Harry just huffed in mock indignation. But any further conversation was halted as the crowd around them finally descended upon them. They were all intent on congratulating both of them for their catches, Ginny for her catch of the snitch, and Harry for his catch of Ginny. Ginny told him that she was heading for the changing rooms as they began to get separated, and he called back that he'd see her in the Common Room.
With that, Harry did his best to break away from the crowd to get back to the castle. He really needed a moment alone to calm down from the emotions of the day, plus he had a party to attend to. Not only did he have three kegs of butterbeer to serve, but he had also talked to Dobby earlier in the week about arranging some refreshments to be served after the game. Harry wanted to duck into the kitchens really quickly to make sure everything was okay, then get up to the Common Room to get everything set up.
Two pairs of eyes followed him as he made his exit, the minds behind them pondering the same thing. How did he do it? Dumbledore knew from experience how hard it was to catch someone in mid-fall. There had been more than one time throughout his years as Headmaster where a student had fallen or been knocked off a broom. He had always been quick enough to slow their descent before impact, and once he had managed to completely stop the student's fall, but in all fairness he had been much higher up in the air giving Dumbledore a few extra seconds to react, and even then it had been no easy task.
When Miss Weasley had been knocked off her broom, Dumbledore sprung into action, but by the time he got to casting a spell, she was already saved. It didn't take him long to spot Harry amidst the crowd, wand outstretched, rushing out to meet young Ginevra. He couldn't help but wonder how Harry was so quick to respond, nor could he help marveling at the power and control the boy displayed of his magic. That he managed to stop her descent and, for lack of a better term, summon her to him without causing her any harm was a remarkable feat, especially for one so young.
Perhaps Harry was beginning to come into his own. He had been hearing from his professors, save for Severus, about Harry's vast improvement this year. The Headmaster couldn't help but find himself interested in just how far Harry had come along, and just how far he would go.
Hermione was thinking along a similar vein. She had been sitting right next to Harry during the game, and she had watched from beside him as Ginny fell towards the Earth, momentarily paralyzed from shock and fear along with the rest of her classmates. When Ginny began to slow down, she came back to herself and noticed that Harry was no longer beside her. She had never even seen him move.
When Ginny finally made it safely into his arms, she watched with the rest of the house as the two held onto each other for dear life. She couldn't fault them for their reaction given the nature of the situation, but she, like everyone else, began to grow uncomfortable as the two continued to embrace, lost to the rest of the world. As she continued to watch the pair, she wondered how he had managed it. She couldn't say from personal experience, but she had read enough to know how difficult it was to completely stop somebody in a freefall. She had even watched three years ago when Dumbledore had only been able to slow Harry down when Dementors had attacked him in the air.
If Dumbledore couldn't stop Harry completely, then how did Harry manage to stop Ginny? He had been doing a lot of incredible things lately in classes, catching onto spells with ease and showing great skill without too much effort, whereas in past years he had always struggled before mastering a spell. He had shown a complete turnaround, and Hermione could not explain it. But without any leads to go off of, there was little she could do. Her brain continued to churn as Harry and Ginny stood there completely oblivious to their audience.
She was looking into Harry's face when he finally opened his eyes and realized the spectacle they were making. She watched as recognition dawned and the blush crept up his face. But she saw him squash it down and tune out everyone around him as he began whispering to Ginny. Hermione couldn't hear what he was saying; she could only guess that he was trying to make sure she was all right. She could see the concern and the fear on his face, but she also saw something else she hadn't expected to see. Affection. She knew that the two of them had grown closer lately, but Hermione hadn't noticed the extent of it.
She had never seen that look on Harry's face before, but she couldn't say she was entirely surprised. She had seen this coming, after all, and had tried to warn Ginny off. Harry was clinging to her. He'd lost the person who meant the most to him in this world, and he needed someone to transfer the title to, someone to put all his hopes and dreams onto, and Ginny fit the bill perfectly. She was great: beautiful, funny, intelligent, a great friend, but most of all, she was willing to put up with Harry's charade, and unwilling to confront him about what was bothering him.
She wished she could be happy for her two friends, but she knew it was doomed to fail. It was sad, really, because she always thought that they could have been great together under the right circumstances. She resolved to have another talk with Ginny about that some time, before things went too far.