Chaser
For the first half hour of their meeting, Queenie spent teaching Harry how to use a cell phone.
Harry studied very hard, and in the final test, he successfully sent a text message to Queenie and lasted eight minutes in Tetris. Queenie looked at his profile and thought that no matter what Emily was thinking, she thought he was kind of cute.
While dancing, Harry's hands and feet were a little stiff. He didn't know why. Queenie's best friend just stood casually to the side and occasionally looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze, but he seemed even more nervous than on the day the champions danced the opening dance.
"See, I told you that stopping practice means regressing."
“Well, but I can’t come every day…” Harry’s attention turned to Queenie. “How about this, I’ll practice whenever I have time at home.”
"Who are you practicing with?" Queenie asked casually.
“And—” Harry wanted to blurt out Hermione, that was for sure. He vaguely knew that Ginny harbored some romantic feelings for him, but he considered her his sister and couldn’t do anything to mislead her. And having Ron dance the feminine steps was impractical. So Hermione was the most suitable. But if he said Hermione’s name, Queenie would probably ask more questions. Harry’s thoughts took a different turn. “Maybe we can dance with the air?” Just like Neville had done in the dormitory. They had joked that perhaps his dance partner was the air.
Queenie thought about the image, and it was somewhat funny, yet also like embracing an unseen lover... wait, a lover...
“Are you hot, Queenie? If you’re tired, we can rest for a while,” Harry asked considerately.
“No need to cough—” Queenie was certainly unwilling to stop, “I mean, since we don’t have much time left.”
Emily, watching from the sidelines: Tsk, what a disappointment.
After Harry left, Emily looked at her friend who hadn't waited to text him as soon as he left and gave her assessment: "Although he lacks some common sense, he does seem very—sincere. I originally thought he was after your good looks, and you were exaggerating his appearance. Now it seems that if you unfortunately make a mistake, you'll be the one who benefits more."
"..."
“In short, be more vigilant, although it’s hard to look at a face like that, and—” Emily said with certainty, “I don’t believe he’s unpopular.”
Queenie, “…!”
Harry returned to the grounds of Grimmauld Place and climbed back up to the window of the room.
Everything in the room seemed normal. Ron "Harry" was slumped over the table, while Hermione was sitting cross-legged on the carpet, trying to brew the "Potion of Life and Death," a recipe usually taught in sixth grade.
"How was it? Didn't get caught?"
“Oh, you’re back safe and sound!” Hermione exclaimed with delight, then shrugged. “I’m fine, it’s just that Ron—”
Harry's gaze shifted to Ron.
His gaze was unfocused. "While you were gone, Mom came in twice, and both times Hermione said I was in the bathroom. She didn't react at all, and didn't even suspect that I had an upset stomach. Mom doesn't care about me at all..."
Harry awkwardly tried to comfort himself, “Uh, buddy, if it were Fred or George doing this, Mrs. Weasley would be angry and think they were up to some crazy idea again. At least she trusts you.”
Ron was easily comforted. He thought about what Harry said and nodded, "You're right."
Hermione chuckled to herself, "By the way, how was your meeting with Queenie today? When are you seeing her again? This afternoon? Tomorrow?"
Harry said seriously, "We'll keep in touch by phone. Don't laugh at me, Hermione. I know I have to prepare for the hearing and learn Apparition."
"It's good that you know."
Ron was clearly more interested in the phone. "A phone? Let me see!"
The three boys huddled together, staring at the little silver gadget in Harry's hand. Harry showed them how to use the phone, which he had just learned. Ron was particularly interested in the built-in games and had been playing them for a while under Harry's guidance. "Cool! This thing has so many functions? If I had it, I guarantee even History of Magic wouldn't make me fall asleep!"
"Ron! Sleeping or playing on your phone during class is wrong!"
"If you ask me, the biggest mistake was hiring Professor Binns to teach the history of magic. He should have gone to the Medical Wing or St. Mungo's to help treat patients suffering from insomnia, etc.—what do you mean by that?"
Harry leaned closer to look. "Oh, it's almost out of power. I have a matching charging cable, all I need is—"
He paused, but Hermione picked up where he left off, "But there's obviously no power here?"
Harry gasped and immediately snatched the phone back. "No, I need to go out and find a place to charge it. I still need to text Queenie every morning and evening."
Hermione raised an eyebrow at this remark, "Texting Queenie every morning and evening?"
“Yes, she cares about your aunt’s family, you know. I told her they were attacked. She’s kind, isn’t she? Ron, when was the last time you drank Polyjuice Potion? I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you for a while.”
"Oh well, I thought I'd be back to my original form soon. Harry, remember to fully charge your batteries, I want to play Tetris for a while longer."
Hermione grabbed one of them with each hand. "There's no need for that. Remember the flying car that Mr. Weasley modified? I think modifying a cell phone would be a piece of cake for him."
"Hermione! You're so smart! What excuse should we use to ask him for help?"
Ron also had a breakthrough in his thinking, "No need, I bet Sidco's dad would offer to help if he saw this!"
Hermione watched Harry, who was eager to find Mr. Weasley but was stopped by her and reminded that the effects of the aging potion hadn't worn off yet, and asked curiously, "Honestly, don't you think that even within the realm of good friends, Queenie is being a bit too concerned about you? How long have you known each other? Less than ten days? Do you know what kind of relationship in the Muggle world involves exchanging text messages morning and night?"
"You mean? I'm sure Queenie is just an ordinary person." Harry's thoughts of Hermione overthinking resurfaced, and he frowned.
Hermione didn't care about his attitude; she simply looked Harry up and down as an adult and said, "You're probably the most handsome wizard in the whole house besides Sirius."
Ron frowned now. "Hey Hermione! Don't you dare flirt with Harry!"
"Oh, come on," Hermione glared at them both, annoyed. "Use your brains and think about who was trying to flirt with Harry."
Ron reacted faster than Harry, who blushed under their gazes. "I—cough—Queenie and I are just friends!" He emphasized the word "friends."
"Are you sure? I really don't need to prepare a second plan?"
What plan?
“If you also like Queenie, then the plan to cut off contact after summer vacation is no longer applicable. Your feelings are the most important thing to consider. I think we can find a solution.”
Harry tried hard not to think about why Hermione used the word "also" in her words. Was she so certain that Queenie harbored romantic feelings for him? But Hermione never made a mistake…
Finally, he said, "No, there's no need for that. Let's stick to what we agreed on before. I don't want to bring any potential danger to her." He didn't mention the emotional aspect.
“Okay, if you insist.” But Hermione felt she really needed to start thinking about a second option, because Queenie was clearly an aggressive player, while Harry had nothing but a terrible unrequited love that ended without a trace.
If Queenie were a wizard, Hermione thought, she might be an excellent Chaser.
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