a/n: am i finally done cross-posting all of my old stuff...

Disclaimer: Ha, ha, no.

Title: game, set, match

Word Count: 714

Summary: Auror Potter investigates an interesting case. [tumblr prompt, Gender AU – F/M]

"First off," said Halley, forcing attention back on her friends, "that's taken completely out of context! I have no reason to be jealous."

Hector impressively raised an eyebrow. "There's a context for Quidditch?" He raised both when his wife and best friend stared at him.

"Well." Rory tossed her long hair back. "Care to redeem yourself?"

There was barely a hesitation. He pushed his plate that had a small pile of chips to Rory as a peace offering and continued talking. "I didn't mean to imply jealousy. I've only assumed that you've missed playing Quidditch…"

But Halley wasn't hearing his assumptions. She unintentionally tuned him out, and went back to nearly glaring at the fiancé, waiting to see if it was either her imagining or if Gideon was actually up to something… It had been itching at her the entire evening with her friends. Instead of catching up and having a good time, she would sometimes see something. A flash of color on the back of his neck, a glimmer running over his wrist, a shape peeking above the collar of his practice kit, but it would always disappear if she looked again. Now Halley was getting tired of wondering if it was a trick of the light.

"Come on, Gideon," she muttered under her breath. Their eyes met across the room of The Leaky Cauldron, and he couldn't hide his smile fast enough. He smoothed out his expression and went back to talking with Andrew Johnson.

So, he was up to something.

"Halley?" Rory threw half of a chip at her. "Oi! I think you can stop ogling at my brother."

Halley caught the next chip. "Not my fault that the trousers are leather." She happily took a bite out of the chip as Rory groaned.

Hector shook his head. "You're both unbelievable."

"But you unbelievably married me!"

Smiling, Halley let the two bicker and she got out of her booth seat to investigate. She crossed over the room and greeted Gideon by hugging him from behind.

"Hi!" She kissed his cheek and then turned to Andrew. "I'm going to steal him away for something important, but you'll get him back."

"But from one former captain to another, I need to ask you a question about tactics from —" Andrew raised both eyebrows as Halley dragged her boyfriend away. "You're useless as a former captain."

She threw a hand up in a rude gesture.

Once the door was locked, Halley pinned him to the wall of the loo. "Where is it?"

"Where's what?" Gideon feigned some confusion.

"That tattoo!"

There it was fluttering on the side of his neck—intricately detailed as if someone had compressed an actual snitch onto his freckled skin. The silver wings fluttered and disappeared under his clothes as her fingers barely touched the outline of the engraved surface.

Halley dropped her gaze to his chest, guessing where it could be.

"Hector might have said something about you being slightly jealous."

She gave Gideon a slow look. "We'll thank him for misreading that conversation later."

"You're okay, then?" he said. "You don't harbor any lingering dreams about being an internationally renown Quidditch player?"

Halley considered rolling her eyes. She missed playing Quidditch on some level. Even though they often had pickup games at the Burrow, or the ones with the inter-department rivalry between the Aurors and Department of Magical Games and Sports were even legendary, a part of Halley missed the thrill of having a team that she knew like the back of her hand. But those feelings would ebb once she saw Gideon collapse on her couch, sometimes unable to move from the number of drills that were done in the freezing rain; or covered in bruises from bludgers and strained attitudes from traveling so much.

After all, she was sure the extra fame wouldn't be good for her ego.

"I'm famous enough being the Girl-Who-Lived." She took a step back. "The tattoo," she asked. "It moves everywhere?"

Gideon confirmed this with the sort of look that made her weak at the knees.

"I can't remember the last time we've played a one-sided match." Halley undid the first button of her shirt.

"You plan on winning?" Gideon asked, his eyes bright.

Halley laughed. "Race me home to find out, Weasley."