A/N Okay, sorry guys but the horizontal rule line isn't working. Hopefully no one will be too confused when I skip a ahead in time... There's only one big jump. This chapter is dedicated to all of the people who cared enough about my stories to put me on author alert!

Ginny woke up the next morning with butterflies in her stomach. Dealing with the team on a day to day basis wasn't that hard; they were a great group of guys and with one exception they did what she asked, but today she would have to control the press. The press who would most likely hound the team in ways she didn't want them to. She could only pray that the guys would be able to keep control of their tempers if things got ugly.

Ginny rolled out of bed and quickly got ready for the day. She was too nervous to eat so she sat in the living room, waiting for the guys to come downstairs. They slowly appeared, each showing various degrees of nervousness. Harry was the last one down the stairs, and Ginny couldn't help but notice that it looked like he hadn't slept a wink the night before. He was probably the only person in the house more nervous than she was. When Harry sat down, Ginny addressed the group.

"We have to leave for the Ministry in an hour. As soon as we're done in here I suggest you all eat something, no matter how sick you feel. Trust me, you'll feel worse if you don't eat anything." Ginny couldn't help but notice that Jacob pulled a hand to his stomach. "Now, I'm not going to lie; things could get very ugly today. If the press comes in wanting to paint an ugly picture of this team, they're going to do everything in their power to. The most important thing is not to lose your temper. If things start to get ugly, then let Mr. Perry or myself handle it. I'd rather end the press conference early than have to stop a fight between one of you and a reporter."

"I think we can all keep our tempers in check," Tank assured her.

"I hope so," Ginny replied. "The other important thing to remember is to stay positive. I'm not saying that you have to lie, but try and keep things happy."

"So instead of saying that practice this week has been horrible, say something like it's amazing how far we've come in such a short period of time," Dustin suggested.

"Exactly," Ginny said with a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you guys seem to know how to handle yourselves." Ginny turned her attention to Harry. "You know they're going to be hardest on you."

"I know," Harry replied.

"You can't let them get to you," she added.

"I know."

"They've all been told that this is strictly about the team, but you know how well they listen," Ginny said. "You'll just have to trust me to take care of it if they get too out of hand."

"I will."

"Good. Now all of you go eat," Ginny said, forcing a smile.

"Well, Miss Weasley, shouldn't you be following your own advice?" Jeff asked.

Ginny looked at them sheepishly. "I guess so." She followed then into the kitchen and started eating an apple. A few bites in she felt the apple wanting to make a second appearance, so she focused on drinking a glass of water. After about thirty minutes of eating in silence, everyone appeared to be done.

"Now what?" Wesley asked.

"Now we have thirty minutes to let our nerves get to us before we have to go," Ginny answered with a groan.

"Can't we just go early?" Jacob asked.

"We'll be early if we leave in thirty minutes. When we get there I'm leaving you all in Mr. Perry's hands and I'm going to go start trying to corral the reporters. The good news is that once we finish we're coming back here so you guys can gather your things and then head home. The bad news is Mason called practice for Sunday night, so you really will have to be back before lunchtime."

"When did that happen?" MJ asked.

"Sometime last night. Mason, Mr. Perry, and I all have a copy of your schedule. When you add an event on one it shows up on all three," Ginny informed them.

"So, does that mean you can take off Sunday's practice?" MJ asked hopefully.

"Sorry, but no. An event can only be taken off from the calendar it was originally written on," Ginny replied. "But don't worry, I have to be here before you, and I was looking forward to my weekend."

"Why, do you have a hot date?" Tank asked.

"Oh yes; spending time with my dad and brothers. I haven't had a real date in over a year," Ginny said.

"Were the guys at your school blind?" Jeff asked incredulously, shooting Harry a look.

"Hey, don't look at me!" Harry exclaimed. "I did take her out on a date!" As soon as the words left his lips his eyes grew wide and he covered his mouth with his hand.

"Somehow, you both left that little detail out of your life stories," MJ said grinning.

Ginny tried not to lose her cool. "It was nothing to talk about. We went out once, got in a fight, and ended the date by battling Death Eaters."

"Wow, Potter, you sure now how to show a girl a good time," Dustin teased.

Ginny was desperate to regain control of the situation. "Okay, I think it's time to go. We'll be using the fireplace one at a time. Tank, you can go first, just say, 'Conference Room Three, Ministry of Magic.'" Tank nodded and they all began to file into the living room. When everyone had left but Harry and Ginny, Harry grabbed her arm.

"I know our date didn't go well, and it really was my fault," Harry said quietly, not able to look Ginny in the eyes. "Every day then was an emotional rollercoaster, and something just snapped. I guess I was trying to pick a fight. You didn't deserve that and I'm sorry."

Ginny was shocked at his openness. "It's okay."

"No, it's not. We never really talked after that. Things became rough between Ron and me, and I never blamed you for sticking by his side. It just shouldn't have taken me a year to apologize." Ginny's jaw dropped. Of all the things she had expected him to say, that had to be at the very bottom of the list. "And I never got to thank you for protecting me. You never got any credit; but if it weren't for you I probably would have been kidnapped and killed. The whole outcome of the war could have been changed." Now that was definitely at the very bottom of the list of things Ginny expected Harry to say. She just stood there gaping at him. He quickly stepped into the fireplace and left for the Ministry.

A few minutes later Ginny had recovered from the shock of Harry's words. She still hadn't completely digested everything he had said. What did he mean; she had stuck by Ron's side? Hermione had dumped Ron to be with Harry, why would Harry have even wanted to talk her? Ginny pushed the thoughts out of her head and tried to focus on the press conference she was about to conduct. "I just wish I knew what was going through your head, Harry."

Forty-five minutes later, Ginny was sitting alone in her office, trying to gather the last bit of her strength before she was fed to the sharks. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was startled when she heard a knock on the door.

"Ready?" Mr. Perry asked.

Ginny looked at him, surprised. "Who's with the team?"

"Your brother, why?"

"That may not have been the best idea," Ginny said with a groan. "He and Harry don't exactly get along."

Mr. Perry looked startled. "I didn't realize. I guess I should make sure they don't kill each other while you go make sure that the reporters don't want to kill them."

"Alright." Ginny stayed in her office a few minutes longer after Mr. Perry left. She prayed that Ron hadn't tried to start anything with Harry; she didn't want to have to explain to reporters why their star seeker had a black eye. She slowly walked to the conference room and went in the back entrance. She was shocked to see the room filled, wall to wall. She took a deep breath and walked over to the podium that was beside a table with seven chairs.

"Good morning," she said to the noisy crowd. The reporters all stopped talking and focused their attention on her. "The team will be out in just a few minutes, but before we start I want to make sure you're all aware of the ground rules. The questions are to stay on the topic of Quidditch and the team. If at any time I feel the questioning is getting too far off topic I will end the press conference on the spot. You are allowed to ask general questions to the whole team, or individual questions." Ginny heard the back door open and she saw Mr. Perry nod at her. "Without any further ado, may I present to you the English National Team!" The reporters applauded and the team filed in, each taking their seats at the long table. Ginny hoped that Jacob wouldn't be asked any questions individually, he looked like he was about to pass out.

Mr. Perry walked over and stood beside Ginny. He pointed to a reporter. "Alright, why don't you get things started?"

The reporter stood up. "How is the dynamic of the team?"

"I think we're all getting along well," MJ answered automatically. "I think that living together at the training camp really helped expedite the team bonding process."

Mr. Perry pointed to another reporter who stood up as the other sat down. "Mr. Potter, do you enjoy fame? Is that why you decided to try out for the national team?"

Ginny saw Harry's face pale slightly before he spoke. "Actually, the fame is the reason I almost didn't tryout. I just love playing the game."

Another reporter was called on. "How do you feel about the team's chances of winning the World Cup?"

Dustin grinned and spoke up. "I think that if the team continues to progress at the same rate we have a great chance of taking it all."

The next reporter stood up to ask their question. "Mr. Thompkins, how do you feel about captaining this team?"

"It's brilliant! I love all of these guys, and they're making my last season special. I actually plan on retiring after the World Cup," Tank answered. An excited murmur ran through the crowd.

"Mr. Potter, if you don't like the fame, why don't you just play Quidditch for fun?" the next reporter asked.

"I don't know," Harry answered slowly. "I think it's everyone's dream to make a living doing something they love." Ginny could tell Harry was starting to get annoyed.

"Mr. Potter, do you feel like you are neglecting your obligation to the wizarding world by playing a game while there are still Death Eaters and dark wizards roaming the country?" the next reported asked.

"Excuse me?" Harry said.

"As the person who defeated the darkest wizard of our time, aren't you wasting your time and abilities when the world needs you?" the reporter continued. Harry looked at Ginny helplessly.

"Alright," Ginny called, but the crowd ignored her.

Trying to get in on the action before things ended, another reporter quickly stood up. "Is it true that you were denied entrance into the Auror training program because you had a drinking problem?"

"No!" Harry exclaimed. "I got into the program but chose not to pursue that career path!"

"So you willingly sentenced all of the muggles and wizards who are still being killed to death?"

"No!" Harry cried, his jaw dropping.

"Enough!" Ginny yelled. "Well, this press conference is officially over. You can all thank your friends over there for breaking the rules." Ginny began to leave the room and motioned for the rest of the team to follow her, leaving Mr. Perry behind to deal with the angry reporters.

Ginny took the team to one of the employee lounges, and they all collapsed into chairs. Ginny couldn't help but notice that Harry looked like he had seen death. She walked over to where he was sitting and sat down beside him.

"Hey," she said gently, "Are you okay?" Harry kept staring blankly at the wall in front of him, not responding. "They were just trying to stir up trouble; you can't blame yourself for the things they said."

"I thought it was over," Harry said quietly.

Ginny reached over and took Harry's chin in her hands. She turned his face so he had to look at her. "Listen to me; your part in all of this is over. You just have to remember that the prophecy isn't common knowledge; the general public doesn't know that your purpose was to defeat Voldemort, not to bring peace to the world. You have done more than anyone else, and you deserve to enjoy yourself and have fun. People who weren't involved in the war like we were can't understand everything that happened. But you need to know that those of us who were there and those of us who know you just want you to be happy." Someone clearing their throat reminded Ginny that she had an audience for her little speech, but she didn't care when she saw the gratitude in Harry's eyes.

"Mr. Perry wants Tank and Dustin to go back and answer a few more questions. He said the rest of you should go back to the Manor," Ron said coolly.

Ginny turned around to see her brother standing in the doorway. By the look on his face, she could tell he had probably witnessed her speech as well. "Thanks, Ron," she said quietly. "Alright guys, let's go. I'm sure after that you're all ready to go home."

As they made their way to the closest connection to the floo network, Ginny heard Jacob speak up. "Are all press conferences like that?" he asked nervously.

"Only the ones where I'm involved," Harry replied bitterly.

Ginny was busy cleaning up the kitchen after her family's dinner, trying her hardest to keep her thoughts away from Harry and the press conference. She didn't know how people could be so cruel to the person that saved all their lives. It didn't help the situation that Ron had barely spoken to her since they had arrived back at the Burrow.

They were trying to celebrate their dad's birthday, but Ginny thought she might explode if the tension in the house wasn't released soon. Fred and George spent most of dinner talking only to each other making lame jokes, while Charlie tried to talk to their dad about his latest problems in the Care of Magical Creatures Department at the Ministry, and Ron had listened to everyone's conversations without saying much of anything. Normally, Charlie would bring Tonks with him to family gatherings (they had been dating since the end of the war) and she would keep things interesting, but Charlie said that she had been called in for a last minute assignment. They were all sitting in silence in the living room, which was why Ginny had volunteered to clean up the kitchen; she had to get away from them.

"Hey."

Ginny was startled to hear Ron's voice. "Hey," she replied, keeping her attention on the dishes in front of her.

"That was some zoo today, wasn't it?"

"I had a feeling things would get bad, but I never expected that," Ginny replied truthfully.

"You two looked mighty chummy afterwards," Ron said dryly.

Ginny turned around and glared at her brother. "It's my job to make sure the team is okay; he's a part of the team and he wasn't okay."

"Looked like he was more than just a part of the team," Ron said.

"Oh come off it, Ron. Yes, we've been spending a lot of time together and yes, I've missed his friendship. But more than that, I feel sorry for him. He's pretty much all alone…"

"He's got Hermione," Ron interrupted.

"I'm not so sure anymore. He said that he hasn't spoken to her in a month, and that they're rarely at their flat at the same time," Ginny said defensively.

"So you're an expert on his life now."

Ginny threw up her hands in frustration. "No, I'm just being his friend. You know he was right about us, we really weren't very good friends. All this time I've stayed away from him because of something you said, but you've never even had the decency to explain to me what exactly happened that upset you so much. I'm not even sure if Harry is dating Hermione anymore!"

"What about all of the articles?" Ron asked angrily.

"After you saw, firsthand, what the reporters did to him today, can you really believe anything you read?" Ginny asked.

Ron looked down at the floor sheepishly. "When I went to try and talk things out like Dad wanted, she was there with him. They were holding hands and I heard them say I love you. She leaned over and kissed him, and I just lost it. I was yelling at them, and I said some things I didn't mean, but I was hurt. Just seeing them together like that was too much for me…"

"I didn't know," Ginny said softly. She paused for a moment before speaking up again. "Seeing them together that first night hurt me too, but I'm getting over it. He needs a friend right now, and I'm going to be there for him. He really didn't do anything to me, and I can't hold what he did to you against him anymore."

"I just wish you would keep your relationship professional," Ron said.

"I wish I could, but it's not easy to keep things strictly professional with any of the guys," Ginny replied. "He and I still fight all the time, but I think we've also come to an understanding of sorts. I think he wants to move past our history, and to be honest, I want to, too. I'm tired of living in the past. Mum wouldn't have wanted us to."

"I'm not ready to accept him back into our lives."

"I'm not asking you to. All I'm asking is that you understand that I am."

Ron sighed. "We should get back to everyone."

"I know." Ginny put away the last of the freshly clean dishes and walked towards the living room.

"Ginny?" Ron asked before they could get out of the kitchen.

"Yeah?"

"Just don't go and get your silly crush again. I don't want him to hurt us anymore, and Hermione doesn't deserve to be cheated on," Ron said.

"Don't be silly, Ron. I'm past all of that now."

A/N Okay, first of all, I realized something this week. So many of you seemed to be going crazy not knowing things, but the two people who read my story before I post it weren't. I realized that the reason is because they first read the back story so they know what's really going on. Don't worry, you'll find out a lot soon. The next chapter shows you the actual Ron/Harry fight. The bad news is I've written through chapter 11 and Ginny still doesn't know everything. As to Ginny's actualy job, well it's something you're just going to have to accept. My logic, though, is that since the poor performance in the last world cup they want to do everything in their power to make the team great. They consider a lack of outside distractions and a family like team to be two of those things. Anyway, as always thanks for your reviews! I start exams tomorrow, and then by next Tuesday I'm done until January. So hopefully I'll geta lot of writing done then. Thanks again!