Disclaimer: Yeaaaa, I still don't own harry potter!

Author's Note: hi all! thanks so much to those who left reviews on the first chapter, I had the biggest smile reading them. thanks also to those who favourited+alerted but didnt bother reviewing, lmaoooo
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this next oneshot! It's set a little while after the first one, when they're back at Hogwarts, and, as you can guess from the title, is Quidditch themed. the timeline jumps around a little but follows the events of HBP pretty closely, with a few twists :)


Chapter Two – Quidditch Daze


'Cold pumpkin juice, a stack of buttered toast, scrambled eggs.' said Vicky, as Ginny clumsily slid onto the Gryffindor table, rubbing sleep from her eyes. 'Eat up, flying works up an appetite.'

'That's right, you're trying out for Chaser too, aren't you?' Demelza Robins piped up from across the table. She had very little on her plate, and her face was slightly damp with perspiration. 'I couldn't eat a thing, I'm too nervous.'

'I'm a Weasley, eating's in my blood.' said Ginny, grinning, as she bit into a piece of toast. 'Thanks, Vicky. You're coming to watch tryouts, right?'

'We're all coming,' Vicky smiled in an uncharacteristically wicked manner. 'Everyone from our dorm, the lads from our Herbology table, Dean…'

Ginny's stomach twisted uncomfortably, but she fought to keep her face impassive as she said, 'Good.'

'You've been flying around with Harry Potter all summer, haven't you?' said Vicky. 'So you're bound to be even better than last year. Have you seen he's got a Firebolt?'

Ginny's response died on her lips when the boy in question moseyed casually into the Great Hall, muttering, as usual, to Ron. Harry, she definitely didn't notice, looked as adorably dishevelled as ever. Ron just looked pale.

'Morning,' she said cheerfully, as they took seats only a few heads away. 'Ready for today?'

Ron shrugged miserably, but Harry returned her grin. 'I see someone's bulking up.' he said cheekily. 'Good. Those Bludgers are going to be a real menace without Fred and George to keep them in check.'

'Eat something, Ron.' Ginny mumbled, her mouth full of hot eggs. 'You'll faint otherwise.'

'She's right,' said Harry. 'Look, you've played perfectly fine with us all summer, alright? So how much different can today be?'

The conversation slowly faded to a low hum as Ginny, her third slice of toast frozen halfway to her mouth, lost herself in watching her brother's best friend. His eyes really were a disconcertingly bright green. And that with that perpetually unkempt black hair he looked like he'd already played a few games of Quidditch. And he was relentlessly and unashamedly bolstering poor Ron's spirits even though they both knew there would probably be better Keepers trying out that day, and that counted for a lot in Ginny's book.

'As I was saying…' Vicky prodded Ginny, hard, and she snapped out of her reverie. 'You're not even listening to me, are you?'

'Er…' Ginny crammed the remainder of the toast into her mouth and racked her brains for a good enough excuse for someone as sharp as Vicky Frobisher. 'I was trying to remember what the twins said about Oliver Wood's pep talks.'

'You were staring at Harry.' Vicky said dryly. 'And don't try to deny it. It's not the first time I've seen you looking at him.'

Her cheeks kissed a delicate pink, Ginny said, hotly, 'No I wasn't. I was –'

'He's looking at you, now,' Vicky smirked behind her glass of pumpkin juice. 'He's been doing that a lot lately.'

Ginny peeked through her curtain of long red hair towards the two boys. Sure enough, Ron was now cutting into his sausages with a renewed gusto, and Harry was looking at her. His face was slack with a kind of softness she'd never seen there before, at least when directed towards her…

He quickly looked away, into his own breakfast, and Ginny ignored Vicky's giggles.

Not possible, she told herself firmly. Today's about one thing, and one thing only, and that's getting on this team. Not Harry. Not Harry.

She made sure to talk only to Demelza and Vicky for the remainder of breakfast, and resisted the urge to check if Harry was looking at her again, even though the hot prickling on her neck told her all she needed to know.


weeks later

'Well, I liked your commentary, Luna.' said Ginny, as the two girls walked despondently back to the changing rooms.

'Thank you,' Luna smiled serenely. 'But I expect you're more worried about Harry right now than what people might be saying about my commentary. That was a pretty nasty fall.'

Ginny's fists clenched involuntarily and she gritted her teeth. That Cormac McLaggen. If she ever got her hands on that big, lumbering oaf…

'You idiot, Weasley, what did you let him do that for?' McLaggen barked, approaching her with unnerving speed and abandoning the goalposts as he did so. 'That's another goal for them, you stupid girl. I knew Potter got you on the team for one reason and one reason only, and that's so he can shag y-'

'McLaggen, will you pay attention to what you're supposed to be doing and leave everyone else alone!' Harry bellowed, as the green-and-silver crowd below cheered at their latest goal.

Ginny, praying Harry hadn't heard the full extent of McLaggen's tirade, pelted towards a nearby Slytherin Chaser who was clutching the Quaffle.

Only minutes later…

'Oh, he'll be fine,' Luna assured her, misreading her furious expression. 'Madam Pomfrey is the best. I'll bring him some Gurdyroot juice later, it might perk him up.'

'Er, yeah,' said Ginny. 'That stuff's definitely…interesting.' she caught sight of McLaggen storming through the tangle of mud and grass ahead and made to go after him. 'I'm going to kill him.'

'I think Harry will want to do that himself, when he wakes up.' said Luna. 'But by all means, defend his honour. He'll definitely appreciate that.'

Ginny eyed her. 'Meaning?'

'Ginny!' it was Dean, panting heavily and accompanied by Seamus and Parvati. They'd obviously just jogged over from the stands. 'Come on, let's get back to the Common Room. We can't stand the Slytherins' bragging any longer.'

'I'll go.' said Luna. 'Bye, Ginny.' she smiled dreamily at her friend and departed from the group.

Ginny, still in her filthy Quidditch gear, but suddenly overcome by the allure of a nice warm fire and comfy Gryffindor armchair, let Dean and the others walk her back towards the castle.

'Some match, eh?' Seamus said, shaking his head. 'I thought Harry was a goner at the end there.'

'Nah, he's got nine lives.' Dean laughed. 'I reckon you could run him through with a sword and the bloke would still be walking around just fine.'

'He could have died,' Ginny said harshly, and they all turned to look at her.

'He didn't, though.' said Dean, with questionable logic. 'Besides, did you see the way that Bludger just knocked him clean out?' he laughed again. 'He just went flying backwards, that McLaggen's got a strong arm.'

Seamus chuckled appreciatively; Parvati winced and glanced over at Ginny.

Ginny stopped walking. The spitting inferno of rage towards McLaggen was suddenly being directed towards her boyfriend.

'That's not funny.' she said angrily. 'My brother's in the hospital, he almost died. Now the same thing happens to Harry and you're making jokes about it?'

She glared, hard, into Dean's countenance of unease. 'Piss off.' with those final words, she was stomping away from the three, without caring about the muddy water she was splattering all down her robes.


Ron was asleep when she ran haphazardly through the doors into the hospital wing, passed a startled Madam Pomfrey. Harry, however, had regained consciousness, and was propped up against his pillows, glaring into thin air.

'I won't tease you about the match, I know you must be as angry as I am.' she said, quietly, slipping into an empty chair by his bedside. Someone had organised his bedside table so that the half-eaten bar of chocolate, Quidditch magazine and glass of water were neatly positioned for his convenience. Hermione, she thought with a smile.

'So, where is it?' said Harry, far more cheerily than someone who had just been hit by a Bludger and fallen fifty feet should be.

'Where's what?' Ginny said, confusedly. She paused. 'Oh no, has the fall addled your brains, Potter?'

'What was that about not teasing me?' Harry returned. 'I mean my card. My get-well card. It's a tradition. So, come on.'

Ginny laughed, despite the hot flush that was creeping up her neck. 'I thought we agreed never to speak of that again. I was twelve.'

'We did, on the sole proviso that I get an authentic Ginny Weasley get-well card every time I end up in here.' Harry grinned, gesturing around. 'What do you think's been stopping me from getting out of here and strangling McLaggen?'

'I came straight here.' Ginny said, pointing to her dirty Quidditch attire. 'But expect your singing card in the next few days.'

Harry smiled again, but didn't say anything. His legs, poking clumsily out of the sheets, were twitching. He was, she realised, bored. He didn't like being cooped up in the hospital wing, yet again.

'Want to play Exploding Snap?' she suggested. 'Although we might wake Ron…or I can fetch his wizard's chess set?'

'Just talk to me.' said Harry. He was looking at her so intensely; her cheeks burned under the heavy scrutiny of those green, green eyes. 'About…whatever.'

'Well, OWLs are crap.' she said, and he laughed. 'Lavender and Ron are sickening. Snape's a greasy git. What else is new?'

'When I said we were friends on your birthday, I meant it.' said Harry, seriously. 'But I don't get that much time to talk to you, without Ron or Hermione or your family there. I don't know as much about my friend Ginny Weasley as I should. So…talk.'

That's because you've not bothered to try until the past few years, Ginny thought, but didn't say.

She looked at him, hard, for a long moment, inhaled sharply, and spoke.

'I think I know what I want to do, after I leave Hogwarts.' she said, and paused. His eyes greedily roamed her face, but his expression was impassive; he was waiting. So she continued.

'I know you're going to laugh, alright, and I know it's stupid, but ever since we went to see the World Cup two years ago, I've wanted to fly for England in it. Alright?' she stared defiantly back at him, her eyes narrowed, her fists tangled up in the bedsheets.

But he wasn't laughing.

Instead, he was looking at her with a steady, unbroken gaze that was…well…heated, there was no other way of describing it…and there was that softness in his eyes again…

'Why would I laugh?' he said, finally. Before she could respond, he was shaking his head. 'Ginny…you're the best player on the team. Better than me, probably, and I think I'm pretty alright. If you want to play for England at the Quidditch World Cup, I think that's bloody fantastic.'

Some wretched desire to kiss him was back, she could feel the raw desire pumping through her veins. Her fingers twitched irritably at the base of his torso, but she knew that she couldn't. She couldn't. Not when she couldn't be sure he wanted that too. Even from the way he was looking at her now.

He was dating Cho Chang. And she was with Dean. And that was just how things were.

'I've never told anyone that before.' she said, instead, aware of how haggard her breathing suddenly was. It's just Harry, she thought furiously, it's just Harry, come on now, breathe. 'I should go….homework, you know, and I've got to wash all this off me.'

'Yeah.' Harry said, but she was already scrambling up, and in the midst of her embarrassment his heavy voice was miles away.

'Ginny.'

She grimaced and turned around, mustering nonchalance.

'I'm glad you told me. If you couldn't tell anyone else. I'm glad it was me.'

She left without saying another word, but the meaning of those words was thick and heavy in the back of her throat.


'I want a word with you.'

Cho Chang was graceful by word and by manner. Even when adversarial, she seemed to glide with remarkable ease, her dark, oriental eyes alight in the afternoon sun.

It was this eloquence that made it impossible for Ginny to be anything but demure and polite as she slowed down her pace to allow the older girl to catch up with her.

'Hi,' she said, far more brightly than she felt. Her head was still woolly with thoughts of Harry. With his earlier words.

I'm glad it was me.

'Don't act casual, Ginny, there's really no point. Let's just get it out in the open.' Cho said snidely, and she pulled Ginny aside from the flowing throng of students. 'I'm pretty sick of playing second fiddle to you lately. Don't-' she gestured quickly with her hand, as Ginny opened her mouth, '-don't even try to pretend you don't know what I'm talking about. Everyone's noticed, bloody Peeves has noticed, Harry barely spares me a second glance when you're around.'

'That's not true. Harry and I have known each other for years, our families are best friends, for Merlin's sake, of course we're close-'

'Hermione and Harry are close friends,' Cho said derisively, 'you and Harry are something else entirely. You think I haven't seen the way he looks at you, with those big mooning eyes, laughing at all your jokes, lighting up every time you come in the room-'

Her lovely eyes were watery, her voice choked.

'And all that's only when I'm around…Merlin knows what happens behind the scenes…' she heaved a theatrical breath with what seemed like enormous effort. 'I'm only telling you all this because I'm done. I'm breaking up with Harry as soon as he gets out of the hospital wing. I can't pretend that Harry wants to be with me anymore, when everyone around here knows he doesn't.'

'I have a boyfriend.' said Ginny, although her head was swimming with Cho's tearful confessions. 'And Harry needs you. You know what a tough few years he's had – the Tournament, then last year-'

'He doesn't need me!' Cho fired back. 'Just because you're choosing to ignore what everyone else can see, doesn't mean I am!'

With that, she stormed away, tears now freely staining her cheeks, leaving Ginny alone in the corridor amongst the din of the surrounding portraits.

'Well, I say! Fighting over a boy, utterly ridiculous!'

'They each gave as good as they got, I say.'

'It's about time these students learn to deal with private matters privately, and not in the corridors!'


'What happened?' Hermione said immediately, as Harry walked tiredly into the Common Room. She and Ron seemed to have put their recent differences aside, and were working alone into the night (Hermione was working. Ron was staring miserably at his parchment).

'Blimey, Hermione, give him a chance. He only got out of the hospital wing a few hours ago.' Ron looked up from his half-finished Potions essay. 'Alright, mate?'

'We broke up.' said Harry, slouching into an armchair and warming his hands by the fire.

'Oh.' Hermione glanced at Ron uncertainly. 'Well. That's…a shame.'

'I think you're well shot of her.' Ron said candidly. 'She was nice enough, but a Tornadoes supporter? Anyway, you don't seem too cut up about it.'

'I'm not.' said Harry, shrugging. 'I used to fancy her, yeah, but…I dunno…not so much anymore. I don't think we're really that compatible.'

'Why did you break up?' demanded Hermione, chewing the end of her quill.

'Er…' Harry glanced at Ron and quickly looked away again. 'She said I was, er, spending too much time with another girl…other girls, I mean.'

'Not this rubbish with Hermione again.' said Ron. 'I thought she got over that after last year.'

'Er, nope, not Hermione.' Harry said shiftily. Hermione was staring at him with a very hard, scrutinising look on her face. Try as he might, he couldn't guise his discomfort.

'Well, who?' said Ron. 'Other than us…well, Ginny, I suppose, but who else other than her?'

Hermione was smirking now. Harry, aware of his cheeks reddening, stuffed his hands into his pockets and said, just to wipe the smugness from her face, said, 'Lavender, maybe? She's around us a lot.'

Ron snorted. 'She's mad. Absolutely mad, Harry. You're better off.' he gathered up his dog-eared parchment and ink and said, 'I'm going to bed. I've had enough of Snape's subject for today. Coming?'

Harry looked over at Hermione again. Her arms were folded and she had a most formidable expression on her face.

'Yeah, in a minute.'

Ron nodded and departed for the boys' dormitories, muttering obscenities about Snape under his breath.

'Spending too much time with another girl.' Hermione said. 'Well, I think that narrows it down a fair bit, don't you?'

'I don't know what you're talking about.' said Harry. 'Goodnight.'

'Hold on.' Hermione leapt to her feet, pushing her bushy mane eagerly from her face. 'Ginny Weasley, Harry. I'm not an idiot and clearly, neither is Cho. You're more obvious than Ron with Madam Rosmerta.' she said the last part acidly.

'I'm not,' said Harry, too quickly, and Hermione quirked an eyebrow up in triumph. He could barely be heard over the slow crackling of the fire as he said, 'She's over me, isn't she.'

Hermione gathered up her books and quills, frowning, and Harry watched her with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Of course she was. Ginny was spirited and fiery and bloody good on a broomstick, and, he thought furiously, unfairly beautiful. She was spoiled, Ginny, with her bright brown eyes the colour of warm honey, and sweet-smelling red hair that was probably silk on his fingertips, and a slight dusting of freckles that probably continued to her –

'Don't be too sure.'

Hermione, halfway up the stairs, had turned and spoken. Her tone was delicate, but meaningful, and it gave Harry a new, fresh sense of hope. If it wasn't for Ron, his best friend and Ginny's brother, snoring away upstairs, and Dean, his good friend and Ginny's boyfriend, lying in the bed next to him, he'd almost have felt confident.


Author's Note: well, dayummm. hope they get their act together soon :(
lol i'm just joking. course they will. I have many plans heheheh.

fun fact: i finished this at one am and I have work tomorrow :/ these are the sacrifices I make for harry potter. lol totally worth it of course

Reviews are like cold Butterbeer on a hot day (and we've had many hot days here in britain recently, anyone else sweltering in the heat?).