Author's Notes: So this is the first chapter of an AU fic I'm trying out. I already have the next few chapters written as well, so I'll post those soon! In advance, yes this is a Ginny/Luna shipfic, so if that's not your thing then don't bother to read this. Let me know if there are any mistakes or formatting issues, and let me know what you think! Any comments are helpful, and thanks for reading :-)
It was a very, very hot day at Hogwarts.
"Sodding sun…" cursed Ginny breathily, wiping the sweat from her eyes as a whistle blows and she leaps into her next round of high skips.
Today is the first day of conditioning and tryouts for Hogwarts' coed, co-house rugby team, and Ginny had been working hard since last year to get into fighting shape and secure the position she'd been hoping for: starting varsity outside center.
Last year after the week of tryouts, she was disappointed to find she had only made 3rd utility player, a reserve member who would only play in the event of some disaster that prevented all three players ahead of her from performing. The coach had told her she was simply too small, and admittedly she was. It had been her first year trying out for the varsity upperclassmen team, and she had only been a scrawny 16-year-old who hadn't quite finished growing yet. Now, she was 17, and had much more experience. She'd spent the last year training hard in her free time increasing her endurance, speed, and vertical leap, and though she knew she'd never get as big as the forward players, she'd bulked up as much as she could so she could hold her own in the tackling, rucks, and mauls.
Now she was in tip top shape, and ready to show the coaches what she was capable of. While she skipped down the field, her eyes scanned the other students to size up her competition. Most of the new students trying out still looked to be slightly awkward, still growing into their bodies, much like she had been last year. A few of them showed promise though, and she made a mental note to watch out for the dark-haired fifth year boy next to her, whose vertical leap and speed already almost matched her own. Luckily, he seemed inexperienced, and didn't know how to pace himself. He would likely overexert himself in warm-ups in an eager attempt to impress the coaches and upperclassmen.
She notices Susan Bones, a Hufflepuff girl in her seventh year a few students down the line from Ginny, favoring her left leg somewhat, and Ginny winces inwardly with sympathy upon remembering the poor girl's accident. Last year during her driver's ed course, Bones had been in a terrible accident that resulted in the complete detachment of her right leg. The doctors were able to successfully reattach it, but Susan was left with an unshakable nervousness when using her right leg.
Susan was the outside center last year, and Ginny feels a pang of guilt at the thought of trying to take the position from the girl. How could she even consider taking this from Susan, when she'd already been through so much? But, after thinking it through, Ginny determined that Susan would want to be treated like any other person, and if Ginny got the position it would be because she deserves it, not by default. She takes it upon herself to work hard and become an even better center than Susan was last year. Ginny steels herself, and refocuses on finishing her high skips with more vigor than before.
She reaches the end of the pitch and turns around to face the coach, resting her hands on her hips as she waits for the rest of the students to finish their skips. Oliver Wood comes to halt next to her, and makes good-natured conversation while eyeing the new athletes.
"Alright there, Ginny? Got some good looking new blood, yeah?" He asks, panting a bit from the exercises. Ginny grins at the burly boy devilishly and wipes her forehead before responding.
"I suppose, but they need to be whipped into shape." She says rather loudly, making sure the fifth year boy standing next to her heard it. Oliver laughs and shakes his head, running a hand through his short brown hair.
"You look a sight stronger yourself," he says, looking her up and down. "Still after that center spot?" Ginny nods.
"Sure am." She responds confidently.
"Wish you the best then, you look like you've been working for it." Oliver says, nodding with approval. Ginny smiles and straightens up a bit with pride as the two fall into a comfortable silence and return their gaze to the group of prospective players.
They'd all finished their skips at this point, and most were making conversation with their peers while they all waited for Madam Hooch to give them more instructions. Ginny's eyes fell on a scraggly girl she hadn't noticed before, and found herself mesmerized. The girl had long dirty blonde hair pulled into a messy braid that fell to the small of her back, and her smooth, pale skin was tinged red on her neck and across her cheeks from the exercise. She had an air of dreaminess, as if she wasn't all there, and her wide grey eyes and arched eyebrows gave her a perpetual look of surprise and wonderment. She was smiling gently and speaking to Seamus Finnigan and her brother Ron, and Ginny furrowed her brows at the surge of irritation she felt at the scrutinizing looks of impatience on the boy's faces.
Ginny bumped Oliver's forearm with the back of her hand to get his attention and gestured towards the strange girl.
"Hey Wood, who's that one? The new girl with the blonde hair." Wood follows her gesture and looks over.
"Oh, her name's Luna Lovegood I think. Bit barmy, that one. Doesn't make a difference to me though, s'long as she plays well." Ginny nods, looking at the girl thoughtfully.
"Luna…" She tries out the name, deciding it suits her well. "What position is she trying for? Can't be a forward, she looks fragile as a bird." Ginny asks. Wood shakes his head.
"Nothing forward, right wing I think." He responds. Then, seeing how Ginny is staring, he nudges her side with his elbow. "She'll be playing pretty close to you then, yeah?" He quips with a grin and a teasing glint in his eye.
At this, Ginny breaks away from her staring and feels her face growing hot as she shoots an incredulous look at the boy. "And just what do you mean by that?" She asks haughtily. Wood puts his hands up in surrender, but doesn't drop his grin. Before their conversation can continue, Madam Hooch blows on her whistle and the students quiet down to hear her instructions. Wood gives Ginny one last glance out of the corner of his eye, observing her carefully and noting her blush, deciding that something is definitely up with her.
"Alright, listen up!" The grey-haired Madam Hooch calls in her no-nonsense tone. "It's time for the real work to begin. Anyone who doesn't know what position they want will come with me. We'll do some assessments and I'll send you where you need to go. As for the rest of you, forwards will follow Fred and George for scrumming drills, and backs follow Oliver for sprints and races. Let's have a good first day." She says, her eyes scanning over the group of students.
"Let's move!"