Quidditch

DISCLAIMER: That part of this world and those characters you’ve seen before belong to their Creator: JKR. The rest is mine - although I cannot quit my day job as I make no $$$

A/N: Said it’d be ‘bout two weeks. And no, I’m only posting one.

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX: QUIDDITCH

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 10 th 1993 (Day 1, Elswhere on the Estate)

Magical Disconnect was one of several names for a certain potentially life-threatening condition. It was a condition and not a disease. One could neither catch it nor spread it and, as it was magical rather than physical in origin, it was not technically a disease which had physical origins, effects and where available cures. It was a condition unique to magical peoples as there was no record of any Muggle having suffered from it. It was a condition unique to witches; specifically witches between their bonding age and magical maturity. Short of attaining magical maturity, the only certain and absolute preventative a witch could find was pregnancy and for any number of reasons this was not a preferred option. Short of pregnancy, a witch could reduce her risks through sexual stimulation and intimacy and was all but compelled to do so practically from the onset of puberty. They called the compulsion to seek sexual gratification ‘the urges’ which was their body and magic’s way of getting the witch to seek sexual satisfaction and the rush of magic and hormones such release produced which reduced the risk of Disconnect.

Magical Disconnect was not an absolutely accurate description of what would occur if there was a critical imbalance of the right magic and hormones but it was close. Through most of a magical person’s life, their body and magic were synchronized. As an infant, it was not the case as each grew as it would. This period of instability lasted until the child was from five until nine years of age and varied within that range. This was the age where accidental magic was a common enough occurrence. Harry and his ladies had also learned that a child who was “magically unstable” aged in trunk time whereas a person who was magically stable aged in “outside” time. When a girl entered puberty, she remained magically stable as far as temporal magic was concerned but entered into a different period of potential instability. During her transition from girl to woman it was important that her magic and body mature in a degree of synchronization. If it did not, if there was a “disconnect” between physical and magical maturation; bad things happened.

A young witch who did not take care of her physical and magical needs was at risk of some form of disconnect, although “neglect disorder” was distinct from the far more severe “magical disconnect.” A girl who suffered from neglect disorder was at risk for diminished magical potential, an adult form of magical instability that made their expressive magic unpredictable to some extent, and a risk of being magically barren to some degree meaning that there was a real risk that they would give birth to a Squib. For most young witches, these risks were more than enough to convince them to “take the cure.”

“Magical Disconnect” was related but different. It was different because there was no known precaution. It was exceedingly rare but the most sexually relieved young witch was no less at risk than the most frustrated. If a witch underwent Magical Disconnect, the consequences were extreme unless treated quickly. The condition often resulted in loss of her magic and being rendered magically barren. But it also could result in physical sterility, insanity and in the most extreme cases: death. Healers had a fair idea about the cause of the condition. But Healing was not the science that Muggle medicine had become. A healer could tell you generally what might cause the condition but not why. What they knew was that acute physical, magical and emotional stress caused the condition to develop. They could not say what those stressors were for it had been observed that several young witches could suffer the same sorts of stresses and yet only one might suffer from disconnect. The most thorough examination of the disorder had come out of the last war where young witches were as exposed to the stresses as anyone seeing as the Death Eaters made no distinction between victims based upon age, gender or any factor other than whether you were one of them or not. There had been school aged girls who had been brutally raped who did not undergo Magical Disconnect and ones who were not harmed at all, but who had been threatened with harm who had. In other words, the Healers knew about the disorder, but could not say to any young witch what may or may not cause them to suffer it with any certainty.

Healers also knew of a cure, although they could not say how or why it worked. It was not a perfect cure. Often, the witch had to be under very powerful “mood altering” potions for the cure to even work because unless the witch accepted the cure, the cure could make things worse. There were less risky treatments. But those treatments failed far more often than they succeeded and the price of failure was often unacceptable. While no sane witch would want to take the “cure” on a whim, most would accept it as distasteful as it seemed rather than suffer the full consequences of Magical Disconnect.

For reasons unknown, the cure was sex. Not the kind of sexual stimulation and intimacy that girls engaged in to stabilize their magical growth during adolescence. Doing it yourself or with a girl did not have any notable effect when the girl was suffering from Magical Disconnect. The girl had to have sex with a post-bonding age boy or man (male). She could be on magical birth control, but there could be no physical barrier. Nor could any form of sexual encounter work. It had to be one that would otherwise risk conception even if potions prevented actual conception from occurring. No one knew why this was the case. Naturally this presented some problems for the sufferer. Most young witches, despite their other forms of sexual activity, were not inclined to let any boy do that with them. Moreover, if the Magical Disconnect was as a result of rape, there were obvious reasons why the sufferer might not be inclined to accept the cure particularly because it involved nearly non-stop and repeated intercourse over a period of hours. Physically, without potions, the cure was almost worse than the affliction. But potions prevented the potentially harmful effects of hours of nonstop copulation, at least for the girl. She had to be mounted again and again with little break for some reason and he had to climax within her again and again. Prior to the nineteenth century, this meant she had to have the “services” of more than one male to affect a cure. For the young witch, this could be almost as traumatic as the original cause of the condition if not more so, hence the use of mind altering potions to reduce that emotional risk. Then someone invented a potion that allowed a single male to recover in a matter of a few minutes. The Healers had long known that having a trusted male as at least part of the cure helped, but was physically impossible. Healers long believed that having that trusted male as the whole cure was even more effective than the multiple partner situation, but until a potion came along that allowed the witch’s chosen trusted male to fulfill her needs, it had required the mind altering potions and many partners over hours to cure her.

Madam Pomfrey had been the Healer at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for almost thirty years. As Hogwarts was one of the six schools for magical studies in Greater Britannia, each with its own “resident” Healer and as the Healers at schools were for all intents and purposes the primary Healers for most all young people between the ages of eleven and eighteen, this made her one of the foremost practicing experts on magical maladies unique to magical adolescents and, therefore, one of that handful of Healers in Greater Britannia who dealt with Magical Disconnect as rare as that potentially life threatening disorder was. When she had entered her field, she had hoped she might help find new ways to help her teenaged charges particularly when it came to the rare but potentially devastating condition of Magical Disconnect. It was hardly a common occurrence with far fewer than one in a hundred witches ever succumbing to it during their at risk years. Still, it was said that the cure was as bad as the affliction or could be at least so anything that rendered the age old cure unnecessary would be of benefit.

One of the problems was that while the underlying cause was said to be known, it remained impossible to predict. While physical, magical and emotional stress combined to trigger the condition, no one had determined how much was necessary. It seemed to vary from person to person so that the onset seemed almost random. Ten witches could be subjected to the same degrees of this stress and maybe one would suffer for it. What seemed as an obvious at risk situation was not. Few rape victims ever entered Magical Disconnect. In Madam Pomfrey’s tenure as school Healer, not one witch had suffered this condition as a result of a sexual assault outside of the worst of the War years where a small number of vile students were liberal in their use of Unforgivables on their victims, which among their other vile effects created an almost overwhelming degree of magical stress. That form of rape never gain ‘popularity’ as the perpetrators were all dead “from mysterious circumstances” within months. The truth was that the average young witch was more at risk of succumbing to Magical Disconnect taking her OWLs. Every couple of years or so some girl ignored what she was told and studied too hard, failed to take care of her needs and got sufficiently stressed for the condition to take hold. If Madam Pomfrey were to quantify such things, she would estimate that absent the use of an Unfogivable, Magical Disconnect arising from rape afflicted maybe one in a thousand of the assault victims while OWLs seemed to trigger the condition in about one percent of all young witches.

These numbers hardly required anticipatory measures beyond constantly reminding young witches to take care of themselves properly and admonish them whenever it appeared that they were not doing so. But there was one activity that placed a young witch at significant risk of the condition. As many as one if five such witches would suffer Magical Disconnect sometime between their Third and Seventh Year (between Bonding Age and magical maturity) and for that reason anticipatory measures were deemed necessary. What those measures were depended upon what House the Witch lived in. The one activity that placed a young witch at highest risk was playing Quidditch.

Madam Pomfrey was apt to add “for or against Slytherin” as the overwhelming majority of cases arose from a Slytherin match. But as Quidditch induced Magical Disconnect was not unique to Hogwarts Quidditch or Slytherin matches, as every school could report comparable numbers of occurrences, Madam Pomfrey could not blame it on Slythern alone. Quidditch was strenuous. It required physical strength to fly a broom as the game required and all brooms she was aware of drew upon the magical reserves of the rider to fly thus flying could also lead to magical exhaustion. Add to the physical and magical stress the emotional stress of the game and whatever other stresses a girl would be under as well and it was no wonder that the game had a higher number of victims of Magical Disconnect than any other identifiable situation. One would think that given such risks girls of an “at risk” age would not be allowed to play and that the women in their society would prefer that girls stay away from the game altogether. It was true there were some who felt this way (such as Ginny’s Aunt Muriel), but they were a very small and wholly ignored minority. Madam Pomfrey was not a huge fan of the game, in no small part than the fact that it filled the beds in her hospital wing more than anything else at the school. She had long felt it would be apt to post a sign at the entrance to any Quidditch Pitch saying: “Abandon all reason ye who enter here!” Quidditch passion in the Wizarding World was certainly irrational in Madam Pomfrey’s opinion and might well descend into the realm of a societal insanity. But, it was not for her to decide the sports mania of choice. Girls wanted to play Quidditch, or at least some did. Most either knew the risks going in or accepted them upon joining a team and those who could not accept that were not allowed to play even if they were more of a natural talent than one Harry Potter.

When a girl made the Quidditch Team at a tryout on the Pitch, her membership was not yet certain. Following the successful tryout, she had a meeting with the Captain, her Head of House and Madam Pomfrey where she learned of the risks she faced as an adolescent witch playing this sport and the conditions Madam Pomfrey and her House imposed for her participation. Those conditions varied from House to House in the details, but not in the specifics. By joining a team, a girl who had surpassed her Bonding Age but had not reached her Magical Maturity was at a significantly increased risk for developing Magical Disconnect. It was the one activity where the risk was foreseeable and for which preparations were possible. A girls was safe until she hit her bonding age and, it seemed, reasonably safe for another year. After that, all bets were off and there was a real chance she would have to undergo “the cure” at some point. Thus, a condition for joining the team was knowing what that meant and accepting it in the manner prescribed even if it never came to that.

For Katie Bell, that meeting had happened the evening after she tried out for the team two years ago. Madam Pomfrey had told her of the risk and that the cure was not something most girls would desire. Gryffindor policy, McGonagall explained, depended upon the girl’s age. As a Second Year - as Katie was at the time - there was no worry so the policy did not apply. As a Third Year, it would depend upon when she attained bonding age. Once she was a year beyond her bonding age she had a choice: agree to accept the terms in regards to the cure or leave the team. The terms - or term as there was only one condition or choice short of leaving the team - was to accept what Gryffindor called a Quidditch Partner. That was another boy on the team who would be called upon to provide the cure if it proved necessary. They did not have to do anything together until then and it did not mean they had to date or anything like that (although it often worked out that way.) But they had to get along for she would not be allowed to change her mind about her partner once it was accepted. If either of them did balk at the arrangement, they both would be off the team. Katie knew that beginning this year she would need a Quidditch Partner.

She assumed it would be Harry Potter. They had started on the team together, after all. She liked to think they were friends and although he was somewhat withdrawn and quiet, he was a nice boy. The truth was in her mind there were not a lot of boys who met the critical requirements (not due to finish school before she would and of bonding age when she would need the Partner) whom she could see herself with that way even if it were for “medicinal reasons.” The truth was the whole team assumed Harry would be there for Katie if she ever suffered from Disconnect. Fred and Alicia were together that way as were George and Angelina. Oliver had never “partnered up” as it had never been necessary. He was available for Katie in the very unlikely event that she needed someone the previous year but it was understood that Harry was to be her true Partner. Of course, no one bothered to tell Harry this at all. That sort of thing was just not talked about at all unless it was between the partners themselves. Besides, Harry was not yet of Bonding Age and until he was he was useless as a partner. They had planned to tell him about this sort of thing the first weekend after the year began.

Then he showed up very married. On the one hand, one could not see a problem with him liking girls that way nor about having more than one girlfriend. But there was a general rule that the Team did not interfere with betrothals and a marriage was more than just a betrothal. Add to it Katie not wanting to interfere and so much for even thinking about asking Harry to be her Partner if the need ever arose. But it certainly left Katie with a potential problem. The way things had been set up on their team was so that the girl would know who it was that would help her if she ever underwent disconnect. She did not have to be his girlfriend, although that often became the case as it had for four of her teammates. But she would know the boy and it was hoped trust him and Katie did trust Harry. Now it might be any boy willing to do his part and far too many who might be willing were ones she wanted little or nothing to do with.

Her fear was they would have to bring another boy on the team to be her partner. Her nightmare was that it would be Cormac McLaggen, the self proclaimed master of Quidditch (although she had cleaned the pitch with him during tryouts two years earlier) and biggest jerk in her entire House. He was after her the best Quidditch Player they knew about from those try outs. Fortunately, no one wanted him on the team. He had so politely volunteered to be Seeker when Harry was laid up in Hospital for their final match a little over a year ago and they decided they’d rather play without one than let him wear the House colors. Now they needed another player and one who would be available for the rest of her time at Hogwarts. McLaggen was an obvious choice in that he played and was in her year, but no one even suggested that.

There had been a meeting of the returning members of the Gryffindor team the week after the return to school. Harry had not been asked to attend. Oliver explained that he believed Harry would have done the honourable and chivalrous thing and volunteered to help Katie if needed and he was not about to give Harry that option if it could be helped. The last thing he needed was four angry witches with their sights set on him. But as Harry could not serve as Katie’s Partner should she need that, someone else was needed.

On the one hand the team needed no new players. All seven players had returned and all seven had played together for two years making the Gryffindor side the most experienced as a team at the school. It made no sense to bring in a new player from the standpoint of the game. Oliver had never had a reserve player on the team in his previous two years as a coach; neither had there been a reserve player at any point while he had been on the team. The thought had crossed his mind, he admitted. After all, there had been that one game when Harry was injured and there was no back-up. The plan for that game against Ravenclaw was to try and run up the score to such a point that it would no longer matter if Ravenclaw caught the snitch. It had nearly worked. Gryffindor lost by only twenty points and may well have won had the Ravenclaw Seeker not caught the Snitch when he did. The reason there was no reserve that year (Harry and Katie’s first on the team) was a lack of any real talent at the tryouts aside from Katie and arguably McLaggen, but not even Wood was willing to take McLaggen on.

Now, with Katie old enough to be at risk for Disconnect and the only true “spare” boy being married many times over, a new player was deemed necessary. It might have played out differently in one of the other Houses. This particular Quidditch thing was not known outside of the teams, although it was certainly suspected. How the teams dealt with the condition was not discussed outside of the teams themselves. The easy solution was for Katie to leave the team and to hold tryouts for her replacement. That was not going to happen. No one wanted Katie to leave even if it might be best for her; especially not Katie. That meant a boy had to join the team which further meant a reserve player for it was doubtful there were any players trained enough to start. Furthermore, the boy could not be in Sixth or Seventh Year. As the new player was to be Katie’s partner, he had to be available and on the team for the next three seasons at least. The Fifth Year could also be ruled out as all their skilled fliers were already on the team. Lee Jordan was not bad, but he preferred commentating to playing. Second Year was also out. Most of the boys met the maturity requirement in that they had passed their Bonding Age the summer before, but Wood had scouted them during flying lessons and while there was a girl who showed promise, the boys may as well have never heard of brooms or Quidditch and he really did not want to waste the team’s time teaching people to fly. Besides, Katie felt the idea of being paired with a Second Year that way was creepy. Fourth Year was also ruled out if for no other reason than no one wanted McLaggen on the team. Katie could not stand the self absorbed prat and that sealed it as she had to at least like her partner even if they would never become a true couple.

That left Third Year. Harry was out due to his new situation. They certainly were not trying to replace him as Seeker. The truth was there was no one in his league at the school that they knew of and it was unlikely anyone would be at his level. The new player needed to have no illusions about ever playing Seeker for Gryffindor. His role would be as a Reserve and as Partner for Katie. Any other ambitions would be counterproductive. Oliver saw the new player as being a Keeper and was not interested in other abilities. After all, Keeper was the only position that would be open within the next three seasons as he was set to finish school at the end of this season. Moreover, whomever they selected had no real shot at ever being the team Captain. Next season, that would fall to one of the four Fifth Years. The next opening would be two years later and most likely it would fall to Harry and that was because he would have two seasons as Captain, which along with seniority on the team was something McGonagall always sought. She was exceedingly reluctant to ignore seniority or to replace Captains every year. What that meant was that whoever was selected, they could not hope to be Captain as they would not have two years remaining when Harry finished. Oliver added that this ruled out McLaggen as he was certain to covet a position more glamorous than Keeper and the Captain’s position was more glamorous. So who would it be then?

Actually, it proved an easy choice. Neville might well have been a good partner, but he was married many times over like Harry and he could not fly a broom. Seamus Finnegan claimed he was a fair flier, although no one on the team had seen him fly outside of First Year flying lessons and for whatever reason he had not opted to continue with them Spring Term. Dean Thomas had and looked to be marginally competent. But Katie trusted neither of those two boys and that left Ron Weasley. His older brothers often teased the boy, but in the context of the Team they were surprisingly supportive. They said he might be a little rough around the edges, but he could fly and was a fair Keeper in their games back home and a year as a Reserve might well make him a more than adequate replacement for Wood next season. Katie was concerned with Quidditch potential as much as the others. But she was the one who would have to trust him as a Partner and she knew that could be a complicated relationship. It always was best between a serious boyfriend and girlfriend, but you could not pick a couple and hope they would also benefit the team as players. Partners had to get along and if they did not become a couple, they had to remain friends regardless of their relationships outside of the team. To the surprise of Fred and George Weasley, Katie was of the opinion that their annoying little brother might be the best fit for her not named Harry Potter.

“ Ickle Ronniekins?” one of the twins asked. After two years Katie could only tell them apart consistently when they were undressed. George had a birthmark on his bum that Fred did not. The Quidditch locker room, she had learned, was very co-educational. The only place for privacy was in the stall for the toilet. “You’re joking, right?”

“ What made you pick him?” Alicia asked. “Granted, he’s not a total git like McLaggen and not becoming one like Finnegan, still… He does say the wrong things.”

“ His problem is he is honest,” Katie said. “I’m not saying he can’t lie. But one must admit those wrong things he says are usually right if they are rude and when he’s wrong it’s only ‘cause he’s not aware of all of the facts. He says what he honestly believes. He hides nothing about that, which means what you see is what you get with him and what I see isn’t all that bad a person. Besides, you say he can play.”

“ You must admit, Fred,” the other twin said, “you did lose a fiver to me when Harry’s secret love life became public.”

“ I still think someone told him ‘bout the bet,” Fred complained. “I was so sure he’d be in a snit over that whenever it happened.”

“ He’s not that good a faker,” George said. “I think he’s not upset at all. Then again, Harry’s love life is hardly usual.”

“ The reason he’s not upset is thick as he may seem, he’s not stupid,” Angelina interjected. “I heard that bit. Your brother knows enough to know that Harry had to marry this summer and is smart enough to know that he - Ron - isn’t ready for that.”

“ He feels sorry for Harry in a way, although he’d never say that to Harry unless Harry asked,” Katie said. “He talks to me, you know,” she added when the others looked at her questioningly. “Might be another reason why I’m okay with Ron. He’s talked to me about some things practically since he came here. At first, I think it was because I was on the Team, I wasn’t tight with either of his brothers, I was only a year ahead of him, and I’d talk Quidditch with him and not lose interest like most people. Later, he’d talk about other stuff, usually when he was in a snit about something involving Hermione or Harry or both. I think this could work - Quidditch Partner, I mean - although he does have at least some boyfriend potential.”

“ Not particularly thoughtful, that one,” Alicia observed.

“ That’s why I said some potential,” Katie said. “I can accept him as a Partner if he’s on the Team.”

“ Now we just need a way to check him out without calling for a tryout,” Oliver said.

“ He’s good enough for a Reserve,” George said. “Can’t say he’s ready to start, but he can stand as a Reserve right now.”

“ You know I can’t just take your word for it, Tweedledee,” Oliver said. He called them Tweedledee and Tweedledum after a couple of lookalike characters in a muggle story because he also had trouble telling them apart. “McLaggen and others would claim you lot put me up to it.”

“ Too true,” Fred said.

“ Maybe so,” Oliver admitted, “but I’d rather say I saw him play and saw no reason to look any further - and be telling the truth about it, mostly. Otherwise McLaggen might force a tryout the way he did two years ago when Katie beat him out.” Which was what happened. Katie had made the team fair and square and with their then “secret” Seeker, McLaggen had complained to McGonagall about favoritism. Fortunately, Katie was the better flyer and McGonagall had put Harry on the team herself, but it had not shut that berk’s mouth.

Harry had solved that problem not long afterwards. He invited many of his fellow Gryffidors to his Estate for the trial but had his girls sound them out beforehand. Those who did not seem at all interested were not invited and that included one Cormac McLaggen. Harry set most of them up at the Valley Lodge by the Quidditch Pitch, where McGonagall stayed as well and had made his guest brooms available. Wood arranged a “pick-up” game the evening after the first day of trial and each evening afterwards. Naturally, Ron Weasley was all for that. They were not surprised when Ginny had asked to play as well, although no one thought much would come of that. Ron proved to be the best Keeper on the Pitch aside from Wood and was no slouch as a Chaser. Ginny had Wood drooling almost from the start, and not because she was a good looking girl. She was clearly the best player out there who was not already on the team and Wood was not about to pass on her. When he learned that evening that she was betrothed to Harry and would become his fifth wife the next summer, the deal was done and the two youngest Weasleys were on the team. Ron was set to take over the Keeper position from Wood next season and for now would practice at that position, but he would also get time in as a backup Chaser. Ginny proved so skilled a flyer that she was the first Reserve at Chaser and was training as a Seeker as well in case Harry got injured again.

Ginny paled slightly and Ron looked almost green and not with envy. It was the morning after the trial and McGonagall had called the team together for a meeting at the Pitch locker room at the Estate. With her was Madam Pomfrey who had explained Magical Disconnect to the new members. Ginny knew of this already but it was obvious to Katie that Ron did not. He paled when Madam Pomfrey had described the Cure and looked at his sister and then Harry and then…

“ You want me to do that?” he exclaimed.

“ Many boys your age would jump at the opportunity,” Madam Pomfrey said sourly.

“ They don’t have sisters,” Ron protested. “Either that, or they don’t care about ‘em!”

“ Why thank you Ron,” Ginny said.

“ Shut it,” Ron growled. “It you think I’m going to cure Ginny you're…”

“ Don’t be silly, Mr. Weasley,” Madam Pomfrey said. “While you could Cure her and while our society might not take issue with that, we would not ask either you or your brothers to do so. I’m sure her betrothed would be more than willing to fulfill that function should that time ever come. Remember, it is rare enough. Most girls who play never suffer it. Partners is merely a precautionary measure. Still, we would not ask you to help your sister unless there truly was no one else of your gender available.”

“ You’ll be asked to serve as Miss Bell’s partner,” McGonagall added.

“ Oh… um,” Ron began as his face changed from pale to red so fast it amazed the others, “I… um… I guess that makes sense.”

“ Such enthusiasm,” one of the twins said.

“ At least he did not run and hide,” Alicia said.

“ Unlike two other Weasley boys we know,” Angelina added.

“ We did not!” the twins protested.

“ Fine,” Alicia said. “But once you learned you were to be our Partners, the two of you were out the door so fast it was as if you were running from Filch. We didn’t see the two of you for weeks.”

“ Outside of classes and practice,” Angelina added. “They never showed up for meals and turned red every time they saw either of us looking at them.”

“ It was better than a prank,” Alicia agreed. “Of course, we thought they’d come around sooner. After all, everyone has to eat.”

“ We didn’t know they’d found a way into the kitchens,” Angelina added. “They finally came around several weeks later after Oliver told them they were being sillier than normal.”

“ Not running away,” Ron mumbled.

“ What’s that?” Ginny asked.

“ I’m not running away, okay? Katie’s my friend, you know. She’s always been willing to talk to me and stuff. More so this year what with Harry and you and the others being off and stuff. This is… well, I… it’s a bit more than I bargained for. Didn’t think playing Quidditch could mean… But at least it’s Katie. It’d be different if she wasn’t already a friend, I guess. Still…”

Of course, to the extent that anything was academic to Ron Weasley, this notion of being a Quidditch Partner was just that. Naturally, as with any boy around his age he thought about girls and sex, but there was a huge difference between thinking about it and actually doing it not in the least of which being you did not need a willing girl to just think about it. He did not envision this Partner thing as being a short cut to doing it. Madam Pomfrey had made it clear that the odds of his having to do it with Katie because of that condition were only slightly better than the odds of his beloved Chudley Cannons breaking even on the season and maybe as long a shot as the odds on the Cannons contending. Still, it was nice to know she had picked him as someone she would be willing to ask for help in that way. But she was a year older. Older girls usually did not do that with younger boys, did they? Besides, he was uncertain about the girlfriend thing. Maybe after that basilisk was sold and he got his cut he might rethink it. Girls, it seemed, liked to have stuff bought for them and it was not like his allowance allowed for a lot of that. So, for Ron this Quidditch Partnership was nothing more than fantasy material really.

His eyes opened. He was in a bed, that much was certain and in a room as opposed to a dream he just had where he was not. But it was not his dorm room at Hogwarts which was confusing, nor his room at the Burrow which was even more confusing. That and as warm and soft as the bed was, something was off. As his senses slowly became more alert, he felt skin under his left hand and quickly processed that it could not be his. He turned his head to his left slightly and saw what looked like light, brown hair and then processed there was a weight upon him that usually wasn’t there. Then he remembered.

“Bloody hell!” he muttered and then gasped hoping he did not wake something - or someone - up.

He heard something between a hum and a contented, restful sigh. It was in his ear practically and certainly not his own even if he sort of felt that way. He felt something soft moving up his chest under the sheet that covered him and… A hand soon found its way out from under the cover and again, it was not his own. It was very… he could not think of the word for it beyond it was nice and he liked it. Suddenly, the hand and warm, soft weight seemed to fly off of him. He turned his head to his left and saw a very surprised Katie Bell staring at him and holding the sheet up to her neck, covering her almost completely. After a moment, the face relaxed.

“Sorry,” she said. “I forgot.”

“It’s okay,” Ron said. “Took me a moment too.”

“I didn’t wake you up, did I?”

“No.”

“Have you been up long?”

“Not really. A few minutes at most. Good morning.”

She snorted a bit and then smiled at him for the first time. “I’d be surprised if it’s still ‘morning.’ But good morning too.”

“We… um… ,” Ron blushed.

“I do remember that much,” Katie replied blushing as well. “It was Magical Disconnect after all and that’s the way to fix it.”

“Um… it… it worked?”

“I… I think so,” Katie said with a blush. “I mean… well, I am pretty sore but I don’t feel… you know.”

“Yeah. Feels like I’ve been through the wringer from a nightmare Wood practice too,” Ron said. “And I think it’s broken.”

“What’s broken?”

“IT! My thingie!” Katie giggled. “Here I am in bed with a pretty and naked girl and not a twitch! Pomfrey did say that would happen. Didn’t say it’d get better.”

“I’m sure if there was a risk of it not getting better she’d’ve said something,” Katie said.

“I guess.”

“Besides, from what little I remember we did it a lot last night - assuming it was last night. It was all kinda fuzzy, you know? I mean, I do remember bits and stuff but…”

“Oh,” Ron said disappointed. “Um… okay, I guess.”

“What’s that about?” Katie asked. “Oh! I get it. You’re disappointed ‘cause you think I don’t remember that? Or is it 'cause you think that I think it wasn’t memorable?”

Ron just looked at her unsure of how to respond.

“I do remember that and it was wonderful. Not the first time. Then again, it rarely is the first time or so I’ve been told although it wasn’t bad either. But it was wonderful in the end - and several times before the end. Still…”

“Still?”

“Well, as I said it was all kinda fuzzy. I remember when it started. I was up in my dorm at the time. It’s hard to describe except I don’t think I’ve ever felt so randy, so desperate for that sort of thing. One of my roommates must’ve stunned me. It was rather embarrassing what I was doing and don’t ask ‘cause I’m not ready to talk about that yet. The next thing I remember I was in the common room and Madam Pomfrey said I was undergoing Magical Disconnect and told someone to find you and bring you there kicking and screaming if they had to and then forcing a few nasty potions down my throat. Then it’s all black for a bit and I’m in a big, soft bed… this one, I guess, and you’re being told to get on with it and you did and I so wanted you to do so and we did over and over and all. Not the way I imagined my first time would be, you know.”

“Sorry ‘bout that, but it was my first time too!” Ron protested. “Not like I knew what I was doing.”

Katie giggled softly. “That’s not what I meant, Ron. Given the circumstances - and the fact we were both swimming in potions - that bit was fine. No regrets there at all. Still, it would’ve been nice if we had kissed first…”

“Um… didn’t think to…”

“The potions seemed to have,” Katie began. “Well, they don’t make it all that romantic. But, I still think I picked a perfect Quidditch Partner. Still, I think it’s only proper that you kiss me properly.”

“Wh-what?” Ron chocked as she shifted over so that she was mostly atop him, her face inches from his own.

“We did do it, right?” she asked. She was too close for Ron to see the mischievous grin on her face or at least to recognize it for what it was. “Seeing as we did IT, I think it’s only fair that you kiss me.”

“Um… ,” Ron started. The truth was he was not opposed to the idea, he had just never done that before and was even more surprised that such a pretty girl… and older one as well… would even want to do it. Before he could think at all, her lips were against his. Before he could even think about protesting or think of anything really, he was kissing her back. He had to admit it was very nice. He had no idea how long they were going that before it finally broke and he thought it fortunate he thought to breathe through his nose. Then again, she was doing so which was what gave him the idea.

“Wow,” they said in unison.

“See?” Katie giggled, “that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

“N-no. It’s not hard at all. I think it’s broken.”

“I’m sure it’s fine. Just a little knackered. I know I still am. So what’re your memories of last night - and don’t say ‘doing it’ as I remember that bit quite clearly.”

“Um… Okay. Percy woke me up. Don’t know when. Told me McGonagall wanted to see me in the Common Room and didn’t say for what. Wondered what kind of trouble I was in…”

“Why would you think that you were in trouble?”

“Why else would McGonagall want to see you in the middle of the night?”

“Bit paranoid, are we?” she teased.

“Well, you be best mate with Harry for a couple of years. Aside from that car bit, I wouldn’t call either of us trouble makers. Fred and George look for it. We don’t. But we always seem to get into it anyway.

“So, I get downstairs and still have no idea what I did. I don’t see Harry and then I remember he sleeps at that Manor of his so I doubt McGonagall can just go in and wake him whenever she wants. Then I see you.”

“Me? I don’t remember that.”

Ron shrugged. “Didn’t look like you would. I’d’ve thought you were stunned or potioned or something if you weren’t shaking the way you were. Pomfrey was there too. She told me you were having that Disconnect thing and that I had to do the Partner bit. Good thing I knew in advance, or maybe not. ‘Cause I was your Partner, I couldn’t run and hide even if I was tempted.”

“Were you tempted?”

“I’m thirteen! I might think about stuff like that, but I haven’t done it and the idea of doing it was scary even if the older blokes think it’s brilliant. So, she told me what was going to happen and that they were taking us somewhere where we could do it and recover in peace, as she said and they brought us here.”

“Where’s here?”

“Harry’s place. We’re in one of his guest rooms I was told. That’s what the elf said at least. Pomfrey then gave me some potions. One was so that I could keep doing it without wearing it out, although it seems that didn’t work too well. Another was tied to you, she said. I would keep wanting to do it over and over until you were fixed. The last made me really, really randy and would keep me that way so long as I wanted to be that way, which was until you were fixed although we might’ve done it twice after. I was told to get naked, although she said something else. Then she woke you up, got you to drink your potions, vanished your… well, what you were wearing and told us to get to it, although she said something different. Sorry ‘bout not kissing you.”

Katie smile and kissed him again. “That’s okay,” she said when it broke. “You’ve made up for it. You’re a good kisser, you know?”

“I am?” Ron asked in surprise. “I… well, never did that before either.”

“I have. Not with a boy…”

“You snogged a girl?”

“Madam Pomfrey did tell you what we girls do.”

“She didn’t say snogging. She said you… you know… and after bonding age you didn’t always do it alone. You did it with other girls.”

“We do it to other girls. That means we snog and do a lot of things that boys can do to us. Things that don’t require your broken bit.”

“Really?” Ron asked in surprise. “Is it weird? I… I couldn’t do that with a bloke, you know.”

“It serves a necessary purpose,” Katie said. “You get used to it, but I think most girls would prefer a boy if they could find one who would… would see to her needs before worrying ‘bout his. Most boys don’t do that, or so I’ve been told. You did last night…”

“Didn’t have much of a choice not to with those potions,” Ron said.

“I think you’d’ve tried to without them… at least with me.”

“It was fun getting you to do that,” Ron admitted.

“Like to do it again?”

“Yeah. But I can’t. It's…”

“Didn’t mean now. Later, when it’s better?”

“Yeah.” With that, Katie began kissing him again. “Sorry,” she said without being serious about the apology, “I can’t help it. You’re so kissable!” Ron blushed furiously at the compliment, but made no effort to stop her from continuing.

“Good afternoon,” a voice said. The two broke apart, looked up and saw Madam Pomfrey and then struggled to cover themselves. “If you must know,” she said, “neither of you have anything I haven’t seen before nor are you doing anything I would disapprove of under the circumstances.”

“What if we were… you know?” Ron asked.

“I would either assume you were still working on the Cure or that you enjoyed last night and have an amazing ability to recover. The fact is, based upon something that I think happened last night, I may be encouraging you two to do that once you’ve both recovered and can do that.”

“Something happened?” Katie asked.

“What?” Ron added.

“Just a quick test to be sure,” Madam Pomfrey said drawing her wand. “If it happened, it happened and if it didn’t you don’t need to know.” She cast her spell. Neither of them saw what it did or if it did anything. She then wrote something down and smiled at them, surprising them both as she was not known to smile much at all. The only adult who smiled less might have been the librarian Madam Pince; unless one counted Professor Snape as his was more a sneer than a smile. “I stopped by earlier this morning,” Madam Pomfrey continued, “but you two were asleep in each other’s arms. It was really sweet.”

“Didn’t need to hear that,” Ron grumbled.

“Something wrong?” Katie asked.

“I am a bloke! I don’t like ‘cute’ and the only ‘sweet’ I want to be told about is dessert.”

“Be that as it may, Mr. Weasley, it was which is a good thing under the circumstances. As you both were still recovering from last night, I did not wake you. Besides, I did have other patients to see.”

“Somebody get hexed at breakfast?” Katie asked.

“Breakfast?” Ron said in a slight panic. “We missed breakfast?”

“She did say ‘Good Afternoon’ Ron.”

“Oh… yeah. We miss lunch too?”

“You will be served a large meal when I’m done with you,” Madam Pomfrey said. “And I expect you two to eat all of it. You both need it to aid in your recovery. And no, Miss Bell, no one hexed anyone before, at or after breakfast - or lunch for that matter.”

“We missed lunch?” Ron asked in horror.

“Only if you feel it’s not lunch if it’s not served in the Great Hall, Mr. Weasley,” Madam Pomfrey said. “You are on Harry’s estate, I hope you recall.”

“Oh yeah,” Ron relaxed. “Room service. I forgot. Um… why here?”

“A few reasons. First off, it’s private here. Most often we set a couple like you up in the Hospital Wing, which is hardly private even with a screen. As I was scheduled to examine some patients here this weekend and as Mr. Potter is your friend, this made more sense.”

“Harry’s okay?” The two asked.

“Mr. Potter and his ladies are fine, as were those who I was asked to examine. A couple of weeks and Mr. Potter will set a record for his longest time out of my Hospital Wing; a record I hope he breaks.”

Ron snorted. “Aside from that dragon, I managed to avoid spending night there.”

“Dragon, Mr. Weasley?”

“Um… fine! First year when my arm was all green and swollen? Hagrid hatched a dragon in his hut and it bit me.”

“Is he crazy?” Katie asked. “His hut’s made of wood.”

“That’s what we told him. Bloody miracle it didn’t burn down. We finally convinced him to lose the dragon after I wrote to my brother Charlie and Charlie agreed to take it to a reserve for those things in Romania where he works - and the dragon apparently was too large for the hut - and it had taken a liking to Hagrid’s bed and there was no room for Hagrid in it. Harry and Hermione got rid of it but got caught. That was the night they and Neville lost all those points.”

“Really? I’m surprised I never heard of that,” Katie said.

“They only told me ‘bout it later and I don’t think they told anyone else. Hermione was furious with all those lost points. Harry never says much of anything 'bout his adventures; 'cept to Hermione or me. Neville would never say anything about it and I saw no reason to either. Course if Lavender heard about it, the whole school would know. You’re not going to tell McGonagall 'bout that, are you?” Ron added turning to Madam Pomfrey.

“I knew about the dragon, Mr. Weasley,” Madam Pomfrey said. “While I’d like to think I would’ve figured it out on my own, Hagrid told me right off.”

“And you didn't…”

“I would only have told the staff if your condition was a threat to other students. Dragon bites are not contagious and I learned the information in the course of your treatment. My oath as a Healer prevents me from revealing such information to anyone other than the patient.”

“You didn’t even tell my Mum?”

“I think that should be obvious seeing as your brothers tend to get Howlers for their antics, as did you once I recall.”

“She wasn’t happy about when I knicked Dad’s car,” Ron nodded. “I’m certain she would’ve sent one about a dragon.”

“Ordinarily, I do not have the authority to inform parents,” Madam Pomfrey said. “Moreover, my oath as a Healer prevents it given that much of what I treat would not ingratiate a parent to their child. I am expected to advise your Head of House about such things and as they act with the authority of a parent while you’re here at school, they can decide whether or not your parents need to be notified. The exceptions to that practice is when the patient has a condition that requires transfer to St. Mungo’s or where the patient has a condition that will not resolve before the end of term. For example, I did not inform some parents of last year’s petrifications. I had to inform the parents of Mr. Creavey and Mr. Finch-Fletchly as they each missed a Holiday period as a result. As Miss Granger and Miss Clearwater would be revived without missing a Holiday, it was up to their Heads of House whether the parents were to be informed and no, I do not know if they were. That being said, ordinarily when a witch suffers from Magical Disconnect, I do not inform her parents if she is stabilized before any permanent harm is done - as is the case with Miss Bell. Likewise, I do not reveal the name of her Partner.”

“Why do I think something is out of the ordinary for Ron and me?” Katie asked almost rhetorically. “I’m not pregnant, am I?”

Ron paled.

“There’s no reason to believe so or that it was possible. You were given an extra dose of the contraceptive prior to… your evening with Mr. Weasley. Moreover, our magical examinations could not detect such a state for several weeks afterwards in any event. You need not worry about that. The potion has never failed when properly made and I can assure you the ones you take here are properly made. I can’t say the same about the store bought ones. But that’s neither here nor there.”

“So what is happening?” Katie asked. “I take it you have informed our parents?”

“Mr. Weasley’s, yes,” Madam Pomfrey nodded. “Miss Bell while you’re parents are magical such that I don’t need to see them in person to explain what has occurred, I regret that they are apparently out of town or were when I tried to contact them. They will be informed by letter with Monday’s post.”

“Why?” Ron asked. “You said normally you would not and you only would if it was something… lasting I guess.”

“Oh, your situation is lasting,” Madam Pomfrey chuckled. “A lifetime of lasting in fact. You two are bonding.”

Katie just stared. “Bonding?” Ron asked. “You mean like Harry, Hermione and Luna and Neville, Sally-Anne and Padma?”

“Different kind of bond actually,” Madam Pomfrey said. “The preconditions for their bonds occurred at birth. Yours occurred during the Cure last night. The end result is similar in many ways and different in others. For example, one of the tests I performed was a measure of your magical maturity. Each of you was tested at the start of the year during your required visit and today’s test was compared against it. The two of you are about a year closer to magical maturity than you were a few weeks ago, which is unique to your kind of bond. In their case, the bonding will not accelerate their magical maturation at all.

“What happened was not compatible magic as your friends' situation is known. You did not share that from birth. While the preconditions for the bonds that your friends now share are exceptionally rare, once those conditions exists it does not take much for the bond to form. So with that kind of a bond, the formation of the bond is somewhat predictable. Yours is not. Even with the preconditions, it remains unpredictable. In your case, Miss Bell’s Magical Disconnect created the precondition. It does not always happen to a girl suffering from that condition. In fact, Miss Bell’s precondition is a rare side effect. What happened is that she became truly magically unstable…”

“But isn’t that what Magical Disconnect is?” Katie protested.

“Indeed. The difference was the nature of the instability. In most cases, what you two did last night cures the instability. In rare cases, something else does but since there’s no way to predict the something else, the most effective cure is what you two did.”

“What’s the something else?” Ron asked.

“At some point last night when the two of you climaxed together, that climax coincided with a cycle in her magic - it was changing this way and that - a point when her cycling magic nearly matched or - for lack of a better explanation - when it was compatible with yours. As that happened at climax, for reasons we don’t fully understand her magic locked into yours; it became permanently compatible with yours and stabilized. For all we know, that might’ve happened the first time you had sex or the last or at any time in between. The Disconnect itself most likely resolved separately. This rarely happens even in cases of treating Magical Disconnect, but it can and in your cases did happen.”

“So it is like Harry’s bonds?” Ron asked.

“Much less likely to occur, but yes it is similar,” Madam Pomfrey said. “In Mr. Potter’s case, they had to see each other as potential romantic partners and take a step towards that through an act of intimacy and that does not mean sexual congress. In their case a kiss as more than just friends would start the process. Unlike the others, it was not necessary that you saw each other as romatic partners for the Bond to occur. In your case, it could only have happened at mutual climax while Miss Bells was magically unstable and even then it might not have happened at all. The two of you could have gone through the same things scores of times and never bonded. But you have and here we are.”

“And where are we?” Katie asked.

“In the bonding stage as neither of you are magically mature. Then again, if you were, Miss Bell, it could never have happened. That being said while your bond has formed, it is not fully stable yet. That will take time. I can’t say how long because it varies from couple to couple. Until it is fully stable, the two of you need to be physically intimate for about six hours every day…”

“Bloody hell!” Ron exclaimed in shock. “I’m all knackered from last night! I got to do that every day? I’m not even certain if we were at it for that long! It’s not like either of us were watching a clock!”

“Calm down, Mr. Weasley and you can breathe, Miss Bell. Physical intimacy merely means some form of intimacy. Holding hands counts. Touching each other even in a non-sexual way counts. Sleeping together even without sex counts. In fact, in a case such as yours or such as your friends', sharing a bed is the principal way to accomplish that as having sexual intercourse for that long every day for months on end is probably a physical impossibility and the potions I gave you last night to aid you in the Cure are not recommended for frequent use, enjoyable as it may have been. Whether you engage in more intimate acts is up to the two of you, but you will be sharing a bed for the foreseeable future. Furthermore, as you are already sexually intimate - and your friends have not been such with each other - I would also recommend continuing that intimacy at least a couple of times a week.”

“Only twice?” Katie asked with a smirk.

“More is better, Miss Bell. Twice should do and there may be weeks when it may be all either of you are capable of for one reason or another.”

“So, we’re married then?” Ron asked after a pause.

“What?” Katie yelped.

“No, Mr. Weasley. Marriage is a legal state, not a magical one. There’s paperwork to sign and forms to be observed before one can be married. Magically speaking, you are more married than most couples could ever hope to be. Legally speaking, your current situation is more than that of a betrothal yet not a marriage. Under our law, the age restrictions regarding marriage are waived, which means if the two of you so desire you could get married as early as next Saturday as it is a Hogsmeade Weekend and you can leave the grounds although arranging it so quickly would be difficult. Yes, Mr. Potter and Mr. Longbottom married the day after they began to bond with their wives, but there were pre-existing agreements between the families. You two would have to fill out paperwork that they did not have to fill out and the paperwork would need to be prepared. I’m not saying whether you can or should marry right now. That is up to you. But as far as school is concerned, you are as if you’re married and will be moved into the married student dorm once you leave here.”

“Um,” Katie said, “that sounds like we’ll be here a while.”

“Mr. Potter has activated his time compression. You will be here a week and return in time for lunch this afternoon. Speaking of which, I will leave you so that you may talk and eat and I do expect both of you to eat heartily.” With that Madam Pomfrey left.

“Bloody hell!” Ron said.

“You’re not upset about this, are you?” Katie asked.

“No. Not really. Are you?”

“Strangely enough no. I read this could happen which was why I was careful picking my Quidditch Partner. You did hear when she said that this could happen even if we didn’t like each other.”

Ron nodded. “We’ve been friends since my First Year.”

“Not as close as you are to Harry and Hermione or I am to Leanne, but yes. And I have thought that you have ‘boyfriend’ potential.”

“I was thinking of asking you that. Didn’t think I’d ever get up the nerve. Do you want to be my girlfriend?”

“Yes, not that you have to ask now. It’s why I picked you once it was clear Harry couldn’t do it. Not saying I’d pick Harry over you, but he was already on the team and Ollie did have to find a way to avoid an open tryout to add you to the team. I wanted you, but there was no guarantee you’d make the team, was there? None of us could say if you could’ve beaten McLaggen in a tryout. I think you could’ve. But I wasn’t willing to chance it. I’d quit before having to partner with that berk.”

“So… you would’ve been with…”

“Better Harry than McLaggen or most of the others,” Katie nodded. “He’s nice enough. But you were the one I’d rather have. Maybe that’s why this happened…”

“You’re not upset?”

“No. Are you?”

“I’m glad it’s you too, Katie. I mean, could you see me with someone like Lavender Brown?”

“You’d be bored with her in a matter of weeks,” Katie said shaking her head. “But you’d probably still go with here ‘cause you’re too nice to just dump her.”

“So… um… will you be my girlfriend then?”

“Yes. I already am, but I know what you’re asking and the answer is yes.”