The Beginning of the End

Effie woke up the next morning and began getting ready. She gathered her clothes for the day and very quietly walked out of the dormitory and common room. Her bare feet padded softly against the floor as she jogged to the prefects bathroom. She wanted to get a quick shower in before the match.

Once she got there, she turned on the hot water and stripped down. The hot water felt good on her skin, loosening up her tense muscles. She quickly washed her hair and body but stayed under the shower for a few minutes. She was using this time to clear her mind.

Harry had been filling her thoughts lately and they haunted her. She was washing them down the drain with the water...for now. She finally shut off the water and dried off. She didn't have much time before she needed to get to the Great Hall for breakfast. She told Hermione that she would walk with her to the Quidditch Field.

Effie quickly got dressed and towel dried her hair. She left it alone after that. She pulled on her socks and shoes, gathered her clothes, and ran back up to the common room. She grabbed a white beanie and through on a jacket since it would be extremely cold out. When she walked back into the common room, she saw Ginny standing there talking to some girl that Effie didn't know.

"Hey Ginny." Effie said forcing a smile. Ginny looked to her and flashed a smile. She finished up her conversation and walked over to Effie. As she watched Ginny walk over, Effie was starting to second guess herself.

"What's up?" Ginny asked as they walked together to the Great Hall.

"Look, I sorta figured that you should know this. I'm completely in love with Harry. I know, I know, you have a thing for him and I'm not getting in the way of that. I'm letting Harry decide what he wants. I can't force him to choose me just like you can't force him to choose you. I just figured you should know." Effie said quietly in case other students were eavesdropping. Ginny sighed and let out a chuckle.

"He has a thing for red heads, apparently." She said shaking her head. Effie laughed in agreement. The only girl that wasn't a red head that he showed interest in was Cho Chang and look at what she did to him.

The two girls made it to the Great Hall and sat down at the table. Effie sat next to Hermione while Ginny sat next to Dean. Sure, Effie wasn't mad at her but she didn't understand how she could be with Dean and lead Harry on like she did. Effie pushed that thought out of her head and ate her breakfast. As soon as everyone finished, they made their way outside to the Quidditch pitch.

"I've missed the cold." Hermione said with a smile. Effie gave her an incredulous look.

"Are you mad woman?!" Effie shrieked, "It's way too cold!"

"Maybe to you, but this place is beautiful during the winter." Hermione sighed. Effie had to agree with her on that, it was definitely beautiful. She loved the way the snow covered every inch of the grounds and it made the castle look more magical.

Hermione and Effie linked arms as they walked up the steps to the stands. They found a spot on the bleachers and sat down. If they didn't save their seats until the game started, they would get stolen by other students. Effie had gotten into too many fights because of that, she didn't want another one.

"It's not just Harry you know." Hermione quietly stated. Effie furrowed her eyebrows and looked at her friend.

"Excuse me?" She asked confused.

"It's not just Harry that's being stubborn. I thought it was at first but now I see it's you too. I noticed it yesterday. I'm not jumping down your throat about it, just so you know. He tried to talk to you and you gave him the cold shoulder. I understand why though, he did it to you so why not do it to him?"

Effie sighed, she hated it when Hermione used that reverse psychology shit on her. She knew she was right though. She was always right. But Effie was stubborn and hard-headed. As long as Harry continued to give her the cold shoulder, she would do the same to him. She knew it was childish but she couldn't help it. Shortly after that, players from the Gryffindor and Slytherin team were up in the air. Everyone, including Effie stood and started cheering.

Madam Hooch tossed the quaffle into the air and the game started.

***

The common room was packed full of students who cheering for Ron. Yes, Ron. He had done so well that everyone was throwing a party for him...well, winning too. Everyone was cheering, clapping, and throwing confetti everywhere.

Effie was standing with Seamus and Neville, drinking fire whiskey. Before she even knew what was happening, Lavender Brown grabbed Ron and pulled him into a kiss. Effie immediately looked over to Hermione who stood in shock for all of 3 seconds before she walked off.

"Here, I'll be right back." She handed Seamus her glass and ran after Hermione. Harry was following close behind.

"Where do you think she went?" He asked. Effie jumped slightly but realized it was him.

"I'm not sure but, let's go down this corridor." Effie said, walking quickly down the corridor that she just mentioned. Sure enough, they heard Hermione crying at the foot of the steps. Effie sat down beside her and grabbed her hand. Harry did the same thing on the other side.

No one said anything, just being there let Hermione know that they were there for her. They heard Lavender giggling and she and Ron appeared in front of them.

"Whoops. I think this rooms taken." Lavender said to Ron before sprinting off in the direction they came.

"What's with the birds?" Ron asked, referring to the birds that Hermione had conjured up. She stood, a look of loathing on her features.

"Oppungo." She muttered and suddenly, the birds started flying after Ron. He ran out of the way and the birds flew into a door, disappearing. Effie gave her a sympathetic look when she sat back down. She knew what Hermione was going through.

Now most girls would look at their friend and say 'It'll get better' but Effie wasn't going to do that. Yes, it would get better but, heartbroken girls don't want to hear that. So, all Effie did was comfort her and she'd be there to listen if Hermione ever wanted to talk about it.