Chasing a Dream

Chapter 17

Malfoy?

"Hermione?"

Hermione jumped a near three feet and whirled around, clutching her chest. Her eyes widened as she got to her feet.

"Oh, Harry! Never do that gain!!!"

Harry walked over to her. She was breathing fast and her face was flushed.

"Are you ok?"

"Fine!"

She squeaked. Harry looked out the window she had been sitting at. Just outside was a clear view of the Quidditch Pitch. It dawned on Harry what she'd been doing before he'd intruded.

"Were you spying on me!?"

Hermione was looking down at the ground, twirling her wand idly in her hands. Harry grabbed her hand.

"W-well, yes."

"Why?"

He asked, although he anything but minded that she'd been watching him.

"I-I..."

"What?"

"I just-just, well..."

"What!?"

Her head snapped up. Her eyes were glazed and wide.

"I was scared!"

"Scared! Of what!"

"I was scared you'd do something to kill yourself!"

Hermione sat down on her bed.

"That's the real reason I never flew before. I hate Quidditch! I bring my wand to every game. I'm always waiting for something to happen. Whenever you ride a broomstick you always seem to nearly kill yourself somehow!"

"Like when?!"

"In first year when your broomstick went crazy. In second year when you got a bludger to the arm and collided with the ground. In third year when you fell from a height of fifty feet. And last year when you had to face a Hungarian Horntail and got burned..."

She ticked them off on her fingers. Harry threw his hands into the air.

"All right, all right! I tend to have, um, accidents!"

"The thing is, Harry, that I have a heart attack every time."

She paused. Her eyes were moist and she looked at him quizzically.

"Ron never told you did he?"

"Told me what?"

She paused again and looked down at her hands.

"Told me what?"

Harry asked again, softly.

"About how I passed out after I saw you hit the ground at the Hufflepuff match in third year."

"No!"

Harry sat down next to her. She looked at her hands. Harry wrapped his arms around her and hugged her to him. A sob escaped her throat. Harry squeezed her.

"I thought you w-were d-dead!"

"I'm sorry, 'Mione. I'm sorry. Hey..."

He pulled back to look at her. Her eyes were red and a tear clustered around her eyes. Harry brushed them away with his thumb.

"You want to go do something? If I'm not mistaken, we're supposed to do something together today!"

She smiled.

"You bet!"

_-_-_-_

"Alright! It's your turn!"

Hermione laughed. The two of them were sitting at the base of the tree by the lake. Hermione had wanted to spend the afternoon in the Library, but Harry had finally convinced her the Lake would be more relaxing. Now, they were playing a game. Each of them would tell the other a stupid secret or fact about themselves.

"Hmmm. Ok, up until this year I've had a crush on Cho Chang!"

Hermione's face became instantly serious.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Harry was blushing. Hermione looked out at the lake.

"I knew it!"

"What!?"

"My turn!"

Hermione looked thoughtful. At first she looked reluctant to speak, but she decided to tell him anyway.

"I like singing."

Harry laughed.

"That's it!?"

"I'm good at it, too."

Harry laughed again but stopped when he saw she was serious.

"Let's hear you then!"

"No!!!"

Her eyes grew wide with horror at the very thought.

"Ok. I've never had the chicken pox."

"Oh, Harry! What a stupid secret!"

"Kind of like you liking to sing."

Hermione tackled him. He overpowered her easily. He secured her beneath him and began merciless tickling. She was gasping for breath.

"Ok! Y-you wi-hahahahah!"

Harry wasn't going to let her admit defeat. With an alarming feat of strength Harry hadn't anticipated, she kicked him off her. She jumped to her feet and took off. The two of them spent the rest of the afternoon laughing and playing various games. ! Saturday afternoons proceeded like this. Harry loved her more with every passing minute. It couldn't be helped. To him, she was perfect. Perfection unrivaled by any other. Even Cho Chang.

_-_-_-_-_-_

"Ow!"

"Sorry, Harry!"

Colleen mumbled as she pulled her broomstick out of Harry's back. The Quidditch team stood in their scarlet robes, anticipating the start of the game.

The familiar thrill of being in the Quidditch Pitch resurfaced as they stepped onto the emerald grass and the crowd began to roar.

They mounted their brooms and hovered in the air above Madame Hooch. She released the Snitch and Bludgers, and then extracted the Quaffle. With a mighty heave, she threw it up in the air.

Harry darted above the stadium, his choice place to look for the elusive Snitch. Cho had decided to mingle a few yards below.

Harry's eyes darted around to stadium seats. Ron and Seamus were waving Gryffindor banners in Malfoy's face, who, strangely enough, was sitting on the bleachers next to Dean, Seamus, Ron, and Hermione, who sat on the edge. Just seeing her so close to Malfoy made Harry very nervous.

Colleen, who'd been such a nervous wreck before the game that she'd forgotten to cause trouble in Transfiguration, was playing splendidly. Not one goal against Gryffindor yet. The score stood:

Gryffindor: 30 Ravenclaw: 0

Angelina and the others were doing just as well. The beaters on the Ravenclaw team weren't very good at their job, so Harry didn't worry that they would hit him, and relaxed a bit.

The game had been going on about ten minutes when he saw it. The Snitch sparkled at the foot of the Gryffindor goal post.

Harry dove, Cho on his tail. Harry didn't even care that Cho was following him anymore. All Harry really cared about was getting through the game without nearly killing himself, for Hermione's sake. Harry reached out and clutched his fingers around it when a scream echoed throughout the entire stadium.

Harry looked up. One of the stupid Ravenclaw beaters had accidentally pelted a Bludger into the stands. The stands where Hermione was.

Harry spiraled off to see what happened at lightning speed.

He leveled off at the stands where Hermione had been sitting, panic gripping his stomach. But she was fine. She had fallen off her seat from the impact, but she was fine. The Bludger had been coming straight at her and would have broken her ribs or, God forbid, her neck if it weren't for...

OH MY GOD! Harry's mind yelled.

Malfoy was struggling to get up off of Hermione's lap. He was clutching his chest tightly and gasping for air. Hermione's eyes were wide with shock and she tried to help him sit up, but he shook her off.

Madame Pomfrey ran over to Malfoy, her face white as a sheet. Dumbledore joined her. Harry watched as they carried him off to the Hospital Wing on a levitating stretcher.

He saved her. But why? Harry dismounted, still clutching the Snitch in his hand. He ran over to Hermione.

"Are you all right?!"

Hermione's eyes were still wide with awe and shock.

"He saved me."

"What happened?"

"I just saw this black thing flying at me so I screamed. Next thing I knew, I was off my seat and Malfoy was sprawled across my lap!"

Harry still couldn't believe it. Malfoy had saved Hermione. If the Bludger had hit her in the head and snapped her neck, or possibly broken all of her ribs, she could have died! In the safe silence of his mind, Harry thanked Malfoy over, and over, and over again.

-_-_-

Hermione was standing outside the Hospital Wing, pleading with Madame Pomfrey to let her go in and say thank you. Finally, Madame Pomfrey relented.

"Fine! You have three minutes!"

Harry followed Hermione in. She had pleaded that he come with her when Ron refused to leave the party in Gryffindor tower because she didn't have the courage to face Malfoy alone.

Hermione walked over to Malfoy on the hospital bed. He was lying against a pillow, bandages wrapped around his chest were visible through his slightly loose robe, and his eyes were closed as if he was sleeping.

He opened one eye lazily and peered at the intruders, then shut it again.

"What do you want, Granger?"

Hermione jumped at the sound of his voice. She began to fidget and shifted uneasily.

"Um, I just wanted to say..."

"Yes?"

His voice sounded slightly annoyed but mostly amused. Hermione gave a furtive glance at Harry, leaned forward and whispered something into Malfoy's ear. Malfoy's eyes opened again, a little wider than usual as she began to whisper more.

Harry felt a stab of jealously. What could she possibly have to say to him that she didn't want him to hear?

Malfoy smirked slightly, an eyebrow cocked, as Hermione pulled away.

"All right."

Malfoy said. Hermione smiled nervously as Madame Pomfrey came to bustle her and Harry out. What it was Hermione said to Malfoy remained a mystery to Harry when Hermione refused to tell him, but he was determined to find out what was said, no matter what the cost. It´s strange what jealousy will compel you to do.