Chapter Two: Adagio breezes fill my skin
Ginny dragged herself into the Great Hall and took a seat at the Gryffindor table. She had just come back from a walk around the lake which she had started around 5:00 that morning. In fact she hadn't gone to bed all night and wouldn't have the night before if Malfoy hadn't caught her. Being inside where it was warm and lively was such a sharp contrast with the last five hours or so spent alone in the dark but she almost couldn't discern between the two. She stifled a yawn and reached for a waffle feeling ravenous. After stuffing it in her mouth almost whole Ginny poured herself three cups of coffee and proceeded to drink each one.
"I'm going to tickle you later and see what comes out," Seamus Finnigan sat down across from her, nodding at her empty cups and plate.
"Most likely a host of words that would set your virgin-ears aflame," Ginny chided, reaching for another waffle.
"Virgin ears eh? You give me too much credit," Seamus said.
"I know," Ginny said wryly between chews.
"You look tired,"he said after a few seconds, sipping orange juice and peering at her over the top of his goblet. Ginny swallowed a large amount of waffle at once and winced slightly.
"Is that your polite way of telling me I look like crap?"
"No, no, I'd tell you if you looked like crap. Nah, you just look tired is all. You know we're only like five weeks into the first term right? You're not allowed to look that beat."
Ginny shrugged, not taking her eyes off the puddle of syrup she was playing with. The sticky sweet pool had contorted into a form that looked oddly like a snitch.
"Oh my gosh!" Ginny looked up and dropped her fork suddenly. "Seamus, we have Quidditch!" Seamus wiped a bit of juice off his chin that had escaped from his open mouth before they both hurled themselves from the Gryffindor table and flew out of the great hall at top speed.
"Finnigan! Weasley!" Harry yelled at them as they arrived twenty minutes late to their training session. He had taken to calling them all by their last namesafter he began his reign as Quidditch Captain. Harry hadn't wanted to be in a leadership position, he just wanted to be the seeker and find the snitch.
It was his bliss.
But there was no one better suited for the position so he took it. While he was getting used to the idea of himself being the one to rant at the team before every match and find the no-nonsense leader inside himself, he decided that it really wouldn't do to holler, "Ginny, pay more attention!" when compared with, "Weasley! keep your eye on the ball!" Plus it was just a Quidditch captain thing. Everyone did it.
"Where have you been?" Harry asked, swooping down to their eye-level and tossing them their brooms.
"You can't deny the call of the waffle Harry," Seamus said impishly before taking off.
"We overslept," Ginny offered before taking off after Seamus. She had meant it as a better excuse than call of the waffle, but as Harry watched her fly up to where Seamus was and playfully try and knock him off his broom Harry's mind was working in a different direction.
"We overslept?" Harry muttered aloud. He frowned, looking up at them before realization dawned on him and his eyes grew as round as his glasses, "Seamus and Ginny?" He shook his head and took to the sky.