A/N: I keep mixing up American and British terms in my story. I'm American, sorry ;) I think I will stick with that, but I still like the word "ruddy"!
Disclaimer: None of the terms or characters that appear in any literature authored by J.K. Rowling belongs to me. They rightfully belong to J.K. Rowling. Any other allusions mentioned on this page do not belong to me either.
Chapter 13
Ginny was skipping jovially through fields of flowers. She saw Harry at the end of a pasture. She ran to him and they held each other for what seemed like an eternity. She was about to kiss him until he hissed, and she saw a snake's tongue come out of his mouth. Ginny backed away.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
Ginny woke up from her strange dream. It was unlike the others which seemed to have more of a point. "That was a stupid dream," she said to herself. "Maybe if I thought hard enough, I would have been able to breathe fire." She giggled to herself at the thought of a scorched Harry.
She arose to do her morning routine quickly. I can't wait to tell Hermione everything, she thought as she brushed her hair. "But I still wonder why Harry was snooping around my bathroom." Ron probably made him search for clues. "Yeah, probably."
Ginny was high-spirited as she came down for breakfast and met Mrs. Weasley there. She grabbed a piece of toast. "Hi, Mum!"
"Good morning!" said Mrs. Weasley, merrily. "I assume that you rested well!"
"Yep!"
"It's a wonderful day. You should go outside sometime. Ron and Harry are outside playing Quidditch. They told me to tell you that they may need some help."
"Well, I planned on going out to the garden," she said, not adding that she meant to write in her diary while she was there, "but that can wait! I'll get my broom!" She went into one of the cupboards, grabbed her Cleansweep 7, and went outside. She found Harry and Ron hovering around on the brooms on the field at the east side of the Burrow.
"I'm telling you, there is something very peculiar about her!" Ron said out loud, not noticing that Ginny was approaching them.
"Peculiar about who?" she asked. Harry and Ron turned their heads in her direction.
"Uh—Madame," Harry said and contemplated, "Hooch. Madame Hooch!"
Ginny gave them a suspicious glare. "What's so peculiar about Madame Hooch?" she asked as she mounted her broom and levitated up to Harry and Ron's level.
Ron flew over to her on his Cleansweep 11. "It's none of your business, Ginny!"
"The same way how Madame Hooch's business is none of yours either!"
Ron and Ginny were used to bickering, but Harry, being the mediator, chimed in, "Ginny, since you're here, you can throw the Quaffle around with us."
"Surely, Harry!" she said with a sweet smile and then quickly glared at Ron. Harry flew down to the ground on his Firebolt, and unlatched the case of Quidditch balls. He flew back up, holding on to the Quaffle and threw it up in the air. Ginny caught it as she went long, tossed it and then hit it with the back of her broom, aiming it at Harry.
"Good one!" He said as he caught the Quaffle. He then did the same sequence as Ginny did, but aimed it at both Ginny and Ron.
"I got it!" Ginny called. She caught the ball, and was about to toss it, hit it, and aimed it at Harry again.
Ron was fed up about being ignored and excluded. "Hey, does anyone remember me?"
Harry and Ginny both looked at him. "What's wrong, Ron?" Harry asked.
"I'm the one who needs more practice than both of you! Ginny, you're off the team, and Harry, all you have to do is look for the Snitch!"
"It gets boring looking out for that thing!" said Harry, "And Ginny needs the most practice; she's going for Chaser!"
"Yeah," said Ginny, flying down to the ground to put the Quaffle back in the case.
"Ginny being a Chaser on the team? That's ridiculous!" exclaimed Ron.
"Really? You're not exactly Keeper material, yourself! Plus I supported you when you tried out!" Ginny replied.
"You both are perfect for the Gryffindor team. Now, stop fighting! We all need practice, and we must of well have fun doing it!" Harry said.
"Okay, well, maybe it would be fun for all of us to be Seeker right now," Ginny said. She took the Snitch out of the case. Ron and Harry gave her nods of approval as she released it. She flew back up 20 feet into the air.
"Where did it go?" Ron demanded. The three looked around.
"There it is!" Ginny pointed to it next to a tall Oak tree. She smoothly flew over to it, closely followed by Harry, and Ron brought up the rear.
Ginny was about to grab the Snitch as it disappeared again. "Oh, no!"
"Now, where is it?" Ron asked, and looked around.
"It's down there!" Ginny pointed out, "No, wait, that's a nectarine!"
"You really shouldn't tell anyone when you see it, Ginny," Harry advised.
"Yeah, she almost blew it last time when it was right next to Cho Chang's head!" Ron said and pointed with his index finger. "'I see it!'" he mocked in a cheery high-pitched voice. "Luckily, Cho was about to get hit with a Bludger, she moved out of the way."
Ginny covered her face in her hands. "Oh, I completely forgot! I did do that!"
Harry looked at her and smiled. She returned a glance and laughed.
"I do support you on trying out for Chaser, Ginny!" Ron said, "So then you won't snitch on the Snitch!" He then disregarded his own advice and pointed below. "There it is! I see it! I see it!"
"Ron, that's the same nectarine from before!" Ginny said.
"And I saw it! Doesn't that count?"
Harry took his glasses off and joked, "I think you need these more than I do!"
"Shut-up, Harry!" Ron said and beamed.
After spotting and chasing the Snitch several times, Ginny caught it. Harry was so close, too. She was convinced that he was going easy on her.
"It was pure luck!" Ron argued as the three walked into the main room. Apparently, he caught it at one point, but it slipped out of his hand.
"It's not my fault I have keen eye-sight and a firm grip!" Ginny boasted.
"Have a good time, children?" asked Mrs. Weasley.
"Yeah, but Ginny cheated!" Ron said in a non-serious tone.
"Ginny owns! She flew like she was riding my Firebolt!" Harry raved.
Ginny beamed. "I'm sure you would have caught it if Ron didn't fling that spider on you!"
"I didn't know what else to do! It was on my head!" Ron exclaimed.
"Well, you two, go upstairs, clean up, and come back down for lunch!" Mrs. Weasley said to the boys as she was dusting the curtains. Ginny remained in the room.
"Mum?" she asked. Ginny wasn't sure why she summoned her, but she felt a need to.
"Yes, Ginny?" Mrs. Weasley responded.
Ginny still wasn't sure what to say so she resulted with, "Can you fix this?" She showed her the tattered bottom hem on her jeans.
"Most certainly! I can do it today," Mrs. Weasley said. "I'm so glad you're around to help me deal with all these boys running around the house. I'm always finding their belongings to be filthy and uncared for. I've given up, but maybe you can do something to save poor Harry."
Ginny laughed as she wasn't quite sure what Mrs. Weasley meant by her last statement. "Okay, whatever you say, Mum."
"Soon, you're going to know what it's like!" Mrs. Weasley said and then put her hands on Ginny's shoulders. "My only daughter is growing up!" She squeezed.
"Er--I think I'm going up to take a bath myself!" Ginny said in an unusual state. "See you in awhile!" She kissed Mrs. Weasley on the cheek.