This one-shot was written for Quidditch League Competition Round 10 - Mascots (Ginny Weasley).
Team: Holyhead Harpies
Position: Chaser 2
Rleationship: Platonic (Ginny - Neville)
Wordcount: 1392
Bonus prompts: Riddle; Dialogue: "Er...I love you?"; Perfume
Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter series, all rights go to J.K. Rowling.
You deserve your happy ending, we all do
She looked up again to the clock and scolded. The old clock on the wall showed what she has already knew, Harry was late again.
She was playing with the drink in her hand and occasionally looking around, catching the glances of the people around who didn't have any better things to do than checking out the star player of the Holyhead Harpies and the wife of the Chosen One.
Her glance was sharp; her usually warm brown eyes were cold. She hated when people looked at her like she was some animal at the zoo, they were openly staring at her.
She sighed and she was about to turn back to her drink when she caught the eyes of someone she would have actually wanted to spend time.
"Neville!" she called out happily, because the arrival of her long term friend saved her from other long minutes of having nothing to do besides being in the centre. The young man turned towards her with a shy smile on his face especially when the other occupants of the Leaky Cauldron was someone important too and started staring at him. He reached her table in a minute and sat down next to her.
"You are my hero! Screw Harry and the whole Saviour thing, you are my true hero!" she said exaggeratedly with a sigh. She knew that the Neville she met when she started Hogwarts would have seriously blushed and wouldn't have been able to speak to her for the next decade, but this Neville, the man who was an important character of the Second Wizarding War just chuckled and shook his head fondly.
"Your husband wouldn't want to hear that, Gin," he stated and Ginny shrugged. She crossed her arms and had a huffish expression on her face; she was behaving like a five-year-old.
"I love him, but he is seriously annoying sometimes, I swear he lives in his office," she said and Neville shook his head with a smile. "Don't worry, Nev, Hannah says the same thing behind you," Ginny said sweetly when she noticed his behaviour. Neville's expression changed in a second and pure worry could be seen on his face.
"She-she... She finds me... a-annoying?" he asked and for a moment Ginny was reminded of the young boy in Gryffindor who was extremely clumsy and who was always the victim of bullies. The expression on Neville's face was just like when they were younger, still in school. He seemed vulnerable. She hasn't seen him like that for ages.
"I was just joking, Nev," she said quickly, but he didn't seem to hear her. She sighed and leaned back muttering some selected curse words under her breath. "Hannah loves you, Neville, just as I love Harry. I was just playing around, I was just furious at Harry for being late, I didn't mean it," she started convincingly, but by the end her voice was soft. Neville didn't react for a long moment, but then he looked in her brown eyes.
"Hannah is still with Susan, I will meet her here at seven at least that was the plan. I wanted to ask her to marry me, you know. I thought that she would say yes and then we would have a big wedding and later on maybe some children. However, it's just too good, isn't it? I mean, why would a girl, a woman like Hannah ever marry me? It's..." He was cut off by a furious Ginny Potter. She stood up and stepped in front of the young man.
"Don't you dare, Neville Longbottom, I swear you are worse than Harry sometimes. Why wouldn't Hannah marry you? As far as I'm concerned you are a sweet, caring person, the type every girl has always wanted. You are brave, selfless and please, you are nice to everyone, you accept anyone, you don't care about blood status or stupid things like that. You are a hero, Nev and I hate that you are just like Harry and you don't see that. You deserve your happy ending, we all do," Ginny told him angrily and pretty loudly and everyone in the pub was watching them, some of them were even taking notes if she saw well.
He stood up and without a question he hugged Ginny. He closed his eyes for a moment and noted that her perfume reminded him of Hannah's flowery scent. When he let her go, he saw the curious expressions on the other people's face, but he didn't care about them, he turned to the young woman who has been his friend for so many years.
"Thanks, Gin, I needed that," he said softly and she rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.
"No problem, I'm kind of used to it, I'm surrounded by selfless gits, you see," she told him in mock seriousness and he answered with a chuckle.
"And now, now. Tell me what you are going to tell Hannah," she stated and he raised his eyebrows in confusion.
"Merlin, just tell me how you want to propose to her!" she said urgently and Neville looked at her uncertainly.
"Er...I love you? Will you marry me?" he asked and she shook her head. That was the moment when the door opened and a flushed, out of breath Harry Potter arrived. He reached the table of his wife quickly and raised his eyebrows.
"I'm sorry Neville, but you were a bit late, she has already married me," he stated and Neville blushed while Ginny just rolled her eyes and poked Harry.
"You, Mister, are in a serious trouble. However, just now go back where you have came from, because I need to sort him out, but then I will deal with you," she stated and though the Saviour of the wizarding world was smiling for a moment he seemed afraid of his own wife.
"Good luck, buddy," he mouthed to Neville who nodded. Ginny grabbed the hand of Neville and pushed him out of the pub to the muggle street. She turned towards him with a serious glint in her brown eyes.
"Just be yourself, Neville. Tell her why you love her, don't speak in riddles, but be romantic. Don't be nervous, we both know she loves you just as much as you love her. If you dare to ruin it, I swear that you will seriously regret the fact that you were even born," she said in a 'don't-you-dare-messing-with-me' type of tone which would have scared the hell out of Neville if he wasn't used to the temper of the redhead. "Just be the sweet guy you are and don't ever forget about your Gryffindor courage," she said a lot friendlier and her tone was softer.
"Don't kill Harry," Neville said as an advice too and Ginny laughed.
"The whole wizarding world would be after me, he doesn't worth it," she said jokingly, but she seemed to become serious. "Just as I love him, Hannah loves you. I've seen you with her; you are a match made in heaven. Keep her," Ginny said and he once blushed a bit.
"Thanks Ginny, you are a great friend," Neville said and the redhead smiled at him.
"I know that I'm the best, but you need to get your happy ending while I need to make sure that my dear husband learns how to... hhm, behave," she said with a glint in her eyes and a smile on her face. She took a few steps, nearly disappearing in the shadows when he suddenly started shouting.
"Wait! Ginny, what if she says no?" he shouted at her and Ginny turned around irritably, but then she started grinning when she noticed a person right behind Neville.
"Hey, Neville! Who will say no?" Neville recognized the voice as Hannah's. He turned around slowly, facing his girlfriend who was wearing a beautiful blue muggle dress.
"Have a good night, guys! I know that I will have one," Ginny said with a smirk on her face and she even winked at Neville. "Oh, and Nev, I'm sure that the answer is yes," she stated when she left looking for her husband.
Neville was watching as she disappeared and muttered under his breath," Thank, Gin." He then grabbed the hand of Hannah softly and kissed her.