CHAPTER FOUR

England Vs. Russia

The press box was a lovely relief from the bitter cold outside. Harry helped Teddy out from under his many layers, and he couldn't help but feel a pang of pity for Ginny, who was currently flying around the stadium for the pre-match 'warm-up'. Even though he knew they used charms to keep their bodies warm while they played high up in the frigid air, Harry could see even at this distance that his girlfriend's face was abnormally pink from the snowy wind. He hoped the match wouldn't be too long, for her sake. It was a pre-season match, and she was the brand-new player for England's national team.

"Where's Ron and Hermione?" Teddy asked, looking around the large, and still rather empty, press box.

Harry sat down in one of the six blue chairs marked with the name 'Weasley' embellished on silver name tags. Teddy crawled into the one beside him. He was so excited that he sat on his knees, his face an expression of awe as the players zoomed before them on broomsticks. It was not Teddy's first Quidditch match by any stretch of the imagination, but he was always equally impressed. His grandmother had not let him even touch a broom, much less ride one.

"Hey, Teddy, do you want to sit on your jacket so you can see?" he asked.

"Look! Look!" Teddy shouted, standing up in his chair and pointing to a couple who had just entered the press box in a blast of cold wind.

Ron and Hermione both grinned when they saw Teddy, and they quickly hurried past a group of fur-clad women speaking rapid Russian. Although rather windswept, Hermione's face was glowing as she wrapped Teddy in a giant hug. Ron ruffled the boy's hair fondly.

"I swear you grow a several inches every time I see you, Teddy," Hermione said, and then she turned to give Harry a hug and a kiss.

Ron clapped him on the shoulder. "Alright, Harry?

"Yeah, I'm enjoying the time off work. Everything okay at the office?"

Rolling his eyes, Ron sat down beside Hermione, who was already busy talking to Teddy. "It's a little hectic. I swear Fitzgerald asked me twenty times when you were coming back. We had an incident with a false Death Eater sighting, and he pretty much wet himself and had a panic attack without you there. It took everything to keep him from trying to call you in. The little as — I mean jerk — has stepped on my last nerves. We are not his inferiors."

Harry groaned. "Don't get caught up in work drama. I'll talk to Robards when I get back."

"Harry," Hermione said, her voice a little higher than usual. "Can I talk to you for a sec?"

Harry, who knew exactly what she was going to say, stood up and walked to the corner of the box with a little trepidation. She was going to ask about Ginny. Hermione had known about the whole plan. In fact, she had even helped him pick out the ring and organize the details. Although the plan had fallen through, Harry was still thankful for her assistance. Not for the first time, he wondered where he would be if he had never met Hermione Granger.

"So you didn't ask?"

Harry shook his head, glancing back to Ron, who was currently teaching Teddy a secret handshake.

"What are you going to do?"

"Not sure," he sighed. "Maybe I'll just plan the thing again for next week. Teddy just threw a wrench through the whole ordeal. He knows, by the way."

Hermione smiled. "What does he think?"

"He's four. I'm not sure he understands much of anything. He probably just makes the connection back to your wedding."

Hermione glanced unconsciously down to her own wedding band. She and Ron had only been married for a few months, with Harry and Ginny as the best man and maid of honor respectively. "Well, Ron still doesn't know, so I wouldn't say anything yet because you know how he is with secrets," she sighed.

Harry laughed.

"What are you two talking about? Come on, the match is about to start!" Ron said, beckoning them back to their seats just as the giant scoreboard cleared itself of all advertisements.

"WELCOME ALL, WELCOME ALL TO THE PRE-SEASON MATCH BETWEEN ENGLAND'S OWN —"

A roar of excitement sprang up from the home team's side. Teddy stood up in his seat, waving the little flag that Ginny had bought him when her spot on the national team had been announced. Harry cheered along with him, his own hands raw from clapping.

"— AND THE RUSSIAN NATIONAL TEAM!"

Both sets of players rushed out in a whir of bright colors, fireworks launching from the starting gate and popping like stars over the pitch. Harry quickly found Ginny, whose red ponytail streaked behind her like an unrolled banner. Sometimes, he just liked watching her fly. It was as though she were unsupported by nothing but the air itself.

The players lined up around the pitch while the referee came out amid a crowd of cheers. He was carrying the game balls, and when he got to the middle of the field, he released all but the Quaffle. Then Ginny and the opposing team's head chaser lined up opposite each other and paused in the air as the referee prepped the first toss.

"AND THEY'RE OFF!"

Ginny streaked upward and caught the Quaffle before the opposing team could reach it. She took off like a bullet with the other players in line behind her.

"WEASLEY, JENKENS, ORSO, WEASLEY, ORSO, WEASLEY — SHE SHOOTS — SHE SCORES!"

Harry, Ron, and Teddy jumped out of their seats, cheering loudly as Ginny punched the air during her victory lap. Teddy was cheering her name, his little voice cutting through the noisy crowd to Harry's ears. He laughed and then picked the boy up and placed him on his shoulders. There were not many people in the box, and therefore, nobody's view was obstructed. Teddy turned his hair bright England red in excitement.

"If Ginny scores over one hundred points, I'm buying dinner!" Harry shouted over his shoulder to Ron and Hermione.

"Did you bring the ring?" Teddy whispered into Harry's ear.

Harry looked up at him. "No, I didn't, Teddy. Please promise not to say anything."

"I promise."