Prophesied

Chapter 7

Quidditch

The first match, Gryffindor verses Slytherin. Ron's still Keeper, Ginny's now a Chaser, and I've got my spot back as Seeker. I was personally going to ensure that Gryffindor won this match. It wasn't just about the cup; this would be my own personal battle with the Slytherins, and most of all, Draco.

Ron led us out onto the field as he was the new team captain, and met Draco halfway across the field. Guess we know who else ranked high on the Slytherin hierarchy.

"Both captains, shake hands." Madam Hooch ordered; her voice magically amplified by Sonorus. They both refused. "Then both teams will forfeit the match."

"Ron, do it," I insisted. If we forfeit, then we loose the cup, and I loose my chance to prove that I can beat Draco...and temptation.

They shook hands finally. It seemed they were both trying to break the other's hand. They both had white knuckles, and the tips of their fingers were going purple. Finally Madam Hooch separated the two and told us to mount our brooms. She blew her whistle and all fifteen brooms rose into the air.

Huffelpuff Ernie Macmillan was our commentator for the match. "The Quaffel flies down the field and is caught by Ginny Weasley, last years Seeker and new to the position of Chaser. Or so I was told. I am having trouble believing this information seeing this girl fly. It's like she's one with the broom or something. She must have had help from team Seeker Harry Potter who is the only other person I've seen fly this way. She's going in for the kill; she shoots...SHE SCORES! Gryffindor leads Slytherin 10-zilch and Slytherin Malcolm Baddock is in possession of the Quaffel making--"

I had stopped listening to the commentary; the Golden Snitch had just caught my eye, hovering right next to the stands. I shot off like a rocket and out of the corner of my eye saw Draco do the same. But my broom was faster, my broom was better, and I was one with my broom. Draco was not.

I closed my fist around the small, fluttering, golden ball and pulled to a stop just before crashing into the stands. I looked up and my eyes met blue ones that were so dark they looked almost black. Lita. She smiled at me as Madam Hooch called the game.

"Want a ride?" I asked her.
~*~*~*~

Want a ride?

The students were all crowded around to congratulate Harry on his spectacular catch and invite us all to a party in the common room later tonight. I barely heard a word of this though; Harry's question is repeating itself over and over in my head as he tries to look like he's fine with the fact that I haven't answered him yet.

When everyone had finally left to congratulate the rest of the team, Harry flew over one of the benches and jumped off.

I stared into his eyes as he stared into mine. He was asking that question again, only this time, he wasn't using words to say it. He was pleading with me to answer and to not let him down.

"Let's go," I finally answer.

He still has the Snitch in his hand as he swings a leg over his broom--a Firebolt--and looks at me oddly. "Get on," he says. There is something in his voice...something seductive, and I can't resist it.

I got on the broom in front of him and he kicks off. I hear Hermione shout, "where are you going?" but we're so far up that it's a distant sound and I barely understood it. He held one arm around me (the one that still had the Snitch trapped in it's grasp) and the other steered the broom.

He took me on a tour of the Hogwarts grounds. Around the castle, above the forest, inches above the lake.... Never before have I seen so much green and beauty anywhere but Harry's eyes.

He lets me fly for a while. He wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his chin on my shoulder. In his arms I feel safe and protected. I feel comfortable and I know that if I fell, he'd be there to catch me every time. Hermione told me Harry's never failed to catch the Snitch, except for the time a Dementor came to a match.

Harry let the snitch go and began to steer again. He took us to a small, secluded spot hidden by a row of bushes and a willow tree. (Not the Whomping Willow that I've heard so much about, a normal one.)

We sat down on the lush grass hidden behind a curtain of branches that reached the ground and got lost in each other's stare...again.

"You're beautiful, you know that?" he asked softly brushing a lock of unruly hair away from my face.

I blushed and lay back. "I'll bet you say that to all the girls you bring here."

"You're actually the first person I've ever brought here," he said. For a second I thought it was just a line, then I remembered Tonks saying Harry was sometimes too honest. "I mean it too," he said laying on his side to look at me.

I rolled to my side as well. Our faces were now inches apart. My heart was racing as I closed the gap between us with a kiss. He was startled at first, but soon relaxed into the kiss and pushed me onto my back as he rolled on top of me.

I loved his smell, his taste, his feel, but most of all, I loved him. I love him.
~*~*~*~

An hour or so later, we made our way back to the common room, but we didn't use the door. We landed on the balcony and looked into the common room. It was dark, not surprising, it was dusk outside and with the party, I expect everyone is already in the Tower.

One thing I did not expect to see was Jeff and Hermione snogging on the couch. Wasn't it just a month and a half ago that Jeff insisted that he was in love with Lita? Obviously that's not the case now.

I would never have guessed that this would happen. And apparently, the same goes with Ron.

"No way, mate, not those two. Not after what Lita's said about the creep."

"Ron, I'm telling you, Lita and I walked in on the two mid-snog."

"Speaking of you walking in, where'd you go after the match? Everyone was looking for you."

"I was with Lita," I said uncomfortably.

Ron nodded and looked around the common room until he saw something that made his ears go red and his eyes narrow. I followed his gaze and saw non other than a certain Huffelpuff who had been smuggled into the Tower. Ron looked at me and I could tell he was seeing red, then he swiftly walked to his ex.

I followed him; this couldn't be good.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Ron demanded.

Ernie stared at him not quite sure how to answer. Things ended very badly for these two.

"Erm," he cleared his throat, "Ginny brought me here. She said we should talk."

"And what do we have to talk about?" Ron demanded coldly. I have never, in my life, heard anyone talk like that. It makes me wonder what really did happen between these two, they had been happy together.

"Maybe I should go," he said slowly.

"No," Ron ordered. "GINNY!" he shouted for his sister.

Ginny walked over, red hair bouncing as she separated herself from Dean. "What," she demanded in the same way Ron did. Clearly she knew this was going to happen and wasn't happy about it.

"You brought him here?"

"I did," she answered defiantly. "Kiss and make up already," she ordered. "You two still love each other, and I am not about to watch you mop around the rest of my life because you had too much pride. And the same goes for you, Ernie," she said rounding on him. "I've watched you mop about as well, and Susan told me you still loved my brother. You both need to get laid or something, and you both need each other. Get back together."

She walked away then, leaving the two alone in their own world with me to stand here like an idiot and watch.

"Y-you still...love me?" Ernie asked. "Even after all that?"

Ron looked away for a second and then his eyes met Ernie's again. "Yeah," he said with a voice that sounded thick, like he was fighting tears. I walked away then, over to the object of my own affections. She was standing in a corner with the other Gryffindor seventh year girls laughing. I walked behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist before kissing the side of her neck.

"May I ask what's so funny?"

"You can ask all you want, Harry," Hermione said. "Doesn't mean we'll tell you anything. Did you see?" she asked. "Ron and Ernie are back together."

"I know; I was standing there the entire time. Did you know it was Ginny's doing?"

Hermione's eyebrows crept up to her hairline. "No," she said. "I didn't."

"She said that Susan told her that Ernie moped about like Ron did, so she took matters into her own hands and we all know what happened next."

"Is Ron gay, like Ernie?" Parvarti asked.

"You know he's not," I answered. "He dated your sister."

"Only for a month."

"And who did I date for a year yet I'm not gay?"

"Oh," she said, her face falling. "Yeah, I try not to think about that," she winced. "I did not like that situation. Wait," she said quickly. "Did you say a year?"

I nodded once. "All last year. Only Ron and Hermione knew, until Christmas when Dra--erm, Malfoy took me to the Slytherin common room."

"So you waited until the very end to tell your House?" Lavender asked clearly offended.

"We didn't exactly know it was the end, Lav. We thought we'd be together longer than that."

"So what did happen anyway?" Parvarti asked. "Who killed Pansy?"

"Lucius, and that's all you're getting. You don't need to know what happened that night. And if you really want to know, talk to Malfoy. It'd be more than anyone else has done all year."

"No one's talked to him all year?" Lita asked. "How sad."

"You don't know what happened, love," I said. Every one of those girls stared at me in shock.

"Love?" Lita asked.

"I said that out loud, didn't I?"

She nodded. "Yeah, you did."

"Excuse us," I said to the others. I looked around for a corner that was currently not in use. Ron and Ernie were snogging in one, Ginny and Dean in another, and the Creevey boys were huddled over a letter or something in a third. I led her over to the last corner and stood there a moment entirely unsure of what to say or how to say it.

"I...erm...I'm not quite sure what happened back there," I said lamely even to my own ears. I was about to say more, but she jumped right in saying the one thing I myself am wondering.

"Did you mean it?"

Did I? It took me a lot longer to realize I had feelings for Draco--I mean Malfoy--and I had to think about that. There was absolutely no warning for this. But it's possible that I do, I mean, it's not a shock to me. Should it be? Merlin, I don't know. I do though, actually. I do love her. And not like I love or loved Hermione, and not the same as I loved Dra--Malfoy. I really need to stop that.

"Yeah," I said softly. "I do mean it."

She smiled. "Really?" she asked hopeful. I nodded. She threw her arms around my neck and kissed me. "I love you too," she said.