Disclaimer: Um, reading this, I really don't own much besides the plot. All characters are based on friends' characters from RPGs or canon. Wow, convenient. :)

A/N: Not a lot of plot, just a little fun!

Fated?

The Game

It was about a week after Ginny's first run in with Tara Costigan and the day before the first Hogsmeade visit of the year. As usual, the common room was abuzz for a week with excitement about getting away from the castle and its grounds. Normally Ginny loved Hogsmeade and the opportunity to hang out with her friends but the thought of the all wizarding town was currently making her nauseous. She couldn't quite put her finger on why.

Friday afternoon was sunny but there was still a chill in the air from the constant rain the two days before. Seamus Finnigan, the school sport nut, was on the front lawns trying to organize a football match for a large group of students. There seemed to be representatives from each house; girls and guys alike. Not afraid of a little sweat and dirt and definitely needing a release of energy, Ginny wandered over to join in, despite the cries of protest from Abby and Andrea. Let them be girly girls; Ginny was ready to knock some boys down.

Seamus had curly blond hair and friendly blue eyes. Ginny knew this because of the huge crush she had on him after her stint with Harry Potter. Since then, though, Ginny and Seamus had become just friends, though her heart did always flutter a bit when he was around. He had that slender, athletic build and really nice arms and the cutest crooked grin…Ginny had to stop her train of thought before she began blushing uncontrollably.

"Alright, it's decided then," He called out in his thick Irish accent, running his hand through his hair to keep it back from his face. "Boys against the girls."

"Ya!" Terran Nimphel, a fifth year Slytherin girl cheered, apparently having gotten her way. Of course, since she and Seamus were kind of an item, it wasn't all too surprising for those gathered. "Girls, over here!"

Ginny sighed, following the group of girls to their "side." Terran wasn't a particularly nice Slytherin and Ginny had a hard time getting along with her. Basically, Terran was one of those girls that got along with any cute boy but had a hard time hanging around girls. She was very competitive, especially when it came to boys, and apparently when it came to sports.

"Alright, they are going to try and be gentlemen at first and that's going to be our tactic: to surprise the hell out of them and not be ladies." Terran looked at each girl in turn, making sure her point was very clear. Ginny nodded along with the rest of them, thinking it might actually be a good strategy for their first couple plays.

As the team spread out, she took the opportunity to scope out who her opponents were. There was Seamus, right in the middle of everything. Dean Thomas and Harry Potter were over talking strategy with Terry Boot and another Ravenclaw boy. Harry was gesturing wildly and Terry looked terrified. Neville was goalie and looked very nervous and very small in front of the net Seamus had conjured. There were a couple Slytherin boys gathered together too. No Draco Malfoy but there was a Blaise Zabini. Ginny frowned when he looked in her direction but he flashed her a winning grin. Ginny simply looked away, before she could find herself grinning back.

"Here we go! Andrea, be a love and come drop this ball so we can start," Seamus called to Ginny's friend who blanched at the thought of being caught in the middle of what was sure to be a mud bath.

"I'll do it from here, thanks." Andrea whipped out her wand and levitated the ball with a quick spell. Everyone got into their positions and waited for their cue. With a flip of Andrea's wrist the ball dropped and the chaos began.

The girls' strategy worked for all of two goals. Terran had been right and the boys hesitated to push the girls around, giving them opportunity to whisk around and pass or score pretty easily. Seamus was screaming from the start to "Stop them! They're just girls, they won't break!" but it wasn't until the second goal that the boys started listening to him. Then, it was on.

Ginny was pretty aggressive, growing up in a household of boys, and she knew how to hold her own. Terran was a ball hog though and got shoved out of the way before she decided to pass it to anyone. Ginny was getting pretty muddy, along with some other girls. The boys were mostly covered head to toe, even Blaise Zabini whom Ginny couldn't remember the last time he wasn't looking absolutely perfect.

Finally, she got an opportunity to score. She got the ball and drove down the field, shoving a Ravenclaw seventh year boy out of her way in the process. Ginny scored just as Seamus reached her and tackled her. "Hey!" Ginny protested with a smile from the ground. "Since when was this full contact football?" She asked, taking his proffered hand to help her up.

"Since I make the rules," Seamus winked at her, taking the ball and heading back to the middle of the field. "Nice shot," He called back over his shoulder.

Ginny smiled and sought out her friends in the sidelines. Her stomach dropped when she finally found them. Andrea and Abby had been joined by Draco Malfoy; Tara was no where to be seen. The three were sitting on a blanket by a tree and talking rather animatedly. None of them were paying attention to the game and Ginny was suddenly dying to know what they were talking about. And why in the heck Draco Malfoy was sitting with a Gryffindor and a Ravenclaw. Wouldn't that be bad for his image?

"C'mon, Weasley, we're waiting on you." A voice called, snapping Ginny back to reality. Shaking herself a bit, she started jogging back to her side, calling out an apology.

Much to her surprise, Blaise was there, ready to guard her. She glared at him, wondering what his problem was. Why was he suddenly everywhere she was? "Jealous, Ginny?" He asked her as simply as if he were asking what time it was. Ginny frowned at him but didn't respond. Was she jealous?

Just then the play started and Ginny had no choice but to concentrate on the game, and that meant Blaise. She tried to keep him covered but it really wasn't a hard job considering that he didn't move around much. It was like he was trying to make her job easy. And it was annoying her.

Finally, the ball was no where near them so Ginny whirled around. "What's your deal, Blaise?" She demanded.

"What do you mean?" He looked mildly confused but still had on that ever cocky grin.

"I mean, why are you suddenly nice to me? Talking to me? We've gone to school together for six years and you've never once even looked at me before. So I'm asking, what's your deal?" She repeated, fists on hips, glaring.

Blaise shrugged, looking incredibly comfortable standing out in the middle of a soccer field, covered in mud and out of his usual element. Could nothing ruffle this guy's feathers?

"That's it?" Ginny asked, shrugging her shoulders mockingly. He had an easy time of getting under her skin. Suddenly, before he could respond, she was knocked in the back of the head, apparently by the ball flying her way. She stumbled none too gracefully forward, right into Blaise who caught her before she fell on her butt. She was a bit dazed but all right. When she realized where she was she scrambled away from him but didn't miss the satisfied look he was giving her.

"Weasley! I told you 'heads up!' Usually when someone calls that, you're supposed to be ready for the ball." Terran was grumbling as the time out was called to see if she was injured. Good to know her teammates were concerned for her welfare. "I think you should sit down so we can continue our game." The brunette added, crossing her arms and looking at Ginny pointedly. The girl was a tiny thing but she was still intimidating. Ginny nodded and headed toward her friends, ignoring Blaise altogether.

When she reached them she realized Draco was gone. In her anger she had forgotten he was even over there until she saw he was missing.

"I told you not to play." Andrea tsked, moving aside so Ginny could sit down and the mud wouldn't get near her. Ginny just rolled her eyes, rubbing her head where the ball hit it.

"It was fine until that Blaise Zabini character decided to push my buttons. He distracted me." She grumbled, sending him a glare for good measure. Andrea laughed but Abigail frowned.

"I think he's up to something." Abby replied, her gaze following Ginny's to Blaise. "He's been weird since that time you talked in the hallway. I've noticed him around."

"So he likes you, Ginny, is that anything to worry about?" Andrea asked them both. "I mean, he's hot, if you like that tall, Italian, confident sort. I prefer mine blond." Andrea's eyes skimmed the crowd of ball players until her eyes landed on Seamus with a little smile. Ginny watched as Andrea's eyes drifted over toward Draco who was now on the other side of the field, standing with Tara. Andrea's smile faded a bit.

"And, apparently, taken." Ginny added wryly, smiling at Abby.

Andrea shrugged, agreeing. "True. My taste is good, just a little too late." Sighing she grinned at the two girls. "It's not like they're married, anyway. I still have hope."

"Speaking of," Ginny started, meaning to ask about why they had been talking to Draco. Instead, the ball in play flew toward them, bouncing once in the middle of them before up and over Abby's head. The three girls let out yelps of surprise before exchanging looks of uncertainty.

"C'mon." Andrea said, standing and gathering her things. "You're a ball magnet, Gin. We should get out of here." Giving Ginny a once over she added. "And clean you up. You look a mess."

Ginny followed Andrea and Abby back toward the castle, thinking she was probably right. She couldn't help but look back over her shoulder at Draco and Tara one last time. It seemed they, too, were leaving, in the opposite direction Ginny and her friends were going. About to turn back, something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Looking closer she realized Blaise was watching her leave, a smile on his face. He gave her a little wave. Sending him a glare, she turned back and hurried to catch up with her friends.