A/N: A new chapter! I hope you'll like this idea. In the next chapter we will meet an unexpected visitor (no, it's not Draco Malfoy). Anything you recognise is not owned by me but JKR. I trust you know that. I'm sorry I have been uploading so little lately, but I promise to upload the next chapter a little faster.
Lunch was actually rather fun. The Gryffindors, the Weasley's, Harry, Hermione, and even professor McGonagall all ate together in the Gryffindor common room. The tables that normally stood towards the outside of the common room for people to study or play games were now all pushed together to form one, large u-shaped table at which everyone ate. Everyone chatted away, in anticipation or dreading the ceremony. Harry sat in between Ron and Ginny on the side of the portrait hole. Across them sat George, Charlie, Bill and Fleur, Hermione sat on Ron's other side and Molly, Arthur and professor McGonagall sat on Ginny's right. The room was filled with chatting and laughter, but Harry couldn't help but notice that it sounded just a bit more nervous, less certain than usual.
Harry remembered that this probably wasn't just because of the memorial. He remembered that almost all of these kids had lived under the Carrow's regime, and it was probably rather troublesome, if not impossible, to fully undo the changes they made to Hogwarts atmosphere and culture, as long as those that witnessed it are still here.
When people were finishing off their lunch, Dennis Creevy, Jimmy Peakes and Ritchie Coote moved over from the other side of the large table to where Harry was sitting.
"Hey Harry! Good to see you!" Ritchie said as he shook Harry's hand.
"Hey guys, good to see you too."
The boys scooted themselves in between them and sat down.
"So, Dennis told us you are going to speech today?" Jimmy asked.
"Yeah, but I'd rather not talk about that right now. I'm trying to distract myself from that knowledge. How's the team going? Ginny told me you made it on as beaters again?"
"Yes, and Den's our new seeker. He surprised us with his flying techniques, he's actually pretty good!" Jimmy answered.
"And so I've heard, congratulations Dennis. How is Ginny doing as a team captain? I hope she's not too mean to y- Ouch Ginny!" Ginny had elbowed him in the ribs.
"No she's doing great, I have good hopes we're actually going to win the cup again this year." Ritchie laughed.
"What about the other chasers and keeper? Who are they this year?" Ron asked.
"The other chasers are Demelza Robins, just like the year before last year, then there is a new chaser, a third year called Moira Laird, who is actually pretty good. The keeper is a guy named Elis Cader, and I'm not sure what I think of him yet. He's got the potential, but he's not really giving it his all. I guess we'll see."
The conversation stayed on quidditch for a while, and George and Charlie, who had both played for Gryffindor too joined in."
"You know, in my time, we actually had a good quidditch captain", Charlie bragged. "It was me."
"You know what Charlie, I think my team could beat yours in the blink of an eye." Ginny shot back.
"I wouldn't be too sure about that, little sis, we had Oliver Wood, after all. He's now playing professional!"
"No, you're both right, neither of you would win, because my team would! I played with Oliver too, you know, and Alicia Spinet, Katie Bell and Angelina Johnson, and of course Fred and George-" Harry regretted those words as soon as they left his mouth. An uneasy silence fell across their part of the table and people stared at George cautiously. George looked a bit taken aback by this sudden reference to his twin and Harry could see the grief in his eyes again, until he suddenly straightened his back and declared:
"There is only one way to find out. A tournament between all the Gryffindors that ever played."
"What?" Jimmy asked. "You mean, today?"
"Yes, that would be awesome!" Ritchie piped up. "There will be a lot of Gryffindors visiting today, we could ask them for a small tournament after the ceremony!"
"Yes yes yes! And then they could create their own teams, and we'll give them time to go home and get their brooms!" Dennis added enthusiastically.
"Exactly!" George agreed. "Then everyone could come and watch and, oh, and I claim Oliver, and Harry in my team. I can, because I played with both of them longest."
New idea's were added and people became more enthusiastic and wilder about who they wanted in their teams and who would beat who. It was as if George had undergone a metamorphosis. As the plan evolved and improved, he became more and more energetic and… alive. Harry hadn't seen him like this since the battle. Their enthusiasm couldn't go unnoticed by the people sitting around them.
"Is everything all right here?" Molly asked, but smiling because she saw that obviously, everything was more than all right.
"Yeah, mum, we're- Professor!" Ginny suddenly exclaimed. "Didn't you say that you used to play quidditch for Gryffindor too?" Where Ginny got the nerve to ask McGonagall like that, Harry didn't know. It was, however, something he greatly loved about her.
The rest of the group erupted in laughter.
"Ginny, you can't-" Hermione tried, but even she was laughing.
McGonagall, amused, even though she did not really know what this was about, answered Ginny.
"Yes, I did, actually. As a chaser. I was rather good, if I may say so myself. Why are you interested, may I ask?"
"Well." Ginny started. She then turned towards the group with a look that asked 'can I tell them about this?' The others nodded. "Well, we are thinking about organising a quidditch tournament for all generations of Gryffindors to compete. I was just wondering if you would care to join us and play too?"
McGonagall looked baffled, but only for a short second before she erupted in laughter.
"As much as I love your idea, miss Weasley, I can't possibly join a quidditch game to compete! Not at my age, and besides, I am the head mistress."
"What if we could convince the minister to join? Would you do it too then, professor?" George asked.
"I doubt you could ever convince Kingsley to compete again. He did play for Gryffindor in his school days, but I am not under the impression that he would care to do it again. It's not very professional, you see." McGonagall answered delighted.
"But just suppose, if we could convince him, would you play too?" George persevered.
"George!" Molly said.
McGonagall thought for a moment. "Well, seeing that chance is basically zero, I don't see why I wouldn't agree, if it makes you happy. But only if Kingsley plays too!"
"Then we know what we should do." George stated firmly.
They laughed and McGonagall, Molly and Arthur returned to their own conversation again.
"But how will we let everyone know and invite them?" Charlie wondered aloud.
"Hmmm…" They thought for a while.
"Harry" Jimmy said suddenly. "Harry. Everyone listens to you."
"Meaning?" He asked.
"Meaning you should tell them!" Jimmy said again. "You're giving a speech right? Then you could-"
"No way, I can't do that. It's a serious speech, I can't just add something like this! That would just be disrespectful! I can't…"
"No, Harry is right." Ron agreed thoughtfully. "But I do agree that Harry is our easiest medium. Isn't there another moment you get to speak, besides your speech?"
"Yeah, when they give me the medal, Kingsley said I had to get on the podium to receive it and say just a few words, only like a second but-"
He immediately regretted saying that.
"Perfect!" George laughed at him.
"I'm not going to stand there and tell the entire audience including press that there'll be a quidditch match while everyone is thinking about the war!" Harry exclaimed. "They'll just think I'm crazy and immoral."
"I get what you mean, Harry, and I agree, but no one would ever call you immoral after everything you did!" Ginny told him. "What if we, the current team, wrote a statement to invite them, and asked you to read it to them. Then you wouldn't really have that much to do with it. In theory."
He was about to protest when all of a sudden he smiled. Why did he care so much what those people thought of him? He was finally getting his life back on track, and he was really looking forwards to playing quidditch again, it had been such a long time ago since he properly played, and he had really missed it. What did he care what the press might write about him? As long as they had fun… Besides, the press, except for Rita Skeeters, had not dared to write anything but praise and worship about him since the battle, so he would also survive this.
"Okay, whatever, I'll do it." He laughed.
The others cheered and laughed. Ginny jumped up.
"Jimmy, Dennis, Ritchie, come with me. We got to write that statement with Demelza, Elis and Melissa. Over there."
They walked away while the rest continued to fantasize about the tournament. Their loud behaviour had attracted quite some attention from the other Gryffindors. They saw Ginny talking softly to Demelza and then to Elis and Melissa and they retreated to a corner of the common room and started writing and discussing the statement. Demelza, Elis and Melissa looked very amused and surprised.
They were done quickly, so after about fifteen minutes they came back, Elis, Melissa and Demelza came along.
"I present to you: The Gryffindor Quidditch Tournament of the Century!" Ginny declared. "The current Gryffindor quidditch team would like to invite All Gryffindors that have ever played for their house quidditch team to compete in the Gryffindor Quidditch Tournament that we will be organising today. It will be held this afternoon, one hour after the end of the ceremony on the Quidditch pitch. Everyone is invited to come and witness this historic tournament. You can form your own team and sign your team up at the current Gryffindor Quidditch Captain Ginny Weasley, who will be awaiting you in front of the field. We would like to advise you to go and fetch your own broom before the tournaments starts, because school brooms are not exactly desirable to use, but will be available to those who need them. Each game will last a maximum of forty minutes, due to time constraint. Today's match will not be about rivalry and winning, but about creating new friends, allies and teammates. To create unison across generations of Gryffindors."
While Ginny had been reading out the statement, it had become quiet in the common room as more and more people realised what was going on and started listening. When she finished an applause started, hesitant at first but it grew stronger. Ginny, who now realised that everyone had heard her, bowed and laughed. Everyone laughed.
"We forgot to ask you, professor, if it is okay if we use the school brooms? Or even to hold this tournament?" Ritchie asked anxious.
Professor McGonagall nodded. "I cannot possibly disapprove of this master plan. I am already looking forwards to it."