AUTHOR'S REPLIES--
HP--Yes, sadly. They even took the power cord but I ain't that stupid. Found a spare within the next day.
syko--Thank you very much! 😄
and lover48-- Right about now. Hopefully a long one. Making crud up again.
When they reached the common room, a storm of clapping and yells greeted them. Lavender squealed, and gave each of the female players a big hug.
Neville and Dennis Creevey had taken it upon themselves to visit the kitchen house-elves, and had just came back with staggering armfuls of sweets.
"Excellent!" Seamus said joyfully, and fought with Ron over a plate of Cauldron Cakes. Ron won.
"Ah....'his is th' life." He said thickly, through a mouthful.
Even Hermione was digging in with gusto.
"What - " Harry asked, and ducked before she splashed pumpkin soda in his face.
"Oh - sorry, Harry." she said. "But I skipped breakfast, so..."
"Why didn't you eat this morning?"
"I was too nervous!" Hermione said indignantly. "You were too in oyur first game, as I recall."
"Yeah, he was," Seamus said, joining him. "Me 'n Ron had to force-feed him. Remember, Ron?"
Ron nodded sagely.
"Alright, so I can't blame you." Harry said, laughing.
The inpromptu rookie victory celebration lasted the entire afternoon, and at early evening, they cleaned up with a light heart.
Something didn't feel quite right as they went down to supper. Harry realised it straight away. Malfoy should have still been bitter about the Quidditch defeat, but he was wearing a horrible, smug, evil look on his face.
Harry didn't like it a single bit.
"What's up, Harry?" Hermione said as they sat down, digging him in the ribs affectionately.
She saw that Harry was narrowing his eyes at Malfoy, and scoffed.
"Oh, leave it alone...he's just still peeved about the game."
"No...look at his face." Harry said, quietly.
Hermione peered over at Malfoy, now chatting to his friends as he sat down at the Slytherin table.
"Something's not right about this..." she muttered suspiciously.
"Either Malfoy's learned anger management techniques...or he's gotten revenge." Harry finished for her.
What unnerved them both even further was that Malfoy was pointing at Ron and sneering. Ron, now chatting animatedly with Dean and Lavender, appeared not to have noticed.
"He's done something." Harry murmured. "And by the look of it, it's bad."
I can't even remember what chapter I was on!
Oh well, I'll take a wild stab at it. I spent 5 pages on one chapter, that has to be some record of mine. I'll just kick this part off. Not much of a start but oh well.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN-----
The weather next day seemed to reflect Harry's worry. Grey clouds covered the sky and drizzling rain peppered the castle.
Hermione was more alert than usual this morning, and Harry knew she had the exact same apprehension as he was experiencing.
"Think Malfoy's going to try and do something?" he said in a low voice to her.
"I don't think so." she said breathlessly. "I know so. I have a feeling we're going to find out what, soon..."
Ron was still cheery when he arrived downstairs, and could not figure how possibly that Harry and Hermione were frowning.
"Honestly, you two." he said jovially. "The weather's not that bad. We've had worse, remember? I recall that one game last year..."
And he starting talking about a Quidditch match last year where an awful storm had battered both sides.
Harry and Hermione let him talk on, looking behind his back at each other nervously.
Half the school was already at breakfast when they sat down at the Gryffindor table. Ron was hungry again and started feeding himself with scant indifference to manners, and Harry began eating too, but Hermione didn't even touch her food.
"What?" he asked her.
"Look at Malfoy." she said. Harry did, and saw that the nasty sneering look back on Malfoy's face.
"Uh-oh." he muttered over his cereal.
"Very much so."
The post arrived, and a letter came for Hermione, who opened it, and read it. She shrugged. "Parents again."
"Well, say hi to them from me."
"What's this?" Ron said. He was looking at something in his lap, which an owl had just dropped. Harry couldn't see what it was, since he was on the opposite side of the table, facing Ron.
"Ooh, a parcel!" Ron grinned, his good mood undiminished. Harry and Hermione exchanged glances.
"Well, let's see what we have he - " Ron's voice died in his throat. Lavender peeked at it. "Ooh, Ron's got a presen - "
What she saw next made her sink to her knees.
A sense of foreboding enveloped Harry.
Hermione scattered dishes and jugs as she peered at Ron's "present" next. She immediately pushed Harry back when he tried to do the same.
"Don't look, Harry....you don't want to see!" she pleaded, but Harry would not be denied.