The sun was nearing the end of its lap across the mild October sky when Harry and Ginny decided to call it a day. They headed for the castle, the sun hanging half-hidden in the mountains behind them, coloring the sky with hues of red, orange, purple, and even green. When they entered the Great Hall, they realized that it was still quite early and there were only a few people around. Ron, Hermione, and Neville hadn't arrived yet and Ginny's friends weren't there either so they headed to the Gryffindor table and sat together, talking about the upcoming selection of the Triwizard Champions.
The sky that was reflected in the enchanted ceiling had turned dark and the stars had emerged by the time people started filling in, Ron, Hermione, and Neville among them. They sat across Harry and Ginny. Ron and Hermione were chatting pleasantly. They had either made up already or their fight had ended well. The other three joined Harry and Ginny's conversation, and the five of them started speculating about the possible Hogwarts Champion.
A few minutes later, Ginny's friends arrived with the other Gryffindor third years. Ginny was a very outgoing person and she had a lot of friends in Hogwarts, most of them from her own year. Among the Gryffindor third years, however, she could mostly be seen hanging around with Colin Creevey, a mousy-haired boy who couldn't be seen without a camera, Kimberly Seagill, a slender girl with straight black hair, Sarah Tilmitt, a kind faced girl with wavy hair and pronounced dimples, and Edmund Kinneas, a tall, sandy-haired boy with ears slightly larger than normal. Ginny's friends sat a few seats towards the end, and they hailed for her to come join them.
"See you guys later," Ginny said amiably, standing up and hitting Harry lightly on the shoulder. He, Ron, Hermione, and Neville smiled and nodded at her.
Ginny walked towards her friends and greeted them. At least Harry assumed that she was greeting them, he couldn't really hear what they were saying. She put an arm around her friend Kimberly's shoulder and another around Sarah, and squeezed herself between the two of them. Her friends said something to her, she replied with a casual shrug, and they burst out laughing. Harry shook his head, chuckling, and turned back to his friends, who were still talking about the possible Champions.
Presently, food started appearing on the table. It was quite a feast, but Harry couldn't wait for the announcement of the Champions. People were craning their heads at the staff table, impatiently waiting for Dumbledore to signal the end of the feast. At last, about half an hour later, the headmaster stood up and cleared his throat. Everyone fell silent as the Goblet of Fire was placed in front of the staff table, awaiting the announcement of the Champions with bated breath.
Dumbledore started calling out the names of the Champions while Ron provided a running commentary beside Harry. First, the Beauxbatons Champion was called: Fleur Delacour. ("It's her Harry!" Ron said excitedly. "It's her! The Veela girl!"). Next, the Durmstrang Champion: Viktor Krum. ("I knew it!" said Ron, hitting the table excitedly. Hermione looked disapprovingly at him). And lastly, the Hogwarts Champion was called.
"Cedric Diggory," announced Dumbledore. Ron's comments were drowned out as Cedric Diggory stood up and the Hogwarts students clapped vigorously. Everyone had been rooting for him, but it was the Hufflepuff students that practically exploded in celebration. Some cat-called, others wolf-whistled, and still others stood up and banged their fists on the table. One blonde-haired boy in Harry's year yelled, "Go, Cedric!" and the rest of the House echoed him. Dumbledore had to clear his throat twice for the hall to fall silent again.
The silence didn't last too long. As soon as Cedric entered the room where the other Champions had gone in, everyone started talking. Fred and George stood up and went around the Gryffindor table. Each person they approached would scratch their head and hand some amount of money to them, and the twins would grin smugly. Presently, Ginny motioned for them to approach her. They looked unsurely at each other before walking towards her. The three of them started talking. It seemed that they were arguing about something, the twins against Ginny. Her friends listened with expressions of amusement on their faces. They burst out laughing a couple of minutes later as the twins handed her some coins and walked away, scratching their heads. Harry couldn't help but laugh too. She had obviously bested the twins. She must have felt him looking at them because she turned to him and gave a friendly wave. He waved back, grinning widely at her.
Harry woke up early the following morning. He took a quill and a roll of parchment from his trunk and walked out of the room, taking care to close the door slowly so as not to wake his dorm-mates. It was a lazy Sunday morning and almost everyone was sleeping in. The only occupants of the common room were a couple of fifth years and a group of second years who were talking about last night's events. He took a seat on one of the chairs near the fireplace and started writing.
Dear Dad,
Please send me my Nimbus. It would be really great if I get it before Saturday next. I have something important for it.
Thanks,
Harry
Satisfied with the letter, Harry headed for the Owlery and called Hedwig, asking her to send it to Godric's Hollow.
His Dad's reply came immediately on Monday morning. His tawny owl, Gertie, arrived with the other owls over breakfast, but Harry couldn't see any of them carrying a package that might be his Nimbus. He opened his Dad's letter and started reading.
Dear Harry,
What do you mean you want me to send your Nimbus over there? Did something happen to your Firebolt? And besides, you're not holding Quidditch matches this year, are you?
Sorry for all the questions, but your Mum wants to know.
Love,
Dad
Harry borrowed a quill and parchment from Hermione and scribbled his reply.
Dear Dad (and Mum),
The Firebolt's fine. I just want to loan the Nimbus to Ginny Weasley, you know her. She's an amazing flier. And Dad, she'll be really interested in learning your Chaser tricks, more than I ever was. She's really good at it too. Chasing, I mean. Anyway, she's been using one of the school's brooms. A Comet 180! We all know (well, maybe not you, Mum) that broom's ancient. A Nimbus would suit her better. And you would agree with me once you've seen her fly. And by the way Dad, she can do that trick you tried to teach me once, the Hand Magnet thing or whatever. You know what I mean. So, I'd like to loan her my Nimbus. I hope you send it before Saturday.
Love,
Harry
P.S.: Ginny and I go flying on Saturdays, that's why I need the broom. Please send it. Thanks.
Gertie still needed to rest so Harry sent her to the Owlery. He folded the letter and put it inside the front pocket of his shirt for safekeeping. That evening, he went to the Owlery and instructed Hedwig to deliver the letter to his parents.
The Nimbus was delivered by three owls on Friday evening. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville were the only ones left in the common room when the owls flew in through an open window and dropped the package on the table, knocking over the ink-bottle. If it weren't for Hermione's quick wand work, the four of them would have had to redo their Potions essays.
"Bloody hell!" exclaimed Ron, quickly grabbing his and Hermione's homework as she waved her wand and made the ink run back to the bottle. Harry and Neville also grabbed their respective essays.
The three owls, rented delivery by the looks of them, flew away in a flutter of wings, leaving the Nimbus and a letter on the table. Harry opened the letter first.
Dear Harry,
I've sent your Nimbus with this letter. Hopefully, it would arrive before Saturday. Tell Ginny she can always come around the Centre this summer, or even Christmas. It would be great to have someone to pass my Chaser tricks on to. All you're ever interested in are flying tricks. Well, have fun. Your Mum says to be careful when you two go flying.
Love,
Dad
Harry looked up from his letter and turned his attention to the package. Ron had already started tearing the wrapping paper from it.
"Whoa, Harry," Ron began when he saw what was inside. "Is this your Nimbus?"
"Yeah."
"Why'd you have it sent here?"
"Oh, I'm going to loan that to Ginny."
"You're what?" Ron asked sharply. He looked incredulously at Harry, his eyebrows rising to the heavens. "What are you—what—did she ask you for it? Because you can always refuse if you don't want to loan it, you know. I'm sure she'll understand."
"No, Ron," said Harry. "Ginny didn't ask for it. She's using that Comet 180 in the broom shed, and that's really slow. I just thought this would be better for her."
"So she didn't ask you? And youjust thought you'd loan it to her? Why?"
"Well, in case you haven't realized, Ron, your sister's a really good flier, and I just thought she deserves something better than a Comet 180."
"Is she really?" Ron asked curiously. "I mean, I know she can ride a broom, but is she really good?"
"Yes," replied Harry, also addressing Hermione and Neville, who were listening interestedly to his and Ron's conversation. "She's been sneaking out at night to go flying since she was six. She even goes to the pitch to fly almost every Saturday since her first year."
"She does?" asked Ron. He sounded genuinely surprised about it.
"Yes," replied Harry while Hermione nodded beside him.
"Wait, you two know?"
"Ginny told me back in second year," said Hermione.
"She told me last Wednesday," Harry replied quietly, feeling just the slightest bit bothered that Hermione knew long before he had. Ron, on the other hand, didn't seem at all bothered that his best friends knew something about his own sister that he didn't. He was, however, apparently still bothered by the fact that Harry was going to loan the Nimbus to Ginny.
"So you're really just going to let her use this?" asked Ron, pointing at the Nimbus 2000. "Wasn't this being rented in your Quidditch Centre and all the profits go to you?"
Harry shrugged. "It's only generating a small profit anyway," he lied, not looking at Neville, who knew exactly how much profit his Nimbus 2000 generated (Harry had told him about it when he came to visit the Quidditch Centre that summer). "And most of those who rent brooms at the Centre can't fly squat," Harry continued. "The good ones always have their own brooms. My Nimbus deserves a better rider. And besides, it's only until Ginny gets a good broom."
"Well, she's going to be using this for a quite a while then," said Ron, "Mum and Dad won't be able to afford to buy her a good broom in the near future," he added a little uncomfortably.
"I think it's very generous of you, Harry," said Hermione brightly. Harry knew she was steering them away from uncomfortable waters, but he could also see that she was sincere about what she was saying. "Ginny will be really thrilled about this!"
"Queen to D5," Ron mumbled, staring intently at the chess board. His white Queen ambled gracefully to the designated square.
Harry checked his watch, it was twenty-five minutes past two o'clock. The days were getting shorter so he and Ginny had decided to go flying earlier than she usually did that year so that they'd have more daylight time. He only had five minutes left to spare and Ron and Hermione weren't even halfway through their chess game (Neville was at the greenhouses spending—or wasting, in Harry's opinion—his free time with magical plants).
"Can't you just leave it and continue later?" he said to Ron. "It's almost two-thirty."
Hermione glared at him, obviously annoyed that her concentration was disrupted. Harry rolled his eyes and looked impatiently at Ron.
"Harry, I'm winning," said Ron. Hermione scoffed. "Why don't you just go ahead? I'll catch up with you."
"You could have told me that earlier," Harry said wryly, annoyed. He had intended to go to the pitch earlier than Ginny so that she couldn't see him bringing the Nimbus. He wanted it to be a surprise, but that didn't seem possible now. He couldn't get from Gryffindor tower to the Quidditch pitch in less than five minutes. Ginny would probably be at the pitch already by the time he got there.
He stood up and picked the Firebolt and the Nimbus from the floor.
"I'll see you two later," he said to his best friends. "Catch up, Ron," Harry reminded, though he doubted that Ron would.
Harry walked out of the Gryffindor common room and headed for the Quidditch pitch. Just as he had expected, Ginny was already there when he arrived. She was sitting on the stands, Comet 180 on her lap, waiting for him. Harry held the Nimbus and the Firebolt with one hand, so as to make it less obvious that he was bringing two brooms with him.
"Hi," he called to Ginny. "Sorry I'm late. I was waiting for Ron, and then he decided to just catch up later."
"That's okay," she said casually. She stood up and came to meet him. "What's he doing?"
"Playing chess with Hermione," he replied, rolling his eyes.
She chuckled, amused. "Who's winning?" she asked.
"Hermione, I hope," he replied. He was still a little annoyed with Ron for making him late.
"Well, let's go," she said, grinning at him. She mounted her broom and looked at Harry, expecting him to do the same.
"Wait, I have something for you," he said. He transferred the Nimbus to his free hand and stretched it out to Ginny.
She looked at it, surprised. She apparently hadn't noticed that he had two brooms with him. Then she looked up at Harry, her expression of surprise turning to curiosity.
"Huh?"
"It's for you," he said again, wondering if she heard him the first time.
"Is that a Nimbus 2000?" she asked, curiosity turning into disbelief.
"Yeah, it's mine," said Harry, grinning now, thinking that she was playing daft. "I'm loaning it to you," he clarified.
"You're loaning—you'll let me—whoa…. No, I can't accept that Harry," she said firmly.
"What? Why not?" he asked, confused. Hermione said she would be thrilled. "You can't keep riding that Comet forever. It's too slow. And besides, no one else is using this. It'll just sit rotting at the Quidditch Centre if you don't."
"Are you serious?" she asked softly. She looked like she was preparing to believe him.
"Yes! Come on, would I have had my Dad send it all the way here if I weren't?"
Ginny let out a huge breath, and then she started chuckling softly. "You're kidding," she finally told him.
"Ginny! Just take it."
She grinned unsurely at him. She tentatively reached out her hand for the Nimbus but withdrew it again before she'd even touched the broom.
"Are you going to take it or are we just going to stand here all afternoon?"
She now looked like she didn't want to believe him.
"Look, take it or I'll change my mind," warned Harry. That did it for Ginny and she quickly grabbed the Nimbus from him.
He snorted. "You were going to take it after all… you had to act shy," he commented jokingly.
"I…thanks, Harry," said Ginny, looking up at him and smiling slightly, her brown eyes twinkling.
"No problem," he said, blinking twice.
Her grin widened, going from ear to ear. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you," she said ecstatically. She did a small jump on her toes, and then she lunged at him and gave him a tight, bone-breaking hug.
"I'm just going to return this," she told him as she pulled away, holding the Comet up. Harry just nodded, speechless, as she turned and walked towards the broom shed.
Harry stared after her, feeling slightly winded and a little confused. He hadn't seen that hug coming, not from Ginny. She had never hugged him before. It was unexpected, to say the least. It was kind of nice though. And she smelled good….
Betaed by: PadfootProngs7