Chapter Thirteen
On Sunday morning, the pair dragged themselves out of their dormitories and were greeted by a very enthusiastic population waiting for them in each of their Common Rooms. They were greeted with a round of applause, some back slaps and rhyming chants were sung, each found it difficult to extract themselves without hurting the feelings of their House brethren. One neat trick was to haul their teammates up for cheering as well, and then to fade discreetly into the background.
Cho ate at her house table, and both she and Ginny got endless slaps on the back from Sytherin and Hufflepuff supporters as they passed on the way to their own tables. Hermione took advantage of the commotion and leaned forward into Ginny's space,
"So?" she asked Ginny.
"So?" Ginny replied, but she coloured which undermined her attempt to plead ignorance.
"You never used to play dumb, it doesn't suit you," commented Hermione, in a good imitation of Headmaster MacGonagall.
"Oh alright. You were right, it was a date. It started off terribly - "
"Really?"
"Yeah, but we talked and it's all fine now."
"So, you're dating? You're a couple now?"
"We didn't discuss it. That's probably saying too much, but I am confident we are... heading in that direction?"
"Sounds complicated?"
"No, I don't think so. Cho's got some stuff she is dealing with, but I don't think it is complicated. Actually rather simple, and lovely." Ginny coloured again but Hermione leaned in again and said,
"I am really glad. Really happy for you. Both of you."
"Thanks, Hermione. I hope you are rooting for me today though, right?"
"Always, Ginny," said Hermione, patting Ginny's arm.
Ginny stood up and called out down the dining table to her teammates,
"Bring some toast if you need to, but let's get moving," Ginny spoke with authority, but she was not unkind or unfriendly, just very business like,
"See you there," she nodded at Hermione, and seven brooms swung up in synchronicity. The Gryffindor Quidditch robes, maroon and gold, looked so good fluttering in the breeze and filled the team with pride and confidence as they made their way down to the Quidditch Pitch. Madam Hooch was already there and the Slytherin team were bringing down the supplies and laying it according to the index finger of the Match Referee.
Ginny gave her team their first pregame rallying speech -
"Right, Gryffindor, this is our first match of the year, our first match together. Ravenclaw have already played a game, they have played together and they are coming off a win.
We don't know who we are, yet. Who we are is what we do. Nothing crazy heroic! We are going to keep it simple.
We are going to stay in position, stay focussed. Every throw is going to be just like in training; controlled. Every catch is going to be just like in training; dependable. We are going to keep in formation and right at their side; ankle to ankle, knee to knee, shoulder to shoulder.
That's who we are! We are disciplined, we are hard and we are coming to win!"
Her teammates roared with approval, they connected the idea of their individual responsibilities being linked directly to team performance, she had made them believe. They came running out onto the pitch expressing all their nervous agitation.
Cho had listened to a less good motivational pregame speech, she was a little distracted, her thoughts returning time and time again to thoughts of Ginny. She kept up her self talk, 'Right now I'm listening to this speech. I am here, I am present, I am focussed.' She could feel the energy of the team, the excitement, the passion, the anticipation, she had to resist it, trying to keep herself centred, she understood her role. She was not nervous, well not about the match but about playing Ginny maybe a little. She laughed quietly to herself, and then reiterated 'I am here, I am present…'
Out in the middle, all the players shook the hands of their opponents and smiled nervously, they didn't really hear Madam Hooch but when they noticed the Team Captains hop on their brooms and rise up, they followed suit. Ginny shook Cho's outstretched hand and said "good luck". Ever since Cho had kissed her the day before, Ginny had been reliving the moment over and over and over, even when they had been having their lunch and chatting and looking at each other, she had been seeing the vision of Cho leaning in and feeling her soft, warm lips pressing gently, but firmly, against her own.
Every time she had opened her mouth to put a fork full of dinner in it, she remembered. She went to bed especially early but was unable to sleep for remembering Cho taking her hand, the smiles they had shared throughout the afternoon. She woke with a strange nervous feeling in her stomach and she was confident that it had nothing to do with Quidditch.
She shook her head, trying to dislodge her thoughts, she had just coached her team to remain focussed, she was now going to have to fight hard to follow her own advice. She pushed off the ground and zoomed straight up, hovering above the rest of the players. Ginny was a fair Seeker, in her own right, but Cho was very, very good. She knew that it would not be easy to beat Cho to the Snitch but she had been studying her friend in the last couple of weeks in training and in last week's match and developed a strategy. Ginny had watched Cho completely dominate her Hufflepuff opponent the week before and she was not going to allow that to happen today.
"Are you okay?" Cho asked Ginny, eyeing her as she hovered next to her, waiting for the Quaffle to be released.
"Yeah, fine," said Ginny.
"Nervous?"
"A little," Ginny was forced to admit, but she was not going to disclose that she was more nervous about Cho than about Quidditch.
"You're a good Seeker, Weasley, you will be fine," Cho tried to bolster Ginny's spirit.
"Thanks, Chang." The Quaffle was released and while Ginny and Chang held their position, everyone else leaned forward in anticipation.
Ginny's tactic was to try to set the pace and force Cho to follow her, rather than the other way around, but of course, anything she did during this match required her to keep her eyeballs peeled for the tiny golden flying Snitch. Everything else counted for nothing if she either missed it or saw it after Cho, she did have the faster broom but she could not rely on that for success.
Also unlike Cho, who was simply a player, Ginny was also Team Captain, it was quite rare that a Seeker would be Captain, in many ways the role of the Seeker was quite independent of the team and the game. They didn't get involved in goals or the passing of the Quaffle, as long as they avoided getting hit by bludgers, kept clear of match play and most importantly searched and secured the Snitch. But the Captain had many responsibilities that stretched from Quaffle Release to the final whistle; wWatching, identifying and defending the plays of the opposition, calling and adjusting her own team plays, adapting strategy, encouraging individual players, reminding them of their role and advising specific behaviours.
She slid sideways away from Cho, but unlike Danny, Cho could simultaneously keep one eye out for the Snitch and one eye on Ginny, she moved sideways as well. Ravenclaw won the first tussle. They passed the Quaffle from person to person with little challenge, but the Gryffindor Keeper, Nadia Newman, was able to successfully defend. She took possession of the Quaffle and the ball made its way, in a controlled fashion up the other end.
Ginny moved from one end to the other, whichever end the Quaffle was not, Cho followed. Ginny dropped suddenly several metres and took a lazy lap with her eyes peeled, Cho had dropped with her but did not follow. She maintained her own flight path which disturbed Ginny, she had been trying and hoping to set the agenda, to force Cho to follow her, she didn't know how to respond without doing the opposite, she didn't want to be following Cho around for the whole match, like Danny.
Ginny looked carefully around at the lower half of the pitch, scanning for movement, she saw a gap in the players, away from the action and rose again, Cho followed at a distance. Cho could sense Ginny was quite stressed, there was none of her usual relaxed banter, she was not the nervous type, also, in training Ginny's strategy was always to remain right on Cho's tail, right on it. Now she seemed determined to set the pace, which is fine, Ginny has a right to play any way she sees fit, it's just that, well, Cho would advise that if she was nervous or stressed, she should opt for the strategy that works for her, not reinventing the wheel and increase her stress.
Cho kept one eye on Ginny, one eye on her opponent (which no longer seemed to be one and the same), one on the game in general and one was searching for the Snitch. Meanwhile Ravenclaw scored two quick goals, Gryffindor, was getting antsy and Ginny had to zoom overhead and calm them down, "Focus on your role, that's all you can control, we knew they were good, but this is our opportunity to see how good WE are!" That message appeared to mollify her teammates, they braced themselves, reset and reapplied themselves.
Ginny immediately turned her attention to Cho and peered around the Pitch for the Snitch, she took a quick lap of the pitch and then dropped low again. Cho had heard Ginny's shouted message, her voice had only been raised for the purpose of achieving volume, her tone was authoritative, perfectly calm and encouraging. Cho was impressed, she didn't like the shouting, bad tempered type of Captain, those tactics were largely ineffective. Cho reluctantly made to follow her.
"Thats was a good message for your team, Weasley,"
"Thanks,"
"I know you are stressed, I wish I could help,"
"Yes, I feel stressed, sorry,"
"This is Quidditch, we love this game, remember?" She bumped Ginny's shoulder.
"Thanks, Chang." She grinned at her friend, "You are being very nice to me, it's a bit nerve racking,"
"Is it? Sorry." They laughed, Ginny immediately felt better and Cho was relieved to observe the tension ease in her face and her shoulders relaxed somewhat.
Thy hovered for while, looking around, watching the game being played out above them,
"May I offer you some advice?" Said Cho quietly, gently.
"That wouldn't be very fair to other Seekers?"
Cho shrugged, "I helped Danny last week,"
"Well, maybe don't," laughed Ginny, Cho grinned as well,
"Up to you," she said, prepared to let it go.
"Go on then," said Ginny.
"You are a very good seeker, Weasley, play your own game, play to your own strengths."
"Thanks,"
"I'm going to get back to work now, good luck,"
"Good luck, Chang," said Ginny and followed Chang's wide circling of the Pitch, rising on the way around, passing through the players, she took Cho's advice and dogged Cho's movements persistently, for the rest of the game.
Ravenclaw were a half a dozen goals ahead but Gryffindor were hanging in, Ginny heard her teammates calling out to each other, 'keep it simple', 'stay focussed', 'keep in formation' and 'shoulder to shoulder'. She felt proud of them. She kept right on Cho's tail and the she saw a flicker of movement at the bottom right hand edge of the Pitch, she narrowed her eyes, leaned forward and took off at top speed, but just as she had got started, she had only just begun picking up speed when she was smashed in the shoulder by a bludger.
It shocked her, it slowed her speed and knocked her off course, but without losing eye contact she rolled over on her broom and broke free of all restriction. But that was all it took. Cho had become aware of Ginny's movement immediately without even having been looking in her direction, in pure reflex she flattened herself along the broomstick, and headed in the same direction as Ginny. It was only at this point that she actually saw the Snitch for the first time, for herself.
She had been two lengths behind Ginny at that point, and knowing how fast the Firebolt was and how competent a rider Ginny was, she had all but given up the Snitch. But then Cho noticed Ginny suddenly pitch to the right, and slow but Cho didn't have time to stop and look, she leaned forward and pushed her Nimbus to it's limit. In her peripheral vision, almost behind her, Cho felt Ginny roll her broom into a recovery position and regain her almost frightening speed.
It was on. Both women squeezed their bodies against their broomstick, trying to minimise wind resistance, they pressed forward, willing their broomstick to keep ahead of the other, if only by an inch. They reached out their arms, their fingers stretching through the freezing cold air and Cho's fingers just managed to wrap themselves around the tiny ball, with Ginny's fingers clawing at the back of her hand. Cho plucked the Snitch out of the air, held it up high and claimed her team's win.