The Girl Who Hid | ✓

|101| Baby Birds

The practice before our First Quidditch Game wasn't any better. Ron's rage still hadn't worn off. Worse still, it coincided with an even deeper dip in his Keeping skills, which made him still more aggressive, so that during the final Quidditch practice before Saturday's match, he failed to save every single goal that Dean, Ginny, and I aimed at him; He bellowed at everybody so much that he almost made Dean cry.

"Ron, shut up! You're the one who can't save anything, Dean's doing just fine," I snapped at Ron.

"With your horrid flying, how could I —"

"You shut up and leave her alone!" shouted Peakes, who was about two-thirds Ron's height, though admittedly carrying a heavy bat.

"ENOUGH!" bellowed Harry, who had seen Ginny glowering in Ron's direction. I could see Ginny itching to grab her wand to hex Ron. "Peakes, go and pack up the Bludgers. Maisey, your flying is fine, you played really well today. Ron..." Harry said as I slowly flew away to hear him, "you're my best mate, but carry on treating the rest of them like this and I'm going to kick you off the team."

"I resign. I'm pathetic."

"Ron, no!" I quickly spun around, not caring that they found out I was eavesdropping.

"You're not pathetic and you're not resigning!" said Harry fiercely, seizing Ron by the front of his robes. "You can save anything when you're on form, it's a mental problem you've got!"

"You calling me mental?"

"Yeah, maybe I am!"

They glared at each other for a moment, then Ron shook his head wearily. "I know you haven't got any time to find another Keeper, so I'll play tomorrow, but if we lose, and we will, I'm taking myself off the team."

During breakfast the next morning, I was finally on the receiving end of the pre-game affair; the Slytherins hissed and booed loudly as every member of the Gryffindor team entered the Great Hall.

The Gryffindor table, a solid mass of red and gold, cheered as Harry, Ron, and I approached. Harry grinned and waved; Ron grimaced weakly and shook his head; I gave a small smile and tried to shy away from everyone.

"Cheer up, Ron!" called Lavender. "I know you'll be brilliant!"

Ron ignored her.

"Tea?" Harry asked him. "Coffee? Pumpkin juice?"

"Anything," said Ron glumly, taking a moody bite of toast.

A few minutes later Hermione, who had become so tired of Ron's recent unpleasant behavior that she had not come down to breakfast with us, paused on her way up the table.

"How are you three feeling?" she asked tentatively, her eyes on the back of Ron's head.

"I'm good," I smiled.

"Fine," said Harry, who was concentrating on handing Ron a glass of pumpkin juice. "There you go, Ron. Drink up."

Ron had just raised the glass to his lips when I spoke sharply.

"Don't drink that!"

Both Harry and Ron looked up at me.

"Why not?" said Ron.

Hermione looked from me to Harry and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"You just put something in that drink."

"Excuse me?" said Harry.

"You heard me. I saw you. Maisey saw you. You just tipped something into Ron's drink. You've got the bottle in your hand right now!"