A/N: As promised, here is the Quidditch game. I had a ton of fun writing it, so I really hope you like it.
The grumpy girl edited it, so any spelling mistakes are on her ;) j/k. Also, I want to thank her for editing and - insert subtle promotion - make you aware that she just started her own story here: /s/8840852/1/All-Work-No-Play - fanfiction won't let me post actual links, so just imagine the part in front of that or search for thegrumpygirl.
So enjoy your new chapter now, let me know what you think and have a great New Years Eve!
Chapter Ten
Thursday evening arrived fast. Valerie was overly excited and had spent the day with George at the shop in Diagon Alley. She had exchanged some Muggle money, so she could buy herself something at the merch stand at the stadium. George had spent almost the entire day explaining plays and manoeuvres to Valerie until even he couldn't bear it anymore. She seemed insatiable though and begged him to let her go to Quality Quidditch Supplies or a book shop so she could find out more about the sport. George had finally given in and instructed one of his employees to look after the shop for an hour or two before leaving with Valerie.
When they entered the shop she was overwhelmed. There were miniature broomsticks flying around and Quidditch robes for all purposes of all colours in all sizes were on display. There was a book section and Valerie was in heaven. She was not quite the bookworm Hermione was, but she loved books too. In the end she decided to buy two books, one for herself with the promising title "Quidditch Strategy: There are no more new moves" and one for Hermione titled "101 things to do in a Quidditch stadium while the others watch the boring game". Valerie was content with her yield and accompanied George back to his shop.
Shortly before closing time Hermione dropped by to pick up Valerie, "Hello you two. Did you have a good day?" she said, hugging first George and then her flatmate.
"I explained just about everything I ever knew about Quidditch to her. She's worse than you. When she wants to know something, she'll bug you for as long as it takes until she gets what she wants," George pretended to complain.
"Yes, and I begged him long enough to come to Quality Quidditch with me," Valerie beamed, "I got you something, too." Valerie then produced the book from behind her back and handed it over to Hermione, "For when we're there and you get bored by the game," Valerie added.
"Thanks Val, I appreciate it. If it's not already in there, I will add "Thing 102: Watching your super hot girlfriend crush the other team", Hermione chuckled.
"How will we get to the stadium?" Valerie asked, with a slightly shaky voice. She really didn't want to apparate but she somehow doubted that they had a fireplace at the stadium to floo into.
"I'm afraid we'll have to apparate. Because flooing would only work to the nearest wizarding pub and it's outside the bounds of the Muggle repelling spell. I won't be able to get you into the stadium then," Hermione explained.
"Muggle repelling spell?" Valerie looked slightly offended.
"I didn't name it, Val. And it's for the protection of Muggles and Wizards alike. Anyway, if you were to walk to the stadium from the pub, you'd run into the spell, forget what you wanted there and go home. However, if we apparate right into the middle of it all, you should be safe," Hermione explained further.
Valerie sighed. She had tried her best but it seemed to her Apparition was unavoidable, "Alright then, let's get it over with." She put her arm around Hermione's waist and braced herself. With an almost inaudible pop they were gone.
"Wow!" was what Valerie meant to say. All that came out of her standing widely agape mouth was hot air, though. Hermione had apparated them right in front of the stadium. It was huge and impressive and reminded Valerie a bit of a football stadium but also of the Colosseum in Rome. She regretted not bringing her camera.
"I take it you are quite impressed?" Hermione asked with a smirk on her face, while rummaging around in her pocket.
"Uh huh," Valerie said, still staring at the building in front of her, then slowly taking in the people filing into the entrances. When she realised that Hermione was shoulder deep in her bag a slight panic rose in her, "Please tell me you have the tickets?"
"Yes, don't worry. I'm looking for something else," Hermione kept her arm deep in her bag when suddenly her face lit up, "Hah, I found it." She pulled out one of Valerie's cameras and handed it to her, "I thought you might want that. I wasn't sure if it's the right one though."
Valerie quickly took her camera and hugged her friend, "Yes, thank you. I was so excited that I forgot it at home. Can we go in now?" She took a few snapshots and waited for Hermione to show her around.
The two of them went in and headed to the merchandise stand. "One of those t-shirts, please," Valerie said pointing at a simple green t-shirt with a Harpies logo on the front, "and one of those #5 pins." Valerie took the pin, stuck it to Hermione's top and gave her a satisfied look, "Perfect! Now you look like a proper fan."
"You know what these pins do, don't you?" Hermione asked, but didn't wait for the answer, "they give you a close up of what the player with the respective number is doing during the game."
"Well, it's lucky I picked Ginny's number then, isn't it?" Valerie grinned. Hermione poked Valerie gently in the ribs and then urged her forward to make their way to the seats.
"This is great, we can see everything from here!" Valerie was delighted.
"Sit down Val, the referee is already on the pitch," Hermione called her friend to order.
Suddenly a voice echoed through the stadium, "Wizards and Witches, welcome to London. You are about to see a great match. The Holyhead Harpies face Puddlemere United in a friendly game of Quiddtitch. My name is Lee Jordan and here are you teams.
Hermione smiled. S, so Lee had stuck with his talents and had become a full time Quidditch commentator. She didn't have a lot of time to ponder this because the crowd erupted in a deafening roar as the home team clad in navy blue robes raced through the stadium in circles. Lee's voice boomed through the stadium announcing the names and positions of the players. After their introductions the players landed on the pitch next to the referee.
"And now Witches and Wizards, please welcome the visiting team: the Holyhead Harpies! Here is Gwenog Jones, captain and one of two brilliant beaters. There are rumours that this will be her last season as an active player. Here we have the other beater, Jane Choyce, famous for her defensive beating skills. And here is the Harpies' Seeker Malorie Newwiggle. This is her first season, but she seems almost unbeatable. And she's a real looker, too."
Lee seemed to be having a lot of fun introducing the players and the crowd went wild with excitement. Finally, the last three players of the team in green raced into the stadium never breaking formation. Ginny was flanked by two of her teammates and if Valerie thought the cheers had been loud before, she couldn't believe what she heard now. "And with the number five on her back, our fan favourite and unstoppable Chaser, Ginny Weasley. She scored..."
Lee's voice was drowned out by the audience. Valerie glanced over at Hermione who was beaming with pride. When the noise had settled enough, Valerie heard Lee finish his last sentences about Ginny, "...and hey Ginny, how about a drink after the game?"
As the crowd boomed with laughter Hermione's expression changed from pride to jealousy momentarily and Valerie had to squeeze her shoulder reassuringly. "You know, she wouldn't do that, right?"
Hermione nodded but didn't lose the grim face. She took a look at the pin on her chest and saw how Ginny shot Lee the most devastating look. This brightened her mood instantly.
Moments later the game began and Ginny was already on her way to the goal posts with a quaffle in her hand. "Ah, I knew this one is a keeper, I mean Chaser. Ginny Weasley is on her way, better look out Puddlemere United. Oh no, it's too late. The Quaffle already went through the middle hoop. The Harpies lead by 10 and we're not even five minutes into the game." Again, Lee was barely audible over the crowd. Valerie was glued to her Omnioculars and tried to take in as much as she could, while Hermione was busy watching her girlfriend gracefully evading the other teams' defence. She couldn't take her eyes off Ginny, flaming hair trailing in the wind along with her green Quidditch robes. Hermione's eyes were glued to Ginny, when suddenly a Puddlemere player slammed into her, visibly knocking the breath out of her. Ginny lost the Quaffle to the enemy player and had to slow down and regain her breath.
"Now that didn't look too good. Weasley took quite a hit from Thom Iggleson there. I hope it wasn't too bad. I've hardly ever seen her slow down, even after the hardest hits," Lee's voice seemed concerned. But then Ginny lifted up her hand, showing her team and the rest of the people in the stadium that she was okay. "Ah, that's my girl! I knew that nothing could slow her down for long. Better be careful Iggleson, Weasley is out for revenge." Lee seemed to back to his old wits and Hermione was back to her grim face. She knew that Lee was in a spell proof box, but she was tempted to try and silence him anyway.
"Puddlemere has the Quaffle. Iggleson passes to Hornsprack. And back to Iggleson. There's Weasley on her way to intercept. She fails. Now everything rests on the very pretty shoulders of Harpies keeper Silvana Sundraggle. Iggleson passes to Hornsprack. And there's Orknell! Out of nowhere! And the Quaffle is through! The score is 60 to 70 in favour of the team in green. And still no sign of the Snitch. Both Seekers are hovering high above the pitch looking out for that glimpse of gold. Aaah, a time out, called by Puddlemere United it seems."
Lee kept on talking about possible strategies for both teams and Hermione squinted to see Ginny down on the pitch hastily chugging down a refreshment while listening to her Coach explain something.
Hermione was stunned by her girlfriends' good looks. Even windswept and all sweaty she looked gorgeous or maybe just because of her dishevelled state she looked gorgeous. Hermione pushed the thought aside, deciding to ponder the various causes of Ginny's beauty at a later time. For now she was content basking in Ginny's good looks.
Two minutes later the players were back up in the air and the the game sped up even more. Goal after goal was scored and when most of the audience had almost forgotten about it the Golden Snitch made its appearance.
Lee was beyond excited: „There it is! The Snitch has been sighted. Malorie Newwiggle and Charlotte Baxter are on their way down. And they're descending fast, look at them go!. The two of them are shooting to the ground almost vertically. Baxter seems to be a little in front but Newwiggle is not far behind!"
Lees voice almost cracked as the two seekers swerved and followed the Snitch around the stadium wall in circles. „They're after it at break neck speed! I think their feet are almost touching the ground. And in the meantime Harpies Chaser Daere Hywel scored another goal. What?! Jane Choyce is racing down towards the ground as well now! There is a Bludger on its way to the two seekers. It seems all the other Beaters are too far away. Professional Quidditch Bludgers are 10 inch solid iron balls. A hit to the head could be lethal…"
Lee fell suddenly silent as the Bludger hit Malorie Newwiggle square in the chest, „...Newwiggle! She is off her broom, tumbling on the ground. It is lucky the two seekers are not up very high, yet at this speed and given the bludger to the chest, this could still be a very serious injury. Puddlemere Seeker Charlotte Baxter lost speed but is now in hot pursuit of the Snitch again. But what is this? Ginny Weasley cuts in and falls in line with Baxter! She is racing after the Snitch. Some of you may know that Weasley played Seeker in her first ever Quidditch season back at Hogwarts. This will show if she still has it in her. Newwiggle is still on the ground, mediwizards are with her now. I can't really see what's going on, but let's hope it's not too serious. Judging from the state of her broom, though..."
Lee's voice trailed off and after a second he focused on the game again. „Weasley and Baxter are still head to head in the race for the Snitch. Whoa, look at that! They're shooting straight up now; this is serious business at this speed. Ginny Weasley's athletic build might actually be a slight disadvantage for her here. Baxter is a tad lighter and faster. But what's that, the Snitch is going down again, flying a zig-zag course to get rid of its pursuers. Both players are almost within reach now. I don't remember a Quidditch game this thrilling ever, especially a friendly game like this one."
Lee was talking even faster than usually as a result of his excitement. Hermione and Valerie, and probably the rest of the audience with them, were holding their breaths as they watched the chase.
The other players just sat on their brooms and watched too, forgetting that there was an actual game going on. Only the beaters were still doing their job, keeping the Bludgers as far away from the pitch as they could.
Hermione grabbed Valerie's hand for support, whispering to herself, „please be careful, please be careful," over and over again, while at the same time wishing and praying that Ginny would catch the Snitch.
„Let me explain this to everyone not so familiar with the rules of the game," Lee launched into Quidditch-expert mode, „Both teams have called all the allowed time outs, so there is no chance for the Harpies to send in another Seeker. This means that one of the other players is allowed to take on this role. It is a very little known fact that would require a lot of knowledge of the sport, but I always knew that my girl is good at what she does," Lee kept on gushing. „Now what's that? Ginny is inching forward on her broom trying to get in front of her opponent. They are both flying at top speed and none of them can grab the Snitch from where they are. This is a risky move, considering that they are both on Firebolts that go 150 miles per hour. Weasley is now about an arm's length in front of Baxter, who is fighting hard to gain speed."
And before Lee could say anything the crowd erupted into a deafening cheer that almost knocked Valerie back into her seat. Ginny had caught the Snitch, Hermione was jumping up and down next to her, fans were hugging each other and applauding. Ginny slowed down and flew around the Stadium with the Snitch in her hand. Her teammates closed in on her to hug and congratulate her. Ginny was grinning like mad, while her eyes kept searching for a special pair of brown eyes in the audience. She found Hermione and Valerie in the stands and flew up to them. She landed in between them, accepting congratulations from the people around her and offering the Snitch to Valerie as a present, „Keep this as a souvenir from your first Quidditch game, will you?" Ginny said, still panting for air and sweating heavily. Valerie accepted her present and held it out for the crowd to see. Hermione hugged Ginny, whispering congratulations in her ear, „I'm proud of you, this was great. I wasn't even bored once."
Ginny broke their hug, looked deep into her girlfriend's eyes and leaned in for a celebratory kiss. Their lips met and the audience fell silent, not believing their eyes. Even Lee was at a loss for words for a few moments before finding his tongue again: „Hm, it seems that my chances for a date with my favourite Chaser just shrunk considerably."
The crowd laughed and as Ginny broke the kiss to get back on her broom. Hermione was left in the stands flushed with excitement and blushing at the admiring wolf whistles around her.
„Well, I think that makes it official, I guess," she said to Valerie who was still more impressed with the golden ball in her hand than with the very public declaration that Ginny had just made.
„Congratulations," she said, tearing her eyes away from the snitch, "I believe you have an actual girlfriend now and all the world knows it!" Valerie patted Hermione on the back approvingly.
Suddenly, Hermione's goofy grin faltered and transformed into an expression of utter horror and panic. „Shit," she said.
Valerie almost couldn't believe her ears but was too preoccupied with everything she'd just witnessed to worry about it. „What's up Hermione, it's a good thing, having a girlfriend," she tried to cheer up her friend innocuously.
Hermione turned to Valerie, her face lined with worry," No, don't you understand, Val. Now there is one more person on Lucius' shortlist for people to go through to get to me.
Valerie's cheery face turned to match Hermione's expression, „Shit."