Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition
Round 6
Chudley Cannons
Chaser 2
Main Prompt: Harry/Ginny
Additional Prompts:
3. Emotion: Surprise
4. Trait: Angry
11. Trait: Cheerful
Tumblr Prompts:
Prompt 68: "Are you just going to stand there and gawk?" / "Yes." / "Well stop it. You look stupid."
Prompt 23: "I'm not afraid of your sister, you're afraid of your sister."
Prompt 29: "Do you even know what a whisper is?"
Word Count: 3000
...
"I found a love for me,
Oh darling, just dive right in,
and follow my lead.
I found a girl,
beautiful and sweet.
Oh, I never knew you were the someone
waiting for me."
…
The Mystery Girl
...
"She's crazy," Harry heard Ron moan, "and just when you think you've reached the bottom of her craziness, there's a crazy underground garage," and winced as the latter banged his head on the table.
That morning, when the sky was barely blue with a chorus of greys, Harry had heard Ron scream bloody murder and shot up off the bed, only to see him behind a huge oval mirror — courtesy of Neville's grandmother — and went back under the covers. He'd figured that if Ron was potentially being threatened by a crazed homicidal maniac, he wouldn't have been screaming about it while standing behind a century old mirror. So he'd gone back to bed and been woken up an hour and a half later by a snickering Fred and George on a visit to Hogwarts, who'd informed him of a very distraught Ron in the Great Hall.
Of course, he'd rushed out, slipping on a shirt backwards, and scrambling towards the Great Hall, heedless of the beautiful day outside and how perfect the wind was for a game of Quidditch, closely followed by the twins, who snickered all the way there. It was only when he reached it did he fully grasp that the situation couldn't have been too bad if the twins were snickering.
Worst case was, there'd been a prank gone wrong. Ron being on the opposite side of it.
Harry squinted as he walked forward, eyebrows furrowed as he tried to discern the misshapen blob on top of Ron's head. For a second there, it did look like a spell gone wrong and Harry felt a twinge of panic as he walked faster. It was red from what he could see, and he came to a stop as he realised that it looked frighteningly like a poorly knit hat.
"Why," Harry said, still squinting, "are you wearing that?"
Ron didn't answer, instead wailing as he buried his head in his hands. Harry shared a look with a still snickering Fred and George who'd taken a seat on either side of Ron while Harry took the seat opposite.
"Beautiful hat eh, Ronniekins?" Fred said, in a vaguely condescending tone. "Though, if I might say, a poor choice for impressing darling Lav-Lav."
Ron didn't answer and let out yet another sound of anguish which sounded more like a distraught sob than a yell.
"Are you…. okay Ron?" Harry asked a second later, out of necessity more than concern.
"No I'm not okay!" Ron wailed, "I'm not bloody okay! Do I look okay? No! I'm wearing a bloody woolen hat in the middle of May!"
"We've noticed," Harry said, as he took small sips from his mug. "Why though, are you wearing a woolen hat?"
"Oh, let us," Fred said, a sly grin on his face as he bent forward and ripped Ron's hat off.
George howled in laughter as Harry choked and spluttered out his pumpkin juice, coughing violently as Ron lunged forward at Fred, who dangled the hat at arm's reach.
"You've got pink hair," Harry laughed at the same time Ron yelled at Fred to give back his hat or go and do something he dared not mention in front of Mrs. Weasley.
"Oh, Ronnikins," Fred laughed.
"you look so awfully good —" George quipped.
"— have we mentioned?"
"Suits your brows," which were also pink.
"— and your eyes —"
"— not to mention the lips." George puckered his lips slightly, making a popping sound that only managed to anger Ron even more as he looked fit to murder.
"Mind your own bloody business," he yelled at anyone who looked twice at him, or more specifically, at his head.
"It's pink!" Harry giggled again, covering his mouth as Ron shot him a glare, before dissolving in hysterics again.
"It's lavender, I'll have you know," he grumbled.
Harry laughed harder, before finding it in himself to sober down. Fred and George, though, paid no heed as they continued laughing hysterically, Fred even going to lengths to ruffle Ron's lavender hair, met by a glare and a well-placed curse word.
"What were you trying to do?" Harry said, glancing at Fred as he bit back a smile. "Match with Lavender?"
"Sure, yeah Ron," Fred added, "it'd be even more fun to stick your tongue down her throat with that head full of hair of yours. Imagine her hands tangled in your lavender hair, her lips —"
Ron punched Fred in his side, cutting him off as he doubled over laughing, while Harry drew his legs in as Ron's flung over to kick his.
"Ginny did this, not me," he defended. "And I'm going to have it out with her, I tell you. I'll dye her hair purple, or green, or-or black —"
"Wait, Ginny did this?" Harry gaped. "Wow, I mean, bad wow, very disappointed wow," he said quickly as Ron shot him a look.
"You underestimate her," Ron grumbled, "she's the devil's spawn, that one, even worse than these two gits here." He pointed at a smirking Gred and Forge.
Harry smiled to himself, his cheeks reddening rapidly as he spotted George looking at him with a suggestive grin. Fred joined in, wiggling his eyebrows, and Harry ducked down in embarrassment.
"Won-won!" he winced as heard a shriek cut through the silence, "ohh, my precious Wonnie-boo!" He cringed as he heard Lavender making kissing noises as she ran over to where they were sitting.
"Murder me, Harry," Ron muttered.
"Yeah, no," Harry replied, "you're doing a pretty good job yourself," he shook his head as he picked up a piece of toast, quickly leaving as Lavender threw herself over Ron.
…
He was screwed.
His assurance of his screwed-ness became even stronger as he heard Filch hurrying down the corridor and calling out for Mrs. Norris. The dastardly cat was going to die a horrible death, Harry was sure of it, and he cringed as he heard another pair of footsteps right outside the broom cupboard.
The small space was cramped, just high enough for Harry to rise up to his full height, and it was dark. Pitch dark, and if this was the metaphorical colour black — as Luna so wisely commented time and again — he didn't like it very much.
Harry held his breath as hurried footsteps stopped in front of the cupboard and turned around to hide his face as the door opened, eyes blinded by the light outside. He heard the door close again.
And then the blackness resumed.
That was until he felt a hand push him backwards roughly and he shrieked, his hands going up in mock defence.
"Who the hell are you?" the person demanded, and Harry discerned it to be distinctly feminine, and familiar. Very familiar, he thought.
He stayed silent though, wary of giving his identity away to a girl in a broom cupboard. Perhaps, he thought, she'd get the memo and leave, though he couldn't for his life guess why she had been hiding there in the first place.
The girl stayed silent for a second, probably waiting for a response before she said fiercely. "I swear, if you're Draco Malfoy or another one of his cronies, I'll hex you where it'll hurt. Badly."
"I'm not," Harry replied hurriedly, though he suspected even Malfoy would answer no to that. But the girl seemed satisfied as she humphed and turned around. There was a soft mellow in the mystery girl's voice and he knew he'd heard it before, he just couldn't place where.
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked, before cursing under his breath. Normal conversation generally required a 'who are you?' and mutual knowledge of their identities, but clearly, that wasn't the case here, and anyway, Harry had a slight feeling that the girl wouldn't disclose her identity even if he asked.
He waited. And then sighed as the girl remained silent.
"You're talking too loud," she said finally. "Obviously, you're hiding in here from something, or someone," she snorted there and Harry smiled, "so if you don't talk softly, then you're going to get us caught."
"Filch's cat," Harry said.
"What?"
"I'm hiding from Filch's cat."
"Oh," the girl gave a humorless chuckle, "bloody thing's going to have a miserable death. I'm sure of it."
"So I take it you're hiding from her, too?"
"Filch actually," the girl said, "and I suppose that includes the cat too."
"What did you do?"
"Set off fifteen dung bombs in his office," and Harry could swear she had a tinge of pride in her voice, and for a moment, marveled at the nerve of this girl who'd threatened to hex his parts off the first minute they'd met, now claiming to have thrashed Filch's den. There were very few in the school who had the guts to do that, and Harry felt himself flushing as he wondered whether the girl in front of him was Ginny.
Before he could say anything more though, she stepped forward and pried open the door, peeking out to look for what Harry knew now was Mrs. Norris and her owner.
He caught a glimpse of her red hair as the door opened, and his suspicions about her identity grew and almost the very next second, the girl shut the door close, and he could make out her leaning on it.
"Bloody hell," she cursed, and Harry for the second time was flooded with how familiar that sounded, and how he had heard Ginny curse like that before as he felt her push him against the back wall of the cupboard and shuffle in behind him, so that now they were just barely touching, yet not, her body shielding his. Harry felt himself smiling at how the girl, who he had now deemed about a foot shorter than him, was trying to shield him from whatever came knocking on the door. The feeling felt almost foreign for him, for nobody before the Weasleys and Hermione had ever so readily provided a shield so unanimous and here was a girl, who could very well turn out to not be Ginny, shielding him from a petty predator.
However trivial that sounded, Harry felt a warmth blossoming in his chest.
"Just remember, if we get caught, you're deaf and I don't speak English."
"Huh?"
"I think Filch's coming our way," she explained.
"What?"
"Do you even know what a whisper is?" the girl hissed, and Harry's instincts went into overdrive as he clamped his hand on what he could hope was her mouth, pushing her backwards as he shielded her petite body with his, so that he was now between her and the door.
He waited for the footsteps to pass, completely aware of how close the two of them were, and he waited with baited breath as he heard Filch's grumbles get softer. The moment the sounds became distant, Harry yelped and snatched his hand away. She'd bit him!
"Lumos Maxima," the girl whispered and her wand lit up. Harry blinked as he saw her features come into view and her bright brown eyes glare fiercely up at him before they softened.
"Harry?"
"Ginny?" Harry said, more like a fact than a question, because he'd already known who it was all the way. He just couldn't believe he hadn't recognized her the second she'd entered the cupboard. It was hard not to.
Ginny laughed, and Harry turned red, satisfaction brimming in his chest as he took in her illuminated face. Her chuckles died down as she looked up at him.
"Are you just going to stand there and gawk?" Ginny asked, a smile playing on her lips, and Harry had an unexplainable urge to just bend down and kiss her. They were just a few inches apart, probably the closest they had been since forever, and it would take him to bend just a few inches to capture her lips with his.
"Yes," Harry found himself answering truthfully.
"Well stop, you look stupid."
And Harry laughed, and Ginny joined him, and Harry found himself just looking at her and thinking how beautiful she was. And not just beautiful, she was… radiant.
His hand was still pressed beside her head and she slipped out underneath it, the light in her wand dimming as she made her way to open the door.
"Aren't you coming?" she asked as the door swung open. Harry squinted, his eyes adjusting from the dark to the light as he, for a brief second, noticed how her red hair seemed to light up against the sun, making it seem as if it was on fire.
So he followed her out, and they smiled as they met each other's eyes.
Ginny noticed him before he did.
"Shit," Ginny cursed. "We're screwed."
Filch glared at them as Mrs. Norris purred, and Harry couldn't help but agree.
…
"Oh there was a time when they used to hang students by their thumbs in the dungeons," Filch said darkly. "Those were the days."
"I suppose you were hanged like that a lot," Ginny said sweetly, and Harry nudged her, sending her a warning look.
"What did you say?"
"They probably used your toes. Seeing your thumbs weren't large enough."
"Two months scrubbing the toilets with a toothbrush," Filch screamed shrilly, and Harry pushed Ginny backwards as the man advanced on her, Mrs. Norris following him.
He stopped as he saw Harry's menacing glare. "You, boy," he said, glaring at Harry, "you're going to spend a month in the dungeons. Scrubbing the floors till they shine."
"That's not fair," Ginny bellowed, and Harry pulled her away before Filch could open his mouth. He suspected if they stayed there for a second longer, there'd be murder committed. Or at least a heinous crime.
"Two months in the toilets," she muttered darkly as they walked down the corridors, "that lying, cheating piece of scum," she growled. "And his cat—oh, I hope that cat rots in hell."
Harry laughed, and then stopped as Ginny shot him a look, both of them lapsing into silence.
"Seeing your thumbs weren't large enough," Harry chuckled, seconds later. "You don't take things seriously sometimes, you know?"
"Never take life seriously," Ginny said, and Harry looked at her, glimpsing a side of her he hadn't seen before. "No one ever comes out alive anyway."
And though those words were too crude to be true, Harry agreed with them wholeheartedly.
…
"Wait," he said as they neared the Gryffindor common room, before laughing, "you dyed Ron's hair pink."
"Lavender, actually," Ginny replied, "thought it'd match his girlfriend."
Harry chuckled, shaking his head as Ginny grinned an impish grin. "You're scary, you know." The words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them. "Amazing, but scary."
Ginny laughed as she leaned against Harry's shoulder. "That's one of the best compliments I've ever received."
"One of the best?" Harry asked. "What's the best?"
"Oh. I don't know," Ginny shrugged, "probably on the lines of crazy ass she-demon who hides under children's beds."
"Really?" Harry laughed, "who said that?"
"Ron. I think Charlie agreed too."
Harry laughed and flushed as his hand brushed against hers. Instinct took over as he interlocked his fingers with hers and Ginny looked up in surprise, before relaxing into his hold, smiling happily. She was beautiful, Harry couldn't help but notice again as she swung their hands to and fro like two children.
But, he supposed, it probably wouldn't hurt being a child once in a while.
He'd never been one before — he'd at least never felt like one, even with Ron and Hermione. Like the entire world, they expected things from him, however few they might be. Ginny never expected; she'd always been the one to give without expecting anything in return. Never once, looking at him in pity or with a look that showed she understood everything he was going through.
She didn't, and she knew that and she made sure everyone around her knew it too. She tried to understand though, but if she wasn't able to, she didn't try further. Never pressed for more. Ginny, Harry had seen, was as open as he was withdrawn. What he saw was the truth — at least to him — and she was fiercely proud of that,almost daring anyone to oppose, but nobody ever did. He liked that.
Harry looked at her once again, smiling as he saw her glance at him through the corner of her eye.
"Oi, Harry!" He heard Ron's voice break through his reverie and felt a surge of disappointment as Ginny spotted her brother and let go of his hand. Ron was wearing that hideous woolen hat again, and Harry and Ginny exchanged glances, looking away to hide their grins.
"Heard you got into detention with Filch," Ron wheezed, "and you too." He pointed at Ginny.
Both of them nodded and Ron looked at them suspiciously before asking, "Were you two together all afternoon?"
"Yeah, well —" Harry looked at Ginny.
"We kind of fell in trouble together."
Harry smiled.
"Can't imagine why," Ron replied snarkily. "And you," he said, looking at Ginny, "don't think I haven't let you off the hook for this." He pointed at his hat, slightly grimacing.
"Didn't know I was on a hook," Ginny said cheekily. "I think you've lost your bait."
"Just taking pity on the number of toilets you have to scrub."
"I'll ask you for help if necessary."
Ron shook his head, exasperated. "He didn't do anything, right? Filch?" he asked, moments later.
"Relax, Ron," Ginny smiled, "I can take him any day."
They watched her walk away, a spring in her step, Harry with a smile on his face before Ron turned to him.
"I'm not going to see you with green hair tomorrow, am I?"
"I'm not afraid of your sister, Ron. You're afraid of your sister," Harry said and he grinned.
I think I'm in love with her.
Thank you to my teammates for beta-ing!