, and when you are ready, you can tell us anything."
Harry sighed, burying his face into the crook of his fiancée's neck. "I know 'Mione, I know. I promise, when I'm ready, you'll be the first to know."
Harry felt her smile into his shoulder, then he brought her face to match his, and kissed her softly, receiving cat-calls from Dean and Seamus while the rest of the men in the restaurant looked on in envy.
"Oi! When you two are done snogging over there we'd like to eat lunch at some point!" A few people laughed - Luna the most prominent - and the young couple blushed furiously, taking their seat at a table with Ron and Luna.
"So what did you two do today?" Harry asked Ron, who shrugged.
"You know, the usual. Zonko's, Honkeyduke's, the quidditch supply store, Luna even dragged me into that bookshop on the far side of town…"
"Now now Ronald, you know that you liked that bookshop just as much as I did." At Ron's furious blush after Luna's statement, Harry and Hermione grinned.
"Uh oh Ron, snogging in the bookstore? What would your mother think about that?"
Ron stared at them, aghast. "You wouldn't!"
Before they could answer two voices came from their side. "No, but we would!"
Ron spun around and gasped in horror as the twins, who must have been stocking up at Zonko's for the day before returning to Diagon Alley, stormed from the store, clutching their sides in laughter.
"NO!" Ron yelped, and tore after them, a hysterical Dean, Seamus, and Harry right behind them, while the girls all sighed and rolled their eyes.
They were all outside in the drop of a hat, but the twins were no where to be seen. Then a loud, shrill voice came from behind them, petrifying Ron as onlookers stopped to watch.
"RONALD WEASLEY!"
They all turned around to see a fuming Molly Weasley behind them.
"M-mum, I, wh-what are you, huh?"
Harry winced for his best friend when the next words came out of his mother's mouth.
"HOW COULD YOU! SNOGGING IN A PUBLIC BOOK STORE? I THOUGHT I BROUGHT YOU UP BETTER THAN THAT RONALD!"
Ron's eyes were wide with fear, his knuckles white. The rest of the street, Dean, Seamus, and Harry included, were beside themselves with laughter, even if they did know that it was wrong.
"AND YOU HAD BETTER BE DOING NOTHING MORE THAN SNOGGING YOUNG MAN! IF YOUR FIRST CHILD'S NAME IS MACEY - SO HELP ME MERLIN!"
Everyone howled with laughter, knowing that the only bookstore in Hogsmeade was Macey's Books. Deana and Seamus had tears of laughter running down their cheeks.
"WHAT'S NEXT RONALD? HONKEYDUKE'S PERHAPS? OR MAYBE ZONKO'S? OH WAIT - HOW ABOUT CHURH! THEN YOUR FIRST CHILD'S NAME CAN BE MARY!"
Half the surrounding crowd was on their knees in laughter, any decency to be embarrassed for the poor boy completely forgotten. Harry didn't know how Ron and Luna would ever live this down.
Suddenly though, Molly Weasley's image began to flicker and smoke, until it slowly disappeared. Fred and George, wiping tears away from their jovial faces, stepped out top the crowd.
"Thank you everyone - our latest invention - Motherly Love! Just a small capsule and it takes the image and voice of the mother of your target. Then all you've got to do is stay out of sight and speak into this-" Fred held up a small speaker phone proudly, which he then shrank and slipped in his front shirt pocket. "And the image will last for about five to ten minutes, repeating everything you say! Pick them up at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, number ninety-three Diagon Alley! Five sickles a piece, or buy a pack of five for a galleon! Thank you once again, and have a great time with your shopping."
The crowd cheered loudly while Fred and George beamed, until finally they left and the cheering went down, and everyone returned to their daily activities.
The nine of them (the girls had come out upon hearing Mrs. Weasley's voice) walked back into the Three Broomsticks, everyone still chuckling except for Ron, who was scowling and blushing furiously, and Luna, who didn't seem to care.
"It's alright Ronald," Luna said, patting him on the arm. "I once had a frog-nosed skipper jump into my blouse once in the middle of Diagon Alley - it caused quite the scene!"
She started to laugh hysterically again, the rest joining in mainly because of the absurdity of the statement. But Ron, Harry was glad to notice, had calmed down somewhat. He leaned over and kissed Luna lightly on the cheek.
"RONALD WEASLEY! NO SNOGGING IN PUBLIC!" Seamus screamed, sending the entire bar into hysteria once again, even Ron joined in on the laughter.
About an hour later, when they were all done eating, Harry and Hermione bade farewell to the rest so that they could finish their Christmas shopping.
"Hmm, so we still need…" Hermione began to tick things off her fingers. "A real present for Neville, something for Ron, and I still have to get something for my parents,"
"And I need something for Dudley." Harry finished, and Hermione smiled at him.
"Anyways, I already know what I'm making for Ron - a broomstick, I just need to add a few more things to it, Neville I think we should head to the greenhouse for, we could get your parents some quidditch robes or something," He grinned at her and she rolled her eyes.
"Okay, I'll leave your parents to you, and for Dudley - I'm still not to sure yet. How 'bout we split up and meet at the greenhouse at the edge of town in about forty minutes?"
Hermione smiled and nodded, then gave Harry a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving.
Harry turned and first made his way to the quidditch supply shop, picked up those things necessary for Ron's broomstick, then he wandered the streets, wondering what he could possibly get Dudley.
Harry knew that Dudley liked to box, so he was hoping that he could maybe find something along that line when he came across a physical training store. Harry shrugged and stepped in, wondering if he would find anything useful.
He walked around the store for a few minutes before gasping at the sight of the perfect present.
There was some kind of magical boxing device, where it was consisted of only the upper body, which could be modified to age and weight class, and talent level. It would float around and punch back as one tried to hit it, basically like a real boxing match, except that the thing had an unbreakable charm on it, and the gloves were charmed so that while they landed blows, they did no damage, only a small shock each time the person boxing was hit.
It was all packed easily into a tight package that Harry was sure Hedwig could handle, so he bought it immediately and tucked it under his left arm, checking the time. He immediately took off in a dead sprint when he noticed that he only had a few minutes left until he was supposed to meet Hermione.
He made it just as Hermione walked up, smiling at him. She saw that he had been running and leaned into him, giving him a small sniff. "You need a shower Harry, you've been running haven't you?"
Harry shrugged and smirked at her. "I'll take a shower if you'll join me."
Now usually this comment made Hermione blush, and that always made Harry feel great because he had the upper hand, but this time she smiled softly and replied, "Hmm, maybe I will."
Harry was floored by this comment and couldn't utter a coherent sound until they were well inside the greenhouse, looking for a good plant for Neville.
"Hey, look at this," Harry said, pointing out a small magical cactus, entitled, 'Humphrey Bogart'.
"Interesting," Hermione said, reading the inscription. "It says that the spines from this cactus can be transfigured into long-lasting quills, and once a week it when watered it gives off an aroma that can be used as some of the best cologne and perfume in the world. But it takes a skilled Herbology expert to handle it."
She turned to Harry, who smiled. "We'll take it."
*****
About an hour later Harry and Hermione had finally made their way back to the castle, and were somewhat surprised to find the common room completely deserted.
"Well, I'll hide the girls presents in my room, as well as Dudley's, and you can take Humphrey and Ron's broomstick up to your room. That way no one'll find the presents they aren't suppose to, A'ight?" Harry asked, finishing the last word with a strong American accent, getting a giggle from Hermione.
"Okay then, I'll see you back here in five minutes." She placed a quick kiss on his nose and they retreated to their respective dormitories, hid the presents, and then met back in the common room.
As soon as they were both back, Harry seized the opportunity and pulled Hermione to him, kissing her hard while picking her up by the thighs so that she wrapped her legs around his waste.
After a while he broke their kiss and smiled at her. "Now how about that shower."
Hermione bit her lip for a moment, and then smiled. "Alright."
Needless to say, the next half hour was some of the best time either of them had ever experienced, though they still kept their promise to keep their virginity until they were married, however hard it was to do so.
*****
It was a warm, sunny winter's morning the next weekend, as Gryffindor would be playing their inaugural football game of the season, against the Hufflepuffs.
Dean was sure that the team would have no problems winning the match (and neither did they, because Dean could literally run circles around everyone on the team) but that didn't stop him from being slightly nervous before the match.
"Hello all and welcome to the first ever football match in Hogwarts history, Hufflepuff versus Gryffindor!" Boomed the voice of Kerry Wood, who would be both the quidditch and football announcer this year.
"For those of you who don't know, football is to muggles what quidditch is to wizards. There are two teams of eleven players, and the object of the game is to, using only their feet, put the ball in the back of the opposing team's net. Only the goalkeepers may use their hands in this wonderful sport."
There was a loud cheer from all the muggle-borns and many half-bloods, while the purebloods, even many Slytherins, looked on in interest.
"And now, for the Hufflepuffs, goalkeeper Jon Busch, defenders Cory Gibbs, Steve Jolley, Danny Califf, and Ryan Nelson!" The goalkeeper and four defenders ran out onto the field, clapping their hands above their heads.
"And midfielder's; Kylie Martino, Cristina Henderson, Stephanie Kline, and Caroline Jones!"
Another loud roar as they all took the field. "And forwards Ernie Macmillan and Zacharias Smith!"
Finally the Hufflepuffs gave one last roar, and it was the Gryffindor's turn to be announced.
"And now, for the Gryffindor Lions!"
A roar equal to that of a hurricane swept through the crowd.
"And here they are now, Weasley, Kirke, Sloper, Bocanegra, and Pope!"
More cheers from the Gryffindor stands.
"And in the midfield we've got Beasley, O'Brian, Brown, and DEAN THOMAS!"
The crowd roared at Dean's name, and Harry gave him a small smile before the future world all-star footballer took the pitch. He knew exactly how Dean felt.
"And finally, up top, we've got Granger and Adu!"
More cheers, many for Hermione simply because she was Harry Potter's fiancée, but a lot more for Freddy Adu, as he was the youngest player on any of the teams, and an American to boot (though rumor had it that he was born in Ghana, and then moved to the United States at age seven after his father won a lottery).
"Now the players are set, Hufflepuff will start with the ball, our honoree referee Bradley Shoemaker has his whistle in hand - and the game begins!"
"Ernie Macmillan on the ball, dribbling through the midfield - oh - he tries to take on Thomas one on one…BIG mistake! Dean Thomas on the ball now, slicing through defenders like butter. He makes one cut - now two, Freddy Adu makes a run - he beats the offsides trap, Thomas puts the ball into the first years path - OH! Too cheeky! Freddy Adu scores on a brilliant backheel flick. He overran the ball intentionally, and fooled the keeper with a powerful back heel slotted into the far side netting. One to zero for Gryffindor!"
The crowd exploded, even those who had no idea what was going on or what a back heel or an offsides trap even were - at least they knew what a goal was.
"So in only the third minute of play, the mastery of Dean Thomas in the midfield and classy finishing of Adu up top has given Gryffindor the advantage. Now let's see if they can hold on!"
The match was rather back and forth in the midfield for the next ten-odd minutes, until…
"And Cristina Henderson on the ball, she's pancaked by Thomas and Brown, Brown steals it! She shoots off towards the goalpost like Crabbe and Goyle after crab cakes!"
"KERRY!"
"Only joking Professor, only joking. Back to the match, Lavender streaks through the midfield - a shame that she can't be streaking in the sense that I'm thinking of-"
"WOOD! Call the game or I will pull you off the microphone!"
"Oh, and now a through ball to Adu, he gets the ball in the corner, a nifty little step-over, goes by Nelson, he puts the ball across, it's over Granger's head, Thomas is breaking to the far post! He's all alone! It's a tap in! Goal to Gryffindor!"
Dean grinned and put one finger up in the air, wagging it a little before spreading his arms and pretending to fly the length of the end line before pumping his fist in triumph before being trampled by his teammates, the first one being Hermione, throwing him a huge hug!
"Oh - and look at that! Potter may not be the only one getting chili dogs anymore!" The crowd roared in laughter at Kerry's comment, and the young boy had to jump out of the way of McGonogall as she tried to take the mike from him.
About twenty minutes later and an uncountable number of McGonogall's berating of Kerry, Gryffindor struck yet again.
"And it's Thomas on the ball in midfield, he's looking for an outlet, Granger's streaking down the middle - does he see her? YES! A lob over the central defense, the goalie's come out - and - oh! What a goal! A one time volley from twenty yards out pops over the keeper and dips just under the crossbar! Three to nothing for Gryffindor!"
A few minutes later the Gryffindor team was al huddled on a patch of grass near the visitor's goal box, chatting about the match thus far, and how they would prepare for the second half.
"Alright guys, this is how it seems to be panning out right about now," Dean said, addressing everyone. "Their backs aren't good with the through balls, a well timed run will beat them every time. I wanna try something new though. Next time Hermione's got the ball within thirty yards of goal, I want Beasley to make a scorching near post run. Demarcus is easily the fastest guy on the field, he can leave anyone out there in his wake. Hermione - don't even look for him or wait for his run, when you're within thirty yards, just put the ball on the ground to the corner of the eighteen, and Beasley should get to it all alone.
Other than that, just keep making runs like we have been and we'll be fine. Eddie and Carlos - keep pushing their wingers outside, they don't seem to be too good at the long ball. Ron - well, just pick a good song and play it over and over in your head cuz it doesn't look like you'll be seeing any action today," Dean smirked. "Not like you ever get any anyways, so you should be used to it."
The team howled in laughter, and Ron chuckled along with the, blushing slightly. Finally the second half came, and the Lions got straight to work, covering the midfield well and controlling the flow of play.
"And now it's Patil with the ball in the middle, who recently came in to give Thomas a breather. She plays a long ball to Granger, who deftly settles it with her chest - though I'd imagine it can't be to difficult with all the padding she's got there-"
"KERRY!"
Wood completely ignored McGonogall and started to say excitedly, "And Hermione spins and puts a blind ball to the edge of the eighteen, Beasley is running in, he's only got one touch - YES! Goal to Gryffindor! Thomas nutmeg's the Hufflepuff goalkeeper Busch, and Gryffindor adds yet another insurance goal. Though I do believe one would have proven to be more than enough-"
"Kerry…" McGonogall growled, warning him not to take sides.
Gryffindor started to play there reserves for the rest of the match, just passing the ball thoroughly throughout the midfield, and netting two more goals - one by Parvati and the other by Mark Evans - before the game was finally over, a six to nothing route for Gryffindor.
After a few words of congratulations from Dean to the team, Harry and the others made their way back to Gryffindor tower, ready to party the night away.
"You know that you will not be drinking any firewhiskey don't you Harry?" Hermione asked him on the way there, though it sounded more like a statement than a question.
"Oh come on 'Mione-"
"No you will not!" She said firmly, with fire in her eyes.
Harry drooped his head. "Yes maam."
Just then Seamus walked by them in a coughing fit that sounded suspiciously like "Whipped!"
Hermione took no notice of this and smiled. "Good, and then you can give me a massage later as well."
Harry grinned at her at this statement. "Oh really, where do I get to massage you at?"
Hermione smiled back at him seductively. "Use your imagination."
Harry gave a low whistle and for the first time in his life, couldn't wait for the party to be over.
As he fell asleep that night, Hermione's form snuggled with him under the covers with the sheets drawn around his four-poster, Harry wished that they had a football match everyday.
*****
A/N: Okay, the next update may even be tonight, but don't count on it, it'll probably be out tomorrow. But after that…I dunno how long it'll be. So enjoy the frequent updates while they last!
Cheers!