DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters. They are the property of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros, etc. No money was made from the creation of this story.
Chapter Nine: Gryffindor vs. Slytherin
The Gryffindor common room was filled with anticipated and excited students. Today marked the first match of the school's Quidditch season and it would be between the school's largest rivals, Gryffindor and Slytherin. The students needed days like this to unwind from studying. Their Fall examinations were just around the corner, and the students needed a day of carefree fun and excitement to calm their nerves.
The Gryffindor students were truly excited about this game. Gryffindor had always had brutal games against Slytherin, being that the two were always the top contenders for the Quidditch Cup. However, with the return of Harry Potter as their Seeker and new captain, and with the arrival of transfer student, William Weinstein as their lead Chaser, they felt that the Quidditch Cup was as good as theirs.
Harry let out a soft sigh as he stood in front of the Fat Lady's portrait. He was wearing his red and gold Quidditch robes and he held his Firebolt firmly in his right hand. A small grin formed across his face as he looked at the Fat Lady. She looked back at him with an impressed smirk on her face. Harry took a deep breath and whispered the password to her. She gave him a quick smile as she opened the passageway into the Gryffindor common room.
Harry allowed his face to drop to a soft frown as he walked into the common room. He was greeted by many of his friends and fellow Gryffindors. They shook his hand, patted his back, and cheered his name as he looked around for Ron, Hermione, and Nancy.
After several minutes of searching, he finally able to them standing by the fireplace talking and laughing with Ginny. He took another deep breath, shook someone's hand, and made his way over to them, trying his best to keep his sad expression.
"What's wrong, Harry?" Hermione asked as he took his spot by her. He felt a smile creeping in, but he needed to keep his face tense and his expression firm. "Harry…"
"I just talking with the girl I wanted to take to the Christmas Ball," Harry started as he let out a sigh.
Nancy, Ron, and Ginny immediately grew intrigued due to the fact that none of them knew who Harry had asked. Hermione tried to keep her expression straight, but she looked at him with a confused look.
"Oh…" Ron smiled as he gave Harry a friendly knock on the shoulder. "Went out for a snogging before the match, huh?"
"Of course not, silly," Nancy replied giving him a stern look. "If he were snogging with a girl, would he really have a sad look on his face?"
"Well, she could be a bad…" Ron continued, but an icy glare from all the girls caused him to close his mouth.
"What happened?" Hermione asked softly as she started to rub his back as a friendly gesture.
"She…" Harry took a deep breath, keeping his expression firm. "She said that her family is making her go home for the Christmas break, so she won't be able to go to the dance with me."
"Oh Harry, I'm really sorry," Ginny said with a very sympathetic voice. "That must really be awful."
Hermione's eyes grew wide when she realized what he was planning in his head. That is very smart, Harry. Why didn't I see this coming? And you told me that you had no sense about these types of matters.
"Will you be okay?" Hermione asked him as she continued to rub his back gently with her hand. Harry nodded slightly, but didn't lighten his expression.
"Don't worry mate, we'll find you a new girl," Ron said as he looked at Ginny. "Ginny, you know a bunch of girls that haven't been asked yet to the Christmas Ball, don't you?"
"Oh yes," she answered as she crossed her arms and thought to herself. "I can think of several right now who would love to go with you."
"Oh no," Harry replied as he raised his arm in objection. "I don't know if I want to go to the Christmas Ball anymore. It wouldn't feel right."
"But Harry," Nancy kindly argued. "You have to go. What are you going to do?"
"I don't know," Harry said softly as he looked into the fire.
Ron tried to say something else, but Hermione interrupted him before he got a chance and said, "Oh, leave him be. It is his decision if he wants to go or not. I am sure if Harry feels like it, he will find another girl on his own. Though, don't go around advertising him like he's a piece of meat."
"Yeah, you are right," Nancy replied as she released a soft sigh.
The Gryffindor common room opened and they turned to find William Weinstein entering. He wore a flashy smile as he greeted and waved to all his Gryffindor fans. He made his way into the center of the room holding a chair in one of his hands. He placed the chair on the floor and gracefully stood on it so that everyone could see him.
"Now my fellow Gryffindors," he spoke, his voice steady and firm, "there is no way in the world that Slytherin will defeat us. With my strength and my lightning moves, they will not know what hit them. They will regret ever showing their faces on the field to face William Weinstein and the Gryffindor Quidditch team!"
While numerous students began cheering, Ron turned to look at his friends with a complete look of disgust. Harry's expression finally changed to one of complete puzzlement as he watched William wave his broom in the air as if it were a sword.
"Oh, that boy is going to get it!" Ginny growled as she took a step towards his direction. Though Harry and Ron quickly grabbed her arms and prevented her from advancing any further. She looked at them with a determined face, "He needs to be taught a lesson!"
"Whatever he needs to be taught," Harry quickly responded, "teach him after the game. We need all our players healthy and ready."
Ginny calmed herself down and the two released her. The Gryffindor common room door opened again and this time it was Collin Kreevey who entered. His face was red and he was taking deep breaths as if he had been running for miles. He walked over to Harry and smiled at him.
"Hey Collin," Harry said with a confused look on his face. "What's going on?"
"Professor McGonagall…" Collin replied as he tried to catch his breath. "She wants…the team ready to go…to the pitch. Have Hermione…take the students…to their seats."
"Okay, thanks Collin," Harry said as he gave him a nod. Collin gave him another quick smile before he dashed through the people and out the common room door.
"He is a strange one," Ron said as he walked over to his armchair and picked up his broom, his body growing tense.
"Good luck, you three," Hermione smiled at them as she gave Harry's arm an affectionate squeeze with her hand. Harry smiled at her as she and Nancy left the group. Within minutes, Hermione was able to calm the cheering students and led them out of the common room towards the Quidditch pitch.
"All right," Harry said with a nod as he looked at his team, all of them wearing their red and gold Quidditch robes, their brooms held in their hands. "Let's go!"
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Harry and the Gryffindor team stood tense and ready behind the large wooden door. They stood in a standard "V" formation with Harry standing at the point, closest to the door. His heart was pounding hard and his breath was getting short as the excitement raged inside him. He could hear the students outside the door, cheering and screaming as they waited for the Quidditch players to take the field.
"Welcome everyone!" a voice came over the megaphones around the loud stadium. Harry turned and looked at Ron with a shocked expression when he realized that the voice belonged to Collin Kreevey. "It's another beautiful day and the weather is just right for an exciting match!"
"All right," Harry said to his team as faced the doors. "Let's just relax and play our game."
The large door started to creek and within seconds it swung open, sunlight filling the corridor. Harry turned to his team and gave them a lopsided grin. They all nodded to him as the mounted their brooms. Harry turned and faced out the door, overlooking the pitch. He mounted his Firebolt and in unison, they all kicked off the ground and soared out of the corridor towards the center of the pitch.
Harry felt his body come alive again as he soared over the pitch. The wind in his face, the roar of the crowds, the thrill of the game; he had missed all of these things during his suspension. He looked down at his Firebolt and his heart filled with anticipation. He wanted to push his Firebolt to its limit, but the one desire that Harry felt grow inside him was his need to catch the snitch. Win or lose, all he truly wanted to do is to catch the flying ball before Malfoy could get his greasy fingers on it.
"There is the captain of the Gryffindor Team, flying on his coveted Firebolt, Harry Potter!" Harry heard Collin roar followed by the cheering of students, not only from Gryffindor, but Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw as well.
Harry flew by the Gryffindor stands and he smiled when he saw Hermione and Nancy standing near the front, with a thrilled Hagrid standing behind them with his arms in the air, cheering his heart out. Harry's eyes soon locked onto Hermione's and his heart started pounding even harder. He wanted to catch the snitch, but no longer for himself, but for her. Reach out for her, and once you've got a good grip, never let go.
The two teams assembled around the center of the field, giving each other glares. Draco gave his usual snarl at Harry, who could only return it with one of his own. Ginny looked over to Dean, who was very nervous about being in front of so many people, and gave him a sweet smile. Ron noticed this and his eyes narrowed on Dean, but with a sigh and a shake of his head, he was looking towards the center of the pitch again.
"Here comes Madame Hooch! The game is about to begin!" Collin bellowed into his microphone causing everyone to scream and shout even more.
Harry watched as Madame Hooch walked towards the chest that held the Quidditch equipment. She kicked the chest and the lid swung opened, releasing the bludgers and then the golden snitch. She placed her silver whistle into her mouth as she looked up at the ready teams. With a quick smirk on her face, she threw up the quaffle and blew her whistle.
"And they're off! Weinstein has the quaffle and look at him go! He flies by Montague and Pucey…throws…SCORES! Gryffindor leads ten to zero!"
William raised his arms, which caused the stadium to roar. Harry noticed this and shook his head slightly as he looked around for the snitch. Ok Harry, we'll do fine. William and Ginny will have everything under control.
"Warrington brings up the quaffle, but Weinstein steals! He flies by two bludgers…throws…SCORES AGAIN! Gryffindor, twenty to zero! The crowd goes wild!
"Montague recovers the quaffle…passes Thomas…passes Weasley….oh! Barely dodges the bludger from Kirke! Throws…OH! Weasley catches the quaffle!"
Ron grinned at Montague and threw the quaffle to Ginny.
"Weasley brings up the quaffle up the center…flies in between Crabbe and Goyle…passes it to Weinstein…throws! Blocked by Bletchley! Quaffle falls…Weasley recovers it! Goes around Montague…throws…SCORES! Gryffindor has a commanding lead of thirty to zero!"
Professor McGonagall smiled as she relaxed in her seat. She looked over at Collin and smiled as he looked around, doing his best to commentate the game. A sigh escaped her lips when memories of Lee Jordan's commentating entered her mind. She knew that the kids grew up very quickly. She was happy to spend these times with them, watching them laugh and have fun. It was the side of teaching she had enjoyed the most, but no one truly knew it.
Harry looked around the pitch; his eyes squinted as a light wind began to pick up. He suddenly saw something shining around the middle post where the Slytherin goalie was hovering. With a sudden explosion of speed, Harry blasted towards it. The crowded stared at awe as Harry made his away across the pitch.
Malfoy noticed Harry's burst of speed and flew as fast as he could to cut him off, but Harry was too far ahead. Harry squinted his eyes more and his heart started to pound when he was able to make out the soft outline of the golden ball.
"Potter flies for the snitch! OH! That was a close call!"
Harry quickly steadied his Firebolt as he looked over his shoulder to a grinning Goyle. He had barely missed Harry with a bludger. Harry quickly looked around and let out a groan of frustration when he realized he had completely lost sight of the snitch. He slowly made his way above the game again, causing the Gryffindor crowd to let out a soft moan.
"Montague to Pucey…back to Montague…back to Pucey! Throws…beats Weasley! Score is thirty to ten, Gryffindor leads!"
Ron lowered his head after the play, cursing to himself under his breath. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, his rage growing inside him. He could hear the Slytherins chanting, "Weasley is our King," a rhyme the Malfoy had created the previous year to anger him. Ron grinned to himself, knowing the only way to shut them up was to stop more shots.
"Weinstein with the quaffle…flies through Montague…almost lost it…throws…SCORES! Gryffindor up forty to ten! William Weinstein is unbelievable!"
William raised his arms again and let out a howl as he flew back towards the Gryffindor side of the pitch, when he felt a sharp pain in his side. He looked up to see Crabbe with a menacing look on his face. The crowded started to shout in anger and Madame Hooch blew her whistle.
"Foul by Slytherin for an unprovoked attack on a Gryffindor chaser! Gryffindor penalty shot!" she roared as she gave a distasteful look at Crabbe, who seemed even more outraged.
"Weinstein is ready to take the penalty shot! Oh that Crabbe…never was a good sport…just one rotten…"
"Collin!" Professor McGonagall shouted as she looked at him with disapproving eyes.
Collin sank into his chair, remaining quiet until William took his shot. Professor McGonagall smiled to herself as she sat down in her seat, knowing that not even time could erase Lee Jordan's memory from her mind.
"SCORES! Gryffindor with an astounding lead of fifty to ten!"
Harry suddenly saw Malfoy dive for something out of the corner of his eyes. He gritted his teeth and flew towards Malfoy as fast as he could. Everything around him became a blur; his focus was only on Malfoy. To Harry's horror, he saw something flying in front of Malfoy and he knew that it was the snitch. He gripped his Firebolt even tighter and decided that it was time he tested the Firebolt's limit.
Harry's body became a blur as he made his away after Malfoy, gaining on him with incredible speed. Harry noticed that Malfoy was almost within an arm's reach of it. He decided that his best option was to dive down and grab the snitch on the pass.
Harry maneuvered several yards above Malfoy and watched him struggling to reach for the snitch. Harry patiently waited and when he saw his opening, he made the Firebolt dive directly towards Malfoy. He extended his arm, his hand ready. The maneuver was executed perfectly, but both Harry and Malfoy completely missed the snitch.
The snitch suddenly dove as Harry and Malfoy made a grab for it. When the two were able to steady their brooms from their sudden stop, they looked around in all directions but were unable to find the tiny golden ball. Malfoy looked at Harry with a look of utter hatred as he flew back up towards the center of the Quidditch pitch. Harry allowed himself to take a deep breath, realizing that his hands were numb from holding onto the Firebolt so tightly.
"Oh and that was a close call for both seekers!" Collin announced as the two seekers took their positions again, high above the rest of the players. "This game could of ended just then!
"Pucey brings the quaffle on the right side…passes to Warrington…OH, he's hit by a bludger, but Montague recovers the quaffle! Passes to Warrington…throws…WOW! Fantastic save by Weasley…Thomas loses the quaffle to Montague…passes to Pucey…SCORES! The score is now, Gryffindor fifty, Slytherin twenty."
The Gryffindor crowd was saddened to see the quaffle fly through the middle hoop, but there was nothing Ron could of done about it. He was faced with two Chasers and wasn't able to predict the motions of the quaffle.
Ron growled again to himself for not waiting longer before he reacted. He looked up at Harry, who gave him a reassured smile. Ron tightened his grip on his Clean Sweep and he nodded to himself as he flew back into his keeping position.
"Ginny!" Harry called out from his position high above the quaffle game.
Ginny held the quaffle in her arm and she looked up towards her captain. He raised his arm in the air; his fist clenched and made a circular motion as if he was polishing something before he slammed his first into his other hand. This confused Malfoy, his eyes locked on Harry's bizarre gestures.
Ginny nodded and stopped in mid-flight, allowing herself to hover in the middle of the Quidditch pitch. William and Dean saw her and knew that it was time to try it out.
"Thomas and Weinstein are flying towards Weasley and there she goes! She is fast! Weinstein is behind her…she's splitting the defense…Bletchley sees the move…WHAT? Weasley passes to Thomas…throws…SCORES! Did you see that throw? That was amazing! Gryffindor extends its lead, sixty to twenty!"
Ron howled as he raised his arms after watching Dean execute the play. His expression though changed to one of complete focus, when he saw the Slytherins flying towards him with the quaffle. He gripped his broom tightly and watched as Montague approached him with the quaffle, Pucey behind him, and Warrington below him.
Montague threw the quaffle towards Ron's left hoop, but Ron was able to prevent it from going in by knocking it down. William recovered it, but Warrington took it away before he had a chance to cradle it in his arms. Warrington threw towards the right hoop. Ron moved as quickly as he could with his right arm outstretched and was just able to knock the quaffle back; however, to his dismay it went directly into the arms of Pucey, who instantly threw it towards the middle hoop. Ron gritted his teeth as he swung himself over towards the middle hoop, allowing his legs to leave the broom. He swung himself around and was amazed when his left foot made contact with the quaffle, sending it towards the middle of the pitch.
"THAT WAS AMAZING! Weasley has made another unbelievable save! Thomas recovers the quaffle…throws from center of the pitch…SCORES! Bletchley didn't see the shot coming! Gryffindor leads Slytherin, seventy to twenty!"
Harry cheered for Ron and Dean as he watched the game progress. He suddenly caught something fluttering at the corner of his eye. Harry turned to find the snitch only a foot from his right arm, however, before he could react, it dove back towards the pitch. Harry grinned to himself as he took a firm hold of his Firebolt and descended after the snitch.
"There goes Potter! Malfoy is behind him…but can't keep up!"
Harry closed one his eyes and kept his other squinted as he followed the snitch back towards the ground. He took his right arm off the broom and tried to reach for the snitch. His middle finger grazed it, causing the snitch to suddenly change its direction, flying parallel with the ground. Harry placed both hands on his broom and positioned himself so that both his feet were now standing on the back half. He used all of his strength to pull his Firebolt up with his hands as he pushed down with his feet.
"Potter pulls out of his dive! That was a close one! He's still after the snitch!"
Harry increased his speed again until he was within arms reach of the snitch. He again reached out for it, but his fingers needed an extra inch. He then saw something coming from his right, which caused him to dive slightly. It was a bludger. He took a quick breath and continued his pursuit of the snitch.
When Harry was within arms reach of the snitch again, he knew that he wasn't going to get a better opportunity than this. He then noticed Goyle hit a bludger in his direction. His eyes moved between the bludger and the snitch, and he estimated from its path that if he were to reach out for the snitch, he would most likely be struck by the bludger.
Harry clenched his teeth as he decided to take his chances. He saw the bludger coming from the corner of his eye, but he still reached out for the snitch. Harry held onto tightly to his broom in preparation for the hit, but he saw something move up from under him. It was Andrew Kirke with his bat ready, but to his complete horror, the bludger struck Andrew in the chest, sending him flying off his broom and onto the ground.
"WOW! Kirke is down and he isn't moving!"
Harry looked forward and realized that he was running out of room, and if he didn't make his move now, he would lose the snitch for certain. He took a deep breath and leapt off his broom towards the snitch. He felt it move into his right hand and he closed his hand tightly around it.
Harry noticed the ground getting closer to him, and he instinctively pulled his arms up to protect himself. Harry made contact with the ground and started to skid along it, causing his body to tumble like a rag doll. He finally came to a halt against the middle hoop post on the Slytherin side of the field.
Harry couldn't feel anything; he opened his eyes, a wave of dizziness had taken him. He had lost his glasses sometime during his fall. His ears you ringing; all he could hear was his heart beating slowly in his chest. He felt something move in his hand and he looked down into it with a weak smile to see the snitch, fluttering its wings softly. He attempted to stand, but his body didn't wish to respond. He then decided to raise his arm into the air and show the crowd that he had the snitch firmly in his hand.
"POTTER HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WINS!" Collin roared as he started jumping on his seat, the microphone in his hand. The entire stadium roared and cheered as the announcement echoed.
Harry could hear people yelling his name and he did his best to locate the voices, but everything in front of him remained a blur. He tried to move his body again, however this time, it not only failed to respond, but it started to hurt incredibly. Harry gritted his teeth fiercely as he tried to keep his pain inside him.
"Harry! Are you okay, mate?" Harry heard someone call out to him. He realized that the voice belonged to Ron. "Can you move?"
"Ron…" Harry managed to get out as he took a deep breath, the pain of his body overwhelming. "I…I…"
Before Harry could finish his sentence, his vision began to fade, his hearing completely gone, and his mind turned black.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Harry slowly opened his eyes. Everything around him was still a blur, but he was glad to see that his body stopped aching. He looked forward and he could make out several people sitting by him, but was unable to determine exactly who they were. He heard someone take a step towards him and he felt his glasses being placed on.
Harry smiled weakly when he realized that it was Hermione, Nancy, Ron, and Ginny standing around his bed. They all had worried expressions on their faces, but the one thing that hurt Harry more than his fall was the look on Hermione's face. She was on the verge of crying, her eyes glistening from the forming tears. He could tell that her body was completely tense, and tried to move his hand towards her, but his arm wouldn't move.
"Don't try to move anything, Potter," Madame Pomfrey stated as she walked towards the bed and took her spot next to him, looking at him with a combination of happiness and disapproval. "That was one of the most reckless things I've ever seen in all my years as a healer! What were you thinking?"
Harry laid there, unable to find the words on how to explain the reasons for his action. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. The truth was that he didn't really know why jumping off his broom was the best answer to the situation. If he truly wanted to, he could of waited for the snitch to move in another direction, and he could of easily followed it.
"It's just all the adrenalin pumping through him," Ginny answered for him. Madame Pomfrey looked at Ginny with an expression that showed she didn't approve of her answer. "You know…when you're in the middle of game…it just happens sometimes."
"Sometimes…" Madame Pomfrey sighed as she massaged her temples with her hands. She stopped and looked at Harry again. "I am truly concerned about you, Mr. Potter. You broke over a dozen bones in your body with that stunt of yours. Now as much as I enjoy being a healer, I don't enjoy watching students suffer because they were being careless."
Harry gave her a nod, still unable to speak. They heard the door to the hospital wing open and they saw Professor McGonagall walking towards them. She stopped by Harry's bed and let out a sigh of relief when she saw Harry looking back at her.
"How's he doing, Poppy?" she asked with a concerned voice, her eyes moving from Harry to his also concerned friends.
"He'll be fine, Minerva," Madame Pomfrey answered as she started to squeeze certain parts of Harry's left arm to make sure that his bones were healing properly. "He was lucky though."
"I know," she replied, her eyes moving back to Harry. He was unable to read her expression, and because of it, his mind started to race with all the possible things that she could say to him.
Madame Pomfrey nodded with a satisfactory look on her face before she smiled at Professor McGonagall and made her way back to her office in the front of the hospital wing.
"Care to explain your actions, Potter?" McGonagall asked with a stern voice.
Harry opened his mouth, but this time was able to get something out. "I…I don't know why I did it. It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time."
"Potter," she said, her voice softening. "I know how much you love Quidditch. I know how much you enjoy flying out there. I especially know how much you enjoy winning, especially against the Slytherins…"
"You're not going to ban me?" Harry asked quickly, his voice full of concern. His response caused Ron and Ginny's eyes to widen as they turned and looked at Professor McGonagall.
"Oh no," she replied as she shook her head. "You are the captain of the team, and they need you for your leadership."
"Yeah, he's a great captain," Ron interrupted. "Best I've ever seen."
Professor McGonagall looked at Ron and gave him a smile, before she turned back to Harry. "Potter…you need to stop taking these kinds of risks. I understand that it is your life and your body you're putting on the line, but you need to understand that your actions have a greater affect than you think."
Harry's eyes moved towards Hermione's. A single tear left her eyes, and it slowly made its course down you cheek. Watching Hermione liked this killed him inside. Though the worst of the matter was the fact that he caused her the grief she was feeling.
"You need to be more careful," McGonagall continued. "Quidditch is just a game…win or lose, you still have your whole life ahead of you."
"I'm sorry…Professor," Harry said softly as he looked down towards his bed.
"That's all right. Just think next time," she replied as she slowly turned to face the door. "Oh, nice catch by the way."
Harry smiled at her as she made her way out of the door of the hospital wing. He moved his eyes back to his friends and gave them a weak smile.
"You gave us a real scare, Harry," Nancy said quietly but returned his smile with her own.
"Blimey, I've never seen anyone do that before," Ron said with a look of awe in your eyes. "It looked completely awesome…well until you hit the ground that is."
"You do need to be more careful, you know," Ginny said after giving Ron a disapproving look. "It was a great catch and all…but we like you as our captain, and there isn't much you can do if you're planning to being stuck in a hospital bed after every match."
"I'm really sorry," Harry replied, his eyes back on Hermione's. "I won't do it again, honest."
"We believe you, mate," Ron smiled as he gave Harry a friendly pat on his shoulder. "Though it would be cool to see it again sometime."
"Ron," Nancy said with a harsh voice, but loosened her expression when she saw Ron and Harry snickering together.
"All right, time to leave," Madame Pomfrey announced as she walked out of her office. "You all need to return to your common room, it's getting late."
Harry finally noticed that it was night outside the windows. He wondered how long he was unconscious. He gave his friends reassured smiles and they all, for the exception of Hermione started to walk away. Hermione didn't move; she stayed by his bed, her eyes focused on her shoes.
"You coming Hermione?" Ginny asked as she waited by the door for her.
"I'll be there in a second, you go on ahead," Hermione responded, not turning around to face Ginny. Ginny's eyes narrowed slightly as she wondered what Hermione was doing. Though she let out a sigh and walked out with Nancy and Ron, closing he door behind her.
"You had to play the hero, didn't you?" Hermione said with a low tone, her body shuddering. "You always have to be the hero."
"Hermione…" Harry answered. He ignored Madame Pomfrey's warnings and pushed himself into a sitting position. "I didn't mean to upset you."
"Well you did," she replied as she raised her head and looked into his eyes. Her eyes were no longer just filled with worry but anger. "You always upset me when you do something like this."
"I…" Harry tried to respond, but he wasn't sure what to say.
Hermione took a step forward and wrapped her arms around her neck, burying her face against his chest, her tears flowing. "Stupid…stupid…" she muttered into his chest.
"I'm sorry Hermione," Harry said softly as he wrapped his left arm around her and started to move his right hand up and down her back. "I'm okay. I'm fine."
"Promise me," Hermione said as she lifted her head from his chest and looked into his eyes. "Promise me that you will never do that again. Promise me that you will never just put your life on the line, just for a silly game."
"I promise," Harry replied as he looked into her eyes. He knew that this was a promise he had to keep. He couldn't stand to hurt her in such a manner. He could not stand making her cry, and over what? It was just Quidditch. All the joy Quidditch gave him could never compare to the happiness of Hermione Granger.
"Ms. Granger," Madame Pomfrey said as she walked over to Harry's bed. "Mr. Potter needs to rest. I'm sure you two can recommencing this at a later time."
"Oh no," Hermione replied as she pulled herself off Harry. "It's nothing…I mean…"
"It's all right, Ms. Granger," she grinned as she walked over to examine Harry. "I figured just as much."
"Good night, Harry," Hermione said with a bright smile, her tears gone.
"Good night, Hermione," he replied with his lopsided grin. Hermione turned and walked towards the door. Harry let out a soft sigh as he watched her exit the door.
"Best not to worry her anymore, Mr. Potter," Madame Pomfrey grinned as she helped Harry lay back against his bed. She took off his glasses and placed it on the small table next to him. "You're body will be as good as new by tomorrow afternoon. Get some rest now."
Harry gave her a weak smile and she softly patted him on his shoulder. She turned and made her way to her office. Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling the cold air of the night rushing into his lungs. He let out a soft sigh as he felt his body starting to loosen.
I'll never make Hermione worry again, Harry thought to himself. I will not make her cry like that ever again.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Harry quickly made his way back down the corridor leading to the Gryffindor common room the next day. His body was feeling fresh and rejuvenated, and he couldn't help but smile. For the first time, he noticed that he still had his Quidditch uniform on. It was completely in shreds, pieces of the robes missing, obviously due to the fall.
He slowed his pace when he reached to the Fat Lady's Portrait. He whispered the password and she gave him a quick nod before opening the common room door.
"Surprise!" he heard meaning people scream as he entered the room. The shock had taken him so badly, that he nearly stumbled back out the door. As he steadied himself, hearing several people snicker at him.
The common room was completely filled with smiling faces, each of them holding a large mug of butterbeer in their hands. He then saw Ginny walk towards him and took him by the hand so she could lead him towards the center of the group of people.
When they reached the center, he could see Hermione, Ron, and Nancy grinning at him, each holding a mug of butterbeer of their own. Ginny stopped Harry at the center of the room and gave him a bright smile.
"What's all this?" Harry asked as he slowly as started to turn and look around at everyone.
"This is the celebration party for the win yesterday," Ron replied as he took a large gulp from his mug.
"Don't tell me that you've been having a party since last night," Harry replied with a confused look on his face.
"Oh, don't be stupid," Ginny smiled as she handed him a mug of butterbeer. "You think we could celebrate our win without our captain?"
Ginny turned and looked around at the crowd surrounding them. "Everybody, mugs up! Thank you. To the win against Slytherin and to our captain for his incredible catch, his unbelievable bravery, and his down right insanity!"
Everyone laughed and cheered as they all took a drink from their mugs. Everyone started to talk and laugh again as the party continued. Hermione walked over to Harry and gave him a tight hug. He smiled at her as he knocked mugs with Ron, Ginny, and Nancy.
"As much as you need to be at this party," Hermione giggled as she released him and took a step away, "you really need to go take a shower."
The four grinned at him, and he knew that wearing his uniform for the entire night and after such a brutal game; his scent was all that appealing. He nodded to them and quickly made his way up the steps towards the boys' bathrooms to get ready for the party.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Night had fallen again and the party finally started to die down. The commotion, the laughter, and the fun lasted the entire day. Even during the times when they were in the Great Hall for lunch and dinner, the mood for the Gryffindors didn't falter. This of course, didn't settle with the Slytherins, but there was nothing they could do when they were being supervised by other professors.
The common room was almost empty, leaving Hermione and Harry on their own again. They looked around at the common room and noticed that it was a mess from all the celebrating that was going on.
"Oh this place looks terrible," Hermione said to him as she looked at the empty mugs littered aimlessly around the room from the floor to the top of bookshelves.
"It'll be cleaned up by the morning," Harry replied as he took a hold of her soft hand.
"Those poor house-elves," she said with a sigh, causing Harry to look with her with a weary expression on his face. "They really should be paid to clean all this up."
"Oh Hermione," Harry said as he pulled her into an embrace. "I thought you have given up on all that S.P.E.W. stuff."
"Oh no," she replied as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I've just been a little preoccupied with something else."
Harry smiled at her, knowing that she was preoccupied with him. They suddenly heard the portrait door opening, and they quickly released each other and moved up the steps leading to the dormitories. The quickly peaked around the wall to see that it was Nancy and Ron who entered the common room. Harry and Hermione looked at each other and smiled as they turned their heads back towards their friends.
"Thanks again for all your help," Ron said with a smile as the portrait door closed behind him, several books in his arms.
"Oh it's okay, Ron. Whenever you need help, feel free to ask," she replied to him. Harry could tell that she was thinking about something from the blank expression on her face.
"So do you think Harry will find a date for the Christmas Ball?" Ron asked as he stood in the center of the common room with Nancy, her hands in her pockets.
"I really doubt it's a question if he could get a date, it's more of does he want a date," she replied as she took a deep breath.
"I'm sure he does. He wouldn't want to feel left out," Ron responded as he started to pace back and forth in front of her.
"I talked to Ginny earlier during the party and she said that Parvati Patil was interested in asking him," Nancy said with a voice filled with joy.
Harry watched Hermione's face contort from the statement and couldn't help but contort his own as memories of what happened the last time they went to a dance filled his head.
"Really?" Ron replied as he looked at Nancy. "Harry went with Parvati to a dance during our fourth year, and it wasn't a pretty sight."
"Why was that?"
"Oh, it's because he wanted to go with Cho Chang, instead," Ron explained, but from the expression he received, he figured that she didn't know who he was talking about. "That girl that talked with Harry when we were at Hogsmeade for Halloween."
"Oh…" Nancy replied as she thought back to that night. "Well, he could ask her now since his date canceled on him."
"That would be a great conversation," Ron said sarcastically. "Going back to her and asking after he said no to her…though I still hear from Ginny that she likes him. I don't know…I reckon it's worth a shot."
This suggestion really started to make Hermione tense. Harry rested his hand on her shoulder and rubbed it gently, but it didn't seem to have any affect on her.
"We'll figure it out later, we still a month to find him a date," Nancy replied as she let out a yawn, which she covered with her hand.
"Hey Nancy," Ron said, his voice growing soft and uncertain. "Did that guy you wanted to go with ever asked you?"
"No," she replied, her voice uneasy. "I've been waiting, but he hasn't done it."
"Well…" Ron gulped as he took a deep breath, sweat forming on his brow. "Well…if you don't want to wait for him…you could go with me instead?"
"You have no idea how long I've been waiting for you to ask me that," Nancy smiled at him.
"What…you mean…" Ron was utterly speechless. He stuttered a few more words, but suddenly stopped when Nancy gave him a kiss on his cheek. Ron literally froze, his books slipping out of his hands, falling to the floor.
Harry and Hermione couldn't help but grin at each other. He winked to her and she nodded in return. They both took deep breaths as they walked back into the common room and started to clap and whistle.
"What?" Ron shouted as he nearly jumped out of his skin. Nancy completely froze, her face bright red.
"We were wondering how long that was going to take," Hermione smiled as she walked over to Nancy and gave her a quick hug. "You two will have a lot of fun together."
"Ron, you hound," Harry snickered as he bent down and picked his books up for him. He then wrapped his arm around his shoulder. "That was mean, making the poor girl wait that long."
Nancy and Ron stood there speechless, their faces red. Harry smiled at Hermione, and she couldn't help but giggle. For the first time, it wasn't their moment being ruined. Harry felt a little guilty for putting Nancy and Ron into that embarrassing situation, but he couldn't resist the temptation. He was happy that Ron had asked Nancy. Maybe now when Hermione and he broke the news to Ron about their relationship, he wouldn't take it too badly.
"Well, good night you two," Hermione said as she gave Harry another wink. "Nancy and I need to talk."
"Good night," Harry smiled as the girls ascended the staircase. Harry noticed Ron's silence and looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "What's wrong, Ron?"
A smile finally broke out on his face as if everything that had just happened hit him. "Nothing's wrong. I'm going to the dance with the prettiest girl in the school and she likes me. The world is perfect. There's nothing that could possibly ruin my mood."
"Oh…you feel ready for the examinations?" Harry replied with a grin on his face.
Ron's expression suddenly fell to one of dread as he turned to Harry with a look of complete worry on his face. "Why did you have to bring that up…that wasn't very nice."
Harry snickered to him as the two walked up the stairs and headed toward the sixth year boys' dormitory.