A/N: Well...er...yes, that took quite long. But this chapter didn't want to be written! And now I've got this one and the next one finished together. And I'm both posting them, so that should make you happy, right?

So...usual disclaimer applies and I thank KD for betaing this.

Chasing Virginia

"It will be okay. Everything will be okay. There are no problems in the world. Everything is going to be okay," Tammy kept muttering over and over and over just before our match against Puddlemere United.

"Just do what you did a month ago and everything will indeed be okay," Gwenog snapped at her when she got fed up with it. Can't really blame her. Tammy can be a right pain in the…well, she's bloody frustrating sometimes!

"Their Keeper's come down with a nasty form of Dragon Pox," Gwenog continued.

Natalie burst out laughing, saw the seriousness on Gwenog's face and muttered a quick, "Sorry."

"So," Gwenog continued once again, "As it is, he won't be able to play, so they're pulling out their reserve Keeper. And judging by her looks, she won't have to fly around to cover all of the goal posts."

Evy, Natalie and I all groaned.

"Exactly," Gwenog nodded, taking our groans as some kind of agreement for whatever she was thinking. "So watch out. Tammy, try to do the same as last month. Perhaps we'll survive."

"Thanks for the confidence Captain!" Tammy joked as she shook her head and grabbed her broom. "But their Seeker hasn't fully recovered yet from their last match and their reserve apparently has been fooling around with their Keeper, because she's got the Dragon Pox too."

A huge grin broke onto Gwenog's face. "No reserve Seeker, eh? How about we show them what we're made of then?"

We won.

It's as simple as that. We won the match after an hour of excruciating agony. The Snitch didn't show and their Keeper really was as good as Gwenog had predicted. But since Rachel's pretty good too, we mostly were waiting for the Snitch to show up. It must have been one of the most boring matches ever played.

But we couldn't care less. We won! We'd gotten into the finals!

Which meant that we were in a very celebratory mood on Sunday, when the infamous England National Quidditch Team Celebratory Ball would be held.

The party was mainly being given to present the possible National Team. Broadmoor thought it'd be nice, which is an excellent example of why you shouldn't get too many Bludger related injuries. But still, it meant that everybody who tried out was officially invited and was allowed to bring three guests. Seeing as Tammy wouldn't have anything to do and I would meet Harry there, I invited her. And when I wanted to invite Hermione, she told me she would already go with Ron and Harry. I couldn't possibly come with only one guest, so (against better judgement, I swear! Even Angelina hadn't invited Fred (even though they were back together again) when she too was allowed to bring guests!) I invited the twins.

Yes, well, blame me later, all right?

Tammy and I decided to go together and I thought Harry and I would not really be able to miss each other, since the party could never be that big. I realized how wrong I could be once we arrived. It seemed as if the whole of Quidditching England had been invited. What did I say, England? I mean the World!

Tammy was immediately looking around with a Fred-and-George look on her face.

"No," was the first thing I said when she opened her mouth to speak.

"Oh come on!" she almost begged. "We can have so much fun here! Think about it, messing with people's minds only to let them blame it on drinking too much."

"Are you sure you haven't been drinking already?"

"Ginny! It would be fun! These parties are always boring and everybody will want to congratulate us for some stupid reason like getting through to the semi-finals."

At that moment I saw Rita Skeeter walk by. Who invited her? Surely the wizard who sent the invitations had been attacked by a mob of Pygmy Puffs and couldn't therefore be judged for his actions, which, unfortunately, included inviting her.

"You know what?" I asked as I tore my eyes away from Skeeter. "I reckon a little fun is just what this place needs."

"Someone's ogling you," Tammy whispered in my ear while she hugged me. She had been walking around to see who had accepted their invitation and were currently attending the ball.

"Wha-?" I managed to choke out. What was she talking about? Surely nobody wanted to look at me here! And certainly not in that way! But Tammy just nodded in the direction she'd come from and I turned around, curious, only to find Harry standing there, gaping like a fish. I smiled, waved, made a mental note to find him later on to make sure he fulfilled his part of the deal and turned back to Tammy. "So, who's ogling me?" I asked curiously.

"You were just waving at him," she smiled knowingly. "So, where's this Skeeter-woman? I'm quite in the mood for a new wave of tittle-tattle to take over the wizarding world."

Why did I ever agree with her to play this stupid masquerade?

"Harry does not ogle," I stated after a moment.

"Oh but he does," Tammy said knowingly, "Now seriously, where is that Skeeter-woman? I really want to make up some new gossip."

I heard a chuckle leave my mouth, but turned instantly serious. "Harry would never look at me that way. At anybody, for that matter."

"You know," she sighed. "For someone who keeps telling everybody that you're over him, you sure have a way of making every conversation about him."

I glared at her and felt my temper get the better of me. "Well, I am over him. I gave up on him ages ago!"

"Ah…the magic word!" she grinned. "You gave up. But you're no fun like this. I'll go and see if I can torture Harry some more." And with those words she disappeared into the crowd. She couldn't…she wouldn't! Would she?

Ah…but she would…

Harry looked startled when Tammy walked up to him, but his expression soon changed into an angered one. What was that about?

Apparently he and Tammy were having quite a row…even though it seemed to be coming more from Harry's side than Tammy's. What on earth was going on there?

"Hi Ginny!"

Confused, I turned around to see Hermione standing there. "Oh! Hello Hermione…you wouldn't know what's going on with Harry, would you?" I motioned towards Harry and Tammy.

She looked in the direction I had been nodding at and started to smile. "I don't really know, but if he would tell anybody, it would be you," she answered.

What was that supposed to mean? I looked at her, bemused, but she simply smiled a little more knowingly and nodded in the direction where Harry was standing. I saw Tammy leave him as I turned around.

"I'll just ask him, shall I?" I said a little bewildered.

"You do that," Hermione smiled and the next moment she had disappeared into the crowds.

"Looking good, Gin," he said as he eyed me up when I had arrived. Like with the whole 'ogling'-thing, Harry does not eye people up. Especially when I'm concerned.

So I answered very suspiciously, "Flattery won't get you out of this, Potter. Especially since you wanted to set me up with one of the members of a certain Malfoy-family."

"I'm not trying to get out of this," he smiled. "I wouldn't want to miss spending a night with a very attractive witch."

I kept looking at him very warily and said, "Who are you and what have you done with Harry? Oh no, you haven't accepted anything from the twins, have you? I knew I shouldn't have invited them!"

"Come on, Gin," he laughed as he grabbed my arm, "I have a bet to fulfil."

We had fun.

We laughed during the dances, especially when Harry tried to twirl me around and failed miserably. Well, at least he didn't try to step on my toes…He didn't really seem embarrassed about not being able to dance and didn't complain when I started taking lead. A few times I saw Tammy's reserve shooting daggers at me with her eyes, but both Harry and I couldn't care less. After a few dances, however, we both had had enough and went to get something to drink.

"So the girlfriend isn't jealous?" I asked jokingly.

"Nah," he grinned, "She's sitting at home, reading. She doesn't really like to dance, actually. Well, couldn't blame her when I'm her dance partner."

"At least you don't step on anyone's toes," I tried to sound compassionate.

"Yes, and I thank whoever is responsible for that."

"So…any secret tactics I should know of for your next match?" I asked casually.

"Nice try, Weasley," he smirked, "But I'm not giving out details this close to the match. You'll just have to wait and see like everyone else."

"Talking to the enemy, Potter?" Wood appeared next to us.

"She's not the enemy, Wood," Harry smiled, "She's my date."

Oh. Okay.

"Did you tell her that?" Wood said after noticing my astonished face.

Harry laughed. Whatever happened to him sure was an improvement. He looked so much different than when he was fighting Voldemort. Back then he'd been so serious…Perhaps Quidditch is a better career than being an Auror…

"I lost a bet," Harry explained, "She thought she was a better Seeker than me and apparently she was right."

Wood gaped at me as if I had made his world turn upside down.

"He isn't infallible, you know…" I tried to explain while rolling my eyes.

"Yes, he is!" Wood exclaimed. Oh bugger…what did I do? Why did I even start this stupid bet? I looked at Harry who mouthed that he would take care of it, so I went to find Tammy. A little 'confusing Rita Skeeter'-time might be just what I needed.

Wherever I went during the rest of the evening, Harry was watching me. When I went to get a drink, Harry was following me with his eyes. When I was talking to someone, Harry was observing me. Both what Tammy had told me and how Harry had acted around me soon became very confusing, as my thoughts seemed to wander to Harry rather than staying with the person I was talking to.

Okay, so maybe my thoughts wander towards Harry most of the time, no matter what I do. But this time he actually was acting as if…well…I don't know! I know I lured him into taking me as his date, but after an hour I'd had enough of all of this and decided to go and confront Harry. This wasn't a date anymore; this was him stalking me everywhere I went!

It wasn't that difficult to find him (as he seemed to be stalking me and stalking usually meant being near to the person being stalked). It was almost as if he desperately wanted to be found (hence the stalking). For a moment I thought he was back to his brooding self, but then he smiled smugly at me and I felt my Weasley temper flare right back up.

"Oy! Potter!" I yelled when it looked as if he would disappear again. The next moment, however, he was standing in front of me, still looking far too smug for his own good.

"Hullo Ginny," he said, "Let's get out of here."

"You're bloody mental, you know that?" I said, irritated. "You've been following me and looking at me all evening!"

"Yes, I have," he admitted, smiling, "We are, after all, on a date…" But if he reckoned he could get away with it that easily, he was wrong. I didn't have best friends like Hermione and Tammy without a reason. We don't let people get away with things.

"You're a brainless, stupid git!" I was really frustrated and wanted to get it all out of me. "For nine years you simply ignore me and now you reckon it's time to start noticing me? To start following me around wherever I go? To keep your eyes on me as if I'm your property? Because you know, Potter, I'm not. I have never been your property and I never will be."

I noticed we were someplace quieter. When did we get here? And why didn't he react to what I'd said? It was his turn. He wanted to get away from the crowd and into this…what was this?

No…he wouldn't dare…A broom cupboard?

I felt my anger flare right up again. "What is this place, a broom cupboard? You know, for the most powerful wizard in the world you sure have a lack of imagination! Don't even think you…"

"If you continue, I'll have to do a Ron and Hermione on you," he shut me up. I looked at him, confused. What was he talking about?

"I'll kiss you to shut you up," he explained with a smile.

If somebody had heard my thoughts, they would have admitted me to St. Mungo's, because I had an undisclosed amount of voices talking to me…

You're already quiet, so he doesn't have to kiss you, voice number one said. Harry Potter wants to kiss you! voice number two squealed…I shut that one up quite effectively by letting voice number three take over, It's all a joke. He'll laugh and it will be over. That voice agreed with number four, You're dreaming. In a few moments you'll wake up and all of this was a dream.

Well…at least that's what I would have heard had I not been otherwise engaged in kissing Harry. Merlin, he can kiss!

"And what would your girlfriend think of this, Mr. Potter?" I asked softly after a few moments. "Surely this'll make her jealous."

"I wouldn't know," he smirked. "Are you jealous?"

Bloody hell…that didn't mean what I thought it meant, did it?

"And to think I could've had this sooner," he sighed. "I really am a prat."

"Yes, you are," I agreed.

He looked at me cheekily. Who had ever thought Harry Potter to be cheeky? "Well, let's make up for the lost time, shall we?"

I could definitely get used to this.

A/N: So, happy now? And before you push the button for the next chapter, push the other one with 'review'...