Obliviate My Choices {Book 4}

16. Quidditch fails

A/N IMPORTANT TWITCAM NEWS AT THE END OF CHAPTER!!

The news that Ron had been poisoned spread quickly next day, but it did not cause the sensation that Katie's attack had done. Most thought it was an accident--in fact, more people were itnerested in the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff.

This of course led to a lot of poorly executed flirts and innuendo's between Arthur and I about the match, because of course we had the mind of twelve year olds.

 Even though I was happier than I'd been in months--years even--I was rapidly becoming obsessed with what Malfoy was up to. I kept glancing at the map at random times, to try and see why he disapeared constantly. But there was never any logical answers to choose from.

Even worse possibly, was the fact Lavender wouldn't leave me alone. At first she'd whined at me nobody had said Ron was in the hospital--"I mean, I am his girlfriend!"--but unfortunately she had now decided to forgive me this lapse of memory and was keen to have lots of in-depth chats with me about Ron's feelings, a most uncomfortable experience I would gladly erase my memories to get rid of.

"Look, why don't you talk to Ron about all this?" I asked, after a particularly long interrogation from Lavender that took in everything from precisely what Ron had said about her new dress robes to whether or not I thought that Ron considered his relationship with Lavender to be 'serious.' "I mean come on, he is your boyfriend."

"Well, I would, but he's always asleep when I go and see him!" said Lavender fretfully.

"Is he now?" I snorted. I always found Ron perfectly alert every time I'd been up in the hospital wing with various people.

"Is Hermione Granger still visiting him?" Lavender demanded suddenly.

"Well they're friends??" I said as if she was stupid. "If Parvati was poisoned, you'd want to visit her."

"Friends, don't make me laugh," said Lavender scornfully. "She didn't talk to him for weeks after he started going out with me! But I suppose she wants to make up with him now he's all interesting..."

"Being poisoned is interesting now? Good to know." I shook my head in disbelief.

On the morning of the match, I called by at the hospital wing to see Ron, hoping he could get Lavender to leave me alone. Harry had just finished talking to him about McLaggen being his substitute when I sat down.

"--I've told you," said Harry patiently, "he could be world-class and I wouldn't want to keep him. He keeps trying to tell everyone what to do, he thinks he could play every position better than the rest of us. I can't wait to be shot of him. Oh, hey Rory."

"Hey." I said to my brother, patting his shoulder. "Speaking of getting shot of people, Ron, please stop pretending to be comatose when Lavender visits. She's driving me up the wall and i'm ready to strangle her."

"Oh," said Ron, looking sheepish. "Yeah. All right."

"If you don't want to go out with her anymore, just tell her," said Harry.

"Yeah... well... it's not that easy, is it?" said Ron. He paused. "Hermione going to look in before the match?" he added casually.

"She's gone to the pitch with Alia and Ginny." I said, giving Ron a look.

"Oh," said Ron, looking rather glum. "Right. Well, good luck. Hope you hammer McLag--I mean Smith."

"We'll try," said Harry, shouldering his broom. "See you after the match."

"Don't choke on anything." I said with a smile, following Harry out of the hospital wing.

"Bloody hell, I'm really hoping it's not too windy today." I muttered as the two of us rushed through the deserted corridors. The whole school was outside at this point--either in the stadium or heading towards it.

"It's not like we're going to fly off the brooms or anything, Rory." Harry rolled his eyes.

"Well you clearly don't remember my first Quidditch match." I said with a grin and we both started to laugh.