⁀➷

"His sister didn't really try," said McLaggen menacingly, referring to Ron. "She gave him an easy save."

"Rubbish," Harry coldly retorted. "That was the one he nearly missed."

McLaggen took a step closer to Harry, who stood his ground time. "Give me another go."

"No," Harry replied. "You've had your go. You saved four. Ron saved five. Ron's Keeper, he won it fair and square. Get out of my way."

McLaggen stormed away, growling threats to thin air. Harry turned around to find his new team beaming at him.

"Well done," he croaked. "You flew really well - "

"Ron, that was absolutely fantastic!" Kimberly exclaimed.

She threw herself at Ron, hugging him tightly around the neck. Ron was nearly knocked off the feet. Especially through his padding and cold air, he was feeling more hot and sweaty. He hugged her back, cheeks almost the same color as his hair. Lavender had a rather grumpy expression on her face as she stomped away. Ron looked extremely pleased with himself as he grinned at the team and at Kimberly.

"I knew you could do it," she said. "Sorry, I came a little late. I was caught up with practice with the girls. Did I miss much?"

Ron shook his head. "N-No, missed nothing at all."

"Great. Hey, how about you get cleaned up and I'll meet you in the Great Hall? I'll make a special exception for you and sit at the Gryffindor table."

She smiled at her and walked away, waving to everyone on the team. Ginny and Harry waved back while the other players looked at Ron who was still staring at a patch of grass like it was the most interesting thing ever.

"He's completely whipped," Ginny muttered, shaking his head.

After letting in half a dozen goals, most of them scored by Ginny, Ron's technique became wilder and wilder, until he finally punched an oncoming Demelza Robins in the mouth.

"It was an accident. I'm sorry, Demelza, really sorry!" Ron shouted after her as she zigzagged back to the ground, dripping blood everywhere. "I just - "

"Panicked," Ginny interrupted angrily, landing next to Demelza and examining her fat lip. "You prat, Ron, look at the state of her!"

"I can fix that," said Harry, landing beside the two girls and pointing his wand at Demelza's mouth before saying, "Episkey. And Ginny don't call Ron a prat, you're not the Captain of this team - "

"Well, you seemed too busy to call him a prat, and I thought someone should," she retorted.

Harry forced himself not to laugh. "In the air, everyone, let's go..."

•

"Good work, everyone, I think we'll flatten Slytherin," Harry said bracingly after practice, and the Chasers and Beaters left the changing room looking reasonably happy with themselves.

"I played like a sack of dragon dung," mumbled Ron in a hollow voice when the door had swung shut behind Ginny.

"No, you didn't," said Harry firmly. "You're the best Keeper I tried out, Ron. Your only problem is nerves."

He kept up a relentless flow of encouragement all the way back to the castle, and by the time they reached the second floor, Ron was looking marginally more cheerful. When Harry pushed open the tapestry to take their usual shortcut up to Gryffindor Tower, they found themselves looking at Dean and Ginny, who were locked in a close embrace and kissing fiercely as though glued together. It was as though something large and scaly erupted into life in Harry's stomach, clawing at his insides.