Disclaimer: I was planning on breaking down the poem in this chapter, and since so many of my reviewers were confused, I decided, what the hell? So here goes…this chapter will begin where the chapter left off before the poem.
Ten Things To Get For Your Favorite Quidditch Fan By A.J. Lubbock
1) For Your Quidditch-Playing Girlfriend- A charm of her piece of equipment
2) For Your Quidditch-Playing Boyfriend- A pair of his favorite team's boxers—with a promise for some fun
3) For the Fanatic- A subscription to The Q's and A's magazine
4) For the Clean-Freak- Madam Hooch's Professional Broom Maintenance Kit
5) For the Budding Fan- The Norbert Lewis Company's My First Broom
6) For the Bookworm- Quidditch Through The Ages By Kennilworthy Whisp
7) For Your Little Brother- Anything having to do with Ginny Weasley
8) For Your Little Sister- Anything having to do with Ginny Weasley
9) For the One Who Just Made the House Team- A Nimbus 3000
10) The Perfect Gift- The Firebolt
THREE
Harry and Ginny were eventually allowed out when the Weasley parents exasperatedly ordered it upon retiring to bed. Ginny began making some more gingerbread, as, in her absence, the remaining awake members of the Weasley family had eaten whatever the female members of the Weasley family had spent hours toiling over.
Harry sat in the kitchen and watched her, her face stone cold. Harry had his papers spread about the table, in textures ranging from pulp to thick paper, in colors from plain white to shiny lavender, and inks from sparkly to scratchy.
"What have you got there?" She asked eventually, as the twins had devilishly shoved everyone out of the kitchen, part of their effort to get the pair talking again.
It worked.
"Job offers. Ever since that little ditty in The Q's and A's, everyone's been sending me job offers. From Arabian bankers to this company in the States."
Ginny made a disinterested noise and rolled out the dough. She pulled her wand out and made the shapes with a flick and a swish.
Harry grinned at her and she swatted him with the rolling pin.
"Hmm…Puddlemere's looking awfully interesting." Harry whispered in her ear as she flicked the excess dough off of the cookie sheet.
"It's my rival team." Ginny answered coldly.
"Come on, Gin, we both said things—" Harry began, and Ginny raised an eyebrow.
"Don't even start with that. I did all the talking and I meant everything I said." Ginny told him flatly.
"Alright, alright!" Harry shook his head in surrender, eating the excess cookie dough.
"It's not working, Fred."
"If anything, it's getting more awkward."
"Shut up, Percy."
Fred brought a finger to his lips, pulling a vial out of his pocket. "Oy, Gin, could you make a cup of tea?"
He pulled a wand out of his robe with his free hand and pointed it through the archway at Ginny's back. "Kalahari."
"Actually, I am rather thirsty. Anyone up for a cup of tea?" Ginny flicked her wand about, getting the ingredients out.
"Ginny makes the best cup of tea, Harry." Percy confided in him. Harry nodded gravely, paying attention to his papers.
Ginny made the tea the Muggle way, Harry noticed. She had pushed the cookie tray into the oven, oven mitts on, apron strings dangling and Harry smiled. As she stirred the tea atop the oven, he leaned forward and took his wand with his free hand and tied the strings to his fingers.
At first, she didn't notice. Harry had moved so that he could reject letters without her noticing, and of course, had lengthened the strings on her apron.
Moments later, as Ginny began setting the timer, Fred undid his spell on her and suddenly she wasn't so thirsty. Her brothers and Harry all gathered around in the kitchen as she began pouring the tea and Ginny found it difficult to move.
"Harry!" She cried, swatting at the apron strings absentmindedly. "Untie those!"
"Dunno…I like this distance from you. You can't bite me." Harry said, tossing aside the Arabian banking letter.
"I wouldn't count on it." Percy said, and the twins snorted into their teacups. Eventually, Fred managed to slip a little something into the tiny bit of tea Ginny had poured for herself.
Ginny, of course, got around to sipping hers and nearly spat it out. "Oh, this is horrible!"
"It tastes just fine, Gin!" George said, winking at his twin.
"It tastes great!" Harry added, but the girl covered her mouth in disgust and rushed out of the kitchen.
"Remember to go to the bathroom at the top of the stairs, Gin…you'll wake up everyone if you blow chunks anywhere else!" George shouted after her and Percy spat into his cup, yelling at George about being obscene.
Harry sped after the dashing redhead and the twins after him.
"Gin?" Harry asked softly. There was no answer. He tried to shake the doorknob, and it wouldn't come undone. The more he tried, the more it began to burn. He tried using his wand to get the door to unlock, but it didn't work. "Gin, I'm coming in!"
Harry Apparated into the bathroom, only to land directly on her.
"Harry!" Ginny exclaimed. She pushed him off easily—mainly because he had lost weight, even if he was all muscle, but mostly because of whatever she had drunken.
"Are you alright?" Harry whispered. "You wouldn't open the door."
"It wasn't locked." Ginny answered worriedly, getting up and trying the doorknob again. "I wasn't even sick…something just tasted disgusting…overwhelmingly disgusting, but by the time I shut the door, I felt fine. I didn't even hear you"
Harry followed her and after a few minutes, she threw her hands up in disgust. She turned and yet again, the pair was put into an uncomfortable position.
"Fred, George, mum will have your heads!" Ginny began to shout and ramble, pulling out of the awkward position. "Percy, I swear, if you have anything to do with this!"
Harry sat on the edge of the bathtub, watching her ramble for a moment, and he thought about the offers that appealed most to him.
"Ginny, did you know that they want another Seeker for the Holyhead Harpies?"
Ginny turned sharply and accidentally pushed Harry on his back. "Why would you want anything to do with the Holyhead Harpies? It's traditionally a girls' team."
Harry grinned; proud of the fact that she couldn't be thrown when it came to Quidditch. "Well, you're fourth in the league, so I figure…"
"It's only because of our Seeker and—you wouldn't." Ginny's voice was dangerously low, and her stomach shifted slightly on his lower abdomen. "Aren't you some sort of hero or something?"
"Nothing's like that feeling of flying." Harry murmured, quoting one of Ginny's first American interviews.
"Are you trying to make my life miserable?" Ginny asked, and suddenly, looking into his unadulterated, pensive stare, she began to notice she was lying on top of him.
"They're being very quiet, Fred."
"Don't get angsty, George…they're not done yet."
"How would I make you miserable? Reveal to the locker room you don't actually wear Loves at home? I'm sure they knew that." Harry said, almost laughing as Ginny rose angrily. "What? You wanted me to find my new purpose."
"You know, some people had to work really hard and Mr. Billionaire Potter Who Has Saved the World Eight Times most certainly will outshine them, despite how hard they've worked." Ginny snapped, and Harry did the boldest thing off-hours that he had ever done.
He stole a kiss.
And that was when all hell broke loose. Ginny smacked him and pushed him to the ground, tearing at his shirt and putting her lips on any bare skin she could find, and Harry did nothing to stop her. In fact, as she straddled his clothed waist, he arched his back and gripped her gently, and they moved at an unbeatable speed.
Harry's head started to hurt. All the people downstairs—their faces kept flashing in his mind as he and Ginny furiously snogged, getting out all of their frustrations about life. Harry didn't have any purpose any longer, as his primary mission in life since he came into this magical world was to be rid the world of evil and be himself.
He didn't know who he was anymore.
Ginny's eyes began to fill with tears as headlines flashed in her head. That's all she seemed to be anymore, as a headline.
Harry pulled away and looked into Ginny's helpless, tearing eyes, and he pulled her into a hug, ignoring the mat seriously tugging his pants down as they moved. Ginny shook and cuddled into him. He comforted her as she shook some more, ranting about commercial success and tabloids until she was hoarse. He kissed the top of her head and they fell asleep with the same thing on their minds.
"This can't be right."
The twins entered not long after and, upon seeing that it seemed everything had gone to plan, exited promptly.
To be continued.