"Ron, stop bugging me. I have to finish my Transfiguration essay."

"Well excuse me, just because I finished mine."

"You did not! The only thing you can finish before me is food, and that hardly counts as educational."

"Yes it is, you see, you smart people can explain how your food goes in your mouth, and then out…at the bottom." Ron smirked, knowing that Hermione would blush at his crude explanation of digestion.

She didn't let him down.

They were in the Common Room, finishing the Transfiguration essay due tomorrow. Hermione only had a foot more to go, but Ron had barely started his. He was lazily munching on an apple, reclining in a chair with his feet up on a small table in front of him. Hermione was at a desk, slaving away.

"You know, if you were nice I would check over your 'finished' essay and make sure that it got an E. At this rate, however, you're due for a nice T-."

Ron sighed, knowing that that was a bargain. "All right, here it is."

Hermione gasped as he handed over the essay. "Ron!" she cried. "It's barely six inches long! You need to do SIX TIMES THAT!"

Ron waved a hand. "Come on, Mione. Let's go play or something. Doing all this homework is making you grumpy."

"And you lazy. Because you're not even doing any!"

"Come on. Let's do Quidditch!" Ron jumped up, excited at his new idea.

Hermione moaned. "Oh, Ron, you know how bad I am at Quidditch! I'll watch you."

"No," Ron insisted, "you have to play too!"

"I don't have a broom!"

"Madam Hooch has plenty extra!"

"I'll fall!" Hermione stood up, facing him squarely.

"And I'll catch you!" She was somewhat surprised at this bold answer. Was it only her, or was it a somewhat…ROMANTIC answer?

She sighed. "All right."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Hermione, CATCH the ball!" Ron laughed as he tossed up a large red ball from a case full of Quidditch balls. Hermione touched it briefly with her fingertips, but it slipped out of reach. She was off balance up here high in the air, with only a thin stick to sit on and balance on. She understood the exhilaration of flying, but it simply wasn't for her. Feet firmly on the ground meant safety; this didn't. But then again, neither was love.

Wait. WHAT was that last thought? She wasn't in love. Hermione Granger? Love? No. Of course not, what was she thinking! Love, yeah right…love?

Ron let the Snitch loose the Snitch and soared up into the air, not realizing that his hand had brushed the clasp that retained the Bludger. "Okay, Mione, I'm going to beat you!"

"Ah!" She half laughed, half screamed as she slipped off to the side a bit. Steadying herself slowly, she made her way toward the Quaffle, which was in Ron's arms. "Give me that!"

"Not on your life!" Ron said, laughing. He felt more confident playing Quidditch with Hermione than he had ever felt before. He zoomed off towards the three rings, which Hermione was guarding.

"Just try and get past me!" Hermione cried, with much more bravado than she actually felt.

Ron dove down, then swooped up. Hermione didn't move, but her eyes followed his every motion.

Zipping past the goals, he threw the ball with all of his might. Hermione shot forward and, amazingly, actually managed to catch the Quaffle this time. Surprised at her sudden achievement, she flew towards the other goals all the way at the opposite end of the field.

Ron, shocked at his miss and her catch, raced to defend his goals, but Hermione was feeling better. He laughed. "I'm gonna getcha, Mione! You better run!"

Hermione, smiling, weakly tossed the ball through the hoops. "Yes!" she shouted, giggling slightly. For a second she threw her arms up in the air in triumph, then caught a glimpse of the ground and hurriedly restored them to their firm grip on the broom.

Ron grinned widely, his heart beating faster at the sight of her so happy. This was how things were supposed to be, but all the time. Stupid homework.

He pulled up beside her and gave her a quick friendly hug. Friendly. Hermione laughed shakily, brushed away a loose strand of hair and muttered, "Stop it, Ron! You'll make me fall…"

And then it happened.

The Bludger, which had been struggling to break out of the other clasp (the first one Ron had accidentally opened) all the while they had been playing, broke through the top of the wood chest and spun towards them, hurling at top speed.

Hermione gaped, then wheeled towards Ron. "Ron! Didn't you secure it!"

Ron wasn't listening to her. He maneuvered the broom so that he was in between Hermione and the quickly approaching Bludger. "Hermione, I need you to do whatever I tell you to do."

Hermione's anger abated quickly, her emotions now fearful.

The Bludger was almost at them…

Then Ron moved into action.

Turning to Hermione, he placed his hands firmly on her waist and lifted her up towards him. He placed her behind him, and said loudly, "Hold on to me TIGHT!" She obediently placed her hands on his waist, then screamed as…

He zoomed towards the ground, the Bludger hot on their heels. Hermione screamed as the ground rose to meet them, and then shut her eyes closed tight. Wind whipped around them.

Ron started to pull up. He cursed—he had dived too low. There was no way they could make it out of this alive…what did he want his last words to be? "HERMIONE, I LOVE YOU!"

Hermione didn't reply.

They were about twenty feet from the ground…ten…two…Ron grabbed Hermione's hand and hurled himself off of the broom.

Pain. Ground. Grass. Brown hair. A moan. Blue sky. A face—Hermione.

They came to a stop. Ron saw the broom still flying on—it had pulled itself up. "Stupid broom," he muttered. The Bludger was still chasing it, but any moment it would turn around and charge again.

"Ow…" moaned Hermione. Her head lay on his outstretched left arm, her hair fanning out.

He turned an anxious face to her. "What is it?"

"My arm…"

Ron sat up, then saw that she had landed on her arm at an odd angle. He swore, then pulled himself up, trying to think about what to do first.

"Hermione, stay there," he said quickly. "Let me take care of the Bludger and then I'll get you to Madam Pomfrey."

She moaned again in reply.

Ron whipped out his wand as he saw the Bludger halt for a moment and then turn around. It flew back at an alarming speed.

"Diffindo!" he cried, and suddenly the Bludger froze in its tracks. Cracking in two, it fell to the ground.

Ron watched it for a moment to ensure that the two halves wouldn't come alive, and then knelt beside Hermione. Her eyes were closed.

"Oh, Hermione." Ron was miserable. It was all his fault.

"Ron?"

"What is it?" he replied eagerly.

"You didn't catch me."

Tears of happiness and sadness sprang to his eyes, though Ron had no idea why.

"I'm sorry, Mione! I didn't mean to…things were going so nicely, too!"

But Hermione had succumbed to unconsciousness.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Hermione woke to an acute sense of pain in her right arm.

Faces. There were blurred faces, looking at her. Blobs, really. Not faces…

She blinked. "Hermione?" asked Ron timidly. "Are you, you know…okay?"

Suddenly she was angry. How DARE Ron drag her away from her studies, only to end up breaking her arm or something like it, because her arm sure hurt like heck! "Okay?" she said softly, in a dangerous voice. "Okay?"

Ron gulped.

"Yes, Ron, I'm just dainty, except for the fact that YOU practically broke all the BONES in my ARM! NO, RON, I THINK I'M OKAY! I'M ONLY IN THE HOSPITAL WING, INSTEAD OF IN THE COMMON ROOM STUDYING, AND ALL BECAUSE OF YOU! HAVE I ANSWERED YOUR QUESTION YET? BECAUSE IF I HAVEN'T, I GUESS I'LL JUST MAKE IT CLEAR THAT NOO, I'M NOT OKAY!" Hermione shrieked.

Ron looked away, hating every particle in his body.

Harry, next to Ron, motioned to Ron to leave now. Ron nodded, glanced at Hermione, who stared back icily, and left.

Hermione, her anger slowly dissipating, gulped for air after her outburst.

Harry stared at her. "You shouldn't have done that, you know."

She looked away. "I know. But—"

"No. No buts."

She sighed, looking down.

"You're supposed to drink this now. Madame Pomfrey's orders." Harry handed her a glass of slightly orange liquid and a straw. "I think it's Gro-something, this stuff that grows your bones back. I had to take it before, when that Bludger hit my arm." He smiled a bit at how similar their injuries were, and at the memory of Dobby.

Hermione swirled the mixture around slowly with her straw, watching it move so freely. "I just…get so mad at him sometimes. I don't mean to…for the most part. But my anger just springs right up, and I can't stop it. I really do like him…I don't mean to be so…well, mean." She sighed. "And the worst part is that I was really having fun with him. We don't really get to be so close…" Here she blushed, "and have so much fun, but I thought that for once he was right, and I really had needed to just get out and play around for a little bit."

"It wasn't really Ron who broke your arm, though."

"No, but it was his fault. He told you all this, didn't he?"

"Yes. Keep going, I'm listening."

"Well, that's really all there is. I just thought that 'Wow, he's really sensitive.' He knew that I just needed some fresh air and some free time." She quietly drank her potion, grimacing slightly at the horrible flavor.

"You would have had some at Hogsmeade today, though."

Hermione stared blankly at him for a few seconds, then slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand. "I completely forgot! Great, now I get to miss that…"

"He did too, Hermione. And just because you got hurt ACCIDENTALLY doesn't mean that Ron was wrong about you. He just made a mistake. Would you rather have on a cast or a casket?' Harry laughed softly at his joke. She joined him.

"All right, so maybe you're correct. But I'm still kind of disappointed in him."

"Didn't you guys have fun?"

"I guess so…"

Harry frowned.

"All right, yes…"

"Well then, there you go."

"Hey, Harry…" Hermione called, as he turned away to leave.

"Yeah?"

"Did Ron tell you what he yelled just before he broke my arm?" She smiled.

"No…"

"Oh…I didn't think he would have…never mind, it's nothing." Harry, a confused look on his face, turned to leave.

"See ya, Hermione. I'll get you some Butterbeer, okay?"

She smiled. Harry was a pretty good friend. Awesome, once she thought about it.