Dark AIAOY 5

Chapter 6

"I owe you both an apology."  Angelina admitted days later.  "I shouldn't have been so hard on you, it's just...Oliver was a great captain."  She nodded her head slowly, shrugging slightly.  "He left behind a lot to step up to."  Harry and Rebecca gave a little smile as Angelina reached her arm out to grab Ron as he tried to walk by.  "But nothing to fear!  Gryffindor's got a new keeper and practise starts next week.  I trust there won't be anymore detentions and you'll both be there?"

Rebecca nodded, "There won't be anymore."

Harry finished.  "And we'll be there."

Angelina left the fifth years to their conversation, and Rebecca mustered up all the enthusiasm she had.  "Congratulations!"

Ron beamed under the praise.  "Thanks!"  He nudged Hermione.  "Tell them, Hermione!  Tell them how well you said I did."  Hermione rolled her eyes, but began retelling his tryout as requested.  

Fred and George pulled Rebecca aside slightly.  George waving their sales log happily.  "Want to make some rounds?"

The snackboxes had been selling like mad, but the other students made a point of only purchasing through Fred or George.  Rebecca had yet to make a single sale at all--it didn't help that the Prophet continued spewing misconstrued facts and blatant lies every day.  Just that week, Rebecca had been to blame for three separate robberies, kidnapping, and the always-repeated murder of Jane.

"Maybe," Rebecca offered quietly as Lavender came down the girls' stairs with the last vestiges of Rebecca's bruise on her cheek.  "Maybe we could just play a game of Exploding Snap?"

"Of course!"  Fred said quickly, hopping on any suggestion of hers that had their trio together.  The three disappeared up the stairs, Harry watching them all the while.

"You two in a row or something?"  Hermione asked curiously as Ron continued to talk about Quidditch, failing to notice Harry and Hermione's distracted states.

"It's just about time."  Harry muttered.

Hermione sighed as Ron grew quiet and they were blanketed in the awkward silence they three couldn't seem to escape.  "Your mum, Ron, helped me a lot over the summer."  Hermione reached into the bag by her feet and pulled out a large ball of yarn.  "She's given me things to get started and I've nearly got enough hats done to start leaving them for the house elves."  S.P.E.W. was ever on Hermione's mind.

"You're knitting?"  Ron asked in shock.  "Hermione!  You're fifteen, not fifty!"

"It's a noble craft that provides useable product!"  Hermione argued back.

"No!"  Ron raised his voice too.  "It's what old women do to fill the time!"

Harry didn't join in their argument, staring into the fire.  His head was beginning to ache and a line of fire ran through his scar--preempting the horrible, horrible thought of throwing them both off the couch.  "What the hell, Harry?"  He scolded himself as the pain in his scar faded.  "What's wrong with you?"

Upstairs, Fred pulled out the cards and spread them around in between the circle the three of them cross-legged on the floor made.  George was trying to make them laugh by only speaking in rhyme, Fred joining seconds later.

Their game--both of words and of cards--continued until Fred said 'orange.'

"Pourange?"  George offered, grabbing his next card and jumping as it detonated in his hand.  Rebecca and Fred laughed as George's soot-covered face scrunched up.  "I better have my eyebrows still."  He said crossly as he stood, going to wash his face.

Fred couldn't help but sneak looks of Rebecca's dwindling laugh as they began to clean up the cards.

"Something on me?"  Rebecca asked, wiping her face with her sleeve.