Seo Gerecednis

Ron stumbled into the Gryffindor common room and collapsed into the first empty, well-stuffed chair he could find, heedless of the mud caked on his legs past his knees. He'd never been so sore or so exhausted in his life. Harry'd explained to him the basic concept behind an obstacle course, but the things Professor Shacklebolt had made them do bore no resemblance to what Harry had described. It seemed as though no matter how fast Ron ran, how high he jumped, how quickly he dodged or rolled or somersaulted, it wasn't enough. He'd been hit with so many stinging hexes and trip jinxes the mere thought of walking back down several flights of stairs to the Great Hall for supper made his muscles constrict in protest. On the other hand, he was feeling peckish. Maybe someone would take pity on him and fetch some food from the kitchens.

The sound of girls' voices distracted him from his hunger pangs. He looked up to see Lavender enter through the portrait hole supported on either side by Parvati and the new girl. Lavender had her left leg held up off the floor and was obviously in pain. "What happened to her?" Ron asked.

"Professor Tonks," Parvati said. She eased Lavender on to a nearby sofa then took a seat on the floor. The other girl slid an ottoman beneath Lavender's leg and perched herself neatly on the edge. All three girls looked about the way Ron felt.

"What did she do?" He found enough energy to scoot his chair closer, eager to hear what the girls had been put through in their first Defense lesson.

Lavender grimaced and shifted to a more comfortable position. "She had us cast a Ferula charm and use the sticks for dueling."

Ron's brows knit in confusion. "She had you duel with sticks? How d'you mean?"

"She means the professor ordered us to beat each other black and blue," the new girl said with an arched eyebrow.

"That-That's barbaric!" He gave Lavender a sympathetic look. "Who got you?"

She turned crimson and Parvati and the other girl exchanged a small smile. Puzzled, Ron looked to Parvati for an explanation. "Lav hit herself in the ankle when she was dueling with Mandy Brocklehurst," she said with a smirk.

Ron grinned broadly. Nonetheless he recalled his responsibilities as a prefect (Hermione would be so proud of him) and asked, "Why didn't you take her to the hospital wing?"

"Have you seen the queue?" Ron shook his head. "It goes halfway down the corridor."

"Blimey."

At the sound of more voices, male this time, he craned his neck around to see Neville and Ace assisting Seamus over the threshold and around the sofa, Ginny trailing behind them with an armful of satchels. Seamus, nursing a sprained wrist and bruised ribs, fell with a whimper next to Lavender, who cooed sympathetically over him. Neville claimed a nearby sofa while Ace headed up to the dormitory with a grin and a tip of his ridiculous hat. Then Ron saw, perched on Ginny's shoulder and looking about as smug as a feathered creature could... "Pig! Where did you come from?"

The tiny owl hopped from Ginny's shoulder to his and immediately began what Ron could only describe as ranting. One corner of her mouth quirked up in a smile, Ginny dropped the school bags in a pile and sat on the floor before Ron's chair. When the avian tirade seemed to have come to an end she said, "He was sitting there, just as pleased as he could be, on my bed when I got back from lunch. You'd already left for Defense, so I didn't have a chance to give you this." She reached inside her robes and retrieved a letter. "Don't reckon I need to tell you who it's from."

Ron ignored the not-so-subtle nudge Seamus gave Lavender and he dropped the letter on his lap. "Aren't you going to open it?" Parvati asked, her eyebrow raised.

"Later," he grunted. The nudges were even more obvious this time around. "Is there a problem, or did someone drop doxies in your drawers?" he snapped.

"No problem, mate, no problem," Seamus said, his hands held up defensively.

Ron could tell what a struggle it was for him not to laugh out loud. He shifted away from Seamus and the others and toward Ginny. "Reckon you could do me a favor?"

"That depends. What d'you want from me, and what do I get in return?"

"Your loving older brother's eternal gratitude?" She blew a raspberry. "All right, I'll owe you one, okay?"

"You still haven't told me what you want me to do."

"Could you run down to the kitchens and nick some food for me?" He tried to make his voice sound just whiny enough to win her sympathy. "After the day I've had I'm famished, but I haven't got it in me to wash up and go down to supper."

"Oh!" Lavender cried. "Would you get some for me too please, Ginny?"

"Same here," Parvati said. "I'm knackered."

"I could go for a bowl of figs right now," the other girl said. "And some baba ganoush." Ron hadn't the slightest idea what she was rabbiting on about.

"C'mon, luv, have some pity on the walking wounded," Seamus chimed in, his lower lip stuck out in a pout.

Ginny stood and looked around at them all as if they'd gone barmy. "What a pathetic lot you are," she said, but Ron heard the smile in her voice. "D'you expect me to carry enough food for six of you all by myself?"

"I'll go with you, Ginny," Neville said, getting up from the sofa he'd collapsed onto. "I'm still in one piece."

"Brilliant!" Ron beamed up at the two of them. "You're a good mate, Neville."

Ginny rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Right then, Neville," she said, "let's go before we find ourselves catering to half of Gryffindor." She tugged on his robes and led him toward the portrait hole. "By the way," she said, turning back at the last minute, "where's Harry? Should I fetch supper for him as well?"

"Dunno," Ron said. "McGonagall cornered him just as we were coming in from Defense."

"Well," she said with a shrug, "if there's any shepherd's pie I'll nick some. Harry always loves shepherd's pie." She held out her arm for Pig. "C'mon you," she crooned as the owl fluttered to her, "let's take you to the Owlery before my big bad brother sends you to the other side of the planet again."

Ron watched Ginny and Neville disappear through the portrait hole before he returned to brooding. The Defense lesson had given him much to think about, though little of it had to do with the impending war. Whenever he'd had the chance he'd watched his fellow sixth years run the course, trying to assess which of them demonstrated a potential aptitude for Quidditch. He'd paid particular attention to the new boys. Peter, he already knew, would be a dead loss at Quidditch, but when it came to sheer physical endurance and quick reflexes he was far ahead of his classmates. No doubt a result of hunting lions in the wild, Ron thought. Krum, he was pleased to see, showed even less aptitude for physical activity than Neville. In fact, he'd been knocked out cold by a broom early in the lesson and had to be taken to the hospital wing by Michael Corner and Morag MacDougal. Ron had been so amused at the time he'd failed to see the stinging hex headed straight for him.

The other two though... Ron wondered if Malfoy, who he'd heard was Slytherin's new Quidditch captain, had been watching Ace and the Mongolian as closely as he had. They'd both mastered balancing on a slender beam of wood before any of the others, and Ace had even executed a flip almost as neat as Kingsley's. Ron made a mental note to talk to Harry about inviting Ace to try out for Quidditch; anyone with that keen sense of balance had to be good riding a broomstick. In the meantime, he'd hope the Mongolian would turn out not to be interested in team sports.

He glanced down at the letter that lay on his lap. The ink was smudged as though Pig had drooled on it, but Hermione's script was as neat and precise as ever, revealing nothing about her state of mind when she wrote Ron's name across the envelope. He wanted to open it and read what she had to say, but he feared unleashing her wrath. In truth, he was surprised she hadn't sent him a Howler. He was also sorry. An irate Hermione was far easier to cope with that a quietly fuming Hermione. After having shared a house with his mother and sister for fifteen years he could handle violent explosions of female temper. Silence was far more unpredictable and therefore dangerous.

With a sigh of resignation he slipped his finger beneath a loose corner and ripped the envelope open, then gingerly removed its contents. Something slipped from his grasp and fluttered to the carpet. He leaned forward to see what it was and realized Hermione had sent him a photograph.

Before he had a chance to muster up the energy to bend down and pick it up, someone beat him to it. The new girl crouched before him and studied the photograph. One corner of her mouth quirked up before she handed the photograph to Ron. "She's quite pretty," she said. "She's in India, I gather?"

"Yeah," Ron said. "How'd you know?"

Her smile broadened. "Look at the picture."

Perplexed, Ron watched her walk upstairs to the girls' dormitory, then turned his attention back to the photograph. What looked to be palm trees fluttered their branches in a gentle breeze. A peacock strutted back and forth across the scene, occasionally fanning open its iridescent tail for Ron to admire. On the edge of a stone fountain sat Hermione, smiling shyly at him and every now and then pulling up her feet to tuck them beneath her, then dropping them back to the ground. Ron wasn't too interested in the setting or impressed with the peacock's display; he was far more taken with the oddly colorful, clearly lightweight--he sucked in his breath at the sight of Hermione's legs outlined beneath the skirt--and scandalously midriff-baring dress Hermione wore.

A dark-skinned hand snatched the photograph from his grasp. "Ooh, what a pretty sari that is!" Parvati exclaimed. "Those colors suit her. Who knew she had such a nice figure?"

Who knew indeed, Ron thought, itching to pull out his wand and summon the picture back to him. "Sorry, what d'you call that dress she's wearing?"

Parvati passed the photograph to Seamus and Lavender. "It's a sari. It's what all Indian women wear."

"But Hermione's not Indian."

Parvati tutted at him. "No, but in Calcutta she'll be a lot more comfortable in that than in these dreadful togs we have to wear." She plucked at her robe and sighed. "That's the worst thing about being in Scotland, it's always so cold and damp. I hate having to leave my saris behind when I leave for school."

"Couldn't you use a charm to keep warm?" Seamus asked. "Or keep a jumper handy?"

Parvati patted him on the shoulder. "Silly boy." She retrieved the photograph and returned it to Ron before heading toward the girls' dormitory. "Let me know when Ginny and Neville get back, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," Ron said absently, his attention once again captured by the sight of Hermione's pale, smooth stomach. Somewhere deep inside his chest a fire blazed to life.

"Aren't you going to read her letter?"

"Huh?" Ron glanced up to see Seamus and Lavender watching him with amused expressions. "Sorry?"

"Her letter?" Lavender said. "Aren't you keen to read what she has to say?"

"Oh!" He'd been so fascinated with the photograph he'd completely forgot the letter. After looking at the picture, though, he was more hesitant to read the letter than he'd been before. If she was willing to reveal that much in a photograph.... He hastily shoved the letter into his pocket. "Not now."

Seamus chuckled low in his throat. "One of *those* letters, eh, mate?"

"Shut your gob," Ron snarled. He ignored Lavender's offended harrumph and returned to brooding until Ginny and Neville returned. Every now and then, though, his hand strayed to his pocket, as if he needed to reassure himself the letter was still there.

* * * * *

The sound of voices once again stirred Ron from his musings. He glanced out the window to see that the afternoon light had faded. At some point Seamus and Lavender had disappeared, probably for a quick snog, Ron thought with a twinge of envy. Other than him, the common room was deserted.

"We found Harry," Ginny called as she entered the common room, her arms laden with food. Ron's mouth began to water at the sight and smell of a large ham she'd balanced precariously atop a platter of steamed vegetables. "He was skulking about the dungeons, probably looking for a chance to jump Malfoy's bones."

"I was not skulking," Harry protested from behind her, his arms likewise full. "And Malfoy's more likely to jump me than the other way around." Ron covered his mouth to hide a grin. Harry could be too easy a target at times.

"Sure, Harry," Neville said, closing the portal behind him. "We all know you and Malfoy secretly fancy each other."

Harry's indignant splutter was almost too much for Ron to bear. "Easy, mate, easy," he said. "They're just taking the mickey out of you." He slid off his chair onto the rug to join the others before the fireplace and helped himself to anything within reach; as soon as Ginny's hands were free she took out her wand and ignited the stack of wood left in the grate that morning by the elves. Soon the smoky aroma of hickory filled the room.

"Besides, Harry's not a pouf, is he?" Ginny asked with what Ron recognized all too well as mock innocence. "Just because his thing for Cho didn't work out doesn't make him a nancy boy."

"Cho Chang, in Ravenclaw?" asked Neville. "I didn't know Harry had a thing for her." Ginny nodded, her mouth too full to speak.

"Excuse me?" Harry said. "Would you please not talk about me as though I'm not here?" He gave Ron an aggrieved glare.

Ron grinned and said, "Ginny, please don't talk about Harry as though he's not here. It really does annoy him." Harry growled and threw a roll at him. Ron grinned again as he caught it. "Thanks, mate."

"D'you fancy anyone new this term?" Neville asked Harry.

Ginny's eyes grew wide. Even Ron was shocked at Neville's cheek. Poor Harry, though, turned bright red and started to choke on whatever he'd swallowed too quickly in shock. Neville, for his part, seemed completely oblivious to whatever offense he may have caused as he looked at the three of them in turn.

"Well?" he asked.

Harry, having managed to choke down his food, stammered, "I-I dunno. I haven't really thought about it. I've kind of had other things on my mind lately."

Only Ron heard Ginny mutter, "And *in* your mind."

Neville gave Harry a strange, small smile. "Good," he said, which Ron thought was even stranger than his smile. He exchanged a puzzled glance with Harry, who seemed as ignorant of Neville's meaning as he did.

"Why d'you ask?" Ginny asked, taking the lead as usual.

Neville ducked his head down and shrugged. "No reason," he said. "Just curious."

"Right," Ron said, not believing him for an instant. Instead of pressing Neville for more information than he probably wanted, however, he shifted tack and asked Harry, "What did McGonagall want?"

Harry raised his hand to let Ron know he needed to finish chewing first, then said, "Quidditch. She's booked the pitch for us to hold tryouts this Saturday at 10."

"Excellent."

"Am I going to have to officially try out?" Ginny asked.

Ron looked at Harry. "This one's yours to field," he said.

Harry thought for a moment, then said, "You might as well, just so we look like we're being fair. As far as I'm concerned, though, you're on at Chaser, and you might as well be our reserve Seeker too."

Ginny beamed. "Thanks, Harry."

"Have you thought about anyone else we should encourage to try out?" Ron asked Harry.

Harry grinned. "I reckon you have. I saw you watching everybody out there today." He opened a bottle of butterbeer and took a swig before handing it across to Ron. "I don't know the younger students all that well. Can you think of anyone in your year or below who might do?" he asked Ginny. "Besides Sloper and Kirke; they're rubbish."

"You might want to give Jack another go at Beater," she said, taking the proffered butterbeer. "I hear he spent all holiday practicing. As for anyone else, the only people I know who might be interested are Natalie McDonald and Dennis Creevey."

"Dennis Creevey?" Ron said. He'd always thought of both Creevey boys as twits, though Colin seemed to have matured a bit over the summer.

"Yeah," Ginny said. "In fact, I know he'd fancy a go at Chaser. Natalie's built to be a Chaser too, so you still need people to try out for Beater."

"Didn't Geoff Hooper try out for Keeper last year?" Harry asked. "He might do at Beater."

Ron nodded. "He's an excellent flyer and has the build for it, but he's such a whiner. I'd rather not have him on the team unless we have to. Still, we should invite him to tryouts."

"What about Seamus?" Neville suggested. "I know he's right keen on Quidditch, he might like a go."

"Yeah, but can he fly?" Ron asked. Neville shrugged. Ron didn't know either, though he reckoned that someone as devoted to Quidditch as Seamus had probably spent a fair bit of time playing pick-up matches. He made a mental note to ask Seamus about it later. "What d'you reckon about the new people?" he asked casually, studying Harry and Ginny for their reactions.

Harry pursed his lips and looked up at the ceiling in thought. "Dunno. Fatima hasn't said so much as 'Boo' to me since this morning. Ace, though, he might be worth a go. He did really well in Defense today."

Ron nodded in agreement, then looked at Ginny for her thoughts. "You chatted up that new girl a bit today. D'you reckon she might fancy playing Quidditch?"

Ginny set down the ham sandwich she'd been about to bite into and wiped her hands on her robes. "She might, but you'll really have to ask her. Quidditch wasn't exactly the topic of choice at breakfast this morning."

A giggle from Neville earned him a sharp look from Ron. "Yeah, well, I'm not keen on hearing what you lot were talking about," Ron said to Ginny.

She smirked. "Boys, mostly."

Harry nearly slopped butterbeer down his front. "Didn't I just say I didn't want to know?" Ron said.

"Oops."

Ron rolled his eyes at her sweet smile. "Oops, my arse."

"We talked about that too."

This time Ron was the one to barely avoid soaking himself in butterbeer. "Ginny!"

Harry chuckled and nudged Neville with his elbow. "Pity Hermione's not here. I reckon she'd have a few words to say on the subject of Ron's arse." Ginny laughed out loud.

Ron felt his head grow warm as he thought of that photograph Hermione had sent him. He knew if he showed it to Harry, he'd never hear the end of it. "I'm going to feed both of your arses to the giant squid if you don't shut it," he barked at Harry and Ginny.

"Perhaps we should change the subject," Neville said, his cheeks faintly pink. He turned to Ginny. "Have they already swamped you with homework?"

"Too right they have," Ginny said with a groan. "I've got about six feet of essays due in various lessons before the week is out. If I hear one more dire warning about how far behind I am in preparing for my O.W.L.s I'll go starkers." She gave Ron a meaningful look. "That goes double for Hermione."

"If you need any help with Herbology, just ask," Neville said.

"Thank you, Neville, that was very kind of you to offer," Ginny said, reaching over to give him a pat on the knee. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Don't come to me for help," Ron said. "I doubt I'll be much use. Harry either." Harry nodded.

She raised her eyebrows at them. "This from the boys who took seven O.W.L.s each? I think you underestimate yourselves. Anyway, Hermione gave me all her study notes, so I should do fine. It's not as though I skive off my assignments until the night before they're due, right, Harry?"

"Right," Harry said with a scowl.

"Yeah, what are you and Ron going to do without Hermione here to keep after you?" Neville asked.

"They'll have to learn to fend for themselves, I reckon," Ginny said. She looked down at the leftover food. "We nicked more than enough to feed an army, so I reckon we should leave the rest for Seamus and Lavender and the others." She looked around the common room. "Where are they, anyway?"

Ron shrugged as he carved one last slice of ham. "Dunno. Upstairs, maybe."

"Right then," Ginny said, standing up. "I'll set this on a table with a warming charm and run upstairs to tell the girls there's plenty here to go around." With a wave of her wand she sent the platters sailing across the room to land on a table in the corner. Another flourish brought a faint yellow glow around the food. "I'd best get started on my homework, so I'll see you lot later." She planted her hands on her hips and glared down at the three boys in turn. "You'd best get started on your homework, too."

"Yes, Hermione," Harry said with a smirk.

Ron watched Ginny as she made a face at Harry, then bounded upstairs. Once she was out of range he sighed. Harry raised his eyebrows. "Don't ask," Ron said, getting to his feet with difficulty; he'd grown stiff sitting on the floor. "I'm going to look in on Charlie. You two want to come?"

Harry stood up and stretched. "Sure."

Neville had pulled his school bag toward him and was digging around in it. "I reckon I'll stay behind," he said. "I don't want to get behind on my homework the first day of school."

"Poor sod," Ron said, giving Neville a wink. He followed Harry to the portrait hole. "See you later then," he called, just as the portal closed behind him.