Could It Be Any More Obvious?

~Chapter 2~ Quaffles and Daisies

The Entrance Hall contained a lot of students at seven o'clock, coming for and going from dinner. That's why, at first, Harry and Hermione didn't see Ron frantically waving to them. It was that, and they had many different things on their minds. When Ron did finally get the two of them to notice him it was only after he had set off a stream of green sparks from his wand.

"Have you both gone brain dead since this afternoon?" he asked quite annoyed and entertained at the same time.

"No we have not," Hermione answered. Her eyes focusing on Ron's robes, she sighed.

"Yes I know I am completely filthy, stinking and bitten from head to toe," Ron said before Hermione had the chance to point it out even though it was so very obvious.

"I can help with the smelly part," Harry offered. After a blue flash appeared and surrounded the tall red head, Ron no longer smelled of dirt and sweat, actually he smelled like . . .

"DAISIES?" Hermione exclaimed with wide eyes.

"I came across that one this summer," Harry explained.

Lowering his voice and his head Ron said, "I like that I don't reek of grime and fertilizer any more, Harry, but . . . daisies?" Ron whispered the last word like a curse, his eyes questioning. He was trying to sound grateful while really trying pointing out this fact to Harry.

"Yeah, I still have to find a way to just get rid of the smell and not replace it," Harry admitted while turning slightly pink.

"Oh Ron it's not bad, quite an improvement from before," Hermione chimed in. " But here," she added raising her wand to rid him of the dirt he was wearing. This time Ron had swirls of violet encircle him. "There, now are you going to have dinner with us?" she questioned him.

"You bet! I am so hungry. Detention with Sprout is just a little less pleasant than walking across hot coals for ten miles." Ron sighed. "She seems so nice in class." He finished by shaking his head in mock sadness. "Oh well! Dinner awaits." He lifted his head with a huge smile and marched straight to the end of the Gryffindor table. Harry shrugged to Hermione and followed Ron into the Great Hall. Hermione came last in line, issuing mumbles of 'boys' and 'what to do with them?'

When Harry and Hermione joined Ron at their house table he was already half way through his second plate of dinner. He was ready to start talking at this point having quieted his hunger.

"So what have you . . .?" Ron trailed off as his mouth dropped open at the sight of Harry's plate. Hermione looked even more wide-eyed than she had moments before when Harry had 'desmelled' Ron. The pile of food on Harry's plate was growing dangerously high. Potatoes, carrots, chicken, corn, turkey, and squash, all covered in gravy, sat two feet high atop Harry Potter's dinner plate.

"I've had a busy day," Harry shrugged. Hermione looked as if she was going to faint with worry and Ron was turning a peculiar green colour. His friends did not look won over with his reason.

"I'm very hungry- because of my busy day," he explained further. As if this would clear up the matter he continued to pile potatoes on to his plate.

In truth he just didn't want to talk, but it would be hard to explain why, since one of the reasons was sitting next to him and drinking silently from her goblet. "And," he thought, "eating fifty pound of food will be easier to do than that."

"Hermione," he thought. And again he became very confused, dizzy even. "Could it be the food? All the gravy?" Harry wondered. He looked down at what he had as dinner and stopped eating it when he realized just how much he had put on his plate. To turn his thoughts away from Hermione and food, which together could create many other uncomfortable thoughts, Harry started to listen to the conversation Hermione and Ron were having. But that really didn't help because neither one of them was talking to each other.

"Ugh," Harry thought. "Don't those two ever talk?"

"So, Ron," he started, "what about tomorrow? Do you think we're going to get any good tryouts?"

"Ugh," Hermione thought. "Is that all they talk about? Quidditch?" But, she still listened intently. She was just glad Harry had thought twice about eating what he had chosen for a healthy dinner.

Ron started excitedly. "Well, Ginny's going for Chaser, of course she won't try out for Seeker. She only took your position last year . . . for experience and because you were kicked off the team." Ron beamed, clearly showing pride in his younger sister's accomplishments while trying to keep away from Harry's not being allowed to play last year.

As the boys continued rating the players possibly showing for the tryouts they were holding for the Gryffindor Quidditch Team the next day, Hermione decided that, tomorrow, she would go down to the pitch and watch.

"But you know, Harry, we better hope some really good beaters appear 'cause if they don't we might be stuck using the same blokes who replaced Fred and George last year. And if that's what it comes down to we might as well hand Slytherin the Cup."

This comment ended their conversation for the time being so the three decided to head up to Gryffindor Tower. Harry was thinking of the smirk Malfoy would wear if Slytherin won the Cup, Ron was hoping that the daisy fragrance would wear off before the tryouts and Hermione was having odd visions of Snitches flying around her head.

"What the hell?" Hermione tried swatting them away, but it made no difference, they just dodged her hand.

"Glad I don't want to be a Seeker. Wait. What? . . .I don't want to be anything . . . Do I?" The thought chased around her head all night. "But I can't fly!" she tried to convince herself.

"You don't know that."

"Oh great. I'm arguing with myself." Hermione realized.

"You, I mean I, might like to fly. It's been five years since we were last on a broom."

"Fine, okay . . . wait . . .NO!" she crossed her arms across her chest defiantly and set a determined look.

"Hermione? Something wrong?" Harry asked her.

"Oh . . .no Harry I'm fine. Just thinking," she tried to assure her two best friends who at that moment were engaged in a game of wizard's chess. When Harry hesitantly turned back to his game Hermione went back to her battle with herself inside her head.

"Come on Hermione! It was five years ago. And you're an athlete now . . ." Hermione went back to the past summer when she had trained and entered her first triathlon, and won.

"Yeah, but in that sport you keep your feet on the ground- well, sort of."

"Okay, but you've still been running everyday, right? Good, so you're in shape. Just try flying, then if you like it . . ." her wild side trailed off leaving the bookworm side of Hermione to think about the possibilities. Many of which contained a certain green eyed Seeker.