A Looping of the Scales ~ COMPLETED

Chapter 19 ~ Team Quidditch

Oddly enough, Hermione had scheduled a full three hours of free time for Sunday to spend with her friends. That was more time than she’d given herself with them in ages. Well, it wasn’t that odd really, considering she and Ron had broken up and there was some emotional kickback. Scheduling more time than usual fell into that category. It was as if she were trying to prove she did make time for other people without study being involved.

Right now, they were walking toward the Quidditch pitch, Ron, Harry and Ginny carrying their brooms, and Harry with a box under one arm. Hermione had an Advanced Arithmancy book with her to pass the time as they flew about. She didn’t like flying. Neither Harry nor Ginny displayed any affection for each other. There was no handholding or waist-holding. It would be awkward in front of Ron and Hermione. They didn’t feel comfortable about doing anything that showed they were boyfriend and girlfriend when Ron and Hermione were not. They had gone from two couples to the Trio plus one again.

Hermione cleared her throat and everyone looked over at her.

”You’re not going to see much of me during the week,” she said softly.

“We don’t see much of you during the week anyway,” Harry said, as Ron and Ginny looked at her curiously.

“I know, but I’m going to start taking my meals in so I can work through them rather than waste time sitting in the Great Hall. I can eat and study and better utilize my time,” she said, trying not to look at Ron. “So I won’t be coming to breakfast, lunch or dinner.”

”Not even lunch, Hermione?” Ginny asked her. “It seems you would do lunch because you’d have to go all the way to Gryffindor tower and then back down for class. That seems like extra work.”

Hermione hesitated for a moment, and Ron’s eyes instantly grew suspicious.

”What aren’t you telling us, Hermione?” he asked.

Hermione drew in a deep breath.

”I’m not going to be in my room, at least not after breakfast. I’ve—I’ve made arrangements to study with Severus until it’s time to take the NEWTS,” she explained. “So, I’ll be going to his quarters during lunch and after classes.”

“I thought you didn’t have time to take on another student,” Harry said as Ron just looked at her.

“Well, I’m not actually going to be tutoring him, Harry. Tutoring is actually teaching. He’s going to be studying with me and learning that way. I’m going to be doing what I usually do, work, and he’s going to learn by doing what I do. By example. He only needs to work on his Arithmancy in relation to Potions.”

”Then why are you going to spend all that time in his rooms?” Ron asked her coolly.

”His library,” Hermione said dreamily as if she were in love. “He has the most amazing library. The walls are covered floor to ceiling with titles you can’t find anywhere else. I’ll have full access to them in exchange for studying with him. Think of all the forgotten knowledge I’ll be able to rediscover. My NEWT scores will be off the parchment.”

Ron blinked at her, then shook his head. He could see her making an arrangement like that for access to Snape’s books. They really weren’t going to see much of her now. Ron realized the only reason Hermione probably even went to meals was because of him. So, she had made some small effort. But now she was free to prepare for the NEWTS the way she’d like.

“Hermione,” he said, “one day your brain is going to swell up with so many facts and figures, your head is going to explode.”

Hermione gave him a little smile. The wisecrack reminded her of how he used to be, before they were involved. He’d always comment about how she was going to bust in some manner because of all she knew.

”I’ll be fine,” she said as they walked across the Quidditch pitch. Hermione walked toward the stands as Ron and Ginny waited for Harry released a Snitch, a specialized Quaffle and Bludger. The Quaffle was made for casual Quidditch games involving less than a full team of players. It would fall extremely slowly if not caught or thrown. This way, the game could keep going without having to retrieve it from the ground all the time.

Hermione got comfortable as the three of them took off with a whoop, playing three-man Quidditch. It was a lot of fun because it was every witch and wizard for her or himself.

Hermione stuck her nose in the book and it stayed there for about fifteen minutes before she was disturbed by a familiar voice.

”You really do study all the time, don’t you?” Snape asked her.

Hermione looked at him wide-eyed. He was hovering in front of her on a beautiful black Firebolt, his head cocked. He was dressed impeccably in black, button-down robes and shining black boots. His collar-length hair wasn’t the least bit greasy-looking either.

”What are you doing here?” Hermione asked him.

Snape looked at her as if she were stupid. He was sitting on a broom after all.

”I think that’s rather obvious,” he replied, then looked up at Harry, Ron and Ginny. None of them had noticed him yet. Then he looked back at Hermione.

”Why aren’t you flying?” he asked her.

”I don’t fly,” she responded. “I don’t like it.”

”Oh,” Snape said, looking up as Ron grabbed the Quaffle out of the air and flew toward the three goals. “Excuse me.”

Hermione watched as Snape zoomed underneath Harry, Ginny and Ron, then shot up vertically, catching the Quaffle before it went through the goal.

”Hey!” Ron yelled as Snape threw it through himself.

”I believe that’s a point for me,” Snape purred at him as both Ginny and Harry pulled up. All four young people hovered, Hermione watching them and wishing she could be up there to hear what was going on.

Harry eyed his broom.

”Wow, that’s a really nice broom,” Harry said to the wizard, who stared at him.

”I know,” Snape replied.

There was a heavy, uncomfortable silence that followed for several moments.

”Want to join in?” Harry asked him as Ginny zoomed down to retrieve the Quaffle. “We can have teams. You and Ron against me and Ginny.”

Snape eyed Ron as if trying to decide if he’d be a worthy teammate.

“I suppose, if he can keep up with me.”

”I can keep up, don’t worry and don’t drop the Quaffle,” Ron said, wanting to add it was completely possible with his greasy mitts, although Snape didn’t look greasy at all. It was—habit.

Ginny came back and Harry told her they were teams now. Ginny looked at Snape and gave a wicked grin.

”Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. I like that,” she said.

Snape gave her a measuring glance, and realized this was the same witch that Harry had saved in the Chamber, only older. She was quite close to Harry. Apparently, heroism paid off.

”Hey! This team’s only half Slytherin,” Ron objected. “Gryffindor’s the better half.”

”Oh. Really, Weasley?” Snape asked him softly.

”Really.”

Harry and Ginny looked at each other. There wasn’t going to be much teamwork between Snape and Ron. More like competition.

”All right,” Ginny said, “Let’s go.”

And she tossed the Quaffle as high as she could.

Ron, Ginny and Harry took off after the Quaffle, but Snape didn’t. He caught a glint of gold and took off for the Snitch. Harry and Ron saw him and took off after him, leaving Ginny with the Quaffle.

”Hey! One of you is supposed to go for the Quaffle points!” she yelled after Snape and Ron.

But both wizards were clearly going for the Snitch points. Add Harry to the mix and it was a merry run, Snape zooming out in front, Harry and Ron right on his bristles, the wind whipping through their hair.

Suddenly Snape dipped downward and Ron jerked his broom aside as the Bludger zoomed through their midst, trying to unseat them. It turned and headed back as they pursued the Snitch, Snape looking over his shoulder at the little iron ball from time to time.

Meanwhile, Ginny was hovering by the goal, passing the Quaffle through the ring over and over.

”nine…ten…eleven . . .” she said, counting off the points she was making.

Hermione watched as Harry, Snape and Ron did their best to catch the Snitch, bumping and shouldering each other and changing directions, stopping midair as they lost sight, then taking off again. Suddenly, Ron let out a shout and was dangling from his broom by one hand. The Bludger had got him. He tried to pull himself up.

Suddenly, his feet had purchase. Snape had flown under him and Ron was standing on the wizard’s broom handle. Snape slowly rose until Ron could get back on his broom.

”Thanks,” he said to Snape, who nodded and flew off after Harry. But he was too late. Harry had the Snitch and held it up victoriously.

”One hundred and fifty points for us!” he cried out as Snape frowned.

“Two hundred and fifty-six points actually,” Ginny said, flying up with the Quaffle tucked in the crook of her arm. “That’s how many times it went through the goal while all of you were chasing the Snitch.”

”That’s why Slytherins aren’t big on teamwork,” Snape said, looking at Ron as if he’d purposely fallen off his broom so they’d lose. “There’s usually a price to pay when looking out for someone other than yourself.”

Ron scowled at him, but Harry said, “Still, you did it, didn’t you? You could have let him fall.”

If Ron had fallen, Hermione would have saved him before impact. That was her usual role when she accompanied them. They’d shout at her and she’d look up from her book, cast the spell, then return to her reading. She wasn’t allowed to help them back on the broom though. That would be cheating.

“I could have,” Snape said with a shrug. Then, “Another game?”

”Sure,” Harry said, releasing the Snitch.

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Snape, Harry, Ron, Ginny and Hermione walked back toward Hogwarts. Hermione was very quiet, as was Ron. Snape walked next to Harry, a bit ahead of them, talking in low tones.

”I thought I had it hard at Hogwarts,” Snape said, glancing sidelong at Harry. “It’s clear you had a much harder time of it than I did. Death wasn’t waiting for me at every turn, just annoyances.”

That was putting it mildly. The Marauders were more than annoying. They tormented him. Still, they were a far cry from possessed teachers, basilisks and Dark Lords bent on killing you.

”I’m sorry for what my father did to you,” Harry said softly. “I really am, Severus.”

Snape didn’t answer this. Harry could never apologize for James Potter’s actions, try as he might.

”It’s better we don’t talk about your father,” Snape replied, an added hint of malice on the word “father.”

”All right,” Harry said, and silence fell between them for the rest of the way to the castle.

They went inside and stopped in the entrance hall. Passing students looked at them curiously. Snape was rarely seen. He looked at Harry, Ron and Ginny.

”You’re passable flyers,” he said shortly. “Perhaps, next weekend I’ll give you all a few lessons.”

”What?” Ron said, frowning at him.

”Particularly you, Weasley. You fall off your broom so much, I started to suspect the handle was greased.”

Harry and Ginny chuckled. They knew Snape was just ribbing them about their flying, but Ron had slipped a few times, more than usual because he was so competitive against Snape.

”What? Why you—just wait until next weekend. I’ll show you—“

Snape smirked, then his black eyes rested on Hermione.

”I’ll see you Monday evening?” he asked her.

She nodded.

”The library will be waiting. Good day.”

And with that, Snape billowed down the narrow staircase that led to the dungeons.

“Well, that wasn’t half bad, was it?” Harry asked Ron, who was frowning after Snape.

”He thinks a lot of himself, I’ll tell you that,” Ron muttered. “Teach me to fly—hmmph. Prat.”

Harry laughed.

”Well you did a lot of slipping, Ron,” he said as they all began to walk up the stairs, Hermione still very quiet.

”He caused most of it, cutting me off and leading the Bludger toward me so I had to keep ducking. He wasn’t being much of a team player.”

”Neither were you, Ron. You didn’t win a single game because you both kept going after the Snitch. The Quaffle gives points, too. One of you should have been playing against me. Those were the easiest points I’ve ever made. You even caught the Snitch but lost because I made two hundred points with the Quaffle while you were both chasing it.”

“Next time, we’ll just play four-man Quidditch, with everyone out for themselves,” Harry said. “That way Ron and Snape can clash all they like and you and I can wrack up the points, Ginny.”

”Sounds like a plan,” she grinned at him.

“I’ve got to get to work,” Hermione said suddenly, pushing past them and hurrying up the stairs.

”All right, Hermione. We’ll see you later,” Harry called after her.

”Bye, Hermione,” Ginny called as well.

Ron didn’t say anything. Their last goodbye was still good.

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A/N: Thanks for reading.