A/N: Whoo! And we're back again for another chapter! Cheers! -clinkity
clink clink- Sorry about the delay, I got a bit tied up with school work
and writing a Quidditch match was harder than I first thought.. ^___^' Now,
on to the Thank You thingies, CHARGE! O_o'
LilyP-Writer: YAY! I'm sensing some good vibes! WHOOHOO! THANK YOUZzzzzZZZZ.
Kat Solo: Humorous dialogue? ^_______^ The humor level has been reached. Oh yeah! O(^_^)o THANKS FOR REVIEWING!
dementorchic: I think the next chapter is when Ginny'll get drunk..that should be interesting. Then the fluff will abound, and more humor, too. :D THANK YOOOOOOU!
And so ends the Thank You section of this chapter. So sad. ;.; Want me to thank YOU? Then review you silly goose. You don't even have to say anything. You can leave me a '[' review if you really want to. I'll still thank you..maybe.
Disclaimer: AGAIN!? Phaerie thinks that this is getting old..and annoying. She doesn't own Harry Potter and Co. Yet.
+x|x+Snapshots+x+Chapter 3: Setting the Stage+x|x+
"OY! Quite down you lot! The captain wants a word!" Ron Weasley shouted out over the commotion in the Gryffindor locker room, his voice echoing and bouncing off the walls and lockers to magnify it even more, which resulted in most of the team crying out in pain as they felt their eardrums bust.
Harry stepped forward as all eyes fell on him, "Er, thanks Ron..I think.."
Ginny grinned behind her hand and began to chant, "Speech! Speech! Speech!" soon to be followed by the rest of the team. A faint blush appeared on Harry's cheeks, but he cleared his throat none-the-less.
"Well, this is our first match of the season, and we're up against a surprisingly good team. We've been practicing for this since the beginning of October, but we can't let - " Harry was cut off mid-sentence by his now- applauding teammates.
"That was beautiful Harry, brought a tear to my eye, even," Ron said while wiping away an invisible tear. Harry's brow furrowed as he frowned at his friend.
"Ah, loosen up a bit, Potter! We're just messing with your head, in all its scarred glory!" Avery Thomas, a sixth year chaser and friend to Ginny Weasley, said teasingly as she pushed back her blue-streaked black hair with a gold headband.
"Lay off the Cap'n, Thomas!" Ginny scolded, thwacking Avery upside the head and also getting the attention of two other members on the team, Dean Thomas and Jake Thomas. Funny how they all had the same last name, yet there was no relation. Ginny smiled sheepishly and laughed a bit nervously, "Whoops..forgot, first names are to be used when referring to the Thomas' Three."
"Any last words before we go out there and get ourselves slaughtered?" Jake, always the pessimist, asked monotonously.
"Yes, think positive troops!" Harry said in a commanding voice, pumping him arm up into the air.
"Yes sir! Mr. Cap'n, sir!" Seamus Finnigan and Dean shouted in unison and saluted Harry, though with their left hands.
Harry just shook his head in exasperation and turned to the doors that lead out to the Pitch. The rest of the team, picking up on the message, crowded around as well. Ginny was situated between Avery and Harry, and when Ron bumped Seamus, a chain reaction occurred, developing in Ginny falling against Harry - right into his chest in fact. It was then that Harry noticed Ginny was shaking.
"Are you nervous Gin?" Harry whispered in her ear almost inaudibly so as not to alert their fellow Gryffs. His breath tickling Ginny's neck, close proximity at the moment, and concern-laced tone had Ginny's head spinning undoubtedly.
"Oh! No, I'm fine! Yes, absolutely spiffing! Never been better!" she rambled into his Quidditch robes anxiously, fighting down the blush she could feel creeping its way onto her face by way of her ears.
"Gin..you're babbling. You only babble when you're nervous," Harry whispered matter-of-factly.
Damn, he knows me too well, Ginny thought begrudgingly. "Heh, so it would seem.." she mumbled ruefully.
"Don't worry, you're going to do fine out there! Even if it's your first match as a Chaser, it won't be much different. Well, except that you'll doing Chaser stuff instead of Seeker stuff..but it's all the same really!" he said encouragingly. Ginny stepped back and nodded, smiling at the fact that Harry had so much faith in her.
Alas, if only he knew that it wasn't the match she was worried about, but the after party that would take place in the event that they should win.
+x|x+
"Alright ladies and gents! It's time for what you've all been waiting for! First, to introduce the Hufflepuff players: Captain and Chaser Justin Finch-Fletchley; Chasers Hannah Abbott and Fae Greenwood; Beaters Kauton deKere and Alec Jones; Keeper Ariyann Becker; and Seeker Diene Conners!" Lee Jordan's predecessor Sylvie Midlee, a spunky and feministic Ravenclaw, began the commentary, and as she called out the players names', they burst out of the Hufflepuff locker room to fly a speedy lap around the Pitch before stopping in their respective positions, all the while thunderous applause washing over them.
"And now, for the Gryffindors! Captain and Seeker Harry Potter; Chasers Ginny Weasley, Avery Thomas, and Jake Thomas; Beaters Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas; and Keeper Ron Weasley!" As the team exited the locker room on mounted brooms amid the cacophony of cheers, Ginny could feel her nervousness ebbing away. This was flying; this was Quidditch; this was her essence.
Harry finished his lap around the pitch and stopped just in front of Justin Finch-Fletchley, smiling and shaking hands good sportsman-like. Madam Hooch could be seen levitating the box of balls behind her as she made her way to the center of the field. Giving her usual warning for a fair match, she kicked open the lid and took a hasty step back as the two bludgers and the Snitch zoomed out. Mounting her broom, she scooped up the Quaffle and hovered under the antsy Chasers. With a shrill, resounding whistle, she tossed the Quaffle into the air and the match began.
"And Hufflepuff's Hannah Abbott is in possession of the Quaffle, making her way toward the other end of the pitch! Thomas bats a well-aimed bludger her way, but she manages to dodge it with a splendid barrel roll. Unfortunately, Abbott's dropped the Quaffle and it's intercepted by Thomas who makes a look-away pass to Thomas - oh blast it all! Whose idea was it to have three players with the same last name on the same team? At least Ron and Ginny Weasley are related! Good thing they aren't all Chaser's, be a Commentator's bloody nightmare! Avery Thomas throws the Quaffle off to Weasley and - YES! She scores! 10 to 0, Gryffindor leads! Just barely passed by Becker, that one. Now that's what I call girl power!" Here Sylvie's Head of House Professor Flitwick intervened with a reminder that she was there to commentate on the match, not begin one of her many tirades about the injustice the women of today still face.
"Fine, fine," she sighed disappointedly, "Back to the game! Greenwood has the Quaffle, and oh! Nice move! Greenwood's showing us just how much Hufflepuff's improved since previous seasons with an excellent display of maneuverability and a sly pass to Finch-Fletchley mid-roll. And Finch-Fletchley is making his way to the goal posts, takes aim, and - oh! Gryffindor Keeper Ron Weasley is faked out by what seemed like a throw towards the left goal post, when in fact it was a pass to Abbott, who slings the Quaffle through the right goal post!"
And it all went down hill from there.
+x|x+
Two hours into the match and the score was 30 to 140 - wait, make that 30 to 150 - Hufflepuff leading. It was almost too embarrassing for Ginny to bear. Maybe she should have listened to Colin and Neville when they started rambling on about the new Hufflepuff team, then maybe she'd have some idea as to their strategy, which was currently working quite nicely. She cursed colorfully as Justin Finch-Fletchley managed to steal the Quaffle from right under her very nose, again. Red in the face with anger, she frantically signaled for Harry to call a time-out.
And call a time-out he did. Crestfallen and angered, the Gryffindor team huddled up in the middle of the pitch. "What the bloody hell is happening out there!" Ginny shouted vehemently complete with foot-stomping action.
Harry sighed, "It would seem that we underestimated Hufflepuff, I suppose.."
"WHAT!? That's your answer? What sort of a captain are you? This is the part where you yell at us all and tell us we just aren't trying our best and we need to get back out there and kick some Hufflepuff arse!" Ginny said indignantly.
"Ginny, watch you language!" Ron reprimanded absent-mindedly.
"Oh! Don't even get me started on you, Mr. I-keep-falling-for-the- exact-same-ploy-time-after-time!"
"Oy, Gin! Cool it, will you? Stop blaming your slack abilities on the rest of us," Avery spat out venomously, before realizing her mistake. It took the entire team, with the exception of Avery of course, to restrain the livid Weasley as she kicked and screamed about something that sounded much like the injustice the women today still face.
"Ginny, please, calm down!" Harry practically begged as she caught him in the stomach with her elbow.
"Yeah! Save some fiery temper for the game, will you?" Ron cried out as he finally resorted to just sitting on his sister to calm her down, Dean's bat in hand in case she got out of control.
"Did anyone happen to think that maybe we're just having an off day?" All movement stopped as they all turned to look bewilderedly at Jake. "What?" he inquired, crossing his arms and looking at them all disapprovingly.
"You feeling alright there, mate?" Avery asked in a skeptical tone as she felt his forehead with the back of her hand, only to have it swatted away rather forcibly.
"Look, we're only down by 120 points, we can still win this if Harry'd stop hovering mid-air and staring at - umph!" Jake's sentence was caught off by the sharp pain in his side as Harry's elbow came in contact with it.
"I was looking for the Snitch you prat," Harry said, leveling Jake with a glare.
"Yeah whatever, mate," Seamus gasped out between bursts of hearty laughter. Dean soon joined him, as did Jake. Ron's eye was twitching and his fists were clenched and Harry cheeks were burning. Avery and Ginny just looked at each other quizzically as if to say 'did we miss something?'
"Yes, well.." here Avery coughed to get everyone's attention, "Harry, you concentrate on getting the Snitch, and Ginny, do that move we've been working on, me and Jake will set it up for you. And you Ronald," Avery said, poking him in the chest to accent her words, "do your job and keep the big red ball from going through those huge gold hoops over there."
"Sweet Merlin, please tell me we aren't on the same wave link again, because it's just creepy when we are," Jake said while gazing at Avery apprehensively as she smiled smugly back at him.
"Y-you want me to do that?" Ginny asked nervously as she gulped, eyes wide and face pale.
"Oh, come on Gin! You've done it a thousand times at least before!" Avery said reasonably.
"Yes, but not in front of a crowd!"
"Oy! What about us?" Dean and Seamus asked just as Madam Hooch's whistle sounded, marking the end of their time-out and putting an end to Ginny's protests.
"Seamus, you concentrate on Conners, and Dean you aim for their Chasers," Harry said, thereby fulfilling his role as captain as they mounted their brooms and took back to the air. Really, there was no need for a captain of the Gryffindor team; it was more of a democracy anyway.
As Harry set to his task, he couldn't help but wonder what Avery had been talking about when she told Ginny to 'do that move we've been working on.' He certainly had yet to hear of it. Why did he get the feeling he'd have more control over his team if he wasn't even the captain at all?
"And Hufflepuff scores again," Sylvie's lazy voice could be heard ringing through the stands magnified by the Sonorous charm, "Making the score 30 to 160, Hufflepuff. Is it just me, or has the Gryffindor team seemed to switch roles with last year's Hufflepuff's?"
Harry winced as he swiveled around to look over at the two female Chasers, one of which practically had steam coming out of her ears as she glared at the Ravenclaw commentator. Oh dear, Harry thought as he watched Ginny fly off hastily away from Fae Greenwood who was in current possession of the Quaffle while Avery smiled triumphantly and flew to her position behind Fae at a more leisure pace. Jake was over by Ron, knocking him upside the head for letting another one get past him, but when he noticed the plan being set into action, he went to take his place.
It would seem that Ginny was going to pull off that move Avery had mentioned. Giving a quick sweep around the pitch with his eyes for any trace of gold and seeing none, Harry let his eyes follow Avery as she dove between Abbott and Greenwood as the pass was made, intercepting it easily and making an amazing pass to Ginny who was already half way to the goal posts by now.
As expected, Justin was moving in for the steal. But, not as expected, when Justin made a grab for the Quaffle, Ginny fell off her broom as he bumped into her slightly. Harry watched, mortified, as two red blurs made their descent to the grounds. Just as he was gripping the handle of his Firebolt and making to dive for Ginny, he was refrained from doing so by Jake as he flew past with a quick, "Don't worry, it's all part of the plan!"
So Harry hung back. The crowd fell silent. Sylvie let out a terrified gasp. All the players on the field froze. The ends of Ginny's mouth twitched upwards as her hair whipped around her face wildly as it fell out of the ponytail. And, not even ten feet away from impact, Ginny's broom appeared from out of nowhere and her hand wrapped around the handle, body swinging over it and feet landing on the broom handle as well. The end of the broom dipped back as Ginny applied her weight, barely brushing the grass. And then Ginny was zipping off toward the Hufflepuff goal posts where Ariyann Becker awaited, grabbing the Quaffle skillfully with her free hand on her way and scoring Gryffindor another 10 points as everyone on the pitch was too stunned to move, well except for the Gryffie Chasers and Seeker who had just seen a streak of gold whiz past him.
And as the crowd was brought back to life and the pitch was filled with a multitude of sound, Harry Potter's fingers wrapped themselves securely around the Golden Snitch, winning the game for Gryffindor at an astounding score of 190 to 160.
+x|x+
"Way to go Gin!" Harry congratulated her upon landing and giving her friendly half-hug that sent her face a-blushing.
"Yeah! That was a wicked move! Where'd you pick it up at?" Seamus inquired curiously, slinging an arm across her shoulders and pulling her along with him towards the locker rooms.
"Avery dragged me along with her to see a match between some American teams last summer and one of the chasers pulled off that move. Avery's been drilling it into my head repeatedly ever since," she told them, smiling broadly.
"OY! What about me? I made the pass! And I trained her! Don't I get some credit here?" Avery demanded while stomping her foot childishly and crossing her arms over chest.
"I have to admit that's the best pass I've ever seen you throw as it actually made it to its intended destination," Jake said condescendingly before being tackled rather roughly to the ground by a rabid Avery.
"Oh my.." Ginny flinched as she observed the chaos before her. Avery had a temper fit to rival a Weasley's when her Quidditch skills were being undermined, especially when it was Jake who was doing the undermining. It was almost scary how alike Ginny and Avery were when pissed off.
"So, what's that move called?" Harry asked as they entered the locker room and began to remove their gear and shove it into their lockers.
Ginny shrugged, "No clue. Ave and I just call it a new-and-highly- risky-variation-of-the-Wronski-Feint." With that, Avery and Ginny left for the girls' showers and the team quickly changed for the party they had to look forward to upon entering the Tower.
+x|x+
As Ginny stepped out of the locker room soon after, she found Colin waiting for her, camera in hand. "Get any good pictures of Harry?"
"I took a few, but I don't imagine he'll stay put in any of them..I'll go develop them real quick and give you the final verdict. I did get some rather spiffy ones of you, however," Colin told her cheerfully as he pulled the door to the Entrance Hall open for her.
Ginny sighed, giving into the inevitable, "Colin..I may need you to spike the Butterbeer with some Fire Whiskey before the night is out."
A/N: So sorry for the wait! Please review! Please? Oh, and did anyone happen to pick up on the subtle bit I put in there hinting at Harry's feelings for Ginny? Okay, so maybe it wasn't so subtle.. but it was still there! :3 Next chapter: The After Party! YAY! Finally, we get to some fluff! But after that, there's still a bit more.. Harry and Ginny are both going to be thoroughly embarrassed before I've finished this fic! ^___________________^
~Phaerie
LilyP-Writer: YAY! I'm sensing some good vibes! WHOOHOO! THANK YOUZzzzzZZZZ.
Kat Solo: Humorous dialogue? ^_______^ The humor level has been reached. Oh yeah! O(^_^)o THANKS FOR REVIEWING!
dementorchic: I think the next chapter is when Ginny'll get drunk..that should be interesting. Then the fluff will abound, and more humor, too. :D THANK YOOOOOOU!
And so ends the Thank You section of this chapter. So sad. ;.; Want me to thank YOU? Then review you silly goose. You don't even have to say anything. You can leave me a '[' review if you really want to. I'll still thank you..maybe.
Disclaimer: AGAIN!? Phaerie thinks that this is getting old..and annoying. She doesn't own Harry Potter and Co. Yet.
+x|x+Snapshots+x+Chapter 3: Setting the Stage+x|x+
"OY! Quite down you lot! The captain wants a word!" Ron Weasley shouted out over the commotion in the Gryffindor locker room, his voice echoing and bouncing off the walls and lockers to magnify it even more, which resulted in most of the team crying out in pain as they felt their eardrums bust.
Harry stepped forward as all eyes fell on him, "Er, thanks Ron..I think.."
Ginny grinned behind her hand and began to chant, "Speech! Speech! Speech!" soon to be followed by the rest of the team. A faint blush appeared on Harry's cheeks, but he cleared his throat none-the-less.
"Well, this is our first match of the season, and we're up against a surprisingly good team. We've been practicing for this since the beginning of October, but we can't let - " Harry was cut off mid-sentence by his now- applauding teammates.
"That was beautiful Harry, brought a tear to my eye, even," Ron said while wiping away an invisible tear. Harry's brow furrowed as he frowned at his friend.
"Ah, loosen up a bit, Potter! We're just messing with your head, in all its scarred glory!" Avery Thomas, a sixth year chaser and friend to Ginny Weasley, said teasingly as she pushed back her blue-streaked black hair with a gold headband.
"Lay off the Cap'n, Thomas!" Ginny scolded, thwacking Avery upside the head and also getting the attention of two other members on the team, Dean Thomas and Jake Thomas. Funny how they all had the same last name, yet there was no relation. Ginny smiled sheepishly and laughed a bit nervously, "Whoops..forgot, first names are to be used when referring to the Thomas' Three."
"Any last words before we go out there and get ourselves slaughtered?" Jake, always the pessimist, asked monotonously.
"Yes, think positive troops!" Harry said in a commanding voice, pumping him arm up into the air.
"Yes sir! Mr. Cap'n, sir!" Seamus Finnigan and Dean shouted in unison and saluted Harry, though with their left hands.
Harry just shook his head in exasperation and turned to the doors that lead out to the Pitch. The rest of the team, picking up on the message, crowded around as well. Ginny was situated between Avery and Harry, and when Ron bumped Seamus, a chain reaction occurred, developing in Ginny falling against Harry - right into his chest in fact. It was then that Harry noticed Ginny was shaking.
"Are you nervous Gin?" Harry whispered in her ear almost inaudibly so as not to alert their fellow Gryffs. His breath tickling Ginny's neck, close proximity at the moment, and concern-laced tone had Ginny's head spinning undoubtedly.
"Oh! No, I'm fine! Yes, absolutely spiffing! Never been better!" she rambled into his Quidditch robes anxiously, fighting down the blush she could feel creeping its way onto her face by way of her ears.
"Gin..you're babbling. You only babble when you're nervous," Harry whispered matter-of-factly.
Damn, he knows me too well, Ginny thought begrudgingly. "Heh, so it would seem.." she mumbled ruefully.
"Don't worry, you're going to do fine out there! Even if it's your first match as a Chaser, it won't be much different. Well, except that you'll doing Chaser stuff instead of Seeker stuff..but it's all the same really!" he said encouragingly. Ginny stepped back and nodded, smiling at the fact that Harry had so much faith in her.
Alas, if only he knew that it wasn't the match she was worried about, but the after party that would take place in the event that they should win.
+x|x+
"Alright ladies and gents! It's time for what you've all been waiting for! First, to introduce the Hufflepuff players: Captain and Chaser Justin Finch-Fletchley; Chasers Hannah Abbott and Fae Greenwood; Beaters Kauton deKere and Alec Jones; Keeper Ariyann Becker; and Seeker Diene Conners!" Lee Jordan's predecessor Sylvie Midlee, a spunky and feministic Ravenclaw, began the commentary, and as she called out the players names', they burst out of the Hufflepuff locker room to fly a speedy lap around the Pitch before stopping in their respective positions, all the while thunderous applause washing over them.
"And now, for the Gryffindors! Captain and Seeker Harry Potter; Chasers Ginny Weasley, Avery Thomas, and Jake Thomas; Beaters Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas; and Keeper Ron Weasley!" As the team exited the locker room on mounted brooms amid the cacophony of cheers, Ginny could feel her nervousness ebbing away. This was flying; this was Quidditch; this was her essence.
Harry finished his lap around the pitch and stopped just in front of Justin Finch-Fletchley, smiling and shaking hands good sportsman-like. Madam Hooch could be seen levitating the box of balls behind her as she made her way to the center of the field. Giving her usual warning for a fair match, she kicked open the lid and took a hasty step back as the two bludgers and the Snitch zoomed out. Mounting her broom, she scooped up the Quaffle and hovered under the antsy Chasers. With a shrill, resounding whistle, she tossed the Quaffle into the air and the match began.
"And Hufflepuff's Hannah Abbott is in possession of the Quaffle, making her way toward the other end of the pitch! Thomas bats a well-aimed bludger her way, but she manages to dodge it with a splendid barrel roll. Unfortunately, Abbott's dropped the Quaffle and it's intercepted by Thomas who makes a look-away pass to Thomas - oh blast it all! Whose idea was it to have three players with the same last name on the same team? At least Ron and Ginny Weasley are related! Good thing they aren't all Chaser's, be a Commentator's bloody nightmare! Avery Thomas throws the Quaffle off to Weasley and - YES! She scores! 10 to 0, Gryffindor leads! Just barely passed by Becker, that one. Now that's what I call girl power!" Here Sylvie's Head of House Professor Flitwick intervened with a reminder that she was there to commentate on the match, not begin one of her many tirades about the injustice the women of today still face.
"Fine, fine," she sighed disappointedly, "Back to the game! Greenwood has the Quaffle, and oh! Nice move! Greenwood's showing us just how much Hufflepuff's improved since previous seasons with an excellent display of maneuverability and a sly pass to Finch-Fletchley mid-roll. And Finch-Fletchley is making his way to the goal posts, takes aim, and - oh! Gryffindor Keeper Ron Weasley is faked out by what seemed like a throw towards the left goal post, when in fact it was a pass to Abbott, who slings the Quaffle through the right goal post!"
And it all went down hill from there.
+x|x+
Two hours into the match and the score was 30 to 140 - wait, make that 30 to 150 - Hufflepuff leading. It was almost too embarrassing for Ginny to bear. Maybe she should have listened to Colin and Neville when they started rambling on about the new Hufflepuff team, then maybe she'd have some idea as to their strategy, which was currently working quite nicely. She cursed colorfully as Justin Finch-Fletchley managed to steal the Quaffle from right under her very nose, again. Red in the face with anger, she frantically signaled for Harry to call a time-out.
And call a time-out he did. Crestfallen and angered, the Gryffindor team huddled up in the middle of the pitch. "What the bloody hell is happening out there!" Ginny shouted vehemently complete with foot-stomping action.
Harry sighed, "It would seem that we underestimated Hufflepuff, I suppose.."
"WHAT!? That's your answer? What sort of a captain are you? This is the part where you yell at us all and tell us we just aren't trying our best and we need to get back out there and kick some Hufflepuff arse!" Ginny said indignantly.
"Ginny, watch you language!" Ron reprimanded absent-mindedly.
"Oh! Don't even get me started on you, Mr. I-keep-falling-for-the- exact-same-ploy-time-after-time!"
"Oy, Gin! Cool it, will you? Stop blaming your slack abilities on the rest of us," Avery spat out venomously, before realizing her mistake. It took the entire team, with the exception of Avery of course, to restrain the livid Weasley as she kicked and screamed about something that sounded much like the injustice the women today still face.
"Ginny, please, calm down!" Harry practically begged as she caught him in the stomach with her elbow.
"Yeah! Save some fiery temper for the game, will you?" Ron cried out as he finally resorted to just sitting on his sister to calm her down, Dean's bat in hand in case she got out of control.
"Did anyone happen to think that maybe we're just having an off day?" All movement stopped as they all turned to look bewilderedly at Jake. "What?" he inquired, crossing his arms and looking at them all disapprovingly.
"You feeling alright there, mate?" Avery asked in a skeptical tone as she felt his forehead with the back of her hand, only to have it swatted away rather forcibly.
"Look, we're only down by 120 points, we can still win this if Harry'd stop hovering mid-air and staring at - umph!" Jake's sentence was caught off by the sharp pain in his side as Harry's elbow came in contact with it.
"I was looking for the Snitch you prat," Harry said, leveling Jake with a glare.
"Yeah whatever, mate," Seamus gasped out between bursts of hearty laughter. Dean soon joined him, as did Jake. Ron's eye was twitching and his fists were clenched and Harry cheeks were burning. Avery and Ginny just looked at each other quizzically as if to say 'did we miss something?'
"Yes, well.." here Avery coughed to get everyone's attention, "Harry, you concentrate on getting the Snitch, and Ginny, do that move we've been working on, me and Jake will set it up for you. And you Ronald," Avery said, poking him in the chest to accent her words, "do your job and keep the big red ball from going through those huge gold hoops over there."
"Sweet Merlin, please tell me we aren't on the same wave link again, because it's just creepy when we are," Jake said while gazing at Avery apprehensively as she smiled smugly back at him.
"Y-you want me to do that?" Ginny asked nervously as she gulped, eyes wide and face pale.
"Oh, come on Gin! You've done it a thousand times at least before!" Avery said reasonably.
"Yes, but not in front of a crowd!"
"Oy! What about us?" Dean and Seamus asked just as Madam Hooch's whistle sounded, marking the end of their time-out and putting an end to Ginny's protests.
"Seamus, you concentrate on Conners, and Dean you aim for their Chasers," Harry said, thereby fulfilling his role as captain as they mounted their brooms and took back to the air. Really, there was no need for a captain of the Gryffindor team; it was more of a democracy anyway.
As Harry set to his task, he couldn't help but wonder what Avery had been talking about when she told Ginny to 'do that move we've been working on.' He certainly had yet to hear of it. Why did he get the feeling he'd have more control over his team if he wasn't even the captain at all?
"And Hufflepuff scores again," Sylvie's lazy voice could be heard ringing through the stands magnified by the Sonorous charm, "Making the score 30 to 160, Hufflepuff. Is it just me, or has the Gryffindor team seemed to switch roles with last year's Hufflepuff's?"
Harry winced as he swiveled around to look over at the two female Chasers, one of which practically had steam coming out of her ears as she glared at the Ravenclaw commentator. Oh dear, Harry thought as he watched Ginny fly off hastily away from Fae Greenwood who was in current possession of the Quaffle while Avery smiled triumphantly and flew to her position behind Fae at a more leisure pace. Jake was over by Ron, knocking him upside the head for letting another one get past him, but when he noticed the plan being set into action, he went to take his place.
It would seem that Ginny was going to pull off that move Avery had mentioned. Giving a quick sweep around the pitch with his eyes for any trace of gold and seeing none, Harry let his eyes follow Avery as she dove between Abbott and Greenwood as the pass was made, intercepting it easily and making an amazing pass to Ginny who was already half way to the goal posts by now.
As expected, Justin was moving in for the steal. But, not as expected, when Justin made a grab for the Quaffle, Ginny fell off her broom as he bumped into her slightly. Harry watched, mortified, as two red blurs made their descent to the grounds. Just as he was gripping the handle of his Firebolt and making to dive for Ginny, he was refrained from doing so by Jake as he flew past with a quick, "Don't worry, it's all part of the plan!"
So Harry hung back. The crowd fell silent. Sylvie let out a terrified gasp. All the players on the field froze. The ends of Ginny's mouth twitched upwards as her hair whipped around her face wildly as it fell out of the ponytail. And, not even ten feet away from impact, Ginny's broom appeared from out of nowhere and her hand wrapped around the handle, body swinging over it and feet landing on the broom handle as well. The end of the broom dipped back as Ginny applied her weight, barely brushing the grass. And then Ginny was zipping off toward the Hufflepuff goal posts where Ariyann Becker awaited, grabbing the Quaffle skillfully with her free hand on her way and scoring Gryffindor another 10 points as everyone on the pitch was too stunned to move, well except for the Gryffie Chasers and Seeker who had just seen a streak of gold whiz past him.
And as the crowd was brought back to life and the pitch was filled with a multitude of sound, Harry Potter's fingers wrapped themselves securely around the Golden Snitch, winning the game for Gryffindor at an astounding score of 190 to 160.
+x|x+
"Way to go Gin!" Harry congratulated her upon landing and giving her friendly half-hug that sent her face a-blushing.
"Yeah! That was a wicked move! Where'd you pick it up at?" Seamus inquired curiously, slinging an arm across her shoulders and pulling her along with him towards the locker rooms.
"Avery dragged me along with her to see a match between some American teams last summer and one of the chasers pulled off that move. Avery's been drilling it into my head repeatedly ever since," she told them, smiling broadly.
"OY! What about me? I made the pass! And I trained her! Don't I get some credit here?" Avery demanded while stomping her foot childishly and crossing her arms over chest.
"I have to admit that's the best pass I've ever seen you throw as it actually made it to its intended destination," Jake said condescendingly before being tackled rather roughly to the ground by a rabid Avery.
"Oh my.." Ginny flinched as she observed the chaos before her. Avery had a temper fit to rival a Weasley's when her Quidditch skills were being undermined, especially when it was Jake who was doing the undermining. It was almost scary how alike Ginny and Avery were when pissed off.
"So, what's that move called?" Harry asked as they entered the locker room and began to remove their gear and shove it into their lockers.
Ginny shrugged, "No clue. Ave and I just call it a new-and-highly- risky-variation-of-the-Wronski-Feint." With that, Avery and Ginny left for the girls' showers and the team quickly changed for the party they had to look forward to upon entering the Tower.
+x|x+
As Ginny stepped out of the locker room soon after, she found Colin waiting for her, camera in hand. "Get any good pictures of Harry?"
"I took a few, but I don't imagine he'll stay put in any of them..I'll go develop them real quick and give you the final verdict. I did get some rather spiffy ones of you, however," Colin told her cheerfully as he pulled the door to the Entrance Hall open for her.
Ginny sighed, giving into the inevitable, "Colin..I may need you to spike the Butterbeer with some Fire Whiskey before the night is out."
A/N: So sorry for the wait! Please review! Please? Oh, and did anyone happen to pick up on the subtle bit I put in there hinting at Harry's feelings for Ginny? Okay, so maybe it wasn't so subtle.. but it was still there! :3 Next chapter: The After Party! YAY! Finally, we get to some fluff! But after that, there's still a bit more.. Harry and Ginny are both going to be thoroughly embarrassed before I've finished this fic! ^___________________^
~Phaerie