A/N: I originally intended for this chapter to encompass two or three more scenes, but this story seems to be settling into the 5,000-7,500 word chapter range, and I think I like it. I have a couple of "surprises" planned, if that is right word, and I want to make sure that they arrive naturally. So, slow and steady it is, lol. Huge thank you for all kinds of technical word help to NKA and others, and to the Ginny Lovers Discord for support and enthusiasm. They've been hosting a big fic exchange that goes live tomorrow on AO3 - check out the "Ginuary" challenge for all sorts of prompted stories. Thank you as always for your thoughts and reviews, if you feel like commenting. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy!

Harry whirled out of the Floo at Grimmauld Place and almost smacked right into Sirius. His godfather reached out at the last moment to steady him. "Harry? What are you doing here?"

"Last I checked, I lived here," Harry joked. He looked more carefully at Sirius. "Are you going somewhere?" Sirius was wearing his "Muggle investment specialist" outfit, although instead of a white t-shirt, there was a starched button-down under his blazer.

"I thought you and Ginny would stay the night up there, at the castle or in Hogsmeade," he said. "What happened to you? it looks like you got into a fight with the Giant Squid."

Harry didn't reveal how close a guess that was. "Why would Ginny and I stay in Hogsmeade?" he asked, perplexed. He'd been planning all along to come home and tell Sirius about the lake and the mer-queen, and had even been lecturing himself to swallow his pride and admit what had happened with the grindylows. It hadn't even occurred to him to make sure Sirius would be there. Now his godfather looked uncomfortable.

"No reason in particular," he said quickly. "Just that I thought you might want to spend more time at Hogwarts. It's been a while since you spent any time there. And Ginny might want . . ."

"Ginny doesn't want to go back yet," Harry interrupted. "It was hell there last year. And even with the rebuilding . . . it's not the right time yet."

Sirius gave him a thoughtful look. "You're right; I should have thought about that." His eyes flickered to the clock above the sink. "Still, it didn't take you nearly as long as I would have thought. I was planning . . . well, it doesn't matter what I was planning. I'd like to hear what happened today."

Harry's waterlogged brain finally managed to connect the dots. "You were going out," he said, trying to remember if he'd ever seen his godfather leave the house in the evening. He took in the neat Muggle clothing. "Something for work?"

Sirius shifted on his feet. "Something like that," he said. "I'm umm, I'm not the only wizard - or witch - who enjoys playing with Muggle investments." He looked at the clock again. "But you and I should talk."

Harry thought about feigning a yawn but then did for real first. "I'm knackered, actually. You weren't so far off about the Squid." He waved at the Floo. "Go off and have your meeting; we can talk in the morning."

Sirius hesitated another moment. "Are you sure? I really can stay."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm perfectly capable of putting myself to bed," he said. "I expect I'll sleep like a log."

"I'll be sure to come in quietly anyway," promised Sirius. Harry thought it a rather odd comment; what would be noisy about his godfather walking upstairs to his bedroom later? He didn't say anything though; Sirius was obviously eager to go . . . wherever he was going. But he wasn't leaving yet and Harry realized that maybe he intended to keep his destination private. While on a different night he might spend some time taking the mickey out of Sirius for keeping secrets, the longer he stood in the kitchen the more Harry realized that he was starting to feel exhausted down to his bones. Had he really swam to the bottom of the Black Lake, talked to a mer-queen, and then battled a grindylow just this afternoon? It somehow felt like days ago. He wondered idly if Ginny was as tired as he was, or if she was telling her parents about it all right now - maybe her brothers too. It occurred to him that he hadn't asked her not to share the story. He wasn't sure he really cared and right now he was too tired to even think about it.

"Right then," said Harry. "Have a good night." He yawned again. "I'll just . . ." He gestured out of the kitchen. "See you in the morning."

Sirius looked about to say something else but then nodded. "Have a good sleep." He reached slowly for the Floo powder.

Harry didn't wait around to try to eavesdrop. His soft bed upstairs was rapidly becoming the only thing he could think about and he was already pulling off his cloak as he walked out of the kitchen. His attempt to merge it back together had been only partially successful and when it fell apart in his hands he just left it in a ball on one benches in the front hall. The staircase up to his room was right in front of him but Harry detoured to the left and into the sitting room without really considering why. The mantle on the fireplace here was too low to travel through comfortably but it spit less ash than the kitchen and thus was ideal for sending messages. Before he could stop himself, Harry threw a bit of Floo powder onto the grates. "The Burrow!" he called out. Only then did it occur to him that Molly or Arthur were the most likely to appear and he didn't have any idea what he'd say to them about why he was Flooing their daughter after spending an entire day with her. Hell, there was a good chance she was already asleep.

But it was Ginny's face that bobbed in the flames a moment later. She'd obviously already showered off the lake and little hisses of steam rose up when water dripped off the end of her hair. Her eyes opened with surprise. "Harry, is everything okay? I was just about to go to bed."

"Me too," he nodded. "Although I probably need a shower too, don't I?"

"The warm water felt good," Ginny agreed. She waited.

"I just wanted to . . . thank you again. For saving my arse. I uhh, I guess I wasn't as prepared as I thought I was."

Ginny smirked. "You guess?" she asked lightly. Then she shrugged. "I didn't protest more, and I could have. I could have insisted on coming with you in the first place." She looked behind her into the Burrow's kitchen for a moment and then turned back. "I didn't tell my parents," she said, more quietly. "And I won't, unless you want to. Or anyone else."

"Me either," said Harry. "Unless we need to." It occurred to him that Ginny had less of a reason to care if people heard the story than he did.

She crinkled her nose. "You aren't going to tell Sirius? Maybe not about the grindylows, but even the mer-people?"

"I will, yeah. Eventually." Harry nodded. He's just actually . . . he's not home right now, for me to tell."

"Where is he?"

It was a perfectly reasonable question. All Harry had to say was that Sirius had gone out for a bit and Ginny would have let it go at that and Harry could have gone upstairs to bed. It was probably exhaustion that made him feel peevish enough to be more honest. "I don't know," he said, and then for good measure added, "he wouldn't tell me; thought you and I might stay over at the castle tonight."

"Why the hell would we do that?"

Harry was secretly pleased to hear the indignation in Ginny's voice. "Exactly. We wouldn't," he said flatly. "I think Sirius didn't want me to know he was going out. He was dressed in his Muggle business clothes."

Ginny's expression softened. "He's still getting used to how to be your godfather. I bet he doesn't want you to be alone."

"I'm eighteen!" Harry protested. "I don't need to be minded."

"And he knows that," said Ginny. "But I expect he's also trying to be sensitive to your - our- situation. Have you noticed that he doesn't talk much about his personal life?"

Harry was embarrassed to admit that he hadn't. "We're usually too busy talking about mine," he said. "And about my parents, but I'm pretty sure Sirius enjoys that as much as I do." Now that he thought about it, Harry realized that he'd never thought about Sirius having friends, here and now. His friends were the Marauders, as far as Harry had ever been concerned. And Lily and Marlene McKinnon and Dorcas Meadowes, among a few others. But just because Sirius had lost the best friends he'd ever have in his life didn't mean he'd want to be completely alone now. "He deserves to have friends," he said adamantly. "And without feeling the need to hide them from me; even if they are a bunch of stuffy Muggle businessmen." He smirked. "Although I may have to tease him a bit if they are."

Ginny grinned. "Can you really see Sirius getting on with a bunch of stuffy Muggles?"

"I guess not," Harry agreed. "Muggles who ride motorcycles then." He gave an enormous yawn and a moment later Ginny followed suit. "I really need to go to bed," he said. "I'll ask Sirius more about it in the morning."

"Let me know what he says," said Ginny. "If you do, I mean."

Harry nodded distractedly. The exhaustion was washing over him again. "Yeah," he said. "See you." He got up from his spot in front of the fireplace.

"Goodnight, Harry; don't let the grindylows bite."

At the doorway of the sitting room Harry stopped and looked back at the dying green flames with a smile. "I won't," he promised.

HPHPHP

Harry slept more soundly that night than he had in weeks and was puttering around the kitchen making coffee the next morning when Sirius walked downstairs. Harry took one look at his godfather and immediately stifled both his smirk as well as his intention to interrogate him about his evening. The man looked something very close to what Harry would call hungover; at the least, tired and out of sorts. He handed over a mug.

"It's strong," he said.

Sirius nodded brusquely. "Good." He took a sip and some of the tension faded from around his eyes.

Silently, Harry opened the cabinet containing a number of bottles and vials Molly Weasley had supplied him with when he'd first moved into Grimmauld Place. The bottle of thick golden liquid was still sealed tightly; so far even the nights with bottles of Firewhiskey hadn't required it. He tapped it open and put it on the counter without a word.

Sirius gave a quiet snort as he picked it up. "Somehow I thought you'd be the first one to use this," he said. He poured a healthy dose into his coffee and sipped again. "Fuck, I needed that." He looked over at Harry. "Do you want to tell me about what happened yesterday?"

Harry understood that he was being redirected from asking Sirius about what he'd been doing last night to need a hangover potion this morning. He also found that - at least for this moment - he didn't mind. He'd let Sirius have his private life for a bit longer. But instead of diving into the story of the mer-queen and grindylows and Ginny's rescue, Harry found his thoughts going elsewhere.

"My dad was arrogant." It wasn't a question. Harry hadn't believed it when Snape had first accused him of strutting like his father but he knew better now. And he knew the truth was important.

"He was, sometimes." Sirius inclined his head in agreement. "As was I. But he grew out of it before he and Lily got really serious about each other." He gave Harry a searching look. "I like to think I did too, even though I may sometimes act as though my secrets are more important than yours."

Harry didn't have to point out that no one with a heart as good as Sirius's could spend twelve wrongful years in Azkaban and emerge anything but humble. Still, he understood the apology for what it was and just as quickly waved it away. "You're entitled," he said. "And I need the help, apparently."

Sirius sat down across from him. "Arrogant is the last thing I'd call you, Harry." He held up his hand to stop Harry's interruption. "Not that you don't have other traits that could use some modification. But too much ego generally isn't one of them."

"Except for yesterday, when I thought I knew better than Ginny what we were supposed to be doing in the lake." Quickly he explained how the mer-queen had admonished him for not bringing Ginny with him to the bottom and about how he'd almost been drowned by the grindylows until Ginny had saved him. When he finished, Sirius shook his head.

"That's not arrogance, Harry. You just need to learn how to listen better."

"Listen to Ginny, you mean?"

"That would be a good place to start," Sirius nodded. "What is your next step with the contract? And what does she want to do?"

Harry had to admit he wasn't sure. "We did talk a lot yesterday, at the Three Broomsticks, but I guess it wasn't really about our next steps. I guess we need to do that."

Sirius grinned. "Nothing wrong with that; you'll get there." He abruptly stood up. "Why don't we go out for breakfast? I think we're out of eggs and bacon here anyway."

Harry got the feeling Sirius had changed the subject on purpose. Still, it wasn't like he needed to keep talking about Ginny anyway. He nodded in agreement. "Sounds good."

HPHPHP

Normally Harry would have felt rather put-out about going into the Ministry on a Sunday, but being there for the start of the inter-department Quidditch league was another matter altogether. He wasn't the only one who felt that way; the Atrium was crowded with witches and wizards chattering excitedly to each other. Many were holding brooms and a number were even wearing old Quidditch uniforms from Hogwarts and elsewhere. A flash of red and gold caught his eye and Harry grinned. Ron actually had on his full Keeper's kit and was standing with a group of Auror trainees, leaning casually on his broom m as if he hadn't a care in the world. Harry knew better, and when Ginny sidled up next to her brother the look on her face made Harry suddenly glad he'd decided on an unadorned t-shirt and pair of track bottoms.

"Going out for Beater then, Ron?" he asked with a grin. Lee Jordan gave him a high-five.

"I'm sure Fred and George could teach him a thing or two about avoiding Bludgers," he said. His expression grew sly. "Just like you need another lesson in avoiding grindylows, apparently, right Potter?"

Harry froze. "I umm . . . who told you that?" He couldn't keep his eyes from traveling to Ginny. She stared back, a warning in her eyes. Lee punched him lightly on the arm.

"The walls at the Three Broomsticks have ears," he said with a grin. "It was a rumor but I think you've just confirmed it, mate." Before Harry could say anything else, Lee called across the group. "Hey Angelina - you can tell George it's true about Harry and Ginny." His voice wasn't actually that loud, but enough that the knot of trainees standing around all heard. Silence fell, and although they probably didn't actually turn as one to look at the two of them, it certainly felt like it in the moment. Harry heard Ginny swear under her breath but he didn't dare look at her again. Not surprisingly, Ron was the first one to speak.

"So you aretrying to fall in love then? Bill wasn't so sure which way you'd decided to go." He gestured at the other Aurors. "When he lectured us about cursed contracts last week while you and Ginny were at the Department of Mysteries."

"So you went back into the lake to recreate the Second Task?" Angelina Johnson came over to stand next to Lee. "Did it work? Did you miss Ginny this time?"

"Or maybe he tried not to miss her." Now Parvati was looking back and forth between Harry and Ginny with a shrewd look on her face. "Because they definitely are not in love. Not yet, at least."

Harry's heart sank. He ignored the chatter around him - the entire Auror training class knew all about the contract, it seemed - and tried to think. Was that what he'd done wrong by not bringing Ginny with him to meet the mer-queen? Missed out on the chance to break the contract by proving that she was absolutely not the thing he'd miss the most? It couldn't be the only chance he had; the queen would have said something. He ran his hand through his hair.

". . . doesn't work that way, so don't be a prat, Ron."

Harry recognized the tone in Ginny's voice and wasn't surprised to hear her using Ron's name. He looked at her. "Whats's he being a prat about?" He didn't think Ron would be upset to have the Second Task being discussed again, all these years later and indeed, he didn't look angry.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Asked if I thought it would have worked better if you'd been the one to save me instead of the other way around. Seems to think that would be all it takes for me to fall madly in love with you." She crossed her arms. "Have you told your girlfriend your theory? Because I'm sure she'd have plenty to say about your thinking that only blokes can play the hero and it's up to the witches to sit back and wait to be rescued. Is that how it worked in your relationship?"

There was laughter all around and Harry was momentarily relieved not to have him and Ginny be the focus of attention.

"That's not it at all!" Ron sputtered. "You know it's not the same for me and . . . I just thought that . . . if Harry rescued you . . . since you two have to fall in love, right?"

"We're trying to break the contract," Harry said quickly. He hated that it had gone quiet again. "You know that." His eyes found Ginny's . "Right?"

Ginny nodded resolutely. "Right." Her lips tightened. "Assuming you didn't bollocks it up."

"Ooooh," someone said to Harry's right. There was a shuffle of nervous laughter.

Harry wanted to vehemently deny that he'd messed anything up but he wasn't certain that he hadn't. And anyway, he definitely did not want to discuss anything with Ginny while his entire training class stood around and listened. "It's fine," he said vaguely. "It's nothing." He didn't catch anyone's eye.

"Doesn't sound like nothing," said a voice that sounded a lot like Angelina.

"It's not nothing, and Harry knows it."

Fuck. Harry might have been able to tune out his classmates but he wasn't so much of an arse as to ignore Ginny right in front of everyone. So fine, he'd talk to her now if that's what she wanted, but he certainly wouldn't do it with an audience. He'd rather that no one even knew they were going to talk but there was nothing Harry could do about that; it wasn't time for the formal team selection to start so for right now he and Ginny were the most interesting thing around.

"I'll be back in a minute," he muttered to Ron as he pushed through the group. He didn't look back to see if she was following him.

"Put you down for Seeker, right mate? In case you and Ginny don't make it back?"

Harry almost made a rude gesture at Ron but stopped himself. Ron and Lee would just as soon sign him up to be team mascot as a joke and Harry didn't want to give them any more reason to do so. In the quieter corridor that led to the Ministry service lifts Harry finally turned around.

"I know, okay? I know. You don't have to tell me. I fucked up." Harry didn't know if the best defense was always a good offense but he couldn't keep quiet. Ginny sighed.

"So this isn't just about me meeting the mer-queen then. We could have broken the contract if you'd taken me with you into the lake." Her voice was accusing, and even though Harry knew it was justified, it still rankled.

"Why are you arguing about it?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "I'm not arguing, Harry. I'm simply explaining why I'm right."

Harry threw up his hands. "I know you're right - I just told you you were right!" If he wasn't quite yelling it was close, and he glanced back towards the Atrium. He only really cared if Ron had followed them, but no one appeared and after a moment Harry turned back to Ginny.

"I'm not sure, but yeah, probably. You're obviously not the thing I'd miss the most, so if you'd gone with me to the bottom of the lake we maybe could have had a reset or something. The mer-queen said it was inevitable." Harry tried not to sound too bitter. This wasn't Ginny's fault.

"So let's go back. We'll bring plenty of extra clothing and towels this time."

Harry shook his head. "I don't think it works like that." He didn't know why, but he was pretty sure they'd ruined their chance to break the contract that particular way. If he expected Ginny to disagree, he was surprised.

"Yeah, now that we know, it kind of takes away the power of the spell, right?"

Harry sagged. "I'm sorry, Ginny."

"Me too." Her voice was quiet. "It would have been nice for it to be so easy to get my life back - for us to get our lives back, I mean." She played with the bottom of her shirt. Harry noticed for the first time that she was wearing a faded Gryffindor practice jersey that somehow made her look more serious about the game than Ron in all his heavy equipment. He didn't know what to say. After a moment she looked up.

"Do you think that's it? That there's no other way to break the contract? Because no matter what my brother says, that's what I want. To get us both out of this mess." Ginny didn't quite put her hands on her hips but the intent was clear. For a moment Harry was reminded strongly of Mrs. Weasley.

"I'm sure there has to be . . ." he began, then stopped. "What do you mean, 'no matter what Ron says?' What did Ron say?" Harry tried to remember if he'd heard anything. Ginny looked churlish.

"Ron thinks we should try to, you know." She made a dismissive motion with her hand. "Be together." Her face shuttered. "Which I told him is absolutely out of the question."

Harry didn't know what to make of this fact, or that Ron had said something to Ginny but not to him. He cast about for something to say that hid his confusion. "Even if it wasn't out of the question, telling us what to do is likely to have the opposite effect anyway," he said finally. "Kind of like what happened with the lake." He rolled his eyes, trying to make light. "Besides, what does Ron know? He probably just wants us available to double date with him and Hermione."

"Yeah, well," Ginny suddenly looked uncomfortable. "It's not just Ron. Bill thinks it would be easier if we tried to fulfill the contract instead of breaking it."

"He said that?" said Harry sharply. Ron was one thing but Bill Weasley actually knew what he was talking about when it came to cursed objects and dark magic. "Does he think it can't be broken?"

Ginny slowly shook her head. "He didn't say that . . . exactly. Just that it's probably the more difficult way to go about . . .things."

"Well what does that mean?" Harry glanced towards the Atrium again. "Bill thinks it would be easier for us to fall in love?" He paced across the corridor. "Just because he's married to a Veela he thinks anyone can fall in love when they want to, just like that?" He snapped his fingers. "Because it doesn't work that way for the rest of us."

"Harry, I know that." Ginny wrung her hands. "I'm just telling you what Bill said." She looked down the hallway. "I think they're starting soon."

Harry blew out a breath. "Right," he said. "Sorry, no need to hex the messenger. It just took me by surprise." He nodded. "But yeah, we should get back and hear how they're setting up the teams and all. We can talk about this later." He stopped himself from mentioning that their list of things to talk about later kept getting longer, and yet nothing was getting resolved.

They walked back into the Atrium and Ginny followed Harry over to rejoin the Auror trainees without comment. He waited for Ron to say something; indeed, Ron was watching them both with a curious look on his face. Harry had to stifle the urge to blurt out that he and Ginny had just shagged in one of the lower courtrooms so no one had to worry anymore. It wasn't a funny joke anyway. He caught Ginny staring at him and realized he was frowning; quickly, Harry schooled his features and turned towards the front of the room, where the head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports was already welcoming everyone, his magnified voice booming across the space.

". . . spirit of friendly competition and camaraderie, we hereby open the Ministry's first inter-departmental Quidditch League! To all of you who have missed playing . . ."

As excited as he'd been to play Quidditch again, Harry couldn't force himself to focus on the speech. Instead he found his mind wandering back to Bill Weasley thinking it would be easier if Harry and Ginny fulfilled the contract instead of trying to break it. No matter how much he respected Bill's knowledge, Harry just couldn't believe the man would think there was anything easy about getting two disinclined people to fall in love. He glanced over at Ginny. She was standing next to Ron but had turned a bit away from him and by all appearances was completely intent on listening to the rules for the new league.

Harry knew her expressions better by now, though, and he suspected Ron had again made a comment to Ginny instead of him.

Could it be possible? Maybe it was the mess of the past few days and his guilty knowledge that most of it was his fault, but for the first time, Harry allowed his thought to go there. What would happen if they couldn't break the contract, ever? If the only other choice was to be alone forever, would he want to try to fall in love with Ginny? Putting aside for the moment the fact that the very knowing they had to do it would likely make it impossible, Harry tried to imagine what it would be like to have a girlfriend - any girlfriend. Someone who'd be waiting for him when he got home from work, maybe with dinner waiting? And they'd talk about their day - she'd have a job in a shop or at Gringotts or something - and then they'd what, kiss? More? Harry shook his head to himself. Where would he meet such a witch that he'd want to spend time talking to her instead of with Sirius and his friends? And the thought of kissing this faceless witch was . . .

". . . start with exhibitions before moving into a round robin style tournament. Each department will play a total of eight games . . ."

Harry stopped listening again; Ron would fill him in. Or one of his other classmates. Maybe that was it - maybe it would have to be someone he already knew, like from work. Harry looked surreptitiously at those gathered around. It was as good of a place to start as any; these were his coworkers who liked Quidditch. Harry may not have any idea about his "type" when it came to witches, but a love for Quidditch was a must. Ron didn't particularly mind that Hermione only tolerated the game but then, Ron and Hermione often seemed drawn together more by their differences than what they had in common.

Unfortunately, Harry didn't see one possible candidate among his peers. Susan Bones was boring and Parvati was likely only here to find a bloke from one of the other departments to date. Angelina was taken, of course. And all the others seemed to blend together so that Harry couldn't remember if it was Dahlia or Crimson with whom he'd been paired for their last practice mission, or if Genevieve or Chiara was the one who'd missed a week of classes after an accident in the potions lab. Clearly, imagining himself with a girlfriend was going to be difficult.

"I won't play on the Auror team if you don't want me to." Ginny was suddenly standing next to Harry again. He looked at her in confusion.

"Huh?"

Ginny gestured around the room, where groups of Ministry workers were huddling into departmental clumps and separating further into smaller teams - the Aurors alone had one of trainees and two more of the more senior members of the department. "I can play for the DMLE, if you'd prefer. Jimmy Peakes is going to play with them. Although Zacharias Smith just took a position there." She made a face. "He's an arse."

"Why wouldn't you play here?" Harry didn't bother agreeing with Ginny's assessment of Zacharias; it was a given that he was an arse. "We're going to have one of the strongest teams."

Ginny grinned. "I'd call you cocky but I think you're right." Her face grew more serious. "I just, you know. Wanted to give you some space."

"Some space?" Harry lowered his voice. "I thought you wanted to play with us so you could impress the professional leagues."

"I do, but I can play well with another team. And you can get away from thinking about, you know, for a while." Ginny shrugged. "Isn't that what you want?"

"I don't know what I want." Harry spoke without thinking, his mind still on the what if it couldn't break.He shook his head. "I mean, I don't care. It's fine if you play with us." He shrugged. "You should play on team that's going to make you look the best."

"Again with the ego, Potter," said Ginny lightly. She nodded. "As I said, since I agree with you, I accept."

"Accept what? Harry, did you just offer something to Ginny? Is this something we should know about?" Ron was suddenly at their side, Lee Jordan and Angelina on his heels.

"They're working out captains for each team and then a department captain," announced Angelina. "But I don't think you can offer it to the Hogwarts students. They can play on our teams though."

"Only if there's room," said a rather sulky voice. Harry turned around to see fellow trainee Milo Boot standing with his arms crossed. Milo was the older brother of Harry's former classmate Terry Boot and had also been a Ravenclaw, but where Terry was good natured and had a biting wit, Milo's ego about his intelligence was his defining (and possibly only) characteristic. He was holding a pair of Chaser's gloves.

"Who said there had to be room before a Hogwarts student can play on our team?" asked Harry. "I'd think we'd want the best players, that is, assuming you want to win."

"Of course I want to win," said Milo, rolling his eyes at Harry's apparent misunderstanding. "I've performed a Runic analysis of each potential player's skill set and come up with an ideal Chaser trio of me at point, flanked by Angelina and Susan. My scoring aptitude under intramural conditions should well outpace any other options for the Auror trainee team. Moreover . . ."

"Are you smoking Dungbombs?" Lee asked, just as Angelina huffed "there is no way I'm flanking you on point, Boot." Lee looked at Harry.

"I announced every game this tosser played in, and I use the word 'tosser' not to describe his skill with a Quaffle at all. Honestly, I'd put Mrs. Norris on a broom first."

"That's only because you heckled me every match," sputtered Milo. "My skills are stellar when I'm able to showcase them without distraction." He made a dismissive gesture at Ginny. "Certainly better than hers are."

"And how do you know that?" Harry pushed his way into Milo's face. "Ginny's one of the best Chasers I've ever seen, and she'd be a spectacular addition to our team." He vaguely saw a few more people turn in his direction but at the moment he could only think about wiping the smug look off the other man's face. "Not to mention that she's more than a decent Seeker too, and understands how all the positions on the team need to work seamlessly to be effective. So far all I've heard you talk about is yourself."

"You tell him, Harry," someone yelled and everyone around them laughed. Milo gave Harry a haughty look.

"You're showing your hand, Potter. Trying to get Weasley to fall in love with you by flattery now?"

It took every ounce of Harry's self-control not to hex Milo right there. "This has nothing to do with how I feel - or don't feel - about Ginny," he said tightly. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ginny watching the exchange, an unreadable expression on her face. Given their earlier discussion in the corridor, Harry could only imagine what she might be thinking now, hearing him publicly denounce his interest in her. And even though she had confirmed the same feelings about him, it still felt like something private to be kept between the two of them and not blurted to the public like this. He tried to meet Ginny's eye but she was looking very determinedly towards the head of Magical Games, who was now talking about how each team would pick their uniform colors (choices would be submitted and then finalized by a selection charm). For a moment Harry thought he saw her lips tighten as if she was trying to conceal a smile, but then the next second he was sure he'd imagined it. He turned back towards Milo. "How about a tryout then? Best Chasers make the team?" Harry had no doubt that Ginny would be one of the three. Angelina gave him a thumbs up as well and Harry felt some of the tension leave his shoulders. Milo huffed.

"Fine, but that means a tryout for all positions. Including Seeker." The haughty look was back. "According to my Arithmancetic calculations, you may not be the best option."

"I thought you said you used Runes," interrupted Ron, while Lee muttered under his breath, "pretty sure Arithmancetic's not a word."

Milo glared at them both.

"I wouldn't expect you to understand." He looked at Harry. "Are we in agreement?"

Harry nodded. He had no real idea what he was agreeing to, given that he'd listened to almost none of the organizational speech. For all he knew each department would pick its team out of a hat. And he didn't want to show Milo - or anyone else - that he was certain no one else would best him as Seeker. He might have thought it was true, but he wasn't stupid enough to let anyone else know it. Anyway, Harry wasn't even sure anyone else in his training class played Seeker, actually. There was one other option, though. . .

For a moment Harry considered what would happen if somehow the Chasers ended up being Susan, Angelina and Milo. Would Ginny compete against him for the chance to Seek? Would she be upset about that? Harry flushed to himself. Maybe she'd beat you, Potter! It could happen; Ginny was a good Seeker. Whether she was as good as Harry was another matter. He stood there for a moment, brooding the thought of being cut from the Auror team, when a low voice spoke beside him.

"We could share the position, you know."

Harry looked at Ginny, startled. "Huh?"

She grinned. "You were wondering what would happen if I challenged you for Seeker, weren't you?"

Harry flushed again. "I just think you're a brilliant Chaser; you'll definitely beat out Boot even if you tied one hand behind your back. It's not that you couldn't be a Seeker or anything . . ." Ginny put her finger across his lips. He stilled.

"It's okay for you to think you're a better Seeker than I am, since I'm a better Chaser than you," she said simply. Her face was still amused. After a moment Harry nodded.

"You should really teach me Legilimency" he said. "It's my weakest subject."

Ginny grinned again. "It's not Legilimency, Harry. I just pay attention."

That reminded him of what Sirius had told him. "And I apparently need to learn how to listen better. I tend to . . . make a lot of assumptions."

"Well, I liked that you assumed I'd play Chaser for your team." Ginny touched Harry on the arm. "Thank you."

Harry shrugged, nonplussed. "You belong there. Not Boot. We'd be a disaster with him."

Ginny nodded. "Well, thank you anyway." She suddenly looked across the Atrium. "Actually, I'd better get back . . . to my class. I have some questions about the homework, need to catch Luna, before she leaves." She gave Harry a quick smile. "Thanks again though; and make sure Ron has to try out too, okay?" Before Harry could answer, Ginny turned and disappeared through the crowd.

Harry was left with the feeling that he'd said something wrong, but he'd be damned if he knew what it was. Not terribly wrong, he consoled himself. Just maybe a little bit about him . . . not listening well. He sighed. Hermione had always accused him and Ron of not paying enough attention to things, but those things had usually involved their most boring lessons. Figuring out Ginny so that he didn't keep putting his foot in his mouth was a different problem altogether. He glanced across the Atrium, which was now clearing out rapidly as the Ministry employees departed to reclaim the rest of their Sunday. He saw Ginny deep in conversation with Hermione, whom Harry hadn't even realized had come. He caught Ron's eye.

"Hermione doesn't even like Quidditch," he said. Ron's face lit up at the sight of his girlfriend.

"Yeah, but she loves me. We're going to grab some lunch." He paused for a moment. "Do you and Ginny want to join us?"

Ginny's words from earlier about what Ron wanted came back to him. Harry shook his head quickly. "I'm meeting Sirius," he lied. He certainly did not want to encourage any sort of double dating or anything.

Ron nodded. "Next time," he said with enough certainty that Harry was sure the matter was not closed. He started to walk away.

"Thanks for taking down Boot like that. Ginny'll make a much better Chaser."

Harry turned back around. "That's what I told her."

Ron nodded again. "Good. That's . . . good."

Harry sighed to himself. "Go see your girlfriend, Ron." Hopefully Sirius would be up for a glass of Firewhiskey or two, and would be willing to leave the conversation about listening to witches for another day.