Healing the Broken

Chapter 30- The Quidditch Match

The wind whipped their hair, and the nervous players stared at Harry from the bench, as he shivers, tugging his Quidditch robes tightly around himself.

"Alright, this is the last game of the year." Harry says to them, and a few of them nod. "And this is the last Quidditch that I, as well as some of you, will ever play at Hogwarts." He looks at them, and those who would be graduating with him- George, Ron, Ginny, they all looked as down as he felt. "So we're going to make it count. I'm trying to find the snitch as quick as possible, because we are playing Slytherin, and they- though I hate to admit it- aren't bad at Quidditch. So try your hardest, and play your hardest, because as soon as the snitch is in my fingers, the game is over, and we're done playing for Gryffindor."

George raises his hand and Harry half smiles. "Yes George?"

"Can I go say goodbye to my girlfriend? Because your speech made me feel like I was going off to my death bed-" He earns a clean punch to his shoulder by Ginny, and he rubs his arm. "Merlin Ginny, that hurt."

"Good." Ginny said. "That's what it was supposed to do."

Harry thinks about how he had walked down to the changing rooms with Hermione, and how the way she had said good luck to him still gave him butterflies.

"So," She had said, stopping in front of the door and zipping up her jacket. It was still a little chilly out, since it was the end of March, but not yet warm enough to walk around with no jacket- especially not today. "I want you to go out there, play hard, and win like you always do."

"Like I always do?" He says, looking into her eyes.

"Yes." She grabs onto his hands, which he had just removed from his toasty pockets, and he's shocked by how cold her hands are.

"You know what this reminds me of?" Harry asks her, and she shrugs.

Hermione pinches her lips. "Probably multiple things, but what in particular?"

"When I was getting ready to fight a dragon in the Triwizard Tournament and you came up to talk to me before the match. He smiles, swinging their hands. "You gave me a pep talk and then hugged me. After that I was sold."

Hermione laughs. "As if- you liked Cho then, remember?"

"But had I liked you then, a simple hello from you would've made me feel strong enough to do anything."

"Really?"

He nods, and rubs his fingers over her hands, still stunned at how cold they were. "Merlin, Hermione, your hands are freezing." He says, taking a pair of red knit gloves out of his pocket and slipping them onto her fingers. "They're nearly as cold as Voldemort's heart."

Hermione grins, nodding in pride. "Ooo, nice one."

He sighs, still looking at her. "I can't believe that it this is the last time I'll ever play Quidditch for Gryffindor."

She places a gloved hand up to his cheek, and he closes his eyes at her touch. "It's okay. Maybe after we get settled into our house, and we get all handled, you can try out for a Quidditch team. Maybe Ireland."

He shakes his head. "With Teddy? No way can I do that. It's too much responsibility. Face it Mione, the world is forcing us to grow up."

"Hey, hey, hey now. No one said that we have to grow up." She stares at his face. "Look at me Harry, please."

He does.

"Just because we have a few more things that we're in charge of does not mean we can't be young- we're only nineteen."