AN: Thanks for everything, guys! As an extra bonus (because I don't mind spending time on you guys) I'll update a second time today! All of your reviews and positive as well as constructive support are greatly appreciated! This one is a little bit short, but I had a lot of fun writing it! I hope you have as much fun reading it! Enjoy!
Spoiler Alert: No spoilers should be present in this chapter. Read on with ease! Haha.
Disclaimer: I don't think I own anything in this chapter! Nothing at all, lol. If I do own anything though, it'll be something you don't recognize from the series! Cheers!
V
A frustrated Hermione walked up to the fifth floor where the meeting was being held. When she was walking up, she had gone to check on her flyer and noticed that someone had taken it down. She was irked greatly by the notion and stomped up the stairs. The room was already set up and Hermione had decided to go down for dinner before heading back. Now that the leaflet was down, she would definitely have no hope of getting anyone to come. She asked a lot of the girls in her dorm, but the giggling idiots wanted nothing to do with it. She grumbled her way up to the classroom before opening the door harshly and slamming it as she went in. She was surprised to see a mildly interested Harry sitting with an amused expression in one of the chairs. Looking around, she saw no one else.
"You're late." Harry started glancing down at his watch, "Didn't you flyer say 7:30? Where's everyone else?"
Hermione was flustered for letting Harry see her in her foul mood and quickly recovered, "I doubt anyone else is coming actually," she let out a heaving sigh, "I tried to ask my dorm mates to come but those buffoons weren't interested in the slightest. They didn't even humor me except for Ginny who was busy tonight."
Harry looked at her carefully, "Perhaps you're asking the wrong people." He said while studying her. "You need to get the word out more."
Hermione's rotten temper immediately returned, "I really would, but now even that chance is gone because some bleeding git took down my flyer." She glared around the room as if expecting the culprit to be hiding in it and failed to notice Harry's guilty look in her tantrum.
"You only had one flyer?" Harry asked feigning naivety.
"I could only afford to put one up with the funds I've saved up for S.P.E.W.. Most of the money I'm saving up is for new books, but I'm planning on re-allotting my funding for the next meeting-that is, if I even have one."
"Why do you say that?"
"Well, with the turn out tonight-no offense, Harry-I just don't know if it's worth the time, money and effort."
Harry stood up and looked stern, "You mean to tell me that Hermione Granger is just giving up after losing one battle?" he asked incredulously.
"There have been wars that consisted of one battle, Harry, for instance-"
She was cut off by Harry, "The Hermione I know never gives up." He said simply, "If you keep up this passion you have for helping those that need it, I'm sure you will attract more people. I mean, you got me here right? That's one person and it's a start."
Hermione smiled gratefully, "Thanks, Harry."
Harry grinned back, "So, is your main obstacle the money issue? Getting the money to support notices and your activities?"
"Yeah, funding and membership are what we really lack." Hermione answered while moving to take a seat close to Harry.
Harry smiled widely at her use of 'we' before continuing thoughtfully, "Well, we need to get the word about this organization out first, so I'll try to convince some of my friends to come, maybe we could do some fundraisers which would help with both issues." Harry smiled lopsidedly, "If we really need to, I could use my fame to bribe people to come to at least listen."
Hermione laughed, "You don't need to do that, Harry. But all of your ideas are great. I already have some fundraising projects we might be able to do."
"I'll try to help when I can," his face brightened, "Oh! If you want, I'm actually very good friends with a certain House Elf here and maybe I could arrange for you to speak with him. Actually, I freed him from his cruel master, so he may be one of the only free House Elves that still works at Hogwarts."
"Why ever would he want to work here?" Hermione asked incredulously, "with the way people treat House Elves at least."
"I'm not sure myself." Harry trailed off, "He actually seems to like the work, and of course I pay him for serving while being free, but I get this feeling that somehow he's looping all of my money back to my vaults." Harry laughed heartily.
"That's very interesting." Hermione commented. The two fell into a natural silence. They glanced each other occasionally and it was obvious that they were both thinking about the same thing. Hermione finally decided to speak first, "Look, Harry, I'm really sorry about blowing up at you the other day."
Harry smiled kindly, "No, Hermione, you have nothing to be sorry about," he sighed and took a breath before going on, "I should be the one that's sorry. I was being too pushy and trying to tell you what to do and I shouldn't have."
"Well I could have been a little more reasonable," Hermione retorted, "I know that you're just trying to protect me."
"Well, I won't say that you couldn't have been more reasonable," Harry agreed with a roguish wink and received a playful slap from Hermione, "but I could have approached the problem a little better as well." He looked Hermione in the eye, "I truly don't ever want you to be hurt though, Hermione." He said softly.
"I know." Hermione replied just as softly.
"So, friends?"
"Of course, the very best." Harry quietly handed Hermione the bag of Honeyduke's chocolates. Hermione smiled gratefully and offered a sincere word of thanks. She then appreciatively took the bag of chocolates.
Harry moved over to Hermione and pulled her into a friendly embrace. Pulling back, he smiled happily at Hermione before turning serious, "Not to ruin anything," he started and received a large eye roll, "and I'm not telling you to dump Nicholas either." Harry took the raised eyebrow as his cue to continue, "Just be careful, okay." Hermione nodded in understanding, "Slytherins play dirty. If you want to see how brutal some Slytherins can be, why don't you come to the Quidditch match tomorrow?"
Hermione contemplated for a moment, "I didn't really have anything planned for tomorrow, so sure."
Harry smiled elatedly, "Great! I know you don't like flying, but Quidditch is still fun to watch!" he said excitedly.
"We'll see," Hermione said with a knowing grin.
"So, Mione, why don't you fill me in on your stance and ideas for S.P.E.W.?"
"Mione?" Hermione asked while raising her eyebrow again in question.
"Well, why not?" Harry asked cutely, "I'm your Harry, and you can be my Mione!"
Hermione laughed at how odd the phrase was, "Sounds fair to me-even though I don't know what your knee has to do with all of this!" Hermione joked. "But I'm only your Mione. I don't particularly like nicknames, but with you, I could totally make an exception and still be happy."
Harry grinned widely, "Aw, I feel so special now!" he cooed.
"Let's get back to the meeting, 'Special Boy'."
"Yes, ma'am." Harry saluted smartly.
~<>~
Harry found that his nerves were fried before the big game against Slytherin today. He saw Hermione at breakfast and she flashed him a quick smile, confirming for him that she would show up, and ever since, he'd been on the edge. It wasn't so much that this was the first game in over a year at Hogwarts, and it wasn't even because it was against Slytherin. In fact, Harry was pretty sure that he didn't even care too much about the match itself. It was Hermione. He really wanted to leave a good impression of himself for her so he didn't want to screw up.
His plate at breakfast sat untouched while the food magically simmered to keep itself warm. He stared at it thoughtfully but his appetite had completely left him. Ron looked at him questioningly, "What's the matter, mate?" he said after swallowing-apparently Ginny was successful to some point at teaching him manners.
"I'm just not hungry." Harry answered simply. Ginny looked at him understandingly, Harry had told her everything.
"You ought to eat, mate. You'll need all of the energy you can get before we take on those ruddy Slytherins." Ron said seriously. Quidditch and food, those were his fortes. "What's the deal anyways? It's not like we haven't beaten Slytherin out before."
Ginny swiftly came to the rescue, "Ron, we haven't played Quidditch since last year, I'm sure that Harry-being the normal boy that he is now-is just getting early pre-game jitters. With You-Know-Who around, he never got the chance to truly be nervous about something like a silly Quidditch match."
"Never. Call. Quidditch. Silly." Ron said seriously.
Harry laughed loudly, "Come on guys, I'll be fine. Let's get down to the locker rooms and change so we can start warming up for that game!"
His friends nodded energetically and they got up promptly to head out. Harry caught Hermione's gaze again and smiled widely. He held her gaze until Ron nudged him none too lightly. He rolled his eyes and followed his best friend. Ginny was already well ahead of the two boys and headed through the massive Great Hall doors towards the pitch. Ron looked at his best friend questioningly, "What's with you, mate? Why were you smiling over there at Granger just now?" he slapped his forehead, "Don't tell me you like her!"
Harry rolled his eyes, "I won't tell you then."
"Are you kidding me, Harry?"
"So what if I do like her? What's wrong with that?"
"Everything, Harry!" Ron exclaimed, "You're Harry Potter! You could have literally any pretty witch on the planet? You don't need to settle for some nameless know-it-all."
Harry eyes sharpened angrily, "I'm not settling on anything, Ron." He said pointedly, "And she has a name: Hermione." He turned to his friend, "Don't you get it, mate? I like her because she doesn't see me as Harry Potter, The Boy-Who-Lived. She just sees Harry Potter, that's why I like her so much. She sees the real me, not the phony image that the press has created."
Ron was taken aback by Harry's outburst. The emerald-eyed boy hadn't snapped at anyone like that since the end of the war, even less at his friends. Ron was surprised that Harry felt so strongly about her, "I was just pointing out, mate," he started again, "But if you don't want those other ladies, I'd be more than happy to take them off your hands!" he grinned, "For you, my friend, I will try to get along with Hermione, but let me just say now that sometimes her nagging can get quite irritating."
Harry smiled, "Well, I wonder why she would nag you of all people to finish homework that was due in an hour." He smiled thoughtfully.
"Yeah, yeah," Ron waved the comments off easily, "Let's get down to the pitch, Mr. Youngest Seeker of the Century."
~<>~
The boys were dressed smartly in their Quidditch uniforms and confidently walked out onto the pitch with their brooms resting comfortably on one shoulder. Ginny waved to them from the air and shouted, "What took you so long?"
"Nothing, Gin." Ron yelled back.
"I just had to yell at your brother for insulting me." Harry winked happily.
"What did he say this time?" Ginny asked exasperatedly.
"He just insinuated that I was 'settling' for Hermione." Harry smiled.
Ginny nodded, "So you finally, told him, eh?"
"Yeah, and I can't say that I like it still." Ron grumbled.
Harry and Ginny burst out laughing, "Come on, Ron! Let's get up in the air and Ginny and I can help you warm up. Those Slytherins aren't going to play nice and you need to block as many goals as you can."
"I've been getting better!" Ron said defensively.
"You have, mate, but we'll see what a war has done to your skills."
With that, the two boys took off into the air and did a warm-up run around the pitch while Ginny went to fetch the Quaffle. The two finished their "fly-through" just as Ginny returned. She tossed the flaming ball up towards the boys and Harry swooped in to catch it with grace that belied his frame. Ron moved into his defensive position in front of the hoops. Harry quickly threw the ball and it veered low to the right. Ron did even attempt to block the wide throw and just laughed, "Watch it, mate! I don't think your throwing has improved much." His mouth dropped as he saw Ginny zipping past him and hurling the ball through the upper loop.
"All part of the plan, mate." Harry said.
"Keep your eye on the ball, Ronald." Ginny scolded.
Ron scowled at being tricked but nodded and went to retrieve the ball. This left Harry and Ginny alone to discuss different strategies of tricking the poor bloke. All three of them knew that the Slytherins wouldn't be playing fairly so they needed to get Ron pumped up for that. Ron returned shortly with the battered, red ball and tossed it out to Harry. His best friend and sister nodded to each other before Ginny quickly began charging. The fiery boy was used to things zooming in at him having lived with Fred and George for the better of five years. He was unfazed by this approach because he knew that Ginny wouldn't actually collide with him. Returning his attention to the task at hand, he began searching for Harry and the Quaffle. Ginny shot very close before swerving downwards. Harry was close behind her and Ron quickly got into position. Harry feinted to the right and while Ron repositioned himself to block the ball, Harry tossed the Quaffle lightly to Ginny who then hurled the ball towards the left hoop. Ron sensed the change in tactics and modified his own accordingly. Ron maneuvered his broom skillfully and flipped completely over to nail the burning ball with the tail of his broom and sending it straight down into the ground. He righted himself to Harry and Ginny's cheers.
"Nice, mate!"
"That was brilliant, Ron!"
"We're going to blow those Slytherins away!"
Ron grinned widely at his success, "Let's get back to it, guys. You'll have to do better than that to fool me."
Hermione left breakfast a little after she had seen Harry leave. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil had held up the brainy brunette with their gossip stories-most about Harry-and Hermione couldn't leave without being seen as rude. Finally, she excused herself from the giggling girls for the sake of saving her sanity on the pretense of going to the library to study. Honestly, though, Hermione didn't quite feel like studying this particular Sunday morning. Instead, Hermione opted to get to the Quidditch earlier. Perhaps she would be able to get a good spot in the Gryffindor stands considering how popular Quidditch seemed to be. The entire Great Hall was decked out in the house colors and bright, colored streamers announced Hermione's exit from the Great Hall.
She walked out of the main castle and was greeted by crisp and clean November air. The chilly air bit at her but she didn't mind because the weather was amazing. Fluffy clouds dotted the sky and the sun winked mischievously through them as Hermione turned her head up to gaze at the serene sky. The cool air rushed past her into the Great Hall and the murmurs of conversation were drowned out by the thick oaken doors. Hermione walked lightly along the beaten path to the Quidditch pitch and squinted as she saw three figures flying around the pitch. She skipped on down to the field and walked up a flight of stairs to sit where she presumed the Gryffindor stands were. This assumption was made based solely on the amount of red and gold that was draped over the entire structure.
Hermione found a seat near the middle at the front of the raised stands. The entire stadium was empty and it looked much bigger this way. Glancing up, she caught sight of Harry, Ginny, and Ron practicing. Ron appeared to be the one that was blocking the balls that Harry and Ginny were throwing at him. He was doing a fair job of it too. Hermione took her attention away from Ron and watched Harry. The young hero looked absolutely at ease in the air as he deftly maneuvered his broomstick. His face glowed with happiness as he joked around with his friends in the air where all of his troubles seemed to evaporate. He tossed a bright crimson ball into the air where Ginny gracefully swooped in to grab it. The two flew with multiple twists and turns while passing the ball back and forth to confuse Ron. However, the starving, insensitive, hyper boy that Hermione equated with Ron wasn't present. He watched the ball carefully with sharp eyes and she could tell that the gears in his head were rapidly spinning while he was formulating his defensive plan. Ginny dropped the ball neatly into Harry hands and he swiftly whirled around to gain momentum before hurling the ball wide. Ginny came in perfectly and knocked the ball in the opposite direction at the far right hoop. Ron wasn't fazed by the show though and came in easily to block the incoming ball. He laughed triumphantly and Harry and Ginny groaned. In her despair, Ginny noticed Hermione watching in the bleachers and quickly waved. Hermione smiled and waved back with as much energy. As she moved to pull her book out though, she frowned and looked on with interest. Harry's back was to her so he obviously hadn't seen her yet. Ginny flew to Harry side and leaned in to whisper excitedly into Harry's ear. The bright, young witch couldn't help but feel a sinking feeling deep in her chest. What was it? It definitely wasn't heart failure, Hermione was still far too young to be worried about that, she hadn't been hurt-physically-anyways and heaven forbid it be… jealousy. Hermione frowned again in recognition before quickly analyzing her feeling. She couldn't be jealous-she had a boyfriend already for Merlin's sake! Hermione suppressed all of her mixed emotions and dived into her book to distract herself. In the end, this attempt would have proven futile though.
The trio had gone through 9 official practice runs with Ron blocking 7 of the 9 shots that Harry and Ginny made. They were lazing around and flying in small circles through the air. Ginny squealed and flew up next to Harry. She leaned over to whisper in his ear excitedly, "You'd never guess who is in the stands right behind you!"
Harry looked at her inquisitively and resisted the urge to turn around and check, "Neville?" he asked unsurely.
"No, you idiot! Hermione! It's Hermione, she's actually showing up to the Quidditch match!" Ginny laughed energetically, "Go on." She prodded Harry, "Go down and talk to her before people start coming in and the match starts!"
"Hermione? Talk to her? What? What do I say?" Harry fired off questions randomly. Ron chose this moment to join and complete the airborne circle.
Ginny sighed frustrated and answered Harry's questions one at a time, "Yes. Yes. Yes. And anything! Go on." Harry turned around unsurely and made his way silently down to a Hermione that was apparently fiercely engrossed in her book.
"Where's Harry going?" Ron asked from above.
"To talk to Hermione, you dolt."
"Why? The match is about to start and it's Hermione Granger for Merlin's sake! He can't be seen with her!"
"Exactly, so don't look! Ron, why don't you nip on down to the locker rooms and meet up with the rest of the team." Ron's petite sister ordered. Ron opened his mouth to argue but Ginny cut him off before sound was even emitted, "Ronald." Ron grumbled something incoherently (one probably wouldn't want to know anyways) and flew down in the opposite direction of Harry towards the locker rooms.
Ginny watched Harry fly down to Hermione happily, "They're so cute together!" she squealed before flying off to find her friend Lisa who just so happened to be a brilliant Gryffindor chaser…
Harry landed nervously in the stands and approached Hermione who was still avidly reading. Sensing a warm presence near her, she slowly put down her book and looked up into piercing green eyes. "Harry!" she squeaked, "What are you doing here?"
Harry looked around nervously, "Well, actually, I was just about to get ready for the game to start. But I saw you down here… and I thought I'd come by to, er, say hello. Hello, by the way."
Hermione giggled, "Hello to you too, Harry. I came down to get away from all of the insanity for a while. You wouldn't believe how many stories Lavender and Parvati have that are absolute nonsense-don't tell them I said that, by the way."
Harry laughed, warming into the conversation, "Most of them are about me, right?" Hermione nodded in affirmation, "Anyways, Hermione, I'd like to tell you that I'm really glad you came. I mean, even though you obviously came to see your boyfriend play because… well… you know, he's your boyfriend and-"
Hermione cut him off, "Harry, you're rambling." The raven-haired boy blushed. "But in all honesty, I'm here to see you today, Harry. I mean, you're the only one that came to my meeting yesterday, it's the least I could do in return for your support."
"Ah, well, thanks then!" Harry grinned, "I'm glad you're rooting for Gryffindor! Anyways, I better get back down to the team. If I'm late to the motivational speech again, Tim will kill me! Well, after the game he will." Harry flashed Hermione another smile before turning to leaving.
"Oh, Harry." Hermione stood up suddenly. She was still almost a head shorter than the boy. Harry whirled around to face her. She stood up on her toes and gently leaned forward to softly kiss his cheek. Harry felt his face grow hot and he stared at her in shock. "Good luck!" Hermione was blushing prettily as well.
Harry smiled widely but he could feel that his face was still red, "Thanks, Mione." He whispered. He grinned at her again before quickly stepping to the rail of the bleachers and taking off towards a door which Hermione presumed was the team locker room.
Hermione sat down heavily and released a sigh. It was neither frustrated nor happy, but rather a confused sigh. She tried to return to her book but found no avail. Her mind was swirling with thoughts and she found she couldn't focus on anything but how nice it felt to kiss Harry… Oh bugger.
AN2: Well, that's it! I will not be able to update again until Tuesday at the very earliest. I hope you all enjoyed that. As always, comments and suggestions are welcomed! Thanks for reading! Cheers!