I Love You, Don't Touch Me!

I Love You, Don't Touch Me!

Chapter 7: Quidditch Questions

Harry marched out to the Quidditch pitch, jumped astride his Firebolt, and kicked off from the ground so hard that chunks of turf went flying into the air. He shot into the sky so fast he nearly knocked Ron, who was gliding over to greet him and ask what had taken him so long, off his broom. Ron swerved to the side, doing a loop, and came to an upright position again with a startled look on his face.

Harry angled his broom to a near vertical position and streaked though the air until he was a good hundred feet above the ground. He let his anger carry his momentum upwards until he finally leveled off to tear through the air around the perimeter of the pitch at a speed that would have got him a ticket for dangerous driving had he been operating a Muggle vehicle, and had the Dursleys actually let him have a go at getting his license.

He just couldn't believe what he had seen. He completed a lap and commenced zooming off for another. Hermione and... and Malfoy! Kissing! Just outside the tower! Another lap. What were they thinking? What was she thinking? Malfoy being the smooth git that he was leaning against the wall all cool a suave, acting like Slytherins and Gryffindors made out in the halls all the time. Who knew, after what he'd seen, he'd believe anything, even that! Anther lap, faster this time, the other Gryffindor players below Harry now taking on the appearance of red and gold blurs.

Even after all the hints he had been dropping accidentally-on-purpose, like calling Hermione "'Mione" in Transfiguration that afternoon. Harry was especially proud of that nickname, he thought it sounded cute and fit Hermione's personality; that had been the first time that he had had the guts to call it to her face, even if he had avoided looking at said face for fear of what her reaction to that step of intimacy might be. Another lap--

"HARRY!!"

Harry yanked the front of his broom upwards to halt the sudden crash course it nearly had with a tall lanky red-head who had suddenly popped up, hovering right in front of him.

"Merlin Ron! I nearly knocked you off your broom!" Harry shouted, breathing hard with his face slightly red.

Ron gave him a pointed look. "That would make twice in the last ten minutes," he commented dryly.

Harry looked away, feeling slightly dizzy from his five laps around the stadium.

"Did something happen in the castle, Harry? Because somehow I don't think that flying blindly around the pitch, fifty feet higher than game regulation standards, and moving so quickly that you wouldn't notice the snitch if it grew to the size of Malfoy's bloated ego and flashed red and blue, is really going to help you in tomorrow's game!" Ron said with exasperation.

Harry turned a dark look on his friend, and the wrath in his eyes caused Ron to back up a few feet. Harry looked murderous.

"Malfoy," he hissed. "If I get within socking distance of his slimy mug believe you me, I won't leave anything for the stupid girls to swoon over!"

"Er... did he do something? Again, I mean?" Ron was looking at him curiously. Sure Malfoy made it a point to go out of his way annoy and torment Harry, Hermione and himself, but what could he have done to get Harry this riled up?

"Do anything? Do anything?" Harry raged, his eyes beginning to roll wildly.

"Yeah, as in insult my parents' financial status, threaten your life, call Hermione a 'Mudblood' again, something along those lines..." Ron said slowly, still eyeing Harry like a time bomb about to go off.

"Call Hermione a 'Mudblood'?" Harry sputtered. "It's probably his new pet name for her!"

"Look out!" A new voice cut into Harry's rant, and both boys turned to see a stray Bludger streaking towards them. Harry pulled back, then, without warning, flicked the rear end of his broom hard at the offending black ball, and sent it spinning wildly in the other direction. One of the team Chasers caught up to it and smacked it in anther direction. Ron was staring at him strangely when Harry completed his spin and faced him again.

"Look, I may have missed something here, mate. Care to elaborate slightly on just what you meant by that last statement and the accompaniment of slamming that Bludger out of orbit and back down to earth?" Ron asked, and Harry took a deep breath, trying to calm down.

"I saw them kissing, all right? I went back to get my glove, and when I came around the corner there they were... He had her up against the wall with his hands all over her!"

Ron's jaw dropped. "Our Hermione? The one who professes complete and utter loathing of all things Malfoy? Bookworm with bushy hair?"

"Her hair's not bushy anymore Ron!" Harry snapped. "Maybe that's why she came back looking so hot this year! Maybe they've been having a secret fling all summer! And she gave me that gift card! She was probably trying to butter me up; soften the blow for when she told me that they two of them were an item!"

"Harry! Get a hold of yourself, mate! I'm sure it wasn't what you thought!" Ron said desperately. This wasn't the sort of conversation that he wanted to be having with his best mate at the moment.

"Trust me Ron, they were practically joined at the hips and his tongue was so far down her throat that I'm surprised he didn't choke her!" Harry added bitterly.

"Oi! Potter! Weasley! Any time you feel like joining us, we do have a game tomorrow and it'll be your heads if we lose to Slytherin! Honestly, Seeker and Keeper are two of the most important jobs on the team!" Angelina shouted up at them from her place ten feet below them, where she was flying back and forth in an airborne form of pacing. The rest of the team was assembled in a line five feet below her and from the looks of it she was in the middle of giving a strategy talk.

"Er... coming Angelina!" Ron called with a wave. Then he gave Harry a pointed look. "We'll finish this discussion later."

Harry didn't say anything, but instead turned his broom and flew down to get into the line-up with the others. Ron followed him, and when they were both hovering next to the rest of their teammates Angelina commenced her pre-game talk, although Ron could tell that Harry's mind was likely concentrating more on ways to knock Malfoy off his broom the following evening than listening to their captain's ideas on game play.

* * * * * *

Hermione crossed the lounge quickly, keeping her head down, and hugging her schoolbag to her chest. She hurried up the stairs and down the long hallway to her private room. Once inside she slammed the door, muttered a locking charm, threw her bag on her desk chair and then collapsed onto her queen-sized four-poster. For a few moments she just lay on her face, her arms and legs spread-eagle, not moving, but not crying either. She just lay... stunned.

She couldn't believe that Malfoy had had the nerve to kiss her, and certainly couldn't begin to contemplate his reasons for doing so... but Harry-- Harry had taken one look and assumed the worst! Her Harry, the one who had told her often enough that if Malfoy ever laid a hand on her he would personally rearrange his face. Harry hadn't even waited for her to explain what had happened. Did he actually think that she wanted to kiss his worst enemy?

The tears that had coursed down her face in her anger at Malfoy, and that she hastily blinked back in order to avoid a scene with her head-of-house, now came freely again. Hermione flicked her wand at the deep blue velvet hangings around her bed and the gold ties magically loosened themselves, encasing her in darkness. She hugged one of her overstuffed feather pillows to her chest as she curled into a fetal position around it and cried wrenching sobs that hurt her chest as she struggled to contain them. Why wouldn't he believe her? WHY?

* * * * * *
Outside in the hallway, a concerned red-haired young girl stood staring at an oak door. From the inside of the door's room came the faint sounds of heartbreak. The girl slowly lifted a slender hand, intending to knock, but then thought better of it and turned and walked on by. She would go and ask Ron and Harry what had happened; if Hermione was upset, they would be the first to know why.

* * * * * *

Ron had just made a spectacular save, knocking the Quaffle half a mile down the pitch and nearly taking off one of the Beater's heads. Angelina cheered and Harry whooshed past him with a grin on his face. The practice had been going for a good hour and forty-five minutes since his and Harry's little 'talk', and the crisp October air had apparently had the effect of giving the team extra energy. Ron grinned back as his friend flew on past. He hoped that Harry had had a chance to calm down a bit; in any event, he looked happier.

Ginny made her way up into the stands. The long rows of seats were completely empty except for a lone figure sitting in the right, top-most corner. The girl had long blond hair, half of it pulled up into a looped ponytail, and her blue and silver Ravenclaw scarf was wrapped snugly around her throat twice, the remaining ends flung back over the shoulders of her black cloak. She was watching the Quidditch players intently.

"Um... hello! Good practice so far?" Ginny called over to the girl, and she looked up. It was Luna Lovegood.

"Hello, Virginia. Quite satisfactory this evening, although around the beginning Harry appeared to have had too much caffeine and spent ten minutes ringing the pitch at incredible speeds."

There was another loud sound of cheering from the pitch and Ginny glanced at the players.

"Ronald has been playing very well today," Luna commented, without taking her eyes off the game. "I'm sure that Gryffindor will win tomorrow's match. I'm glad, I don't much care for Slytherin's underhanded tactics."

Ginny nodded, and took a seat next to Luna. She had always liked her, strange as she may appear, but it was the girl's embrace of life, and ability to hold to her... er... uniqueness, in the face of such constant teasing that had convinced Ginny she was worthy to have as a friend. She was well worthy of her house as well, as, ever since their encounter in the Department of Mysteries, Luna continued to surprise Ginny with her smarts. Other people may not have shared the same opinion as Ginny, due to Luna's rather interesting way of phrasing things, but Ginny knew. Secretly she was glad that she was privileged to be in the same year as "Loony" Luna Lovegood.

There was the sound of a whistle and Ginny and Luna watched as Team Gryffindor gathered into a semi-circle for a few moments, waiting on words from their captain, then dispersed and flew down to the ground.

"I guess it's over," Ginny said off-handedly. "That's good, I didn't want to wait too long to talk to Ron."

Luna turned to face her with her common dreamy smile firmly in place. "Yes, go and speak with him." With that she rose gracefully and swept down the row of seats, disappearing into the door in the side of the tent-like stand towers.

Ginny stared after her. Sure Luna was a great and intelligent person, but sometimes Ginny had to agree with Ron, she made some weird comments. Spotting Ron's red head flash in the fading sunlight as he landed on the pitch, Ginny quickly scrambled to her feet and followed Luna down the steps to the ground. She would wait for Ron and Harry outside the changing rooms.

A few minutes later Ginny had stationed herself cross-legged at the base of a tree outside the small building just off the pitch. Sometimes she wished that she was still on the team, like she had been in her fourth year. She still could barely believe that she was a sixth year student and only had one more year left until she graduated from Hogwarts. Her future musings were cut short by a burst of noise from the changing rooms as the door was flung open and two people walked out.

"Don't worry about the spots, O'Connell, I'm sure they don't last longer than a couple of days!" Ron was shouting over his shoulder, Harry, at his side, was doubled over with laughter. There was a response shouted after them, but the door slammed closed on it and Ginny never heard exactly what the spotted party said.

"Oh, hey Ginny, what're you doing out here? Dinner starts soon," Ron said with surprise, noting her under the tree.

"I was waiting for you," she retorted, giving him a 'boys are so stupid' look as she got to her feet.

"Did you watch the practice at all?" Harry asked as she fell into step next him, Ron on his right side.

"Just the last few minutes. I sat with Luna," Ginny replied. At that Ron's head came up.

"Luna? So that's who it was? I saw someone up in the stands, but they were sitting so far back... Why was she there anyways? She's a Ravenclaw!"

Ginny glanced at her brother. She had a feeling that she knew what Luna had been doing, but she held her tongue; she had more important things to discuss with her brother at the moment.

"I needed to ask you guys something," she began, half avoiding the boys' eyes. "I was in the Tower just a little while ago and Hermione had locked herself in her room. She was crying like there was no tomorrow! Do you guys know what happened?"

Immediately she noticed Harry's back stiffen and Ron's quick glance in his friend's direction.

"Well?" Ginny prompted. They were hiding something from her, she could tell.

"It's probably nothing. Girls are emotional, you figure it out," Harry said coolly, and he began to walk faster, his long strides soon leaving her behind. Ron fell back to walk with her.

"Ron?" Ginny questioned her brother softly.

"They had a misunderstanding, I'm sure it's really nothing," Ron said uncomfortably, his hands shoved in his pockets and his ears slightly red, as they always were when he wasn't telling the whole truth about something.

"Right, I'm sure I'm just overreacting," Ginny echoed as they went up the steps at the front of the castle and then into the Great Hall. The words felt hollow on her lips and she knew that it wasn't true.

* * * * * *

Harry had that angry look in his eyes all through dinner. Most people knew to stay away form him when he looked like that but Ginny just had to know. She knew that whatever 'misunderstanding' Ron was talking about, it was much more important than either of them was letting on. Ginny followed Harry out of the Hall after he had finished eating, determined to have words with him

Hermione didn't come down to dinner that night, in fact, she didn't leave her room all evening, not even to go to the library. Ron had caught Lavender Brown's arm as she exited the girls' staircase that evening and questioned her on Hermione's status of well-being.

"Hermione?" she had asked, slightly confused. "I really don't know. She's been in her room all night. A couple of the girls and I were going to go over our essays for Potions a little while ago, but she had charmed her door six ways from Sunday and told us to go get help from someone else!"

Ron thanked her and then retired to his room to think a bit. Dean was sitting at his desk, working on the same essay Lavender had been complaining about, and Seamus had been leaving as Ron had come in, on his way to the library with a thick book to try and calm Neville down.

"Seems to think that Snape will turn him into a date for Trevor if he fails another essay!" Seamus laughed over his shoulder as he walked down the hall.

Ron laughed half-heartedly with him, but quickly got into his bed, drew the curtains, and whispered a soft Lumos so that his wand cast an eerie glow around the velvet covered 'cave'. Then he lay back against his pillows and stared up at the ceiling, trying to figure out just what had really happened that afternoon. Harry must have seen things wrong! He just must have! Hermione would never betray them that way. With these not-so-comforting thoughts Ron fell into a fitful sleep.