CHAPTER TWO
Miniature Quidditch
"Hello? Is anybody home?" called a voice from downstairs.
Harry launched himself off the floor and ran to the landing, where he could peer down from over the banister. "Ginny? What are you doing here?"
She looked up, eyes sparkling even in the gloomy house. "I still have the night off, and I came to see Teddy, of course."
"Ginny! Ginny! Ginny! Ginny!" the four-year-old shrieked as he raced down the stairs. She bent down as he tackled her into a hug, and Harry laughed as she nearly lost her balance. Although Ginny was dressed in a simple pair and jeans and a Weird Sisters t-shirt, she still looked lovely. As he walked down the stairs, Harry wondered briefly what she might have worn to their date had it not been canceled.
Teddy stepped back, showing Ginny one of his toy action figures on a broomstick. "Guess what, Ginny? Harry and I are playing with my Quidditch set and I'm beating him!"
"That's because you're going to be a great Quidditch player, Teddy," she replied, standing up and smiling at Harry. She then leaned forward and whispered; "It's really cute that you're letting him win."
Harry frowned. "It would be absolutely adorable if I was actually intending to lose."
Ginny repressed a laugh, and Harry's heart skipped a beat as she leaned over to kiss him. He had to be the luckiest guy on the earth to get a girl like her. They had been together for almost five years, and he still marveled at his good fortune every single day. She was kind, beautiful, tough, and coincidentally one of the world's best Quidditch players. They couldn't go anywhere without someone recognizing either of them, but he wouldn't have it any other way.
As Teddy rambled off about some play he had invented, Harry let his mind wander to the ring he had hidden in his bedroom. It was a simple thing, nothing gaudy or ostentatious, but rather a little gold band with a diamond to accent her pretty red hair and fair skin. Would she like it, though? Harry was almost positive that she would because Ginny wasn't big into wearing jewelry. Like right now, the only bit of jewelry that adorned her neck were the two D.A. coins she had left over from the war.
"Where are you, Harry?" Ginny asked, waving a hand in front of his face. "You're awfully spacey today."
Teddy led them into the kitchen, where Kreacher was preparing a nice dinner of steak and kidney pie. "He's upset because he didn't get to go out and eat at the fancy restaurant with you."
"Is he?" Ginny replied playfully. Harry's face flushed red. "What else did he say?"
Before Teddy could even open his mouth to respond, Harry cut in loudly. "I also said that I would love something good for dinner, and I believe Kreacher even made enough for you as well, Ginny!"
Although suspicious, Ginny turned and asked Kreacher if she could join them, to which the House-Elf obediently bowed and agreed. Harry, meanwhile, leaned over and whispered into Teddy's ear. "Don't even think about it, Ted. It's supposed to be a secret."
"But I —"
"What are you two whispering about?" Ginny asked.
Straightening up, Harry felt his heart jump uncomfortably in his throat. "Teddy was just telling me that he wanted to challenge you to a Quidditch match after dinner."
"You're lying again!" gasped the four-year-old.
Ginny looked from her sweating boyfriend to the little boy and back. Though not quite comprehending, she nevertheless knelt beside Teddy and said; "No way, I was just going to ask you if you wanted to play. I bet you could teach me something good for tomorrow's game."
"Really?" Teddy asked, sufficiently distracted.
Harry sat down at the table, slightly weak at the knees. He knew he was not out of dangerous water, however, because Ginny snuck him that familiar, stubborn look from under her curtain of ginger hair. Kreacher served them their dinner, and they ate through pleasant conversation. Once they were done, Teddy dragged them upstairs to his Quidditch set. The players were sitting around, impatiently waxing their broomsticks as they waited for instructions. Like always, Teddy picked his lucky blue team, and they launched themselves in the air. The red team, which had been so unhappy under Harry's direction, brightened up at the prospect of a professional Quidditch player. It was an interesting game to watch. Teddy was determined to win, like any normal four-year-old, but Ginny was more interested in watching the little players fly in formation and perform different plays. She lost, but it wasn't as terrible as Harry's defeat had been.
"But they ALWAYS win," complained one of the chasers of the red team, and Harry laughed as the tiny little hands balled into fists.
Teddy frowned. "Well, I guess I could play with them next time."
"That would be a good idea," said Ginny, who was watching the blue seeker fly in circles around the little pitch. "Remember my brother Ron? His favorite team is the Chudley Cannons, and before they started winning all those games, they had a terrible losing streak. It feels bad to lose all the time."
"Really?"
"Oh, yeah," Harry responded. "But I think this little Quidditch player needs to go take a bath."