Little White Lies | Book 4

Chapter 10: Overwhelmed

Finally, I had managed to survive my first few classes, and made it to my free period. Lately, I've been falling behind on my work, and there was no doubt my grades were slipping. So, Hermione joined me in the library, and the two of us worked on our Defense Against the Dark Arts homework, which consisted of a two page essay on Unforgivable Curses. "I don't see a point in writing these stupid essays, if we're not actually learning to use the Curses." I muttered quietly. Hermione only nodded in agreement, as she scribbled on her parchment. I sighed, and went back to doing the same.

That was when Harry and Ron sat across from us. "Hello, boys," I greeted them mindlessly. "You'll never guess what we found out!" Ron said excitedly. "Let me guess, Malfoy is a vicious Death Eater, and is plotting to kill us all?" I asked sarcastically. "Actually, we found out he's dating a Gryffindor." Harry told me, and snickered. My heart stopped, and so did my quill on the parchment. I could feel my throat go completely dry. "Yeah, Goyle saw him kiss her in a deserted classroom the other night." I forced out a small fake laugh, as Hermione scoffed. "Honestly, you two, do something productive! I'm sure both of you have something to start on. Perhaps out Defense Against the Dark Arts homework?" Ron scowled, and did as he was told, while Harry got out his stupid Potions book. As soon as Hermione began nagging him about it, I gathered my things up, and stuffed them in my bag. "Where are you going, love?" Harry asked. "I'll be back later. There's something I need from my dorm." He stood up, and gave me a quick kiss, before I rushed out.

It took me a while, but I finally found Draco, pacing in the dungeons. When he saw me, he gave me a soft smile, which I didn't return. "You could've told me you had Goyle spying on us!" I hissed. He frowned, but that was quickly replaced with a guilty look. "I honestly had no idea. I told him not to say another word, and he agreed. Luckily, nobody knows it's you." I rolled my eyes, and leaned against the wall. "You actually think someone as dumb as that bloke will remember that? The whole school already knows, including Harry!" He sighed, and cupped my face in his hands. "He'll end up finding out anyway, Riley. But, I promise to make sure he doesn't until you're ready. If it makes you feel any better, I made sure that git knew what's coming for him if he says a word. He's afraid of me, you know." I couldn't help but grin, as a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. He smiled as well, and kissed me. "Now, will you stop worrying?" He asked. "Yes, but only because I trust you." I replied. We kissed again, before going our separate ways.

-------------------------------------------------

Finally, our first Quidditch match against Slytherin was coming up. Ever since tryouts, I noticed that Ronald's been having more and more trouble blocking shots. Once, he nearly punched me in the nose while trying to hit the Quaffle away. I knew he didn't mean to, but Harry got so mad, he threatened to kick him off he team if it happened again.

So, it was expected that he was so nervous at breakfast, he barely spoke, or ate anything. "Here we go again," I muttered to myself, as Harry tried to get him to drink some Pumpkin Juice. "Honestly, Ronald, you're getting nowhere by wallowing in your own self pity. Drink the Pumpkin Juice, eat some toast, and get on with your life. Believe me, I'm nervous too. It's my first game here. But, by telling myself I'll do fine, I'm feeling better." He sighed, and accepted the goblet Harry passed him. I frowned, as I thought I saw him slip something into the drink.

"Harry, what did you just—?" He cut me off, by pressing a finger to my lips, as Ron gulped his Pumpkin Juice down. Then, he showed me the still sealed phial of Liquid Luck, making me grin. "Harry, you actually put Liquid Luck in his drink? You could've put that to such greater use!" I fake scolded him. The redhead looked at us, his eyes widening, and a grin spread across his face. "Well, what are you waiting for? We have a game to win!"

-----------------------------------------------

The thought of drinking Liquid Luck really got to Ron's head that day. Let me just say, the match went great. Ginny and I scored most of the goals, while our star Keeper blocked nearly every shot a Slytherin made. Each time this happened, boos and cheers erupted from the crowd. One girl in particular—Lavender Brown, I believe—cheered like a banshee. I could hear her screams over the wind in my ears, the roaring of the crowd, and the whooshing of brooms as the other players passed me. To me, that's some awfully loud screaming.

Finally, Harry caught the Snitch, and earned the Gryffindors a wonderful victory. People from the crowd were chanting something along the lines of 'Weasley is our King.'

Little did we know, we had an entire common room full of our friends, just waiting to celebrate our triumph by the time we got back.