summary: she didn't know about everyone else, but pansy in her harpies jersey with red on her smirking lips was definitely the most beautiful sight ginny had ever beheld.
forum: the houses competition, round one
type: drabble
prompts: [Setting] Professional Quidditch Pitch
cherry red gloss
words: 897
The roar of the crowd was muted by the walls of the changing room, but it was still quite noticeable as Gwenog finished her pre-match pep talk. Ginny hadn't listened to a word of it, of course. Her leg jumped incessantly and her whole body quivered with jittery, nervous energy. She felt like she might throw up all over her teammates any moment.
The first match was always the worst, everyone had warned her, but Merlin, this was her personal hell. Her heart hammered with fear and anticipation and excitement, all at once, and for the first time in her life, she was afraid of falling off her broom—which was ridiculous, because she'd been flying for almost as long as she could walk.
Gwenog clapped her hands, bringing Ginny out of her nervous stupor. The Holyhead Harpies slowly filed out of the room and towards the pitch, but Ginny stayed frozen to her spot. Her teammates wished her luck, smiling sympathetically at her pale, queasy features. Gwenog thumped her shoulder until she almost fell over and said, "Chin up, darling, it's not that bad."
Easy for her to say.
She'd been doing this for years. It didn't matter if she fell or failed to beat a Bludger away. The fans would still love her. But Ginny? Everyone would be watching her, and if she didn't catch the snitch, she'd probably be kicked off of the team.
Ginny shuddered. She really shouldn't be thinking about being kicked out before the match started. It wasn't doing any good for her morale.
"Hey there, Miss Seeker," a familiar, velvety voice interrupted her thoughts before she could spiral into a meltdown. "You're looking quite peaky there. Are you alright? Thinking of backing out, are you? I don't blame you."
Ginny groaned. "Not now, Pansy. I thought you were supposed to support me." She looked over at her girlfriend, who was leaning against the frame of the door, looking as cool and collected as always. Ginny would bet that Pansy could go through a fucking hurricane and come out as calm as ever, her smug smirk in place and her sleek black hair looking as though it had just been done.
It wasn't fair.
"Oh, I am supporting you. Why else do you think I'm wearing this horrendous jersey? Maroon really isn't my colour." She shuddered delicately, running her hands over the Weasley Harpies jersey she'd borrowed from Ginny before the match. It was a little big on her—Ginny was almost a head taller than Pansy—but she'd never looked better.
"No, it suits you," Ginny said, a cheeky smile growing on her ashen face. "You know… people say that kisses give you luck and I could bloody well use some right no—"
Ginny laughed as Pansy pulled her down and placed a searing kiss on her lips, tasting the cherry red gloss she wore all the time. She wound an arm around Pansy's waist, biting on her lower lip—
"Oi, Weasley! Stop snogging Parkinson and get your arse here! We're about to start!" Gwenog Jones' voice echoed through the room and Pansy broke away.
"Good luck, Gin. You better catch that bloody Snitch so that I don't regret wearing maroon, of all things." She pecked Ginny's lips and pushed her towards the pitch, wiggling her fingers in farewell.
Ginny was grinning as she kicked off, her heart hammering with adrenaline from the kiss and the deafening roar of the crowd. It was the first match of the season, and hundreds of supporters had turned out, filling the stadium to its maximum capacity. She spotted the cluster of redheads towards the front and grinned as her whole family waved at her.
Ginny flew up high, towards the Seekers' designated spot and waited for the whistle. A hush fell over the pitch as everyone waited with bated breath. A shrill sound broke the air and Ginny was off, circling the arena to catch sight of the golden ball.
It was a good day for the Holyhead Harpies—the Cannons hadn't improved in the slightest, over the years, and the Harpies' Chasers destroyed their defence. Ten minutes into the match, Ginny spotted a glint of gold and with a small pang of triumph, she swerved left and sped up, leaning low as her hair whipped about her face. The crowd got louder, chanting her name as she dodged an orange-clad beater and there it was—the Snitch, it fluttered a bit, and it was so close—she stretched her hand… and she was almost there…
She had it, the Golden Snitch, twitching weakly in her hand as she held it up for all to see. Her teammates engulfed her in a hug and Ginny blinked back tears. She grinned and laughed and screamed with joy because she'd won them the match and that was the best feeling in the world.
The crowd was ecstatic as she zoomed past them, taking a victory lap with her team. Her eyes caught a huge banner to her left and she laughed out loud, reading the messy gold lettering adorning it.
Weasley is our Queen.
Pansy, her face lit up with a sneaky grin, was holding it up with George, waving a Harpies flag in another hand. Ginny blew a kiss to her and she rolled her eyes, the grin never leaving her face.
Guess she didn't regret wearing maroon, after all.
