Falling

Summary: Theo gave up Quidditch to follow his path as a Healer. Being assigned to the sidelines for the Harpies/Cannons game, might just be the best break ever. How can a player falling out of the sky be a good thing?

Pairing: Ginny Weasley/Theo Nott

Rating: T

For xxDustnight88 - Because you asked

Written for March Maddness - Slytherin Style

"Nott, grab your game kit," Theo looked up from his desk as his supervisor walked in the room. "You have sideline duties for tomorrow's match. Harpies and Cannons. Your portkey will be waiting for you in three hours. Pack it up and get ready."

Theo missed this. The sound of the fans as the players flew around the pitch, the rumble in the ground as the fans cheered. He would never regret giving it up for what he did now, but that didn't stop him from missing it. It didn't hurt that he was getting to watch his two favorite teams play. He had been a Cannons fan since he could sit on a broom. He became a Harpies fan when she signed her first contract with them. He had never seen anything as beautiful as Ginny Weasley flying across the pitch. He knew their pasts made anything but worship from afar optional. They had tried to have a relationship when they were in school and it had ended badly. There was no way a Slytherin and a Gryfindor would ever make anything more than a disaster.

Ginny looked over the pitch as she waited for the starting whistle. Not much had changed since she played her first game at Hogwarts. The pressure was bigger because the stakes were higher, but, It was still the same game she played in the meadow beside the Burrow with her brothers. She loved the sound and feel of the crowd as they waited for the game to start. A flash of green and gold on the sidelines caught her eye. The healers had arrived. There was something about the last one on the pitch that caught more of her attention. That couldn't be Theo Nott? He worked at St. Mungo's in the Emergency Department. There was no way they would send him to sit on the sidelines of a Quidditch match. Ginny returned her attention to the pitch as she heard the whistle blow. It was time to get back to what she loved … flying.

The game was intense. Bludgers and the quaffle were flying everywhere. A flash of gold in the corner of her eye had her yelling for her seeker. "On your six," Ginny screamed as she tried to track all the balls flying on the pitch. "Fuck" Ginny yelled as she felt the bludger hit her from behind and the world went black.

Theo was busy wrapping a sprained wrist when he heard her scream. They were trying to patch up the players as fast as they could and get them back out on the pitch. He dropped the bandage and reached for his wand as he looked up to see why the noise of the game had disappeared with her scream. Throwing out a charm to slow and cushion her fall, Theo went running onto the pitch. Ginny was falling from her broom and showing no signs of knowing it. "Bloody hell, what happened," Theo heard his fellow healer yell as they raced to place charms to stop her from hurting herself more. "Bad play, Bludger to the back, Catch her," shouts from the crowd let Theo know exactly how bad things were going to be when they got to her. "Merlin's beard, please let those spells slow her down," Theo started to mumble as they positioned themselves under the falling star. "I do not want to have to tell her family any more bad news." Theo started to breathe again as he watched her descent slow and stopped praying when he caught her in his arms.

"Ginny, wake up." Theo carefully ran his hands through her hair to find the spot where the bludger hit her. "If you don't wake up, I'm going to have to call your brothers and they already hate me. Please, open your eyes." He had laid her on the training table in the locker room to assess her injuries. It looked like the only part of her that was hurt was her head. She had a large knot in the back where the bludger had hit her. She should have woken up before he got to the locker room, but she still wasn't moving.

"Ginny, love, please." Theo wasn't paying attention to what was coming out of his mouth, he just needed her to wake up. "Open up those pretty green eyes for me. I'm sorry. It was stupid. Please wake up."

Her groan stopped his babbling and the Healer in him took over. "Theo, what are you doing here? What am I doing here?" Ginny's cloudy eyes searched Theo's as she struggled to sit up. "What did you call me?"

"Just relax, Ginny. You were hit with a bludger from behind." Theo tried his best to assess her head injury without drawing attention to his confession. "Looks like a concussion from the hit and a sprained wrist from the fall. Don't hate me, but you are going to be off the pitch for the rest of the game, at least."

"Bloody hell, I need to get back out there." Ginny tried to struggle up from the training table. "We were down by two goals and the bloody snitch is on the pitch."

"And you were out for more than fifteen minutes." Theo put his hand on her chest and tried to get her to lay back down. "There is no way you are going back on the pitch."

"Did I hear you call me love?" Ginny looked at Theo's hand on her chest as she felt it tremble. "You haven't called me that since we were in school."

"I was hoping you wouldn't remember that." Theo shrugged. "My feelings haven't changed much since then. Just because we are in different houses and my family hates yours doesn't mean other things change."

"It will never work, Theo" Ginny whispered. "There are too many hurt feelings. These wounds don't heal like bones and skin."

"I'm willing to try if you are." Theo watched questions flicker in her eyes. "Things have changed since the war and I'm tired of chasing other people's dreams."

"Healer Nott, are you asking for a chance?" Ginny tried not to laugh as she watched red creep up Theo's neck and cheeks. "Doesn't that violate the healer-patient oath or something."

"I can ask again later." Theo cleared his throat and started collecting his supplies. "You don't have to say yes."

"But what if I want to?" Ginny grabbed his hand to stop him from turning away. "I'd be glad too. It looks like I have a few nights free. Dinner tomorrow night?"

"It's a date."