Harry looked darkly at the blank parchment sitting in front of him. He didn’t feel like writing his Potions essay. He glanced over at Hermione. Hermione was scribbling on the parchment furiously already halfway done with the foot and half of paper they had to write. He sighed and leaned back throwing his quill on his paper. Hermione stopped and turned to look at him. She smiled sadly at him.
“You can do it Harry, just this last essay and you won’t have any homework this weekend,” she consoled.
Harry shook his head, “No way, I can’t write another word, my wrist hurts from writing all the transfiguration research down, and the charms homework, and the properties of a frapple plant. I can’t do it Hermione, I’ll stay up with you if you want, but I’m not starting this essay.”
Hermione bit her lip and shrugged her shoulders, returning to her essay. Harry sighed and sunk down further into his chair. He didn’t understand how Hermione did it, always working, into the early morning. Taking five N.E.W.T classes was more then enough for Harry, and she was taking seven. And this was just the end of the first week, which had passed by rapidly. He wished he could have Ron in some of his hard classes, taking two classes without him was boring. Granted he got more work done with Hermione, but he felt like all he ever did was homework this week. At least he had a weekend to hang out with Ron; he looked coldly back at the potions parchment. He knew he would have to finish that paper Sunday night. But at this point he didn’t really care, that was a lot better then when he started. He glanced down at his watch; it was nearing two in the morning. Everyone in the common room had left hours ago, including Ron.
“Come on Hermione,” he yawned,” we can finish this later, it’s getting really late.”
She looked at him and back at her paper, “Just five more minutes Harry, I can finish.”
He nodded closing his eyes; he must have drifted off, because five minutes later Hermione was shaking him to wake up. She had finished the essay and it was all rolled up on the table. Harry stretched and she started cleaning up her supplies. Harry gathered his own things and stood up drowsily swaying a bit.
“Night Hermione,” he mumbled as he staggered up the stairs into his room. As he opened the door, a small line of light entered the room from the hallway; he quickly closed the door, hoping no one woke up. Harry walked across the room to his bed and collapsed on it. He listened to the bed next to his for Ron’s snoring but heard nothing.
“Ron?” he whispered.
“Yeah,” answered Ron shifting a little.
“Why are you still awake?” asked Harry crawling under the covers.
“Just thinking,” mumbled Ron.
“About what?” returned Harry now staring up at the ceiling. But to this he got no reply, and snoring occurred. Though Harry felt like it was very fake. But he didn’t have much will to ponder the matter, as all he wanted to think of was sleep and a lot of it.
Bright sunlight flooded the room as Harry opened his eyes. He yawned and stretched, glancing around at the other beds, all of which were empty. Glancing at the sun position in the sky, it wasn’t yet noon, but getting close. Harry quickly changed and came down the stairs into the common room. There were only a few students, a couple of first years playing exploding snap, and a tall red headed boy sitting on the couch talking to a very frustrated girl with frizzy brown hair.
“Ron, will you leave me alone already! I shouldn’t have said anything at all!” Hermione yelled in an undertone.
“Hermione I’m just thinking about your own good you know, you are just making things harder for yourself…” Ron paused turning around, “hello Harry.”
“Would you two get a room or something,” muttered Harry rolling his eyes as he walked over to them.
“What was that Harry?” asked Ron looking strangely at him.
“Nothing,” Harry replied dolefully, sitting on the couch between them.
“I was about to go get you Harry, McGonagal came in about an hour ago and told us that you and I needed to be in her office at noon,” said Ron looking at his watch, “it’s about 11:30 now.”
“We can go now, I have to stop by the library,” said Hermione standing up and brushing her skirt.
“What for? You finished your homework last night,” questioned Harry skeptically.
“I have other studying to do,” replied Hermione slowly. Ron gave her a funny glance and she smiled back exceptionally at him. Harry shook his head, it seemed like he hardly knew what was going on anymore. First Ron and now Hermione, was he the only one without a secret?
Hermione left them at the library as Harry and Ron continued to Professor McGonagal’s classroom. They opened the door and she was sitting at her desk, bent over papers, with her quill. She looked up at them briskly as they entered.
“You’re early,” she said,” sit down, I have a matter to discuss with you two gentlemen.” Ron and Harry sat down; she offered them a cup of tea, which they politely refused. “Now to business, as you know, Quidditch teams will be forming within the next couple weeks to start the season, but I wanted to start early, as we’ll have to find three chasers and two beaters, most of the team! And since you boys are the only two left, it seems fitting to make you co-captains of the Gryffindor quidditch team.” Ron and Harry looked at each other and grinned, but their professor continued, “Tryouts will be held next weekend, and as extra help for the team, I have invited a couple experts to help choose our team this year.”
“Who’s that Professor?” asked Harry.
“Oliver Wood and Angelina Johnson have agreed to come back and help you two with tryouts,” she replied with pride. Harry and Ron exchanged excited glances again.
“So like I said, next weekend, tryouts will begin Saturday morning at ten in the morning - I expect you both out there at nine to set up. Have a good weekend gentlemen,” she finished, and Harry and Ron left the class room grinning ear to ear.
“Can you believe that?” asked Ron in awe, “Angelina and Wood want to help us!”
“We’re going to need their help, look how many people we need!” replied Harry exasperatedly.
“This is so cool, we are co-captains, can it get any better than this?” ginned Ron excitedly. Harry nodded in amazement, things were definitely very good.
Harry could hardly wait for next weekend, and the week seemed to drag by slower then ever, he took the initiative to stay up with Hermione and do homework every night so he would have the weekend free to have his mind on quidditch. Finally Friday had come and the weekend seemed almost touchable, until double potions class Friday afternoon. Harry had just finished making a Pax Potion and had corked it ready to turn in, when Malfoy stalked over to his table.
“Well, well Potter, I’ve heard, Gryffindor has tryouts tomorrow for their pathetic Quidditch team,” sneered Malfoy, who now had fully recovered from their last encounter felt brave enough to speak to Harry again.
“I don’t see how that is any of your business Malfoy, but if you even consider showing up this weekend, you will sorely regret it,” said Harry not looking to provoke a fight in front of Snape. He moved past Draco towards the front of the room to hand in his potion.
“Sorely regret it? Somehow I don’t find that very threatening at all Potter,” gleaned Malfoy.
“Maybe you shouldn’t be all talk if you don’t have your dumb goons to protect you,” growled Harry spinning around to face him again.
“Harry, stop,” pleaded Hermione, resting her hand on his shoulder. Harry seething, backed away from Malfoy and proceeded again towards the front of the class.
“It’s nice to know your Mudblood will save your skin when the time comes Potter,” Malfoy sneered. Before Hermione could stop him, Harry had his wand out pointed at Draco’s throat. Hermione grabbed his hand holding the wand. Harry’s eyes widened then closed as he put down his wand, he knew that Hermione was right, if he did anything Snape would have him for…
“Three days detention Potter, starting tonight, then Saturday and Sunday mornings starting at ten,” jeered Snape from the front of the class. Harry opened his mouth to protest, but Snape glared at him almost daring him to speak. Malfoy grinned at him coldly.
“Don’t worry Potter, I’ll tell you how it goes,” grinned Malfoy icily as he turned around and walked off. Harry sat back down and slammed his fist into the table.
“Be careful Harry,” said Hermione looking miserably at him, as she took his potion, “you’re just asking for more trouble.”
Harry couldn’t have been angrier as he left potions that afternoon, he didn’t even wait for Hermione, it fact he wasn’t sure where he was going, just getting away from that awful teacher and the bloody potions class.
***
Hermione went up to the commons room looking for Harry and ran into Ron sitting in front of the fireplace.
“What are you doing?” she asked him walking, over and sitting down with him.
“Just thinking about tomorrow,” he replied, “what’s up?”
“You haven’t seen Harry have you?” she asked hurriedly then trailing off, “he left potions in kind of a…rush”
“No, he hasn’t come in here, why?”
“Just Malfoy,” huffed Hermione angrily, ”Harry lost his temper again, and Snape gave him three days detention, starting tonight, and Saturday and Sunday at ten o’ clock.”
Ron cursed and Hermione looked at him disapprovingly, Ron just shook his head. “I can’t do it without him!” Ron insisted looking disgusted at the news.
“Oh I know, and now I don’t know what to do,” Hermione sighed clearly not worrying about Ron or hearing what he had said.
“What you are going to do?” asked Ron angrily, then stopped, “why, what were you going to do?”
“Nothing,” replied Hermione distantly. Ron just glared at her and raised his eyebrows. “Oh fine,” she relented, “I was thinking about doing Quidditch, this year.”
“Seriously? That’s a brilliant idea…” but Hermione cut Ron off before he could finish his opinion.
“Ronald! I honestly don’t have time besides, I’m sure I’m not that good.” But Ron wouldn’t let it go that easily, and Hermione and Ron fought about it, not even noticing Harry pass by ten minutes later.
***
Hermione looked pale and sickly as Ron walked into the Great Hall for breakfast on Saturday morning. Hermione looked at her food angrily, fighting it mentally, and poking at the dry pieces of oatmeal with her spoon. She much preferred to torture it, then to have it torture her later, throughout the day. There were light circles under her eyes, from not sleeping at all last night. It felt much different from when she stayed up all night doing homework; she had finished her homework early last night. But she couldn’t sleep, tossing and turning, eventually ending up back in the common room at three in the morning, staring blankly into space. She felt so disheveled, so unprepared for what she was about to do today. Her mind raced across the various plains of failure she could reach today. This is was so different then anything she had ever done. As Ron neared the table, he noticed how tousled she looked, and grinned bleakly at her.
“Rough night?” he asked sitting down next to her, even though the long table was practically empty.
Hermione ran her hand through her hair for about the millionth time and nodded, “I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing, I mean, if only I thought I was doing it for the right reason. I feel like I have to, even if I fail now, I have to try. I’m so confused. Not that I want to fail, because I can’t, if I fail, then it’s even worse then when I started, not that he’ll know but still, what if I do well, then it’s worth it. I’m not even making sense anymore, Oh Ron.” She sighed and looked up at the partly cloudy ceiling painfully, looking as almost if she could get some confirmation from heaven.
Ron helped himself to some breakfast, and looked at his shaken friend, “You’ll do great, we’ve thought really hard through this, and I’ve never seen you fail at anything, why start now? Besides its no pressure, if you do well, you win. And if you don’t do well, you don’t lose, no one will find out,” he spoke encouragingly.
“I don’t know Ron,” debated Hermione striking her oatmeal more vigorously.
“Trust me,” replied Ron encouragingly, “and let me take that,” grinned Ron taking her spoon from her, “don’t take it out on that poor oatmeal.” Hermione laughed tiredly, she felt hardly physically ready for this. She looked up just in time to see Harry stalk through the Great Hall doors and sit down across from them.
“I can’t believe him, he is purposely making me miss the tryouts, and just so I can’t help the team. I don’t know what he is going to have me do today, I cleaned that whole dungeon, and it’s spotless, spotless! Three days is completely unfair! Even Umbridge seems better,” fumed Harry angrily.
“I don’t know mate, what she did was mind games, it wasn’t right,” muttered Ron darkly.
“I still can’t believe Snape, agh,” he paused when he noticed Hermione and frowned slightly “what’s wrong Hermione?”
“I…just have a really bad headache,” she mumbled. He glanced at her skeptically, but before he could cross her on it, Ron spoke nervously.
“Harry? What time is your detention?” asked Ron.
“Ten, why?” Harry returned confusedly.
“You have about two minutes to get down to the dungeons,” said Ron, and Harry bolted, saying a rushed goodbye, and sympathy towards Hermione.
“Thanks Ron,” mumbled Hermione finally pushing away her food and burying her head in her arms. Ron rested his hand on her shoulder.
“You’re going to be fine, c’mon let’s get out to the field, we have an extra couple minutes to practice if you want,” urged Ron standing up from the table.
“I guess you’re right,” moaned Hermione and she got up as well, picking up the broomstick lying on the ground behind her. And she trudged after Ron out to the Quidditch fields.