Author notes: Thank you for those who bothered to leave a comment or review; for those who didn't, thank you anyway for sparing your time to read this fic.
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Bloody Quidditch! To hell with it! Why should it be this savage?
I scampered to get out of the stands as soon as Harry caught the snitch. The howling of the Gryffindors was so loud that I felt like my ears were going to split. I was happy - in a way - because we had won another game, bringing us closer to the cup; but furious at the same time for Harry's reckless behaviour throughout the play.
Running in the middle of the pitch to catch a glimpse of him basking in his glory, a few fan girls screaming and waving banners brushed me aside, almost knocking me down. I stood there, twenty-people deep from him and his team, watching him raise the snitch with his right hand and then shaking others furiously and hugging Ron.
I knew I couldn't get to them. Bloody fan girls! I resigned to going to the changing room to meet them there. I wondered why they weren't brought to the infirmary; I know Harry was badly hurt. Everyone was just too caught up with that sodding Wonky Faint of his!
I walked passed Crabbe, who was on his way to the Slytherin changing room, when another brush of anger washed over me. I stopped on my tracks, turned my back, and stood on his path.
'Get out of my way!' he growled.
Not thinking properly, I swung my hand and -
SMACK!
My right hand met the bloody git's face. I know he was a lot taller than me; I didn't know how I did it, but I hit him.
'Why did you do that for?' he mumbled, holding his reddened face.
'That's for the bludger you sent to Harry's head!' I cried.
'Why you filthy -,' he uttered while taking his wand out of his robe.
I drew out my wand faster than he did, pointed it between his eyes and said before he could finish his remark, 'You wouldn't dare. I could turn you into a toad and keep you forever locked in the dungeons faster than you could utter a single curse.'
'Hermione!' I heard a voice ringing in my ears. 'What the bloody hell is this all about?' Ron said rushing to my side.
'Get the hell out of here, Crabbe,' bellowed Harry, 'before I really turn you into a swine.'
Crabbe ran quickly towards their changing room before the Gryffindor team could surround him. Harry draped his arms around me and said, 'Are you all right? What happened?'
'It was nothing,' I said, 'I actually hit him first.'
'Time to change, you snots!' Ron cried to the others eagerly waiting for Hermione's reply. 'There's no good news here.'
When everyone marched in to the next door and there were only the three of us left in the hallway, Ron yelled, 'Are you mad facing that big oaf all by yourself? What has gotten to you, Hermione?'
I collected my thoughts and replied, 'He - he had sent every bludger to Harry.' I looked at Harry's face and waited for his consoling words, but only saw his face turned into something else - dejection, maybe.
'It was just a game, Hermione!' Harry said. 'All part of the game.' He then took off his arms around me and walked over to the changing room; Ron followed him there and so did I.
'Don't think that I am that stupid!' I yelled back. 'I know how that game is played, but what he did was horrible!'
Harry proceeded in taking off this Quidditch robes not minding that I was even there. I saw the side of his back with a huge purple bruise, which made me catch my breath. I could see that he was aching all over, as it was hard for him to get out of his soaked shirt. There was small gash on his forehead and I could see a small blood trickling down from it. He could have a concussion from that heavy blow to his head.
'Harry,' I said rushing to his side, 'you need to go to Madam Pomfrey. You… you're bleeding and all beaten up.'
'Stop mothering me, Hermione,' Harry said insolently. 'I'm neither your son nor your boyfriend.'
I stopped and sat down at one of the benches; Harry's words were still ringing on my ears. Thoughts were running through my head sending me into a whirl of emotions that I have been keeping to myself for a long time now. I barely heard Ron said 'I fell off my broom, Hermione. Do you think I should see Madam Pomfrey?'
'Shut up, Ron!' I said. 'It was just a short fall. I bet it wasn't even 3 meters high.' I again faced Harry. 'You, on the other hand, need to go to the infirmary now! I don't care if I was just a friend to you or a housemate. Hate me for being obnoxious or intrusive or insufferable - I don't give a damn! Just get your frigging arse to the hospital and get your bruises fixed!'
I did the only thing I know - shout at Harry - to cover up for all the affection, the passion, burning up inside of me.
---oo0oo---
I hate her guts.
She was a young woman without any fear. She was not afraid to say whatever it was on her mind, no matter how unpopular it may be to others. She had been fighting some of my battles for me and today she did it again.
I was dumbfounded when I saw her standing outside our changing room, wand pointing at Crabbe, and ready to fire a jinx. Ron rushed to her side and I followed, completely letting go of the snitch that had been fluttering in my hand since I caught it. I eyed Crabbe's pink face and wanted to roast him there in front of the others.
Mustering self-restraint, I only said, 'Get the hell out of here, Crabbe, before I really turn you into a swine.'
I saw Hermione's hands were shaking, so I wrapped my arms around her to ease her up a bit. 'Are you all right? What happened?' I said.
'It was nothing. I actually hit him first,' she said. This even got me baffled because she was never the one to always start a fight; she might fight back with a little bit of provocation but not to do it first. I feared what could have happened that made her snapped.
'He had sent every bludger to Harry.'
She stood up for me again. My spirits dampened as she placed herself in front of the line again defending me, and this was just over a silly Quidditch game. 'It was just a game, Hermione! All part of the game.' I know she'd hate me for that remark. I left her and went inside to change.
I knew she followed me inside because I could still hear her ranting. I took off my robes from my aching body, never minding that she could probably see my bruises. My head aches terribly and I couldn't feel a thing on my left arm. She was again right; I really need to go to the infirmary only that my stubbornness was getting in the way, and that her constant mollycoddling was driving me crazy.
'Stop mothering me, Hermione! I'm neither your son nor your boyfriend,' I yelled in frustration. I'd had enough of her fussing over me.
I want something more.
My retort hit her for a while because she stopped talking; though it didn't last for long. I thought that would bring her to her senses but it didn't worked as I had expected.
'I don't care if I was just a friend to you or a housemate. Hate me for being obnoxious or intrusive or insufferable - I don't give a damn! Just get your frigging arse to the hospital and get your bruises fixed!' she continued berating me.
Just a friend. When did she ever think that she was just a friend to me?
I stood, towering over her, sweating and without any shirt on. How am I going to tell her that our little conversations have caused so much interest and excitement in me? More like luscious emotions, actually. I bore my eyes into her and she stared back; she was reading me as I was reading her.
Hermione's lips quivered, her eyes were about to water; I know she hates it when we are fighting because she'd somehow give in.
---oo0oo---
I went directly to the shower when I followed Harry inside the Gryffindor changing room. I don't need to be there in front of them when they're fighting, I could hear them clearly even through the pouring water.
Hermione had been in a right state; I couldn't blame her, worrywart that she is.
It was a very quick shower. What, you thought I would like to miss a single thing? She was still insisting that Harry pay Madam Pomfrey a visit.
Harry said something about him not being his boyfriend and she stopped; as what Muggles' say, it felt like an angel had passed by with that silence. I had to say something, 'I fell off my broom, Hermione. Do you think I should see Madam Pomfrey?'
All I got was a snide retort from her and she went back to growling at Harry. I could sense that Harry was trying hard to restrain himself - restraining from doing something I had a little inkling that would surprise not just Hermione.
They were looking fixedly at each other. I was pretty sure that they didn't even noticed that I was still there. The tension was killing me; so I took one thing from Harry's locker and excused myself. I don't think they even heard or saw me though.
I did the only thing I know, and that was sneaked back in and eavesdropped, under Harry's invisibility cloak.
Hermione was standing in front of Harry, and he without his shirt on, which I'm not sure he didn't do on purpose, was staring down at her. The evidence that he badly needed to go to the infirmary was showing; no wonder Hermione had been too worried like some barmy cow.
'I can't take your worrying anymore, Hermione' Harry said, 'not if they don't give so much more than a promise of being just your friend.'
What the… the bloody idiot's going to confess! Hermione did nothing and simply gazed back at him befuddled - equally duff when it comes to this matter.
'I - I just can't go on pretending that…' he mumbled, 'that I'm just some friend to you. I look at you and I see… I keep on seeing these visions - visions of things like forever… and… and - '
'Harry,' she interrupted.
However, Harry continued, 'I don't know what to do, really; no one else had meant so much more to me than you do. You could turn away or… or blast me to eternity -'
'Harry,' she chimed in again. I could see the twinkling in her eyes and the small smile forming on her lips.
'I think,' he went on. Shut up, Harry, don't muck things up and just kiss her, you stupid arse! 'I think I'm… I'm fallin- '
Harry never got to finish his admission, though, as Hermione grabbed his neck towards her and kissed him full on; neither did I got to see what went on after that, as I did a little jig and fumbled at my escape out of the room.
'You'll be going to the hospital wing, then?'
'Yes.'
'I'll take a quick shower.'
'If you want to join me, I won't mind.'
'Harry James Potter! Get your head out of the gutter!'
Those were the last things I overheard before somebody poked me on my back.
'Why, Ronald Weasley, I never thought that you would ever lose your head,' said a familiar chirpy girl's voice, as I realised that it was only my head that was covered by the cloak. She follows me everywhere, why must she do that?
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A/N : Grateful thanks to my beta readers AustenLover and Raven.